treatise also the mysterie of iniquitie in poperie is so fully discouered and the truth of our religion from point to point particularly so euidently declared that all men of any iudgement exercised in those treatises may easily see both the one the other yea many haue seene doe see both the one the other Notwithstanding as many haue seene doe see it so also Satan the god of this world doth stil detaine many in their former blindnes and ignorance Yea the nearer that his kingdome is to an ende the more diligently he goeth about like a roaring lyon seeking still whome he may deuoure Therefore he ceaseth not by his chiefe instrument the man of sinne and child of perdition I meane the Bishop and Pope of Rome continually to send forth into all corners of the realme swarmes of Iesuits and Seminarie priests as to harden those in poperie that haue not yet renounced that profession so also to infect other there with that are either of no religion or that hauing embraced ours are not yet sufficiently setled and grounded therein And truly both waies he doth the more preuaile partly because many haue not abilitie to buie the bookes of particular controuersies betwixt vs and the Papists they beeing some what costly partly because they haue no leisure to read them beeing many and large and partly because they haue no iudgement to conceiue of them beeing matters of learning and learnedly handled Where he cannot effect that which he would for the hardening of men in poperie or drawing them to poperie there he goeth another waie to worke either corrupting them with some other heresie or making them altogether profane and working in them a contempt of all religion Because all is one to him whether men be Papists or other heretikes or of no religion at all 2 Thus therefore seeing true religion euery where to decay the kingdome of Satan more and more daily to be enlarged partly by poperie partly by other heresies and partly by profanenes and contempt of all religion I haue thought good an other waie to trie the conuersion both of the ignorant Papists that are yet perswaded their religion to be sound and true and that wherein they please God and also of other heretikes and profane persons themselues if it be possible and likewise the confirmation and strengthening of such as professing our religion in shewe are notwithstanding vnstaied and wauering and therefore readie to be drawne any other waie To all these therefore I doe here offer these generall arguments following in defence of our religion and against poperie so briefly and plainely set downe that euen all that are not able to goe to the price of bookes of particular controuersies or that cannot intende the reading of them to waigh and conceiue them may yet generally see the truth of our religion and the falshood of poperie and seeing these things may likewise more seriously consider of our religion and contrarily of the most daungerous fearefull and wretched estate of all Papists and likewise of all other that are not as yet of our religion that so the one sort may not forsake our holy fellowship and the other may ioyne with vs and that both ioyned together in one truth may zealously professe it bringing forth plentifull fruits thereof Neither would I haue men wholly to content them-selues with these generall reasons neglecting particular treatises of particular controuersies but rather by this treatise to be the more encouraged to the reading of the other and to be made the fitter and euery waie the more able to iudge of them 3 That all men may the better see my meaning in this whole treatise and know the state of the whole cause by our religion I doe here vnderstand the religion now established publikely by publike authoritie professed in England and such other Churches as haue iustly forsaken Rome and are in good measure well reformed according to the word of God contained in holy Scripture To speake more plainly I meane by our religion that substance doctrine of faith wherein we dissent from the Church of Rome and doe all of vs consent among our selues both we with those other Churches and those other Churches with vs in this land By poperie like wise I vnderstand all that doctrine of the church of Rome which differeth and dissenteth from this our religion the doctrine held and professed publikely here in England other Churches in like manner reformed In this treatise therefore I doe vndertake by plaine and euident argumēts fit for the capacitie of all sorts both poore and rich both learned vnlearned though they can read or vnderstand onely the english tongue to prooue that this our religion is of God and that which God as touching the substance and doctrine thereof doth well accept and like of and contrarily by like arguments as plainely to shew that poperie is not of God and therefore also not in any account with him but abominable and detestable in in his sight THE FIRST ARGVMENT TOVCHING THE breeding and begetting of true religion THVS hauing declared both the reasons that moued me to this work and likewise the state of the whole cause hādled herein I will now enter into the arguments thēselues Here therefore first of al let vs consider the chiefe and principall meanes whereby both that religion that is of God and acceptable vnto God is at the first begunne and framed and afterward further built and perfected in them that atteine vnto it and also of the like meanes whereby poperie is at the first hatched and afterward brooded further strengthoned Touching the former it is most certaine that it is alwayes begunne by the word of God For the Apostle S. Paule expressly teacheth vs. Rom. 10. 17. That faith is by hearing the word of god preached S. Iames also chap. 1. 18. saith that we are begotten againe by the word of truth Our Sauiour likewise in the parable of the seede Matth. 13. plainely sheweth that that onely is good ground into the which the seede of god his word falling bringeth forth good fruite and so likewise that that onely is to be accounted good fruite which springeth from the seede of the word As the word of god is the only ordinary meanes whereby faith and regeneration are begunne in euerie man whome God will haue to be saued so also it is the especiall meanes whereby they are to be further built till they be finished S. Peter exhorteth the Christians to whome he wrote that as they were allreadie borne a new by the word of God 1. Pet. 1. 23. So also as new borne babes they should desire the sincere milke of the word that they might grow thereby chap. 2. verse 2. Saint Paule likewise hauing first exhorted the Thessalonians not to quench the spirit which they had receiued that is to cherish the spirite meaning the worke of faith regeneration wrought by the spirit a Metonymy of the cause
for the effect presently admonisheth them not to despise prophecying 1. Thess 5. 20. Where by prophecying by a Synecdoche of the speciall for the generall he meaneth the preaching onely of the same word by the which before they had receiued the Spirite Our Sauiour Christ also in his Epistles to the seuen Churches of Asia Reuelat. 2. and 3. Exhorting those Churches to repentance constancie keeping of the thinges they had receiued the encreasing of them addeth in the ende of those Epistles this generall admonition Let him that hath an eare heare what the Spirite saith to the Churches whereby he giueth all men to vnderstand that hearing of that which the spirite said to the Churches was the especiall meanes for the working and encreasing of the thinges commended in those Epistles to the Churches 2 All this hitherto spoken of the word of God is to be vnderstood onely of the word of God written and conteined in the holy Scriptures For whatsoeuer the Papistes say of their vnwritten verities as equiualent to the doctrine of the Scriptures yet that there are no such vnwritten verities of such authoritie and so to be esteemed as it hath beene sufficiētly prooued by that worthy man of holy memorie M. Whitaker and other learned men that haue particularly delt in that cause so is it also euidēt by that generall admonition before spoken of giuen to the seuen Churches because in it by hearing that which the spirit saith is not meant any vnwritten veritie but that which before Christ Iesus had commanded Iohn to write to the seuen Churches 3 These thinges beeing thus euident touching that religion that is of God and acceptable vnto God let vs now see by what meanes Poperie is hatched and brooded Here let a view be taken of the Papists within our owne land and abroad yea of all whatsoeuer wheresoeuer and whensoeuer which of all them may be said to be begotten and wonne to that religion by the preaching of the word of God comprehended in the Scriptures which of all these can be said to haue beene confirmed and strengthened in that same religion by the same worde Verelie it is most certaine that poperie is begunne encreased and perfected not by that word but by traditions onely and doctrines of men The more men are purelie instructed in the word of God the more they heare consider of the doctrine of the Scriptures the further are they from all poperie the more they dislike and abhorre the same Againe the lesse men are acquainted with the word of God the seeldomer they heare it or reade it the more capable certainlie are they of all poperie the more also are they confirmed and strengthened yea rather hardened in all poperie This is most euident First because as the pure preaching of the word of God decayed in the world so poperie grew and encreased Secondly because sithence the sincere preaching of this word hath beene againe reuiued in these latter times the more hath poperie wasted and pined according to the prophecy of the Apostle who hath said that the Lord should consume Antichrist with the spirite of his mouth 2. Thess 2. 8. Thirdly the same is manifest by diuers examples of places and persons in our owne land For where the Gospell is most plentifully and truely preached there are fewest Papistes and where the Gospel is least preached there is the greatest number of papistes Some places which were most popish of all the cuntrey where they are before they had the preaching of the word are now sithence that god in mercie hath vouchsafed the same vnto them most free of poperie papistes My selfe as young as I am did know the time long sithence the happie Reigne of her Maiestie when we in Kent was most accounted also was indeede the most popish place of all that countrie But sithence it hath pleased God to send vnto them the ministerie of his word poperie hath there vanished as the mist before the Sunne and now I thinke it is lesse noted for popery then any other place especially then any place which hath not had the word as that hath had it Yea few places are more forward thē that in true profession of our religion The like may be said of many other places both in the South and also in the North partes of England Again who are the most obstinate papists in the lād are they not those that neuer haue heard the word of god preached vnto thē or that hauing heard it are fallen away from it and what is the cause why manie are so obstinate in poperie Is it not because they will not be dravven to heare that word of God neither yet to reade it Truelie I doubt not but that if it might please God to giue vnto them willing mindes to heare or read the Scriptures with a true desire indeede to keepe and embrace the doctrine in them conteined how contrarie soeuer to that which in times past they haue held or doe yet hold then the more they should heare or reade the more they would dislike of their former religion In the meane time whilst they care not for hearing or reading whilest they despise the Scriptures whilest they raile of the hearing and reading of them as many of the most learned papistes do what do they else but be wray that they are not yet begotten vnto God by them neither the children of God that therefore their religion is not of God For if they were begotten vnto god and that by the doctrine of the Scriptures if they were the children of God as they imagine and boast of them selues would they not delight to heare his word at least would they not delight to reade the word by whomesoeuer brought vnto them what louing child is not glad to heare the voyce of his louing father or to read at least his letters sent by others vnto him from the place where him selfe is He that is of God heareth God his word Ioh. 8. 47. If they were the sheepe of Christ they would heare his voyce Iohn 10. 27. If they suspect our preaching of the word yet they would at the least come to those places where the worde is read or they would reade it at home by themselues in such a tongue as wherein they might vnderstand it Sith therefore they care not for the hearing or reading it they shewe they are not begotten to God by it 4 As touching our religion it is begotten by the word of god it is confirmed strengthened by the word of God As mens traditions grew in request with men so our religion at the first decaied As the vanitie of mens traditions began to be discerned abolished by the breaking forth of the glorious light of the Scriptures out of the cloude of poperie so our religion was againe renewed and encreased The more common that the Scriptures are or haue beene the more doth our religion flourish and hath flourished from time to time The more men
church least also touching those things that I haue gathered out of their seruice bookes any should imagine them to be such as they themselues should now disclaime I haue sufficiently preuented these obiections in the addition it selfe shewing that the authors by me here traâ—uced had great allowance from the Popes owne vnholines and were of high estimation in their churches and likewise proouing their ancient seruice books in the things here expressed not to differ froÌ„ their new books newly reformed by the couÌ„cil of TreÌ„t neither yet to be any whit in a manner now reuoked Much other the like popish trash I might haue noted out of other the like popish bookes but to avoid tediousnes vnto other I did the more willingly spare my owne paines Thus committing your selues with the successe of these my labours vnto the Lord who worke both in you and in me more perfect hatred of popery and all other errours and more vnfained loue of his truth that we may the better continue therein and be the more plentiful in all the fruits thereof I do louingly take my leaue of you froÌ„ Billerim in Essex the seuenth of March in the yeere of our Lord according to the coÌ„putation of the church of England 1597. almost nowe ended Yours in the Lord vnfainedly Thomas Stoughton The generall summe of all all things comprehended in this treatise following The reasons why this worke was taken in hand and the state of this cause beeing first breefly declared then followe these generall arguments against popery and for our religion 1 All true religion and acceptable to God is wrought in the hearts of men by the ministerie of God his word conteiued in holy scripture Popery is not wrought by the ministerie of that worde in as much as where that word is most plentifully sincerely taught there popery most falleth and where that word is wanting there popery most abounde as also because papists will neither voluntarily come nor by authority be drawne either to the preaching or reading thereof in our Churches neither doe delight in the priuate reading thereof at home ergo Popery is not true religion c. 2 All true religion is vpheld and maintained by good and lawefull meanes needing no euill vnlavvefull meanes to vphold it But popery is vpheld and maintained by all vnlawfull meanes as by force and violence by fire and fagot corrupting adding vnto and diminishing the text of scriptures by false alleadging the authorities of men by clipping and mangling the works of the auncient fathers both in citing their testimonies and also in printing of the bookes themselues by authority of the popish church by lying miracles and such other indirect meanes ergo c. 3 The subiect matter of true religion is contained in the written word of God The subiect mat of poperie is not comprised in that written worde of God but is directly contrarie therevnto in all the principall points thereof ergo c. 4 The forme of true religion is also comprehended in the canonicall Scripture The forme of poperis is not there comprehended but is altogether diuers from the forme of God his worship in that word prescribed yea rather poperie hath in a manner no worship of God at all ergo 5 All true religion referreth all things to God his glorie Poperie referreth not all things to God his glorie but so aduanceth the Pope saints and man himselfe that it spoileth God of all his glorie ergo 6 True religion bringeth forth obedience to the â—orall law of God contained in the tenne commandements Poperie and not Papists onely baingeth forth no such obedience but transgresseth euery one of these commaundements and that in the highest degree ergo 7 True religion worketh true ioy and sound comfort in euery heart where it taketh true place as certifying she same both of the present fauour of God and also of the continuance thereof Poperie worketh no such ioy and comfort as the which depriueth men of the Scriptures whereby their eyes are to be opened and their mindes instructed in true wisdome as the which teacheth likewise that it is presumption for a man to say that he is perswaded of God his fauour and of his owne saluation and wherein no man euer knoweth whither he receiueth the true sacrament or not ergo 8 All true religion is wise as he that is the author thereof Poperie is not wise but most foolish and ridiculous grossely worshipping many homely relikes absurdly baptizing bells and Churches c. and without all wit and reason much more without diuinitie citing condemning and excommunicating them that are dead ergo 9 All true religion is vnsauorie and vnpleasant to the nature of man But poperie is most pleasant thereunto because it teacheth men not to take any paines in the scriptures yea forbiddeth all such paines because it affirmeth that the worke done is sufficient howsoeuer it be done and that therefore men neede not to be carefull about their hearts because also it commendeth especially the commandements of men giuing all libertie vnto men from the commaundements of God and teaching that what good soeuer is neglected or what euill soeuer is by any committed yet by confession of all this with the mouth by a little voluntarie afflicting of the bodie and especially by a peece of money a man may haue forgiuenes of all ergo The contrarie of all the former arguments is prooued of our religion from whence it follovveth that it is true and acceptable vnto God 10 Both the former conclusions the one against poperie the other for our religion are prooued by actuall testimonies of God These are shewed to be 1 The gifts of God promised to the latter times for the commendation of the Gospel 2 The works of God The gifts of God are shewed to haue beene 1 Excedingly decaied and almost dead and buried in the chiefe times of poperie 2 Repaired reuiued raised vp and greatly to haue flourished c. at the breaking forth of our religion out of the darknes of poperie The works of Godare either single against poperie against our religion or mixt both against poperie and for our religion All these former arguments beeing plentifully handled then followeth the conclusion wherein are exemplified the manifold vse of the whole treatise Concerning them which are of our religion all generally vveake and strong more particularly great persons and those also either generally all or specially Dauids Worthies not ofour religion Atheists and all of no religion Papists 1 weake erring onely of ignorance 2 obstinate and wilfull A GENERAL TREATISE AGAINST POPERIE AND IN DEFENCE OF the religion by publike authoritie professed in England and in other Churches reformed THE PREFACE IT cannot be denied but that many excellent learned and godly men haue both plentifully and soundly and also profitably and fruitfully written most worthie treatises for confutation of all particular points of poperie and like wise for confirmation of all particular points of our religion In this
adder that stoppeth his eares refusing to heare the voice of the charmer charme he neuer so wisely Be ye not vnlike vnto the first world that seeing how miraculously and contrarie to nature the lyons beares woolfes tygers elephants vnicomes hares conies and such like cruell and wilde beasts the swallows also kytes rauens ostriches eagles and many other the like wilde and rauening birdes came willingly and gently without any outwarde force compelling them to Noah to goe into the arke with him and with his familie Gen. chap. 7 vers 7. would not yet beleeue and therefore were drowned in the waters Be ye not like the Egyptians and many also of the Israelites that seeing the great works of God against Egypt and for the land of Zoan would not yet beleeue and therefore perished the one in the redde sea the other in the wildernes Be ye not like the Iewes that did see the great and mightie workes done by our Sauiour and his Apostles for commending his gospell and yet would not beleeue and are therefore scattered vpon the face of the earth out of their owne countrey vnto this day and that which is worse are giueÌ„ ouer also to hardnes of heart wil not yet beleeue that the Christ and Messias is come 6 Verily God hath commended our religion as we haue before shewed to your eares to your eies to your vnderstaÌ„ding to your inward to your outward to your whole man Take heed take heede therefore that ye harden your hearts no longer Ye haue heard many arguments drawne from the word of God ye haue seene and doe daily see his workes against your owne religion and for ours O therefore stop not your eares shut not your eyes Yea ye your selues O ye that will be called Catholiques haue fared and doe fare the better for our religion in England Ye your selues are partakers of the benefites whereby the Lord hath graced it and doth grace it ye liue in much peace for our religions sake ye enioy your honours and dignities by our religion yea ye keepe and encrease your liuings the better for our religion For though some of you perhaps will say that ye pay two hundred and fourtie pound a yeare for your religion yet if ye were throughly examined and would truly answer ye could not denie but that vnder pretense of this payment ye saue twise so much an other waie For this is certen that none doe purchase more lands build goodlier houses and hoard vp more money then some of them that paie the foresaid summe yearely Thinke not that it should be better with you if the Spanyard might here preuaile ye are wise enough to see how vaine such thoughts are by his dealing in other places where he hath wonne the goale Doe ye also hope of some better estate if poperie were againe here reuiued without the Spanyard perhaps ye should be deceiued partly by the old greedines of the Pope the rather beeing now like an hungerstarued curre that for his long want of the crummes bones yea and good gobbets of meat that were wont to fall from the tables of England to his share would now be insatiable partly and especially by some other iudgements of God that would follow poperie Sith therefore ye enioy such benefits by vs and our religion as Laban fared the better for Iacob Gen. 30 30. and Potiphar for Ioseph Gen. 39. 5. be not so vnrighteous as any longer to condemne that which God doth iustifie Be not so vnthankfull as any longer to refuse his great mercie in calling you by such commendations of our religion to the embracing thereof Now I say vnto you as Paul saith vnto Timothie 2. Tim. 2. 7. Consider what I say and the Lord giue you vnderstanding in all things Yea such vnderstanding as that I and all other that desire your saluation may reioyce that the angels in heauen may reioyce and especially that your selues may reioyce with ioy vnspeakable and glorious THE SIXT VSE CONCERNING obstinate and wilfull Papists TOuching those that be obstinate whither they be Papists or Atheists professed or not professed but rather according to Machiuel his counsell too much now esteemed and followed making a shew for the present time towards our religion to such I saie as will not be reclaimed and called backe from their poperie or profanenes I giue this counsell that although they will not ioyne handes with vs in the true embracing and profession of our religion yet they take heede alwaies that they neither speak nor doe any thing against our religion or the professours thereof This counsell I giue them in regard of themselues because certenly the Lord will not forget the least opposition vnto his name or iniurie vnto his seruaâ—â—s Though many times he let theÌ„ runne their race a while so as they thinke all is forgotten yet as I haue said before of recompensing any kindnesse in word or deede shewed to his people at the last though it seeme to belong certenly the Lord euen in this life will meete with them or theirs for their sinne against his name and wrong against any of his seruants In the 8. of Amos v. 7. the Prophet telleth them that had deuoured and swallowed the poore by their extreame dealing with them in selling their corne at an vnreasonable price vnto them as too too many doe in this time of dearth amongst vs that the Lord had sworne by the excellencie of Jaacob that is euen by himselfe that he would neuer forget that crueltie Obserue good reader orrather let such obserue as of whome I speake that he saith not that the Lord had said onely he would not forget but that the Lord had sworne it by himselfe teaching therby that except they did speedily repent the Lord would most certenly punish that their great sinne because euery word of God is certen much more that word the which he confirmeth by an oath If the Lord did threaten and sweare the punishment of hard dealing with the common sort of the people that for the most part are as poore in heauenly things as in earthly that is whose wickednes is as great as their pouertie can any man hope of immunitie and to goe free that speaketh or doth any thing directly or indirectly against that religion which he seeth to be acceptable vnto God or against those persons that professe the same both which are as deare vnto God as the apple of his eye 2 Neither let this be vnderstood onely of religion and the professours thereof generally but also more particularly of euery branch of religion of euery good cause and of euery one dealing in such causes The example of God his iudgements vpon diuers malicious Papists before mentioned doe testifie the same So also doe many examples in the scriptures Though the sinnes generally of Ahab and Iezebel his wife were many yet the Lord threatned ruine vnto them both and to all their posteritie chiefly for their sinne against righteous Naboth 1. King 21.