THE VVoefull crie of Rome Containing a defiance to popery With Thomas Bells second challenge to all fauorites of that Romish faction Succinctly comprehending much variety of matter full of honest recreation and very profitable and expedient for all sorts of people but especially for all simply seduced Papists Goe out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receiue not of her plagues Apocal. 18.4 LONDON Printed by T.C. for William Welby and are to be sold at his shop in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the Grayhound 1605. Academiae Cantabrigiensis Liber TO THE RIGHT HONOVRAble my very good Lord Thomas the Lord of Ellesmere Lord high Chauncellour of England SAint Paul that chosen Vessell of God Right Honourable made a base reckoning of all other things in the world in respect of the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ. This knowledge was so deare to the Princely Prophet Dauid that he desired to be but a doore-keeper in Gods house rather then to dwel in the goodly Pallaces of great Parsonages esteeming one day better in Gods Church then a thousand otherwhere This knowledge yeelded so sweete a sauour in the nosethrels of holy Moses that he chose rather to be the childe of God then to be called the sonne of King Phoraohs daughter This knowledge was to the wisest King so precious that hee reputed it not onely the beginning of wisedome but euen the finall ende which he aymed at with the loue of which knowledge hee was so rauished Oh most excellent knowledge that hauing in his owne free election what hee would receiue at Gods hands hee desireth neither long life which the greater part of people thirst after nor riches which are the greatest ioyes of al couetous worldlings nor yet the death of his enemies which the dauncing Damosell preferred before a Kingdome but he humbly asked an vnderstanding heart that he might discerne between good and euil and iudge aright Gods people committed to his charge a most wise and holy request This petition pleased God so well that he gaue the King a wise and vnderstanding heart so that there was neuer any either before or after him comparable or like vnto him And no marueile that the true Children of God desire the true knowledge of God before all other things For as our Sauiour himselfe teacheth vs this knowledge is life eternall the ioy of all ioyes But my good Lord it may here bee demaunded how this most excellent knowledge can bee attained To which I answere euen by dilligent reading of the holy Scriptures For Saint Paul writing vnto Timothie commendeth his knowledge in the holy Scriptures which he had attained of a childe and he yeeldeth this reason therof because forsooth saith the Apostle the Scriptures are able to make him wise vnto saluation Is this possible is it so indeed euen so doubtlesse Gods Spirit cannot lye Howe then commeth it to passe that the late Byshops of Rome now Cat ' e'xochen called Popes doe this day suppresse the light of the Gospel and forbid the Lay-people to read the holy Scriptures in their vulgar language How chanceth it that none may read any Commentaries vpon the old and newe Testament nor any other bookes compiled for the furtherāce of mans knowledge in that behalfe vnlesse either the said bookes Commentaries be composed by professed papists or the readers being the Popes sworne vassals haue his dispensation and licence so to doe This my good Lord is the reason that cannot in truth be denied They that doe euill hate the light fearing that it should reproue their naughtie deedes And for this end is it that the Pope can not endure the manifestation of Gods word which is a lanterne vnto our feete a bright shining light vnto our soules directing vs the path-way to heauen For this light if the pope did not smoother it vnder the ashes and violently keepe it vnder a bushell would in short time so enlighten the hearts of all well disposed people that all the world would detest the Pope all popish superstition heresies and blasphemies and all his bloodie tyrannicall and plaine antichristian dealing In regard hereof most honourable Baron and most worthy zealous christian vpright and religious Magistrate because it is not enough for a Christian to know God himselfe but he must withall heartily wish and effectually procure so much as lyeth in him that others may also know and worship the euer-liuing God with him I haue employed my studie diligence care and industrie to deliuer a very compendious enchiridion to al simple seduced Papists to other thankfull Readers wherein they may behold as cleerely as the noone-day the original of popish falsly pretended Primacie the meanes by which the Byshops of Rome aspired thereunto the royall titles and power plaine diuine ascribed to the Popes the liues maners and conversation of Popes the rotten foundations vpon which and by which Poperie is builded and vnderpropped the originall and sundry grounds of Popish Purgatorie the vanitie and vncertaintie of Popish Succession the popish execrable Excommunications Superstitions Adorations and many other matters of great moment By the due and serious consideration whereof the indifferent Reader cannot but behold the abhomination of late Romish Religion and consequently loath detest and vtterly renounce the same for euer The worke such as it is I haue dedicated vnto your Honour for two speciall causes First to intimate to the world my inward conceiued comfort ioy and solace which either is or at least ought to bee common to my selfe with all other honest and true harted English Subiects of your Lordships most honorable zealous christian conscionable vpright painefull and religious care vigillancie holy constant indeuours vnder God and his most exellent Maiestie both for the indifferencie of iustice extended at al persons aswel to the poore as to the rich which is not the vsuall practise of many Magistrates alas for the pittie and also generally for the common good and peaceable gouernment of this Kingdome Secondly to giue at the least some smal signification of a thākfull minde where power is wanting for your Lordships most honourable yea vnspeakable fauours towards me from time to time euen such and so great as without which I could not this day breathe vppon earth much lesse make vse of my small talent Quod sentio quam sit exiguum for the common good of others The Almightie giue your Lordship many long ioyfull and happy yeares with much increase of vertue holy zeale and true honour in this life and with life eternall in the world to come Amen From my Studie this first of Aprill 1605. Your Lordships most humble and bounden T. Bell. Thomas Bels defiance to Poperie with a second challenge CHAP. I. Of the originall of Popish Primacie I Haue proued at large elsewhere how Poperie crept into the Curch by peece-meale and how she receiued her daily
many Lordly titles and more then royall power ascribed to the Pope addeth these expresse words Sed glossatores iuris hoc dominium dederunt Papae cum ipsi essent pauperes rebus doctrina Englished thus But the Glossers and Interpreters of the Popes lawe gaue this dominion and these royall titles vnto the Pope themselues being blind Bayards and beggerly fellowes Thus writeth the Popes learned Doctour and religious Fryer by whose verdict it is most apparant to the world that pouertie and ignorance two gallant Romish courtiers were the beginning of al royall Pope-dom And no maruaile for by reason of their pouertie they flattered and sought to please the Pope and by reason of their ignorance they desperately published many things which they did not vnderstand The vsual practise of Papists in their Commentaries Bookes and Glosses hath bin such so intollerable in wresting the holy Scriptures as their owne deare brethren and great Doctors can not for shame denie or conceale the same Polidorus Virgilius a famous papist hath these words Non secus isti iurisconsulti aliquoties detorquent sacras literas quò volunt ac sutores sordidas solent dentibus extendere pelles Englished thus These popish Legists and Canonists doe now and then so wrest and writhe the holy Scriptures to that sense which themselues like best euen as Coblers do gnaw with their teeth and stretch out their filthy skinnes 1 Out of these words I obserue first that this Polidore was a great Papist himselfe and consequently that his testimonie must needes be of great force against the Papists Secondly that he speaketh not of the meanest and worst sort of Papists but euē of their best renowmed Doctors viz. of Hostiensis their grand and famous Doctor Thirdly that their mangling and wresting of the holy Scriptures is most intollerable that without the same they cannot possibly maintaine their wicked doctrine This is that which Doctor Fisher the late Byshoppe of Rochester hath freely confessed in his answere to the Articles of M. Luther which hee could not in truth withstand or gainesay These are his expresse wordes Contendentibus itaque nobiscum haereticis nos alio subsidio nostram oportet tueri causam quam scriptura sacrae Englished thus Therefore when Heretiques contend with vs we must defend our cause by other meanes then by the holy Scripture These are the very expresse wordes I neither adde any thing nor take any thing away of their owne famous popish byshop of their owne holy Saint of their glorious martyr a learned man in deed who laboured with might and maine for the popes vsurped soueraigntie and defended the same in the best manner he was able and to the vttermost of his skill And yet for all that hee hath boulted out vnawares against his will such is the force of trueth which must needs in time preuaile so much in plaine tearmes as is sufficient to ouerthrow all poperie for euer and to cause all people that haue any care of their saluation to renounce the pope his abominable doctrine to their liues end For our popish Byshoppe being put to his best trumpe telleth vs plainely and without all dissimulation his mouth being now opened by him who caused Balaams Asse to speake that they must not because forsooth they cannot defend and mantaine their poperie by the authoritie of the Scripture but by some other way and meanes Viz. by mans forged inuentions and popish vnwritten vanities which they terme the Churches Traditions Now gentle Reader how can any papist who is not giuen vp in Reprobum sensum for his iust deserts read such testimonies against poperie freely confessed and plainely published to the world and that by the pennes of most learned and renowned papists euen while they bestirre themselues busily to defend their pope and his popish doctrine for all that continue papists stil and be carryed away headlong into perdition beleeuing obeying that doctrine which as themselues confesse cannot be defended by the holy Scripture Me-thinkes they should bee ashamed to hold and beleeue that doctrine in defence whereof they can yeeld no better reason Alas alas how hath the late Romish Church seduced vs CHAP. III. Of kissing the Popes feet TOuching the kissing of the Popes feet the truth is this that some Christian kings and Emperours vppon a blinde zeale not grounded in knowledge did humble themselues to the Byshops of Rome and did yeeld vp their soueraigne rights vnto them and thereby opened the windowe to all Antichristian tyrannie For in short time after the Romish Byshoppes became so Lordly and insolent that they tooke roundly vpon them to despose the Emperours to translate their Empires to dispose at their owne pleasures of their royal scepters regalties Yea to be reuerenced honored and adored as Gods for that end must al faithfull Christians kisse the Popes feete Here for the better credite of mine assertion I will put downe the flat testimonie of their Saint Antoninus their religious Fryer who was sometime the Arch-byshop of Florence These are his expresse words Nulli ergo angelo commissa iurisdictio cura totius orbis sed papae totius mundi iurisdictio cura commissa est cum solum vt nomine mundi importatur terza sed etiam vt nomine mundi importatur caelum que super calum terram iurisdictione accepit Sequitur vnde papae recipit a fidelibus adorationes prostrationes oscula pedum quod non permisit angelus a Iohanne Euangelista sibi fieri Englished thus Therefore the iurisdiction and charge of the whole world is committed to none of the Angels but the iurisdiction and care of the whole world is committed to the Pope not onely as the name of the world doth import the earth but euen as it doth also signifie Heauen because hee hath receiued iurisdiction both ouer Heauen and Earth Wherefore the Pope receiueth of the faithfull adorations prostrations and the kissing of his feete which thing the Angel would not suffer Iohn the Euangelist to doe vnto him Thus writeth this popish Doctor For the better vnderstanding of whose discourse I note First that this Antoninus was not a bare papist but a man of great authoritie and high esteeme among the papists Viz. a canonized Saint a religious Fryer a Dominican and a most reuerend Arch-bishop and consequently that whatsoeuer he hath deliuered either touching the pope or poperie must needes bee of good credite and great force against the papists Secondly that the popes power and authoritie doth farre exceed the power of Angels Thirdly that the pope hath iurisdiction not onely ouer the earth but also ouer heauen it selfe Fourthly that by the reason of this exceeding and surpassing power the pope doth admit and receiue that homage which the Angel refused and prohibited S. Iohn to doe vnto him Alas alas how hath the late Romish Church deceiued vs CHAP. IIII. Of power ascribed to the pope The
first Paragraph of his power in generall CHristus per passionem suam meruit iudiciariam potestatem super omnē creaturam Vnde ipse resurgens ait data est mihi omnis potestas in Caelo in terra Cū autem vicarius Christi sit papa nullus potest seipsum subtrahere ab obedientia eius de iure sicut nullus de iure potest se subtrahere ab obedientia Dei sicut recepit Christus a patre ducatum sceptrū ecclesiae gentiū ex Israel egrediens super omnē principatū potestatē super omne quodcumque est vt ei genua cuncta curuentur sic ipse Petro successoribus eius plenissimam potestatem commisit Englished thus Christ merited by his passion iudiciare power ouer all creatures wherefore when hee arose from death hee sayd all power is giuen me in heauen and on earth Now seeing the Pope is Christs Vicar none can lawfully withdrawe their obedience from him no more then they may withdraw their obedience from God himselfe For as Christ receiued the Dukedome and Scepter of the Church ouer all principate and power and ouer all whatsoeuer else hath being that al knees do bowe vnto him euen so did he commit most full and large power vnto Peter and his Successors the Byshops popes of Rome Thus writeth Antoninus that holy Archbyshop and religious Fryer Augustinus de Ancona an other religious Fryer in that booke which he dedicated to pope Iohn the twelft of that name singeth the same song with Antoninus his popish brother These are his words papa tanquam vicarius dei filij coelestis imperatoris iurisdictionē habet vniuersalem super omnia Regna Imperia Englished thus The Pope as he is the Vicar of the sonne of God the heauenly Emperour hath vniuersall iurisdiction ouer all Kingdomes and Empires Gerson a famous papist who was sometime chancelour of Paris maketh rehearsall of intollerable titles power more then royall ascribed to the pope and derideth the same Sicut non est potestas nisi a Deo sic nec aliqua temporalis vel ecclesiastica imperialis vel regalls nisi a papa in cuius foemore scripsit Christus Rex regū dominus dominantium de cuius potestate disputare instar sacrilegij est cui neque quisquam dicere potest cur ita facit Englished thus Like as there is no power but of God so is there neither any Temporall nor Ecclesiastical neither imperiall nor regal but of the Pope in whose thigh Christ hath writen the King of kings Lord of Lords of whose power to dispute is as meere Sacriledge to whom none may say why doest thou so The pope himselfe from his owne pen Gregorie the ninth deliuereth vs this doctrine Ad firmamentum caeli hoc est vniuersalis ecclesiae fecit Deus duo magna luminaria id est duas instituit dignitates quae sunt pontificalis authoritas regalis potestas Sequitur vt quanta est inter solem lunam tanta inter pontifices reges differentia cognoscatur Englished thus To the Firmaments of of heauen that is of the vniuersal Church God made two lights pontificall authoritie and power royall that wee may know there is as much difference betweene Popes and Kings as there is betweene the Sunne and the Moone The Glosse setteth downe precisely how farre a King is inferiour to a pope that is to euery Byshop of Rome in these words Restat vt pontificalis dignitas quadragesies septies sit maior regali dignitate Englished thus It remaineth that the dignitie of the pope bee fortie times seuen times greater then is the power of the King Where the Reader must seriously obserue with me that this Gregorie being himselfe one of the Byshops of Rome who now adayes are called popes Cat'exochen liued 1227. years after Christ A.D. 1227 and had either forgotten or neuer once learned that the good Byshoppe Gregorie the first acknowledged himselfe to be the Emperours subiect and yeelded all loyall obedience vnto him The popish Canons do so plainly ascribe diuine titles to the pope that none without blusing can possibly deny the same For in the popes owne decretals I find these expresse words Sic papa dicitur habere coeleste arbitrium ideo etiam naturam rerum immutat substantiam vnius rei applicādo alij de nihilo potest aliquid facere Englished thus So the pope is said to haue coelestial arbitrement and therefore doth he alter the nature of things by applying the substantiall parts of one thing to another and hee can make of nothing something Thus doe the papists write of their pope he is well pleased therewith For without his good pleasure and liking such doctrine glosses could not be currant in the Church of Rome Yea the Expositors do gather their sense euen out of the bowels of the text and this collections are as authenticall as is the text it selfe Pope Nicholas as Gratianus telleth vs was of the same minde and in effect taught the same Doctrine These are his expresse words Christus beato Petro aeternae vitae clauigero terreni simul coelestis imperij iura commisit Englished thus Christ committed to S. Peter who beareth the keyes of eternall life the right both of earthly and heauenly empire Where the glosse ascribeth the same power to the pope in these words Argumentum quod papa habet vtrunque gladium spirtiualem temporalem Englished thus This is an argument that the pope hath both the swords aswel the spiritual as the temporal And in the marginal note the Reader may finde these expresse wordes Papa habens vtrumque gladiū transtulit imperia Englished thus The pope hauing both swords translated the Empire A.D. 1294 To conclude pope Boniface the eight made a flat Constitution and Decree in which he affirmed arrogantly that himselfe was both Spirituall and Temporall Lord of the whole world The second Paragraph of power ascribed to the pope in speciall BArtholomaeus Fumus a famous Summist affirmeth boldly and resolutely the popes power to bee so exding great that he is able with his word to deliuer out of purgatorie all the soules that are boyling there in fire These are his words Papa potest liberare omnes animus purgatorij etiam si plures essent si quis pro eis faceret quod iuberet peccaret tamen indiscretè consedendo Englished thus The pope could set at libertie all the soules in purgatorie though neuer so many if any would doe that for them which hee appointeth to be done marry hee should sinne by his vndiscreet pardoning Siluester prieras a learned famous popish Canonist sometime Magister sacripalatij hath these words Sicut potest papa liberare a poena peccatorum debita in hoc mundo omnes qui sunt in mundo si faciant quod mandat etiāsi essent millies plores quam sunt ita liberare potest
Syluester saith Credendum est ita esse we must belieue that it is so Petrus Lombardus sometime the Byshop of Paris surnamed magister sententiarum because with great diligence he collected into one volume all worthy sentences of the auncient Fathers maketh no mention at all of popish pardons as which he could not find in any of the holy Fathers notwithstanding his painefull industrie imployed in that kind of exercise And yet this maister Lombard the reuerend popish Byshop whose foure bookes of sentences are publikely read in the popish schooles of Diuinitie liued in the year of our sauiour 1163. A.D. 163 so as popish pardoÌ„s were not known to the world for the space of one thousand one hundred threescore and three yeares For as Antoninus and Syluester truly write the old Fathers were not acquainted with any such thing The like may be said of S. Cyprian S. Austen S. Hierome S. Nazianzene and others of antiquity For which cause Durandus Caietanus and sundry other schoolemen affirme the popes maner of pardoning to be a new thing in the Church of God Neither can Dominicus Soto deny the same indeed albeit he busieth himselfe more then a little in the defence therof Yea the originall of popish pardoning is so very young as their popish martyr and reuerend Byshop Maister Fisher in his answere to Maister Luthers articles was enforced to admit the newnesse and yong age of the same and to yeeld this mightie and strong reason in defence thereof viz. that purgatorie was not so well knowne at that time to the Church as it is now adayes Which saying I weene is true indeed because purgatorie and pardons were not heard of in old time and now onely made known by vaine grosse and sensuall imaginations But hereof I haue wrâ—â—tten else where more at large to which place I referre the reader for his better satisfaction The 3. section of the valuation of popish pardons COncerning the vertue and efficacie of the popes pardons the matter is so intricate doubtfull and vncertaine that euen amongst the greatest best learned popish Doctors as themselues are therein at their wits end and cannot tell in the world what to say or thinke thereof Angelus de Clauasio a famous popish Canonist and religious Fryer reciteth six seuerall dissonant opinions touching this question of pardons And after he hath confuted them all he setteth downe the seuenth for his owne and the best which as he saith is sound and true It is therefore no doubt very svbstantiall seeing we must esteeme our Fryer to bee a man of credit especially for that Iesephus Angles reciting in like maner seuen seuerall opinions of his popish fellows concludeth in effect as Angelus did afore him opinion 1 The first opinion holdeth saith our religious Fryer that the popes pardons onely remit that punishment which God appointeth to be imposed in an other world for a supply vnto those who haue onely done penance according to the canons but doth in no case remit that penance which is imposed and taxed by the Canons opinion 2 The second opinion holdeth pardons onely forgiue that penance which is taxâ—d by the lawe and penitentiall canoÌ„s but not the paine which gods iustice appointed to be imposed opinion 3 The third opinion holdeth that pardons forgiue paine due for sin aswell before God as before his church but this opinion addeth a clausie so sharpe as our holy father doth not brooke it viz. that the Pope is bound to doe penance for that person whom he pardoneth opinion 4 The 4. opinion holdeth that the paine of hell is partly remitted by the Popes pardons for that it beoÌ„meth thereby more tollerable opinion 5 The 5. opinion holdeth that penance onely is pardoned which the partie omitted of negligence not of purpose or contempt opinion 6 The 6. opinion holdeth that the popes pardons remit not onely penance imposed by the Priest but also that which is taxed of God marry this opinion hath one limitation which forsooth is this that the priest must be content therwith or else the pope cannot worke his will opinion 7 The 7. opinion holdeth that popish pardons forgiue and are worth so much as the words of the pardons doe expresse or sound viz that if the pardons containe an hundred thousand yeares then the partie obtaining such pardons at the popes handes must haue remission of so many yeares Thus gentle reader standeth the doctrine of popish pardons euen among the greatest Doctors of that faction The bare rehearsal of these opinions with the varietie and vncertaintie implyed therin is a most sufficient confutation of the same In this Chapter these speciall points are duly to be remembred First that the popes pardons can neither be proued by the Scriptures nor yet by the testimonie of the holy Fathers Secondly that in the dayes of Petrus Lombardus who liued 1163. after Christs glorious ascension into heauen the popes pardons were vnknowne vnto the world Thirdly that the best learned papists cannot tell what that is which the pope beareth the world in hand that he forgiueth by his pardons Alas alas how hath the Church of Rome seduced vs. CHAP. VI. Of the Popes dispensations I Haue written else where at large of the popes impious and abhominable dispensations where I haue proued perspicuously out of his owne deare Doctors that he hath dissolued holy matrimonie by his wicked dispensations hath licenced the brother to marry his owne sister It shall here be enough to adde some memorable specialitie for the edification of the thankfull reader Franciscus a Victoria that learned popish Fryer and professor of Diuinitie in Salmantica hath these expresse words Videmus quotidie a romana curia tam largas imo omnino tam dissolutas dispensationes profectas vt orbis ferre non possit non solum in scandalum pusillorum sed maiorum Englished thus We see daily so large yea altogether so dissolute dispensations come from the Church of Rome that the world is not able to endure it neither doth that tend onely to the scandall of the weake but euen of those also who are strong and perfect The same Doctor in another place hath these words paulatim ad hanc intemperantiam dispensationum deuentum est hunc talem statum vbi nec mala nostra nec remedia pati possumus ideo necesse est aliam rationem excogitare ad conseruandas leges da mihi Clementes Linos Syluestros omnia perâ— mittam arbitrio eorum sed vt nihil grauius dicatur in recentiores pontifices certe multis partibus sunt priscis illis inferiores Englished thus By little and little we are brought to these inordinate dispensations to this so miserable a state where we are neither able to endure our owne griefes nor yet remedies designed for the same and therefore must we perforce inuent some other way for conseruation of the lawes Giue me Clements Liues Syluesters and I will