authority from the Churches of Romes decrees or from the Pope That the Pope should bee an infallible Interpretor of Scripture and supreame Moderator of Religion S. Austine neuer heard Nay disaduowing all the Popes decretals and other mens writings he signifieth that hee oweth his consent without all exception onely to canonicall Scriptures In quorumlibet hominum scriptis saith he lib. de natur grat Liber sum quia solis canonicis scripturis debeo sine vlla recusatione consensum S. Austine neuer prayed to the Virgin Mary nor call vpon her and other Saints and Angels or teach that they were to be worshipped with Dulia If he had dedicated his Confessions to the Virgin Mary as doth the Apostate his absurd translation I should beleeue that he had learned somewhat from that holy Father He neuer beleeued that the Virgin Mary was conceiued without sinne or that she was the mediatrix or redemptrix of Mankind together with her Sonne or that her body is already assumed into heauen as this Apostate her deuout slaue and others hold Nor did hee euer teach that Saints in heauen heard the prayers and vnderstood the thoughts of all men and in all places here on earth or that they could helpe them giue them grace and deliuer them Hee might make a commemoration of the names of the faithfull hence departed and commend his Mother to God But neuer taught or beleeued that his mothers and other faithfull mens soules which he mentioned at the Lords table were tormented in Purgatory Hee was no Masse-priest nor euer offered Christs body really for quicke and dead nor said Masse for sicke horses as Masse Priests doe That Christs body and blood should bee contained vnder the accidents of Bread and Wine and that seuerally is so extrauagant a Paradoxe that it could neuer be found in the holy Fathers writings Nor could he beleeue that either reprobates or brute beasts did eat Christs flesh and drinke his blood The Sacrament hee neither adored nor carried it about nor put it into a Pixe neither did he allow any such thing done by others He neuer confessed his sinnes to the Virgin Mary or to Angels or Saints or pray them to intercede for him as doe Masse-Priests Much lesse did hee pray for Christs body that it might bee graciously accepted as was the Sacrifice of Abell and Melchisedech and carried into heauen as doe the Apostates consorts This Apostate cannot demonstrate that St. Austine euer thought that Salt and Water consecrated would cause Thunder to cease and driue away Diuels Let him bring forth the testimony of any man or Diuell to proue this and then his deuoted followers may perchance beleeue him That Christians should be burned for holding that flesh may be eaten on Frydayes or Saints Vigils as this vncharitable Apostate and his Teachers beleeue he cannot prooue that so holy a Father as S. Austine eyther taught or allowed The Precepts of the Romish Church concerning Holy-dayes Fasts Masses auricular Confession and prohibition of Marriage were neuer knowne to S. Augustine nor could be being brought in by diuers Popes that liued since his time Neyther did he teach or beleeue that Treasons against Princes and States heard by Priests in Confession were not to be reuealed or that the seale of Confession of which the Masse-Priests talke as of a diuine Mysterie was ordained by God Of the cases reserued to the Pope which are a principall bulwarke of the Papall authoritie S. Austine neuer heard newes Neyther was hee acquainted with the Popes Penitentiarie Taxe or the rules of his Chancerie nor thought it fit that Periurie Incest Murder and all irregularities should bedispensed withall or pardoned for Money Finally all those Heresies and Nouelties which the Romanists now hold and maintaine with all sraud and force were eyther reiected by S. Austine or vtterly vnknowne vnto him CHAP. II. That those principall points of Romish Religion which we reiect are also reiected and contradicted by S. AVSTINE NEyther doth S. Austine onely passe ouer in silence the new-forged Religion of Papists maintained by this Apostate but also directly oppugne the same They euery where vilifie holy Scriptures as imperfect difficult ambiguous calling them a Nose of Wax a Delphian Sword a dead Letter Matter of Contention S. Austine contrariwise extolleth them as placed in a sublime place of authoritie and from them he would haue none to depart Extat authoritas sacrae Scripturae vnde mens nostra deuiare non debet saith he Lib. 3. de Trinit cap. 11. They admit Traditions and the Popes Definitions for a Rule of Faith but this holy Father admitteth no Rule but holy Scripture Canon Ecclesiasticus saith he constitutus est ad quem certi Apostolorum Prophetarum libri pertinent The words are extant Lib. 2. contr cresc gram c. 31. In the same place he would not haue any to iudge of Scripture but to iudge according to it but the Pope taketh vpon him to taxe and iudge of Scripture yea to pronounce without it and against it The Apostate and his Consorts esteeme the Scriptures to be hard and ambiguous S. Austine lib. 2. de Doct. Christ c. 9. saith That whatsoeuer is necessarie to saeluation is contained in plaine places of Scripture The Iesuits muster against vs Traditions Decretals Fathers and such like testimonies but S. Austine reiecting all the rest would haue all proofes deriued out of Scriptures Lib. de vnit Eccles c. 3. Auferantur saith he ille de medio quae aduersus nos inuicem non ex Diuims Canonicis Libris sed aliunde recitamus They goe about to marke out a Church by Vnitie Vniuersalitie Antiquitie and Succession but S. Austine de vnit Eccles c. 1. would haue the question of the Church to be decided by Scriptures Inter nos Donatistas quaestio est vbi sit Ecclesia quid ergo facturi sumus saith he in verbis nostris eam quaesituri an in verbis capitis sui Domini nostri Iesu Christi These presumptuous fellowes preferre themselues before Scripture determining according to the Popes Decretals what Bookes are Canonicall and what the meaning is of euery Text but S. Austine lib. 2. contr Cresc c. 21. sheweth that neyther any particular man nor the Church it selfe is to preferre it selfe before Christ Now who knoweth not that Christ speaketh to vs in Scriptures Ecclesia saith he non debet se Christo praeponere And Confess 13. c. 23. he would not haue any to iudge of the sublime authoritie of the Booke of God They receiue not holy Scriptures vnlesse the Church that is the Pope propose them and declare them to be Canonicall S. Austine lib. 6. Confess c. 5. blameth such as are not by Scriptures perswaded to accept them They hold the old Latine vulgar Translation to be authenticall but contrarie to S. Augustines iudgement Bellarmine Leo Castrius Lindaue and diuers other Papists taxe holy Scriptures in the Originals of Impuritie and Corruption but contrarie to S. Augustines iudgement
Ep. 108. and Lib. 2. de doctr Christ c. 13. The Bookes of Toby Iudith Wisdome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees the Papists receiue as Canonicall but S. Augustine Lib. 2. contr Cresc c. 31. placeth no Bookes in the Canon of the Old Testament but such as were written by the Prophets of which number these will hardly be proued to be They make Christ to be our Mediator according to his Humanitie onely which is contrarie to S. Augustines Doctrine who in his Homily de Ouibus c. 12. doth attribute this worke of Mediation to his Person in both Natures Diuina humanitas saith he humana Diuinitas Mediatrix est The worship and inuocation of holy men departed are a great part of the Romish Religion but S. Austine de ver Relig. c. vlt. forbiddeth vs to place Religion in Reliques and the inuocation of dead men Non sit nobis Religio saith he culius hominum mortuorum And Lib. 22. de Ciuit. Dei c. 10. he saith Christians departed are named at the Altar but not called vpon S. Augustine de Morib Eccl. Cath. c. 34. saith hee knew some that worshipped dead mens Tombes and Pictures but such are condemned by him In his Booke de Haeresib hee condemneth it as an Heresie of the Simonians and Carpocratians that they worshipped Images and burnt incense vnto them Yet doth not the Apostate nor his Apostaticall mates forbeare to worship Reliques of Saints and Images and to burne incense vnto them Hee acknowledged but two Sacraments properly so called which as he speaketh flowed out of Christs side He soecifieth also two Sacraments in his 118. Epistle viz. Baptisme and the Lords Supper Manauit sanguis aqua Ecclesiae gemina Sacramenta saith he Lib. 2. de Symb. c. 6. But the Apostate not regarding S. Austines authoritie acknowledgeth fiue Sacraments beside these two He saith Visible Sacraments without the sanctification of inuisible grace profit nothing as we reade in Quaest. super Leuit. Lib. 3. q. 84. But the Apostate and his Consorts beleeue that visible Sacraments conferre grace ex opere operato S. Augustine in Psal 3. calleth the Sacrament a figure of Christs Bodie and Lib. contr Adimantum c. 12. Christ as he writeth doubted not to say This is my Bodie when he gaue a signe of his Bodie But Papists cannot brooke that this Sacrament should be called a signe or a figure of Christs Bodie Take away the spaces of places from Bodies saith S. Austine Epist 57. ad Dardanum and they will be no where and because they are no where they will not be at all Spatia locorum tolle corporibus nusquam erunt quia nusquam erunt non erunt And in his 20. Booke contr Faustum he faith Christ according to his corporall presence could not be at one time in the Sunne and Moone and on the Crosse And in his 30. Treatise on Joan. he saith The Bodie of Christ must be in one place But this rinegate Apostating as well from S. Austiue as from the Christian Faith holdeth that Christs true Bodie is in euery Altar and diuers Countries at one instant and yet filleth no place It is against Pietie saith S. Austine as hee is alledged c. vtrum Dist 2. de Consecrat to thinke that Christs Bodie is deuoured with teeth Christum vorari dentibus fas non est He faith also that his flesh is no meat for mens teeth but for their soules Tract 25. in Ioan. But this impietie of deuouring and eating Christ with teeth and with the mouth is part of the Apostates impious Religion He saith also The wicked which accord not with Christ doe not eat Christs Bodie or drinke his Bloud as is alledged c. qui discordat Dist 2. de Consecr Yet this fellow rineguing from S. Austines Doctrine holdeth that not only the wicked but also brute beasts eating the Sacrament both eat his Bodie and drinke his Bloud Simul sumimus simul bibimus quia simul viuimus Wee doe take the Sacrament and drinke together because wee liue together saith S. Augustine in Serm. ad Neoplast which is alledged c. quia passus Dist 2. de Consecrat And can the rinegate in his rinegued Conscience beleeue that S. Austine allowed priuate Masses and halfe Communions Free-will being captiuated saith S. Augustine contr 2. Epist Pelag. lib. 3. c. 8. is of no strength but to sinne Liberum arbitrium captiuatum non nisi ad peccandum valet And will this captiuated slaue of Antichrist contradict such a holy Father and say that Free-will is not captiuated but hath power to doe well The same Father de Nupt. Concupisc lib. 1. c. 3. contr Julian lib. 4. c. 3. de Ciuit. Dei lib. 5. c. 19. in Psal 31. in Praefat. teacheth that Infidels sinne in all their workes but the rinegate and his Mates will not submit themselues to S. Austines iudgement nor denie but that Infidels may doe good workes The Church as S. Austine saith Lib. 5. contr Donatist c. 27. consisteth of iust and holy men and in his Exposition on the 56. Psal hee saith it consisteth of all the faithfull that are the members of Christ And will the Apostate hold that wicked Popes Cardinals Masse-Priests Monkes and Fryars whereof some are Infidels are the true members of Christs Body His Master Bellarmine de Eccles c. 2. saith a man may be a true member of the Church if he communicate outwardly in Faith and Sacraments with the Church and be subiect to the Pope albeit he haue neyther inward Faith nor Vertue But who will not rather beleeue S. Austine then these two Pseudo-Catholikes Sine bonorum operum meritis per fidem iustificaetur impius saith S. Austine in Psal 67. Yet this rinegat doubteth not but as he hath the sinnes of his youth and scabs inherent so he is iustified by charitie inherent and good works if he haue any S. Austine in his Commentaries in Psal 36. doth expressely condemne mens Merits esteeming all our sufferings vile and not worthie of that which we receiue And in Psal 83. Quicquid promisit indignis promisit Whatsoeuer God promised saith he he promised to men vnworthie that the reward might be not of Workes but of Grace Afterward hee saith Our iustice is not of Merites of men but of Gods gift And yet this vnworthie fellow and his thrice-vnworthie Mates boast continually of their worth and teach mens Merites The same holy Father also Confess lib. 10. c. 42. denyeth all reconciliation to God made by Angels and in his Booke de Haeresib condemneth such for Heretikes as pray to Angels How then can such rinegates reconcile themselues to S. Austine praying to Angels and trusting to be reconciled by Angels and holpen by their intercession Lib. de Haeres c. 88. hee condemneth Pelagius for an Heretike holding that man may by free-will dispose himselfe to grace and that iust men can liue without sinne and be saued by their owne strength The which Fancies being embraced by this Heretike who
THE VNMASKING of a Masse-monger WHO IN THE COVNTERFEIT Habit of S. AVGVSTINE hath cunningly crept into the Closets of many English-Ladies OR THE VINDICATION of Saint AVGVSTINES Confessions from the false and malicious Calumniations of a late noted Apostate By M. S. D. of EXETER 1. TIM 1.19 20. Hauing Faith and a good Conscience which some hauing put away and as concerning Faith haue made shipwracke Of whom is HYMENIVS and ALEXANDER whom I haue deliuered vnto Satan that they may learne not to blaspheme PSAL. 22.16 Dogges are come about mee and the counsell of the Wicked hath assaulted mee LONDON Printed by B.A. and T. FAVVCET for NICH BOVRNE and are to bee sold at his Shop neere to the Royall Exchange 1626. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND HIS VERY WORTHIE Friends Sir BAPTIST HICKES Knight and the good Lady his Wife AS the holy Apostles Right Worshipfull so all faithfull Christians deriue their faith from CHRIST Acceptam à CHRISTO disciplinam fideliter nationibus assignarunt sayth * De praescript TERTVLLIAN speaking of the Apostles Hee is the Foundation that cannot fayle and the Truth that cannot erre and therefore are the Faithfull sayd to bee built vpon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Ephes 2. because they first Preached CHRIST the onely Corner-stone and mayne Foundation of the Church Vpon the Foundation of CHRIST and his Apostles both St. AVGVSTINE and all the ancient Fathers built their Faith Doe wee then thinke that the Translator of St. AVSTINES Confessions a notorious Rinegate from the Faith of the Church of England hath reason out of that Father to draw his Romish Doctrine Sure no the poyson of his Heresie cannot be found in that holy Fathers Workes All his Confessions are directed to GOD and neyther to Saints nor Angels nor to the Virgin MARY as is the vse and practise of the Synagogue of Rome The Popes two Swords and his triple Crowne his supreme Power to judge his Cardinals Hierarchicall Orders and Vniuersall Monarchie ouer the whole Church hee knew not The reall presence of CHRISTS Body vnder the accidents of Bread and Wine and the eating thereof by the mouth of the Faithfull yea by the mouthes of the Reprobate and brute Beasts hee neuer taught Neyther did hee teach the monstrous Doctrine of Transubstantiation and the reft of the abominable Heresies established against vs in Trent Hungry Dogges may dreame of Bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayth THEOCRITVS in Piscatorib And as ATMANASIVS sayth in Apolog. Defug Heretikes forge opinions according to their owne pleasure Pro libidine sua id opinâtur quod volunt But Truth will alwayes stand firme Wherefore seeing this Apostate so vnkind to his Parents so false to his Countrey so malicious to Religion hath some yeares since published St. AVGVSTINES Confessions translated into English in a long Preface and diuers false marginall Notes Obseruations and Calumniations endeuouring to induce the simple to dislike the Truth professed in this Church and to affect and approue the corruptions of Popery as if S. AVGVSTINE did fauour his Sect and dislike our Confession I haue thought it a Worke worth my labour to Vindicate that holy Father out of this impure fellowes false fingers Not that you need to bee resolued of the truth of Religion wherein I know you are firmely established but to the end that what I write for the establishing of the weake comming foorth vnder the Patronage of your name might remayne as a perpetuall testimony of that loue and respect which I haue borne and alwayes shall beare you These fellowes impudently arrogate to themselues the Name of Catholikes But as ATHANASIVS saith in his 2. Orat. against the Arrians How can they bee reputed among the members of the Catholike Church whose Faith is not Apostolike This young Nouice may please himselfe with his childish Annotations and Prefations but I shall show they are no better then those Childish fables and fooleries which S. AVSTINE Lib. 2. contr Academic would haue cast out of mens hands Nay diuers points of Poperie are no better then those monstrous Fancies which ORIGEN condemneth writing against CELSVS And this I shall God willing hereafter plainely demonstrate and not onely take from him all that hold that hee thinketh to haue eyther in Saint AVGVSTINES Confessions or in any other Booke of his This Treatise I consecrate to GOD vnder the Patronage of your fauour beseeching him that it may profit many so that the Thankes may remaine to you and that thereby you may vnderstand how much I honour you and that I shall alwayes remayne Yours much obliged and deuoted M. SVTCLIFFE THE PREFACE TO the Christian Reader FRom the excellencie of S. AVGVSTINES Pietie Vertue and Learning we purpose not Christian Reader to derogate any thing nay we doubt not to preferre him before many others both ancient and late Prelates Let the whole List of late Popes and their purple Cardinals and Mitred Prelates be produced and compared with that holy Father I suppose he will surpasse them all neyther doe we doubt but he is more worthie then manie others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet doth hee not exempt his Writing from other mens iudgement Id genus literarum sayth he writing against Faustus lib. 11. c. 5. Quae non praecipiendi authoritate sed proficiendi exercitatione scribuntur a nobis non cum credendi necessitate sed cum iudicandi libertate legendum est so hee permitteth others to iudge of his Writings Neyther doth he disdaine in the same place to preferre the Canonicall Bookes of Scripture before them nor doe wee thinke it any disparagement vnto him or other Fathers to haue the Apostles preferred before them as hee writeth vnto Hierome Epist 19. There also hee giueth that priuiledge to Scriptures onely Not to erre in any thing The Apostate doth in diuers places call him an incomparable Doctor yet neuer did S. Augustine so thinke of himselfe nor doe other learned men so esteeme him but that Athanasius Gregorie Nazianzene Chrysostome Basil Hierome Ambrose and others might bee compared with him But the more excellent hee is the more is our gaine the lesse the Apostates aduantage For this I affirme and I doubt not but to make it good against all the packe of Iesuites and not onely against this silly Translator whose soule is lately turned and translated Popish First that S. AVGVSTINE neuer beleeued the Popes infallible judgement in matters of Faith nor his sublime and vniuersall Monarchy ouer the whole Church nor the Doctrine of the Popes Schooles and Decretals and secondly that hee holdeth nothing as a matter of Faith and necessary to bee beleeued that is contrary to the Articles of Religion publikely professed in the Church of England In proofe whereof that wee may proceed more particularly and punctually wee shall God willing declare in the first Chapter that S. AVSTINE neuer knew eyther the Decrees of Trent enacted against vs or that part of Romish Religion which this Church of
there is no mention of Centre or Circumference neyther is God in the lowest place as a Centre but filleth all things with his presence And where S. Austine sayth Exarsi aliquando satiari in inferis in adolescentia he turneth it thus I did sometimes burne with a kind of hellish desire to be satisfied as if Hell were nothing but hellish desires And commenting vpon the second Booke and second Chapter he sayth in his Marginall Note That Virginitie is a better disposition to receiue Diuine consolation then the state of Marriage But S. Austine talketh nothing of this disposition nor do Popish Votaries that forsweare Marriage eyther attaine to perfect chastitie or receiue the Diuine consolations he speaketh of nay Abraham Isaac Iacob Moses and other marryed men receiued more consolations from God then all the packe of vnmarryed Popes Monkes and Fryars These words Lib. 2. c. 3. Et volutabur in caeno eius tanquam in Cinamomis Vnguentis praetiosis he translated thus And I weltred in the myre thereof as if I had beene regaled in a Bed of Spices and precious Odours as if there were no Spices but Cinamon and Oyntment did signifie Odours Would he not be anoynted with Hogs-dung for corrupting the Text and bastonaded with a Ruler which maketh an English word of a Spanish and thrusteth it into the Translation without warrant of the Text Lib. 2. c. 4. S. Austine thought himselfe in the bottome of the Deepe remembring he had stollen his neighbors Peares But the Apostate and his Teachers account such sleight matters veniall sinnes and say they are done away with knocking the breast and holy water Hee translateth also these words in imo Abyssi in the bottome of Hell as if God redeemed soules out of Hell and Purgatorie Seruus fugiens Dominum consequut us vmbram Lib. 2. c. 7. he translateth a slaue flying his Lord and finding nothing to lay hold vpon but a shadow Where many words are redundant and the meaning not attained for S. Austines meaning is that a slaue flying and obtaining a shadie place had but a small rest Quis audet viribus suis tribuere castitatem innocentiam suam sayth S. Austine Lib. 2. c. 7. But this Apostate translateth it pedantically thus Who dares presume to entitle himselfe to the vertue of his chastitie and innocencie quite beside the Text and this of purpose least S. Austine should seeme to condemne his cooperations and that power of Free-will which Pelagianizing Papists maintaine Veni Carthaginem circumstrepebat me vndique sartago flagitiosorum amorum sayth S. Austine Lib. 3. Confess c. 1. But the Apostate durst not note any thing vpon the place because comming to Rome he was boyled in a Frying-pan of impure flagitious Lusts and reboyled againe in Cornelius Tub and yet confesseth nothing as did that holy Father S. Austine Lib. 3. c. 3. speaketh of certaine Companions called Euer-sores or ouer-turners of Ciuilitie a cruell and diuellish name yet not so cruell as the name of a Traytor and Apostate and a hyred slaue of Antichrist He compareth them to roaring Boyes and Wittes but English turned Italian and Spanish are farre more cruell and diuellish In the Margent of the fift Chapter he noteth that there is great difficultie in vnderstanding holy Scriptures but quite contrarie to that holy Fathers meaning for he sayth they profit such as are little ones and humble albeit they be not vnderstood of the proud and ignorant such as the Pope is that presumeth he cannot erre and such as his Disciple here is that with vnwashen hands and feet falleth vpon handling holy Scriptures The Manichees as the Translator sayth in his Notes vpon the 3. Booke of Confess c. 6. professed to beleeue the three Persons of the holy Trinitie But in the Text of S. Austine there is no such matter nay contrarie hee sayth their heart was void of all truth But did they beleeue some truth yet destroying the humanitie of Christ and forbidding Marriage to their elect Priests and not receiuing the Cup in the Sacrament and holding diuers other lewd fancies they were grosse Heretikes Likewise are the Papists who albeit they hold the Apostles Creed yet hold these Manichean Heresies and those of the Simonians Carpocratians Angelikes Collyridians Staurolatrians and others They teach also the fictions of Bodies which haue no being at all as S. Austine reporteth of them Lib. 3. c. 7. S. Austine confesseth he was perswaded to yeeld to foolish Deceiuers which he lamenteth Lib. 3. cap. 7. Yet this Apostate sorroweth not that he hath abandoned the Apostolike Faith and yeelded to seducing Masse-Priests and Iesuwides teaching the Heresies aboue mentioned and diuers others onely he noteth them to be Atheists which as it seemeth dislike that the Pope should allow that in one Age which is vnlawfull in another Flagitious sinnes against nature S. Augustine Lib. 3. Conf. c. 8. detesteth He sayth also it is a generall agreement of humane socictie to obey Kings Yet Popes disturbe this generall agreement forbidding men to obey Kings excommunicate and his marked slaues clayme exemption from this obedience And many forswearing Marriage fall into these enormious and flagitious sinnes Gladly would the Apostate cap. 8. excuse his companions who in their Catechismes leaue out the second Commandement against I dols or grauen Images But first S. Austine leaueth out nothing secondly more Father diuide the Commandements into 4. in the first Table and 6. in the last then into 3. and 7. Thirdly these words 3. and 7. seeme to haue crept into the Text hauing no connexion with other words In the 3. Booke and 9. Chap. the Apostate noteth that in the Catholike Church there is no danger of indiscretion in doing Penance But first most absurdly he doteth where he reputeth the Pope Cardinals Masse-Priests Monkes and Fryars to be the Catholike Church S. Austine certes doth not talke of Popish Penance in whipping themselues and lying on the ground or on Ropes Noli esse vana anima mea obsurdescere in aure cordis sayth S. Austine Lib. 4. Confess c. 11. And hereupon the Translator noteth That sinne maketh vs deafe to the voyce of God We may therefore well esteeme by his owne confession what the cause is why he heareth not the voyce of God but rather heareth and followeth the call of Satan drawing him away from the truth his heart is deafe in hearing the Word his soule foolish in obeying the voyce of Antichrist and delighting in forraine and strange fashions He talketh also here of the Centre of Rest corrupting his Author himselfe being not only out of the Centre but also all the Circumference of Rest In the Margent he noteth as an absurditie that any should preferre the part before the whole and yet he and his fellowes doe preferre the Pope before the Cardinals and Priests and before the whole Romish Church Lib. 4. cap. 16. When we relye on our selues sayth the Translator our strength is nothing but meere
Scriptures but the Pope challengeth a power to authorize Scriptures which this Apostate also would auow if he durst but S. Austine doth beat downe both the Apostates and the Popes blasphemous pride Fish he sayth is sometimes a figure of Christ in the Sacrament a proper deuice For so the Priests by their Transubstantiation make of Bread Flesh and this Apostiller by a new figure will make it Fish that they may haue in the same Feast both Fish and Flesh Matters neuer though of by S. Austine Neyther doth he in this place by blessing and calling vpon God vnderstand crossing or sprinkling of holy Water such as Masse-Priests vse but blessing and praysing the Name of God In his Notes vpon the 13. Booke of Confessions c. 25. he would be glad to know as he sayth what Benedictions haue come vnto vs from our Ministers and whether their sound be gone ouer all the Earth And I to giue him satisfaction answere That these Blessings we receiue from them We learne to know God and whom he hath sent Christ Iesus and to discerne Antichrist and to flye from him We learne the true Faith and Gods true worship We vnderstand that we are to auoid the Heresies of the Romish Church and her abominable Idolatry and Superstition We learne how to reforme our liues and walke worthie our profession But of him and his Masse-Priests Monkes and Fryars ignorant people receiue nothing but an implicite Faith Crosses Beades holy Water Masses Agnus Dei Indulgences and such Toyes neyther doe they learne any thing except that which we teach but Heresie Superstition Idolatry Rebellion ignorance of Scripture and corruption of manners nor receiue any thing but shame Bishops made by the Pope preach not Masse-Priests teach little Monkes and Fryars teach without authoritie hauing no power but from Antichrist and if they teach any Truth it is mixed with many Errors and Corruptions That which we teach is the Apostles Doctrine the sound of whose Doctrine is gone ouer the whole Earth the Papists Heresies and false Doctrine is onely receiued in the Popes Iurisdiction Our Sauiour Christ promiseth to him that receiueth a Prophet in his name the reward of a Prophet as S. Austine sayth Confess lib. 13. c. 26. But absurdly is this applyed to Masse-Priests and such false Prophets for such destroy Soules vndermine the State corrupt the Manners of their Disciples and seeke onely to vnderprop the ruinous Kingdome of Antichrist Lib. 13. c. 34. S. Austine sayth God hath solidely built the authoritie of his Booke of Scriptures betweene superiors which should learne of God and inferiors which should be subiect vnto them Solidasti authoritatem libri tui inter superiors qui tibi docibiles essent inferiores qui eis subderentur So he giueth authoritie to Scriptures and would haue all men subiect vnto them which is contrarie to this Apostates mind And therefore by his false Notes he goeth about to corrupt the place not willing to denie the Popes authoritie in making Scriptures Canonicall to vs by that authoritie contrarie to S. austines iudgement which would haue Superiors to learne of God He addeth also that the Scripture is subiect to the exposition of Doctors which is contrarie to that holy Fathers meaning Finally S. Austine lib. 13. Conf. c. 38. hopeth to rest in Gods holy place which he calleth his great sanctificaton not for his merites but by Gods grace and mercie And this doe all good Catholikes hope and beleeue not doubting of their saluation grounded on his holy Word that is most certaine and his sweet Promises that are most comfortable But this Apostate and his peruerse companions neyther beleeuing that Gods Word concerneth them nor trusting to his Promises made to all that beleeue and liue according to their holy profession nor hauing good conscience nor feeling of the holy Ghost but measure all by their owne workes and merites are neyther Catholikes nor Christs Disciples And this I trust will suffice to vindicate the holy Father Saint Austine from the violence and wrong offered to him by this impure Apostate As for the wrong that he hath offered to Religion and the Church of England I trust our Superiors will in time vindicate and albeit they neglect it or cannot redresse it I doubt not but God will reuenge his owne Cause his owne selfe Deo vni trino laus honor gloria in sempiterna secula Amen FINIS