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book_n	church_n	scripture_n	write_v	5,125	5	5.8373	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18210	A petition apologeticall, presented to the Kinges most excellent Maiesty, by the lay Catholikes of England, in Iuly last	Lecey, John.	1604 (1604)	STC 4835; ESTC S120958	34,556	41

Monsieur de Bethunes lettres whome the Sea of Rome is so farre from censuring that she hath already censured all those that shall any way seeke to giue you any disturbaunce or molestation with whome all the Princes in Christendome are in perfect peace and amity whome Catholikes haue as yet no way offended but by all meanes indeuoured to serue satisfie cōtent a His Maiestie hath no such reason to continue the lavves against Catholikes as the late Q. had to inact them Your Maiestie we say for these respects hath no such apparent cause to continue those lawes as the late Queene had to inact them the reasons and foundations of those lawes being by this happy mutation of state time and persons vtterly remoued If then DREAD SOVERAIGNE we haue beene are and will be as we haue and will demonstrate as loyall faithfull and affectionate to your Maiesty your predecessors and posterity and euen to those Princes that dealt most hardly with vs and to the good and peaceable estate of our Country as any sorte of your Maiesties subjectes within the Realme of our Ranke whatsoeuer we see not howe by authority we can be driuen to forsake our Catholike Fathers faith and beleefe vnlesse authority can by reason conuince vs that our faith is Infidelity our Religion superstition and the seruice we vse Idolatry or the Doctrine we receiue heresie These are points first to be decided and determined amongst Deuines and learned men of both partes and therefore that Magistrates should proceede against vs as men conuicted of those crimes before our cause be heard and determined by them that are by God appointed to handle those high and important pointes of diuinity we hope your Maiesties clemency and piety will not permitte But judgment being past on our side already in so many generall Councels abroade and conuocations and Parliaments at home commending and approuing the faith we professe what reason can giue life to that lawe that doth reuerse a sentence so authentically giuen without the full forme of justice and processe therein required CHAPTER 4 The reasons why we are so resolute in our Religion Reasons of Religion THE first reason that we giue of our faith Religion SACRED SOVERAIGNE why we ought not to suffer therefore as delinquents is that neither obstinate pride The 1. reason nor presumptious pertinacy nor dislike of order or Discipline nor contempt of authority nor curiosity affectation of nouelty or discontentment in our priuate humors maketh vs so constant and resolute in the profession thereof but our consciences meerely so informed and inforced in manner by the instinct of Gods grace and reuelation of his holy word and will but our vnderstanding captiuated in obsequium fidei by most euident a In no Religion but the Catholike only doe all these Testemonies concurre Testimony of holy Write of Vnity Vniuersality Succession Antiquity authority of Scriptures Fathers Saints Doctors Councels Parliaments Virgins and Martirs which all concurre only and joyntly in the Catholike Religion and in no other profession whatsoeuer which considerations accompayned with the feare of Gods judgments the danger of Hell fire and the desire of eternall Saluation commaund vs by the rules of reason in the practise profession of that Religion to obey the lawe of God before the lawe of Man The 2. reason It is an instance and maxime that suffereth no exception that neuer any generall or vniuersall innouation or alteration in matters of Faith or Religion from badde to better hath beene heard of either in the whole world or in any particular nation be it either from Iudaisme Gentilisme Paganisme Atheisme or Idolatry but that the commission and vocation of the messengers haue beene authorised Domino coöperante sermonem confirmante sequentibus signis Mar. 16. our Lord working with all and confirming the word with signes that followed which sithence our new messengers and reformers as yet haue not duly nor clearely shewed pretending as they doe to purge Christendome of superstition and Idolatry howe can they in reason craue at our handes credit or conformity to the newe lawes made on that behalfe God is ipsa vita lux veritas God that is the life The 3. reason light and truth it selfe cannot giue commission credit and authority to death darknes falshood but it is most euident and cannot be doubted of or denied that the first Apostles Conuertors of this our nations of England Scotland Ireland Fraunce and Germany were sent from the Church of Rome and deliuered vs the same Romane faith we nowe professe the same Masse and the same Sacraments and preached the selfe same Doctrine Mar. 16. Domino coöperante sermonem confirmante sequentibus signis our Lord working with all and confirming the word with signes that followed Reason then cōcludeth thus that either God in this case hath giuen testemony to falshood or else the doctrine confirmed by the testemony of God is true and auowable and not to be forsaken for feare of any humane lawes till we haue like testemony from Heauen to the cōtrary when our aduersaries shal duly reproue ours herein and make their owne mission as manifest by the word of God then if we doe not conforme our selues to the newe lawes imposed vpon vs worthely we are to endure these late inflicted penalties for matter of recusancy To conuince vs then that either we haue not the true Scriptures The 4. reason or interpret them not as we ought or that we dishonour God in honouring his Saintes or erre in the number or nature of our Sacraments or that our Doctrine is false and defectiue and to condemne vs and punish vs therefore as Heretikes and Idolators requireth in all reason an absolute commission from God the which when it shall be produced willingly we will obey If they alleadge Scriptures the Scriptures are common to vs both The 5 reason yet more likely in reason to be ours then theirs because that if the Church of Rome had not conserued them and communicated the same vnto vs our aduersaries had beene at this day Scripturelesse the very originall Bible the selfe same numero which S. Gregory sent in with our Apostle S. Augustine being as yet reserued by Gods especiall prouidence as a Testemony a We receiued the Scriptures from the Church of Rome that what Scriptures we haue we had them from Rome and haue nothing of our reformers but that we haue not so many bookes of Scriptures discanonized and rejected because they be expresse Testimonies against their newe and negatiue Religion If they stand vpon the sence and true interpretation we stand on that point more confidently then they they hauing no further warrant then their priuate spirit and we relying on the assistance of the holy Ghost therein promised to his Church for the instruction of all truth which is Columna firmamentum veritatis the piller

and contriuers of all his Mothers troubles and calamities his proofes are the authour of the Iesuites Catechisme a The authour of that Catechisme an inueterat enemy of that order therfore more credulous then conuenient in matter of theirs dishonour written in disgrace of that order which booke is of as great credit with men of tender consciences and vpright carriage in matter of truth and equitie as Lucians Dialogues Watsons Quodlibets or Esopes fables and what this Catechiste wrote of priuate passion without any authenticall warrant this libeller doth vrge with the like perturbation And here DREAD SOVERAIGNE we might as readely as liuely produce a world of inuinceable proofes in reproofe of this libeller by prouing the actors of that complotment and tragicall proceeding not to haue beene any one of them Catholikes or their well-willers but we carefully shunning to charge any with bloudy imbrumentes in that lamentable fact of Englands agony and only to free our selues from that most odious impudent and falfe calumniation wee soly resort to matter of highest record dayly extant to bee seene of all men in publike printed statutes being the fore-runners of that strange execution of your blessed and most glorious Mother Whereby it is most euident and well knowne etiam lippis tonsoribus to blinde men barbers that they were not Catholikes that made and enacted those statutes of the thirtenth of Queene Elizabethes Raigne for the b 13. Elizabeth Limitation of the right of the Crovvne limitation of the right of the Crowne to the disposition of the Lords and Parliament from the free right and course of bloud and descent That made it treason in the same Parliament to c Treason to say that the persons Titles possibilities of all pretenders to the crovvne be not subiect to the actes made in Parliament hould or say that the common lawes of England and statutes to be made in Parliament are not of sufficient validity to gouerne the persons and to binde and limitte the Titles of any that hath any possibility to the Crowne They were not Catholikes that made it treason in the same Parliament d Reconciliation treason to absolue from sinne and reconcile or to be so absolued or reconciled e Agnus Dei Beades or Crosses premunire A premunire to bring in any tookens called Agnus Dei or Crosses Pictures or halowed Beades or to haue or receiue them They were not Catholikes that the 23. of Queene Elizabethes Raigne made it treason f 23. Elizabeth treason to persvvade men to the Catholike religion to perswade men to the Catholike religion and the losse of 200. markes to heare g 200 markes for laing 100 markes for hearing a mas Masse or to pay xx pound monethly for h xx pound a moneth for recusancy refusing to goe to the Protestants seruice or the forfeits of x. pound monethly for such as should keepe any i x. pound a moneth for keeping a schoolmaster Schoolmaster not allowed by the Bishoppe of the Dioces and refusing to goe to Church They were not Catholikes who made an act 27. of the said Queene by vertue whereof your gratious k 27. Eliz. the act vvas made vvhich caused the death of his Maiesties Mother Mother lost her life and in the same Parliament it was made treason for all l In the same yeare it vvas made treason to be a Priest and come in or remaine in the land felony to receiue or releeue them Priests or Religious men that had taken orders by any forraigne authority to remayne or come into this Kingdome and fellony to relieue or entertayne them It was made treason to be brought vp in the Seminaries premunire to send thither any reliefe In the 28. of the said Queene it was enacted that the two partes of the landes and leases of such recusantes as should faile to pay the xx pound a moneth in the Exchequor at the tearmes prefixed should be seazed into the Queenes handes In the 35. it was enacted that euery m 25. Elizab. certayne recusants vvere by an act then made to abiure the realme recusant aboue the age of sixteene yeares being not worth twentie markes exceeding his confined limittes should abjure the Realme and if he refused to abjure or retourned after abjuration to be accounted a fellon Item that the partie should pay ten pound a moneth that n Ten pound a moneth for keeping a recusant in the hovvse keepes any recusant in his howse after warning In the same Parliament recusantes are o The same yeare vvas the statute of confinementes enacted restrayned to their certayne vsuall and common places of abode and are not to remoue aboue fiue miles thence without licence of the Bishoppe and two Iustices vpon payne of forfeiting of all their goodes and all their free and coppyhold landes and annuities during life all such recusants that had not landes of twentie markes value by yeare or goodes of fourtie pound if they conformed not themselues or repayred not to their places of limitation shall abjure the Realme By the course and contriuing of such capitall and cruell lawes at the same time and in the same sessions aswell against Catholikes as against your gratious Mother it seemeth by all probability to persons esteemed of judgement great experience in the insight of worldly driftes both in this Realme and in forraigne Regions that the principal marke which was aymed at in those times was at the selfe same season by seuerity and shadowe of the same lawes an instance to ruinate ouerthrowe the p The person of his Maiesties Mother her right and Title and the Catholikes cause all shotte at by the same lavves and at the same time person of your gratious Mother and her right and the professors of the Catholike religion supposing that those three must either stand or fall togither of necessitie but non est consilium contra Dominum there is no councell against God her right posterity hath God bethāked preuayled the poore Catholikes from that time to this the more they haue beene oppressed the more they haue increased which cannot fall out otherwise vnlesse it proue false which God hath said by the mouth of his Saints and seruants Preciosa in conspectu Domini mors Sanctorum eius pretious in the sight of our Lord is the death of his Saints Et sanguis Martirum semen Ecclesiae the bloud of Martirs the seede of the Church We accuse no man in particuler in this case and could haue beene content vlcus hoc intactum leuiter pertransire to haue sleightly past ouer this boch vntouched but that this respondent would needes deale with vs as Putifars q The libeller like Ioseph his Mistris Susannas iudges wife did with holy Ioseph or the carnall judges with the chaste Susanna viz. put vs to our plunges and purgations for such crimes as were proper and peculiar to themselues Neuer