and their lawfull Princes he will not only pardon without exception but he will abette them in their deuilish deuised and perswade them forward in their damnable courses till at last when it is too late for them to repent they will if they take not good héed in time féele the â—â—art of it in hell tormentes together for euer What the religon of Rome is may appéere by this that any man for monie may get a pardoÌ„ for his sins then what sin néed rich men feare to commit when a Popes pardon will saiue all or how can it be otherwise than a religion of licentiousnes when for mony a man may haue a licence of dispensation against any sin whatsoeuer These things be such open blottes to the Romish religion as that worthily euery good and godly minde hath it in detestation doth iustly condemne it Yet further will I prooue that the Church of Rome cannot be the true Church possibly 1 The Church of Rome doth hold that the diuine and sacred Scriptures doo not containe all things necessarie to saluation but their vnwritten traditions must forsooth all bée receiued with equall and lyke authoritie for so hath theyr Councell of Trent determined And Pope Leâ— the fourth feareth not to pronounce with a loud voice That hee that receyueth not without difference the Popish Cannons as well as the foure Gospels beleeueth not aright nor holdeth the Catholike faith effectually The decretall Epistles also they number with the Canonical scriptures And Pope Agathe saith that all the sanctions and decrées of their Romish Sea are to bee taken as stablished by the diuine voice Which blasphemies who can abyde For heereby they make both the Scriptures imperfect and not so content doe further adde vnto those Scriptures Wherein they commit two notable sinnes first accusing the sacred and canonical scriptures that they containe not al matters necessary to saluation which is directly contrary to the testimonie of S. Iohn who saith that these things are written that ye may beleeue that in beleuing ye may haue life eternal and cleane contrary to the testimonie of Saint Paul who saith That the Scriptures giuen by diuine inspiration are profitable to reproue to teach to correct to instruct and perfect the man of God 2. Tim 3.15 Ergo the Scriptures or word of God written is a true sound and perfect whole doctrine containing in it selfe fully all things néedfull for our saluation Yea Saint Paule saith expressely to Timothie That the Scriptures are able to make him wise vnto saluation 2. Tim. 3.13 And therefore the Church of Rome béeing cleane contradictorie dooth marueilously erre and therefore also we néed none of theyr vnwritten traditions And againe how should we bée assured that those traditions which they call Apostolicall be Apostolicall considering them not written by the Apostles Augustine speaking hereof saith thus Si qua retinuit Iesus Christus quis nostrum dicet hoc vel illud esse Et si quis hoc dicat quomodo probabit That is If Iesus Christ haue kept any thing close which of vs shall say that it is this or that And if anie say it is this how wilâ— hee proue it For all the errors of the Church of Rome shrowd themselues vnder the harbour of traditions And Chrysostom saith flatly whatsoeuer is requisite for our saluation is conteined in the Scriptures And againe hee saith All thinges bee cleare and plaine in the Scriptures and whatsoeuer thinges be needfull be manifest there And Ierome in the prologue of the Bible to Paulyne after hée had recited the bookes of the new Testament and the old saith thus I pray thee deare brother among these liue muse vpon these know nothing else seeke for none other thing And againe vpon the bookes of the olde and new Testament These writings be holie these bookes bee sound there is none other to bee compared to these whatsoeuer is beside these may in no wise bee receaued amongst these holy things And againe hée saith All other thinges which they seeke out or inuent at their pleasure without the authority testimony of the Scriptures as though they were the traditions of the Apostles the word of God cutteth off Let vs therefore stand fast to the written word of God and as for their traditions which they cannot prooue but obtrude vnto vs without testimonie of Scriptures let vs contemne them For as Athanasius saith the holy Scriptures inspired from God are sufficient to all instruction of the truth And as for the other point of the Papists in equalling and adding of their traditions their decretall Epistles and Canons to the pure and diuine word of God it is a blasphemy intollerable and who can indure it For doth not God say thus Yee shall put nothing to the word which I commaunde you neither take ought there from Deut. 4. And againe he saith whatsoeuer I commaund you that take heede yee doe onely to the Lord put nothing thereto not take ought therefrom And doth not S. Iohn in his Reuelation say that if any man adde to this thinge God shall adde vnto him the plagues which are written in this booke and shall take away his part out of the booke of life I conclude therefore that the Church of Rome which doth not content hir selfe with the sacred and Holie Scripture which the chast spouse of Christ euermore doth is not the true Church of God for there she sheweth hir selfe to beare the marke of a strumpet But when shée procéedeth and addeth hir owne traditions Decretall Epistles and Cannons to the word written and maketh them to be of as good and equall authoritie as the Canonicall and sacred Scriptures themselues What greater pride could haue bin shewed or what higher blasphemie But these are the right notes of an adulteresse to equall hirself with her husband Yea What should I say more They holde that the authoritie of the Church is aboue the Scriptures which sheweth fullie the notable pride and spirituall whoredome of their Church 2 The Church of Rome is Idolatrous and therfore it is not the true Church They fall downe before Idolls and Images as the heathen did and therfore commit Idollatrie as the heathen did I speake for the manner of their worship for the heathen how soeuer they worshipped not the true God yet they thought they worshiped the true God and their meaning was to worship the the true God in the Image or Idoll as the Papists likewise doo meane for they say they be not such fooles as to thinke or beléeue that an Image or Idoll made of wood or stone could bée God neither were the heathen so foolish as to thinke or beléeue that their Idolles or Images were God for they knew they were made of wood or stone or such like but as they tooke it they worshipped God in the Image as the Papists say they doo and therefore the case for the manner of worship is all
them saying He that slayeth his enemie or is slaine of his enemie let him enter possesse paradise he spake like a man with a carnal spirit teaching reuenge to the vttermost prâ—mising paradise to such but no proofe of a diuine spirit appeareth in him 6 As Mahomets religion is defended by force of sword and fraud insomuch as hée made it death to cal it into question so likewise did it begin as by force of sword so likewise by notable fraud was established through wiles deceit subtiltie and lyes for first he hauing the falling sicknes perswaded his wife and others that it was the power of God the presence of the Angell Gabriel that caused him to fall downe Sergius the hereticall Monke was at hande and bare false witnes to the same saith Zonaras He told them that the same Deue which hee taught to féede at his care was sometime an Angell and sometime the holy Ghost He had thrée companions all of a confederacie to deuise and face out lyes with him When hee perceiued that men gaue eare to him he feigned that the Angell Gabriel had carryed him to Ierusalem thence to haue lifted him vp to heauen and there to haue learned his law Hee made the Saracens beléeue that before God made the world there was written in the throne of God There is no God but the God of Mahomet When hee had framed his Alcoran and bound it vp faire he caused secretly a wilde asse to bée taken and the booke to be bound about his necke and as he preached vnto the people vpon a sodaine hée stood amazed as if some great secrecie were reuealed to him from aboue he brake out and tolde the people Behold God hath sent you a lawe from heauen goe to such a desert there yee shall find an Asse and a booke tyed about his necke The people ran in great hast they found it so as hee had saide they take the Asse they bring the booke they honour the Prophet Touching diuorced and separated wiues hée tolde the Saracens he had receiued a paper from heauen He vsed sooth-saying and diuination the which at Fessa a Cittie of Mauritania vnto this day is called Zarragia He perswaded his followers that at the end of the world hée should bée transformed into the forme of a mightie Ramme full of lacks and long fléeces of wooll that all that held of his lawe should bée as fleas shrouding themselues in his fléeces and that he would iumpe into heauen and so conuey them all thither These and such like were his sleightes to beguile a foolish rude and barbarous country people the foolerie pride and vanitie of whose religion I trust euery one doth sufficiently perceiue 7 Mahomets Religion is no true Religion but a méere deuise of his owne and of thrée others his false conspirators for hée hath patched together his Alcoran of the doctrine of Heathens Indians and Arabians of superstitious Iewes of Rechabites of false Christians and Heretikes as Nestorians Sabellians Manichées Arrians Cerinthians Macedonians Eunomians and Nicholaits of illusions and inuentions of their owne and lastly for further credit hée borrowed some out of the old and new Testament But God will not thus bée serued for hée deliuered his mind of old vnto Israell and hée is not chaunged but continueth the same God still Ye shall not saith God doe euerie man what seemeth him good in his owne eyes Whatsoeuer I command you take heed you doe it thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take ought there from Satan béeing coniured to deliuer the truth of the Alcoran of Mahomet said that therein were comprised twelue thousand lyes and the rest was truth by all likelyhood verie little And therfore I conclude that there is no euidence to proue Mahomet a true Prophet many to proue him to bée a false Prophet and blasphemous and presumptuous and his Religion to bée a wicked carnall absurd and false Religion procéeding from a proud spirit and humane subtill and corrupt inuention and euen from the deuill the craftie father of lies a murderer and mankiller from the beginning And so much héereof may suffise CHAP. V. VVherein is shewed that the Church of Rome is not the true Church of God nor obserueth the right Religion I Am nowe entring into that great controuersie betwéene the Protestantes the Papistes whether of them should bée the true Church and true worshippers of God in Christ for they both acknowledge God and Christ his son and all the sacred and canonicall books of the scriptures they confes to come from God from his diuine spirit as indéede they could come from no other But whiles they both confesse this booke it is good reason that they shoulde both stand to the arbitrement and iudgement of these bookes for the trial of the true Church which if they doo as indéed they must this controuersie is at an end and not worthy to be made a question or to be doubted of for by the sacred canonicall writinges it shal by and by be manifest that the Church of Rome cannot bee the true Church possibly But first let vs hear what it saith for it selfe what good groundes it hath for the fortification thereof For if it bee not builded vpon a good foundation and vpon such sure groundes as will holde the whole building is like to lie in the dust and to come to ruine 1 They hold very stiffely but not so strongly that the Church of God militant here vpon earth is euer visible to the outward eye and may bee pointed out by the finger at al times in such sort as that any one may know thither to resort as to the congregation of Gods people there to ioine himselfe vnto them to praise and pray vnto God with them and to do those things which he requireth at their hands But al this gain of profit them nor hurt vs for as in the Primitiue Churches persecuted by those tyrannicall heathen Emperors there was a Church of God though not seem of them who had their meetings assemblies amongst themselues though secretly because of their enemies so likewise in the dayes of Quéene Marie as also in all other times of the persecution of our Church by the Romish Bishops and their partakers our Church no doubt was and might be and they likewise haue their méetinges and assemblies though both they and the place of their resort were vnknowne to those their persecutors In the time of Dioclesian the Emperour especially Christians were so wasted as to the iudgement of men none were remaining theyr bookes were burned the Churches destroyed and themselues put to death in the end when this great hauock was made and crueltie had wasted and destroyed all that could be found where was then the visible church It must néedes then bée enforced to hide it selfe and so it was and the glorie thereof so eclipsed that for a wâ—ylâ— it shined
himself aboue God inasmuch as there is lesse danger and punishment for any that breaketh any of Gods lawes than for one that breaketh any the least constitution of the Pope Moreouer He claimeth authoritie in three places Heauen Earth and Purgatorie and that is the reason he weareth a triple Crowne so that by this account and claime he hath more and larger extended authoritie than God himselfe for such a third place as purgatorie is hee knoweth not of And what do these things but manifest him to exalt himselfe euen aboue God and all that is worshipped 3 Antichrist is described to bee such done as should come in lying signes and false miracls and wonders 2. Thes. 2.9 whereby if it were possible he would deceaue the verie elect And that this is verified in the Pope and Popish Church as all men knowe that haue béene acquainted with their knaueries deceits and fraudes so let their Aurea Legenda and booke of Trophes testifie to the whole world 4 S. Paul 2. Thes. 2.8 Sheweth by his name that he that he speaketh of should be O'anomos that is a lawles person or one subiect to no law which is also manifestly verified in the Pope for no lawes will hold him neither diuine nor humane for he claimeth to bée aboue them all and to change and alter what he list and when he list and to whome he list which the glose vpon the decretalls doth testifie saying thus of the Papists Legi non subiacet vlli that is He is not subiect to any law What is this els but to bée O'anomos a lawles person euen the very same whom Saint Paull speaketh of 5 Saint Iohn in his Reuelations doth portraye Antichrist his seat by the name of the great whore with whome haue committed fornication the kings of the Earth the Inhabitants of the Earth haue bin drunke with the wine of hir fornication This woman is that great Citie which hath dominion ouer the kinges of the earth at the time of this Reuelation as Saint Iohn expressely affirmeth Reuela 17.18 It is well knowne that there was then no other Cittie which raigned ouer the kings of the earth but only Rome And therefore Rome onely is and must néeds bée the Sea of Antichrist for no other can bée by this euident plaine description of Saint Iohn for Rome was the onely Citie of the worlde that raigned ouer the kings of earth the head whereof was then the Emperour but now the Pope for the condition of the first beast namely of the Romaine Empire ciuill is altred and changed into an Ecclesiasticall and Romaine Empire 6 Saint Iohn in his Reue. 13 1◠saw a beast rising out of the Earth which had two Houres like the Lambe but he spake like the Dragon then all that is spoken of this beast doth fitly and onely agrée to that man of Rome the Pope who though in shew he were the Lambe for what is more milde or humble than to call himselfe the seruant of the seruants of God Yet indéed he plaieth the part of the Dragon or Deuill hauing learned this cunning of Sathan who though he bée neuer so bad a spirit yet will transforme himselfe into an Angell of light to deceaue soules 2. Cor. 11.14 as the Apostle sheweth But héere is wisdome saith Saint Iohn in that Reuelation Let him that hath any wit count the number of the beast for it is the number of a man his number is 666. Now because the number of this wicked beast containeth sixe hundreth sixty sixe Ireneus thinketh that this Antichristian beast should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a man of Italie for the number of the beast is set downe in great letters and this Gréeke word Lateines doth make it vp the iust number of 666. which is the number of the beasts name If any doe thinke that though this Reuelation were written in Gréeke as being the more knowne and common language yet that it was vttered to Saint Iohn in Hebrew because the Hebrew tongue is the Holy tongue that Iohn himselfe was an Hebrew or Iew by nation and that likewise diuers Hebrew words are found in the Reuelation Whose opinion is not vnlikely but very probable then let him séeke out an Hebrew worde which containeth that iust number and herein be néedeth not to search far or to studie much vpon the matter for the Hebrew worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Romanus a man of Rome in English doth in those Hebrew letters containe the iust number of 666. which is the number of the name of that Antichristian beast And so by the number of the name to be accounted either by Gréeke letters or by Hebrew letters it is perfectly agreeing to that man of Rome the Pope all the markes agréeing to Antichrist whatsoeuer they be are found fully and onely accomplished in the Pope and therefore there is no doubt but he is that notable Antichrist of whō Paull and Saint Iohn in his Reuelation do testifie consequently the Church of Rome being not the true Church of Christ but contrarywise the visible Church of Antichrist is iustly forsaken and for euer to be forsaken of all Christians as they tender their saluation in Iesus Christ to whom onely they haue betrathed themselues and to whome they must remaine constant for euermore which God graunt vs all to doe Amen Against Schisme and Schismaticall Synagogues CHAP. VI. MAny there bée who of a godly and zealous minde do in good sort séeke for Reformation and for that Church gouerment which Christ himselfe hath instituted in his Church whome I neither dare nor do remoue others there bée that séeke Reformation amisse with venemous and 〈…〉 tongues railing and reuiling against those which with stand it which thinges doe neither grace themselues nor yet the cause which they would preferre other some there bée who to make the cause of reformation odious do say that it abolisheth hir Maiesties supreme gouerment authoritie in causes ecclesiasticall I would wish all men to speake the truth and to séeke the preferment of Gods truth in a dutifull peacable charitable sort let the cause be made no worse than it is for my part I desire no more then euery Christian ought namely that the truth of God should carrie the preheminence whatsoeuer it bee And I would to God that all malice and contention all of all parts would grow more charitablye affected both in their words and in their writings one towardes another for so would this controuersie sooner come to an end and the more speedily bée decided Others there bée who for that in so long time they cannot sée their desired discipline and Church gouerment to bée established runne from our Church and make a schisme and seperation from vs erecting Disciplne by their owne authoritie condemning our Church to bée no Church that they may make their detestable Scisme the more allowable these are the Brownists and Barrowists who will