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A19589 The sermon preached at the Crosse, Feb. xiiii. 1607. By W. Crashawe, Batchelour of Diuinitie, and preacher at the temple; iustified by the authour, both against Papist, and Brownist, to be the truth: wherein, this point is principally intended; that the religion of Rome, as now it stands established, is still as bad as euer it was Crashaw, William, 1572-1626. 1609 (1609) STC 6028; ESTC S118191 115,004 191

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to come to a Councell or Disputation c. and tho he binde and confirme that safe conduct with any bonde whatsoeuer and tho the party would not haue come but vpon the assurance of the safe conduct Yet hoc non obstante this not withstanding he may be taken and proceeded against and burned as an hereticke without any preiudice to the Catholick faith c. If this be good diuinity that Oaths Couenants to hereticks are of no force binde not the makers then it is in vaine for men to haue any dealing one with another for if oathes be once of no force in any one thing they will in time be weakened in all things Thus this Romish Councell that should haue amended hath contrariewise decreed two conclusions of monstrous impietie and such as for ought I could euer see were neuer till then decreed nor receiued no not in the Romish Church it selfe But is this reformed since No saith a great Spanish Bishop more then a hundred yeares after this Councell it is so farre from being altered that contrariwise by the authority of this decree it is now a rule in our Church that faith made to an hereticke by a priuate man is not to be kept no nor if it be made by a Magistrate as saith he is proued by the practice of the Councel of Constance Mark how they are healed afore it was true in publique persons nor it is true in priuate men also afore it might be broken without any fault but nowe it may not be kept See how Babylon is cured But the Councell of Trent is of later times hath not it done much good and reformed much ill Nay on the other side it hath decreed and made two Canons to the high disgrace of holy Scriptures and much derogating from the soueraign authoritie therof which till then were neuer decreed not in the darkest times of poperie when her ignorance and superstition was without all controll As namely first * Concil Trident sess 4. That the Apocriphall Bookes of Tobiah Iudith and the rest shall be held and receiued of as authenticall and Canonicall authority as any parts of holy Scripture whose authoritie was euer sacred This wrong was neuer offered to the holy Scriptures before neither was there euer any popish generall Councell so presumptuous afore this of Trent that euer durst add more books to the sacred Canon then we receiued from Christ and the Church of the olde Testament Some bold Papists say that the Florentine Councel before Trent did make them Canonicall which if it had it had bin little materiall seeing it was but a smal time before Trent scarce 100. yeares but the truth is it did not and therefore Bellarmine and Coccius are more carefull of their credit and will not affirme it * Bellar. tom 1 lib. de verbo Dei So that its cleer there neuer was generall Councell that made them Canonicall before Trent Coccius in the sauro cathol tom 1. nor any prouinciall but one * Concil C●●thag 3. and they are not able to bring one Father that held them so within 400. yeares after Christ nor very many after till of late and contrariwise wee are able to proue that all the Fathers for 400. yeares did reiecte them and many after yea the greater part of all learned Papists themselues till the Councell of Trent And thus wee see how Romish Babylon is stil the elder the worse But this is not all a Romish Councell will neuer meete for one euill Therefore secondly they decree * Concil Trident sess 4. That in all Disputations Sermons Lectures and to all other purposes that Latine translation called the vulgar shal be held the authentical text and that no man presume vnder any pretext to refuse it Heere is a strange decree that the streame shall be of more vertue then the Fountaine a translation of more authoritie then the Originall The former ages neuer heard of this indignitie but whensoeuer doubt was made or difference found recourse was forthwith had to the Originalls for the determining of the matter Many learned Papists are ashamed of this if they durst vtter it Bellarmine and Coccius do bewray it by their slight handling of the matter for they would gladly prooue if they could that Hierome was the author of that translation but as for the magnifying of it whosoeuer was the translator aboue the Originalls they are wiser then to venture their credits vpon so false a matter and therefore doe wholly leaue it vpon the credit of that conuenticle that concluded it Neither do I wrong to call it a Conuenticle for tho I should grant the whole to be a Councel yet the number that past this bil was so small that I may safely call it a Conuenticle For as an ill motion may pass in Parliament betimes in a morning before all the house be set so was this bill carried at Trent For whereas the Councel in his fulness consisted of about 300. that had voice of decision they took the aduantage at the beginning of the Councell and carried these two bils when ther were scarce 60. in the house wherof how many went against them is vncertain for the Pope durst not for one of his Crownes haue put these 2. bils especially the latter to the full house for how would they haue entertained it then when as they had liberty of speech against it who since their tongues were tyed the bil passed yet haue dared some of them who were of the Councel themselues euen to resist the decree Arius Montanus Sixtus Senensis Oleaster c. and haue taken so contrarie a course themselues in expounding the Scripture that howsoeuer they were tolerated for their learning whilest they liued yet being dead their books are either purged that is altered or els reproued So that its apparant to all that will vnderstand that this decree was so far from being established in any former ages that it is euen misliked of many of the better sort of themselues now that it is made And thus I hope we haue cleered it that these two Councells called in the corrupt and declining times of the Popish Church in shewe to haue reformed it haue beene so farre from that that contrariwise they haue concluded diuerse enormous impieties that were not before Then is not the Romish Babylon well cured The second Proposition Poperie is still as ill as euer it was I hasten to the second Proposition which is that the deformities that were before both in Doctrine and practice both in head and members and many whereof were complayned on by some of themselues doe yet remaine without redresse or reformation For the demonstration of this Proposition I might inlarge my selfe into many particulars but I will insist but vpon fewe and those I shal produce shall not be trifles nor triuiall but of great moment euen touching the maine and morall duties which a Christian man oweth to his God and which
beleeued because they are allowed and authorised by the Pope being so by him authorised they are of as much authority as if the Pope himself had beene the Author of them Therefore it is of credite and implyeth necessity of beeing beleeued or it bindeth as strongly as if it had been pronounced or vttered by the Pope because wee make all those things as good as our owne vpon which we bestow or impart our authority The high holy God that is the Author of the holie Scriptures be mercifull vnto vs in hauing any thing to doe with this vnchristian blasphemie and graunt that wee may not any way communicate with their sins no● haue fellowship with this wicked worke of darkenesse The Impiety and Atheisme that lyeth in it is such as if it had but crept into some secret pamphlet I would neuer haue brought it into light but being that it is registred in the Glosse vppon their lawe a booke of so great authoritie and so common in the hands of all the learned I cannot but discharge my dutie to the trueth tho it may giue vantage to the Atheist and Libertine For what can such men think when they heare him that pretends to bee Christs Vicar and Peters successor teache that Salomons wordes are not of as good authority as his bee when as Christ himselfe did approue and iustifie himselfe and all his wordes and deedes and doctrines by the olde Testament and that the words of God in the olde Testament do therefore binde and are therefore to bee beleeued because the Pope pleaseth to insert and canonize them in his lawe that being by him so canonized they bee therefore as good as if the Pope himselfe had spoken them What I saie can they iudge but that the Pope is one of their profession a plain Atheist that holds the Scripture all religion as farre as pleaseth his humour and serueth his turnes And if any of his faction hold this too hard a censure I would intreate him to answere mee but this question grounded vpon these words of his Whether is God the Author of the olde Testament or no 2. Pet. 1. 20. 21 If they say no Saint Peter answereth that Prophecie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men spake as they were inspired of the holie Ghost If he be then the Prouerbs of Salomon being a Canonicall Booke of the Olde Testament is Gods Booke and the wordes of the Text are Gods words and not Salomons This beeing so let vs then take the wordes as they are in their true and full meaning and see what a peece of Popish diuinitie heere is Obserue that the words of the Text are not the words of the Pope A strāge peece of popish doctrine that gods word if it bee authorized by the Pope is thē of as good credit as if the Pope himselfe had spoken it therefore if the Pope please not to Canonize it then it is not● So that either Gods word must b●e beholden to the Pope for the authority of it or else it hath none but of God but because these words of God are heer canonized by the Pope therfore they are of credit worthy to be beleeued as well as if they had ben spoken by the Pope himselfe Loe heere the Pope in his owne colours this is Diuinity fit to be hatched at Rome and to be coyned in his mint● Let the words be examined and see what can follow of them but that either the Pope holdes not the Prouerbs to bee Gods booke but SALOMONS which is horrible Atheism or else if he hold them Gods that the words of God beare no credit nor haue authority to binde mens conscience till the Pope do canonize them and that Gods word in a booke knowne receiued and graunted to bee Canonicall is not of as good authority in that booke as being translated into the Popes Canon lawe If he refuse both these then let him refuse his owne lawe and burne his glosse vpon his decretalls● as containing Atheisme and Heresie in a high degree 12 The sixt wound not healed But to goe forward Is this wound healed Surely if they haue left it out or reformed it in any later impression so it be with open confession and detestation of the fault it is wel But sure I am it is in the impression I haue and in al other which I could borrow And further I do not know any Pope or popish writer that hath with authority and allowance condēned or reproued this Atheisme if they know any they may doe well to produce them Meane time I am also sure of this that in stead of healing it they haue suffered their Doctors Writers continually since to speake and write almost as ill if not worse In Queene Maries time an English Papist wrote thus c Proctor in his booke called the waie home to Christ printed at ●ōdon in 8. Religion is occasioned by Scripture but perfected and authorized by the Church See we are more beholden to the Church then to the Scripture for our Religion About the same time Cardinall Poole out of his Pope-holy deuotion is said to haue affirmed that The written word of God is but a seede of Turcisme d Scriptura scripta est semen turcicum And certaine Popish Doctors in Germanie beeing pressed in a disputation with the euidence of Scripture boldly answered We are not tyed to the Scriptures those goose quils do not tie vs e No● pen●is illis ●n●eri ●is minime su●●●● alligati I will not affirme both these two vpon mine owne credit but they haue beene charged with them both manie yeeres agoe and neuer yet disprooued them But that that followeth I speake vpon knowledge A little after a great English Papist pretending to summon a parliament for poperie in his booke so called tells a story of one whome hee hearde vpon reading the Booke of Ecclesiastes earnestly say that The Booke of Ecclesiastes is a naughty booke f Heskins a Doctor of di●●●●ty in his parliament of Christ lib. 1. cap. 2. printed at Antwerpe 1●66● in folio He voweth to God and cals him to witnesse that this hee heard him himselfe but what was hee that spake it a protestant no a papist and no mad fellow nor ignorant foole nor profane scoffer but sayth Heskins hee was a man of worship of grauity of wisedome of godly life and competent learning able to vnderstand and likewise exercised in the Scriptures and this is all the censure he giues of him that spake these wordes Hee addeth further a litle after in the same Chap. that a popish Gentlewoman hearing a text out of a booke that papists holde to be Scripture which shee misliked and being tolde by him for he heard her speak the words that the booke was Scripture shee answered that if the Scripture had such I will not say what shee saide words in it She would no more beleeue the Scripture for it
was naught g Heskins in his parliament the next page after And what was she that saide this A vertuous Catholick gentlewoman saith Heskins and one that feared God h Obserue wel how a great popish doctor cōmends that man and woman● for de●o●t and zealous papists who blasphemo●sly saide that the scriptures were naught not to be belieued and doth not reproue the parties for their blasphemie So little doth it touch a papists hart to heare Gods word abused in the highest kind Lo what tokens poperie giueth of a vertuous Catholick woman and that feares God And tho Heskins cannot but graunt that these are blasphemies Yet did he not reproue the one nor the other but contrariwise cōmends them both turnes it to the aduātage of the Romish cause saith that hereby we may see what a perillous thing it is for lay people to read the Scriptures But with his leaue hereby we may see what a filthy heart vile estimation popish doctors haue of the holy scriptures who hearing their disciples thus horribly blaspheme them and God in them doe not reproue it but make vse of it nor burie and quench them but write and publish them rather with an approbation then any detestation of them But will you heare his owne wordes and his owne iudgement not related from others as these but vttered out of his owne heart How little incitement to vertue appeareth to bee in the songs of Salomon yea rather how vngodly and wanton seeme they to be in the outward face rather teaching and prouoking I ●raue pardon of all Christian eares wantonnesse then godlinesse and what can the vnlearned finde or vnderstand in many sentences anie thing to edification of godly life or rather a prouocation to wanton life And after certaine sentences alledged hee concludes The whole booke is no better like vnto these saith he is all that booke You haue heard how the Prouerbs were disgraced in the glosse vpon the decretalls and heere the Canticles Now that Salomon may not haue one book left in credite Heskins addeth touching Ecclesiastes What may appeare more vehement to disswade a man from wisedome then the booke of the Preacher how much is wisedome the goodl●e gift of God abused to appearaunce in this booke k Heskins in the same book and Chapter And to conclude of another booke which they hold also to be canonicall scripture some of them to be Salomons he saith that The booke of Ecclesiasticus seemeth to haue such vnseemely wordes in it as an honest men would be ashamed to speake them and I also ●aith he would be ashamed to write them if they were not Scripture l Heskins a little after in the same chapte●● If the words be as immodest as he pretends they be then why do they hold such a booke to be Scripture And if they holde it to be Scripture then how dare a Christian man say that it hath such speeches in it as an honest man would bee ashamed to speake or write I leaue this for them to answere in the meane time I goe forward Not long after comes Hosiu● a greate Doctor of theirs and after a Cardinall and writes thus m Hosius editionis vlt. tom 20. lib. de expresso dei verbo pag. 5. The word of God of it selfe doth not but as it is written in the Scriptures it dependeth on the authority testimonie and approbation of the Church and it ought no otherwise nor no further to bee esteemed the word of God then as farre foorth as it is approued by the authority of the Church Lo what doctrine heere is for hence it followeth that therefore if the Church should not allow the new Testament it were not scripture Put all these together and then it will soone appeare how pittifully this wound is healed Nay further if the ●ime present occasion would giue leaue to looke into their latter and moderne Writers we should see by the last and latest of all this wound is so farre from being healed that it rankles further deeper euen like an incurable leprosie that cannot be healed but this may be sufficient Therefore let vs go forward to another wound The seuenth Wounde THey taught the people in olde time namely for two or three hundred yeares past that images were good lay mens bookes and euen then when they denied them the Scripture as vnfit for them and obscure and dangerous for seducing them to heresies were Images allowed and commended vnto them as good meanes of Instruction 13 The seuenth wound Images are good lay mens bookes Some three hundred yeeres ago liued a Frier called Gulielmus Peraldus learned for that time wel approued of their Moderne Censurers hee writes thus As the Scriptures are the bookes and containe the learning of the Clergie so Images and the scripture are the learning and bookes of laie men p Lo heere how Images are associated and ioined with the Bible Search the Scripture saith Christ looke on them and on Images saith the Pope how readest thou saith Christ what ●eest tho● saith the Pope It is written saith Christ it is painted and grauen saith the Pope thy word saith Dauid is my light not the golden Cherubins but nowe saith Poperie euen in the new Testament The scriptures and Images are lay mens lights What a wrong is this to God and what an iniurie to his worde But is this healed Oh that it were but let the Reader iudge by that that followeth 14 The seauenth wound not healed but made worse and worse One of their greatest Casuists Laelius Zecchius a great Diuine a famous Lawyer and of late yeares Penitentiary of Bresse writing a great volume of Cases of conscience dedicated to Pope Clement the viij amongst many other strange doctrines touching Images teacheth that It is not lawfull onely but profitable to haue Images in Churches to cherish and encrease charitie towards God and man c● and to preserue faith seeing Images are to bee held as bookes for them that bee vnlearned to draw them vnto knowledge memorie and imitation of holy and diuine matters c. q Laelius Zecchius Summa moral● theolog casu● no●sci tom 2. cap. 90. art 18. pag. 609. Lo here this doctor who beeing Penitentiary is by his place and calling to heale wounds and satisfie Consciences comming to touch this wound handled it so roughly that in steed of healing it he makes it sorer then it was For whereas Peraldus gaue Scripture so much honour as to be ioyned in commission with Images they 2. to be ioint teachers of the Laity Now comes the great Penitentiary is wel allowed by the Pope to leaue out the scripture as needlesse and to giue all the power to Images not onely to put men in minde but euen to cherish and increase faith and charity And certainly if Images can do so it is no maruell that Papists cast out the scriptures and in roome thereof doe
more ought the Cardinalls to haue this honour in Rome being now Christian. Yea but is there not danger to multiply murders defeate the law by this meanes for may nor a Cardinall come for fauour on set purpose may he not be intreated may he not be corrupt and bee hired to come There bee now also many Cardinalls about 60. or 70. if any of all these be in the● streetes murderers may escape and there bee fewe daies wherein some of these stirre not abroad To all these materiall obiections what doth he answere surely an easie answer hath he for all This priuiledge belongeth o Germonius Ibid. art 52. without all question to the Cardinalls person if he come by chance and not on set purpose for so it was also in the case of the Virgins vestall But how shall it appeare that hee comes not purposely In that case the vestall Virgins that neuer might sweare were put to their oath p Aul. Gellius ibid. But for al that saith this Popes dearling my Lords the Cardinalls may not sweare they may not be so disparaged as to be put to their oathes How shall it then appear he must saith he q Germonius ibid. art 53. be beleeued vpon his bare word So then if a Cardinall haue but the conscience to tell a lie which how small a thing it is in poperie and how many excuses it hath who knoweth not thē it is here apparant that the vilest thief and murderer in a countrie may easily escape the halter at Rome Now to conclude see how many helps there bee for a Murderer in Romish religion first by places then by persons priuiledged Were this so in London how should any murderer be brought to the bar or to executiō for no streete could he passe through but he shal finde one of these fiue places Places priuiledged be 1. a Church 2. a Churchyard 3. an Hospital 4. a Bishops house 5. a priuate Chappell all these shall deliuer a man from triall Persons priuiledged be first a Cardinall riding by which because it is but in fewe places therfore the second is a Priest carying the Sacrament and that is in euery town To touch either of these dooth deliuer from death a murtherer condemned by law Thus we see a bloudy Church is a defender of bloud and murther for let any wise man consider how many thousand murders in a yeere may be sheltred and shuffled ouer by these meanes And yet sanctuaries are but one meanes to cloak murther they haue many more not so fit to be stood vpon at this time but the end and effect of them all is this that poisoning stabbing killing and all kind of bloud-shedding is so rife in popish States that the better sort of thēselues do bitterly complaine of it Oleaster a spanish Inquisitor and therfore not partiall on our side hath these words r Vide Hieronimū ab Oleastro inquisitorem vlissiponens in suis Cōment in Pentat ●n cap. 4. Genes pag. 17. I see daily saith he murders are committed but I doe not see the murderers are punished for wee haue at this day a thousand waies to excuse murderers whereof one is to appeale to the Church to say he is a Cleargie man presently to get from the Pope such Iudges or Commissioners as thēselues will who by by discharge absolue them vpon a little punishment or none at all and thus murders are multiplied euery day c. Let these words be wel obserued and what he was that spake them if this be so so farre from Rome as Portingale is thē we may easily iudge how the world goeth at Rome and neere vnto it Against al this what can be said that this Anastasius is an author suborned by vs Nay Posseuine the Iesuite will for that answere for vs hauing canonized him in his catologue of catholick Doctors s Possev Ies. appar sac tom lit A. what then that he is but a triuiall fellow and of no credit nor authority Nor so for he was publicke professor of the Popes law at Turin in great office authoritie both with Gregory the 14. Clement the 8. t idem Posseu ibid. and his bookes be dedicated to the Popes and Cardinals printed at Rome with soueraigne authority special commendation Nay the pope himself with his owne mouth commended the book to the Cardinalls and said that the whole Clergie and the Councell of Cardinals by name were greatly beholden to the Author for it u Vide eiusdem Anastasij Epistolam dedicat ad Gregorium 14. Pont. Max. So that it is more then impudency for anie papist to make question of the authoritie of his doctrine What then can be said that these sanctuaries stand indeed allowed for some faults but not for murder Indeed if it were so the fault were lesse but the truth is otherwise For tho it be certain and confessed by themselues that by the ciuile law Murderers and Rauishers and Adulterers are excepted x In § Quod fi delinquentes Authent demand princip Yet Germonius shameth not to answere that the Ciuile law is corrected in this point by the popes law and that therefore wee are to stand to it y Germonius de sacrorū immunitatibus lib 3. cap. 16●7 c. and not to the Ciuile law Now who are excepted by the popes law onelie night robbers and setters of high wayes z Germonius ibid. art 56 ex lure Canonico communi sententia but as for murderers adulterers and rauishers these finde fauor in the popes law for they be Amici Curiae but theeues robbers are not so and therefore this Germonius concludes that tho the Scripture be plaine and many Doctors yet a murderer is not to bee taken out of sanctuarie vnlesse there be more then murder as deceit and trechery What then may be said that this Germonius is but one Doctor and his opinion is not to bee taken for a doctrine I answer his iudgement is allowed by the Pope himselfe his opinions are fortified with consent of other popish Doctors But that wee may see he walks not alone in this way one Stephanus Durantus writing also of late of the rites of the Romish Church deliuereth the same for a general doctrine of that church tho he being a French-man is therefore the bolder saith that neither in France nor in England they haue beene permitted by the kings with such absolute allowance as elswhere a Stephanus Durantus de ritibus ecclesiae catholic Rom● 〈◊〉 ad Gregor ●4 vid li. 1. ●a art 10. Such saith he is the honor immunity of Churches that malefactors flying to them may not bee taken out nor haue any violence offred them This book also is of speciall authoritie dedicated to P. Gregorie the ●4 and by him accepted with special allowance and in a Bull or constitution of his he affirmeth it is a worke seruing greatly for Gods glorie
found them so full of ridiculous absurdities impieties and vntruths that he affirmed him to be a man g Ludouicus Vi●●es lib. 2. de Caus. corrupt art de Lūbardica historia of a brazen face and a leaden heart that wrote them Now al these three sorts of bookes are in shew reformed of late but the truth is there is neuer a material vvound healed but rather a number made worse 1. For their Liturgy and seruice either publike or priuate it is cōtained in their books called Missalia Breuiaria Officia Manualia Portiforia and such other all these haue beene reuiewed and as they say corrected since the Councell of Trent h Vide Bullas Pontif. praefixas Missal Breuiareditionis 70. post But let them be examined and compared together I dare say that for one euil taken out there is another put in and tenne stand vnremooued and that both in diuers pictures as also for points of doctrine they are as ill as the former i Compare for this end the Missals breuiaries Manuals Primeri printed before the Councel of Trēt with those printed since at the least 2. Their Ceremonies of state or as they say of deuotion are contained in the bookes called Pontificale Romanum and Ceremoniale Romanum k Adde heereunto also their Processionale Rationale and Sacerdotale Romanum wherin what apish to yes there be what absurdities what superstitions sometimes ridiculous sometimes impious is incredible to them that see it not insomuch as some Papists l Vide Epistolam Alberti Castellani ad Leonem 10. praefiram Pōt●f● vlt edit Vene● yea the later Popes m Vide Bullas praed Clem. 8. haue not spared to confesse that they need great reformation and therefore vndertooke that worke thēselues But if a man did see how they haue amended them they would out of this one if there were no more euidences conclude that Rome is that Babylon that will neuer bee healed for looke into the Pontificale and the Ceremoniale which were reformed and are indeed much altered by the authoritie of Clement the eightth and printed at Rome within these few yeeres and you shall finde some small deformities taken away but many greate enormities suffered to stand some put in that were not that there before n Compare for this end the Pōtificale and Ceremoniale new and old which I will not stand at this time to particularise 40 The 19. wound not healed for al these are as bad still as afore both because the particulars are so manie and also for that seeing the bookes beeing so rare are not for each mans reading it may hap heereafter that the exact comparison of them together the old with the new may be a work of it self not vnworthy of some mens labours 3. * These were read in the Churches when the Scriptures were kept out Their stories or tales are comprised in the bookes called Speculum exemplorum Vitae Sanctorū Legēda Festiualia c. These also are lately reformed as they pretend But how If any would know what is done herein take but one exāple The Iesuites in the Low countries pretending these Legends or stories needed much reformation tooke the matter vpon themselues because it was of greate waight and consequence and appointed it to some of their societie to be reformed and now of la●e they haue published it at Doway some two or three yeeres agoe would make vs beleeue that it is amended in innumerable places o Vide librū intitulatum Magnum speculum exemplorum ab innumeris mēdis c. vindicatum per quendam Patrem è societate Iesu per eundem locupletatū Duaci anno 1605. But if any man haue lost any time in turning ouer their Legends and perusing the prodigious stories there laid downe let him venture euen a little more and compare this new reformed Speculum exemplorum with the former and if hee finde as impious and ridiculous Legends as improbable and as impossible tales in that as in the other thē let him make report what good reformers the Iesuites bee and how well the Romish Church is healed in this wound p To this end compare the old Speculum exēplorum or the Legend with the new Magnum speculū exemplorum set out by the lesuites this last yeere The conclusion is that the Missals and Breuiaries though vndertaken by Trent the Pontificall Ceremoniale though vndertaken by the Pope the Legend and Speculum though vndertaken by the Iesuites and all in shew reformed yet stand all at this day as foule and deformed and though some things bee taken out yet all laid together as bad or worse then they were afore These straits of time hinder me from inlarging my selfe any further therfore to conclude and wrap vp all in one generalll exception The twentieth wound THe last point wherewith I will charge the Romish Church and religion is not so fitly to bee called a wound as a leprosie or a generall consumption but all to one end for as it is no difference vpon the matter whether a man bee deepe and desperately wounded or haue a leprosie over all the body or a generall consumption for both are deadly and both incureable so is it in this case wherein the exception I take against them is that their Church State declined long agoe into that general corruption vniuersall pollution in all estates 41 The 20. wound A generall corruption of manners in all estates That the prophanenesse licentiousnesse and sinfulnesse of all sorts of people in that Church both head members is like a spirtuall leprosie without or a generall consumption within threatning ruine to the whole body This point is worthy to bee enlarged but I must deferre it and referre the Reader to the records of antiquity I meane such as be their owne men but hauing some remorse of conscience feare of God did confesse freely and bitterly deplore the miserie that the sinfulnesse of the popish Church and religion would bring vpon all the world Let them read that haue them these bookes named in the margent q Vide Gersonis opera passim Reuelationes Brigittae● Vincentij Ferrariens prognostic Petrū de Aliaco de reformatione eccl Nicolai de Clemangiis opera in Bibliotheca Patrum editionis primae and those that haue them not it may bee shortly they may haue some helpe therein and then you will graunt with mee that former and better times confessed that which I now laie to their charge I will insist particularly but vpon two the one of so greate antiquitie Poem●ta Walteri Mapes Maillardi Menotti Sermones Holcot in Sapient lect 82. passim Onus Ecclesiae passim the other of so greate authority as both are beyond exception Some 400 years ago liued a Monk learned for those times called as Posseuine confesseth r Vide Posseu in Appar sae In apped priori ad tom 1. lit B.