c. Therefore not so much to cleere my selfe as to honor the trueth and to shew that it is no tricke nor policie of our State as it is in poperie h â—â—ook was printed in english in the colledge at Rome wherein it is affirmed that wee take catholicks draw vpoÌ„ their legs bootes full of hot boiling liquor vpoÌ„ their feet hot burning â—hooes do put them into Bears skins cast theÌ„ to the dogs to be puld in peeces all this and many such other set down in pictures Feuardent a famous Frier yet liuing at Paris wrote in latine 7. yeares ago that we reuile and reiect that praier to the holy Trinitie Sancta Trinitias 〈◊〉 Deusâ— misercre nobis Thus writes hee in his CommeÌ„t on 1. Pet. cap. 1. What will not he say that daie say thisâ— for all our common praier-praier-books now and those in Q. Elizabeths K. Edwards times do testâ—fieâ— the contrary Gretserus a sesuâ—â—e was suffered to write within these 2. yeares that we rackt and tortured Garnet euen neere to death to make him confesse himself guilty of the powder treason but hee did not so wee hauing no proof haÌ„gd him onely for being a Priest and not for it And that OueÌ„ his man was puld in peeces on the racke and when wee had so killed him then wee gaue out hee had killd himselfe with a knife But for the 1. wee appeale to publike records the worlds knowledge for the second there yet liue witnesses whose eies saw the woundes and bloudy knife and whose eares heard him freely and penitently confesse hee did it with that knife to escape the racâ— which he said he feared but had neuer tasted to set vp men with authoritie to raile and licence to lie thereby to make our enemies odious I haue beene induced to publish what was said and to iustifie out of their owne records what was affirmed of them namely that the deadly wounds found to be in that diseased body of Poperie many ages agoe remaine rotting rankling and vnhealed euen to this day This I demonstrate in 20. or more particulars Concerning all which wounds if they be true as I haue laide them downe and being true if yet they bee not healed then I hope your Highness and al Christian Princes may cleerely see that seeing she is past hope of reformation there remains no more but that she is ripe for vengeaÌ„ce destruction Which as that Whore of Babylon hath so long deserued So God will put power into the hand and zeale into the hearts of our mighty King noble Prince to reward her as she hath serued 〈◊〉 to giue her double for all her iniquities that so all the Kings Princes of the Christian world may rouze vp themselues take example at the King Prince of great Britaine to hate the whore and make her desolate â—are her flesh and burne her with fire and that aâ—l nations who haue stood amazed hitherto at the patience and long suffering may now reioice and admire to see the zeale courage constancy of our kingly Dauid and princely Salomon The King of Kings blesse this king and prince and the blessed Father for his blessed Sonnes sake double and trebble the graces and blessings of the blessed Spirit both vpon the father and the sonne whereunto I am sure all good subiects at home and all true Christians in the world will say Amen With Magna est veritas praeualet Your Highnesse humble and deuoted seruant WILLIAM CRASHAWE To the Christian Reader whosoeuer be he a true Catholicke or a Romish TO preuent all misconceits that might arise vpon the so late comming forth of this Sermon so many weekes expected I desire thee good Reader be satisfied that the cause thereof was a long vnlooked for iourney And now that you haue it let mee desire all men in the reading and iudging thereof to deale with that ingenuity and sincerity as I haue indeuoured in the writing of it My conscience speakes for me I haue forged no new Author I haue falsified none I haue corrupted none I haue to my knowledge misalledged none I haue taken no proofe vpon bare report nor haue I produced our men to proue what I lay against them nor is there one quotation of any Author of theirs which I haue not diligently perused afore-hand and the whole scope of the place If any should think of answere I desire him let passe all personall rayling and by-matters and come directly to the points in issue which be these 1 Whether the Church of Rome teach practice in these xx or xxi points as I haue charged her withall or no. 2 If she do whether they be healed of these wounds as yet or no. 3 If she be not then how she can be the true Church which is so wounded and will not be healed If they do not teach and practise so I will yeeld the Cause And hee that can shew mee that either she is healed since or beeing not healed how she can bee the true Church I shall willingly hear him thank him I desire al that professe theÌ„selues papists or their fauourers not to be so wilfull as to condemne what they know not but only to giue it reading then iudge as they see cause Wright in his Articles layeth to our charge manie strange Paradoxes as that we are all Atheists and Infidels by our doctrine that wee are bound by our doctrine to doe no good workes many such And Kellison in his Survaie thrusts vpon vs that wee deny Christ to bee the only Sauiour and Iudge of quick dead and many such abhominations all which we renounce and detest yet do what we can wee must haue them laid vpon vs and our writers teachers haue their speeches wrung and wrested beyond their meaning to make theÌ„ sound that way I dare appeale to the iudgement of Gods Church and al iudicious Readers heereof that I haue not done so with them nor taken vantage of their words wheÌ„ it 's apparant they meant otherwise but charged them only with such points of doctrine practice as theÌ„selues cannot deny but to be their own that not of one or two but for the most part generally receiu'd CoÌ„meÌ„ding it to thy reading my selfe to thy praiers I leaue vs all to Gods blessing At the Temple May 21. 1608. Thy brother in the Lord W. Crashawe The Names of the Popish Authors produced in this Treatise together with the impressions heere vsed A. AQuinatis summa Ven. 509 Idem Antuerp 85. Fr. Agricola de verbo dei c. Leod. 97. 8 Cor. Agrippa de vanitate scient B. BReuiariuÌ„ Romanum vetust Idem 93. 4. Bernardini de Busto Manuale Lugd. 511 4. Idem Colon. 607. 4. Bellarmini opera Ingolst 601. fol. Bernardi Morlanensis poemata 607. 8 Brigittae reuelationes 517. Nuremb fol Bonauenturae opera Romae Cl. Bonarscij Amphitheatrum honoris c. 605. 4
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 coÌ„mends that man and womanâ— for deâ—oâ—t and zealous papists who blasphemoâ—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 coÌ„mends them both turnes it to the aduaÌ„tage 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 â—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 goodlâ—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 â—aith he would be ashamed to write them if they were not Scripture l Heskins a little after in the same chapteâ—â— 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 Hosiuâ— 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 â—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 â—eest thoâ— 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 câ— 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 moralâ— theolog casuâ— noâ—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
gone Brother wolfe liueth in the towne takes his meate at the dores and went vp down the streetes and tooke his meate from door to doore hurting no man was wel and daintily fed there was neuer so much as a dog that barked at him And at last after 2. yeares Brother Wolfe Brother wolfe dieth is lamented being striken in yeares dyed for whose death the Citizens did verie much lament Heere is a miracle worth the marking Now let all Huguenots and Heretikes shew such a miracle in their religion no no they neuer can doe it And no maruell for Iesus Christ who is the King Captain of their religion neuer did the like in his time to this Which S. Francis the king and captaine of the Franciscans u Francisce Iesuty dicè dux formaque Minorum hath heere done If the time would giue leaue I could bring 20. more as impious as incredible and as absurd in their kinde as this but leauing it to a further opportunitie and referring the learned to the booke it selfe I proceed What may be saide to all this are not these wide and wofull wounds Ierem. 7. 12â— Oh! but they are healed I maie answer as the Prophet doth Were they ashamed when they had committed abhomination Nay they were not ashamed 18 The ninth wound not healed For whereas this booke was written aboue two hundred yeeres agoe by Bartholomeusâ— Pisanus a Franciscan Frier it was then not only suffred to passe to publique view in those daies of darknesse and superstition but now of late within lesse then 20. yeares when one would haue thought they woulde if not repented of the impieties yet haue beene ashamed of the absurdities they contrariwise haue reprinted the Booke x The new edition iâ— at Bononie in Italie 1590. is dedicated to a Cardinall in this edition is al that I haue alleadged and haue not taken out nor reformed one worde of all these euilles nor of manie more which doe so directly disgrace the merits of Christ Iesus onelie some things haue they altered which they thought might make against themselues but not one of these which doe so farre dishonour God and Christ and all religion Compare together the olde and new bookes who will and he shall find this to be true wherefore the conclusion is that this wound is farre from being healed Let vs then go forward and see if we can find one wound healed in the Romane Church The tenth Wound TWo or three hundred yeares agoe 19 The tenth wound The Pope may giue Indulgences for 20000. yeers grant men power to redeeme soules out of Purgatorie the Popes indulgences did growe to that height of rotten ripenesse that all men of vnderstanding euen of his owne brood were ashamed of it and many a one of the wiser sort euen in these mystie times did see laugh at the nakednesse of Poperie in that point the excesse whereof grew so great as they cannot denie but it gaue at last an occasion of LVTHERS reuolte from them There is a Manuscript extant written some two hundred yeares agoe and another not much differing from it some 130. yeares ago printed at Rome containing a catalogue only of those Indulgences belonging to the parish Churches of Rome amongst which they say are 7. principall let vs but consider of some few y He that waÌ„ts this book let him look in Hospinian de Templis lib. 2. c. 28. pag. 348. editonis Tiâ—ur 603. where he shâ—ll finde both mention of the booke a particular recitall of a great part of it In the Laterane Church it is granted thus by Pope Boniface If any Pilgrime come for deuotion to this Church he shall be absolued from all his sinnes And in the Chappel there called sanctum sanctorum there is full and true remission of all sinne â— And one day in the yeare which is the day of the dedication of the Church there is full remission of all sinnes both a poena culpa and this Indulgence is so certaine saith the booke that when the Pope first pronounced it the Angells in the hearing of all the people said Amen Angels say Amen to the Popes indulgences but they shold first proue that God saith AmeÌ„ to them for else the Angels will not vnlesse it be the euill Angels If these things bee true then it is strange that all Papists in the world are not saued for hee that hath full remission of al sinnes both à poena culpa dying in that state cannot bee damned And certainely hee that for the obtaining thereof will not take the pains to visite that Church one day in a yeer is not worthy of saluation In Saint Peters Church there bee euerie daie eight and fortie yeeres of pardon which is in one yeere aboue fifteene thousand yeeres Euerie daie of the Annuntiation there bee one thousand yeeres and hee that with deuotion goeth vp Saint Peters staires hath for euery step seuen yeeres of pardon Surely purgatorie paines are not so fearefull as they beare the worlde in hand if going vp two and twenty-steppes may purchase releasement of a hundred fifty yeeres thereof And if these seeme too little Alexander the Pope like a liberall Lord opens his treasure giues to euery steppe a thousand yeares So that now there is not a Papist in the world that needes to bee in Purgatorie one day except hee will XXij thousand yeers of pardoÌ„ graÌ„ted for going vp 2â— steps If the Pope say true in this no Papist neede to come in purgatory For for going vp twenty two steppes with deuotion he may be released out of Purgatory for two and twenty thousand yeeres and I hope they do not think the World will last so long and Purgatory they say ends with the World Further Three doores of one Church in Rome of so great vertue that whosoeuer goeth through them shall bee as free from sinne as when he was newly baptized whosoeuer will go through the 3. doores of the Laterane Church shal be as free from al his sins as hee was the houre hee was baptized Likewise at the Altar in Saint Peters Church there bee xiiii thousand yeeres of pardon and deliuerance of one soule out of Purgatorie And in the Church of Saint Lawrence whosoeuer visiteth that Church euery Thursday for a yeere and sits vpon the stone wheron Saint Lawrence was broiled Oh what a great power the Pope hath who can giue power to another so easily to deliuer soules out of purgatory shall deliuer one soule out of Purgatory And in the Church of saint Iohn at the gate called Porta Latina a man either by saying a Masse or causing it to bee said may deliuer one soule out of Purgatorie Are these true How easie purgatory might be emptied by Popish doctrine then why is there one soule left in purgatory or else where is the charity of the Papistes which they so
we spake before is altered thus d Ibid. dist 34. cap. 4. Is qui non habet vxorem sed loco illius concubinam a communione noâ—â— repellitur Hee that hath not a wife but for a wife a Concubine is not repelled from the Communion Thus it is amended but in a poore fashion as wee may see But what may the Church of Rome meane to amend the Rubrick or title not the Text Surelie because they know manie a one hastily runnes ouer the Contents and titles of books and Chapters who neuer looke into the body of the bookes themselues But take this wound healed as it is Is this good diuinity at Rome that he who hath no wife but in a wiues steade keepes a Concubine shal not for that be kept from the CommunioÌ„ Is not this a holy table of the Romish Sacrament from which he shall not be forbidden that openly keeps a whore in room of a wife Certainly this wound is notably healed let vs then goe forward to the next The sixteenth Wounde VVE haue heard that a Wife is made equall to a concubine but what is she be made worse then a Whore an Adultresse or a common strumpet None dare say this none dare vndertake this but the Whore of Babylon but shee dare For this is her doctrine that it is a lesse sinne for many men to lye with another mans wife or a common whore then it is to marry a wife of their owne 33 The 16. wound Some man had better lie with another mans wife or keep a whorâ— then marry a wife of his owne Marriage which God hath made so honorable hath bin of long time disgraced in poperie but not in this high measure I speak of abused that I know till these latter more shamelesse times that the whore hath got her a brazen face In Luthers time not yet a 100. yeeres agoe liued one Albertus Pighius one of the Popes Champions e Albert Pighius scripsit in Lutherumâ— c de ecclesia catholica bene meritus Posseâ— appar â—ac tom 1. lit A. who for the defence of that hierarchy and maintenance of the cause amongst other his bold blasphemous assertions teacheth this hoggish and hatefull doctrine f Pighius explicatio controuersiarum contrâ—u 15. de Caelib et coniug Sacerdoâ— 215. edit Parisi 1549. Go to saith he suppose all that vowed continency do not keep it so wel as they should What theÌ„ had they better marrie Nay assuredly for wee must resist the temptation by all meanes we can but if sometime we be too remisse and so by infirmity of the flesh do fall into fornication or c. Certainlie this is a less sinne and more tolerable offeÌ„ce theÌ„ it is to marry for this is wholly to cast off Gods yoke not that wee allow fornication in it selfe but here we compare a slip or fall of infirmity to mariage which in this case we account no better then a resolued or deliberate or continual Incest vtterlie without all shame Heere is a piece of holy popery indeed but it is pope-holy that is beastly and profane so filthie that I had rather the particulars were considered of by a mans owne discretion then deciphered by mee But let vs see if this be healed or no For the Iesuites may say this Pighius wrote so hoggishly in licentious times and when we were in the egge and scarce hatched g For the Iesuites order was established by Paul the 3. and this booke of Pighius published within 3 yeeres together namely about the yeare 1540. for had we then been in that power place as now we would haue restrained him But the truth is that contrariwise this impious and filthy doctrine was obscurely timorously broched by Pighius but hath beene since bouldly and plainly blustered out by the Iesuites 34 The 16. wound not healedâ— for this is still the doctrine of the Romish Church hee brought forth an imperfect heape but they haue lickt it brought it to forme perfection Costerus a Iesuite of greate name amongst them h Vide Poss. appar sac toÌ„ 1. lit T. writing a book fit to bee as he calls it they esteem it in euery Catholicks haÌ„d deliuereth this for sound and dogmatical doctrine i Costerus Enchiridion controuersiaruÌ„ c. cap. de coelibatupropos â— p. 528. A Priestâ— if he commit fornication or keep a whore at home though he sinne grieuously yet sinnes hee more grieuously if hee marry a wife This is one of his propositions or conclusions But hee wrote this many yeeres agoe is it not since healed No the booke hath indeed bin often printed with many alterations k Vide Posseuinum ibid. But this stands in his last impression vntouched as a doctrine for the Pope to glorie in which I speake not at randon but vpon too good ground For this doctrine and the writer of it haue been often reprooued by our Diuines but in stead of reformation Costerus hath beene defended and the doctrine iustified by other of his learned brethren I will name but one example Chamier a learned French Minister obiected it to the Iesuites at Turnoue and it is at large defended by Ignatius Armandus the principall of the Colledge there for Catholick and good doctrine l Vide Epistolas Iesuiticas part 2. in epistola 1. Iesuitae Ignatii ad Chamierum pag. 33. c. The Epistles on both sides are in print to be seen And if these be not of authority sufficient let Bellarmine come to helpe them Thus he teacheth m Bellarm. toÌ„ 2. lib. 2. de Monachis cap 30 pag. 545. That speech of the Apostle They that cannot containe let them marrie for it is better to marrie then to burn cannot be rightly said of them that haue vowed for both are naught both to burn to marry yea it is worse of the two to marry whatsoeuer the Protestant babble to the contrarie And a little after in the same Chapter She that marrieth after a single vow contracteth indeed a true Matrimonie yet in some sort shee sinnes more then shee that playes the whore Thus this pope-holy doctrine is now brought to ripenes and perfection by the diligence deuotion and modesty of the Iesuites But they haue a reason for all this so good and so strong as they thinke that thereby all is well healed for say they fornication or whoring we do not simply allow to be better then mariage but in respect that a man hath afore made a vow not to marry n Bellar. ibid Costerus ibid Ignatius ibid. therefore to marry after the vow is to breake promise with God A notable reason if it bee well considered for here by it is apparent that poperie teacheth her people to vow against mariage but not against fornication against wiues but not against whores Alas alas what doctrine is this doth marriage breake their vow and not fornication God keepe aâ—l
and prouoke men to the sinne For was it not also complained on at the same time by the Germanes that y Grauamiua 100. Ger. grau 91. Not onely those Priests that had their whores paid yeerly rent for it but eueÌ„ those that were coÌ„tinent and would haue no Concubines yet for al that must pay the rent for say they my Lorde the Bishop hath need of it and cause to imploy much money therefore pay you must and then bee it at your owne choice whether you wil haue a concubine or no. What is this but euen to try mens strengths and as it were to presse them to the sinne for hee that either by constitution is vnfit or out of morall honesty will not or out of conscience dare not keepe a concubine seing he must pay his rent as well as hee that doth will not this make him say to himselfe I see this is done by my superiours they haue more learning and knowledge then I I am to follow them may rather trust them then mine owne conceit and certainely if it were so great a sinne as I haue imagined it to be our Bishops would not take a yeerly rent to suffer it and if they would yet his Holinesse it being so old and so notorious a practise would haue reformed it long ere this Therefore seeing the case stands thus and that I must and doo pay doubtlesse I will not pay for nothing c. Surely he must haue a great measure of grace that liuing vnder popish subiection can resist this temptation and the like and therefore no maruell though as themselues confess not one of their Clergie of a great number that hath not his whores in corners or else publickly in their houses Erasmus liuing about that time or soone after complaineth of it and saith z Erasmus annotat in 1. Tim. 3. Eee that considereth the state of these times how innumerable the number is of such Monks and Priests as liue in open whoredome incest would thinke it perhaps more conuenient to giue leaue to such as cannot containe rather to marry then c. And not long after him florished Cassander a maÌ„ of great name and account in his time both for wisdome and learning and hee finding the world still worse in this point confesseth a Cassander lib. Consult art 23. cap. 1. Now the world is come to this passe that a man shal not find scarce one of a hundred that keepes himselfe free from this fault Thus we see the fruit of this their practise to take rent for concubines and to make them pay that had none that almost none of their Clergy but are stained with this pollution But is this healed 38 The 18. wouÌ„d not healed for such as haue no concubines must pay their rent because they may haue if they will No saith Espencaeus it is too horrible to beleeue But it is too true that b Espencaeus de Conti. lib. 2. cap 7. Those that be continent and will haue none yet are compelled to pay the whole taxe or rent and so haue it lawful and in their choice to haue a concubine or to haue none Oh execrable abhomination c. Thus here was no amendment for forty yeares after the villanie was discouered and the grieuance complained of and that there was nothing done in the daies of Espencaeus which was for some 10 yeers more we may see by his words in his other booke c Idemiâ— Titum ca. p. 67. They take the rent not onely of those that haue concubines but in some places euen of theÌ„ that haue none for say they he may haue if he will therefore let him pay for his liberty and though there bee so many of these Priests that liue thus yet where is there any one of them punished otherwise then thus by the purse c. Since the time of Espencaeus whether this wound be healed or no I cannot tell and therefore if any of that side can shew me any good authority that now it is reformed and that either no Priests pay yeerelie rent for concubines at all or at least not those that haue none I shall be willing to heare it and to see that any thing at all is amended d But whosoeuer wil but lookâ— into their latest Casâ—ists Sâ—mmists as be Tollet the Cardinal lac de Graffiâ—s Loel Zecchius Baptista Corradus Berarduccius Raphael de Caesare â—â—amas others will find it more then suspicious though now they couer it more cunningly then formerly they did that this wound is far from being healed Meane time I haue proued it apparantly that till that time it was not amended whosoeuer reades the Low country Bishop Cuickius his booke aforenamed written but seuen yeeres agoe will iudge it as ill in these daies still as it was in the time of Espencaeus the French Bishop These Authors I haue named hauing some remorse of conscience and feare of God ingenuouslie and honestly wished that rather marriage might bee permitted then whoordom should so preuaile ouer the world But what hath bin done They for their labour are ill spoken of when they are dead their bookes partly prohibited to be read at al partly purged and altered as they list e Opera Erasmi Espencaei Cassandri prohibentur donec expurgentur Vide Indicem lib. prohibit per Clem. 8. Indices expurgatorios Hisp. Belg. and for the matter it selfe marriage is still forbidden whooredome still practised and winkt at if not permitted stewes still tolerated that vnder the Popes nose and no where so much as euen in Rome it selfe and still this doctrine is Catholike and currant They had better go to whoores then marry And why alas all this but because Mariage hath bin an enemy to the Popes Crowne and dignity but stewes adulterie and fornication neuer were Let vs hasten forward I must needes say if I say truly I could discouer many more of these particular old festring wounds not as yet healed but this time wil not wel permit it therfore referring it to a further oportunity I will stand but vppon one particular more and so come to a generall which shall conclude all The ninteenth Wounde IT hath bin long ago laid to their charge 39 The 19. wound Their Liturgy is full of blasphemie their Legend full of lies their Ceremonies of superstition that their Liturgies are full of idolatry and blasphemies their Legends full of lies their Ceremonies of superstition which I will not at this time beeing almost past stand particularly to prooue seeing for their Liturgie and Ceremonies the Pope himselfe * Vide Bullas Clem. de Pontificali anno 9â— de Ceremoniali anno 1600. or else his Conuenticle at Trent f Vide CoÌ„cil Tridenâ—â— Sess. vlt. Dec. 4. haue granted it and pretended that they should bee reformed and touching their liues of Saints and their Legends a greate Doctor of their own long agoe
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 Câ—â—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 noâ— 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 straÌ„ge peece of popish doctrine that gods word if it bee authorized by the Pope is theÌ„ of as good credit as if the Pope himselfe had spoken it therefore if the Pope please not to Canonize it then it is notâ— So that either Gods word must bâ—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 mintâ— 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 decretallsâ— 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 condeÌ„ned 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 â—oÌ„don 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 Noâ— penâ—is illis â—nâ—eri â—is minime suâ—â—â—â— 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 diâ—â—â—â—ty in his parliament of Christ lib. 1. cap. 2. printed at Antwerpe 1â—66â— 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
bee much more cleane and pure then afore al manner of filthy gaines are accepted and taken how vile so euer they be and whencesoeuer they come Thus all gaine is sweete al rent welcome to the Pope tho it come froÌ„ whores so true a frend to stews and whores is the whore of Babylon But wil some say this might be so in the elder times that were of more liberty because al was quiet but now since Luther rose the Church hath bin wakened by heretikes this wound is healed No this wound is not healed as I will proue by their late and moderne writers 30 The 14. wouÌ„d not healed for the Romish religion doctrine and practise tolerate stewes still Nauarrus one of their greatest Canonists of this last age one whom the popes held worthy to bee cald to Rome for his continual aduise direction m Martinus Azpâ—l Nauar. Hisp. Iuris canonici scieÌ„tis idemque theolog insignis c. Haec Possâ—â— in apparatu sac tom 2. lit M. deals very plainly in this matter and saith that n Nau ManuaÌ„l c. 17. nu 195. It is lawful for the magistrate to permit whores and stewes to be in some conuenient part of the city And in some places he saith that patroÌ„s officers are appointed for them and houses are let rented to them deerer then to honest women And hee confeâ—â—eth that in Rome houses are daylie let out to whoors the Pope both seeing it suffring it and that of long time it hath been so And that the confessors do absolue and so haue euer done those Land-lords so disposing of their houses to whores yea thogh they haue no purpose to abstain from letting them to these vile persons See heere a peece of spanish deuotion modesty Surely no maruell though this man were sent for from Spain to Rome for it seemes by this doctrin he was for the Popes tooth much more for his Cardinalls Alphonsus Viualdus another learned Spaniarde wrote a booke of matters of conscience not long agoe of so greate account amongst them that they call it the golden Candlesticke It hath been often printed and within these 7. yeares was by the popes speciall commission purged and reprinted hee writes thus o Martinus Alphonsus Vivaldus the olâ— Iuris canon professor poenitentiarius maior c. In Candelabro aureo tit de Confessione numero 60. First he makes a question whether in the yeerly excommunication pronouÌ„ced by the Bishop against theÌ„ that do not confess communicate whores in the stewes be comprehended or no and hee resolueth that they be not tho they neither confesse nor do communicate and giues his reasons 1. For that whores in the Romish Church be neuer published nor denounced excommunicate 2. No man refuseth their companie notwithstanding that yeerely excommunication and concludeth further that though one continue a whore for twentie yeeres long yet doth shee not incurre the Censâ—ures of the Romish Church Oh excellent doctrine and fit for the Romish Church but al this wil some say is salued by this that followeth Nay coÌ„trariwise say I the wound is made worse by the craft of that that followeth obserue the subtilty and iniquity of Romish teachers for this is done saith hee in detestation of their ill life the Church doth so detest their manner of life that shee will not thinke them worthy of her censures oh notable shift are they too bad to be punished and not too bad to be suffered doth the Romish Clergy think them so vile that way yet allow them see the iniquity filthines of this religion Thus its apparant by the great Confessor Viualdus that the Romish Church excommunicats not common whoores nor them that go to them another as greate a Clark as himselfe saith it is the common opinion p lac de Graffijs tom 1. lib 1 cap 9. art 8. 9. But yet to shew better that this wound is not healed harke a little what the grand penitentiary Iacobus de Graffijs saith q Iacobus de Graffiis decisaur cas cons. tom 1. lib. 2. cap. 75. art 3. et 4. pag 348. But if fornication be a sinne then why doth the Church her â—elfe permit stewes consequently fornication which is a mortall sinne I answer saith he that the Church sometime tolerateth a lesse euill present that she may auoide a greater euil to come that is probable to fall out and this hee proues out of the Canon law and so concludes that the Church doth tolerate stewes and whores to auoide greater sinnes not approuing the sinne of fornication but by conniuence or dissimulation tolerates it that so shee may restraine and keepe yoong men from adulteries incests and other crimes of that kind then he goeth further to proue his conclusion which he doth out of the practise of heathen lawgiuers by the ciuile law would proue it out of the Fathers and then to make vp the measure of his iniquitie he addeth that the law doth so far foorth tolerate fornications in stewes that it takes order to compell the whoores to refuse no man if he offer her her pay the words are too bad to be repeated in english And to shew that he is a true child of that Babylon that wil neuer be healed that hee is as gracelesse in this point as his mother afterward in his 2. tome which he put out in his more mature yeeres he hath againe the same doctrine in as ill or worse words r Idem Graffius ibid. tom 2. li. 3. c. 28. art 36. And to conclude the better to encourage women to be whores and the better to please their carnall wicked mindes Cardinall Tollet a Iesuite out of his Iesuitical modesty and his Cardinallike respect to the stewes deliuers this doctrine s FraÌ„ Tolletus Ies. Cardinall Instructio sacerdotum lib. 5. cap. 17. art 3 That Whores taking money of men for their sin be they maried or vnmaried tho it be neuer somuch aboue their due are not bound to restore any of it againe if it be once giuen them and giues a reason for it because saith hee this action is not against iustice c. Certainly the stewes are much beholden to Cardinal Tollet for this doctrine but what Iustice modesty and the Church and the truth and God himselfe do owe him for it hee feeles afore this time except he repented t Obijt Tolletus Romae 1596 Thus it is the present doctrin of the Romish Church that she alloweth stewes by publick toleration to auoide greater euills and censureth not the whores for it nay ties them by a lawe to refuse no man and tyes men by a law to pay the hire and for this ende allowes them Courts Iudges and Officers and takes part of the benefit arising Now that their practice is according to this doctrine I appeale to all that haue trauelled in those parts where poperie reigneth as
Christians from such vowes But that this true I say let Bellarmine iudge o Bellarâ— ibid She that marrieth after a simple vow in some sort sinneth more grieuously then shee that commits fornication because marke his reason shee that marrieth makes her selfe vnable to keep her vow which shee doth not that commits fornication Thus it is plaine Poperie voweth against mariage not against whoredome adulterie nor fornication And thus three great Iesuites haue made good what Pighius taught and that more plainely and palpably then he did And to make vp a messe of Iesuites Posseuinus their grand Censor comming to giue his censure of Pighius p Posseuinus in Appar sac tom 1. lit A. findes many faults and errors in his bookes but as for this he hath nothing to say against it but passeth it ouer as good holy catholike Romish doctrine therefore seeing as Bellarmine said afore say we what we can they will not forsake nor amend this doctrine let them keepe it and let it bee one of the sweete flowers of the Popes Garland The seuenteenth Wound THe next woâ—nd is neere a-kin to this 35 The 17. wound Priests in popery may not marry but are permitted to keepe their whores vnder a yeerelie rent namely that their Chuch hauing alwaies forbidden mariage to their Clergy hath notwithstanding either tolerated and permitted them concubines or at least not punished it to reformation Thus was it complained of almost an hundred yeeres agoe by the Germane nation then being papists q Vide Centum grauamina Germanicae nationis grauamen 75. 91. In most places say they Bishops and their Officials do tolerate and suffer the Priests to haue concubines vnder paiment of a certain annual rent of money and further doe euen permit them to keepe their whores openly and haue them in their houses and to beget children of them c. Of these and certaine other grieuances one hundred in all the Germane nation complained to their Bishops and Clergie in their owne Diets or Parliaments held at home But hauing no redresse they went further and about the yeere 1522. complained to the Popes Legats and Nuntios at Noremberg who gaue them good wordes and promised they would make report thereof to his Holinesse and procure them a gratious answere But hauing long waited to no ende they published their grieuances and sent them to the Pope crauing with much humility audience redresse and reformation promising vpon that condition they would still and euer shew themselues dutifull and obedient children to the Pope and all whom he set ouer them but if they had no redresse they assured him they could not nor would endure them longer Heereupon the Pope not willing to venture the losse of so faire a childe as Germanie pacified them for a time with goodly promises But what reâ—ormation followed in whole or in any part the stories of those ages make it apparant But for the particular I haue in hand 36 The 17. wouÌ„d not healed for still in poperie to this day their Clergie are forbidden mariage but whores and coâ—cubines are not taken from them what notable reformation was wrought herein let a Bishop of their owneâ— Espencaeus as wise and learned as that age did yeeld let him I say deliuer for mee who fortie yeeres after writing of this matter saith r Espencaeus de Continentia lib. 2. cap. 7 pag 17â— In stead of pure and honest single life succeeded impure fornication and filthy keeping of concubines in such sort as neither can they be concealed for multitude nor seek they to be they are so shamelesse Nay of later times this tolerancie hath spread further insomuch as in some places both Clergy laity haue their whores permitted theÌ„ vnder a yeerly rent whereof saith he the Germane nation complained long agoe too truely and vpon too great cause But was not this wound healed and this abuse reformed vpon this complaint of Espencaeus A man might haue thought it would and the rather seeing he was a man of so great esteem in those daies not in France onely but euen in the Court of Rome s Espencaeus was in speciall fauor with Pope Paul the 4. insomuch as after much consultation had with him he found him so wise and learned a maÌ„ as hee had made him Cardinall if he had liued this is apparent in his bookes de Continent lib. 3. cap. 4. and in his coÌ„mentary on Titus cap. 1. pag. 91. But what amendment insued let himself tel vs in his Commentary vpon Titus which he wrote many yeeres after his former booke Our Bishops and Archdeacons c. in Poperie when they ride their visitations doe not so much punish the euil doers for which end the visitations were first ordained as rake vp siluer suck it both from laitie and Clergy vnder false fained preteÌ„ces of iurisdiction but it is most filthy of all that they suffer them to keepe their whores in their houses and haue children of them at a certain annual and yeerlie rent c. This is the healing and reformation wrought in those daies Oh but wil some say that is 40. yeares agoe sure it is better in these latter daies Indeed this enormitie was so generall and so scandalous that euen the Councell of Trent it selfe was ashamed and made great adoe for reformation of it t Vide CoÌ„cil Trâ—d â—esâ— 24. cap. 8. But what effect it tooke how they executed it and what is done in the matter let another Bishop of theirs tell vs who in these late daies scarce seuen yeeres agoe u Henricus Cuickius Rutemundensis Episcopus scripsit speculum concubinariorum Sacerdotum Monachorum ClericoruÌ„ Colon. 8599. found it to bee so common and shameless a sin al ouer all the low countries where Poperie reigned not onely in secular but euen in Monkes Friers and regular priests that hee writes a book against the sinne bitterly but iustly inueighing against it and shewing how dangerous and damnable a sinne it is and so much the more saith hee because it is so common and little regarded and so far are they from shaming with it that marke how it is healed they wil take their concubines and whores and carrie them vp and downe the countrie as men doe their wiues to feasts and meetings and challenge place and precedence for them as for honest Matrones And further freelie confesseth but with great griefe and shame that there bee very few in their Clergie free from this crime x Idem Cuickius in prae fatione eiusdem libri The eighteenth wound 37 The 18. wound Such priests as be contineÌ„t haue no whores yet must pay a yeerly rent as they that haue because they may haue if they will And no maruell though there bee but few of their Clergy that haue not concubines seeing they take that course they doe with them which is such as though they would inuite nay hire or rather presse
found them so full of ridiculous absurdities impieties and vntruths that he affirmed him to be a man g Ludouicus Viâ—â—es lib. 2. de Caus. corrupt art de LuÌ„bardica 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 coÌ„tained 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 TreÌ„t 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 PoÌ„tâ—fâ— vlt edit Veneâ— 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 theÌ„selues 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 PoÌ„tificale 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 SanctoruÌ„ LegeÌ„da Festiualia c. These also are lately reformed as they pretend But how If any would know what is done herein take but one exaÌ„ple 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 laâ—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 libruÌ„ intitulatum Magnum speculum exemplorum ab innumeris meÌ„dis c. vindicatum per quendam Patrem è societate Iesu per eundem locupletatuÌ„ 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 theÌ„ 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 exeÌ„plorum or the Legend with the new Magnum speculuÌ„ 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 Brigittaeâ— Vincentij Ferrariens prognostic PetruÌ„ 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 Poemâ—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.
family a cōfused Babel of disorder profanenes but I haue heartily endeuored to make it a little Church tho my family be great yet there is not one whom I would not haue healed Thus they would haue healed all but where began they whom did they desire to win first principally certainly the greatest as namely the K. Coūsellers of State This course tooke Daniel in whom more then in any one this prophecy was fulfilled who after he had done the busines for which the king sent for him thē fell he to the busines of God wherof is spoken in this Text namely to see if hee could heale the king ô King saith he thou art a king but there is a higher know know that the heauens beare rule Wherefore ô King let my counsell be acceptable vnto thee breake off thy sinnes by repentance c. Lo let there be a healing of thine error a Dan. 4. 24. Well knew Daniel that if once the King would abandon his Idolatrie and imbrace the truth easily would the people be induced to follow him So whereeuer is true reformation either of errors in doctrine or corruption in manners it must begin at the highest els it will be to little purpose To little effect were it in the naturall body to heale the hand foot when the head is deadly sick but heale the head first and then more easily the body will bee cured So in the spirituall body how should Babel be healed when the King will not how should they become Christian when the king persists a heathen euen so in our State how shal popery be extinguisht how shall vaine swearing wantonness profaning of the Sabboth bribery and other the sins of this age be reformed in the body of the people if they be suffred to harbor in the Court and to creepe into the Kings priuy Chamber Priuate persons will hardly bee brought to detest those sinnes that are the common practices recreations of great persons Therefore we haue cause to blesse God for giuing vs such a King as hath care of religion and who in his owne person is an enemie to poperie a detester of wantonnesse and iniustice and many vile sinnes too commonly found in persons of his place And let vs not cease to pray that God would confirme him in all goodnesse and that he may still go on with Dauid to reforme the sinnes of the greatest and them that are neerest him for when a King saith No wicked person shall serue me nor abide in my sight then all wicked workers will easily be destroyed out of the land x Psa. III. see the whole psalme If this had beene in Babel she had beene cured but the want of this was the cause of that that followeth But she could not be healed The 2. point HItherto wee haue spoken of the first generall point namely the louing and holy care of Israel They would haue cured Babell Now followes the second that is the ill issue of their good labours caused by the obstinate malice of the Babylonians She would not be healed some read she could not be healed some she is not healed all to one end for he that will not be healed is not nay cannot be healed for God heales no man conuerts no man saues no man◠against his will therefore he that will not bee healed cannot be healed and so Babel is incurable because she contemned the meane and would not be healed The godly Israelites did all they could but the Babylonians had their answere as ready as now haue the papists Think you you seely Israelites that you are able to teach Babylon a better religion then it hath * The very same defence is daily made for popery that Babel made for her Idolatry and the same exceptions make they against vs and the same arguments bring they against our religion which they did against Israel as is plaine to see in Y ◠books of Harding Stapleton Sanders Allen c. and of late in Persons Kellison Fitzherbert and the rest Is not hers of so many and so many yeares continuance was it not the religion our forefathers liued and dyed in and is it not generall and vniuersall ouer the world and yours but in a corner and is not ours visible and doth it not prosper and flourish and is not yours condemned by the consent of all the world and you for holding it iustly ouerthrowen and conquered by vs is not your visible Temple now defaced your publicke daily sacrifice ceased and your succession cut off and if you haue any thing left is it not inuisible in secret corners what can you alleage for your religion That you haue many learned men Alasse poore men for one learned Rabbine that you haue haue not wee twenty are not the Chaldeans the famoust learned men of the world renowned for their high wisedom their skill in Astrology interpretation of dreames and other the most secret and supernaturall Sciences and do you thinke it possible that so many learned Doctors can be deceiued nay all the world bee in an errour and onely you that hold a particular faction and a singular new found religion by your selues should haue the truth amongst you Go go poore soules and sing your Hebrue songs by your selues but meddle not with the high mysteries of the Chaldeans religion And what will you haue more Shew if you can one nation of your religion but your selues but all the world is of ours You will say you haue a succession from Noah and haue not we so too you came from Shem and came not we also from him or at least from some other of Noahs sonnes You are but one poore branch of Shems roote there be many others lineally descended from him greater nations then you are and doe any of them follow your faction Looke into the world at this day and see if any Nation of all that came from all the sonnes of Noah be of your religion all that came of Cham are of ours all that came of Iaphet are of ours and all that came of Shem but only your selues See then what fooles you are to striue against so strong a streame and to forsake the auntient and knowne high-way so long and so wel trodden and to take and choose a singular by waie of your owne For did not all Nations walke in our waie and was there any one Nation of your Religion till one MOYSES and after him one SAMVEL and DAVID and a fewe others to make themselues great and to bring to passe ther owne purposes made a publicke reuolte from the Religion of all other Nations and set you vp first a Tabernacle and then a Temple of your owne Therefore you are to bee deemed and condemned for Schismatickes who haue cut your selues off from the auntient and vniuersall Religion of the World And what though you can pleade continuance of some hundreths of yeares yet what is that to our time for
and his land to bee giuen to Papists to whom the Papes gift shall be good and effectuall This Church and Palace besides many of inferior note stands to this day on the hil Coelius and though now the Pope for his pleasure hath remoued himselfe â—uer the Riuer to the Vaticane yet in former times for many hundred yeares as Blondus himself confesseth it was the principall seate of the Popes which appeareth also by the verses written vp and down the Church especially those that are graueÌ„ ouer the marble chaire which is hard by the high altar where the Pope sitteth at masse Haec est Papalis sedes pontificalis Praesidet Christi de iure vicarius isti Et quia iure datur sedes Romana vocatur Nec debet verè nisi solus Papa sedere Et quia sublimis alij subduntur in imis Thus its apparant his chief throne is vpoÌ„ one of the 7. hils And it is very obseruable that howsoeuer they make their succession froÌ„ Peter and that therfore in reasoÌ„ his Church should have bin chief yet that God may shew to the world that their Citie is the Whore that sitteth on 7. hils therfore by Gods iust iudgemeÌ„t they are so blinded that they haue made a Church Palace that is on one of the hils superior to that they cal S. Peters which is not on any of the hils and haue giuen it not only priority and precedence but euen priueledge preheminence aboue S. Peters Another vnanswerable reason out of the Text is That Citie sayth the Text is Babylon which reigneth ouer the kingdoms of the earth * Reu. 17. 18. but Rome no other City at that day long after reigned ouer the world Therfore Rome is that Babylon Seeing then the holy Text cleers it the Fathers approue it Bellarmine himselfe grants it and the Rhemists also vpon condition we will yeelde that Peter was at Rome doe willingly yeelde it * Rhemist in 1. Pet. cap. 5. therefore wee will not stand vppon further proofe And as for their distinction that Rome heathen is Babylon but not Rome Christian I answere briefly that if heathenish Rome bee Babylon in regard of her sinnefulnesse and persecution of the Saints then this Rome is Babylon also seeing in her sinnefull abhominations and cruell persecutions shee is nothing inferiour to olde heathenish Rome as may be easily proued and shewed at large if this time and place required it and as hath been alreadie shewed in diuers learned writers and in good part confessed by many of their owne Now then to goe forward touching this mysticall Babell I propound these foure points to bee considered 1. That we would haue healed her 2. That she will not be cured 3. That therefore we ought to forsake her 4. That God will take iust vengeance on her The 1. and 2. is past the 3. is in hand the fourth is sure to come its true we would haue healed her it s most true She is past cure I hope it shal be as true that we shall quite forsake her and the last hastens fast on Her destruction is at hand and sleeps not For the first That we would haue cured the Papists we dare call the world to witnesse and appeale euen to God himselfe and this not onely desired but endeuoured it by all good meanes both in the dayes of that renowned Q. Elizabeth of happie memorie and in the present gouernment of our Souereigne that now is The meanes we haue vsed for their healing be diuerse 1. By instructing and informing them in the truth and discouering their errours both by holy Scriptures and by the ancient Fathers of the best and purest times Iewel Fulk Whitakers Rainolds Perkins and manie other who now sleep in Christ haue left behinde them such testimonies of this truth as shall liue whilst the world lasteth and neuer can be confuted as appeares in that they haue not dared to answer most of their books to this day Secondly our continuall prayers for them both publick and priuate in performance of which duty both our Church in generall and all amongst vs that vse to pray for themselues haue the testimony of a good conscience that they haue not failed to indeuour their healing by this means This our diligence in this duty so shamed them for their negligence in the same for vs that iiij yeares ago they published at Rome a forme of Litanie and publicke praier for the peruerting of the Realms of England and Scotland to Popery But by the way let it be obserued that as when Cain left his frowning at his brother and began to make shew of friendship with him entised him by fair words into the fields theÌ„ he harbored the heauiest malice in his heart and there slewe him * Gen. 4. 7. So when these men had conceiued and hatcht at Rome the pouder treason then to make vs secure and beleeue they loued vs they framed prayers for vs as tho the worst thing they wisht vs were our conuersion when as indeede they plotted the subuersion of vs all Hee that sitteth in heauen and laughed both them and hell to scorn for that their deuise knoweth wee haue not dealt so with them Well if their Prayers hereafter come so attended let vs haue their curses and let their prayers turne into their owne bosomes Thirdly wee haue endeuoured to heale them by our example professing and practicing our owne religion daily in their sight and many of our Fathers professed it openly euen in the times when they preuailed gaue their liues in the fire for it And heerin the example of noble Q. Elizabeth is worthy of eternall memorie whose constant zeale to the truth was such as that al her daies they could not by their brags and treasons curses cause her once to fear theÌ„ nor by all their sleights could euer win the least estimation with her nor gain an inch of ground in her hart nay her last Proclamation not two moneths afore her death wounded them as deepely or rather more then euer any one before * See the ProclamatioÌ„ published in Feb. before hâ—â— death Fourthly and lastly we endeuoured their healing by deuising and enacting good and wholsome lawes against their errours superstitions impieties seditious courses sometime in iustice executing them oftentimes in great mercie suspending them thus trying all meanes that might possibly perswade or work vpon them and in this course our State by wise foresight and discreete managing the lawes our Ministerie by instruction and confutation and all by their prayers and example did we continue to endeuour hir healing all the happie dayes of Q. Elizabeth But especially dare wee call the Lord to witnesse that we haue endeuoured hir healing since the happy comming of his Maiestie to this Crowne wherein all the forenamed meanes haue beene vsed and one more their errours haue beene most learnedly discouered and confuted their bookes and libells aunswered if I may
great Cardinall * This Cardinall was Iohannes de turre cremata as appears in the prefaces before the booke of the Reuelations of S. Brigit and other Commissioners approue and after suffred to be published to the world a booke in latine called The Reuelations of Saint Brigite Where it is dogmatically deliuered as a matter without question That Pope Gregory by his prayers lifted the heathen Emperour Traiane out of hell and another long afore whom they pretend also to bee theirs deliuereth it more amplie adding further that God answered the Pope thus I haue heard thy prayers and I grant mercie and pardon to Traiane but see that thou hereafter offer me no sacrifice for an vngodly man h From hence I offer them this argument to thinke on The true God neuer deliuered a damned soule out of hell but the Pope hath deliuered a soule out of hell therefore he◠hath done that that God neuer did not for ought that is reuealed euer vvill doe Heer is a foule wound but is this healed vp No 4 The 2. wound not healed this booke stands allowed by the the Pope and in his Catalogue of the bookes which hee forbids to bee read a Vide Indicē lib. prohib per Clem. 8. where many a learned and godly booke is condemned this is not toucht and therefore as Posseuine himselfe a Iesuite graunts b Posseuinus loco citato not two yeares agoe not onely the booke stands vncondemned but this foule blasphemie vncontrolled and to shewe that the head of Babylon namely the Pope is incurable let it be obserued that tho many particular learned Papists c Mel. Canus lib. 11. c. 2. Bellar de Purgat lib. 2. cap. 8. Blas Vieg in Apoc. c. 6. comment 3. sect 3. Baronius annal circa temp Traianj haue misliked and condemned it as farre as in them lyeth yet to this daie was it neuer condemned not the booke forbidden or amended by the Pope so vnwilling is Babylon to bee healed of her wounds Yea the Pope is so farre from healing it that contrariwise he suffred a Spanish Dominican Frier to defend it and that not in word but writing not priuatly but openly not in a corner of the World but to come to Rome within these fewe yeares and there euen to write and publish vnder his nose and by his authority and apology of this blasphemous fable ◠endeuouring to proue it by many arguments that Gregory did deliuer Traian out of hell d Alphonsus Ciaconus Thus tho it containe neuer so great an impietie against God yet because it tends to the magnifying of the Popes power and prerogatiue let as manie learned men as will speak against it it shall stand and be mayntayned so true it is that Babylon will not be healed of her deadliest woundes And wonder not tho I call them deadly for consider of these consequences The Pope deliuered a soule out of hell Therfore he did that which God neuer did Againe therfore there may be redemption out of hel Again therefore the Popes prayers did that which Christs prayers neuer did againe Christ sayth I pray not for the world * Ioh. 17. The world that is for the wicked damned the Pope sayth but I do Ergo the Popes pittie and charitie is more then Christs Alas alas is Rome the holy Church and sees not these blemishes Is she the liuing Church and feels not these wounds nay rather is she not that Babylon that will not be healed But to conclude all this is the worse because hee hath razed out many sentences and passages out of many Authors wherein he thought himselfe and his seat to be wronged * Ludou viues Ferus Erasmus Stella Oleaster Espencaeus and infinite others but this that so highly dishonoreth God himself he can patiently suffer but had he been as zealous of Gods glory as carefull of his own then he that forbids Espencaeus his commentaries on Titus til they be purged and the book called Onus Ecclesiae absolutely without any limitatiō because they touch his freehold too neere would also haue forbidden the Reuelation of S. Bridgit til this foule blasphemie had beene purged out which seeing he hath so carelesly and wilfully neglected tho his Catalogue of forbidden bookes hath so often been renued * It was first made by Pius 4. and so since cōtinued renued augmented till Clement the 8. it appears what an vnworthy Vicar of God hee is who looks only to himself but suffers his master to be dishonored before his face Therefore Arise O Lord maintaine thine owne cause Well then seeing this wound is incurable let vs leaue it rankling and come to another The third Wounde SOme 120. yeares agoe an Italian Frier wittie and learned as the most in those dayes a principall Preacher and as famous in his time as Mussus or Panegirola in these latter by name Bernardinus de busto * Bernard de busto Marial par 3. ser. 3. pa◠96. editionis Lugd. anni 517 preached this doctrine publikely after wrote it and sent it to Alexander the 6. and vnder his name published it That God hath diuided his kingdome with the Virgin Marie 5 The 3. wound God hath diuided his kingdom with the Virgine Mary And that a man may appeale from Gods iustice to the mercy of the Virgin Mary because God hath kept iustice to himself but committed his mercy to his Mother ◠The impiety is so execrable seems so incredible that I will put downe the words out of the booke it selfe as it was dedicated to the Pope A man may appeale to the Virgin Mary not only from a Tyrant and from the diuell but euen from God himself Namely when he feels himself grieued or oppressed of Gods iustice which was signified in the 5. of Ester where it is sayde that when king Assuerus was angry at the Iewes Queene Ester came in to please pacify him to whom the king answered whatsoeuer thou askest me tho it be the half of my kingdom I wil giue it thee Now this Empress prefigured the Empress of heauen with whome God hath diuided his kingdom For whereas God hath iustice mercy He hath reserued Iustice to himself to be exercised in this world and hath granted mercy to his Mother therfore if any man finde himselfe agrieued in the court of Gods Iustice let him appeal to the Court of the mercy of his mother What is this we heare do there lie appeales from God and from God to a creature Is Gods iustice such as a man may iustly be agrieued at it further is Gods kingdom diuisible and hath God indeed diuided his kingdome and diuided it with a creature yea with a woman and hath God granted his mercy from himself to a creature we may say with the Prophet Oh heauens be astonied at this and let all Christian hearts tremble to heare such blasphemies and yet these be good doctrines in
Gods the other a Chancery a Court of Mercy that is Maries these bee their verie wordes and further that if any man feele himselfe agrieued in Gods Court of Iustice let him appeale to the Court of mercie of his Mother Oh strange diuinity Can Gods iudgements be vniust or his proceedings erroneous and vnequall If they bee not then why do they talke of appealing to a higher Court For why doe Writs of error lie from one Court to another but that it is presupposed that they may erre and why is there a Chauncery but that the rigour and extremitie of the Lawe maie bee mitigated But if the Scripture saie true in the text Righteous art thou O Lord and iust in thy iudgements a Psal. 119 137 Then this is blasphemie of a high nature that there needes a Chancerie to rectifie his proceedings and mitigate his iudgements But as for this doctrine that the Chauncerie or Court of mercie is not Gods but his Mothers and that therefore Gods iudgements are to be mitigated by another and therefore that she and her Court are in this respect aboue God and his Court These blasphemies are so execrable and odious to Christian eares that I hope ther is not a papist in this kingdome that professeth to know and serue God but his heart hates them and all that hold them Against all this what can bee obiected but this that he being a priuate man spake wrot out of his priuate iudgement but this is not the generall doctrine of their teachers not their Church I answere If none in the world taught this but this one Frier yet how many soeuer knowing it do approue commend or defend it or if they do not reproue condemne it it is iustly to bee called their doctrine and by the lawe both of God man it is their sin as well as his For by the lawe of Accessaries he that anie waie approues or knowing it and hauing a calling to it reproues not a sinne makes himselfe guilty of the sinne but the Romish Church that is the Pope knoweth this hainous blasphemie and sayth that he hath authority to condemne all such therefore hauing not done so but contrariwise approuing it is guiltie of it Shewe me then that Pope Bishop or Inquisitour that hath condemned this blasphemie or this book for it I produce a Pope that allowed it namely Alexander the sixt who suffered it to passe vnder his name to the view and reading of the world let them bring one Pope since that hath condemned it or shewe one writer not reproued by them that euer reproued it or not condemned by them that euer condemned this blasphemie if they doe not this then it is apparant that in this wound Babylon is not yet healed But for better euidence that she lies rotting in this her filthinesse and incurable in this wound 6 The third wound not healed Posseuine the Iesuite their great and allowed Censor of al Authors giues his publike censure of this booke to bee Sermons of the excellency of the Queene of heauen and full of learning and godlinesse And this his censure no man that knoweth the present state of their religion can deny but that it is the censure of their Church and ought so to bee reputed for that worke of Posseuines was attempted continued and finished and printed and reprinted with as publick generall allowance as any thing can be And yet for better euidence that she is not healed nor reformed at all let it be obserued thaâ— this book is of so much estimation amongst them that it hath diuers times beene reprinted since Bernardine the Author set it out as namely in my knowledge once at Brixia in Italie almost twenty yeares agoe in three volumes corrected and amended as they pretende But that this impious doctrine is not amended I will make it euident for of late euen this present yeare this booke and all his other works were again printed at Colein in Germany in three volumes which when I perceiued out of the last Catalogue I could not rest till I had obtained this new impression from Coleine hoping that now at last they had for shame righted this cause of God and razed out that hainous blasphemie but hauing perused it I see to my griefe that they will not be healed for there the very same words and doctrine stand vnreprooued vncontrolled vnaltered nay not so much as hauing a Marginal note to explaine them but they are let to passe as good holy and Catholicke Romish doctrine And that this is true I here pawne my credit to this honorable assemblie and will be ready to iustifie it to anie desirous to be informed in the particulars by shewing the books themselues both new and old Which being so I hope no man wil denie but that it is apparant she is not healed And yet for the better satisfaction of all men that as she is not yet so shee purposeth neuer more to bee healed nor to reform any thing and that this is not the priuate opinion of that or any other one doctor I desire al that loue the truth to take knowledge that of late within these seuen yeeres an Italian doctor a Iesuite and an approoued writer writing a story of the miracles of our Lady of Loretto teacheth euen the same doctrine and makes no bones to bluster out almost the very same words which for better assurance I will put down The Virgin Mary both wil and can is both willing able to deliuer such as be compassed about with dangers on all sides and to heape vpon them all good blessings for Almighty God as farre as it is lawfull hath made his Mother fellow and partaker of his divine power and Maiesty c. See heere the new and refined diuinity of the Iesuites what is this but the same with that afore for if she be made partaker and fellow with God in his diuine power and Maiesty it is no maruell that God hath committed his mercy to her and if from these words we looke into the body of the booke we shall find hee ascribes such works and miracles to her as can belong to none but to him or her that is a fellow with God or rather God himselfe And as for this clause as far as it is lawfull is a strange word to be spoken of God for what can be vnlawful to God that is good whose will is the holiest law If therefore it be good to make a creature fellow with him in his deity it must needes bee lawfull and so the clause is idle If it be not good but impious and contrary to the nature of God then to think it any way lawfull or possible to be done is no losse then to think it any way lawful for God to lie or sin or denie himselfe so that take it any way this limitation of the Iesuite both grossely aâ—useth the Reader and containeth horrible impiety against God So far is it from
bring Images into the Churches But to make vp the measure of this iniquity Feuardent the famous Franciscan â—rier yet preaching at Paris and to whome Possevine wisheth a long life goeth one step further and to heale vp this wound perfectly teacheth this doctrine By sight and contemplation of Images the common and ignorant Laie men doe easily and in a short time learne those diuine mysteries miracles and workes which out of the holy books they shall verie hardly or not at all bee able to perceiue* Strange and fearefull doctrine of poperie Images are better and easier bookes for the laye people then be the scriptures Heere now is Popery growen to his ful ripenesse And marke the degrees how this wound hath beene made still deeper and wider First they taught the Scripture and Images together were good bookes for Lay men t Peraldus Then that Images without the scripture were to be accounted bookes for Lay men u Laelius Zecchius Now at last Images are readier and easier therefore better books for Layemen then be the scriptures x Feuardeâ—tius So then seeing this wound is so well healed let vs leaue it and search another The eightth wound IN former ages as superstition grew and religion decayed so Images began to be worshipped more more ceased not til at the last they came to this that euery Image was to bee worshipped with the same worship that was due to him whose Image it isâ— so that some three hundred yeares agoe or somwhat more it seemed by Aquinas to be their generall and receiued doctrine that 15 The eight wound That an Image of God or a Crucifix are to be worshipped as God and Christ that is with diuine worship An Image of Christ and the crosse wheron Christ died and a Crucifixe are all to bee worshipped with the same worship due to God and Christ Iesus that is with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 y Aquinas Summa par 3 quaest 25. arâ— 3 A fearefull doctrine maintaining horrible Idolatry for nothing but GOD may bee worshipped with diuine worshippe but they teach that those creatures may bee worshipped as God himselfe is that is with diuine worshippe therefore they make those creatures God and by this argument it is apparant that the present religion of the Church of Rome is an Idolatrous religion as long as this doctrine stands vnrepealed Let vs then see if this bee healed 16 The eight wound not healed but made vvider and deeper and deadlier euery day But alas it is so farre from being in any part reformeâ—â— that it is rather the generall and common receiued doctrine of al their approoued writers I wil not stand as I could to shew it successiuely through all ages since the daies of Aquinas til these times but spâ—ring that labour till better leasure I will referre the Reader to most of the elder Authors and insist onely on some fewe and those of the latest it beeing my speciall purpose at this time to shew that the Romish Babylon is euen now not healed of her deadliest wounds Which in this particular I will labour a little the more fully to demonstrate out of the moderne authors now extant and approued because this imputation is generally cast off with this answere It is not so it is but an ignorant or malitious â—lander for the Romish Church giues onely a certaine reuerence to holy Images but doth not worship them at all at least with no diuine worship And some of our owne profession are either so ignorant they know it not or so malitious they will not confesse it or else so hollow harted to vs and such secret friends to them they would not haue it discouered though it be so for my partâ— I pitie the Ignorant knowing my own weakenesse I care not for the malitious and I hate the hollownesse of all dissembling professors And therefore let others couer and conceale her shame and hide the Whore of Babilons filthineâ— as they wil I say for my selfe Let the tongue cleaue to the roofe of my mouth if I spare to discouer her skirts and lay open her filthinesse to the world that all men seeing her as she is may detest and forsake her Therfore in the words of truth and sobernesse I do heere offer to this honorable audâ—ence that I will willingly come to this place and recant it with shame if I proue not apparantly to the iudgement of euery reasonable man that this is the common and generall doctrine of the greatest number of their best approued authors that haue written in these latter daies namely That an image of God or a Crucifiâ—ce especiallie one made of the wood whereon Christ died or that Crosse it selfe are to bee worshipped with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is with the worshippe due vnto God And first of all I will in this case spare Bellarmine a Vide Bellarminum to 2. lib. de Imag. sanctorum 2. capâ— 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. de Concil lib. 2. cap. 8. seeing hee as hauing some grace in him seemes somewhat ashamed of the matter and therfore playeth fast and loose and betwixt God and his conscience on the one side and the Pope and his allegeance to him on the other hee cannot tell what to say and therefore winding himselfe into a labyrinth of general and confused distinctions of per se per accidenâ— primariò secundariò propriè impropriè and such other which may serue for all purposes at last hee leaues the matter as doubtfull as he findes it yet must it bee confessed if he incline either way it is to the worse which by conference of his other writings I think he doth rather for feare or to please the Pope then out of his owne iudgement and conscience Therefore leauing him I begin with Gregorie de Valentia a Iesuite a Professor of diuinitie as Bellarmine is of his owne sect of his owne time and accounted by some papists more learned but approoued of all he writeth thus b Gregor de valent â—om 4. disp 1. quaest 24. punct 2. pag. 467. It is certaine that Images are to bee worshipped so as properly the worship shall râ—st in them not for themselues nor for the matter nor formes sake but for his sake they resemble in this seÌ„se they are to be worshipped so as they bee whome they resemble and therfore the Image of Christ as man is to be worshipped with the same worship due to Christ himselfe Hee cannot denie but manie learned of his own â—ide teach the contrary but hee reprooâ—es them all and embraceth this as the commoner and truer opinion and confirmes it and concludes it for truth Next to him I produce another Iesuite Gretserus of the same vniuersity and either successor or fellow to Gregory de Valentia in the same place and profession he who was chosen for the papists Champion in the famous disputation holden at Regensperg 1600 whome
Posseuine the Iesuite calls the very hammer of heretikes Thus he writeth Thus we haue taught that the Crosse is to be worshipped But now with what kinde of worship is it to bee worshipped We answere and affirme according to the more common opinion more receiued in schooles that the Crosse and all images and signes of the Crosse are to be worshipped with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is with diuine worship Can anie speake more plainely then both these doe Now these bee Iesuites and to these two I could adde more but let vs see what their Summists and Casuists saie to this matter which are the more to bee regarded because they pretende to write such resolutions as may settle vnquiet and doubting consciences If therefore any poore Papist aske the Romish Confessors and Casuists How farre may I worship a Crosse and with what kind of worship hearken how they answere And to let one speake for all Iaâ—obus de Graffijs a Monke of greate name and Graund Peâ—itentiarie at Naples writing as hee calls them his Golden decisions of cases of conscience some 3. yeares ago answereth thus g Iaâ— de graff decis aur caâ— cons. tom 1. lib 2. câ—p 2 art 3. Holy Images considered as they be pieces of wood or metall or some such things are to haue no honor giuen them but in them another matter is lookt at namely the image of him whom they resemble and not the matter whereof they are made in which respect looke what reuerence or worship is due to him whose Image it is the very same by good right is to be bestowed on the image And to speake more fully and plainly if it be possible a little after he addeth The first Commandement commaunds that wee worship euery Image with the same worship as we doe him whose Image it is for example that wee giue latria that is diuine worship to the Image of God and of Christ and euen to the signe of the Crosse in as much as it brings to our mind the passion of Christâ— and hyper dulâ—â— to the image of the blessed Virgin and Dulia to the Images of the Saints How now is not Babylon well healed What can be said against this that these be priuate men no they be publick professors and their bookes allowed with at great authority as can bee But will you haue that that is of souereigne authority and that may not bee questioned Then looke in their publicke Liturgy which is of more credit account then a 100. Doctors and there you shall finde the crosse saluted and praied vnto in these words h Vide Breular Rom. paâ— hyemal in fine Ara Crucis lampas lucis vera saluâ—â—hominum nobis pronum fac patronum quem tulisâ—i dominum Salue lignum vitae dignum ferre mundi pretiumâ— Conserâ—sti plebi Christi crucis bene â—icium Thou altar of the crosse thou lamp of light thou true saluation of men make thou that Lord whom thou didst bear a louing merciful Patron to vs. Alâ—â—ail thou wood of life thou that wert worthy to cary the price of the world do thou bestow vpon this congregation of Christ the fruit and benefit of his passion Oh admirable doctrine First heere is a prayer to the Crosse it selfe but of that heerafter theÌ„ the Crosse is made a mediator to Christ for vs. And surely we shal lesse wonder heereafter that they make Saints Mediatours to Christ seeing heere they shame not to send the wodden crosse to him to make intercession for them but as for that where they giue a power to the Crosse to procure Christ to be good vnto vs how it can bee spoken without Atheistical blasphemie let them answere that made it Further obserue how the Crosse is said to haue deserued to beare Christ surely no maruell tho Saints can moriâ— when a peece of wood can merit at Gods hands Lastly let all reasonable men iudge what the Romish Church holds of Christs death seeing they praie to a wodden Crosse to bestow the fruite and benefit of it vpon them But sure will some say this is healed I wil not deny but that in some of their new and later Breuiaries this is left out but thereunto I answere First that it is not cured bue couered for to the healing of a spirituall wounde there needes confession and publique satisfaction to the Church offended by the fault but heere is no confession of any fault nor euill in these words to the Crosse only they be cunningly kept out in the newer bookes so that they are ashamed of them and yet haue not the grace to confesse it and therefore will leaue it out and yet shew no cause why Now if it be naughtt why do they not say so and therfore put it out if it be good why do they put it out So then it may be couered but is not cured Secondly I answer that though they haue left out that yet they haue kept in as bad or worseâ— for euen in their newest editions and as they say most reformed there is this prayer to the Crosse i Breuiaâ—ium Rom. autoâ—itate Concil Trident suÌ„moâ—um pontificuÌ„ Pij 5. al. restituâ—um edituÌ„ Sabâ—ato infra hebdomadam passionis in Hymno pag. 302 editionis in 4. O Crux aue spes vnica hoc passionis tempore augepijs iustitiam reisque dona veniam All haile ô Crosse our onely hope wee pray thee in this holy time of Lent increase iustice or righteousnesse in godly men and grant pardon to the guiltie Heer the very wodden Crosse is called vpon praied vnto to do that which Christ himselfe could neuer haue done if he had not ben God Some wil say Surely they speake to Christ howsoeuer the words seeme to be spoken to the Crosse I answere if they direct their hearts to Christ why then direct they the words to the Crosse Verily Christ is worthy of both as well as one But I answere further it is a cleere case that they make and direct this prayer not to Christ but to the very Crosse it selfe else loâ— Aquinas bee Iudge who makes this argument k Aquinas summae par 3. q 25. art 4. That is to be worshipped with diuine worship wherin wee put and place the hope of our saluation but wee place the hope of our saluation in the Crosse that Christ dyed on for thus sings the Church and theÌ„ he alleageth this place these words All haile ô Crosse our onely hope in this time of Lent do thou increase righteousnesse in holie men and graunt pardon to sinners therefore the Crosse is to bee worshipped with diuine worship These be his owne very words and are spoken of the Crosse and not of Christ as any man may see that will but looke on the booke it selfe for the question in generall beeing concerning the adoration of Christ hee diuides the generall into sixe particular questions which are these 1. Whether Christs humanity be
and the edification of Christian people that it is approued and allowed by the greate M r. of his palace to whom belongs the soueraigne and highest authoritie to censure all sort of bookes And last of al Iacobus de Graffiis the great Casuist and Grand Poenitentiarie within these 7. yeares hath determined this question affirming that the murderer may not bee taken out of the Church no not tho hee broke prison and fled thither vnlesse it were murder ioyned with treacherie and treason b Iacobus de Graffijs decis aur cas cons. to 1. cap. 48. libri secūdi art 5. 6◠7. Thus we see how Babylon is healed in this wound And heereby it is apparant to all that wil see that she is a bloudy Babylon and as in many other respects for her crueltie so this waie also for this doctrine and practice she is a bloudy sinagogue and no maruel tho the holy Ghost say that in her is found the bloud not only of the Prophets Saints but of al that wer slain vpon the earth d Reuel 18. 24 For as she hath made her selfe the principall agent in shedding the bloud of Saints and Martyrs so hath she made her selfe accessary by this her doctrine and practise to all the murthers bludshed vpon the earth for to maintain so many refuges and defences for a sinne is to maintain the sin it selfe Therefore leauing this bloudy Church weltring and wallowing and bathing her selfe in bloud let vs proceed to that remaines The fourteenth Wound TOuching the honorable estate of marriage and the dishonor of it which is adultery fornicatiō it is lamentable to see what is the doctrine practice of the Romish Church For first they giue a publick and open toleration of the stewes wherein whoredome is practiced as dayly and commonly as other ciuile and lawfull actions 29 The 14. wound Romish Reliligiō permits stewes publickelie nay their rent is rated and duely paide a part of it to the Pope or as hee shal appoint it Thus complaines and cries out Agrippa a man of no meane place nor ordinary vnderstanding among themselues e Cornel. Agrippa de vanitate scient cap. 64. The Corinthians saith he and Cyprians and Babylonians other heathen Graecians did increase their reuenue by the gain of the stewes which in Italie also is at this day no rare nor vnusual matter for the whores of Rome do paie weekelie to the pope a Iulio a piece about sixe pence sterling the whole reuenue whereof in the yeare doth often exceed the summe of twenty thousand Duckets c. Alas will some say the pope cannot hinder this therefore seeing he cannot helpe he hath vsed such was the wisedome of elder ages to make the best vse he can of an ill matter But I answere first the holy Ghost commands vs to haue nothing to doe with an ill matter but keepe vs farre from it f Exod. 23. 7. Ephes 5. 11. though we cannot hinder it Again if the pope could not hinder it yet he can refuse to haue any gaine from it and so hee would but that he thinkes it sweete but if he were of Dauids religion who would not drinke that drinke that cost men the venture of their liues g 2. Sam. 23. 14. surely hee would not take that gain that costs men and women their soules But I answere further He could and might hinder it and will not If he himselfe and his fauorites speak trueth he wants no power for nothing that hee will doe therefore for reforming the stewes it is cleere he wants wil but no power Hee whose power stretcheth through purgatorie reacheth euen to hel doth it not reache to Rome his owne seate Can hee empty purgatory and not the stewes can he command the diuels not whores can he dispose of kingdoms and depose kings when he seeth cause and cannot he or seeth hee no cause to depose the stewes Against Gods truth and vs the professors of it whom he calls heretikes he wants no will and therefore hee wants no power Let him punish whoredome as hee doth that that he calls heresie tho it be the trueth let it be as vnlawful in Rome to keepe or frequent stewes as to haue a Protestant Church and then we should soone see as fewe and fewer whores in Rome then there be good Protestants But whoredome is none of the vnderminers of his State nor enemies of his Crown as our religion is therfore our religion must downe when stewes must stand But some wil further obiect If this haue bin so it is the fault or corruption of his officers and not to be imputed to his Holines But I answer the pope vseth not to be so negligent of his estate as not to looke at a reueneue of 20000. duckets a yeere And to take away al cause of this cauill to make it more apparant that the pope is the head of the whore of Babylon Pope Sixtus 4. scarce 120◠yeares agoe Ad perpetuamrei memoriam to his euerlasting honour built a stewes in Rome of his owne erection foundation so saith the same Agrippa h Cornel. Agrip de vanit scient cap. 64. Licurgus Solon heathe◠law-giuers erected publick stews but that is no maruel for of late yeers pope Sixtus the fourth builded a goodlie stewes Rome Lo heer the Popes Holines the founder of a Colledge of diuels a stewes for whores surely because he scorned ordinary company he built that for himselfe his Princes his peers the Cardinals who if their owne brethren say true make it nothing dainty to be conuersant with courtizans Thus we see it confessed and proued by a learned papist that a 100. yeeres ago stewes were maintained nay erected by the pope that he takes gain rent of them If any man obiect against Agrippa as no competent witnesse I answer the pope indeede hath prohibited i Vide indicem lib prohibit Clementis 8. in litera H. his bookes to be read but it had beene more reason to haue disproued and confuted his assertions but let the pope condemne him as he wil for his bold speaking of truth it is knowen to all that know him or his books he was a papist for the most part whatsoeuer hee was he had no reason to bely the pope we hired him not we thanke him not for any thing but truth yet for more certainty hereof hearken to another who being an Inquisitor is beyond all exception that way Thus complains Oleaster a Spanish Doctor vpon that text of Deuteronomy k Deut. 23. 18. thou shalt not bring into my house the hire of a whore for it is abhominable l Oleaster in Comment suis in Pentateu in Deut. cap. 23. fol. 270. Filthy gaines saith he were euer abhominable to God therfore he forbids to bring into his house the hire of a whore But now in the new Testamēt when the Church and Ministers therof should
Bernardus Morlanensis he wrote three bookes of the contempt of the world in an artificiall kind of Poetry but much more artificially describing and zealously deploring the sinfulnesse of the Romish Church and state in those daies from the head to the foote describing particulaâ—lie their adulteries drunkennesse ambition idlenesse dissimulation deceits cosenages murders whooredomes of all estates then particularly for their Clergie their ignorance and negligence their Sodomie their Simonie and other corruptions in attaining places in the Church and then at last comming to Rome it selfe so layes open the filthinesse of the whoore of Babylon as it is doubtfull whether her sinfulnesse be more hateful then his boldnesse is admirable Let him that would be able to answere all their false slanders which they lay to the charge and disgrace of Protestant Churches and to retort vpon themselues their obiection of the liues of our Professors and he that would see the Church and state of Rome in her her owne naturall colours let him I say reade but that one Author who beside that hee is Manuscript in many Libraries was also published at Amsterdam or somewhere neere thereabouts this present yeare 1607. And after he hath discouered her corruptions and layd open her sinnes from head to foote then he vrgeth her vehemently to repentance and reformation which because he seeth no hope of but that still shee falleth from euill to worse therefore hee denounceth Gods iudgements against her and assures her that vengeance ruine and destruction shall fall vpon her Some part of his owne words I haue heere put downe in Latine but not in English because the sinnes hee laieth against her are such as some of them are better vnnamed then reprooued What can they say to it Is he some fained and forged new found Author deuised by some of vs or was he some late writer hired by Luther or suborned by Caluine to raile on the pope or poperie Nay Posseuine the Iesuite confesseth in the place aforenamed and if he did not it is well enough knowne by other good and ancient records he was a professed Monke and liued aboue foure hundred yeeres ago therefore his testimonie in this case is beyond exception Now whether these wounds and corruptions in the Romish Church and state were healed in the subsequent ages or no if any man doubt let him looke vpon the Authors named afore who liued in the ages succeeding one after another Gualterus Mapus and their Saint Brigid not much more then a hundred yeeres after him about 100. yeeres after them Bonauenture and Wicklieffe about a hundred yeeres after them Gerson Clemangius Vincentius others these if any man look vpon he shall see that those wounds stood vnhealed and those corruptions vnreformed vntill we come to the yeere 1500 namely to this last age of all and though Posseuine malitiously conceale the name of Gualter Mapes because he is too plaine yet he cannot deny but many whereof some hee nameth d Posseu Appar sac toÌ„ 2. lit I. Iacobus Iunterbeck German Carthus anno 1460. scripsit auisamentum ad papam pro reformatione Ecclesiae c. did in all ages write to the Pope for reformation and tolde him plainelie what would follow if hee did not reforme the Church Now what good all these men could doe and what reformation followed at last let a pope himselfe speake one of the honestest hearts that euer had the hindrance to be a Pope Adrian the 6. the best that was these many yeeres and of whome if it bee possible of any there was expectation of some reformation in the Church for as Peter Mathew in his life confesseth hee was not so proud nor couetous as most of them are e Petr. Matthaeus in CoÌ„mentâ— suis ad papales coÌ„stitut de Adriano 6. How hee found the Romish Church when he came to it and how hee left it at his sudden taking from it iudge by his owne pitifull and passionate speech which hee commanded his Nuntio to deliuer from him and in his name to the assembly of the States of Germanie in their Imperiall parliament about the yeer 1522. These be his words as Epencaeus a learned Bishop of their owne reporteth Tell them from vs that we freely confesse God hath sent this trouble and affliction vpon the Church for the sinnes of men and especially of Priests and prelats from whose sinnes the scriptures are plaine be deriued the sinnes of the people therefore our Sauiour about to heale and reforme Ierusalem a diseased citie first enters into the Temple that first of all he may correct the sinnes of the Clergy especially concerning buying the good Physition who begins to heale a wound at the roote and bottome We know that for many yeeres there haue beene many abhominations eueÌ„ in this holy Apostolike seat abuses in the cariage of maters spiritual excessiue enormities in our commadements in a word all things turned topsy turuy from ill to worse and no maruell if the disease grow froÌ„ the head into the members that is froÌ„ the popes into common persons I confess all we that is all prelats of the Clergy haue gone out of the way each one into our owne waies neither hath there been of a long time any that did good therefore there is good reason that wee all giue glory to God humble our selues euâ—Ì„ our soules vnto him let each one of vs remember whence we are fallen and rather iudge our selues then stand to be iudged of God in his wrath and furie Wherein for our parts make promise in our name that we will giue all diligence that first of all this our Court of Rome may be reformed from which it is likely al this mischiefe hath proceeded that so health reformation may begin there to the good example of al whence the corruption first bred and spred to the ill example and hurt of all To the furtherance and effecting of which happie reformation wee hold our selues so much the more straitly obliged by how much the more earnestly we see the whole world to expect desire it These were the wordes of this good man too good to be a Pope at least too good to be long a Pope for after that hee had so much forgot himselfe and his papall dignity and the honor of his Apostolicall seate which cannot erre nor doe amisse as hee like a foole confessed to graunt that not the Church alone but the holy Court of Rome did need reformation forthwith there was order taken that hee should not trouble the world nor disgrace his place any longer for shortly after he died and for his sake they prouided that their seate should neuer bee so far abused abased againe by any plaine hearted Northren man Since AdriaÌ„ haue bin 15. Popes but all Italians making sure from that day to this that the Popedom should not be trusted out of the hands of an Italian lest hee should euer haue a thought of reformation For