as upon the Equity and Justice of the Judge CHAP. XCII Of the Canon-Law FRom the Civil flow'd the Canon or Pontificial Law which may to some seem a most holy Constitution so ingeniously does it hide and mask the precepts of Avarice and rules of Rapine under the pretences of Piety though it contain very few Decrees that regard either Religion the Worship of God oâ— the Ceremonies of the Sacraments I forbear to make it out that some are altogether repugnant to the Word of God all the rest are meer matters of Strife Contention Pride Pomp and Gain and onely Edicts of the Popes not contented with those already made by Holy men and Fathers unless they may adde new Decrees Chaffie extravagancies so that there is no end or limit of their Canons which onely proceed from the Pride and Ambition of the Popes whose Arrogancie has grown so bold as to command the Angels to rob Hell and lay violent hands upon the souls of the Dead tyrannizing over the Law of God with their Interpretations Declarations and Disputations left any thing should be wanting or diminisht from the fulness of their power Did not Pope Clement in a Bull which is kept to this day at Vienna and several other places command the Angel to free the soul of one that was going to Rome for Indulgences and dying by the way immediately out of Purgatory and carry him to Heaven adding It is our pleasure that the pains of hell be no farther inflicted on him granting also power to those that were signed with the Cross at their own pleasures to take three or four souls out of Purgatory Which erroneous and intolerable Boldness if I may not call it Heresie the Parisian School then utterly condemn'd and reprov'd repenting perhaps that they did not report that hyperbolical Zeal of Clement as a Fable that the Story might live rather than die seeing that for all their affirming or denying there is nothing of injury done to the Authority of the Pope whose Canons and Decrees have so pinion'd Theologie that the most Contentious Divine dares neither dispute or think contrary to the Popes Canons without leave and pardon as Martial says of Rusus What Rusus says Rusus has leave for all Although he laugh weep hold his tongue or braul He sups drinks asks denies yet still the brute Has your good leave without your leave he 's mute Out of these Canons also and Decrees we finde the Patrimony of Christ to be Kingdoms Donations Foundations Wealth and large Possessions and that the Priesthood of Christ is Soveraign power and Command that the Sword of Christ is Temporal Jurisdiction that the Rock on which the Church is founded is the Pope that the Bishops are not onely the Ministers but Heads of the Church that the Goods of the Church are not Evangelical Doctrine Constancy of Faith and contempt of the World but Taxes Tythes Oblations Collections Purple Mitres Gold Silver Gems Mannors and Money The power of the Pope is to wage War dissolve Leagues absolve Princes from their Oathes Subjects from their Obedience and to make the house of Prayer a den of Thieves Well therefore may the Pope depose Bishops who can give away other mens rights commit Simony dispense with his Oath and no man be able to say to him Why dost thou so Well may he for other weighty reasons dispense with all the New Testament and send above a third part of the souls of the faithful to hell But the Office of Bishops is not now-a-days to preach the Word but to confer Orders dedicate Temples baptize Bells consecrate Altars and Chalices bless Vestments and Images But they who are more ambitious than these if leaving those things to be performed by I know not what mean and titular Bishops they can procure themselves to be sent Kings Ambassadours to be their Chief Ministers of State or to attend upon the Queen such great causes may excuse um from serving God in the Temples if they can serve the King well at Court Out of the â—me Fountains arise those Equivocations and Shifts to avoid Simony in selling and buying Benefices daily in use or for whatever other Monopolies or Markets are made of Pardons Indulgences Dispensations and the like whereby they set a price upon remission of sins which God has so freely granted and have found out a way to gain by the very pains of Hell From this Law they borrow that feigned Donation of Constantine which is quite contrary to the Word of God seeing that neither Caesar can give away his own Right nor the Clergie usurp that which is Caesars To these we may adde so many ravenous Decrees under the known Titles of Indulgencies of Bulls of Confessions of Testaments of Dispensations of Priviledges of Elections of Dignities of Prebendaries of Religious houses of Sacred houses of The place of Judicature of Immunities of Judgements and the like Lastly the whole Canon-law is of all the most inconstant more various than Proteus more changeable than a Chameleon more full of perplexity than the Gordian-knot So that the Christian-Religion by the Institution of Christ intended to put an end to Ceremonies is now more clogg'd with Ceremonies than the Jewish Religion of old the weight whereof makes the easie and sweet Yoke of Christ more heavie and burthensome than that of the Law while Christians are compell'd to live more according to the Prescriptions of the Canon-law than the Rules of the Gospel To say truth the Learning of both Laws is wholly busied about frail empty and prophane matters Bargains and Quarrels of the common people about Murthers Thefts Robberies Pyracies Factions Conspiracies and Treasons Perjuries Knaveries of Scribes Abuses of Lawyers Corruptions of Judges whereby Widows are ruin'd Orphans destroyed the Poor oppressed the Innocent condemned and as it is said in Juvenal The Crows are pardon'd and the Doves condemn'd Thus blinde men run themselves into mischiefs which they thought to avoid by the assistance of the Canons and Pontifical Decretals because they are no Laws or Canons ordained by God or for the honour of God but onely invented by the corrupt Wit of men for Gain and the supply of covetous desires CHAP. XCIII Of Advocates THere is another Practice of the Law which they call the Art of Pleading of which they would pretend a very great Necessity an ancient but most deceitful Calling onely set out with the gaudy Trimming of Perswasion which is nothing else but to know how by Perswasion to over-rule the Judge and to turn him and winde him at pleasure to know how by false Interpretations and Comments to wrest or avoid the Law or prolong the Suit so to cite and repeat Decrees to pervert Equity and alter the sence of the Law and the intention of the Legislator in which Art there is nothing sooner prevails than Bauling and Confidence and he is accounted the best Advocate who intices most the people to go to Law putting um in hopes of recovering great
and eat flesh for I spake not to your Fathers nor commanded them when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt concerning sacrifices and burnt-offerings but this thing commanded I them saying Obey my voice and I will be your God and ye shall be my people and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you And Isaiah 43. 23. Thou hast not brought me faith the Lord the sheep of thy burnt-offerings neither hast thou honoured me with thy Sacrifices I have not caused thee to serve with an Offering nor wearied thee with Incense thou boughtest me no sweet savour with money neither hast thou made me drunk with the fat of thy Sacrifices but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins and hast wearied me with thy iniquities And Chap. 66. v. 2. To him will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at my words For it is not thy fat flesh that shall cleanse thee from thy iniquities For Chap. 58. v. 5. It is such a fast that I have chosen vers 6. to loose the bands of wickedness to take off the heavy burthens to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every yoke vers 7. To deal thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poor that wandreth into thy house when thou seest the naked that thou cover him and hide not thy self from thine own Flesh. Verse 8. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning and thy health shall grow speedily thy righteousness shall go before thee and the glory of the Lord shall compass thee Verse 9. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer Here am I. I will not deny but that as by Moses and Aaron formerly in the Synagogue and after him by the succeeding Priests Judges and Prophets even to the Scribes and Pharisees so also in the Christian Church it was the practise of the Apostles Evangelists Fathers Priests and Doctors to deck and adorn her with decent Rites Ceremonies and Institutions to render her a more amiable Bride to her Celestial Spouse To which later Ages have added many things too much savouring of Humane Weakness But as it often happens that that which is provided as a Remedy turns oftentimes to nourish the Disease so happens it now with the Ceremonies of the Church that through the folly of Popish Superstition Christians are now adays more clogged with continual innovations than were the Jews of old and which is worse though these Ceremonies are many of them neither good nor bad in themselves but things indifferent yet the superstitious people groping in the dark of Popery and Superstition place a greater belief in them and observe them more strictly than the Commands of God the Bishops Abbots Monks and Priests conniving all the while thereat and well providing thereby for their Bellies Now these Ceremonies though they have been the occasion of few Heresies against the Faith yet have they introduced innumerable Sects into the Church and have been the seed of many Schisms For from hence it came to pass that the Greek Church was separated from the Romans while the one Consecrated Vnleavened the other Leavened Bread when it matters not which so the Bread be consecrated Hence the Bohemian Church separated from the Roman that they might administer the Sacrament in both kinds but as St. Paul saith Gal. 6. 15. Neither circumcision availeth nor uncircumcision but the observance of the Commands of God which the same Author in the same place calls the new creature Therefore is it a most abominable piece of Iniquity for such slight causes and about things indifferent to disturb the Unity of the Church and divide the Body of Christ and as our Saviour objects to the Pharisees to Cleanse the outside of the Cup and swallow a Camel Therefore by the providence of God the Pope did himself little good when he was so stingy against the Leaven of the Greeks and the Bohemian Cup. CHAP. LXI Of the Magistrates and Superiours of the Church IN the Government of the Church it is necessary to make use of Ecclesiastical Magistrates and Officers for the avoiding confusion Now whatsoever is done in the Church either for Ornament or for the increase of Religion whether it be in the Election of Overseers or in the Institution of Ministers unless the same be done by the instinct of the Divine Spirit which is the Soul of the Church it is altogether impious and contrary to the Truth For whosoever is not call'd to the great Office of the Ministry and Dignity of Apostleship by the Spirit as was Aaron and whoever enters not in at the door which is Christ but gets another way into the Church through the window that is to say by the favour of men by purchasing Voices in Election or by superiour Power certainly such a one is no Vicar of Christ or of his Apostles but a Thief and an Impostor the Vicar of Judas Iscariot and Simon the Samaritan Therefore it was so streightly provided by the antient Fathers in the Election of Prelates which they therefore call the Sacrament of Nomination that the Prelates and Apostles who were to be Overseers of the Ministers of the Church should be men of most unspotted Integrity in their Lives and Conversations powerful in sound Doctrine able to give a reason of all their doings But the antient Constitutions falling from their Majesty and the late Pontifical Jurisdiction by damnable Custome getting a head such a sort of Popes and Prelates now adays ascend into the Throne of Christ such as were the Scribes and Pharisees in the Chair of Moses who talk and do nothing binding heavy burthens to the shoulders of the people to which they will not put the stress of a little finger Meer Hypocrites performing all their works to be seen of men making a shew of their Religion as it were in Scenes they covet the chief Seats at Feasts in Schools in the Synagogues the upper hands in the streets and to be saluted with the ponderous appellations of Rabbi and Doctors They barricado up the Gate of Heaven not onely not going in themselves but excluding others They devour Widows houses jabbering long Prayers traveling Land and Seas to seduce children and ignorant persons that having by the addition of one Proselyte encreased their forlorn number they may with a more numerous train enter the Regions of Fire prepared for them With their idle Legends and Traditions they corrupt the most Holy Laws of Christ and neglecting the true Temple of God the living Images of the Son of the Father and the Altars of the peoples Souls with a covetous eye seek after onely Gold and Gifts and minding the more profitable and sinister parts of the Law are very strict in their Decrees touching Tithes Oblations Collections and Alms Tithing Fruits Cattel Money not sparing also things of the smallest price as Mint Anise and Cumin for which
Composition of Trifles and inventions of mad brains However they finde out men so covetous of so much happiness whom they easily perswade that they shall finde greater Riches in Hydargyrie than Nature affords in Gold Such whom although they have twice or thrice already been deluded yet they have still a new Device wherewith to deceive um again there being no greater Madness than to believe the fixed Volatile or that the fixed Volatile can be made So that the smells of Coles Sulphur Dung Poyson and Piss are to them a greater pleasure than the taste of Honey till their Farms Goods and Patrimonies being wasted and converted into Ashes and Smoak when they expect the rewards of their Labours births of Gold Youth and Immortality after all their Time and Expences at length old ragged famisht with the continual use of Quicksilver paralytick onely rich in misery and so miserable that they will sell their souls for three farthings so that the Metamorphosis which they would have made in the Metals they experiment upon themselves for in stead of Alchymists Cacochymists in stead of being Doctors Beggers in stead of Unguentaries Victuallers a laughing-stock to the people and they who in their youth hated to live meanly at length grown old in Chymical Impostures are compell'd to live in the lowest degree of poverty and in so much calamity that receiving nothing but Contempt and Laughter in stead of Commendation and Pity at length compell'd thereto by Penury they fall to Ill Courses as Counterfeiting of Money And therefore this Art was not onely expell'd out of the Romane Commonwealth but also also prohibited by the Decreed of the sacred Canons of the Church And if now there were a Law to forbid any of them to practise this Art without the special favour and license of the Prince upon the forfeiture of their goods and proscription of their persons we should have less false Money made wherewith many are now deceived to the great damage of the Commonwealth For which reason it is thought that Amasis King of Aegypt made a Law whereby every Magistrate was compell'd to give an account what Art or Science he most favour'd which he that did not underwent a very severe punishment Many things could I say of this Art of which I am no great enemy were I not sworn to silence a custom impos'd upon persons newly initiated therein which has been so solemnly and religiously observed by the ancient Writers and Philosophers that there is no Philosopher of approved authority or Writer of known fidelity who hath in any place made mention thereof which hath caus'd many to believe that all the Books treating of this Art were made of late days to which the names of the Authors Giber Morienus Gigildis and the rest of the whole Croud give no small confirmation the obscure words which they use and the unaptness of their language and their ill Method of Philosophizing Some have thought the Golden Fleece to be a certain Chymical Book written after the ancient manner in Parchment wherein was contained the way of making Gold Of which sort when Diocletian had got together a great many among the Aegyptians who were said to be very skilful in this Art he is said to have burnt them all left the Aegyptians confiding in their Riches and easie means of obtaining Treasure should at one time or other revolt from the Romans And therefore was this Art by a publike Edict of the same Emperour rendered infamous It would be too long to relate all the foolish Mysteries of this Art and empty Riddles of the Green Lion the Fugitive Hart the Volant Eagle the Dancing Fool the Dragon devouring his Tayl the Swell'd Toad the Crows Head of that which is Blacker than Black of Mercury's Seal of the Dirt of Foolishess of wisdom I ought to have said and a thousand other Trifles Lastly of that one thing besides which there is nothing else though as common as may be the blessed subject of the most holy Philosophers Storie not to be spoken of without incurring Perjury yet I will say somewhat of it obscurely and in such manner as none but the sons of Art shall understand me It is a thing which hath a substance neither too firy nor altogether earthy nor is it a watry nor sharp nor obtuse quality but indifferent light and soft or at least not hard not rough but sweet in taste sweet in smell grateful to the sight pleasant to the ear and delightful to think on More I must not say nor greater things can I. For I think this Art by reason of my familiarity with it worthy the same Honour as Thucydides gives to a good Woman when he says That she is the best woman of whom there is least discourse I will onely adde this That Chymists are of all men the most perverse for when God says In the sweat of thy brows thou shalt eat thy bread and the Prophet in another place Because thou eatest the labours of thy hands therefore art thou blessed and it shall be well with thee they contemning the divine Command and promise of happiness endeavour to raise Golden mountains by Womens labour and Childrens play I deny not but from this Art many excellent Inventions have deriv'd themselves hence Cinaber Minimum Purple that which they call Musical gold and the temperatures of other Colours had their beginning To this Art Aurichalcum the changing of Metals Soders and Tryals owe their first finding out Guns are the terrible Invention of this Art Hence sprung the Art of making all sorts of Glasses a most noble Invention of which Theophilus hath writ a most excellent Treatise But Pliny relates that the temperament of Glass was found out in the time of Tiberius but the Work-house was by Tiberius pull'd down and the Artificer if we may believe Isodorius was put to death left the Glass should detract from Gold and Silver and Brass lose their value CHAP. XCI Of the Law in general WE come now to the knowledge of the Law that onely pretends to judge and discern between True and False Equity and Iniquity Right and Wrong The chief Heads now-a-days are the Pope and the Emperour who boast that they have all Laws written in the Cabinets of their Brests whose Will is Reason and who by their own Arbitrary opinions rule and govern all Sciences Arts Writings Opinions and whatever other Works of men For which cause Pope Leo commanded that no person should dare to dispute or justifie any thing in the Church but by the Authority of the holy Councils the Canons and Decretals of which the Pope is the Head Neither is it lawful for us to make use of the Interpretations of any the most holy and learned Divines but onely so far as the Pope permits and authorizes by his Canons And the Canon further commands that no Book or Volume whatsoever shall be received by any Divine but what is first approved of by the Canons of the Pope The