not the worlde maruaile if in purging the Church from so many abominations wherewith the aduersaries had in all places and so long time together defiled it some small matter remained not swept away and caried out with the rest As for the positiue lawes of the lande wherein also the Iesuite woulde seeme to haue knowledge and matter for maintenance of his popish superstitions they make wonderfully against him I speake not this onely in respect of the most godly lawes made of late vnder King Henrie the eyght her Maiesties father of noble fame or since vnder the Josias of these ages King Edward the sixt and in the most blessed and prosperous raigne of her Maiestie but lawes made in the time of Edwarde the first Richard the thirde and some others before and after For euen these haue made auncient lawes as appeareth by a booke written onely of this argument aboue fourtie yeeres since to abandon the Popes authoritie which head of the Popish Church being taken away the body can not remaine but as a dead carkeis that must haue present buriall or remaine as one of y e antique images of Rome that hauing lost the head yet is highly esteemed onely for antiquitie 6 In the sixt article first he sheweth how litle power he hath ouer his tongue or ouer his pen. For being loth to speake any thing that might but sounde of an insolent brag or chalenge yet hee doeth most insolently bragge more then any and chalenge more then all For what one man hath made such a bragge or such a chalenge as out of al sciences against al men to mainteyne that that for want of maintenance is fallen as y e Angel prophecied of y e fall saying Great Babylon is fallen the inhabitants friendes thereof see her dayly fall and there is neyther violence nor subtiltie that can lift her vp againe But the Iesuite moueth pitie rendereth a reason why he may not boast He is a dead man to this worlde In what sense he is dead I know not In deede as yet he can neither be founde aliue nor dead nor the place of his buriall Whatsoeuer other may thinke hee thinketh not himselfe spiritually dead but dead by resignation of a worldly life or danger of death that may come by iustice of lawe Whatsoeuer it is he woulde be pitied before he commeth neere any danger As he moueth pitie so he beggeth loue for the wonderfull loue ready minde he would seeme to beare towarde euery man He offreth hayle master as Judas did a kisse downe to the ground But we must not beleeue words of loue from an enemie y t sheweth malice in deede Yet there is some thing in his professed loue For to treade afterward proudly vpon our heads to make vs kisse y e Popes feete he wil in the Popes seruice first laye his head vnder our feete kisse the ground we tread vpon O false shew of gracious lowlines O seruile wordes of flatterie ioyned with intolerable pride of a deceitfull heart For to whome is not y e notorious pride hideous crueltie of Antichrist knowen It foloweth to see how soone suddenly a double minded man sheweth him selfe inconstant in all his wayes He that in one line abaseth him selfe to the dust in the next exalteth him selfe against heauen He nowe pretending the defence of the maiestie of Christ and yet intending to defend y e tyranny of Antichrist doeth display his courage his affiance his assurance his euidence so impregnable that no mā may encountre with him As before he promised to crye a false Alarme againe sinne so nowe in presumption of himselfe he soundeth the victory and proclaimeth a triumph and that before he hath shewed his face in the field If those wordes did no more tickle the Papists that beleeue all and receiue al from Rome then they doe vs who examine spirites by the worde he might haue reserued them for a fitter time and a better place In a good cause it is good alwaies to be bolde to haue singular affiance in the gratious fauour of Iesus Christ On the other side in an euil cause to trust to a broken reede of Egypt is a double folly bringeth a double mischiefe first an ouerthrow in the attempt and afterward the shame of an euill matter Moreouer for an enemie of the kingdome of Christ to call Christ his King and to borowe his name to iustifie a foule enterprise it is nothing else but to sinne the sinne of them that sweare The Lord liueth and yet deceyue For therein the offender maketh the Lord of hostes a witnesse a reuenger of his impietie In the wordes folowing if his heart varyed not frō his pen he maketh account to haue very fauorable readers that will beleeue so great matters in so slender a man For as one sayde of another matter It is easier to commit murther then to defende it so is it easier to fal into the error of Poperie then to mainteyne it Neuerthelesse this chalenger doeth so vndertake the maintenāce as if nothing could be replyed against him And not contenting himselfe to say The Protestants cannot answere he doeth in spitefull wordes of disgrace ease his stomacke of much gall against the preachers and against their pulpits against the hearers and their vnlearned eares His impressions of malice are so strong and the opinion conceiued of his owne sufficiencie so great that he vaunteth saying I know perfectly that no one Protestant nor all the Protestants liuing can mainteine their doctrine They haue mainteined it by the word of might and trueth against all the aduersaries in writing and solemne disputation as hath bin noted And can they not now mainteine it against one man but of eight or nine yeeres standing in his profession as litle in deede as he is great in his owne conceipt Yes y e meanest of many by y e grace of God can mainteyne it and shall preuayle And if our aduersaries wyll looke into our defences already published they shall see the defence of our religion so great and the cause so manifest that I may truely vse these wordes against the chalenger on the otherside No one Iesuite nor all the Iesuites liuing shall be able to answere that that is written or to roote out that which is planted We face not men downe in our pulpits which is his foule reproch against our holy exercise of preaching but wee labour by the powerfull worde of God to bring all men to the knowledge and obedience of the trueth As for our kingdome of Grammarians againe I vnderstande not his taunt Wee prayse God for the knowledge of many tongues by many Grammers and for the knowledge of Grammer that leadeth into further vnderstanding and these gifts wee vse to the glory of God and the confutation of your religion If his taunt was to note that we want other good artes haue onely some swaye in
important he notwithstāding promiseth himselfe without doubt as hauing y e disposition of their hearts in his hande that they also will at last for their own soules for many thousand soules that depend vpō their gouernmēt discoūtenāce the religiō hearken vnto Papistry He would not beforehand make this promise which is his chiefe purpose drawe the multitude to expect backsliding in their honors if he did not highly esteeme his owne basenesse basely iudge of their excellēcie But how doth this inconstant Iesuite still giue in one line and take away in another Haue her Maiesties most honorable Counsell wisdome in cases most importāt are they without wisdome in the most importāt cause of religiō which more thē al other causes importeth them for their owne soules many thousande soules beside Without this wisdom of God in the Gospell there is no wisedome in the wisest men of the worlde Then the Iesuite withdrawing from their honors this wisdome he attributeth to them a wisedome which is no wisedome and so his praises are no praises But he findeth in their wise gouernment feeleth their wisedome to bee according to knowledge their knowledge ioyned with zeale according to y e reuealed trueth which they vnder her Maiestie mainteine to Gods glory y e cutting off of Popish enterprises to the contrary Wherefore y e ages that shal come after shall witnes for her Maiestie for them that in singular wisdom they haue restored mainteined the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christ blessedly withstoode the flatteries of Iesuites and the violence of the vnholy fathers army that would in Englād set vp the beast that must be throwen downe into the nethermost hel neuer rise againe whose feareful fall will draw with it the fall of as many as depend vpō her yeeld their seruice to her notwithstanding her intolerable pride bloody fornications Moreouer this Iesuite writeth to their honor without regard of their honors For as if they had no eyes to see nor hearts to consider what may be and what hath bene said for Popish religion he wil now open the questions of religion so faithfully that their honors shall see the substantiall groundes whereon the Popish faith is builded Haue all other Iesuites wanted learning Haue euen this Champions masters wanted strength in the field and dexteritie in their enterprises To heale the woundes of the beast are all other Phisitions Phisitions of no valew Thus we see how this Iesuite chargeth the Lordes as not hauing their eyes yet open to see what religion is and also noteth the wantes of his masters that haue not done that himselfe will vndertake But to performe all these promises he must not alledge the authoritie of his oracle for the oracle himself may sooner with Atlas beare the weight of the worlde vpon his shoulders then mainteine so great a quarell as is the defense of the Romish Church against the Gospel of God as is the maynteining of the worldly kingdome of the Pope against the spirituall and mightie kingdome of Iesus Christ After these things he returneth to his slaunders against the preachers of the worde charging them that they huddle vp and confounde questions of religion But whatsoeuer the Iesuite thus casteth out in malicious false termes God bath blessed the preachers of the Gospell with worthie gifts and a pure forme of preaching agreeable to the puritie of the Gospel which they professe So that if our aduersaries their giftes come to a right examination it shall appeare to al men that if Papists haue learning so we also if they haue order and methode so wee also if they haue giftes to perswade we much more vpon more excellent groundes And which is more then all whereas they preach men we preache God whereas they preache error we preache the trueth not according to men but according to the foundation of the holy Prophets and Apostles Christ Iesus being the head corner stone As for Antiquitie Fathers Coūcils we allowe them as farre as the worde of God doeth not disalowe them But if any oracle from heauen or consent of all the worlde teache or perswade any thing otherwise then we haue receiued in the word we subscribe to the sentence alreadie pronounced by Saint Paul and registred in his holy Epistle to the Galathians What kinde of new preaching these new Iesuites bring I know not but if they followe the veine of their forefathers the auncient Friers then I know that they wil draw byase whether they huddle or no. The worlde is yet full of volumes wherein their sermons are penned downe but with matter so ridiculous and Latine so barbarous that all bookes written to make sport must giue place to them From charging the preachers he proceedeth to charge y e sway of the time for preuayling against him and his The time is neither shorter nor longer better nor worse in it selfe therefore in this figuratiue speach he couertly chargeth the gouerners of the time Wherein he againe vttereth his murmuring repineth that his golden times so often calculated can yet take no place But blessed be the Lord that hath stretched out his arme the swaye and stroke whereof preuayleth against all enemies of the kingdome of Iesus Christ and let not their praises die for euer whome the Lord hath raysed vp to be his instruments in so glorious a worke As for the best blood in your bodies which you woulde spēd for their honors which of them require any such sacrifice at your hande who stand in neede of it In so euil a cause as the perswading of error what can it auaile If I may againe aduise you keepe it to preserue life it may be the Lord hath appointed a day for your true repentance that renouncing your former workes of merite and supererogation you may receiue y e loue of the trueth and builde your faith vpon the merites of Christ alone which shalbe your owne saluation And leaue to professe loue where you practise treason cease to promise the sheading of your blood willingly as in a good cause whereas experience hath lately shewed that you your confederates lost blood in a notorious euill cause But that was the mercy of God that watcheth ouer vs still to take the wicked in their wickednes which mercie shall watch ouer vs continually if we auoide the contempt of y t Gospel we professe and shewe our selues thankefull to his maiestie for so great mercies Againe the Iesuite flaunteth in words vaunteth of his innocent handes lifted vp to heauen euery day euery houre as for the good of their honours To make your hands no fowler then they are yet those innocent handes haue written no innocent bookes they haue cast abroade no innocent libels they helde out no innocent banner of Popish obedience in their actual rebellions heretofore in England presently in Ireland But if those handes may be innocent that haue done
these things and moreouer crucifie the sonne of God againe euerie day in their most blasphemous sacrifice of the Masse yet when you holde vp those handes in prayer I doubt not but it is with desire to haue Popish religion restored to haue the Lords of the Counsell remoued to haue way made for you to returne frō your beggerly estate to the dignities and regencie of the lande And why then doe you that are knowen to make this prayer and to followe your prayers with practises notwithstanding make mention of them as a dutiful and holy seruice towarde the Counsell If the things ye seeke by prayer otherwise were good then the prayer enterprise also may be good but if ye aske the thinges that are euil the praier is turned into sinne and you finde how true the wordes of Iames are concerning such praiers and such purposes you aske and receiue not But howsoeuer you pray or purpose we in all trueth loue holde vp both our handes and heartes vnto God for you that are in darkenes and in the shadowe of death praying him in his deare sonne Iesus Christ to cast vpon you the light of his countenance that you may see finde that righteousnes which S. Paul desired with the losse of al the other helpes preeminences namely not the righteousnes which was his owne which is of the lawe but the righteousnes which is of God through faith This is vnfeinedly our publique and priuate praier for you with continuall supplication that God woulde make vs all sheepe of the same folde whereof Iesus Christ alone is the great Pastor To come againe to that which followeth in the letter he addeth the praise of English students beyonde Sea saying Their posteritie shal not die No more shall the posteritie of Antichrist til they and their abominations be brought into iudgement As for the vertue sufficient knowledge which they gather I would know whether it be vertue or knowledge that cause them in some places to carie letters to enter into sedicious matters priuilie in other places to carrie armes against her Maiestie openly Other fruite of their abandoning the lande great studies beyond sea I heare of none a fewe motiues excepted In the next wordes you professe better vertue and more knowledge if the euil cause were not stil the same For in deede it is y e heauenly gift of God in our calling to despise the death of the bodie for the life of their soules whom otherwise we cannot in our ministerie bring to saluation But your cause tendeth not to the saluation but to the condemnation of those whom you carie away with your carnall worshippings and false doctrine Moreouer it may be these are but wordes of a vaine bragge as hitherto appeareth For albeit you woulde seeme determined vpon your league neuer to giue ouer the Lords of the Counsel but either to winne them to heauen as if now they were lost to hell or to die vpon their pikes yet you that haue taried so long from so great a worke tarie yet longer making no haste to come to so good a match These valiant resolute souldiers vnder y e Popes banner of obedience appeare not euen this Campmaster appeareth not But it may be he hath withdrawen himselfe to write his letters consolatorie into Ireland and backe againe to Rome and among other his large offers he mindeth to afforde vs this that we shall haue some time to prepare for so dangerous a combat To let this passe that which followeth doeth shew his spirit For out it must with ful mouth and great sound he can no longer keepe his own counsel It woulde be marked and taken heede of not for feare of the matter but to see the rebellion of the men The societie of Iesuites proclaime by their trumpet Master Campiō make it knowen that they haue all made a league not to leaue a mā of thēselues aliue free from the honor of Stories Tiburne or consumption in prison til they haue ouer-reached all the practises of Englād Fearefull wordes threatning paper shot But the weakenes of their force taketh nothing frō the greatnesse of their malicious and trayterous purpose For if their power were as their purpose see I pray you what an alteration they would soone worke in this land Neuerthelesse these Iesuites that minde to leaue no way that they thinke may establish the beast whom they worship yet they vtter this traiterous branch of the vnholy league as if it were no other thing thē by preaching to winne men to saluation But I haue largely shewed that it is destruction that they call saluation Therefore to conclude these matters his purpose is with his confederates by al meanes to subdue men to the Popes bondage and in this piece of seruice to preuayle or to die vpon any daungers A great offer for so small gayne a great danger for so wretched a purpose But if the Iesuite report the conclusion of y e league truely when it is put in execution which notwithstanding they wil flee more then we cā feare it wil not go so ill with the Church of God in England as it will go wel with all other Churches For if all the Iesuites in the worlde bend their forces towarde England and come to carie the crosse that here shalbe layd vpon them we shalbe ouerlayed with those swarmes of grashoppers except the Lord prouide a mighty west wind to cast them violently into the Sea but all other Churches shalbe free from that plague But if answereably to our professiō we remaine y e Israel of God though Egypt be plagued yet there shalbe no complaining in the tents of Iacob After these bragges in words only howe readie they are in the planting of Popish religion to die at Tiburne or in any other torments he sheweth vs that the expence is reckoned the enterprise is begun To gather these matters First he publisheth a general cōspiracie of al the Iesuites in the world and they were not alone in the decree to die vpon our pikes or to draw vs frō religiō Secōdarily he forewarneth definitiuely that this their league succession multitude must ouerreach al the practises of England Thirdly that the accōpt is made the enterprise begun In respect of any thing these Iesuites or their adherēts can doe we haue no cause to feare at all for their rage shal turne to y e praise of God who wil cōfound thē for his trueth to get glory to his name But in respect of our sinnes in not bringing forth fruites worthie of the Gospell we may feare least some of these noysome beasts in their swarmes cast some shadow vpō the tree of life Touching those last wordes so playnely laying downe their multitude confederacie threats and beginnings I leaue any further to examine them they are for an other examination as drawing neere the heart of the common wealth for the purpose and execution thereof The