one blow Of Caligula who held that it was lawfull for him to do what he list with any man Of Tiberius who kild the most of the Senatours of Rome and left Caligula his successour because he hoped he would kill the rest and exceed him in cruelty Memorable were the tyrannies of Phalaris of Aegrigentum who tormented men in a fiery bull Of Diomedes of Thrace and of Busciris of Aegypt who gaue their guests to be deuoured by their horses fed them commonly with mans flesh Of Dionysius of Syracusa of Anno of Carthage of Eliarcus of Heraclea of Hyparchus of Athens all who deuised torments the more cruelly to kill their subiects and of the persecuting Emperours who sought all new deuises of tormenting by racke wheels renting brusing and by lingring death the more cruelly to execute the bodyes of the innocent Christians Wherupon the Philosophers sayd Cruelty is hatefull to God a monster of madnesse and misery that cruelty and equity cannot be ioyned togeather that cruelty is a wickednesse not humane but bestiall and which cannot stand with equity But of all crueltyes the most memorable yea horrible and not imaginable if the Diuell himselfe had not inuented and deuised it is this cruelty which they impose vpon God who is a God so good so clement so pittifull and so mercifull that his mercy is aboue all his works and from generation to generation that he disposes all things in mercy and doth with good thinges fill the earth that he shouâ—d not only impose lawes vpon man aboue his ability for the breaking of these laws should inflict hell-paines but also that he should will ordaine decree predestinate yea and create and that certainly ineuitably and immutably as the prime and principal cause only because it was his mâ—ere will and pleasure the greatest parte of mankind that is al who are damned to eternal death destruction and damnation in those intollerable paines of hell-fier for all eternity And that he did will command worke yea and compell and necessitate man to sinne that for this sinne he might punish and damne him eternally in hell This certainly is such a cruelty that if it were true it would follow that this good God was more cruell then the former tyrants euer were for they put men to a temporall death God to an eternal They kild men whom they found in their kingdome God created and made men that he might damne them eternally They puld downe them whom they had exalted God exalted these to his liknesse for that end that he might cast them downe to the deepest hell They murdered a few oÌ„ly of their subiects God the greatest part of the world They kild them against whome they conceiued displeasure or such as had offended them God damnes theÌ„ who haue no way offended him or sinned yea whom he forces to sinne that for that sinne he may damne them They punished with great punishment small offences God with eternall punishment no offences They punished with death men who did otherwise one way or other both deserue death and must dy God damnes them who otherwise then for his will and pleasure were not to be damned as much therfore as the number is greater the punishment more grieuous and the cause of their damnation lesse so much is God by these doctours made more cruel and tyrannicall then any of the former tyrants If it were a horrible cruelty for a King to call thousands of his subiects out of the Country to the Court and there to grace and giue them dignity only for that end that when he had thus graced them he might presently without any fault committed by them torture torment and with all cruelty by his owne hands murder and butcher them alone after another then surely a greater cruelty it is in God to create and bring out of nothing so many millions of soules as are or shal be in hell tormented to exalte them to the dignity of his owne liknesse in memory will and vnderstanding and to enrich them with so many benefits of nature grace only for that end that without any desert or offence in them he may in those intollerable flames eternally himselfe torment them yea to cause compell and force them to commit such acts of sinne that for the same he may thus punish and damne them Surely this is a cruelty â—nd tyranny so great that a greater cannot be conceiued to be in the diuell nor yet be imagined by the diuell himselfe and yet these Protestant doctours do not only impute it vnto God but wil haue it to be a property of God and to stand with his mercy Indeed if to make lawes not impossible to be performed if to oblige men to do thinges impossible to be done if to command men to do a worke and then to deny them meanes to do it if to command and will men yea to force and compel them to do some action and then to punish them for doing the same and that with such horrible paines as of hell If this I say be mercy and mildnesse be grace and goodnes then what can be seuerity iniustice cruelty and tyranny If this be Gods mercy pitty clemency longanimity grace and goodnes to man what is his iustice and seuerity what is or can be cruelty and tyranny If these be his wayes of mercy what are his wayes of iustice If to punish cura condignum and to reward vltra condignum that is to punish lesse and reward more then is deserued be a property of mercy which all attribut to God then to punish without desert yea to cause and force a man to do euill and then to punish him for it is surely no mercy yea no iustice but vnspeakable cruelty and intollerable iniustice Surely if this may be accounted mercy it is a mercy which is mercilesse a mercy which brings all misery and makes millions most miserable A mercy which makes mercy steâ— more then seuere iustice mercy most extreme iniustice mercy and most inhumane cruelty all one for what greater iniustice and cruelty can there be in a tyrant or a diuell then to choose and picke out so many millions of soules and without any cause giuen by them to ordaine appoint and put them into eternall paines of hell-fire there to fry for all eternity and to debarre them of all meanes or ability either of the merits of Christ or of freedome in themselues or of any other helpes or meanes whatsoeuer to auoid the same so that vpon necessity they must sinne and deserue damnation vpon necessity must for that sinne be daÌ„ned O mercilesse mercy O vniust iustice nay O cruell cruelty of all cruelties the greâ—test that cruelty it selfe could conceiue or the Diuel himself can either deuise or execute Far be it from thee O God of mercy who works all in mercy and whose mercy is aboue all thy works SVBDIV. 7. Protestant doctrine of Predestination makes
agreable to reason and equity is manifest for either they hould that Christ made no lawes and was no law-maker at al but a Sauiour only who tyed vs to none but freed vs from all lawes and cleared our conscience from all obligation to all lawes from all obedience to all lawes and from any scruple or punishment of transgressing any law naturall morall or diuine of Church or common-wealth of God or of man and by the liberty of his Ghospell gaue vs freedome to do what we will to omit or comit what we will without condition or obligation but only to belieue and assure our selues that we are sure to be saued Or if they admit any obligation of keeping any lawes as the morall law of the ten Commandement or other they auerre it to be impossible to keep them euen for the iust and perfect though assisted with the help of grace whereby they make God cruell in imposing that vpon vs which we are not able to performe vniust in punishing vs for that which he enforces vs to commit vnreasonable in charging vs aboue our ability in punishing vs for not doing that which we could not do As afterward is more at large shewed Fiftly That this faith doth take from Christ all authority either of iudging at all or of iudging vprightly so makes him either no iudge or an vniust iudge is proued Because in a iudge is requisite 1. That he vnpartially discusse and examine the cause 2. That he duely reward the iust 3. That he iustly punish the offender But this doctrine leaues no place for discussion of sinnes because according to it all works are sinnes as proceeding from originall sinne and infected with originall sinne and all sinnes are a like great as equally forbid by the law of sinne which forbids as well and vnder as great penalty at least in generall of death damnatioÌ„ the theft of a pin as of a pound therfore all discussioÌ„ of this difference is needlesse where no difference among them in greatnesse is admitted 2. It leaues no place for reward of God workes in that it admits neither any workes to bee before God good nor any persons to be inwardly iust nor any merit to be possible by any worke or person nor any reward to be due to any merit but where neither worke is good nor person iust nor merit deseruing there can be no iustice of remuneration in rewarding either good works or iust persons 3. It leaues no place to the iust punishing of the wicked for where all persons are either already iudged and sure to be punished as the Infidels and Pagans are for he that belieues not is already iudged or shall not at all be iudged nor punished as all faithfull Protestants shall not who are sure to be saued where the thing commaunded is impossible to be done or the law commaunding doth not oblige to the doing where God doth ordeine that thing to be doÌ„ne and compels the person to do it where the person commaunded hath neither ability to do the thing commaunded if he would nor yet fredome of will to do it if he could there can be no place of iustice in the lawmaker to punish the fact thus committed or the person committing it But so it is according to the former Protestant doctrine Therfore according to the same Christ cannot at the day of iudgment iudge any or at the least not iustly and cannot be either a iudge or at least not a iust iudge according to euery mans works Sixtly That this doctrine doth bereaue Christ of his priesthood and power of sacrificing and offering for sinnes is proued thus As in all states of nature cerimonall or grace sinnes were committed so in all states were sacrifices ordeined for remission of sinnes and priests appointed to offer for the same In the law of nature the sacrifice was voluntary the priest was the eldest of the family In the law of Moyses the sacrifice was determined to certaine beasts birds and meates and the priests were Aarons posterity and the tribe of Leui. In the law of grace the sacrifice is the body and bloud of Christ and the priests are Christs Apostles and who are consecrated by lawfull orders from them Christ as in persoÌ„ so in his Priesthood and sacrifice he surpassed both the eldest of the family in the law of nature and the Leuiticall priests the sacrifice of both for they were only men he was God man they were men sinfull he was not polluted with sinne they as men and sinners are far distant from God to whom like to men in sinne for whom they offer he as participating of God to whom and of man for whome he offers is one imediate with both They offered often and many times as wanting one full price able to make a full redemption at once he offered once for all and that a full price satisfaction sufficient for all They were annointed with materiall oyle of oliues he with internall oyle of Deity aboue his companions They offered sacrifices many in kind and meane in quality all inferiour to themselues he offered one and that most iust euen himselfe and his owne body bloud of which sacrifice himselfe was 1. The priest annointed by his incarnation to offer 1. The sacrifice ordeined by himselfe an hoast to be offered 3. The temple consecrated to God for his holy offering 4. The Altar in his body which was sprinckled with the bloud of this offering for all which reasons Abraham and the Leuitâ—all priests in him and in his soines as inferiour offered tithes to Melchisedech as superiour and in Melchisedech to Christ figured by him as the chiefe of all The sacrifices Christ offered were of two sorts both of them one and the same in substance to wit his owne body and bloud but diffeâ—ing and diuerse in the manner of offering the one on the Crosse the other at the supper the one bloudy the other vnbloudy the one in his owne forme of man visible the other in the forme of bread and wine inuisible The one once and not reiterated as being a sufficient price of our redemption the other often as the application of the former and that often repeated as sinnes are often committed By the one purchasing to himselfe his Church in his bloud by the other conseruing sanctifiyng the same to himselfe by his grace By the one as a cause meritorious deseruing grace pacifying God and reconciling man to God by the other as an instrument causing grace sanctification satisfaction and actuall remission of sinnes for by it as by Baptisme is wrought remission of sinnes and as by fayth hope charity and other vertues is obteined grace and saluation Now sith it is euident that Christ was 1. a Priest 2. According to the order not of Aaron but of Melchisedech 3. For euer Sith it is euident also 1. That a Priest and sacrifice are correlatiue and so mutuall that
can be a fit meanes vpoÌ„ which any certaine and authenticall exposition of scripture can be grounded Which is to be performed two wayes 1. By reasons drawne from the property and condition of the holy scripture and the sense and meaning of it 2. By reasons drawne from the property and condition of the priuate spirit and the vncertainty and deceitfulnes of it SVBDIV. 1. By reasons drawne from the nature of holy Scripture which is to be expounded FIrst therefore for the holy Scripture such is the difficulty of it which ariseth partly from the ambiguity of the words including diuers significations partly from the fecuÌ„dity of the significatioÌ„s affording multiplicity of senses partly from the profundity of the matter inuolued in misteries obscure and exceeding our capacity such I say is the difficulty of the scripture which aryseth out of these grounds that no priuate man nor any priuate spirit of any man can secure himselfe of the certainty of any much lesse of all of them For if we respect the words and text of scripture this spirit cannot vpon any ground assure any man that either this booke rather then another is the diuine word of God or of this booke that this is the true and complete Canon or of this Canon that this is the first and originall text or of this text that it is the right authenticall translation or of this translation that any one rather theÌ„ another is the true and Canonical sense or of these senses that one more then other containes all articles and points necessary to saluation all which are yet necessary to be expounded This spirit cannot expresse and assure what booke is Canonicall and what not It cannot accord the Lutherans and Caluinists whether the Epistle to the Hebrewes of Iames 2. of Peter the 2. and 3. of Iohn nor the Catholikes and Protestants whether the bookes of Machabees Toby Iudith Hester c. be canonicall or not It caÌ„ giue no reason why there should be admitted into the Canon of scripture the Gospels of Mathew Marke Luke and Iohn and not the Gospels of Thomas Nathanael Matthias Thadaeus Bartholomew Iames Iohn c Andrew Paul Nicodemus the Hebrews the EgiptiaÌ„s with that of Peter or the Nazarits It can giue no reason why the Epistles of S. Paul Iames Iohn Iude Peter should be admitted and why not those of Barnabas of Luke the rest of S. Peter of S. Paul that to the Laodiceans the 3. to the Corinthians the 3. to the Thessalonians It can giue no reason why the Acts writ by S. Luke should be admiteâ—d and not the Acts writ by Peter by Paul and by Andrew Thomas Iohn Philip and Matthias nor the Periods of Paul Thecla nor the Constitutions of the Apostles or the booke of Hermes or Enoch why the Apocalyps of S. Iohn should be amittted not the Apocalyps of S. Peter Paul Thomas Stephen Elias nor the death of our Lady the circuite of S. Iohn the sentences of Bartholomew the ascension of Esie all which haue beene extant and by some challenged as Canonicall as may be seene in Doctour Stapleton It cannot resolue and assure what bookes were originally writ in Hebrew what in the Chaldean what in the Greeke or Latine tongue who they were that writ the bookes of the old Testament and whether they be the same which were first written and the same sound and vncorrupted Whether this Hebrew text be the same either in Character or letter of which is question or in wordes of which many doubt which was first written What is the sense signification phrase or stile of any Hebrew word Whether the Greeke of the Septuaginte which the Apostles followed be sound and incorrupted and to be preferred before the Hebrew Whether the ancient Latin vulgar or others of later translation as of Erasmus Luther Oecolampadius Bibliander Beza Castalio Tremelius and others be to be followed Whether of any English translations the Catholike translation of the Rhemist or the Protestants of Tindall of King Edward of the Bishops of Geneua or of King Iames are to be receaued as true which is to be rejected as false None of these can the priuate spirit in euery ordinary man nor yet in the learned Protestant certainly decide and resolue It cannot satisfy and assure when the wordes are in the literall or mysticall sense to be vnderstood And for the literall when it passeth from speaking of thinges carnall to thinges spirituall from temporal to eternall from the kingdome of Israell to the kingdome of Christ as often in the Psalmes and Prophets it doth As for exaÌ„ple from the Kings of Syria and Israell to our B. Lady Christ From the King of Babylon to Lucifer From Salomon to Christ From the barly Bread to the sacramentall Bread And for the mysticall sense when it is to be vnderstood morally for manners when allegorically of Christ or the Church militant when anagogically of glory or the Church triuÌ„phant When the same wordes beare a proper and when a figuratiue sense and of the figuratiue sense when the figure is Synecdoche the part for the whole When Metonimya the signe or cause for the effect When it is Catechresis by which the inuentour of a thing is called Father Cittyes are called Daughters posterity is called House c. When by Hiperbole or exageration the whole world is put for much all for many When by Liptote or diminution Idols are called vaine thinges â—oxious vnprofitable When by Analoge one person tyme number gender or signification is set for another When by Hendâ—adis two thinges are put for one as signes and tymes for signes of tymes When by Prolepsis or anticipation places citties are named by names which afterward were giueÌ„ them When by Analoge or mutation one sense as seeing is set for another as hearing tasting c. When by Hetorosis the abstracte as abomination for the concrete as abominable By Haebraisme causalites or similituds ar omitted tenses are changed persons or matters are supposed when an occasion is set downe for a cause the euent for the effect the diuel for sinne eternity for a long time When sinne is meant for sinne it selfe or for a sacrifice or punishment of sinne God for an angell a desire of doing for the deed an act as of seeing for the obiect of feare for the thing or person feared When lawes are called by names of precepts statutes iustice iudgement testimonies or testameÌ„t When works of the law of nature or of faith are tearmed only works or faith When Christ is taken for the person of Christ the head or for the body of Christ the Church or for both When father is meant essentially for God or personally for the first person only When by the Church is meant the Church militant or triumphant the whole body or principal members When Predestination is to glory or to grace When obduration is actiue
of Christs body receaued only by the faythfull Elect. With many such like which hang vpon the former principle The third and next borne impe of this spirit is the doctrine of Originall sinne which against the Pelagians Luther admitting did yet against the Catholike Church maintaine to be naturall Concupiscence which in the state of corrupt nature remaining in man is very Originall sinne it selfe This Originall sinne say they doth corrupt and infect the whole man and all and euery action in man proceeding from it with sinne doth cause that a man in all euen in his best actions doth sinne and can do nothing but sinne and so can neither merit by any good worke nor satisfy for any sinne doth hinder all internall grace and iustification which should abolish sinne doth take away all ability of free-will all possibility of keeping the Commandements or so much as any one of them all obligation to performe any precept of the loue of God or man morall or diuine and so all endeauour and labour to do pennance to seeke perfection to take vp the crosse of Christ and mortify our passions and follow him as being needlesse fruitlesse and impossible by the infection of this concupiscence which they make to be originall sinne The last and youngest bastard-brood of this spirit is the doctrine of predestination of which though Luther layd the egge yet because Caluin did hatch the brood maintaine aboue any other before him it is imputed to him as the first hatcher of it and as his bastard is by many Lutherans and Arminians reiected The doctrine of which is this that God out of his absolute and irrespectiue will as he predestinated ordained and created some to saluation so by the same will he like wise predestinated ordained and created others to damnation the one because it was his will that they should be saued the other meerely because it was his will without any fault sinne or demerit in them foreseene that they should be damned To which damnation that he might bring them he did for that end create them and ordained that first Adam then all his posterity should sinne that for this sinne he might execute his sentence of damnation for which end he did cause Sathan to tempt them to sinne to moue and force them to sinne yea did himselfe take from them all liberty not to sinne and worke in them immediatly by his operation all their sinne and obdurate them in that sinne and for that end that they should haue no remedy or help against sinne he denyed them the benefit of the death of Christ and his merits the benefit of vocation to grace of sufficiency of grace of iustification by grace or of glorification by the meanes of grace to all those whome he had thus appointed to damnation and to sinne On the contrary to them whome he had ordained to be saued he ordayned likewise the death Passion of Christ as a meane for that end to them only and by it gaue effectuall vocation sanctification and glorification to them only and of these only who are his only children he maks his Church To these only let them do what they will he imputes no sinne but couers all their sinnes with the cloake of the iustice of Christ accounts them iust and notwithstanding all their sinnes loues them as his children esteemes them as his darlinges and enthrones them as heires in his Kingdome of heauen among his Saints and Angels All which and such like opinions in number infinit and in impiety horrible as so many swarmes of locusts and gnates engendred out of the corruption of all good christianity and conceaued in the wombe of double Apostacy and sacriledge between a Frier and a Nunne by the heat and smoke of this fiery spirit of frensy haue as so many clouds shaddowed the light of true Fayth as so many Foxes deuoured the Lambes of Christs sheepfould as so many rootes of ill weedes ouergrowne and choaked the haruest of Christs fields and as so many vipers poysoned the soules of an infinit number of Christians Whereby is left nothing but ruine and vastation of all ancient monuments of piety nothing but horrour and confusion in all discipline and orders of Religion nothing but impiety and desolation of all Fayth and beliefe in many flourishing kingdomes of Christianity Of which as any one in former ages would haue sufficed as a plague to haue infected any Country with heresy so al of them compiled in one bundell can bring no lesse then a general mortality of all goodnes in so many Countrys infected by thē Of absurdities which follow vpon the first head of contempt of all Church-authority and relying vpon the priuate spirit SECT II. BVT let vs proceed and consider in particuler what fruits and consequences and what absurdities contrary to all reason honesty and piety do flow and follow out of these principles positions And first to begin with their first principle and the issue following from it which is their contempt of Church-authority their condemning the Roman Church as Antichristian and theit bold affirming the true Church of Christ for so many ages to haue decayed perished and to haue beene inuisible not knowne wholy ouerwhelmed with errours of superstition idolatry Antichristianity 1. It followes that for so many ages that is 8.10.12 or 14. as before was neither true Church or congregation neither lawfull Pastours and Preachers neither right Sacramēts or Sacrifice neither any diuine seruice or worship of God among any visible company of people in any part of the Christian world 2. It followes that in all those ages all the Fathers and Doctours all the Bishops Prelates all the Confessours Virgins and Martyrs and all the Councels generall or prouinciall that all the foure Doctours of the Latin Church and the rest with them al the Doctours of the East Church all the learned among thē all ancient Bishops of the Primitiue church al the Cleargy vnder them all the foure first generall Councels and the other twelue after them with the prouinciall Councels confirmed by them the Bishops and Confessours in them that all the Holy Virgins Confessours and Martyrs in tyme of most of the ten persecutions and of the Arian and image-breaking Emperours that all the Emperours of Rome Constantinople or Germany of the East or West all the Kinges of Italy Spaine France England Scotland Swethland Denmarke or Poland all and euery one who before Luther were Christians and professed the christian Religion that all these with the people who professed the same Christianity with them vnder them were all seduced by a false fayth and false Christianity and all liued and dyed in the seruice not of Christ but Antichrist Into what heart of any Christian can it enter that for so many ages no Doctour with his penne no Prelate out of the pulpit no Cōfessour in prison no Martyr at his death no Councell by
Doctour Montague in his appeale to Caesar and condemned by Lutherans as well as Catholicks Out of which doctrine it followes 1. That those actions which we esteeme sinnes as idolatry periury adultery murder theft pride malice and the rest are no offences against God because he wils commands and works them himselfe 2. That they are no sinnes because sinne is against the will and law of God but these are according to the will decree and commandement of God which is the rule according to which all actions are to be squared 3. That sinne is nothing but as the Libertins confuted by Caluin do hould an opinion of men because it is not contrary but conformable to the will decree and commandement of God 4. That God in words forbidding sinne and these actions as sinne doth either dissemble as inwardly willing and working that which exteriourly he prohibits or els is contrary to himsele as willing and not willing the same sinnes 5. That if there be any sins at all then God who is the principall authour agent and not man who is the instrumēt only is the sinner offender 6. That men are excusable in committing any or all the foresayd actions because they do that which God wils works and which themselues cannot but worke 7. That no credit can be giuen to the word of God in Scripture because God may as well lye in it as he doth in other bookes of Pagans or Heretikes of both which he is equally the principal authour and dictatour All which absurdities as they are most horrible and blasphemous so do they all necessarily follow vpon the former Protestant positions and must needs be true if the former Protestant doctrine and positions be true SVBDIV. 3. Protestant doctrine of Predestination makes God a sinner SECONDLY that God is by this doctrine not only the authour of sinne but a very sinner and worker not only of the materiall entity or action by which sinne is cōmitted but also of the formall malice or defect of goodnesse in which sinne consisteth and so is formally a sinner and committer of sinne according to this doctrine is proued 1. Because the teachers of this doctrine as before call God the principall authour actour and the worker of sinne but as sinne is in like manner as a picture a denominate concreet including the malice as the forme and the action as the matter of sinne as the picture doth the forme of a man and the matter of colours of which it is made so he that affirms God to be the author or worker of sinne doth as properly affirme him to be the authour of the malice in sinne as the painter is sayd to be the authour worker of the forme of the picture and so God is as properly a sinner by being the authour and worker of sinne as the workmā is a painter by being the authour and worker of the picture And though in the Catholike doctrine God is no more a sinner in that he is in somesort the efficient cause of the reall entity of the sinnefull action to which as the authour of Nature he concurs with man as an vniuersall and indifferent agent to any action then the soule is the authour of the lamenesse in the legge or the writer the cause of the ill writing of the penne the defect o◠formality of sinne proceeding from the particular agent man who is the deficient cause as the formall lamenesse or ill writing proceeds from the legge penne in whome is the defect of lamenesse or writing Yet in the Protestant doctrine which makes God the authour of sinne formally as sinne thereby to shew his iustice in punishing sinne as sinne and sinnefull men for sinne it cannot be auoided but that God is a sinner as the authour of sinne and that formally as sinne and if it would excuse God from being a sinner in that he wills and workes sinne for a good end to shew his iustice then it would also excuse man from sinne in that he sinned for a good end as if he stole to giue almes or kild a man to send him to heauen by which reason euill might be committed that good might come thereupon which is contrary to S. Paul Secondly because the same teachers make God the principall willer commander and worker of sinne who that he may iustly punish men for sinne whome he hath vpon his owne meere will without any preuision of their sinne ordained and created to be punished and damned doth therefore ordaine will command worke sinne doth force necessitate them to sinne that for the same sinne he may execute his decree of damnation vpon them but whosoeuer is the principal willer commander and worker of sinne must needes be a sinner and more properly a sinner thē the instrument which is vsed or the subiect in which the sinne is committed that is man Therefore God must be a sinner properly a sinner and more properly a sinner then man yea and the greatest sinner of all sinners as the chiefe willer commander and worker of all sinnes which is a horrible blasphemy SVBDIV. 4. Protestant doctrine of Predestination makes God the only sinner THIRDLY that God is by this doctrine not only a sinner but also the only sinner and that the Diuell Man are innocent and no sinners at all is proued Because if the Diuell in tempting to sin be ruled by the will of God to whose command he obeyes If in alluring to sinne he be cōpelled to obey and do what God doth compell him to do And if the wicked who sinne are not excusable in that they cannot auoid the necessity of sinning which by the ordination of God is imposed vpon them as Caluin affirmes If Iudas did necessarily betray Christ and Herod Pilate did necessarily condemne him as Beza affirms If the thiefe be compelled to steale by the compulsion of God that for the theft he may be hanged as Zuinglius affirmes then surely is not the thiefe who is compelled but God who cōpels both the Diuell to set on the thiefe and the thiefe who steales the sinner who sinnes For if the goodnesse and badnesse of the worke in euery action is to be attributed to the principall authour willer and worker of it not to the instrument especially such as want freewill vsed in working it as the well building of the house is to the architect not to the axe and tooles then is the malice of sinne to be imputed to God the principal and chiefe authour not to man only the enforced instrument of it and so only God is the sinner and man innocent and no sinner at all Which is also confirmed out of that saying of S. Augustine that sinne is so voluntary that except it be voluntary it is not sinne but it is voluntary only in God according to these teachers not in man in whom it is necessary therefore it is a sinne only in God not in
man SVBDIV. 5. Protestant doctrine of Predestination makes God alyer and dissembler FOVRTLY That God is by this doctrine of these Doctours a great lyer and a deepe dissembler and deluder that is that either God or these Doctours must be lyers or dissemblers is proued Because the words of God in holy scripture of these Protestant doctours in this point are contradictory therfore if Gods word be true theirs must be false or if theirs be true then must Gods be false and so God must be either a lier in speaking vntruly in scripture or a dissembler in speaking one thing intending another or they strang lyers in belying him That Gods word theirs are contradictory is apparent by these instances First God saies that he wils not inquity that he hateth iniquity that he hateth sinnes that both the wicked and his wickednesse is hatefull to him that Salomon did that which was not liked before our Lord that Dauid did displease him the one for his idolatry the other for numbring the people but these Protestant Doctours say the contrary Caluin sayes that God wils and is authour of sinne willed the sinne of Adam and fall of man that Pharao's cruelty pleased God Beza sayes that God wils and decrees euill and the damnation of man that God wils and is pleased with that which he doth reuenge and punish Peter Martyr sayes that God wils sinne as a meane to his end hates not sinne which he workes Perkins sayes that God willed the sinne and fall of Adam wils that sinne be committed Bucanā sayes that God wills sinne by his secret and well-pleasing will All which if they be true then the former sayings of God are false and so God lyes or dissembles of if Gods be true theirs are false Secondly God sayth that he hath not done iniquity that he will not do iniquity that they erre that worke euill that he who commits sinne is of the Diuell that he commaunds none to do wickedly that he did not command the building of the high place of Balaam that he doth not tempt any man to euill Suffers none to be tempted aboue that which he is able But contrary to all this Caluin sayes that God not only permits but commaunds euill commands and compells the Diuell to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Prophets workes the execration of the faithlesse Is the cause of obduration of Pharao's obduration and cruelty that wickednesse committed by man proceeds from God Luther sayes that God workes in vs good and euill and works euill by vs. Melancthon sayes that the treason of Iudas was as proper a worke of God as the conuersion of S. Paul Beza sayth that God doth worke in vs obduration and is the cause of it Sāctius sayes that God is the chiefe authour of obduration doth worke good and euill in vs doth reward his owne good punish his owne ill workes in vs that sinne as sinne and malum culpae is preordained of God that God ordained men to damnation and their sinnes to damne them forsooke them and denyed them grace that they might sinne compelleth to wickednesse mediatly by himself and by his speciall action Peter Martyr sayes that God doth solicite to deceaue doth compell to great sinnes to lye to seduce All which if they be true then the former sayings of God in Scripture are false and so God is a lyer a deluder or a dissembler or they foule lyers Thirdly God sayth in Scripture that he wils not the death of the wicked that he will not haue any to perish that it is not his will that one of these litle ones perish but will haue all to be saued and come to the knowledge of the truth He commaunds that none shall worship strang Gods that none commit murder adultery and theft he persuades the wicked to repent to be conuerted and repent from their iniquity and to sinne no more he inuiteth calleth and stretcheth out his hands and y would gather sinners vnder his winges as a Henne doth her chickins he would haue all to come to him But Caluin sayes that God did ordaine and predestinate many yea the most to damnation and created them for that end for no desert or sinne in them but only for that his will was so to haue it did create them as organs of his anger to destruction of death and that they might come to that end did either depriue them of power to heare the word of God or did blind and dull them in hearing it doth direct his voice to them not to that end that they may heare but to that end that they may be made more stupid that he calls them only by word and after a humane manner not because he would haue them come Beza sayes he will not haue the reprobate conuerted and saued who are not able to haue any will to be conuerted Piscator sayes he maks shew in words to will that which he wils not and not to will that which he wil so doth he vse holy dissembling Beza sayes he commandes that which he will not haue done and promiseth that which he will not performe that he doth not loue all neuer did nor euer will haue mercy on all that he would not haue the death of Christ to profit the reprobate will not haue the reprobate conuerted and saued and that they cannot haue any will to be conuerted Zanctius sayes He calls all according to his outward will and preaching of the Ghospell but according to his secret will neither would nor will haue all to come and be saued Perkins sayes he will not nor hath so much as any will or velleity no not conditionally that all be saued And therefore it is not true to say that God will haue all saued And that when S. Paul sayth so he speaketh according to the charitable opinion of men not according to Gods will All which wordes of these Protestant Doctours as they contradict the wordes of God for that God doth not will command and worke euill and that he doth will worke and compell to euill that God hates is displeased with sinne iniquity and sinfull persons and that he wils decrees and ordaines the same that God inuites calles desires wils the saluation of all and that he detaines and withouldes men from coming to be saued are quite opposite and contradictory one to another so therefore must either this Protestāt doctrine be false if Gods be true or if theirs be true Gods must be false and God either a lyer or a dissembler He that desires to see more of these expresse contradictions betweene the expresse word of God in holy Scripture and the Protestant Doctours in their
God a Diuell LASTLY that this Protestant doctrine doth transforme God into a Diuell and so doth depriue him of his only and all goodnes and therby transpose him into the greatest and vilest euill that can be shall by these ensuing reasons appeare 1. It is the office or property of Satan to â—empt man to sinne yea as an aduersary to lay traps to ensnare man in sinne for which in greeke he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a tempter or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an entrapper or calumniator and in hebrew Sathan an aduersary and so he is called tempter is said to tempt vs and to temp the hart to lye to the holy ghost But this is more proper to God according to this Protestant doctrine then to the Diuell 1. Because God doth not only tempt and moue a man to sinne but which is more doth will ordaine and predestinate a man to sinne and to al the sinnes which are committed 2. Because God is not only our aduersary to oppose vs but so potently doth oppose vs in so weighty a matter as our greatest good that he directly excludes most from all felicity depriues most of all benefit of it debarres most from all meanes to attaine it entraps most in all the snares which may hinder their progresse vnto it the Diuell is but only his instrument to worke that which he wils and execute that which he before had designed against vs therefore God is more our tempter and aduersary then is the Diuell Secondly The office and property of the Diuell is to sow tares or ill weeds of sinne in the field of our hearts to choake vp all the corne of grace and goodnes the enemy comes and sowes tares But God doth this according to this doctrine more then the Diuell 1. Because God doth worke inwardly in the hearts of sinners doth excecate and obdurate the minds of men doth strike them with a spirit of errour giddinesse and madnesse and that not by permission but operation as Caluin in particuler affirmes 2. Because God doth will command and worke in vs all the sinnes which are wrought as the principall cause and mouer the Diuell being only as the instrument and that not free but forced not mouing but moued and not able to do otherwise then by God he is both commanded and compelled as before therfore the chiefe and principall sower of ill seeds and weeds of sinne is God not the Diuell Thirdly The office and property of the Diuell is to be authour of all sinnes in generall sinne is of the Diuell and of lying in particuler who speakes lies of himselfe and is a lier the Father of lies But this is more proper to God then the Diuell according to this doctrine 1. Because the Diuell did only in Adam by tempting him to eat the forbidden fruit remoue an impediment which did hinder ill to wit originall iustice by which the inferiour part was kept in order without rebellion to the superiour but God did by his will saith Caluin ordaine and decree the fall of Adam the ruine of all his posterity the miserable condition into which we are all fallen Therfore God was more properly the authour of Adams fal then the Diuel 2. Because the Diuell doth only tempt to sinne indirectly medially that is either obiectiuè proposing sinfull obiects to the phantasy that the will may consent and delight in them or dispositiuè by altering tempering the organs of the senses that the appetites may with more facility incline vnto them leauing alwayes a freedome of the will to dissent or assent but God according to Caluin doth not only by his ineuitable immutable decree and ordinance will and commaÌ„d the same but also by his immediate effectual irresistable concourse operation to euery actioÌ„ of sin so works the act of sinne in man that he leaues in man neither any operation at all God working all nor any liberty or freedome God necessitating all who is thereby not only the permitter but the authour of all sinnes the authour as well of the adultery of Dauid the treachery of Iudas the hardnesse of Pharao the cruelty of Achab the incest of Absalom the reproach of Semei the idolatry of the ten Tribes of the Chaldean destruction of Iudea of the Iewes and Pilates condemning of Christ as he is of the conuersion of S. Paul Therefore God is more and truely the immediate worker of sinnes and lyes then the Diuell O diabolicall doctrine SVBDIV. 8. Obseruations vpon the former doctrine VPON good ground therefore did Castalio who as Caluins scholler best vnderstood his maisters mind not only by his writinges but from his owne mouth affirme that this doctrine of Caluin did transfer God into the Diuell and for the same forsooke both him and Geneua and writ against him and this his doctrine Truely did Peter Vermilius a Professour of Tigure affirme that this doctrine of Caluins is a libertine execrable sacrilegious abominable and altogeather diabolicall doctrine Iustly did the Tigurin Sacramentaries anno 1554 accuse Caluin for this doctrine of great impiety cause his bookes writ of this subiect to be rent in peeces by the Hangman and to be burnt publickly in the Market place by special Edict commanded that none should diuulge in their territories any so horrible and detestable opinions Vpon good reason do as yet the Lutherans in Germany so detest this doctrine that to cleare Luther of it they did expunge out of his works these words God doth worke euill in vs. And most worthily doe the same Lutherans generally disclaime both this doctrine and Caluin for it in so much as one of them Heshusius a great Superintendent affirmes that Caluin writ wickedly of the cause of sinne made God the authour of sinne and in his doctrine is horribly contumelious against God pernicious to man and makes not the Diuell but God to be the authoisr of lyes Another of them a Professour auouches that not God but the Diuell is authour of this predestination and the God of the Caluinists Out of which doctrine and sequels vpon it may be obserued 1. That neuer any doctrine of Atheist Pagan Iew or Heretike was so wickedly pernicious and abominable as this of Caluin and his followers is for though some made God idle as Epicurus others impotent as Lucianus others the authour of euill as the Cerdonists Marcionists and Manichees others miserable afflicting himselfe as the Thalmudists others no God at all as the Atheists Yet all these are more tollerable theÌ„ these Caluinists for it is not so ill to be idle as to be doing ill better to make God do nothing then to make him the worker of all wickednesse It is more tollerable to make God vnable to do good then to make him the authour and actour of doing ill to make him vnable to requit good then vniust to punish where
is no desert of ill It is lesse blasphemy to make two Gods the one authour of good and the other the authour of euill then to make one God and yet to make him the authour and worker of euill and of all euill to call him iust and yet to make him the punisher of that in others which he wills commandes and workes by himselfe to account him mercifull and yet vpon his meere will and pleasure without any cause or desert to ordaine create millions of men to eternall torments and damnation It was not so great impiety in the Iewes to make God mourn sorrowfull for the punishment he wrought on Hierusalem as it is in the Caluinists to make him well pleased with the vnreasonable tormenting of soules in hell to make it one of the chiefest attributes of Gods iustice to appoint men to sinne and then for that sinne to punish and damne them It is not so foolish to say with the foole there is no God at all as it is to say God is the Authour and worker of all wickednesse and yet the punisher and reuenger of the same for they by the light of reason will condemne and auoid thefts murders periuries iniustice as lying in their power to auoid but these will may by their owne principles practise and exercise them al as being by God forced and necessitated to them as wanting freedome to auoid them and as fearing no punishment for them Though therefore most wicked yet lesse wicked were the former opinions of Iewes Heretikes and Atheists then these of the Caluinists Secondly it may be obserued that no Caluinist can be certaine and assured either of any verity of Scripture or of any article of his Faith or of any assurance of his saluation by his priuate spirit for though he may imagine himselfe to be certaine of the sense of Scripture of the articles of his fayth and of the infallibility of his saluation that they are reuealed from God yet he may with all according to his principles of fayth imagine that God who reueales these may reueale tell him which is false for as God according to them is he who effectually procures the sinner to sin who as the principall cause vses the sinner as an instrument to commit sinne who incites compels and necessitates the sinner to sinne who phisically and effectually workes and causes the act of sinne so the same God according to them may procure and incite the Apostles and Prophets as his instruments compel and necessitate them as the chiefe authour and worker and produce in them as the principall agent lyes and vntruthes and so may by them in Scripture reueale an vntruth either of the beliefe of the mysteries of their fayth or of the certainty of their saluation What certainty therefore can they haue from God of reuelations they receaue from him or of any thing suggested by their supposed spirit as from him Againe God according to Caluin hath one will exteriour another interiour doth call exteriourly whome he withouldes interiourly speakes to them but to make them more deafe giues them light but the more to blind them doth teach them but to make them more dull doth apply to them a remedy but not to cure them for so are Caluins wordes If so then how can any be sure that the calling the speaking the light the doctrine and the motion of their spirit as they suppose of God is not rather to detaine then draw them rather to darken then lighten them rather to dull them then teach them rather to increase then cure their diseases Surely if the spirit of God may worke and doth more ordinarily worke the bad then the good doth more vsually make shew to call when he intends they shall not come doth more generally make blind then enlighten make obdurate then mollify make dull then teach and wound then cure And if God do more often intend bad thē good obduration then illumination damnation then saluation of most whome he cals inuites and makes shew of intending their good And if the greatest part of the world be thus by God deluded and deceaued then why may not or rather should not euery Protestant iustly suspect the same of himselfe Why may he not rightly feare that God intends one thing by his inward will and pretends another by his outward will that God doth worke errour and deceit in him rather then truth and verity That he is a lying spirit rather then a true in him Surely if God hath deceaued more then he hath taught truth darkened more thē he hath lightned obdurated more then he hath mollifyed woūded more then he hath cured and damned more then he hath saued iustly may euery one both suspect and feare that God may do the like to him sith no ground reason or motiue he hath of the one rather then of the other and no more assurance of his saluation among the lesser number then of his damnation with the greate◠Thirdly it may be obserued that the God of these Caluinists and precise Protestants is not the same with the ancient Christians and present Catholikes but the one doth so farre differ from the other that the one of the Caluinists doth will decree and predestinate all sinnes which are committed by men and so makes man sinne by the will decree and predestination of God the other of the Catholickes doth will decree and predestinate only good works and all good workes and so doth make man to doe good workes according to the will of God and doth suffer him to do euill according to the man his owne will The one doth command vrge and compell Sathan to deuise sinnes and to sollicite men vnto it The other doth bind hould and hinder Sathan that he do not tempt man and doth ayde help and assist man that he be not by Sathan tempted aboue his power The one doth himselfe secretly incite moue necessitate man to sinne the other doth disswade deterre and enable man against sinne The one is the principall authour worker and effectour of all sinnes as sinnes and men only his instruments to do that sinne which he workes by them The other is no authour nor instrument nor worker at all of sinne as sinne but only the efficient cause of that which is good leauing man to be the deficient cause of that which is malice and sinne The one vpon his meere will because it is his pleasure without any demerit or sinne in man did ordaine predestinate and create most men to damnation and ordained and predestinated only some few to saluation The other created all men to saluation and had a will and desire that all should attaine to it and be saued and ordained none to damnation but vpon his foresight of their sinne by which they would deserue damnation The one did will appoint and decree the sinne of Adam and of all mankind for that end only that in
all the Commandements or any of them is impossible 10. That no humane lawes do oblige in conscience to their performance 11. That the Sacraments chiefly Baptisme are seales and signes of predestination to glory of remission of sinnes and perseuerance in Gods fauour and that in Baptisme are forgiuen sinnes past and to come 12. That man by reason of Gods decree and originall sinne hath no liberty or freedome of will to do or auoid bad workes 13. That God hath ordained and predestinated vpon his meere will and pleasure without any cause giuen or so much as forseene all who are damned both to damnation and to sinne All which positions as they are auerred by the learned Protestants and preached to the people so they do ouerthrow all the articles of the Creed all the petitions of the Pater noster and all the precepts of the Ten Commandments and leade to all loosenesse and dissolution of life as shal be shewed SVBDIV. 1. In generall dectroying all fayth AND first that these Positions do quite ouerthrow take away all diuine and supernaturall fayth which is the first foundation and corner-stone of our spirituall building the first preparation to life and iustification the first root of all true vertue and good workes the first gate by which God enters into our soule the first light which shines in our vnderstanding the first true seruice which we offer to God and the first step by which we beginne to walke our iourney to heauen that this doctrine doth quite ouerthrow this fayth and all the articles of the Creed proposed in it is proued 1. Because they distinguish three sortes of fayth 1. Historicall of thinges reuealed and related in scripture and proposed by the Apostles in the Creed such as are the Trinity Incarnation Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Christ with all other articles which all Christians vsually belieue 2. Generall of promises in generall and all graces promised by Christ to all as the sending of the Holy Ghost the coming to iudgment the raysing of the dead and the like which are generall for all 3. Speciall of the promise made to euery man in particuler of his predestination iustification and saluation by which euery one is made infallibly certaine that his sinnes are forgiuen him and that he shal be saued Whereas I say they make these three sortes of Fayth the first and second of these Faithes to wit Historicall and Generall by which they belieue the articles of the Creed promises of God in general they affirme to be faigned not true fayth a shadow of Fayth not a real iustifying faith a Fayth which is common to the reprobate and damned euen to the Diuels themselues and only the third or Special fayth they assigne to be the true diuine and supernaturall iustifying fayth which hath for his obiect the speciall mercy of God to them in particuler applyed the certainty of remission of their sinnes assuredly past and security of their saluation infallibly to come by which they doe as much or more assuredly belieue their iustification and saluation then they do the B. Trinity Incarnation or the rest of the articles of Fayth Now if this speciall fayth be the only true diuine supernaturall and sauing fayth by it is belieued only one article of the Creed that not truly as shall appeare to wit Remission of sinnes and the Historicall and Generall fayth by which the rest of the articles are belieued be only a shadow of Fayth a fayth of the damned and Diuells then we haue no diuine and supernaturall fayth of the rest of the articles but belieue them only by a Faith which is a fained faith a shadow and no more a guift of God then the fayth of the damned and the Diuells in hell Therefore all true â—nd diuine beliefe of the articles of the Creed is by this special doctrine of speciall Fayth quite abolished and taken away from all Christians and nothing but a shadow of Fayth a fained and diabolicall faith left to them and so by one position of theirs is cut off all diuine fayth or beliefe of all the articles of the Creed Secondly whiles they deny all authority of Tradition Church Councels and Fathers and will belieue nothing but what they themselues find in Scripture and that as their priuate spirit interprets it While they make their spirit the iudge of all fayth all controuersies of fayth what is to be receaued or reiected belieued or condemned While I say they doe thus they may by the vertue of this spirit call in question the authority and credit of the Creed it selfe with the authours of it as not to be found in Scripture and the particuler articles they may either reiect as counterfeit intruded or els expound and interpret them as their spirit shal lead them Thus Luther and Caluin following Erasmus for Erasmus is sayd to haue layd the egge which Luther hatched to haue insinuated that which Luther assured to haue doubted of that which Luther downe right denyed made doubt of the authority of the Creed whether it was made by the Apostles or not And the Seruetians in Transiluania witnesse Canisius admit it but so farre as it agrees with the word of God interpreted no doubt by their spirit Thus did Beza by his spirit affirme that part of the sixt article he descended into hell to haue been thrust into the Creed Thus Caluin and Zuinglius following likewise Erasmus by their spirit affirmed that part of the tenth article the Communion of Saints to haue beene intruded into this Creed out of some other Creed and not to haue beene found in the ancient Creeds Thus Luther by his spirit changed in his Germane Creed the word Catholike Church into Christian Church And Beza reiected the same word Catholike as most vaine and wicked And thus by their Glosses and expositions vpon many articles as not pleasing their tast they wrest diuers as shall appeare from their natiue proper sense for example he descended into hell that is he descended into the graue so make a new Creed in sense and meaning agreable to their spirit and the doctrine of it Of which who will haue a full view let him read Andr. Iur. his Nullus and Nemo and Fitzsimons vpon the Masse where their many absurd glosses and expositions are at large discouered and confuted SVBDIV. 2. In particuler against all the twelue Articles of the Creed THIRDL Y because by this doctrine and these Doctours are oppugned in particuler all the mysteries of fayth in euery article of the Creed which by this briefe enumeration of euery one shal be made manifest And first in the first article attributed to S. Peter I follow the diuision of S. S. Augustine and Doctour Kellison is oppugned 1. The faith and beliefe of all the articles in generall in the word Credo by all who hould that it is
prayer is as needlesse as to pray for the birth of Christ past or for the day of iudgment to come because euery one by his speciall faith belieues as certainly that his sinnes are forgiuen him as by his generall fayth that Christ was crucified for him as assuredly that he shall perseuer in fayth and come to heauen as that there shal be a day of iudgment and resurrection of his body therefore prayer for the one is as needlesse as for the other Againe if they pray for Gods grace to wash them from sin to keep Gods commandements to auoid concupiscence and lust and to loue God aboue all and not to offend him their prayer is as fruitlesse as to pray for Gods grace to keep them euer being sicke or euer dying or to leape ouer the sea or fly to the starres because according to them the one is as impossible as the other therefore as hopelesse to be obtained by prayer as the other 2. To pray for the preuenting of any euil whether it be malum culpae as sinne or malum poenae as punishment and whether it be punishment temporall as losse of goods affliction of body or death of friends or spirituall as losse of fayth of Gods fauour and of the ioyes of heauen or to pray for the obtayning of any good either temporal as riches health or the life of friends or spirituall as the good of Gods Church the remission of our sinnes and our perseuerance in state of grace or obtaining the kingdome of heauen is both needlesse and fruitlesse because all as well euill as good shall infallibly fall out as God hath according to his owne irrespectiue immutable ineuitable will pleasure decreed and appointed it therefore needlesse it is to pray for the obtaining of good and fruitlesse to pray for the preuenting of euill because both must fall certainly as God hath ordained decreed What end or vse therfore is there of prayer since the euent and the effect will be the same as well without prayer as with prayer all as God without any respect or foreseene consideration of vs or our deserts or prayers or other works hath according to his owne absolute will decreed and appointed to happen to vs. Thirdly willingly to do any act which is belieued and supposed to be a sinne and that mortall deseruing eternall damnation is vnlawfull sinnefull and damnable and so not to be done with a good conscience but such is all prayer euen the best and deuoutest we can vse according to their principles because euery worke euen the good workes of the best persons according to Luther Illyricus Caluin Beza Paraeus VVhitaker Tindall and others are sinnes mortall sinnnes damnable sinnes and nothing but sinne euen in the iust and elect though no more imputed to them then their bad workes of adultery murder c. which they say are not at al imputed to them Therefore all prayer how good or deuout soeuer is a sinne and that mortall and damnable so is vnlawfull sinnefull and damnable and not to be vsed more then swearing lying drinking both being sinnes and neither imputed punished as sinnes in the elect in whome they are couered and both imputed and punished as sinne in the reprobate in whome they are neuer forgiuen All which is confirmed diuers wayes by the expresse wordes first of Luther who affirmes 1. That no man obtaines any thing at Gods hand for any dignity either in his prayer or in himselfe but only by the bounty of God Also which he constantly auouches that the iust man doth sinne euen in praying according to that of Dauid Let his prayer be a sinne 2. By the wordes of Illyricus who affirmes that prayer is no good worke but a begging of wages And of Bucer and Caluin his scholler who both affirme that Christ did not prescribe vs to pray in these very wordes of the Pater noster but shewed to what end and with what affection we should pray 3. By the practise of many Precisians or Familists in England witnesse D. Smyth who vse to protest they will rather dye then say the Lords prayer 4. By the practise of the purer forte of Protestants who haue left off condemne all saying of canonicall houres and deuotion in the Church haue not only turned all publicke praying into preaching neuer vsing any at all in their meetings but also did for example in France pull downe destroy witnesse Richeâ—me in one six monthes no fewer then ten thousand houses of prayer or Churches in 400. Citties which they by rebellion kept froÌ„ their soueraigne King and Prince By all which is apparent not only how little they esteeme either Prayer or houses of prayer but also that according to their grounds all prayer in generall is needlesse and fruitlesse yea sinnefull and damnable and so not to be vsed and practised SVBDIV. 2. In particuler opposing all the seauen Petitions of the Pater Noster IN particuler that by this doctrine is oppugned all euery part and petition of the Pater noster shall likewise be proued For first in the preparation Our Father which art in heauen how can they call or esteeme him a louing Father whome they belieue to be a cruell and vniust iudge who decreed and created them to sinne that for that he might damne them Or what confidence can they haue in the mercy of this Father who is thus rigorous to them in his iustice and more then iustice How can they call or esteeme themselues his children by adoption from whome they receaue no inward grace of iustification How can they call him our Father or the Father of all whome they belieue as a Father to haue predestinated called and giuen meanes only to a few and as a cruell Iudge to haue excluded all the rest and the greatest part of which euery one may iustly feare himselfe to be one from any possibility of vocation grace or saluation How can they expect from him a crowne of glory in heauen of whome they belieue they cannot merit any reward in earth Why should they not feare a heauy hand of iustice yea despaire of any kind of mercy from him who beyond iustice hath proceeded so terribly as to predestinate so many to so great paines as are the paines of hell who had deserued or giuen no cause of any paines at all Who can imagine that God dwelleth in the iust and elect as in the heauens who are so fowly stayned in euery part of their soule with the deformity of all sinne and iniquity that no one part or action of them is cleare and vnstained from sinne Surely they who belieue this of God and his cruelty and of man and his deformity cannot confidently say neither Our Father which imports Gods mercy to man mans confidence in God or VVhich art in heauen which specifyes that as God dwels in the iust so they as the temple of God should be pure
draw forward to the practise of vice and so remoue al encouragement to vertue and propose all enticements to vice by which they do open a wide gap to all liberty and loosenesse of life and giue a free passage to all concupiscence and sensuality of sinne to what any mans imagination or affection shall lead him That this their doctrine I say doth this shall by these and the former positions and illations vpon them be conuinced For first they take away from the Christian-common-wealth all superiority by affirming that among Christians is no superiour that a Christian is subiect to none but only to Christ who only is his immediate superiour as Luther 2. They take away from Superiours all spirituall and temporall power to make any lawes affirming as Luther Caluin do that to make lawes and to rule by lawes is proper only to God that no man can forbid that which is not forbid by Christ 3. That they take from lawes all obligation to bind in conscience affirming all as Luther Caluin Zuinglius Beza Martyr Danaeus VVhitaker Perkins others do that no Magistrate or Lawes are to be obeyed for conscience that all lawes of men are to be abolished that the laws of the Apostles oblige not but for scandall that there is no sinne or obligation in conscience to any law but of God 4. They derogate from Gods lawes holding that it is impossible for any man though iust to performe and satisfy the law or to keep the Commandements or any one of them that therefore the law commands thinges impossible which is a fundamentall point of Christian religion to be belieued and that the contrary which affirmes the keeping of the law to be possible and the gayning of heauen to be proposed cōditionally if we keep the law is a wicked perswasion So the Confession of Auspurge and England so Luther Melancthou Caluin Beza Danaeus VVhitaker Perkins Scharpius Adaemus Francisci and others 5. They abolish the morall law of the Decalogue or ten Commandements affirming that it is free and nothing belongs to any iust regenerate and pious person that the breach of it to any faythfull shall not be imputed as a sinne nor punished as a sinne thus Luther Melancthon Zuinglius Martyr Caluin Beza VVhitak Tindaell Bucan Bullinger and others whereupon they inferre that the obseruation of the law is not necessary to saluation thus Luther Caluin Perkins Piscator Paraeus and Martyr That no Saint as yet euer did fullfill the law and obey it nor loue God with his whole hart as the law requires thus the Confessions of Auspurge Scotland and Bohemia Luther Caluin Brentius Paraeus Danaeus others And that we should not vse any prayer for that end that we may fulfill the law but only that we may endeauour to fullfill it thus Caluin Perkins and others doe affirme To which assertions if we adde their other positions before mentioned 1. About good works that they are not pleasing to God as any worship to him but are all sinnes that mortall and neither free nor meritorious nor necessary nor profitable nor possible nor any cause of saluation therfore can haue no dignity no merit no reward no crowne of iustice 2. About sin that God wils works and is pleased with sinne doth predestinate command tempt necessitate to sinne that no sinne is imputed to the elect that no sinne can be auoided that no sinne is any cause of damnation 3. About iustification that only faith doth iustify that by assuring a man of his iustification which once had can neuer be lost that no iustice is inherent but all imputed that none doth take away any sinne but only couer it that none doth make a man iust before God but only before man If I say we adde these their positions and doctrine which are their common Tenents and before proued to the former it will euidently appeare that their doctrine of it selfe without any wresting or forcing it is a spurre to vice and a bridle to vertue is a retractiue from good life and an attractiue to bad doth stope the way to a mind enclined to morall honesty open the gat to one disposed to loosnesse and liberty SVBDIV. 2. In particular how many wayes the Protestant Doctrine incourageth to the breach of all lawes and to all lewdnes of life AND first if a man should belieue not only the articles and points reuealed in Scripture but also the consequences deduced from them as most Protestants hould thē may euery Protestant out of these their former principles by euident consequence deduced belieue and practise these such like positions and practises which draw from all piety to impurity and which do euidently follow out of the former principles First therfore he may reason and accordingly practise thus The obseruation of the ten commandments yea of any one is impossible and by the liberty of the ghospell I am freed from all obligation to any as well morall as ceremoniall precepts Ergo in vaine do I labour to keepe them in vaine do I ēdeauour to abstaine from idolatry periury prophaning the Sabboth disobedience to Superiours murder adultery theft false witnesse concupiscence or the like because it is as impossible for me to keepe thē as for me to leap ouer the sea Because by the liberty of the Gospel I am freed from the obligation as well of them as of the ceremonial precepts and therfore may as well breake the Sunday as the Saturday as well commit fornication as eat porke or bacon as well omit duty to parents or princes as circumcision or the paschall lambe sith all are equally abrogated and neither sinne nor punishment of either is imputed Ergo Why shall not I as well commit as auoid swearing drinking murder adultery or the rest Why not as well yield to as resist concupiscence Why not as well consent as dissent as well follow as forbeare my pleasures as well feed as bridle my appetites and passions because both are against the commāmandement which is impossible to be kept and neither imputed to me for sinne which by faith is fully remitted Secondly He may reason and accordingly practise thus No prince or Prelate hath any power to make lawes which shall oblige the subiect in conscience Ergo I am not bound in conscience and vnder any sinne to obey them but may so as publicke scandall or punishmēt can be auoided breake them at my pleasure so it be priuate and vnknowne therfore may I vnderhand breake the Canons iniunctions of the Church and vse simony bribery and the rest Therfore need I not obserue the lawes of the commō wealth but may bring in or trasport forbidden goods deny tolles taxes or imposts breake any statute either as a magistrate or as a subiect so I can auoid scandall and punishment because vnder sinne and in conscience I am obliged to none of these lawes and statutes Thirdly
and which was so imbraced in the Primitiue Church that in some places a thousand in other two thousands in others 3000. in others 5000. men and in others as at Ancyra 10000. women professed it in one place and preferred it before the riches and pleasures of the world This precious vertue and pearle is debauched Luxury which is as one cals it the gate to hell the way to iniquity the biting of a scorpion the birdlime of wickednesse and the fountaine of perdition is fomented and increased by this doctrine For who will labour to liue chastly who belieues as they teach that Chastity is impossible and no more in mans power then it is not to be a man that a woman is as necessary as to eat drinke sleepe or sneese that marriage is as gold virginity as dung that all are to be condemned as guilty of murther who do not giue themselues to beget children Who will abstaine from any sensuall lust and brutish concupiscence to which his affection leads him who perswades himselfe that a man or womaÌ„ sins as much in hauing a suggestion or motion of concupiscence though resisted as in consenting delighting or acting the sinne it selfe that it is no more sinne to yield then to resist lust that the sinne is pardoned before hand by vertue of the seale of Baptisme and no more imputed by the meanes of faith then though it had neuer beene committed He surely that is taught this and belieues this and withall that neither this nor any sinne can expell or take away his faith or damne him Infidelity only excepted is foolish if he feare sinne and is senselesse and labours in vaine if he seeke and labour to bridle his concupiscence to mortify his affections to resist his temptations or to restraine or not giue himselfe to all sensuality his heart can desire which freely and fully he may do as by this doctrine he is warranted and secured Surely he that belieues thus as thus he is taught needs not feare any detriment to his soule or any punishment of his sinne or any offence of God what therefore can or at least will restraine him from following his fleshly appetites specially in secret Thirdly Cruelty which how odious it is is by diuers examples before declared with all rage ire and reuenge and the practise of them is by vertue of this doctrine dangerously perswaded for who will not be encouraged to inflict any seuere punishment and cruell tortures for any little offence committed against him who belieues that God ordaines soules to such horrible punishments in hell for no offence committed or forseene to be committed against his Maiesty Who desirous to imitate God will not rather exercise then detest actions of all cruelty and tyranny when he belieues that God is a iudge so seuere cruell and tyrannous that he ordaines and creates men to damnation and sinne and for the same sinne which himselfe commands works in them doth himselfe torment them with those horrible torments of eternall fire in hell Who may not be incited to lay vpon subiects and seruants any command though neuer so heauy and intollerable when they read belieue that God laies vpon al men precepts which are impossible to be performed Who will bridle his rage and fury of passion when he perswades himselfe that he offends Gods as much in resisting as in yielding to it and that neither Gods particular fauour nor his speciall faith and â—ustice is lost nor any sinne shal be imputed or punishment inflicted vpon him for the sinne though in his rage he should kill murder and vse all reuenge vpon his enemies What needs therefore any man to feare or care in conscience what secret murder or villany he contriues or works so he can but auoid the shame or the world or the punishment of the lawes Fourthly Pride which is the sinne which God hates is abomination to God and the begining of all sinne apostacy from God Which is according to S. Gregory the root of all euill and the queene of all vices Yea according to S. Augustine the begining the end and the cause of all sinnes and which makes vs like to the diuels as humility doth to the Angels This pride is by this their doctrine kindled and as by bellowes blowne and set on fire For what a strong motiue to pride and rebellion against all superiours is it for one to perswade himselfe that he is by his priuate spirit immediatly taught of God vnderstands all doctrine reueiled by God needs no instruction or direction from his Pastour but may iudge and censure him yea with him all the ancient Pastours Doctours Bishops and Saints of Gods Church and may preferre his owne priuate iudgment and opinion before the generall Iudgment and doctrine of Gods Church How forcible a perswasion to pride and presumption is it for one to assure himselfe that he is sure of Gods fauour and of keeping it of remission of his sinnes and of perseuerance in grace to the end and that no sinne or offence can separate him from the fauour of God and from heauen yea that he is as iust and perfect as Peter Paul and the mother of God that God fauours him as much as he did Christ and will as assuredly free him from hell and bring him to heauen aâ— he hath done Christ and that without any his labour that he hath as much right to heauen as Christ hath and can be no more damned then Christ can be Which are Luthers and Zuinglius words The assurance of all which cannot but be a vehemeÌ„t perswasion to cause any man highly to esteeme of himselfe and to neglect all humility and feare of himselfe and all care with feare and trembling to worke his saluation By all which is euident that this ProtestaÌ„t doctrine is a great motiue and incentiue to all idlenesse lust cruelty and pride and so to all other vices and a strong impediment to the practise exercise of all contrary vertues and perfection SVBDIV. 4. Bad life 1. In the Common people 2. In the Ministers 3 In the first Reformers of Protestant religion confessed to be an effect of this doctrine WHICH yet that it may more plainly appeare and the more fully by example and practise be conuinced I will produce the open confession of many prime Protestants by whom this fruit and effect of this priuate spirit and the doctrine of it is confessed in their practise 1. In generall of all the common people 2. More particularly of their Ministers and maisters 3. Most specially of the chief founders pillars of their religion By all whose confâ—ssion is made apparent that lewd life wicked works and all licentious Epicurean liberty among Protestants is neither a corruption of the time nor an infirmity of mans nature nor a Nationall vice only nor yet an abuse of doctrine or a defect of good order and discipline but only and truly