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A08201 Abrahams faith: that is, The olde religion VVherein is taught, that the religion now publikely taught and defended by order in the Church of England, is the onely true Catholicke, auncient, and vnchangeable faith of Gods elect. And the pretensed religion of the Sea of Rome is a false, bastard, new, vpstart, hereticall and variable superstitious deuise of man. Published by Iosias Nicholls, an humble seruant and minister of the gospell in the Church. Nichols, Josias, 1555?-1639. 1602 (1602) STC 18538; ESTC S113254 207,023 348

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their decrees framed and ordained Beside this all these latter counsels haue not beene made with vniuersall consent but the church hath been deuided into two parts East and West vntill the time of this counsell of Basill and then it was sewed together with rotten threed and presently rent in peeces againe as it were in a moment and there was one counsel at Basill and an other set against it a Florence Now I say seeing these counsels of Constance Basil Trident in which the most part and chiefest of Popery hath been in the most generall maner determined published for the acts and determination of the church were but a verie smale part of the vniuersall church Namely of the Westerne parts I know not howe they can assure vs that in them we haue the churches determination except they could proue these counsels ecumenical and vniuersall of all Christian churches as was the first general counsell of Nice vnder Constantine the great Againe the counsels for sixe hundred yeeres after Christ did not decree as they haue done since and the faith of the church was not the determination of the Church but the sentence of holie scriptures and many points of faith haue been since determined not by but without holie Scriptures what should wee esteeme the auncient primatiue Churches to haue erred in faith or that they knew not or held not the true faith because that in verie many articles they lacked the ecclesiastical determination Lastly seeing that euerie day they bring foorth new deuises and sanctions and the latter many times contrarie to the former who can tell when he is in the truth or out of the truth or when the Church hath made her true and right determination Hee that readeth ouer Gracian and the Tomes of the counsels with the histories of the liues of the Popes or doo but well marke and consider that little which I haue penned out of them in this Chapter shall easilie perceiue that they are euer learning but neuer come to the knowledge of the truth they dote about questions which are endles and strife of woords there is no certaintie in their religion little trueth and vncessant innouation Therefore I may conclude that as this monster is of a later generation and a new continuall conception so no mortall man can tell when hee will come to his full birth and bee a perfect bodie or when he will haue his certaine determination right shape and proportion and finall growth and compleate stature I will leaue him therefore to the high Iudge and Lord of all flesh vntill that great and fearefull day a Reuel 19.20 When the beast shall bee taken and with him the false prophet and they both cast aliue into the lake of fire which burneth with brimstone Come Lord Iesus come quickly CHAP. V. Heere is shewed that all men ought to flie poperie First because of the exceeding daunger it bringeth to them selues to their seede and countrie Secondlie It is of all heresies and Apostasies the most pernitious Thirdlie It is not tollerable or to bee wincked at in any Christian common wealth Fourthly We of England haue great cause to praise God that we haue nothing to do with it NO sooner had my penne concluded the former Chapter but that me thought I hearde the great comaunder of all the worlde calling vnto all Christians concerning the Romish religion and saying a Esai 52.11 Departe depart go out from thence and touch no vncleane thing For seeing that poperie is so directly and manifold differing from the true ancient and catholike religion so agreeing with all filthie heresies and lately sprung vp out of the vncleane brood of humane inuention and diabolicall suggestion bearing downe all puritie of faith and true holy worship of God that hereby the Romish Church is certainly found to approue it selfe to bee that great Babilon which is become the habitations of deuils and the hold of foule spirits and a cage of euerie vncleane and hatefull bird I can no otherwise vnderstand the duetie of all Christians but that they bee obedient to that heauenly voice which els where calleth vs out of that prophane sinagogue of Rome saying b Reuelat. 18.4 Go out of her my people that ye bee not partakers in her sinnes that ye receiue not of her plagues It behoueth therefore euerie soule to consider wisely of this thing because of the daunger that may happen to himselfe to his seed and to his countrie For as it was no pleasant thing to Noe to liue among those proud and cruell people of the first worlde whose destruction hee knew to be most certainly approching and as Lot dwelling at the gate of Sodom vexed his righteous soule in hearing and seeing their vnlawfull deeds his verie life was hazarded in the destruction of the wicked if God had not beene singularly mercifull vnto him So all men that feare God cannot but know that such wicked and filthie heresie as poperie is must needes bee as a canker that fretteth euen vnto destruction of the soule For it not onely draweth vs vnto many noysome and hereticall prauities but also to most abhominable idolatrie and the verie ouerthrow of the couenaunt of grace and true faith by which we stand in the fauour of God and haue the hope of eternall life by Iesus Christ They which speake most fauourablie for papists seeme willing to haue them in some sort of the visible Christian Church doe endeuour the same by making their apostasie to bee no greater then the apostasie of the ten tribes of Israel after their falling away from the house of Dauid vnder the hand of Hieroboam At which time they left the temple at Hierusalem and the pure worship word of God and made them calues in Dan and Bethel and worshipped God as it pleased the kinges of Israel But if men would consider the a 1. King 2. 2. Cron. 18. 19. storie of that good king Iehoshaphat when hee ioyned affinitie with Ahab they might easily see this thing how neere hee was to leese his life for such fellowship what losse hee had of shippes and how God rebuked him saying Wouldest thou helpe the wicked and loue them that hate the Lord therefore for this thing the wrath of the Lord is vppon thee Loe heere the Israelites are counted wicked the haters of God and such as for whose fellowship Gods wrath commeth vppon his children Therefore seeing the papistes are much more worse it must needs bee verie daungerous to haue any fellowshippe with them And if the soule bee farre more precious then the bodie then is the hazarde the greater And doubtlesse no man is able to expresse the greatnesse of the mischiefe which that wicked broode may bring vpon a man for so much as they transgresse the worde of God and follow not the doctrine of Christ and haue chosen their owne waies and their soule delighteth in their owne abhominations For it is written b 2.
clay If we reade the warres sedition tumults bonefires massacres rebellions treasons murders and all manner of hurly burly betweene Pope and pope Cardinall and Cardinall betweene pope and Cardinals Emperors kinges and people betweene citie and citie subiect against their Lords and one nation against another From the first arising of Hildebrands fire which he brought from hell vntill our time which haue beene raised procured maintayned and continued by that wicked generation wee may well say of them as the prophete Esay speaketh of the wicked b Cap. 57.20 The wicked are like the raging sea that cannot rest whose waters cast vp mire and dirt But he that would reade Clemangis Sigebert Aeneas Siluius Sigonius Mathie Parrisius and other such writers which liued in those times shall find a great many more monsters new borne in the church of Rome then in this shorte treatise I am able to set downe yet for the further helpe of the reader I will leade him a worde or twaine from these storie writers to the Counsels If happely wee may finde some of this new broode of poperie by them The c Canon 6. Anno 330. The primacie of Bishops Nice councel summoned by Constantin the great consisting of 318. Bishops out of all the parts of the world ordained according to the custome of the church in those daies that the Patriarch of Alexandria and of Antioch shold haue the like authority in their Bishoprickes as the Bishops of Rome in his This was as Gratian saith the first generall counsell Therefore when the pope is gotten to an higher presumption he is in this respect of a new religion About this time the counsell of Ancyra d Canon 14. eating of flesh condemned those ministers that did account flesh vncleane and abominable And the counsell of e Canon 2. Gangrena a little after calleth them Anathema acursed which condemne a man for eating flesh in faith But this late counsell of Trent and Synagogue of Rome doe commaund abstinence from flesh vpon rewarde or vengeance of God and their practise of seueritie in punishing such for heretickes as eat flesh in daies by them deuised and canonized we well know and remember The same councell of Gangrena f Canon 4. 9 10. single life doth accurse whomsoeuer that put difference between a maried prieste or any other touching the seruice in the ministerie and also such as for virginitie sake iudge mariage abhominable But all men know that the Romish Harlot is of a new learning putting more holinesse in single life and vowes of chastity especially in their priests then in honest and honorable wedlock A counsel at Antioch somwhat after a Canon 2. the sole communion ordained such to bee cast out of the Church which entred the Church and heard the scriptures and did not tarrie to receiue the communion with the rest of the people And the like you may finde to be the order of the church in ancient time b Anno 480. Canon 18. in the counsell of Agatha a citie of Fraunce But now our new sinagogue hath deuised a priuate masse that the priest should blesse the people with the cup make them to worship his idoll and he himselfe eate all alone A councell at Laodicea c An. 368. Canon 16. 59. iudged that the gospels and other scriptures were to bee read on the Sabbaoth daies and that of the vnlearned there ought not to be said in the Church Canonicall scriptures only to be read in the church psalmes made and vulgar which as I iudge were balads neither to reade books which are out of the canon but onely the canonicall bookes of the old and new testament and there they reckon vp the bookes which we hold for canonicall But wee know that the Romish Apostasie hath afterward brought in legends and other Apocrypha writings to iustle out the holy scriptures of God keeping them secret in an vnknowen tongue The 4. counsell of Carthage saith Mulieres baptizare c. Let not women presume to baptize Women bapt But we know by what deuise the sea of Rome haue brought in women to baptise In the sixt counsell of Carthage Anno 430. Appeales to Rome wherein was S. Augustine Bishop of Yppo and Legate of the prouince of Numidia it was tried and found out that it was not as Bonifacius Bishop of Rome would haue vsurped lawful by the councell of Nice to appeale to Rome out of other Bishops prouinces Epist Concil Africk ad lestinum but that they saw most wiselie and iustly that all busines was to bee ended where it was begun neither should the grace of the holie spirit be wanting to any prouince whereby equitie might be wisely seene of Christs priests and constantly holden And after that the Mileintane counsell a Canon 22. forbad all people to appeale ouer the sea out of their prouince but only to the counsel of Africk the primates of their prouinces and who so did otherwise shold not be receiued to the cōmunion in al Africk But we know that since that time the pride of that wicked whore of Rome hath vsurped iurisdiction ouer al lāds that by any means they cold bring vnder their feet receiue appeals from whom soeuer insomuch that we b Polydor hist Ang. li. 20 Rich. 2. read of a Synode in England An. 1391. which because many were vexed for causes which could not be knowen at Rome ordained that the authority of the pope of Rome should stretch no farther then to the Ocean sea that who so appealed to Rome beside excōmunication shold be punished with losse of all their goods perpetual imprisonment In the same counsel of Mileintane Anno 420. c Canon 5.6.7 It was decreed against Pelagius that without the grace of Christ we can do nothing and that euerie man should know he hath sin in him Free will and iurisdiction by workes as saith Saint Iohn Epist 1. cap. 1. and that in many things wee sin all and that we must confesse with the Psalme enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shal no mā liuing be iustified which thing is opened by an d Epist 72. Epistle of Aurelius B. of Carthage vnto the Bishops of the prouince of Bizanzena and Arzignitanta where hauing shewed the error of Pelagius he declareth the faith of the Catholikes to be thus Sixtly to confesse the grace of God and his helpe to be giuen vnto all singuler acts and the same not according to our merits that it may be true grace that is freely giuē by his mercie who said I wil haue mercie on whom I will haue mercie c. And ninthlie to confesse when wee fight against tentations and vnlawfull concupiscences although we haue there euen our owne will yet not by that but by the mercie of God we haue our saluation because otherwise it shall not be true which the Apostle saith
Iohn vers 9. Whosoeuer transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God And againe c Esai 5.24 As the flame of fire deuoureth the stubble and as the chaffe is consumed of the flame so their roote shall bee rottennesse and the budde shall rise vp like dust because they haue cast off the law of the Lord of hostes and contemned the worde of the holy one of Israel If then it be a perillous thing and a miserie to bee without God and to bee as a rotten roote and a budde turned into dust to be deuoured like stubble of the flaming fire and that this commeth by forsaking the word of God then woe and twise woe vnto all them that seperate not themselues from poperie and papistes whose foundation is the forsaking of Gods worde to follow the magisteriall power of men and humane traditions and inuentions Againe what soule is there that hath learned Christ who doth not see what a mischiefe and inconuenience this bringeth on his posteritie And if you forget it or consider it not remember d 1. King 11. cap. 12. cap. 14. Salomon the wise who was called Iedidiah that is beloued of the Lord. Behold what a breach his idolatrie made in his kingdome glorie which befell in his son Rehoboams daies cōtinued in his posterity for euer he lost the ten tribes of Israel and his golde was turned into brasse a 2. King 8 18. And of Iehoram the sonne of Iehoshaphat it is said that he walked in the waies of the kings of Isràel as did the house of Ahab for the daughter of Ahab was his wife he did euil in the sight of the Lord. b Cap. 9. 10. And whē God stirred vp Iehu to root out the house of Ahab For his abhominable idolatrie and bluddie crueltie by this affinitie which came through Iehoshaphates folly Ahaziah king of Iudah sonne of Iehoram the sonne of Iehoshaphat being found in the company was slaine with Iehoram king of Israel wicked Ahabs sonne and fortie and two of Ahazias brethren comming to visite the sonnes of the wicked Therefore all wisemen considering these and such like iudgements vpon the houses of Gods children for their fellowship with the wicked will know very well that it behooueth them to take heed as of a poisoned serpent and to bee warie of these Scorpion-like popish Locustes whose sting being in their tailes do bring such great wrath of God vpon all that are infected with their heresie For they know who hath said c Eph. 5.11 Haue no fellowship with the vnfruitful works of darknes but euen reproue them rather d 2. Ioh. ver 10 If there come any vnto you bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither bid him God speed e Heb. 12.15 Take heede that no man fall away from the grace of God let no roote of bitternesse spring vp and trouble you lest thereby many be defiled Now as for a mans countrie consider onely the storie f Iudg. 17. 18 of Micah Into whose house by his mothers superstition when images had entred it was an occasion meanes of the corrupting of the whole tribe of Dan with idolatrie And that of g Gideon g Cap. 8.24.25.26 Who of the earings and iewels that were giuen him of the spoiles of Midian making a Ephod a small thing in comparison of popish imagerie and putting it in Ophrah his city brought a maruellous inconuenience and corruption to the whole land and to his owne house as may appeare by this that it is said All Israel went a whooring after it Verse 27. which was the destruction of Gideon and his house 2 But if you marke it well this is not all For of all heresies apostasies which haue happened from the beginning of the world this poperie is the most pernicious For all other haue contented themselues to leade the people from God to idolatrie and by continuance of sinne haue drawne the fierce wrath of God vpon countries nations and in fine great desolations and ouerthrowes But poperie as it is equall at the least in all these euils with all other wickednesse and abhominations whatsoeuer so it hath a certaine excellencie in doing euill aboue all other infections Namely that it ouerturneth the verie course of nature For wee reade in all stories of Assirians Chaldeans Meades and Persians Grecians Romanes that their superstitions did make them straungers from God indeed worthely deserued they suffered they his heauie iudgements yet the ciuill magistrate was honorable among them and the beautie of the common weales was the freedom to punish wickednesse as murder and vncleannesse the people might liue in some reasonable libertie vnder the pure and honest obedience of their Lords kings or Emperours But the Church of Rome taketh away all authoritie and power from the ciuill estate translateth it to the ecclesiasticall vpon euerie trifle dischargeth the people of their obedience to the ciuill sword and keepeth them in most straite slauerie to themselues openeth the way to all wickednesse murders and vncleannesse and vtterly weakeneth the estate of all princes coningly making them vassals and slaues to all folly dishonour All this the Christian reader may see before I proceed if he call to mind the latter part of the last Chapter How be it I will helpe him a little that he may the more plainly discerne what I say and the true effect thereof Three thinges I obserue in a flourishing common wealth 1. The good vertuous and commendable liuing of the people 2. The wealth and peace of the countrie 3. The honour and safetie of the prince and ciuill state Where these three are taken away there the common wealth must needes be turned vpside downe and this doth the verie nature of poperie bring to passe as it were the verie bane of the ciuill state and common wealth First looke wee vpon their single life of their priestes Single life the cause of many euils Munkes Friers and Nunnes and see what this doth bring to passe These doe naturally diminish the number of people when so many men and women are kept from mariage and these being priuiledged persons are exempted from ciuil seruice so that it weakneth the strength of the realme as Solomon saith a Prouerb 14.28 In the multitude of the people is the honour of the king and for the want of people commeth the destruction of the prince Secondly these haue brought foorth most horrible vncleannesse not to bee named amongst Christians and infinite murders of poore innocents such as I am ashamed to explane as it deserueth onely I will shew the reader as it were through a lattise some part of this euill and chiefly what the papistes themselues say namely that the inconuenience of this single life was such that when the priestes by Gregory the seuenth were forbidden mariage Antoninus histor pars 3. tit 16. pap
of truth Vnto which the Pope by a speciall bull gaue him licence prouided that of euery house be paid vnto Peter the yerely pension of a pennie and the foundation of this graunt in the said bull is builded vpon this that the Pope therein most arrogantly without any authoritie from God challengeth saying Sane omnes insulas c. Surely all Ilands vpon whom the sunne of righteousnesse shineth haue receiued the doctrine of the Christian faith without doubt doth appertain to the right of S. Peter of the holy church of Rome Behold a wōderfull arrogancie a maruellous awe of a king to a proud prelate And not onely was he thus in awe of the pope a thing abhorrent from a free kingdome but also c Pag. 134. so forward Thomas Archb. of Canterbury being one of his own subiects did verie greatly curbe him For beside many other crosse dealing whereas An. 1164. the Archbish Bishops Abbots priors the cleargie Earles Barons and all the nobilitie did sweare and firmely promise in the word of truth to keepe and obserue to the king his heires in good sooth without any ill meaning for euer sixteene points of customes or liberties recognised and acknowledged to be to him and namely of the auncestors of the king for the auoiding of dissentions and discord often arising betweene the cleargie and the Iustices of the Lord the king and the peeres of the Realme which were as touching aduowsons and presentations of Churches of Clearkes accused or conuicted of the going of Archbishops Bishops c. out of the land without the kinges licence of excommunication and of lay men accused to be done by lawful and honest accusers and witnesses that such as helde of the king should not bee excommunicated or interdicted without the kinges knowledge that appeales should not go further then the Archbishop without the kinges consent that Archbish Bishops and all persons holding lands of the king in Capite should haue their possession as a baron and doe seruice therein as other Barons accustomablie did and such like This Thomas after his solemne oath repenting himselfe without the kings licence or knowledge trauelleth and maketh suite to the Pope of Rome not onely to be discharged of his oath but to ouerthrow the whole libertie of the realme and that against both the king nobles prelates and the whole state of the land and of them he excommunicateth many causeth verie great disturbance to the king and all the realme Thereof are many appeales diuers meetings of cleargie states sometime of Cardinals sometime of the French king to compound or determine the cause At length by the meanes of the French king the matter being taken vp Thomas sent peaceablie home was no sooner warme in his seate but by bulles from the Pope hee fell to excommunicate and curse the other Bishoppes and others who had offended him Whereupon there was kindled such indignation and wrath in the heart of certaine resolute persons that because hee remained obstinate in his former crossing of the king as they tooke it laid violent hands vpon him as vpon the kings enemie and slew him The king hearing thereof being much greeued did humble himselfe in sackcloth and ashes protesting by solemne oath his ignorance and innocencie of the fact sending Embassadors to Rome of his defence submission to the order of the Church which had such strange entertainment that neither the first nor second messengers could come into the popes sight and had much adoe to keep the land from interdicting but at the length by swearing that the king would stand to the iudgement of the Pope his Cardinals that great curse was auoided Howbeit the king although by oath he sware earnestly that he was not priuy nor acquainted with the fact yet because in his anger he had spoken some wordes vnaduisedly and had brought vp such wicked soldiers as would be reuenged vpon the kinges traitor the Archbishop and so slew him therefore the king for remission of his sins was enioyned by the Pope to giue so much money as would maintaine 200. soldiers a yeare and suffer appeales and let go all his customes and liberties of his ancestors before spoken of and recognised by oath of all his subiects And after this a thing not be seeming any Christian much lesse a king returning into England and comming neere to the cittie of Canterburie he alighted from his horse and putting off all kingly maiestie barefoote like a pilgrim penitent and supplyant with sighes groanes and teares he commeth to the tombe of this Thomas casting himselfe downe in all his bodie spreading his hands to heauen remained in praiers and after other popish ceremonies because of his vnaduised words he tooke vpon him this penance hee asked absolution of the Bishops then and there present laying open his naked skin to the discipline of rods he receiued of euerie religious man whereof there was a great multitude three or fiue ierkes Let any wise man knowing the word of God consider whether this were not a shamefull slauerie both of body soule king and kingdome a Math. Paris hist Ang. pag. 254. The king appealeth from his subiect King Richard the first going about to fortefie the out borders of his countrie in Normandie was maruellously confounded and ouerstreightned by the Archb. of Roan his subiect Who therefore interdicted all the countrie so that mens bodies being dead lay vnburied in the streetes of the cities and villages very greatly annoying the liuing with their stinch yet had the king no way to relieue himselfe but by appeale to the court of Rome loe here the king appealeth from his subiect by whom it was ordered that by exchange of so much for so much as belonged to the Archb. chapter of Roan the interdiction was staied and the Archbishop appeased toward the king And who hath not heard of the vnspeakeable thraldome that king Iohn was wrapped in because hee allowed not the choise of an Archbishop made by the pope without his consent but vsed his royall authoritie against them which agreed to such choise wherein his Maiestie was excluded First his land was accursed so that no Churches opened to their manner of seruice Secondly he was excommunicated and lastly deposed of his kingdome and his kingdome giuen to the French King to winne from him by force of armes And by this he was driuen to commit himselfe to the Popes pleasure and to resigne his crowne and kingdome into the Popes hands receiued it againe in fee and vnder homage paying a thousand markes yearely swearing himselfe the Popes vassall for euer What a lamentable case was it in England when b Mathew Paris histor Ang. pag. 703. king Henrie the third being humblie moued by his subiectes to stand vpon his priuiledge that his people should not bee made a pray to the Romish exactions did answere directly and say Neither will I neither dare I gainsay the Pope in