Prince yet should he haue forborne to offer that which both to him and all true Christians cannot chuse but be most vngratefull and odious Beside these absurdities our surueyor hath runne into diuers grosse errors For first he compareth the King to an Idole where he maketh him like a Neptune Lord of the Oceā Sea So he is not only a worshipper of Idoles but also would gladlie make an Idole of the King Secondly in setting forth the Kings prayses he speaketh contraries now representing his majestye sitting in a Throne of terror and not long after calling him the myldest Prince in Europe But what is more contrarie then terror and mildnesse and what Sect in sauage crueltie can be compared to Papists that of late haue attempted by fire and Gun-powder to destroy him whome they confesse to beethe myldest Prince in Europe Thirdly he taketh from the King all authority in Ecclesiasticall causes which he reserueth to his holy Father and his dependants and although in termes he doe not abridge the Kings right in his Tēporalities yet euery one knoweth that Papists make Kinges the Popes subjects and giue to the Pope power to censure and depose Kings which none can maintaine but such as are disloyall to Princes and slaues to Popes Fourthly most cunningly he doth insinuate that Kings and Princes are beholding to Priestes for their Kingdomes because they receiue of them as he saith their consecration Crownes and Scepters So this prating Masse-priest doth not only treacherously subject Kinges to the Popes sword and censures but also absurdly tyeth their right and inheritance to the Crowne to the rite of consecration Finally not content to debase the Kings Royall state and to deminish his right he compareth himselfe in his Priest-hood most proudly to Christ himselfe and his holy Apostles But none but the disciples of Antichrist make them-selues in priest-hood comparable to Christ nor doe any but false Apostles make the Apostles sacrificers and aequall themselues to the Apostles Now these errors he acknowledged not nor can excuse His inciuility he would gladly excuse and defend But his defence is worse then the offence it selfe For the first saith he Adrian the Emperour will excuse me who commended vnto Minutius his proconsul of Asia as a thing of importance Ne nomen condemnaretur sed crimen He maketh also along discourse relating vnto vs how wrongfully Christians were hated for the name But what affinity is there betweene the names of Christians and the names of sacrificing Masse-priests Againe how can the cyclopicall priests of Baal pretend to be successors eyther of the Apostles or of auncient Bishops Did euer any auncient Bishop or other Doctor of the Church say that the priest did swallowe downe Christes body whole into his bellie againe if that which is offered be consumed as the Papists themselues teach How can this priest K. defend that hee offereth vp Christ vnder the accidents of Bread and Wine vnlesse like the Iewes he murder Christ or at the least deuoure him Furthermore Adrian in his Epistle to Minutius Fūdanus hath not these wordes ne nomen condemnaretur sed crimen as it is euident by the wordes of this Epistle reported by Iustine Martyr in his second Apologie Finally we do not oppugne Masse-priests for the name of priestes as this dreaming suruey or imagineth but for because being made priestes beyond the Seas they are alwaies ready at their creators the Popes cōmaund to attempt against Princes to trouble his state to rayse sedition as the late attempts of Watson Clarke of Pearcy and his mates set on by Priestes and Iesuites to blow vp the whole Parliament and to make a general massacre and Rebellion doe plainely declare For the second he telleth vs that he is come from the great Monarch of heauen to salute the King and that he is Gods Legate and therfore not to be denyed audience when the Ambassadors of the Kings of the earth are heard with so fauourable a countenance But if he come from the Monarch of heauen why doth he not shewe forth his warrant and proue his heauenly angelical mission If he be Gods true Legat why doth he hide his false face If he will be respected as earthly Ambassadors then must he shewe forth a Commission as earthly Ambassadors doe Otherwise he will be taken for the Legat of Sathan set on by the Pope to write heretical discourses and scurrilous Libels to infect the peoples mindes with a distast of truth and with superstitious heretical and disloyal humours not Gods Ambassador sent to the King to declare his will God certes neuer gaue any man commission to perswade the Popes tyrannical authoritye the sacrifice of the Masse for quicke dead the 7. sacraments the worship of Saints and Images after the Romish facion and such like doctrines Further he addeth That the lowest Subiect may crye Viue le Roy. But what maketh that for him that held him-selfe for no subject of our late Queene being excōmunicate by the Pope thinketh it not lawful to subject himselfe to the King that now is if the Pope should take Armes against him and excōmunicate him Furthermore such as he is are rather to be reputed tall and stout Traytors then low or lowlie subjects crying not viue le Roy with any true heart but as Iudas cryed al hayle to Christ when he betrayed him or as Squire that was sent by the Iesuite Walpoole to empoyson the late Queene cryed God saue the Queene when he put poyson on the Pommell of her Saddle If then the Pope shall once beginne to display his Banner and thunder out his excommunications against the King then we are not to doubt but as now Kellison cryeth God saue the King so then he would cry downe with him downe with him and with all that followe him and take parte with him For such as ment to blow him vp with Powder not being excōmunicat would not I think spare him being made subject to the Popes thundring censures For the third hee answeareth first that it doth agrandise a Kinges greatnes to accept of little presentes And next that he offereth himselfe as his Maiesties faithfull seruant Lastly he standeth on stilts of high termes and telleth vs that he offereth the worship of God the saluation and safetie of the King and his subiects and the peace of his people But neyther is his Booke a little present being a large fardle of wast paper nor can so big a lubber passe for a small guift although in truth both be of so low a price that he might much be ashamed to make offer of either to so iudicious a Prince but that he wanteth both shame iudgemēt Beside that it may be a questiō how he can giue himselfe to the King that hath already giuen himselfe bodye and soule to the Pope whose mark he carrieth on his shauen Crowne A faithfull Seruant certes hee cannot be to the King seeing no man can serue two Maisters Pearcy
promised as much as he Yet sought he the destruction of the King State being perswaded thereto by Iesuites and led into treason by the rules of Popish Religion As for the Masse and Doctrines of Poperie which he bringeth with him they leade to destruction and not to saluation they teach idolatrye and not Gods true worship error and Heresie and not true Faith The Popes obedience is a yoke in supportable His lawes are snares of mens consciences His Priests and Fryars are the Locustes come out of the bothomlesse pit of Hell His Religion is neyther Catholike nor auncient but rather a mixture of new and olde Heresies Neither can the King looke eyther for safety or peace so long as he suffereth a generation of viperous Priests and Friars depending on an Arch-Priest to liue within the bowels of the State and a packe of Papists to vphold the authority of his opposites vnder colour of Religion Take away the Gun powder Papists such as had rather serue Antichrist then Christ to bow their knees to Baalim then to worship God and then you remoue the hopes of our enemies that seek to disturbe our peace the firebrāds of troubles that are the likeliest meanes to set all on a flame To such as demaund why hee dedicated this great bale of blotting paper to the King he giueth this answere that hee cannot want an answere because he cannot want a reason And no doubt but he imagined that therein he did pindarize and speake very eloquently Yet many want answeres that haue farre more reason and honestie then he diuers want no ready answeres that proceede without reason Whatsoeuer hee pretendeth little reason had he to offer this bundl e of papers to the King For albeit learned men present their Bookes to Kings supposing nothing to bee well begunne vnlesse after God the King fauour it as Vegetius affirmeth yet this is nothing to this rude peece of worke that is so fraught with calumniations and idle discourses that neither God nor man can well seeme to fauour it Further although the King delite in Bookes and hath set foorth diuers rare monuments of his rare wit and learning yet doth hee not take pleasure in such scurrilous surueyes Nor may we thinke that a man of such iudgement and learning can like or allowe such base stuffe Thirdly we confesse that the King is indeede the protector of Religion the Champion of the Church and defender of the Faith But little doth this auaile Kellisons cause who pleadeth rather for jdolatrie and superstition then Religion for the sinagogue of Antychrist rather then for Christs Church for the errors and abuses of Poperie rather then for the faith of Christ Fourthly it is not to be doubted but that all the Kings true friendes did tryumph and make Bonfires at the Kings happie entrance into the Kingdome and at his Coronation But that sheweth that the Iesuites Masse-priestes and their adherents are not the Kings true Friends For they tryumph but a little at the Kings prosperitie and many of them of late haue sought insteede of Bonfires which this K. calleth Feux de Ioy to set the Cittie vppon a fire to blow vp the Parliament house and places adioyning with Gunne-powder Other their consorts are more desirous to burne the bones bodies of Gods saints then to make bonfires when they vnderstand of the Kinges prosperous successe Fiftly wee acknowledge that God by his prouidence hath reserued the King for the Crowne of England quietly possessed him of his Crowne But we know also that the Papists haue of late sought to depriue him of his liberty life and Crowne And Parsons and the Iesuites of long time haue oppugned the Kings Title both of them resisting not onely the Kings right but also Gods prouidence Finally if for all these fauours God expect at his Maiesties handes that hee imploye himselfe in some honorable seruice for the Catholike Church and Christes true faith and for the deliuerance of his Realmes from Aegiptiā captiuitie and the restoring of his subjects to the Catholike faith as Kellison desireth then is hee to take a resolute course for the remouing of al idolatrous Masse-priestes which seduce his Subiectes and turne them from the Catholike faith their alleageance to imbrace humane traditions and the decretaline Doctrine of the Pope and to prefer the Pope before their King Then is he further to ouerthrow the groues of the jdolatrous Priestes and to prouide that his Realmes be not againe entangled with a yoake of bondage ouer-whelmed with ignorance Aegiptian darkenesse Lastly he is to see that Heresies and false Doctrines bee not receiued vnder the colour of Romish Religion Most grossely therefore hath this Romish Legat fayled in the proofes of his presumptuous attempt in presenting his worthlesse and trifling discourses to the King But hauing once passed the limits of modestie he passeth himself in impudency afterward aduenturing to preferre a sute to the King for libertie to Papists and for tolleration of Popish Religion A matter that with modestie cannot be mencioned to so pious a King and by rules of Religion and state may not be granted For it is impious Idolatrous and heretical And therfore may not be admitted of christiās It is factious rebellious derogatory both to the prerogatiue of Princes liberty of Subiects And therfore not to be endured in any wel gouerned state Finally themselues admit no Religion contrarie to their owne false groundes if they can doe withall Why doe they then require that of others that they yeeld not to others thēselues if he deny any point of these he shall finde them iustified in diuers answers framed to the importune supplycations of Papistes and wee shall alwaies be readye to prooue the same againe as oft as the matter shall come in question But had he reason to come to the King yet he hath no reason to rayle on the Kings predecessor Queene Elizabeth of famous memorie as hee dooth charging hir first with raysing a storme of persecution and next with the ruine of the Catholtke faith Nay most falsely he chargeth a most clement and mercifull Queene with persecution and a Christian Prince of singular pyetie with hatred of Catholike Religion Moste falsely I say for al her actes and lawes doe argue an excellent moderation in her proceedings against such as moste violentlye prosecuted her and so farre was she vrged to doe that shee did that the secular Priestes not onely excuse her for proceeding against Papists but also to their vttermost defend her Furthermore no christian Prince in our time shewed more zeale in the defence of true Catholike Religion then she True it is that shee fauoured not Popish errors But nothing is more different then Popery and Catholike Religion Neither shall this K. euer prooue the contrarie Hauing ended his idle discourse concerning the dedication of his book he maketh bolde to begin his sute for a tolleration of Popery But his proceding is
we bring all ReligioÌ„ into contempt But how prooueth hee that wee contemne the Churches authoritie First he sayth it is a maxime and almoste an article of fayth among vs that the true Church which once was hath erred grossely and in no lesse matters then fayth justification merit free-will workes satisfaction Purgatory prayer to Sayntes worship of Images number vertue of Sacraments sacrifice and such like But if hee meane the whole Catholique Church this is neither article nor maxime nor opinion of ours that the whole Church hath erred grossely If he meane the Pope and his adherents and parasites why should not they erre as well as the Churches of Antioch Alexandria Hierusalem and Constantinople That they haue indeed erred we haue already prooued and offer our selues alwayes ready to prooue and it is most apparant for that their Doctrine is not only diuers but also contrary to the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles and namely in the points aboue specified Next hee sayth Luther cared not for a thousand Churches and Caluin Beza and others despised all the Councels and ancient Fathers But neyther the contempt of the Synagogue of Rome nor the reiection of diuers Conuenticles assembled by Popes nor the refusall of diuers counterfet Bookes alledged vnder the name of Fathers or of some Fathers singuler opinions doth argue anye contempt of the true Church or of lawfull councelles or of the authenticall writinges and common Doctrines of Fathers Further I would haue thought that reason might haue taught him talking so long of Religion that priuate mens sayinges and opinions should not so often haue beene imputed generally to vs or to the whole Church To prooue that contempt of the Churches authoritie bringeth Religion into contempt hee alleadgeth that wee cannot knowe which is Scripture which not but by the voice of the Church But first this is nothing to vs which doe much esteeme the authoritie of the Apostolike and Catholike Church We say also that euerie priuate man is to reuerence the iudgement of the true Church But what is this to the Romish synagogue that is not the true church againe what is this to the Pope that is an oppressor of the church and an enemie of Christian Religion if Kellison wil contend that the sentence of the Pope which neither vnderstandeth nor percase can reade Scriptures in the originall tongues must needes be followed in deciding the controuersies about Canonical scriptures his owne schollers wil laugh at him that maketh a betilheaded fellow iudge in matters of religion a blinde man iudge of colours If he refer men to the particular church of Rome that now is it will bee said that she cannot bee iudge and partye and that the auncient Church is much to bée preferred before her Saint Augustine wee confesse among manye other reasons was enduced also to beleeue by the churches authoritie So likewise are many more then he But K. remooueth all other reasons and motiues in matter of discerning scriptures and maketh his moderne Church a necessarie cause and almost sole motife of faith as if none were to beleeue eyther scriptures or any other Article of faith vnlesse hee bee resolued by the Pope and the moderne Church of Rome Blasphemously also hee affirmeth that the Romaine Church being contemned wee can no more assure a man of Scripture then of a Robin-hoodes tale But to vse these comparisons is blasphemye To make so much of nothing and to stand so much vpon a blinde Pope and to preferre the Romaine moderne Church before the auncient and all other moderne churches is foolery In the fourth Chapter he beareth his Reader in hand that wee reject some bookes of Canonicall Scripture and for proofe saith that Luther reiected the Booke of Iob Ecclesiastes and all the Gospels saue that of Iohn and that we reiect the Bookes of Iudith Tobia Ecclesiasticus Wisdome and the Machabees But these latter Bookes hee shall neuer prooue to be canonicall vnlesse wée take the Canon largelye as Saint Augustine sometimes seemeth to doe S. Hierome in prol galeato Athanasius in Synops Gregorius Nazianzenus in carminibus Epiphanius in lib. de pond mensur and the moste and best Fathers esteeme of them no otherwise then we doe The calumniation concerning Luther wee haue answered already But saith K. they will needes receiue Scripture at the Roman Churches hand And of this hee would inferre that as well we ought to follow that Church in the number of bookes as in receiuing canonicall Scripture vpon that Churches warrant This sâ—ith hee but hee taketh that for graunted that no man yeeldeth him For wee take the Scriptures as the Church of Rome her selfe did from the Prophets and Apostles We doe also assure our selues that the iudgement of the Apostolike Church is farre to be preferred before the iudgement of the Apostaticall moderne Romish Church Lastlye wee answere to his argument that wee haue diuers arguments to assure vs of the authoritie truth and number of canonicall bookes of Scriptures beside the testimony of any one particular Church as for example the testimony of Scripture it selfe the likenesse Maiestie antiquitie truth stile of Scripture and such like In the fift chapter he endeuoreth to prooue that our dissensions in Religion doe open a gappe to contempt of Religion And thereupon talketh his pleasure of Caluinistes and Lutherans Puritanes Protestants soft and rigid Lutherians Zuinglians Bezites Anabaptistes Libertines Brownistes Martinistes family of loue and damned crew But first the damned crew is by vs damned In this late conspiracie of Papists Edward Baynham that is knowne to bee of the damned crewe was choson for a fit maÌ„ to goe as nuntio from this damned crew to the Pope Anabaptistes Libertines the family of loue are more among the Papists then among vs. We say to them anathema maranatha The Brownistes and Martinistes wee generally condemne The rest are the names of slaunder deuised by Papistes To answere his obiection therefore wee say that the Churches of Germanye France and other countries doe well agree and priuate men doe submitte themselues to the determination of a free generall councell and in the meane while to their nationall Churches The groundes of his sixt chapter are laide vpon the Popes head-ship For because wee want a visible head hee supposeth wee giue great aduantage to Atheistes But as the Popes headship is a matter rather fancied then prooued out of Scriptures or Fathers so what so euer is thereupon built the same is founded vpon fancie and not worth a head of Garlike That Saint Peter did rule both the Apostles and all the church as Christes vicar generall and head of the Church it cannot bee prooued All the Apostles were called alike and sent to teach and administer the Sacraments alike They had also the keyes of the Church giuen to them by one ioynt commission and Paul professeth that the principall of the Apostles gaue vnto him nothing But had Peter had any such monarchy as is