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A11614
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A briefe treatise agaynst certayne errors of the Romish Church Very plainly, notably, and pleasantly confuting the same by Scriptures and auncient writers. Compiled by Gregory Scot. 1570 Perused & licenced according to the Quenes Maiesties iniunction. 1574.
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Scott, Gregory, 1532 or 3-1576.
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1574
(1574)
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STC 21855; ESTC S116867
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21,066
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64
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¶ A briefe Treatise agaynst certayne errors of the Romish Church Very plainly notably and pleasantly confuting the same by Scriptures and auncient writers Compiled by Gregory Scot. 1570 Perused lisenced according to the Quenes Maiesties Iniunction 1574. ¶ Imprynted at London by Iohn Awdeley ¶ The Printer to the Christian Reader THough volumes great and learned workes Of famous men hereof be ryfe VVherby both Papistes Iewes and Turkes Haue deadly woundes for all their strife And though these sectes haue not such lyfe In these our daies as late they had Yet gentle Reader take in briefe This treatise gaynst these errors bad VVhich for the truth in playne discourse And pleasant verse by sence well tryde Of such as are learned and wyse I thought therefore not it to hyde But publish it to daunt the pryde Of them that styll wyll hold the same Gaynst God and truth and therein byde Regarding neither truth nor shame But chiefely for the symple sorte This is set forth in forme most playne In pleasant wyse and order shorte That they may viewe with lesser payne And in their mynde the same contayne As for the learned though they know These errors all and them refrayne For others skyll doth this allow The Author to me as vnknowne To thee good Reader I commende This worke out set and now forth blowne Shall shew forth that he dyd entende VVhich was I hope some folke to mende VVho wander in these errours yll Thy fauour then to him extende Accepting this as hys good wyll And prayse thou God for this his lyght VVhich in our dayes doth now so shine VVho opened hath the myndes and syght Of many learned for profyt thyne To God alone therefore resigne These prayses due and not to men Yet in thy praiers haue in mynde Their good estate and thanke God then But chiefely pray thou for those states By whose good meanes this light we ioy As namely Prince and Magistrates VVhich keepeth vs from all anoy The Pastors eke for them do pray And frame thy lyfe in vertues trace In humble wyse them loue and obay So shalt thou quyt their laborous case FINIS ¶ A briefe treatise against certaine errours of the Romish Church HOw is the faythful City chaungde from that it was before Where righteousnes sometime did syt now bloudshed raygneth more Rome once it had renowmed prayse for Truth therein dyd dwell A faythfull Citie once it was and others dyd excell But now vngodlynes doth raygne where fayth dyd then abound Their wicked and most lothsome liues throughout the world doth sound Rome is a cage of Birdes vncleane a sincke of filthy synne Few errours haue the Church infect that dyd not there begynne From thence they spred ouer the earth what place could once be found That frée was from infection in Europe none was found Wher canker once hath taken roote it créepeth ouer all Herein that wicked mother churche we may to witnes call Which once declining from the truth and from the perfect waye Hath euer synce mo errours bred and further gone astraye Of these errours my purpose is here brieflie to intreate But not of all for that were much the number is so greate I meane of such as you your selues by whom mayntaynd they bee Might sone perceiue so plain they are if eyes you had to sée This serueth for the ignorant whom you do most infecte The learned know your errours well and haue them all detecte Thrée witnesses confirme a truth yet mo that wytnes beare Thereby you are more guiltie found your errours more appeare The errours be so catholicke in your religion That order ther is none at all but great confusion Which is the cause that orderlesse herein I do obserue Althoughe to some it be offence lesse blame it doth deserue Therfore myne entrie wher to make my mynde is muche in doubt Suche heapes of errours do I see your Romish church throughout ¶ Against Images and Idolatrie BVt worshipping of images a grose and gréeuous sinne Because it is a custome old with it I wyll begynne In thinges against the law of God if that you do offend Then pleade you custome commonly your errours to defend But yet such custome here you haue you may put in your plée Why should it not take place it is of suche antiquitie Welnigh for age it rotten is your Idols shew the same The old heathen they vsde it long from thence this custome came But chiefely how they first beganne and since haue taken roote Although yet some were long before this briefly shall you note The Father mourning for the death of his beloued Sonne An image to remember him he wild to make anon In time this custome so preuaild incrreasing more and more That rytes and offerings were deuisde the Image to adore And tyrantes did by cruell law compell men so to do The beutye of the cunning worke did much intise therto Though Father onely for his Sonne this image did deuise Of small begynninges yet we sée great mischiefes may aryse But thoughe Idolatry among the Heathen thus did raigne Yet of long tyme in Christ his church no place it did obtayne Vntill next after Christ his death foure hundreth yeares were past No Image then was worshipped nor yet in churches plaste But when the Apostles of the Lord and their Disciples true Were taken hence and few were left their preachinges to renue The Church began then to decline true knowledge dyd decay Then Images crept in withall and lead them more astray But as I sayd these Idols came from Gentiles that did vse The Images of worthy men such as them selues did chuse Of whom some memory to kéepe by errour so deceiued They honoured their Images for benefites receiued These Heathen conuert vnto Christ lyke errour keeping styll They caused Images to make in signe of their good wyll Of Christ of Paul and other mo and kept them reuerentlye Thus first amongest the Christians began Idolatrye Nothing in scripture is forbid so muche as Images Yet to no synne more prone we be then to such wickednes But most vngodly is this worke wherby you would expresse The liuing God in outward forme of grauen Images Moyses giuing charge hereof this euyll did forsee Thou heardst the voice of God he saith no Image didst thou see Take héed therfore vnto thy soule alway remember this No Image make vnto thy selfe a damned thing it is The godhead is not lyke to gold nor lyke to siluer bright It is not lyke to wood or stone nor subiect to the sight Who hath sene God at any tyme the workeman did but gesse When lyke an old man he him made of bignes more or lesse Belyke his yeares they now decay who can be alwayes yong His old gray bearde doth séeme to shew he cannot sure lyue long The glorie of the immortall God whose shape was neuer sene To Images of
our syns dyd in his body beare The small vertue of your patcht Masse you might perceiue by this The oft repeating of the same doth proue how weake it is For if it were of such a force as could remoue our synne Once being sayd you néeded not agayne it to begynne This was the cause that sacrifice was often done before Because they could no man agayne to righteousnes restore Besides a number here vntoutcht this errour is therein Your carnall adoration which late you haue brought in Whereby you do with daunger great the Sacramentes adore The creature for Creator what errour can be more What worship due is vnto God what vnto Christ the Lord Is not by mans wyll measured but by Gods holy word Such straūge worship as you do teach was neuer knowne before In bread and wine here vpon earth Christ Iesus to adore Take eate and drinke and do ye this in memorye of me And this deuyde amongst you all thus oft we charged be But mention finde we none at all of honour to it due This doctrine had not bene forgot if that it had bene true The Apostle did deliuer all receiued of the Lord Yet of this adoration he speaketh not a word Your ydle braynes hath set aworke the people so to do You haue a spirit reueald you this with many other mo But not the spirit of God for that doth alway well agree With gods pure word that written is your errours it doth flye Our sauiour departing hence hath left a pledge behinde Of his great loue and benefites which he wrought for mankynde Euen Sacramentes of bread and wine the which our eyes do sée The vertue of his bodye and bloud to teach vs sensiblye By bread our body strengthned is and noorished to lyue Christes bodye so vnto the soule the onely lyfe doth gyue As wyne the hart it doth reioyce and cherefulnes doth bring His bloud so comforteth the soule aboue all earthly thing Therfore the bread and wyne do beare we néede not thinke it straunge The names of thynges they signifye yet substance doth not chaunge The outwarde visible Sacramentes the mouth doth taste alone But spirituall foode is geuen therby which faith must feede vpon Of Christ to be partakers here it is no let at all Thoughe in his body he remayne in place celestiall The sunne in substance is aboue yet feele we here below The heate and power therof to worke on all thinges that do grow So though Christes body be in heauen yet here if is by grace Through working of Gods holy spirit as if it were in place No carnall presence then beleue lift vp thyne hart on hye There woorship Christ on Gods right hand if daunger thou wilt flye These creatures he willed vs with thankfulnes to take In memorye of that his death he suffred for our sake With Christ his Institution wherein doth Masse agree What he comaundeth that you breake and do cleane contrarie Christ in remembrance of his death these Sacramentes hath made But for the synnes of quick and dead your Masse is dayly sayd Christes Supper both the Sacraments of bread and wyne doth geue But of the cup your wicked Masse the faithfull doth bereue Wher we these sacraments shuld take as of his onely gift You offer them to God for synne as raunsome in his sight That he was once an offring made Christes Supper teacheth playne But Masse doth daily offer him for Sacrifice agayne Christes Supper common ought to be for all to feede thereon But Masse is priuate to the Priest to eate and drinke alone And when he hath deuoured all to shew his wickednes In mocking them with emptie cup he doth the people blesse You vse the wordes lyke to a charme as if with your intent They had the power substance to chaūge where Christ it neuer ment What straunge iesture vse you therin with turning to and fro You blesse and crosse on euery syde you becke and bowe therto You mocke you mow you breath and blow with coniuring among No meruel though wōders be wrought your breath it is so strong You stand some tyme as in a traunce your fingers in your eare Which signe doth shew you haue no mynd the truth at al to heare You speake the wordes all to your selfe and that most secretely Least other should your cunning learn to make your god thereby You lift the Sacramentes aloft aboue your shauen crowne Then when the Idoll is erect the people falleth downe You hang him in a rope of hempe A signe of small good will If any daunger make you flye your god there hangeth still And so doth stand in great distresse him selfe he cannot saue As Labans gods were stolne from him such help your God may haue You kéepe him till he mould agayne wher be you taught these thinges Then do ye him for synne applye to such as mony bringes He was by Iudas sold but once when he did him betraye Iudas herein you do excell you sell him euerye daye Your masse doth darkē Christ his death and driues it out of mynde If in the same as you do teach forgiuenes we may fynde Christes testament of giuing lyfe and pardon of our synne By death it was confirmed once nothing to chaunge therein His testament you haue defaste his death you do denye For euery Masse doth it not graunt new righteousnes thereby And new forgeuenes of our synne euen for the worke once wrought What els do these new testamentes but set the first at nought But if you will haue them to stand and ratifyed to be To make them perfect Christ must com yet once agayne to dye This was the cause that numbers great your Masse so did embrace As bringing all saluation alone in euery place So beutifull it did appeare and shined all so bright The simple man bewitch did thinke it was a heauenly sight But who so throughly doth it know and looketh well thereon A damned thing most detestable will it confesse anon These few may serue but for a taste what of the rest to hold For of the errours of the Masse the third here is not told ¶ Against the praying to Saintes WHat profit of true prayer is no tong can well expresse What comfort to the heauy soule opprest with carefulnesse Thereby our God he present is when daunger is at hand Defending and eke strengthning vs temptacion to withstand His heauenly grace he graunteth soone if prayer do complayne Thereby forgeuenes of our synne and peace we do obtayne As walles the town doth compasse safe when enmyes force is bent So prayer doth the soule preserue when Sathan doth vs tempt But of all these great benefites the faithfull you bereue That in the Saintes of God do teache the people to beleue All contrary to Christian faith so leading them away From God the geuer of good giftes