unto him goe and governe my subjects well what foole is there in the world will beleeve that by these words the King giveth him an ample unlimited power over all his Kingdome subjects and createth him thereby his successour in all his estates after his death would not he be thought to be hypocondriacally affected who would make himselfe beleeve it the King understandeth questionlesse thereby his people and subjects which are in the Province and place where he is sent as Governour and not those who are in other places If a Bishop send a Priest to governe a Parish or a Church and say to him goe I recommend my people and my sheep unto you teach them well and instruct them faithfully take great care to feed my flock with good doctrine ought this Priest therefore to imagine with himselfe that all the people in his diocesse are subject to him and that the Bishop giveth him ample power over all his Bishopricke and maketh him his successour by those words Let him perswade himselfe as much as he can as doe the Hypocondriaques but I beleeve he should finde some to speake withall if he would undertake the exercise of such authoritie without some other Commission for by that it is sufficient he beleeves that the Bishop recommendeth to his charge the sheep which he hath committed to his guard and leading So it is without sence and reason they imagine to inferre by those words that Christ hath given all power over the Church to St Peter and established him his Vicar and Successour in his place but onely he commandeth him to preach and declare the Gospel every where as he did in other places to all the other Apostles without distinction of Jewes or Gentiles Countreyes or Estates but generally in every place where they should be sent And after this manner doth the Romish Church use the holy Scripture to prove the Articles of their beliefe Another objection of the Church of Rome is Our Saviour cōmanded St Peter Mat. 17.27 Mat. 17.27 To take the first fish he could catch and take a piece of money out of its mouth and pay the tribute for them two therfore he made him his successour after his death and hath given him the Primacy over the whole Church and over the other Apostles See here the meaning of this history some Collectour or Publicane cometh to St Peter who was with our Saviour as the first he found it may be or perhaps the most ancient and considerable of all and said unto him that their Master did pay no tribute to the Prince St Peter telleth it to Christ who commandeth him to go to the sea and the first fish he could catch to take a piece of money which he should find in his mouth and pay for him and himself to the publicane to eschew scandalls hereby it appeareth that he maketh him his successour and vicar after his death and that he hath the Primacy and superiority over all the other Apostles and Christians Is not this a consequence handsomely deduced by wise men and neverthelesse it is one of the Romish Church The publicans and collectours for the Prince come to a noble man to ask of him some subsidy and tribute they addressed themselves to the first they met withall or to some old servant and tell him that his Master hath not paid the subsidies the servant goeth and telleth it to his Master who commandeth him to go to such a place and take money to pay for him and himself which he doth to shunne noise and scandall this servitour ought he here for to presume with himself that he will succeed to all the goods and estate of his Master and that thereby preheminence is given unto him over all his other companions and fellow-servants and should he not shew himself altogether ridiculous who would maintain the same to draw such consequences and to found one Article of faith and the most important of them all upon so frivolous conjectures and weak proofs is to make fools of men there must be other proofs and more authentique and clearer declarations to pretend lawfully the greatest power and most advantagious succession in the world Take here yet another parcell of the same dough or rather more frivolous St Peter say they was the first who was called to the Apostleship therefore Christ made him his Successour and Vicar and gave him after his death the superiority over his fellows and the whole Church St John saith that Andrew having found Jesus Christ Ioh. 1.41 went and told his brother Simon and brought him to Christ so that by that means Andrew should be the first of the Apostles who found the Messiah and knew Christ but put the case it were Peter and that he was the first chosen of the Apostles and called to the Apostleship will it follow thence that Christ Jesus made him his Successour The first souldier that is inrolled in a Company by his Captain is he for that his Successour after his death must he have the superiority after his Captains death over all the rest without other declaration or title at all especially the Captain having never declared any thing that way but provided other waies for the government and leading of his company there is certainly neither rhyme nor reason for deducing such consequences so all this serveth onely to deceive the simple and weaker spirits but every man of judgement seeth well enough their weaknesse to believe or give credit thereto Now I protest they are the strongest arguments the Romish Church produceth out of the holy Scripture to prove the primacy of St Peter and consequently that of the Pope for there is nothing spoken of the Pope in the holy Scripture nor doth he pretend any right thereto but so farre as he termeth himself the Successour of St Peter and if they be attentively considered as they ought I perswade my self there is no man in the world provided he hath any sparks of common reason who will not judge them too small and weak to prove so important a doctrine which is the foundation of all the Romish belief and this certainly is more then sufficient to shew that the power of the Pope is usurped that he hath not the authority he pretendeth over the Church and that wrongfully he calleth himself the universall Pastour over all Christians and Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth he not being able to shew or prove his succession and power by any passage of Scripture which hath any strength or likelihood But I minde not to stay there not for any obligation but for greater satisfaction of those who are desirous of salvation and the truth I will prove the negative by Scripture and thereby shew that our Saviour had never intention to leave St Peter nor any other Successour or Vicar in his place and that the Apostles never acknowledged S. Peter nor any other for universall Pastour but Christ we shall also see hereafter how the
doe it it should especially have been at this time an occasion and if he hath not done it here nor elsewhere it is an infallible and certaine proofe that he will leave no other superiour over the Church but himselfe and the holy Spirit Mat. 28.20 and he saith that he would remaine and stay with them alwayes even to the end of the world Besides our Saviour being upon the Crosse recommendeth his Mother to St John and St John to his Mother if St Peter should have been his Successour and Vicar after his death he might even then have spoken something but neither did he it there nor before nor after he was risen although he was conversant amongst them and with his Disciples oftentimes for the space of fortie dayes is not this then a most manifest and cleere proofe that he would leave neither Successour nor generall Vicar in his roome and that it is without sence or reason to say he left St Peter If the testimony of all the men in the world should be found to contradict this same would it be of greater force and strength than this The Word of God ought to triumph over all neither should any thing be opposed to it and it is blasphemy to attempt it there needeth no glosses here for this is cleere enough but either must a man renounce all that is in the holy Scripture or acknowledge this doctrine and truth nor could ever I conclude otherwise having considered it Here you may see good Reader by the holy Scripture that Jesus Christ had never intention to leave any man for Successour and universall Vicar or generall head in his place and that he himself alone would be governour and director for ever and none other but himselfe Therefore it is wrongfully that the Pope of Rome groundeth and maintaineth his authoritie upon that Now let us see by the holy Scripture that the Apostles did never hold Peter for his Successour or universall head of the Church CHAP. X. Proved by the holy Spirit that the Apostles did never acknowledge St Peter for superiour and universall head of the Church IF St Peter hath been instituted by Christ generall Pastour of the Church and Superiour over all the Apostles and Christians I undoubtedly beleeve that the other Apostles did know it perfectly for although Christ should never have declared any thing to them yet the holy Spirit who instructed them in all truth would have taught them this so important a point So it is that it may be proved even by the Scripture it selfe that the Apostles did never acknowledge this superioritie and primacy in Peter and therefore we may safely conclude that he never had it I finde in the Acts of the Apostles chap. 15.7 that the first Councell of the Church after the death of our Saviour was holden at Jerusalem where St James was Bishop and not St Peter that Paul and Barnabas and others came expresly that the Apostles and Elders did assemble to confer about something touching Circumcision and after great debate Peter saith Luke rose up and spake and after him Paul and Barnabas declaring what signes and wonders God had done by them among the Gentiles and so soone as they had done St James answered saying Men and brethren hearken unto mee Simon hath declared how God c. Wherefore my sentence is that wee trouble not them which among the Gentiles are turned to God but that we write unto them c. Now judge I pray you by this passage if Peter may be thought chiefe in this so noble and famous action if there be any of the Apostles who may be thought superiour in this assembly it is questionlesse St James the Councell holding in his Citie and Church It is true St Peter speaketh after some dispute not first as is pretended for they had already disputed and spoken but St James pronounceth sentence in this assembly and as Judge and of most authoritie in the Councell it being done in his Church he imposeth silence to speak and pronounce the sentence as is the custome of the Judges and saith Wherefore my sentence is or now I Judge Ego autem Judico as St Jeroms translation hath it which questionlesse he did not as superiour to all but as Bishop of the place where the assembly was holden and to whom for that respect the first place and greatest authoritie was due as there is no Bishop in the world that giveth not place to another in his owne Church and within the bounds of his Jurisdiction But if Peter had had the primacy he would have pronounced the sentence as Judge and as Master and superiour over them all and it was his to say Ego Judico I marvell also that St James speaking to him if he thought him Vicar of Christ said not our Master Simon or the universall Vicar and Pastour or gave him not some great title such as is now given to the Pope it being a great over-sight to omit it but he saith onely Simon hath told if Simon was his superiour and universall head of the Church St James was greatly to be blamed in this point for some irreverence or little respect but knowing that there was but equalitie among them he useth him as his equall keeping onely the authoritie and dignitie of his own Sea It is said in the Acts chap. 11.1 that St Peter having converted and baptized Cornelius the Centurion and all those men who were Gentiles he came up againe to Jerusalem and being there they who were of the Circumcision that is the converted Jewes would have reproved him and contended with him saying Why wentest thou into men uncircumcised and didst eat with them Peter beginneth and declareth all the matter unto them in order and justifieth the action if St Peter was head of the Church and generall Pastour of all Christians and of all the world I marvell first how they had the boldnesse to reprove him for preaching to the Gentiles whose Pastour he was as well as of the Jewes and I admire also that St Peter seemeth to excuse himselfe before them upon a particular revelation and commission and did not rather tell them that being universall Pastour he had power over all soules and it belonged to him to preach the Gospell to every creature not onely to the Jewes but also to the Gentiles certainly he did not acknowledge as yet that generall power and universall primacy in himselfe nor yet did Christians acknowledge it in him for out of all question they would have spoken otherwise to him and he would also have answered in other tearmes especially if he had thought to have had that infallibilitie which the Pope of Rome vindicateth to himselfe which he saith he hath gotten by the succession and in the person of St Peter Moreover the Apostles sent Peter and John to preach in Samaria would the Pope now adayes receive any such commission Acts 8. and goe preach to the Indians or in Russia by Commission
in the world it being not so much as once mentioned in the holy Scripture as well as that of Antioch where Peter is said to have been nor did Paul being aâ— Rome ever speak of Peter who should have been there at the same time he was and often recommending the faithfull saith nothing of the chief amongst them to wit Peter Moreover writing from Corinth to the Romans whom he had taught he saluteth a multitude of Saints and christians at Rome naming them particularly but greeteth not Saint Peter at all who should have been Superiour and Master to Paul and all the faithfull so from the reading and consideration of the holy Scripture a strong proof may be drawn to prove that Saint Peter was never Bishop of Rome nor ever was at Rome But I think not the question of so great importance as to detain longer the eyes and minds of the Reader thereupon for though we grant that he was both at Rome and was Bishop at Rome it can give no superiority to the Pope of Rome Saint Peter having never had it as you have sufficiently heard and although he had had it is not an infallible consequence to make an article of faith that the Bishop or Pope of Rome should have it also Moses was established by God in the office of Priest Lawgiver and Prince in Israel but he left no Successour in that office and dignitie for God did not command it Saint Iohn the Baptist also had no Successour in his office nor the Apostles in their Apostleship although then we should grant that Saint Peter was generall Pastour and Head of the Church why should we give him a Successour in that chardge seeing God hath given no such command in his word And when Saint Peter writeth to the Christians he doth not command them to acknowledge the Bishop of Rome for his Successour after his death was there ever any Kingdome or Soveraignty temporall or spirituall in the world established without there were some Laws made about the Succession or form of Election here appeareth no such thing nor any declaration of the will of God upon this subject wherefore then doth the Pope claim this without the word of God and make it an article of faith Further if Peter was established universall Head of the christian Church it was then when the Church was small and the chardge was easie but it being now grown great and christians spread over all the world what shoulders are strong enough to support such a burthen Now if after the death of Saint Peter there behoved a Successour and Head of the universall Church to be chosen let all men who have but the least spark of judgement judge if that office ought not to appertain either to James or John whom Paul to the Galathians calleth the pillars of the Church who lived a long time after Saint Peter or to some other of the Apostles rather then to deferre it to Linus Saint Pauls disciple of whom nothing is extant but his name or to Clement of whom they produce onely some writings which because they contain too ridiculous things to be beleeved are rejected as Apocrypha or to Cletus or Anacletus for it is uncertain to which of those thice Or at least they ought to have honoured those excellent Apostles so farre as to call them and ask their advice for the choosing an Head of the Catholick Church who will beleeve that even in the time of the Apostles a small number of christians at Rome some of them converted Jews some Gentiles should have had the credit to give a Head and Pope to the Catholick Church meerly of their own authority without communicating with the Apostles or other Christians of Ephesus Corinth Jerusalem Asia and the rest who were beyond comparison in greater number and more considerable than themselves being converted before them and auncienter Christians many of them having seen and heard the Sonne of God preach and been his Disciples Where is that word of God which giveth this power to the City of Rome which besides the person of the Emperour who at that time did live there ruling in all cruelty and wickednesse had nothing more considerable than those of other Cities to give a chief Priest a Prelate and a Superiour to all the Apostles then living and to all the Bishops whereof many were Disciples of Jesus Christ and his Apostles and to all Christians dispersed in many provinces and kingdomes he must be very blinde who will perswade himself of such a thing without the word of God or some other authentique priviledge for it out of the Gospel the Acts of the Apostles their Epistles or some other books worthy of belief But if Peter was at Rome and was Bishop which is not likely he that succeeded him might succeed in the office and dignitie of Bishop but not in that of Apostle which was personall neither in the charge of universall Bishop and Head of the Church which Peter never had Nor do we find the first three or foure hundred years and more after the death of our Saviour that any Bishop or other writer did ever give to the Bishop of Rome the title of universall Bishop of generall head and Superiour or any such thing nor that ever any of the Romish Bishops durst lay claim to it We find indeed that many Bishops from diverse places did write to them concerning sundry points of Religion not as referring the determination to them but to ask their advice not as from Judges but as from Doctours and fellow-Bishops who having their chair in the chief Citie of the world might justly be esteemed men of capacitie and merit so we see they are content in their Epistles to call them fellow-Bishops or brethren and companions never Superiors nor Masters nor universall Bishops or Pastours or any such thing It would be too tedious to set down all the Epistles which bear these titles and although I should cite them yet would some men affirm I had left out those in which the title of universall head is found But for an irreprehensible proof of this before any reasonable man let them but read the lives of the Popes written by Popish authours especially by one Du Chesne a modern writer who doth not forget nor omit any thing to prove the Primacy and power of the Popes of Rome there yee may see in the life of every Pope the name and subject of all those who write to him and whereof any knowledge could be had and this man thinketh to draw great advantage for the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome from the multitude of letters written to him from so many places which was onely done for the reason alleadged before but not so much as one word is there to be seen of Superiour or universall head of the Church or any such like thing but onely of fellow-Bishop brother companion coequall or some such thing which shewed no Superiority or Primacy but onely equality as for
they exercise any act of their charge or administer any Sacraments And neverthelesse they often continue so many years but as they imagine themselves to have all power to binde loose on earth so doe they quickly loose themselves from all those Anathema's being once Popes extending the same favour to all those who have assisted them in that mystery of iniquitie By such corrupt and diabolicall election it hath come to passe that such abominable Monsters the Earth hath seen sit in the chair of Rome that none can read the History of the Popes written by Papists themselves but their hair riseth with horrour it is not my intention here to set down the abhominations which are to be seen in those books howsoever written with all the moderation possible to a favourable Historian for I will not here be accounted invective and those who have not read those books should suspect me of that crime in producing such a multitude as hardly could they beleeve them being written by my hand But let those who will read there the life of Vrbanus the seventh who for a light suspition put to death eight of his Cardinals cruelly causing to be sowed five of them in one sack and did throw them into the Sea before his eyes he being present in the same ship Oh more than barbarous crueltie for a Church-man Let them see the life of Alexander the sixth sometimes called Borgia a native of Spaine who gave the Indies to the King of Spaine where he had nothing himself and gratified him â—â—â—ther with the brave title of Catholick King Let them but read I say the life of that good Pope and they shall see how many bastards he had and how loving one of them called Valentine excessively although the Murtherer of his own eldest brother to get his estate he had resolved to poyson all the richest Cardinals of his Court at one time at a feast he had prepared for them in the Countrey thereby to inrich his foresaid bastard with their spoils but that cruell designe was both prevented and punished by God for being thirstie before dinner the butler either ignorantly or by the just judgement of God taking the bottle with the poysoned wine for the wholesome the Pope having drunk of it died presently and that Valentine who drunk also with him being younger and stronger than he died not presently but languished the rest of his life An infinite number of such or the like actions little better if not worse are to be seen in their lives and histories where I rather wish the Reader to search them than that I should blot my book with them for if I should set them down here the simple and ignorant would beleeve I spoke with more passion than truth many of their actions surpassing all belief And if there be found any amongst those Popes well bred and of a courteous and wise disposition that hath seldome come to passe neverthelesse they have been guiltie some few excepted of the common crime of inriching their Nephews bastards and kinsfolks with the goods of the Church and the blood and substance of poore Christians so far as their power could extend it self and those have been the materials that have builded and cemented almost all the most potent families at this day in Italy But let us a little reflect upon the power of the Popes of Rome and their election for it is an important point CHAP. XIIII A notable reflection upon the usurped power of the Pope and his election and how much all Princes Prelates and Christians even Romanes are interressed therein I Have sufficiently shewne before that St. Peter never had the Primacy and how that which the Bishop of Rome pretendeth being usurped is unlawfull and of no force But let us suppose that Jesus Christ did establish St. Peter for his Vicar on earth and for Head of the Church after his death Nay suppose that St. Peter was Bishop of Rome it will not therefore follow that the primacie of the Church is bound to the Bishop of Rome and that he must be head of the Church who is created Bishop of the City of Rome or that the people of Rome have the priviledge to give a generall Head to the universall Church as those of the Romish Church are forced to confesse St. Peter say they was Bishop of Rome and erected his chaire at Rome therefore he hath placed and established the Primacie there I am sure that St. Peter also and first was Bishop of Antioch after the death of the Son of God therefore the seat of Primacie should be rather at Antioch Yes but he lived and died at Rome Our Saviour who was the chief Priest and Head of the Church without controversie died at Jerusalem at Jerusalem therefore rather should the Primacie and first chaire be and seeing Moses who was principall amongst the people and chief Doctor did exercise his office and die in the Wildernesse therefore ought the Israelites also to make the seat of their primacie and principalitie in the wildernesse They must then of necessitie say that the priviledge of primacie was personall and not locall given to the person of St. Peter and not to the City of Rome where he setled his last See they having as yet found no such passage in the holy Scripture commanding the primacie to be annexed to the Bishoprick of Rome If then the primacie of the Church was not bound to the Bishop of Rome what right have the Romanists had to give a generall head to all Christians as they have done a long time And although it had been annexed to him when it was a question to create a Primate by the course of election all Christians ought to be called to give their voice either themselves or by their deputies and chuse him whom they were to obey which never being done sheweth sufficiently that election was not lawfull and so other Christians were not obliged to obey him they having neither been called nor had voice in his election it being the Law of all Canonique election that all those who have interest be called to give their voice and suffrages either themselves or by their deputies But let us leave those ancient elections and see if that which is now adayes be surer and juster Here Oh Noble Princes and Prelates of the Romish Church I wish earnestly ye would onely lift up your eyes and consider how much ye are interressed in the election of the Popes practised now â—dayes When it is a question to create a generall and universall Pastor of the Church I beleeve that all Princes and Pastors yea and all Christians ought to be called to elect and chuse themselves or by their deputies him whom they must obey and who ought to keep and guide their souls and on whom all the good or evill of the Church dependeth But this is not observed they contenting themselves with the Cardinals who represent say they the Clergie of the Church Here I
of St Peters primacy shall be drawne from the following words Mat. 16.14 set downe in Mat. 16.14 And I will give thee the keyes of the Kingdâ—me of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven The Popes grounding themselves on those words have assumed all power over Christians over Kings Emperours and States to excommunicate interdict and depose to crowne and create Princes and to give all their estates in spoyle In a word they thinke all they are able to attempt is lawfull to them as being sufficiently authorised by those words and that nothing under the heavens is exempt from their jurisdiction because it is said in that passage Whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in heaven At the first sight this passage wee have cited seemeth to be of great strength to maintaine the primacy of St Peter and his successours but I will onely turne over the leafe to elude this objection and shew its weaknesse and insufficiency for this purpose for I finde in Mat. 18.18 that Christ said to all his Disciples and Apostles present the same words in the plurall number Verily I say unto you that whatsoever yee shall binde on earth Mat. 18.18 shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever yee shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Quaecunque ligaveritis in the plurall number neverthelesse I have never as yet heard nor seen any Author that attributeth this generall and universall power over the whole Church and over all Christians to any other of the Apostles by those words why then to St Petrr more than the rest seeing the same words were spoken to them by Christ This might be a sufficient Answer to the objection of the Romish Church But because they use these words yet further to give power to all their Priests to absolve from all sinnes even the most secret and to binde and loose the soules and consciences at their pleasure I intreat you seriously to consider the occasion of this passage to see how little reason they have or rather the great wrong they doe in establishing a doctrine of so great importance on these words for these are the words the Bishops use at the consecration of Priests imposing their hands and saying Receive the holy Spirit all that yee binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and all that yee loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Jesus preaching to his Disciples of the order that ought to be kept in brotherly correction saith Mat. 18.16 Mat. 18.16 If thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betwixt him and thee alone if he shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother but if he will not heare thee take with thee two or three more that out of the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word shall be established and if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to heare the Church let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican verily I say unto you that whatsoever yee binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever yee shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Thence every man may cleerly see that our Saviour speaks of the exterior and publique sinnes of our neighbour which are knowne not of secret sinnes and to keep the order of charitie and not dishonour him his will is that when thou shalt know it thou reprove him secretly between thee and him alone but if he continue still take with thee two or three Witnesses to reprove him in their presence and if for all that he continue in his sin and obstinacy accuse him to the Congregation and company of the faithfull that he may receive correction and if he doth not humble and submit himselfe let him be excommunicate and thrust out of the Congregation and thereupon he assureth the Pastours of his Church in the person of his Disciples that whatsoever they shall binde or loose on earth being understood with this order of charitie shall be bound or loosed in heaven that is whomsoever they shall bind with the bands and sentence of excommunication shall be bound in heaven and the sentence shall be confirmed and ratified in heaven by God and he whom they shall thrust out of the Church and Congregation shall be esteemed of us as thrust out in heaven Is there any man in the world that can justly contradict the literall sence of these words and who seeth not that this hath been out of all doubt the true meaning of the Son of God To what purpose then doe they apply that which was spoken of a particular case and of exteriour and knowne sinnes to all the interiour hidden and secret sinnes of the heart and to what end doe they enlarge the power of the Minister which is limited in this case over all manner of persons subjects and States but the ambition to command maketh arrowes or rather Charcoale of all wood to defile it selfe and all its followers See here another objection of the same mettle with the former Our Saviour Joh. 21.15 saith to St Peter twice Joh. 21.15 feed my Lambes and once feed my sheepe and by consequence he hath established him universall Pastour over all Christians I marvell much that the Doctors of the Romish Church should take pleasure to forge such bad consequences for I beleeve they know well enough that Terminus indefinitus aequivalet particulari non universali that an indefinite proposition is equivalent to a particular and not to an universall or generall Wee might say that Christ in those words did not recommend all his sheep to Peter nor give him power over them all and let us grant notwithstanding that St Peter had charge to feed all the sheep and lambs of the Lords flocke and commission to preach the Gospell unto them and feed them with the doctrine of life and salvation The same Commission and power was also given by Jesus Christ to all the Apostles Mark i6 15 Mat. 28.19 when he said to them in Mark. 16.15 Goe yee to all the world and Preach the Gospell to every creature and Mat. 28.19 Goe and teach all Nations for so ought the word feed to be understood namely to feed with doctrine and to teach so it is not said that primacy and superioritie is attributed to them but onely a Commission and charge given to preach the Gospel every where and teach all men to beleeve Further I answer that although this passage were understood of the power and authoritie it being an indefinite proposition to wit my sheep all the sheep cannot be understood here but onely those which Christ would especially commit to his guard and put under his government to wit the Churches which he was to found and governe A King sending a Nobleman to be Governour of a Province or Citie if perchance he say
from some other Bishops in France or Italy Further St Paul saith Gal. 2.16 that the preaching of the Gospel of the Uncircumcision was committed to him as that of the Circumcision to St Peter and when James Cephas and John who seemed to be pillars perceived the grace saith he that was given unto mee they gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that is they received mee for companion that we should goe unto the brethren and they unto the Circumcision Here if you please you may observe that he attributeth no more to Peter than to John and James but calleth them all three Pillars and nameth not Peter but James first which shewed that he acknowledged no superioritie amongst them above the rest and saith further that the right hand of association was given him that is they received him for companion to goe and preach to the Gentiles as they to the Jewes Is there any Bishop in the world who dare write himselfe companion to the Pope and the charge to preach to the Gentiles was it not the most honourable and greatest and most fit to the universall Pastour of the world which if St Peter had been it was to him rather than to St Paul to whom it did belong it being also said that he hath been Bishop of the chiefe Citie of all the Gentiles although there be no proofe or likelihood of it fit in the Scripture but of this hereafter Gal. 2.11 And a little after in the same chap. When Peter saith he was come to Antioch I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed for before that certaine came from James he did eat with the Gentiles but when they were come he withdrew and separated himselfe fearing them which were of the Circumcision and the other Jewes dissembled likewise with him in so much that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel I said unto Peter before them all If thou being a Iew live also after the manner of the Gentiles and not as doe the Jewes why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as doe the Iewes Here you see how Paul saith that he withstood Peter to his face because he was to be blamed yea and reproved him sharply for his dissimulation and evill example if Paul had acknowledged Peter for his superiour and head over all Christians it is out of all doubt a great fault in Paul to resist his superiour to his face and so to write and if he did acknowledge in him that infallibilitie whereof the Pope braggeth how saith he that he was to be blamed and faulty there can be no other thing answered to this but that Paul did not acknowledge any superioritie or infallibilitie in Saint Peter otherwise there is none of good judgement in the world who would not think Paul guilty of a fault and crime of contempt and yet no man even to this day nor any Pope durst ever condemne this fault in Paul and did also he onely acknowledge Peter as his equall and fellow-Apostle whom he was bold to reprove and I beleeve that every man who is not interessed and is void of passion will judge with me by those passages of Scripture and with the orthodox belief that the Apostles did never acknowledge this superiority and Primacy in Peter and that it is in vain to the Pope to vindicate the same to himself Peter having never had it Finally if Saint Peter himself did think he had this universall authority over all the Apostles and all Christians and all the Churches of the world I marvell he never made it appear nor used it at any time and that there is nothing spoken of it in the Acts of the Apostles which are the history of the Apostles for more then 20 years I marvell also that he did not addresse some Epistles to all the Christians in the world but contented himself to write onely to some Jewes who were dispersed by the persecution of Saint Steven and I marvell yet most of all he did not put some titles before his Epistles to make known his Primacy he doth not write Peter Bishop of Bishops or universall Pastour of the Church or great Vicar of Christ on earth 1. Pet. 1. nor any such thing but onely Peter an Apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers which are scattered in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bythinia there is not so much as one word in both those Epistles that favoureth of his Supremacy his words are not the words of a Master nor of a Superiour or Soveraign doth a Soveraign ever write long letters to his subjects and never speak to them as a Soveraign how humble soever he be without using any word of Lord and Master or giving any commandement It appeareth then hereby and by that which we spoke before that the Apostles did never acknowledge this Primacy of Saint Peter nor did he ever acknowledge it himself and I beleeve I have sufficiently proved this by Scripture to be judged by any man of judgement that those arguments of Scripture to prove this negative to wit that Saint Peter had no Primacy are beyond all comparison stronger than those which the Romish Church doth produce to prove the affirmative of this Doctrine to wit that Saint Peter was Head of the Church I know that the Doctours of the Romish Church want not explications in their favour upon those passages whether found out by them or some of the auncients for there is no errour that may not finde some colourable pretext but we shall give sufficient answers thereto in the next chapter and J protest I never found satisfaction nor I beleeve shall any man of sound judgement find satisfaction therein for this truth is too clear and evident to be contradicted Now let us see if the Bishop of Rome who calleth himself Successour of Saint Peter was acknowledged by the primitive Church and those first ages to have had this Primacy and universall superiority over the whole Church CHAP. XI That although Saint Peter had had the preeminence the Pope hath no right to challenge it to himself and that the Primitive Church never acknowledged this universall Superiority in the Bishop of Rome THe first question to be cleared here should be whether Saint Peter were ever Bishop of Rome or if he ever was at Rome for the Pope of Rome pretendeth onely his Primacy by succeeding Saint Peter in the Sea of Rome to which saith he is annexed the generall chair and universall power over all christians If any truth may be drawn from the Scripture in this point it is out of all doubt more probable yea and more certain that he was never Bishop nay that he was never there then otherwise for it was a strange and hard thing to beleeve that he was there and founded that Church established there his Sea and chair which the Pope esteemeth the first
the word Pope which is as to say Father or if ye will Father of fathers Pater patrum it was a name common in ancient time to all Bishops and when they called him Bishop that was neither universall nor yet of Rome nor Romane but very seldome but onely Bishop of the Citie of Rome to shew that in those times his Jurisdiction extended not without the walls and suburbs of the Citie of Rome Whence it may be observed that in much probability the Bishops yet of those times were no more than the Pastours of parishes as it is certain they were at the first institution there being not yet at that time speech of diocesse nor of Pastour that had authoritie over many Pastours or Churches and the number of Christians being but small every where one Pastour did serve and was sufficient for the greatest Cities who was called Bishop using the aid and assistance in his charge of the Presbyters that is to say Elders and out of the number of the Elders was ordinarily chosen the Bishop which is to say Intendent or overseer of the flock but this by the way Now to return to the Bishop of Rome it is true that some times they were transported with flattery or by way of civility and complement to give him some titles and Epithites of praise savouring more of flattery than truth extolling either his learning or holinesse beyond all christian modesty and appearance of truth but by a speciall providence of God who would conserve this pure doctrine for his elect or because that was too great a prejudice for them they were never induced to give him any title which might any way shew that Primacie or generall superiority and that without any contradiction of the whole Romish Church to the time of Sylvester which is about 300. yeers and a long time also after him Which if the Bishop of Rome had had or thought to have had it was highly to wrong him in writing to him and not giving him those titles of honour which were due unto him Nor was it a good way to obtain satisfaction in that which they asked to refuse him those qualities of superioritie his subjects did owe him especially in so teetling and important a thing Is there any Prince in the world that would not have reason to be offended if one of his vassals writing to him should call him comrade and companion writing nothing in his letter to shew his submission and the dependence he hath on his Lord and yet in those first ages we read not of any Pope that was offended with any Bishops who writ to them for calling them brother fellow Bishop or companion or for denying him the title of Universall Head This therefore is a manifest proofe that no Bishops did beleeve the Pope of Rome to be universall head of the Church and that the Bishops of Rome did not think it of themselves if this consequence be not reasonable I know not what may be thought reasonable in the world Judge thou indifferent Reader with a spirit of sinceritie and void of passion They of the Romish Church it may be will produce against all that we have cleerly alledged and proved from the Scriptures or otherwise a number of passages out of some Fathers men of the first ages for since Sylvester that the greatnesse of the Bishop of Rome did begin we must not marvell for the reasons alledged which seem to give the Primacy to St. Peter and the Bishop of Rome but the answer is brief in this and other points if they produce ten seeming testimonies for them I shall produce a dozen to the contrary taken out of the same Fathers a great deale stronger cleerer and of greater force than others But not to stay any longer upon their needlesse things let them shew us the true manuscripts written by those ancient Fathers and we will take the pains to read them and examine their opinions although nothing ought to be opposed to the holy Scriptures But to alledge us books written eight or nine hundred yeers after the Autographs and written or printed after a thousand copies and under the highest power of the Church of Rome there is no reason we should trouble our brains with them and also those books being laid together can in nothing equall nor come neer the authoritie of the holy Scriptures which are avowed and acknowledged of all men and speak most cleerly and manifestly in this point And so for the Fathers in this and other matters because I will say no other thing than that which I have said in the seventh Chapter of this book I intreat the Reader to see it there But how cometh it to passe that the Pope of Rome hath possessed himself of so great an authority and maintaineth the same in so high a degree for so many ages CHAP. XII In what manner and at what time the Bishop of Rome usurped the Primacie THose who will read and consider attentively the History of the Christian Church especially the life and history of the Popes written by Popish Authors themselves will cleerly see that the first 300. yeers after the death of our Saviour to the time of Pope Sylvester the Bishop of Rome did pretend no authoritie over the Bishops nor did any give him the title of Universall Head and Bishop in any of the Epistles which were written unto him the Bishop and Church of Rome afflicted with the persecutions and tyrannies of the Emperours imploying their thoughts rather for the conservation of the faith in the practise of humility and patience than in ambition and usurpation of any authoritie which belongeth no wayes unto them But as honours change manners and seldome to the better Constantine the Emperour having been baptized by Sylvester then Bishop of Rome and made the first Christian Emperour by an excessive zeal of devotion to the great prejudice since of all Christendome transferred his Court to Constantinople leaving the City of Rome to Sylvester with a donation of many Lands Lordships and rents so by that gift the Bishop of Rome became the richest and greatest Lord and most considerable without comparison of all the Bishops of the Christian Church it being knowne through the world that the sole Emperour and Monarch of the world had left him his imperiall Citie and inriched and gratified him with so great wealth and honour for him and his successors the Bishops of Rome and howsoever this good Bishop did see himselfe possessed of all this wealth yet did he never usurpe any primacy nor title of head and superiour over other Bishops or Christians himselfe nor his successours for two hundred yeares after his death It is true that being made the richest potentest and most considerable amongst all the Bishops many began to honour him more and write to him with greater respect which ever followeth riches and greatnesse and being thus eminent among all Christians if there were any Bishop who was persecuted by other Bishops or
reasons set down in so easie a stile that the most simple may understand the same and when you have considered my doctrine J am assured you shall finde it Orthodox and truly Catholike altogether conformable to the doctrine of Jesus Christ and his Apostles which is the onely Catholike veritie and the onely intent of this Discourse Now I having lived so long time and converted amongst the Romish Church and had so many occasions and imployments to perceive and discover all the inventions subtilities abuses and deceits thereof I doubt not but J shall speak many things unknowne to those who have not lived amongst them and many even of those who lives amongst them are ignorant of and many whereof an infinite multitude of persons otherwise of good natures and well bred take no notice at all and many things which most men know sufficiently and deplore following the same onely by a forced necessitie and many things also which divers maliciously dessemble and desire them not to be divulged And if the light of the truth which I purpose to set downe here be hurtfull to the eyes of any man questionlesse that will onely be to the bleere-eyed who have their sight troubled with some malignant humour and I am assured where it offendeth one it will please thirtie Although the Owles which delight onely in the night and darknesse cannot indure the light of the pleasant Sunne which God maketh to shine upon us he leaveth not off for that to display his beames upon the earth whence daily we see he produceth an infinite number of rare and marveilous effects and none can deny but that the Owles themselves receive often much good thereby J beseech the great God of light that the truth which I desire to write may be profitable both to the sicke and the whole to the eyes well disposed and those that are not and that this little Treatise which is written for all may be profitable to all J beg from my heart the grace and blessing of God to that end without which J acknowledge and confesse 1 Cor. 3.7 he who planteth or he who watereth is nothing nor can doe nothing To him therefore who is the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end be all honour and glory Amen THE CHRISTIAN AND CATHOLIKE VERITIE CHAPTER I. How the Romish Church acknowledgeth no other Judge in matters of faith but the Pope ONe of the points which ever troubled my spirit most when I was of the Romish Church and ought certainly to move every wise and judicious man is that they make the Pope of Rome alone infallible Judge of that faith which hath been taught preached to us by Christ and his Apostles for howsoever they say and preach often to the simpler sort that it is the Church they hold for Judge yet they confesse that that Church is principally seene in generall Councells and that without the Pope of Rome of the Councells neither are nor make up the Church and have no power certaintie nor infallibilitie but by the Pope alone For although all the Bishops Patriarchs and Cardinalls yea all the Christians of the world were assembled they make not up they say a Church if the Pope be not present himselfe or by Deputy because holding him for head of the Church they are members without a head which cannot make up a body nor by consequent a Church and though they were all of one opinion in any point or Article of faith all will be errour if the Pope be of a contrary minde and all that the Pope declares to be or not to be a point of faith ought to be holden infallible even though the rest of the Church and Christians be of a different opinion And this is the common beliefe of the Romish Church which is to be seene in those Bookes they hold Orthodox and preached in their publick Sermons and though I know that many Prelates among them of great learning and even so many famous Universities grudge mightily thereat yet to publish or preach the contrary is declared a matter of Excommunication and Anathema Where yee may observe that it fareth not with the Councells of the Romish Church which they affirme to be the true Congregation of the faithfull as it doth with Parliaments or generall meetings of the States of Kingdomes where he that precedeth hath but one voice or two at the most and can neither pronounce sentence nor make any act but by the pluralitie of voices and suffrages of the Assembly so that whatsoever is ordered or enacted is justly said to be ordered and enacted by the Parliament or Assembly But it is not so in their Councells for although they discusse it may be and examine the question or point of beliefe all that neverthelesse is but in shew and ceremony for the Pope is not obliged to stand to the opinions and voices of the rest but he alone pronounceth the sentence maketh the act the point or Article of faith after his own fancy and mind so that whatsoever is concluded and enacted in matter of faith can onely be said to be concluded by the Pope alone the rest having neither power to hinder contradict or censure him nor refuse his ordinances except they will be reputed schismatickes and heretiques for as he saith of himselfe he is the Vicar of God on earth hath all the power of Jesus Christ and the Councell of Lateran ascribe to him that of our Saviour in Mat. 28.18 Mat. 28.18 All power is given to me in heaven and earth So it is wrongfully when they say the Church is Judge in matters of faith but they should say it is the Pope alone for such indeed is their common doctrine without which men must beleeve amongst them none can be saved Thus you see how all the faith of the Romish Church is grounded on no other foundation than the head and judgement of the Bishop of Rome who for the most part is wickedly chosen by indirect courses as simony and force having often times proved ignorant ungodly abhominable or at least politique and wise worldlings which is now adayes the condition most requisite to make a Pope who as I shall most cleerly shew hereafter hath no superioritie nor primacy over the Church nor infallibilitie promised by the word and institution of the Son of God to be a competent Judge in that as many great Bishops and Universities of the Romane Church acknowledge sufficiently and I my selfe have heard it of them and beleeve there is no man of good understanding in the world to whom this doctrine doth not seeme altogether extravagant and voyd of all sense and reason yet it is the beliefe of the Church of Rome without which they say none can be saved For my part I am perswaded that whosoever of the Romish Church will consider this point especially without passion and interest and sincerely seeke the truth and his owne salvation he cannot choose but yeeld as I have
reserved by the Pope alone to distribute to all christians and cannot commonly be obtained without a great deal of money especially for those who are remote from Rome and that for the explanation thereof we must submit to the Church that is to the Pope as I have already shewed So there is nothing but the explication of the Pope which can be a rule of faith and which is infallible doctrine and so the Pope maketh himself sole Judge of all matters of faith to determine that which is and that which is not is not this an intollerable extravagancy and worthy to be laught at by all men of understanding seeing it is without warrant from Gods word as may evidently appear The Pope saith then the Scriptures are very obscure and must not be holden for a rule of faith nor be read for fear of mistaking the meaning It is true that the Scripture consisting of many books written by divers authours at divers times yea and in divers ages and for divers ends contain great diversitie of style for in some places it is historicall in others propheticall in some metaphoricall in some morall and in some mingled and although all that is contained in those diversities of the holy Scriptures be written for our salvation as saith Saint Paul and we ought to make our profit thereof Rom. 13. neverthelesse it is not to be doubted there both are and ought to be many obscure things according to the nature and qualitie of the style in which the things are writren for prophesies parables and metaphors are ever accompanied with obscurity But as our Saviour did make but a short speech upon earth and having lived some 33 years preached but 3 or thereabouts during which small time he did preach and teach clearly and soundly all things which were necessary to salvation so that the most simple and ignorant might understand him and be sufficiently instructed by his sermons Neither is there any but Reprobates who will say that God being come to save mankind did not give sufficient instruction and clear enough for all men to be saved Otherwise how could he have condemned Corasin and Bethsaida and pronounced those words against those towns Matth. 11.20 c. Wo be unto thee Corasin wo be unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they had repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes But I say unto thee that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgement then for thee And thou Capernaum if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained unto this day But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgement then for thee Out of all question those cities would have received clear and sufficient instructions for their salvation otherwise he would have condemned them wrongfully And if Christ Jesus did preach clearly all things necessary to salvation so that those who followed him and heard him preaching might attain to perfect faith The Evangelists having set down his life and doctrine to us especially that which was necessary and also endeavoured so farre as they were able to make the same known to us as clearly as our Saviour had preached it otherwise they should be very blameworthy and we should have great reason to except against them that our Saviour having preached a doctrine so clear and easie to be understood of all men they should have left it in so obscure and hard terms that none except the learned Divines were capable to understand what not the learned Theologians nay none I say in the world except one man to wit the Pope were able to understand and give its true meaning and explication No no it is blasphemy to imagine it but we must beleeve that the doctrine of the Evangelists being the same our Saviour preached is left to us with all the facilitie and clearnesse was possible and sufficient to instruct to true faith and salvation neither can they be blamed of any defect especially being directed and assisted by the holy Spirit to that end This impertinency also may be confuted by the onely reading of the Scripture and those who tax the same of obscurity or hardnesse do it undoubtedly out of malice or ignorance never having read it nor it may be never seen it whereof are an infinite multitude in the Romish Church For certainly it is so clear especially in those things which are necessary to our salvation that the most ignorant and simple may understand it and that oftentimes better then many learned whose presumption of their science seeking subtile and curious interpretations in the simple words of our Saviour beyond the purity and sincerity of his intentions are by his just judgement deprived of the true meaning of the same As the Sonne of God himself saith in those words Mat. 11.26 I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes t is so Father because such hath been thy good pleasure And be assured no man how ignorant soever providing he hath common sence shall ever reade the holy Scripture with the spirit of simplicitie and a mind onely desirous to seek the way and means of salvation but the holy Spirit who hath indited the same will give him with a singular consolation and satisfaction an easie and clear knowledge of all things necessary to salvation But if any passages somewhat hard be found which is very rare in the Evangelists they may be passed over as not absolutely necessary or rather for greater satisfaction the opinion of learned men may be asked about it nor must we marvell if sometimes we find diversity in their explications for being matters not absolutely necessary nor touching the essence of Faith the controversie in such points is not of great importance But to say that we must instruct all and not read it for fear of mistaking some things is a meer invention of the Romish Church or rather of the Bishop of Rome who desiring to establish many articles of Faith to maintain his authority and the greatnesse riches of his estate and Clergy and seeing nothing clear in the holy Scripture to authorize his doctrine hath gone about to make Christians beleeve that the Scriptures were obscure and that it belongs to him onely to declare their true meaning and determine that which belongeth or belongeth not to faith and that they ought not so much as once presume to read them Further he hath straightly forbidden them under pain of Anathema and an eternall curse fearing lest the people coming once to read them should there find the condemnation of his false doctrine and the more prohibitions there are the more also is the gain and profit he maketh thereby upon those who
of all question doth proceed that great ignorance which is to be seen amongst the people in the Church of Rome there not being ten amongst an hundred instructed sufficiently to salvation or that can give a sufficient reason of their beliefe I say even according to the doctrine of their own Church This is specially to be seen in the Countrey Parishes and in many Cities also where though there be more frequent preaching the Communion and confession be oftner haunted yet the people are nothing the better instructed in the faith for all that nor know they sufficiently that which concerneth their salvation this defect can be imputed to no other cause but the forbidding the reading of the Scriptures which is the Booke of life appointed by God for the instruction and consolation of the faithfull for howsoever they make many Catechismes and the Preachers endeavour often to instruct the people in their beliefe they are but little the wiser or better instructed for all that for they nourish them not with the Book of life to wit the Word of God which is the true bread of the faithfull instituted by God for their instruction and comfort Where on the contrary in the Churches of the reformed Religion there is not one almost but he can give a reason of his beliefe if he have any judgement and is instructed in the faith though often they cannot reade but have onely heard the Scripture read and you shall finde in many places an infinite number of simple and ignorant people in humane learning who know the Bible a great deale better than many great Bishops in Popish Universities and famous Preachers among them which I protest I have often seen with great admiration as did many others also to the great confusion questionlesse of the Romish Church what ever they can alledge As for my part I confesse I could never finde any sufficient reason in that prohibition for reading the Scriptures for if the Scripture we call the Old Testament is the same Word of God that was left unto us by Moses by the Prophets and servants of God as is most certaine I see nothing more common in that Word than straight commands to reade heare meditate ruminate and observe the same to write it upon the posts of our houses and carry it tyed to our fingers that is to have it continually before our eyes and in our hearts I should make too large a volume contrary to my intention if I should cite all the passages which are clearly to be seen in it to this effect peruse but the Bookes of Deuteronomy and Numbers the Proverbs of Salomon the Psalmes of David and divers of the Prophets All those commandements and exhortations are given to all men as well the learned as the ignorant the poore as the rich which cannot be understood of the Bible onely in a strange tongue but in a language that is best understood of every one which is the vulgar That which is said of the old Testament may be more easily proved of the New which is as the last Will Christ Jesus our Father hath left us as his children by which we must know his intentions and that which he desireth us to doe to become worthy children of so good a Father and to possesse the inheritance he hath purchased for us through his merits and bloud Is there any man of judgement in the world who can beleeve that he hath left us his Commandements last Will and intentions as altogether needfull to salvation and not suffer us to reade the same and that there was but one man in the world to wit the Pope who had power to reade and explaine the same to others Where is that so important prohibition set downe Where is it so spoken have not we as much part in the inheritance of Christ Jesus as our Father the Pope By what right should Christians be deprived of the reading of the will and intentions of their Father the will of God and his holy Commandments which they ought to know and doe under paine of eternall damnation Is there any power or authoritie under heaven that can hinder them seeing God enjoyneth and commandeth the same the thing being of so great importance to them that none can be answerable for them in the day of Judgement Is there any power on earth that can dispence them No no this prohibition is altogether unjust and against both reason and the will of God Yes but some will say the intentions of God his Testament and the holy Scripture are made knowne to Christians by the sermons which they call commonly the Word of God It is true the preaching of the servants of God and Orthodox Preachers are highly to be esteemed for they may learne and profit much thereby but there is great difference betwixt a mans and the Word of God because the Word of God is altogether divine and holy and the infallible truth of which we cannot doubt and the Sermons of Preachers howsoever they be called the Word of God are not to speak properly the Word of God except onely that which is simply produced out of the holy Scripture the rest are onely humane words subject to faults and defects to passions and errors especially in the Romish Church where many among them cite oftner Plato Seneca Plutarch or some other than they doe the holy Scriptures and if they cite them it is so far from the true meaning thereof that they may rather be tearmed prophane than piously cited and sincerely explained Finally it is to deceive Christians to make them beleeve that Sermons should serve them in place of reading the holy Scriptures the Word of God is filled with a better spirit than all the best Sermons in the world for there it is the holy Spirit who speaketh to us whereof we ought not to doubt nor can we enter into any suspition of deception but Sermons being onely the words of men instituted to instruct and stirre us up to God wee ought indeed to respect them much and heare them willingly but we are not obliged to heare and receive them with so great respect as the holy Scriptures and we ought also to examine and confer them with the Scriptures as did those Noble Bereans having heard St Paul preaching to see if that which he said unto them was conformable to the Word of God as it is set downe Act. 17.11 neither did St Paul nor St Luke Act. 17.11 nor any other ever blame them for that action And our Saviour himselfe reproaching the Jewes that being sent from God his Father they would neither receive him nor beleeve in him saith to them Search the Scriptures Ioh. 5.39 for in them yee thinke to have eternall life for they are they which testifie of me And in the History of poore Lazarus and the wicked rich man is written in St Luke chap. 16. Luk. 16.28 when this damned wretch desired that God would shew miracles and raise some
from the dead to convert his brethren God who is understood by Father Abraham did he not answer They have Moses and the Prophets let them harken to them that is let them reade and see what they say for Moses and the Prophets were already dead and could not speake but by their Bookes St John the Evangelist having written the Apocalyps which is the most obscure and difficile Booke of all the Scripture in the opinion of all the learned whereof St Jerome saith that it containes as many mysteries as words yet St John who writ it forbiddeth not the reading thereof to Christians nor saith that none but the Pope of Rome or the Bishops and Doctors have power and presumption to reade it but stirreth up every one to reade it and proclaimeth a blessing upon all those that reade it by those words Blessed is he that readeth Apoc. 1.2 and they that heare the words of this Prophesie and keepe the things that are written therein Apoc. 1.2 When Philip went out of Jerusalem by the commandement of the Lord Act. 8.27 to goe for Gaza he did meet with the Eunuch of the Queene of Ethiopia who being a man that sought the Kingdome of God did reade the old Testament the Apostle did not reprove him for reading the Scripture but explained to him a Prophesie of Isaiah that was difficile to be understood and that reading was a means and helpe to finde true faith and to embrace Christian Religion In the time then of Jesus Christ and his Apostles the reading of the holy Scripture was not forbidden neither was it thought to be pernicious The Romish Church commendeth also St Cecill whose feast they keep as of a great Virgin and Martyr for carrying continually in her bosome the Books of the Evangelists and they hold she lived in the times of St Clement who is esteemed one of the first Bishops of Rome after the death of St Peter The Scriptures then were not as yet prohibited nor the reading of the same thought pernicious or dangerous to the simple sort for she was but a simple young damsell brought up in Paganisme As we reade of St Jerome who lived about three hundred yeares after that he did recommend nothing to Paula and Eustochium Mother and daughter both great Romane Dames so much as the assiduous reading of the holy Scriptures and that it should be their most ordinary study and frequent meditations By these and an infinite of other examples which I might alledge if I feared not tediousnesse we see that the reading of the Scripture was permitted yea recommended and laudable in Christians and that neither by Christ Jesus nor his Apostles nor the Romish Church in those times was it thought to be pernicious None will say that the Gentiles Jewes and Christians of those times were of greater judgement than those of our times or that they were more capable to read the holy Scriptures and the most difficile Prophesies for that should be ridiculous Neither dare any one say that the Prophets and Apostles and Jesus Christ himselfe or the first Pastours of those times had not as much and more understanding than the Pope or the Church of Rome in our time and yet they did not conceive that some would abuse such reading for that should be a great impietie notwithstanding this must be the inference from such a prohibition But to speake truth it appeareth to be no other thing but a policy and malicious subtiltie of the Romish Church for the present too much corrupted or rather from those who governe the same for feare that the people reading the holy Scriptures perceive the errours and falsenesse of the doctrine therein preached seeing so little conformitie in it with the Word of God And truly according to the Maxime of policy and for the conservation and upholding of their doctrine they have as great reason as Mahomet had to destroy all the Universities and Colledges of learning within the reach of his authoritie for my part I doe not remember to have seene any Christians who have not in reading the holy Scriptures faln soon to an infinite number of doubts about the beliefe of the Romish Church it being almost impossible to be otherwise and as black is never better seen than when it is brought neere to white in the light so the lies and false doctrine being confronted and placed by the truth cannot but appeare immediately And there are but few learned men who perceive not this cleerely enough but being interessed in that party and being bound to it with humane cords and bands they strive to dissemble the same that they may conserve their goods and dignities and by the spirit of pusillanimitie or avarice endeavour to suffocate and tread underfoot the prickings motions caused by the truth but blessed are they whom neither wealth nor honours nor any worldly or humane consideration hinder to come to Christ and who embrace his holy doctrine and can say with St Paul Phil. 3.8 Phil. 3.8 I account all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ my Saviour Since then courteous Reader the reading of the holy Scriptures is of such vertue that it discovereth the lies and is so much recommended to us by God the Father who hath spoken to us by his Prophets and servants and by his Sonne Jesus Christ who hath preached it to us from his owne mouth and by the holy Spirit who hath charged us therewith by his Apostles and Evangelists be in love with it reade it againe and againe without wearinesse Let no power nor authoritie in the world no prohibition of any whosoever hinder you from the reading of it for it being against the will and intention of God there is no power nor authoritie in the earth can binde us from it On the contrary God who commandeth it must rather be obeyed than all the Popes that forbid it although they were universall Pastours as they falsely brag themselves to be and undoubtedly it is a great sin to neglect and set at naught the commandements of our God in that point to obey man and therefore I exhort you againe to read the holy Scriptures couragiously and often to have them continually before your eyes to compare the whole doctrine of our salvation with them and hold them for a sure rule of all truth to meditate and ruminate them uncessantly and obey the holy Spirit who preacheth to us therein for I doubt not but yee may reape great profit for your soules necessary instruction for your salvation and a singular consolation And because that some one by Gods punishment and just judgement abusing the same finds death instead of life is that a sufficient reason to deprive others thereof forbid the reading of it Because the Sunne the fire or the water occasions sometimes great damage to certain persons ought the use thereof be forbidden to all men therefore as most dangerous some there are who abuse both
when Printing did begin they being either lost or consumed by fire or time or by the Wormes or a multitude of other accidents which we see doth eat and consume the very stones and Iron Now those first Manuscripts have been copied out by divers Writers and that from hand to hand from time to time to be dispersed and preserved from age to age and run over Kingdoms and after a multitude of Transcriptions passed by example since our Saviours time to us how many faults and what alteration have been made in those Books and in the doctrine of those Fathers for there is no man almost how able soever who can brag that he can transcribe a sheet of paper without committing some one or more faults how many will there be then in a great Volume as one of St Augustins or St Chrysostoms And as those Clerks or Transcribers who were called Amanuenses were for the most part mercenary and did all for money and profit living by that trade it is likely they took not much care but thought onely upon a quick dispatch that they might gaine the more and when they found any thing that seemed a fault to them whether it was really so or not they changed and corrected it according to their minde and passion it faring with faults as with balls of snow which the more they are rolled grow the bigger so far was their faults to be lesned by their Writers thav they were rather augmented and multiplied the old continuing or rather growing worse and daily more new ones being made so that some little time after it might be said of every Book that it was in a manner no more the same Book but altogether another being so much changed and altered And the Romish Church growing in power and authoritie when shee found any thing in those Books contrary to her doctrine and the increase of her greatnesse or against her designes and intentions shee did condemne the same as falsified and falsly attributed to the Fathers and correct it after her own minde and fancy and when Printing was come in use shee made choice of that which was most conformable to her doctrine or rather moulding and forming it by her agents and supporters to her own minde caused it so to be printed suppressing and forbidding other Copies as spurious and corrupted said they by some heretiques or malicious people or falsly attributed to their Authors and so who can now say in the world certainly that the writings fathered upon Irenaeus Cyrillus Augustin and other ancient Fathers are the true and genuine Writings of those Fathers not falsified or supposed And if it hath been so hard a matter to preserve the holy Scripture which is but a little Book in comparison of those others in its purity through so many ages when Printing was not in use What can we say of those great Volumes which were not in so great request nor so much respected and where the change and alteration was not of so great importance to care so much but where every one took often the authoritie to change according to his fancy and accommodate the Father to his minde to authorise his beliefe I think there is no man of good judgement in the world who seeth not cleerly the force and power of this so manifest truth and that it is impossible to ground any certaine beliefe such as that of faith ought to be upon so uncertaine grounds Besides that though they were most certaine yet being men subject to mistakes and errours wee were not obliged to make their opinions our Judges if they be not conformable to the Word of God which is the rule of all truth For which cause I shall not strive in this Booke to alledge many passages of Fathers but onely shew my opinion grounded upon strong reasons and upon the vertue of the Scripture My intention not being to make a great Volume but onely a little Book of small cost and little time and paines both for my selfe and the Reader CHAP. VIII Concerning the chiefe point of Controversie to wit that St Peter had no primacy in the Church and that the primacy of the Pope is an unlawfull usurpation AS I have ever beleeved that the chiefe and most important point among all the controversies betwixt the Catholique reformed and the Romish Church is that of the Primacy of the Pope and whether he be Vicar of Christ Jesus on earth universall and generall Bishop over all Christians and be head and superiour of the Catholique Church So it was the first motive of my conversion and that which I esteemed to have most need to be well considered and examined as being the ground of all the Romish beliefe which once over-turned shee must of necessitie fall to the ground And howsoever there be many other points of great importance this neverthelesse is as the Center where all the rest do meet and the axletree on which they all move and the foundation that upholdeth them because that whatsoever point of faith or Scripture is in controversie those of the Romish Church will have none but the Church for Judge or as I have shewed the Pope saying he is Vicar of Christ Jesus and head of the universall Church and consequently sole Judge in matters of faith And being the Pope of Rome pretendeth this authoritie onely so far as he vaunteth himselfe to be successour of St Peter to whom he saith that Christ Jesus hath given this power I have diligently examined the question to see what reason and ground the Doctors of the Romish Church have to maintaine the same and howsoever they reject the Scripture and will not admit it to be Judge of controversie they are neverthelesse necessitated to have recourse to it and receive it for Judge in this point For the question being of the Pope he must not be Judge and party and it would be an insufferable impertinency to goe about to prove the Pope by the Pope and maintaine that he is head of the Church because maintaineth he and affirmeth it he must then of necessitie declare and produce his other titles and shew by what vertue he posseseth this authoritie there being no proscription in matter of faith and conscience for otherwise the Religion of the Gentiles and Idolaters would have been thought the best and the doctrine of the Evangelists would never have been planted for which cause also he laboureth to prove this his Article by the Scripture And to that end we shall first set downe the strongest of his reasons by way of objection the weaknesse and nullity of which I shall shew And although it be sufficient enough for evidencing his power to be unlawfull and usurped making it appeare that his titles are false and of no force and that wee are not obliged to bring proofes out of the Scriptures for that which is not a point of our faith it being sufficient for us that it is not in the Scripture which we hold for sole rule
and Judge As for example to prove that the Metamorphosis of Ovid is not an Article of faith we are not bound to produce a formall and cleare passage the Metamorphosis of Ovid is not a point of faith or the Fables of Esop appertaine not to faith but it is sufficient that neither the one nor the other is to be found in Scripture and so to shew that the primacy of the Pope and of St Peter over the whole Church and over all Christians is not a point of faith it sufficeth that it cannot be proved nor shewed out of the holy Scripture and that all the passages they bring are insufficient to prove it Neverthelesse we shall deale favourably with our Adversaries in this point and shew the negative out of the Scripture and demonstrate also from thence by the grace of God that our Saviour had never any intention to make St Peter head of the Church nor leave any Vicar nor successour in his place and that the Apostles did never beleeve nor thinke it nor the ancient Primitive Church ever held the Pope of Rome for universall Bishop generall head of the Church and I perswade my selfe if one will compare with a judgement void of passion the reasons which prove this negative with those the Romish Church bring to prove the affirmative he will questionlesse judge the first a great deale cleerer and stronger than those of the Romish Church It were a thing too tedious both for the Reader and for the intention of my shortnesse here to set downe all the passages of the holy Scripture they of the Romish Church produce to prove this but I take God to witnesse I shall produce all the strongest reasons they use as I promise sincerely and truely in all other points to doe Mat. 16.17 The first objection I shall produce is this drawn out of Mat. 16.17 Jesus came saith he into the coasts of Cesarea and Philippi and asked his Disciples saying whom doe men say that I the son of man am and they said some say thou art John the Baptist some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the Prophets he saith unto them but whom say yee that I am and Simon Peter answered saying thou art Christ the Son of the living God and Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and bloud hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in heaven and I say unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it This is the passage that they esteeme of the greatest force and strength to prove the primacy of St Peter and of the Pope as also the infallibilitie of his doctrine his primacy by those words and upon this rock I will build my Church and his infallibilitie by the words following And the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it Which we shall also by Gods grace examine hereafter and for the solution of the first point We answer first that Christ Jesus by those words And upon this rock c. meanes not to speak of the person of St Peter but of the confession of St Peter which he had done so worthily in saying that he was the Christ the Son of the living God as doth cleerly appeare by the ensuing words And the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it for if this was understood of the person of St Peter who should be called a Rock Petra those following words would not be found to be true seeing since Christ Jesus had said this the gates of hell did prevaile against Peter for he denied and offended his Master yeelding to the temptation of Sathan but Christ hearing the true and faithfull beliefe of St Peter said to him that he was called Peter and making an allusion to the word Peter said to him that upon his confession which was a most sure rock he would build his Church and the gates of hell should never prevaile against it the truth of the Son of God being eternally to indure and triumph over the power of hell I am assured this exposition will seeme best and most reasonable to all men of good understanding and it is confirmed by a great number of ancient Authors Chrysost Hom. 55. in 16. Matth. Id. Serm. sup Pent. Aug. tract 10. in Ioan. for so doth St Chrysostome understand it in his 55 Homily on the 16 of Matt. Upon this Rock that is saith he upon the faith of his confession And in his Sermon of the Pentecost he saith upon this rock and not upon Peter for he hath not founded his Church upon men but upon the faith And St Augustin in his tenth Treatise on St John what meaneth that upon this rock I will build my Church upon this faith upon that which was said Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God We answer secondly that although we should grant that our Saviour had founded his Church upon St Peter and that St Peter was the foundation of the Church it would not follow thence that he was head and superiour for there is great difference betwixt the foundation and top of an house betwixt the feet which are as the basis and foundation of the body and the head that is above and governeth all the rest nor because St Peter was called the foundation of the Church can any pretend therefore that he should be the head and governour for the Apostles and Prophets are also called the foundation of the Church and of the Saints Now therefore ye are no more strangers and forrainers Eph. 2.20 but fellow Citizens with the Saints and houshold of God and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone that is to say that the Apostles and Prophets have planted the Church and laid the first foundation by their doctrine and by their faith which is the same truth neverthelesse none of the Prophets or other Apostles have been therefore esteemed to have had an universall supremacy over the whole Church and whereof they be called the foundations it is not meant of the persons but of their doctrine and faith for certainly the Church was never founded upon mortall men It was before St Peter and the Apostles and did not change its foundations at the coming of St Peter or the other Apostles And if it had been founded upon their persons St Peter and the Apostles being dead the foundation of the Church behoved to have changed and that much to the worse there never having been any equall to them since and wee are not grounded upon another foundation than that whereon St Peter was grounded now he was not founded upon himselfe but on Christ Jesus who not onely in his doctrine but also in his proper person is the fundamentall and head-stone of the corner The second Objection of the Papists which I shall produce for proofe
excommunicated by his Patriarch or Metropolitan or by any Councell either justly or unjustly he went presently to Rome addressing himselfe to the Bishop as the richest of them all to assist him and the most powerfull and of greatest authoritie to protect him against his adversaries and as necessitie and extremitie passe often all the limits of truth many amongst them to captivate his good will and favour strove to give him as great titles as their industry could suggest and although they who gave them and they to whom they were given knew sufficiently that it was wrongfully and without reason or the Word of God neverthelesse the extremitie and necessitie of the one made them submit even in that point depriving themselves of somethings which justly belonged to them to give them to the Bishop from whom they expected assistance and the vanitie which did creep in and diffuse it selfe in the hearts made many Popes receive those titles without contradiction at least apparant or opposition that was capable to hinder the progresse In Sylvester his time indeed it did cleerly appeare that the greatnesse and authoritie of the Bishop of Rome did grow and increase mightily Neverthelesse the title of general Pastour or universall head of Bishops or Vicar of Christ Jesus on earth was not yet in use nor was it given or usurped by any and the first Bishop of Rome in whose time the title of universall Bishop began to be spoken of was Gregory who lived above an hundred and fiftie yeares after Sylvester between the fifth and sixth age I call them and others Saints after the manner of the Romish Church that it may the better be knowne of whom I speake I having no purpose here to question their holines seeing also the Apostle calleth all Christians Saints and although it is apparant that the puritie of the Church was already much changed under this Pope yet he had modesty enough pertinently to refuse this title which was offered him and to reprove and blame the same severely in the Bishop of Constantinople who challenged and usurped that which hitherto had been attempted by none other And however my resolution be not to overcharge this Treatise with passages of Fathers I hope notwithstanding that it shall not be amisse to set downe St Gregories own words on this subject which even those of the Romish Church confesse to be true and not Apocrypha and shew so neere as I can the summe of the History There was at that time in Constantinople a Bishop named Iohn a man exceeding ambitious desiring to extend the limits of his Diocesse as far as was those of the Empire and usurpe the title of universall Bishop over the whole Church even as the Emperour who had his residence in that Citie was generall and universall Monarch of the world a title which before him no Bishop durst usurpe which Gregory Bishop of Rome seeing and considering how great consequence prejudice it was to his See and all other Bishops he as the most potent and remarkable among them for the causes I have already set downe opposeth stoutly labouring violently to repell the boldnesse and temeritie of this usurper Greg. l. 4. Epist 76. without complaining therefore that John had therein incroached upon any priviledge appertaining to him and all the Bishops of Rome but he couragiously maintaineth that title to be prophane sacrilegious and a presage of the comming of Antichrist Idem l. 4. Epist 78. see the 76 Epistle 4 Book And in the 78 Epistle of the same Book It is saith he a thing too hard to indure that our brother and fellow-Bishop should be alone called Bishop in contempt of all the rest and what other thing doth his arrogance portend but that the time of Antichrist approacheth already in so far as he imitateth him who disdaining the company of Angells assayed to ascend to the top of singularitie In the 80 Epistle of the same Book he saith Idem l. 4. Epist 80. None of my predecessours would use this prophane word because if one will call himselfe universall Patriarch the name of Patriarch is stolne from others but far be it from a Christian soule that any should falsly ascribe to himselfe that whereby he diminisheth any thing from the honour of the brethren to consent to that unjust speech is no other thing than to fall from the faith one thing wee owe to the unitie of faith and another thing to suppresse pride and I say boldly that he who calleth himselfe Pastour universall or desireth so to be called surpasseth the Antichrist in pride because by pride he exalteth himselfe above others Idem l. 6 Epist 188. In his 188 Epistle of the sixt Book see his words I have said that he could not have peace with us if he corrected not the vanitie of that superstitious and ambitious word which hath been invented by the first Apostat and to speak nothing of the injury done to your honour if a Bishop be called universall that universall once falling the universall Church must also fall downe Thus much saith St Gregory of the arrogance of John Patriarch of Constantinople Idem l. 1. Epist 30. who would appropriate this title to himselfe he blameth his insolence and applieth not to himselfe that which he denieth to him but rather refuseth it being offered in those words in the thirtith Epistle of his seventh Book Behold saith he in the Preface of the Epistle yee have sent unto mee I having forbid it yee have wrote a word full of ambition calling mee universall Pope which I intreat you yee would use no more for it is taken from you which is given to any other more than reason requireth As for mee I account it no honour to see the honour of my brethren diminished for my honour is the honour of the universall Church and the solid authoritie of my brethren Now if your sanctitie call mee the Pope universall you deny your selfe to be such in calling mee universall And thus much St Gregory in those places for the condemning of that title as well in his owne person as in John who would not for all submit thereto but persisted still in his presumption nor would his successour after him for any intreaty part with any thing Judge by those testimonies if in those times the Bishop of Rome was thought or did thinke himselfe generall Pastour and Head of the Church his power and authoritie being already very great but not yet come to the presumption of usurping that dignity and primacy for that seemed to be an usurpation of such consequence and prejudice to all other Bishops that he durst not attempt it publikely for feare of a generall oppositiō from all other Bishops who might also have interposed the authoritie of the Emperour And howsoever the Bishop of Rome at that time did shew a great inclination to their primacy for perfecting of their greatnesse yet did they never dare to ascribe the same to themselves
might ask who those Cardinals be whom they call Princes of the Church and upon whom the Church is said to rest and move as a doore on the hinges for from the word Cardine is Cardinall taken and it is known to every man that some of them are simple Priests others Bishops and others neither Priests nor Bishops but ordinarily great Lords and Princes to whom that dignitie is given for the greatnesse of their family the most part of them being very rich and abounding in wealth and pleasures who represent neverthelesse as they say the Apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ although the difference be as great betwixt the Cardinals and the Disciples as betwixt day and night and a great Chaos between those conditions and neverthelesse these are the guides and leaders of the flock of Christ the Counsellours of the universall Pastor and the onely men can give a Pastor to the Church But consider I pray you what prejudice it is to Princes and Kingdoms hereby the Popes labouring to perpetuate that Primacy within the families and confines of Italy make of purpose a great number of Italians Cardinals for one of other countreys and I am full perswaded if there be sixtie Cardinals there are ever more than fourtie of them Italians and it may be three or foure of every other Nations and when the Pope is dead there being but 16. or 17. dayes purposely to conveene and make a new election there are none but the Cardinals in Italy can be present so it is not to be marvelled if the Pope who is now adayes created is ever an Italian it being impossible to other Cardinals who are imploied in their charges or about their Princes to be present in time their number being even too small to contradict or carrie it although they were there But I would willingly ask who hath made Italy dearer to God than other Kingdoms and Nations to carry this priviledge and to give and impose a Law upon all other Christians of the world Was Christ Jesus and St. Peter born in Italy they were born and issued from Judea ought Italy which is but a small peece of ground to give Laws to the whole world and to bring all other Christians under their yoke Is it a Nation of greater worth then is France Spaine Germany or other Kingdoms greater and richer more powerfull and renowned than she is to bring them also under her Empire if the Head of the Church ought to be created by election to make the election just equitable and lawfull all Kingdoms should be advertised of the day of the election that they may have time to come or send their deputies thither Let them have equalitie of voice as many and no more of Italy than of France or Spaine let Italy although but little hold the place of a Kingdom and have as many voices if they will as a greater and more powerfull Kingdom that might be suffered and it is all the favour it could pretend let the election be made at Rome and let the Pope live there if he list this might be born with providing all the Christian Kingdoms might have time to send their deputies and be received with equalitie of voice and suffrage so he who should be chosen in this manner might more lawfully be esteemed head of the Church if not by divine at least by humane right and Ecclesiastical policie and Christians having after this manner contributed and consented to his election might have some reason to acknowledge him for superiour and obey him But to be elected as he is now adayes although in all times there had been a head in the Church he who is elected after this manner cannot be justly and lawfully esteemed for such a one for the election is altogether unjust and consequently invalid and therefore none are bound to obey him I speak even according to the Laws of the Romish Church supposing also that Jesus Christ had had intention to leave another Head than himself to the Church on earth I marvell that Kings and Princes who have so great power and so wise Counsell neer them should so suffer this great injustice to be done to all Christians that depend on their Authority and take no order with it are there not as wise men and capable to govern the Church in their Dominions as in Italy Is it necessary that it be continually governed at this day by an Italian and that all the Congregations and orders of the Romish Church be also governed by men whom the Pope laboureth by his policy to have ever of his Nation to reign and maintain himself with more full power Those whom this doth concern know sufficiently what I mind to say And must all the goods and almes of Christians serve onely to augment and inrich all the families of Italy one after another and that strangers can never pretend any part in that wherein they have as much interest as the others and the materials of which they furnish at their proper charge and to the great oppression of the people which might be much eased if those innumerable summes of gold which go every yeer out of their Dominions to maintain the dissolutenesse and excesse of the Pope and his Court did remain within the countrey or were converted to the use of the Kings and Princes nor is it without cause that the Italians mock other Popish Nations for suffering themselves to be so gulled by them and truly they have good reason Let those who have the authoritie and power in their hands look to it if they please I speak this even according to the maximes of the Romish Church and their worldly policie but this is not the greatest evil nor the thing I intend most in this discourse By this it may be seen how the Pope of Rome abuseth the bountie of Princes and Christians to maintain himself in his authoritie and howsoever S. Peter and the other Apostles were subject to Princes he himself in his 1 Epist 2 Chap. 13 verse exhorting Christians to all dutifull obedience 1 Pet. 2.13 and especially that obedience and subjection that is due to Kings and Princes Notwithstanding the Pope at this day saith that he is exempted from all spirituall and temporall Laws and jurisdiction thinking he holdeth of none but himself on earth labouring to usurpe the same authoritie over Kings and Princes that the Son of God had and applying to himself that of our Saviour Mat. 28.18 Matth. 28.18 All power is given to me in heaven and earth but with this difference that although Christ had the authority yet he made no use of it but ever submitted himself to Princes and Kings of the earth and the Pope having not this power usurpeth it neverthelesse so farre as he can Thence cometh it to passe that he would bring under his authoritie and Dominions Kings and Princes and pretendeth them all to be subject and tributarie to his power not onely in spirituall but even in
Isa 56.10 seeing the woolfe fall upon the flock as saith Isaiah Would to God Princes would once rellish this important truth which a great many of their ablest Subjects do acknowledge and open their eyes to see the captivitie under which they go about to oppresse their authoritie God of heaven make them see their servitude and give them resolution to deliver themselves and their Subjects from under that strange and cruell yoke I am perswaded if once this great abuse were out of the Church if this unjust and incompetent Judge were once rejected as an usurper of an authority not belonging to him all Christians would in a short time be of one flock and under one Pastor Christ Jesus and in a short time there would be through all Europe and other places of the earth but one faith one baptisme one God for the holy Scriptures entring to be Judge and Rule of all controversies in point of Religion there would be no man of spirit and judgement who would not in a short time know the truth and the darknesse of error would quickly be dissipated by the approach of the light But from this incompetent Judge doth proceed all the miserie of the Church and because that point is the most important of all others in controversie I have stayed longest upon it and laboured to deduce and cleer the same more amply as being that whereupon I did most ground my conversion and the change which I have made And because I know there be yet many points which for not being sufficiently cleered are the cause of the perdition of many I shall endeavour to speak something of them in the following Chapters according to the light God hath given me and the knowledge I did acquire being in the Romish Church not that I promise to set them down so amply as I have done the precedent points For having proved evidently that rejecting the judgement of the Pope as unlawfull and of no force we ought to take the Scriptures and Word of God alone to judge all our controversies in matter of faith all that cannot be shewed in the holy Scriptures must be banished out of our beleef and because they of the Romish Church confesse that in many points they have no Scripture nor ground it is by consequence to avow and confesse the nullitie thereof neither need we any other form of processe to condemne them of untruth so that which I shall write hereafter shall onely be for the greater satisfaction of the Reader and to open the eyes of many simple souls who see not their blindnesse and darknesse CHAP. XVII Of the Invocation of Saints AFter that I was sufficiently informed and fully satisfied by those reasons and considerations I have already deduced and others like to them which to avoid prolixity I omitted that neither the Pope nor the Church ought to be my Judge in matter of faith but the holy Scripture onely which God hath given us to that end then did I begin to examine all points of faith by the Scripture alone and in every thing that was propounded to me by the Romish Church I had recourse to the Word of God and holy writings to see if it was conformable to them and if any such thing were preached by Christ and his Apostles who have questionlesse divulged the pure and most perfect faith that being the thing every Christian ought to practise in matter of faith And perceiving the point of the Invocation of Saints to be at this present in great estimation in the Romish Church and that the câ—nfession and profession of faith ordered by the Bull of Pope Pius the fourth according to the Councell of Trent saith expresly we must honour and invoke the Saints I have searched and examined this point by the holy Scriptures I confesse truly that as my nature moveth me enough praised be God to give honour to those to whom it appertaineth especicially in holy things so have I ever had an inclination to render to the Saints as much honour and respect as I thought was due to them and if I should have found any ground in the holy Scripture for the Invocation of Saints I would certainly have embraced it with a hearty affection but knowing that God is better pleased with obedience than will-sacrifice so I did beleeve the Saints demanded nothing more of us than what was due to them and that we are so far from doing them pleasure in giving them more honour than justly appertains to them that it were rather to offend God and them in God who loving him above all things have no other glory nor pleasure than his glory and will Now for passages out of the holy Scriptures to prove this Article the Romanists produce none worthy of consideration and that which ever I did read of greatest importance for them 2 Pet. 1â— 15. is the passage in 2 Pet. 1.15 Moreover I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have those things alwayes in remembrance Thereby say they Peter promiseth the faithfull that he will pray for them after his death This passage is falsified for it is according to the Greek I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have those things still in remembrance that is Theod. Aquin. in Comm. super Epist as Aquinas himself who is esteemed Mr. of the Schoole explaineth because saith he I must shortly be dissolved therefore so long as I live I will take pains to advertise you not onely once but often that is instantly and diligently that you may remember those things I told you after my death Oecumenius also acknowledgeth this explanation to be the best and the other to be hyperbolicall that is troubling and overturning the construction And although we should confesse that by this passage is proved that St. Peter and the other Saints pray in Paradise for the faithfull it will not thence follow that they hear us and that we must call upon them nor can they produce any proofe out of Scripture The Jesuite Cotton also in his first book of his Institution in the Chapter of the Invocation of Saints saith Cotton Instit li. 1. cap. dâ— Invoc Sanct that for commandment to pray and call upon the Saints the Church hath never taught any neverthelesse the confession of faith of the Councell of Trent composed and formed to be received of Christians by command of the same Councell Concil Triden Sessio 25. de Reform cap. 20. and especially by Pope Pius the 4th hath those words I beleeve the Saints must be honoured and invocated who reign together with Christ and that they offer up prayers to God for us Thence it would appeare that this good Father did not well know his belief for behold his Church beleeveth that Saints must be honoured and invocated if it be not peradventure that he would put this glosse upon the words of the Councell to wit that the obligation is onely by way of
sins S. Luke who hath written since hath these words Chap. 22. v. Luk. 22.20 20. This cup is the new Testament in my blood which is shed for you and likewise S. Paul 1 Cor. 11. This might suffice to shew that the words of S. Matthew should be figuratively understood and in a significative mystery for S. Paul and S. Luke having written since have set it down after the same manner to cleer the mystery having made as it were a paraphrase upon the words of Saint Matthew Now those words of S. Luke and S. Paul lead straight to the knowledge of the truth for I beleeve not they can say that the cup is really the new Testament or a covenant for a Testament or a Covenant are a relation an action an accident and the blood is a substance Moreover a Testament consisteth in clauses and promises which can no wayes appertain to the blood of our Saviour and there is no reason to call Christ the Testament seeing he is the Testator himself and if a partie contracting can be called Testament and Covenant the faithfull may also be called the covenant and the Priest making daily the blood of Jesus Christ should make the covenant and Testament of Christ every day which is eternall and was made before the institution of this mystery The Gospel which is the Testament of the Son of God being alreadie divulged and therefore we must say that those words this cup is the new Testament in my blood ought to be understood figuratively and in a signifying mystery and therefore you may see the word est used for signifie or represent even in the institution of this mystery by the Romanists own confession wherefore then think they it strange that it is so used also in the distribution of the bread Furthermore this Sacrament is called bread in a number of other places and that after the institution of this mysterie and Christ saith after the administration of the wine Verily I say unto you I will drink no more of the fruit of the Vine he meant then that it was wine after he had spoken those words In a word the institution of Christ appeareth so clearly in this mystery to have been onely the figure of his body and blood that I marvell how any can doubt of it and those who desire to be further informed upon this may read the Authors who have written of it more learnedly and copiously especially the books of Doctors Peter du Moulin and Andrew Rivet two of the most able and famous writers of this age and who are reputed for such even by the learnedst of the Romish Church Now as for the distribution and communion under two kinds it is certain that Jesus Christ gave it so and that he gave the bread and wine together to all them that were then at Table with him and that in them he hath commanded all Christians to do the same Matth. 26.26 by those words Take and eat and by those other words Drink ye all of this for they to whom he saith Drink ye all were none other but they to whom he had said Take and eat and when he said drink ye all if they to whom he spake should onely represent the Priests as the Romanists will have there should be none also but the Priests obliged to communicate under the element of bread for they were none other but the same and there is neither ground nor reason to make this distinction But if they say that the Church hath taken the cup from the people for many just reasons and to shun a multitude of inconveniences as because the wine might easily spill because it is scarce in divers places or for the irreverence many might commit in wetting their beards in the cup and so letting some drops of the blood of Christ hang thereon by which means they should have the whole body of Christ hanging at their moustaches which would be very great irreverence and other the like frivolous and ridiculous reasons that is to shew themselves wiser than their Master Christ and to blame him of indiscretion for not foreseeing all those inconveniences and disorders in instituting that holy mystery But our Saviour being the eternall Wisdom cannot be blamed of that vice and well knowing and foreseeing all that was to fall out in the world through all the ages to come all those reasons ought not to be alledged on the contrarie but it is in a multitude of other things as well as in this that the Church of Rome passeth from the institution of Christ to follow her own inventions desiring her self to be esteemed wiser than the Wisedom it self Now I beleeve a Christian cannot be blamed for doing as Christ our Master hath done and taught us by his example and words and to imitate him as neer as can be in all his actions and especially in the administration and reception of the Sacraments but rather that the perfection of a Christian life and doctrine consisteth in following the words and examples and the institution of Christ and that with all possible exactnesse and seeing the Church of Rome beleeveth and confesseth that Christ hath instituted the holy Sacrament as it ought to be and none can find fault with his institution wherefore do they not follow his institution and example which if they did in this and other things they would in a short time be but one fold and one Shepheard to wit Jesus Christ and all controversies should be quickly decided CHAP. XXI Of the Masse and of Prayers in a strange Tongue ONe of the things of greatest importance at this day in the Romish Church is the Masse which the people be commanded to hear wholly on the Sundayes and holidayes under the pain of eternall damnation and are exhorted to hear it every day for which so many rich Altars are erected for which so great diversity of ornaments of silke and embroiderie loaded with gold and pearl and for which they have such a huge number of utensils of incense dishes of candlesticks lamps and moveables of gold and silver that to speak the truth it is a thing very pleasant to the eye and very capable to draw approbation and applause from those who have no other reason but sence but in matter of Sacraments and divine mysteries men ought not to stay upon humane inventions proper for recreation and delight as may be done in Tragedies and Comedies and in worldly magnificences and pomps of this world but they ought onely to look to the divine intention and institution and seek more after the happinesse and salvation of the soul than the contentment and pleasure of the sence And howsoever the Popish Doctors preach to the simpler that Christ and his Apostles did say Masse and write in the Indexes of their Bibles and contents of Chapters the Masse proved in these places where Christ instituted the Sacrament of his Supper if they mean that to communicate in both kinds is to say
and sing the Masse I confesse truly that Christ and his Apostles did sing Masse and that the faithfull communicating and perticipating of the Sacrament after this manner say Masse But if by the Masse they meane to make a sacrifice upon an Altar covered with three Table-clothes with so many prayers before and after in a strange tongue and unknown to the people with so many Ceremonies and lifting up of their hands and eyes with stretching abroad and folding of their armes fingers hands and body with so many crossings upward and downward on the right hand and on the left on the bread the wine the corporall the Altar the forehead breast and mouth of the Priest and where the Priest communicateth ordinarily alone and almost everie day and the people for a long time onely once a yeer for my part after I had read again and again the holy Scriptures I could never find any such thing or any thing like to it and so it must of necessitie be confessed to be a humane invention for the end which I shall quickly shew you and no Divine institution nor Invention Neither can they in reason alledge here the Apostolicall Tradition and derived from Jesus Christ and his Apostles although there is nothing expressed in the holy Scripture nor any written word for if that mystery were of such importance as the Papists would have it at this day it would have been so also in the time of the Apostles who should have had a perfect knowledge thereof it being a doctrine they should have much preached to the people as a thing of exceeding great importance and they being men of excellent devotion and incomparable zeal for the mysteries of faith they should every day or at least often have said Masse and exhorted the people earnestly to be present and hear the same as they do in the Church of Rome now there appeareth nothing at all of this in the holy Scripture St. Paul indeed speaketh to us especially once of the Sacrament of the Supper and of the preparations wherewith we ought to come to it Furthermore we see that the Apostles and primitive Christians did conveene sometimes about Easter to break bread and participate of that divine mystery together but in no other place is there any mention made of the masse in the Romish fashion nor of any sacrifice without blood as they tearme it which I exhort all the Romanists diligently to consider as I have done and I perswade my self they will no more find it there than I Neither will they find any where that the bread of the Supper was an hoast or a round cake or that they kept it in the Temples with so great ceremony and care in Tabernacles and rich cabins as they now do in the Romish Church and I beleeve no other thing can be concluded but that the Romish Church thinketh her self wiser than Christ and his Apostles in obtruding for an Article of faith a doctrine which was never left by Christ and which was neither preached written nor practised by the Apostles for although they had spoken nothing in their Epistles yet Luke who did write all that he could see and learn of their actions would not have omitted this which is esteemed of so great importance in the Church of Rome So it is clearly to be seen in the Histories that it is an invention of the Popes who have from time to time added to it every one of them according to his fancy to day one ceremony and prayer to morrow another now one ornament and vesture and then another sometimes making it of one fashion sometimes of another till at last it was come to that height wherein it is at this day in the Church of Rome it is now a snare to precipitate many Priests into the bottome of hell for not using that disposition which they know to be required therein and which is the cause of the perdition of an infinite multitude of Christians for not hearing it with that respect the Romish Church requireth which they of that beliefe are obliged to obey and in doing against their conscience although erroneous they are judged culpable of sin and all that according to the doctrine and maximes of that Church Now to define properly or describe the Masse as it is at this present I suppose I may say justly that it is a good trade instituted and invented by the Church of Rome to nourish and entertain an infinite number of Priests who become Priests principally to gain their living thereby fit to inrich the Monasteries and Churches and make all the Monks live finely and whereby the peoples purses are emptied and finally a Trade that serveth to condemne many as well as those who say it as of those who are obliged to hear it This definition seemeth a little too rude and at the first sight ridiculous but it is true and the Romanists themselves may confesse it if they will for the taxes and prises of Masses now adaies are for the most part as of bread in the Market and he that giveth not so much getteth none and because silver was scarcer in former times than now so the Masses were not worth so much and a Masse that will not be said now for eight or ten pence was not worth two or three pence in former times and in many places men had more then they desired at that rate and because all things are dearer now than they were so the masses are also And because the religious orders who are insatiable in wealth and who never refuse any wealth whensoever it cometh were loaded with so many masses that they could not say the half of them the Pope who saith he hath power in heaven and earth hath as they say of many smals made one great and of an infinite number of masses which were founded by particulars he hath made but one wherein all the benefactors are comprehended in grosse and in generall termes and so by an handsome Bull hath discharged them of all scruples which if their founders had mistrusted they would have been wary to have left so great wealth and rents as they have done to that effect so they who live at this present amongst the Papists are become wise at the coast of their Ancestors and are loath to commit any such follies and rob and beggar their children to inrich and fatten the Monks But howsoever commonly he that wants money can have no masses and because the Church of Rome holdeth masses to be the principall meanes to deliver a soul out of Purgatory so there are none but poore people who are to stay a long time in that fire for want of money to buy masses as the richer sort and so to be rich is a great help in the Church of Rome to go speedily to Paradise contrary to that which Christ said in S. Matth. 10.25 that it was very hard for rich men to enter into heaven Matth. 10.25 but it is a Church
called their Priests to confesse them even when they were neere to death but that they did prepare themselves for that passage by the meditation and reading of the holy Scriptures and often hearing and reciting of Psalmes And there were even many amongst them if that Author speaketh truth who were for ten or twelve yeares or more inclosed in little chambers of purpose and sequestred from all humane conversation without seeing or speaking to any and often dying alone If in those dayes the confession had been holden for a necessary Sacrament men would have judged that to be a diabolicall illusion and deceit as they would now doe in the Church of Rome if there were any found who to follow his private devotions should leave off the whole way and practise of confession I intreat the Reader in the Romish Church to consider this well and if he doubt I speake not the truth that he would take the paines to see those Books and ruminate the matter Now all that sheweth most cleerly as I suppose that the doctrine of Auricular confession holden to be of so great importance at this day in the Church of Rome is not a doctrine derived from Jesus Christ nor his Apostles nor yet practised by them nor used among the Saints and Christians of the first ages but a doctrine invented not long agoe by the Pope and the Clergie of Rome for the great temporall profits it bringeth to the Priests for of all the Sacraments of the Church there is none of so great worth to the Priests as that of the confession And although there be some who take no money in confessing that neverthelesse is onely to refuse a little fish for a big one and the gratifications they receive from their penitents especially of the female sex recompence fully all their paines those who use that trade and who are acquainted with their practises know well enough how profitable this mystery is to the Priests and it sufficeth to tell you that a man who can but handsomely handle the consciences and the spirituall of men can but easily dispose of all their temporallities and the gold and silver which is found with many confessours after their death and the abundance of all things during their life and so many sumptuous Monasteries newly erected in many Cities and so many costly ornaments and so great riches and wealth which are to be seene in many of them are for the most part the effects of the sole Auricular confession and it is thought that it is at this present at least as profitable to the Clergie as the doctrine of Purgatory or Invocation of Saints is or ever was this being even the Primum mobile which moveth all the rest And they who doe professe it and know the worth of it would not leave it off for any thing and therefore labour to maintaine it by all meanes whatsoever and that even in despite of the Bishops who would faine hinder the Fryars from using it thinking themselves sufficient and capable enough alone with their Priests to governe their flocks without those auxiliary troopes which the Pope sendeth them against their will and which take all the fat and flesh of the flocke whereof Christ hath given them the full charge but God so permit that having left the true doctrine of Christ they are confounded and troubled in the use and practise of their owne proper inventions I remember that a man of great note amongst the Clergy told me some while agoe at London that many of the Clergie in England knowing the utilitie and profits the Confession might bring them were sorry that morsell should have escaped out of their hands and that they would quickly set it up againe if it were in their power I know not if he judged others by himselfe or not neverthelesse I beleeved at that time with many he was not much inclined to Papistry and now I have much reason to be otherwise conceited of him and not I alone but to satisfie such men if yet any such be which God forbid I will tell them that as the confession bringeth great profit to some particular and private Priests it draweth also after it insupportable inconveniences and incommodities to the Pastours and Generall of the Church for the confession is growne at this day to such excesse in the Church of Rome by the perswasions and exhortations of the Preachers that as the Pastours in former times did move the people thereunto both by themselves and others they are now constrained to divert them at this present because where there is but a reasonable number of people this exercise is inconsistent with all other offices and services in the Church and it is impossible that the Priests and penitents can discharge themselves faithfully even according to the Rules of the Romish Church For where there is for example 4000 Communicants in a Parish as there are many if the most part which will confesse themselves at some great feast as at Christmasse or Whitsontide or one of the feasts of the Virgin Mary to which they have so much exhorted the people that now it is become customary unto them and he that doth it not is in a manner not holden to be a Christian Every Priest is not able to confesse fiftie in a morning though he should labour from five of the clocke in the morning till mid-day without any intermission so that there must be above twenty Priests to confesse a thousand in a forenoone and above fortie for two thousand and yet all must be done post-hast as they say and doe no other thing and what good can one doe in so ticklesome a businesse in such precipitation In the meane time who shall say all the Masses which must be said aloud and with low voice and who shall helpe to sing and say the divine office the Mattins and other Canonicall offices as the custome is in the Church of Rome and who shall preach and perfect the rest of the Service which the day and the publique require and what shall be done where there are not so many Priests two or three hundred being sufficient to cause a great trouble Besides when there is a great feast the throng is so great almost in every place that it will be one mornings worke onely to waite his turne for to say two or three words in the Priests eare in great haste and that often putteth all the families to trouble and discord for the Mistris is angry with the maide for staying too long and the husband against his wife and if they be both there together the children and the whole houshold are in confusion Observe also that there are few others but women that will waite upon this wearisome and troublesome devotion for the men especially the wiser sort not beleeving it so easily and remarking so many things which offend their spirits leave the practise to their wives which being naturally inclined to prate and discharge their spleene and discover
to my choice and will besides the Medails and Benedictions which I might have another way to distribute to whom I would And I may truly say this of St. Paul 1 Cor. 13. in this point and others 1 Cor. 13. When I was a child I spake as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child but when I became a man I put away childishnesse For I confesse to my confusion now that I was very superstitious towards those Indulgences and did make use of them very often as well for my self as for others and I did it so much the more willingly to others that howsoever I took never any monies nor made ever any temporall profit of them Neverthelesse I did perceive it was a strong mean to me to draw people after me and render them more affectionate to the doctrine which I would preach to them and I know by long experience there is almost nothing more efficacious to allure the people especially the simpler sort to do any thing they desire than the distribution of Indulgences And at what time the Popes did bethink themselves to make the people beleeve that by those Indulgences one might be delivered from the fire of Purgatory and free others also they found that doctrine to be exceeding profitable as well to fill their coffers with money at the Jubilees which were termed the Popes harvest as to leavie strong Armies of Souldiers to defend their estates and Territories and make warre against their enemies So that by the means of those Indulgences they have often got many Millions and leavied numberlesse armies of Christians which they sent out of their own countreys to barbarous and remote countreys where the most part lost both their lives and estates and that which in the beginning was onely done against the Turks as enemies of the Christian faith but especially great enemies of the wealth and revenues of the Bishop of Rome who can pretend nothing where there is no Christians was afterwards practised even against Christians for particular quarrels of the Pope often injust and passionate Now for that mystery of the Indulgences it is to seek the darknesse at noon day to think to find them proved and authorised by the holy Scriptures and I could never see any passage taken out of the old or new Testament that made any wayes for them The onely place they think to be strongest is that in St. Matth. 18.18 which serveth to prove all things Matth. 18.18 and on which the authority of the Popes is especially grounded the words are All that ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven c. which they extend even to the things under the earth to Purgatory to wit which they say is under the earth But this passage hath been sufficiently explained in the precedent Chapters of Auricular Confession and of the Primacie of St. Peter without staying any more upon it to which places I remit the Reader without further answer to shun prolixitie Onely telling them here that according to the letter of this passage if it should be understood as they will have it the full power of Indulgences should be given to all the Pastors who call themselves successours of the Apostles in their office and ministry but the Pope who cannot endure so many corrivals in his authoritie hath divided this power betwixt himself the Cardinals and the Bishops but very unequally So that the Bishops may give Indulgences but for fourty yeers the Cardinals for an hundred and he onely ample and full ones and for all the time and yeers a soul must be in Purgatory for its sin Notwithstanding they give them not continually full but sometime limiteth them to fourty yeers sometimes to an hundred and sometimes to a thousand as in the Treasure of Indulgences of St. Francis girdle there is an Item that hath for every day from the nativity of our Lady there are 800. sixtie and two thousand yeers and an hundred dayes of Indulgences and the remission of the third part of them this is certainly a long time and behold a fair Indulgence for all the time from the creation of the world to this time is nothing in comparison with this it being not six thousand yeers and here above eight hundred thousand and yet this is not the greatest besides the full ones for sometimes he gives Indulgence and pardon for eighteen or twenty thousand and some hundreds of yeers and so many fourty and odde dayes there wanteth nothing but some houres and minutes This Theology is not to be found explained in S. Augustine nor Athanasius nor others of the Ancients for it was not in use then yet many find and large Commentaries are to be seen amongst the Moderns to clear all the mysteries of those thousand yeers fourty dayes and the third part of sins but after reading them again and again and often times I could never understand any thing in it for the height and profoundnesse of the matter Now the thing that moved me to despise them and maketh all men of understanding in the Church of Rome vilifie them is that nothing of this is found taught by Christ nor practised by his Apostles and I marvell much if it was of divine institution they did not use it to the weale and profit of poore Christians which lived in their time and that they did not apply to them by Indulgences besides the merits of Christ the merits of Moses Abel Joseph Jacob and John the Baptist S. Stephen and of all just and holy men to deliver them all quickly out of the fire of Purgatory or hinder them from going thither and that when they did preach or passed through Cities they gave them not besides their benedictions a number of Indulgences as the Pope and the Bishops do now a dayes in visiting their Churches for they wanted not charity for the good and prompt happinesse of Christians and we may well say if that doctrine be true that the Christians of our times are more beloved of God and more fortunate than were they of the Apostles times and of the ages past for that Treasure of Indulgences whereof there was no mention made in their time is very liberally opened at this day and the Indulgences which at their first institution were but seldome given and onely for fourty or few yeers and at great solemnities as at the consecration of a Pope or a Bishop at the dedication of some mother Church or some like occasion are now almost ever given full and that to them indifferently who will honour the Pope so much as to ask them they make also great catalogues and Items of all sorts either in favour of the canonization of some new Saint or some Embassador or Prince or some such like occasion And if a young Gentleman go to Rome and have a desire to bring some thing to his Countrey that costeth not much whereby he may oblige his friends at his return if after he hath
times and at least as many vigils which make 24. dayes with fourty in Lent which make above threescore and they are obliged every day to fast under pain of mortall sin and there be very few as all the Casuists affirm who are justly exempted for from the age of 21. till threescore all those who are able to fast without great manifest prejudice of their health ought to do it so that those are 60 new commandments which joyned to the former make alreadie above 200. Moreover he must abstain all the fasting dayes from flesh under pain of mortall sin that is to say neither eat flesh eggs nor butter according to the Statute and some one will easily fast who cannot so easily keep this abstinence so there are 60. more commandments from this which being joyned with the former besides Gods ten Commandments make above two hundred and fourscore commandments of the Church which every faithfull person ought to observe every yeer and are onely comprehended in the first commandments besides those of keeping abstinence every Friday and Saterday and others which we might find in them that rest in the last of which onely which is to pay the tithes and dues to the Church a great number might be remarked and so we should have above 300. Now God having given us onely ten Commandments the most part whereof are negatives and the Church of Rome proposing above 300. whereof the most part are affirmative and without holy Scripture of her own authoritie and particular invention may we not say first that she goes beyond the Commandments of God by her traditions and next that the yoke of Christ is light and easie and the Romish yoke heavie and insupportable and if the authoritie of the Church of Rome be true some men might be saved if there were no more but the Commandments of God which will be condemned for not doing those of the Church and an infinite multitude might fulfill the commandments of God sufficiently to be saved which must be damned because they have not fasted or do not fast all Lent over and other fasting dayes or who have not heard the Masse all the Sondayes and holidayes or who have wrought or caused their servants work on them I leave off to speak here of an infinite multitude of other commandments of that Church which are not common to all Christians but to the Priests alone and those who are in Orders and possesse Benefices as every day to say their Brevier which is very long and wearisome as also of all other precepts and commandments particular to every religious Order which truly make a great multitude of poore souls groane and lament who out of simplicitie and ignorance have unhappily suffered themselves to be oppressed under the weight of their burthens But I will let them groane so long as they will if knowing their error and abuse as do the most part they will not take a necessarie resolution to break all those humane bonds wherewith they are detained in that captivity and follow after the doctrine of Christ whose yoke is easie and burthen light CHAP. XXVIII If one can be saved in the Church of Rome IT is certain that no man can be saved but by the faith which Christ did declare and the Apostles hold and preach which is the onely true and perfect faith without which none can hope for salvation Now I having shewed clearly as ye have seen that the faith of the Church of Rome is another different from that of Christ and his Apostles the consequence is easie to be drawn But as I remember never to have hindred those of the Reformed Religion so much to become docile to the doctrine I preached to them when I was in darknesse as when according to the maximes of the Romish Church I preached to them that they would all be damned without remission so that I may not alienate the spirits of those of the Romish Religion from the reading of this discourse and lest that thinking me too severe they rellish not so well the reasons which they might read in this Treatise I chose rather to let them draw the conclusions themselves and remit the decree to Gods judgement to whom onely it appertaineth to pronounce the sentence of the salvation and condemnation of souls But the thing I especially intend in this Chapter is to shew to those of the Romish Church that even according to their proper maximes and doctrine it is impossible for them speaking morally to be saved I know this proposition will seem a paradox to many but if they will onely take the pains to see and examine the reasons on which I am grounded I perswade my self that even the most learned will confesse and acknowledge it with me for they cannot deny it it being the common doctrine of their own Schools and books which questionlesse a multitude of simple people have never been aware of I will not speak here of the difficultie they of the Romish Church may meet withall as do other Christians in the keeping of Gods ten Commandments for howsoever I know certainly and may speak it truly that they are worse kept and fulfilled in that Church than in the Reformed Religion in England or other places which I have seen yet I will leave this point and comparison till the following chapter and will shew this impossibilitie of salvation onely by the commandments which are added by the Romish Church or rather by the Popes of Rome to the ten Commandments of God and I shall shew it especially in the obligation of hearing Masses on Sundayes and holidaies and in the conditions of the mystery of confession for notwithstanding that according to the maximes of their Doctors the obligation to fast all Lent over and at other dayes commanded ought to damne and destroy many who otherwaies it may be are persons unblameable walking straightly in the observation of Gods ten Commandments yea and in many other things but having too much a do to fast do it not although they might do it if they would but endeavour to do the same and be not of the number of them whom the Lawes of fasting exempted And howsoever also the obligation to keep the holidaies strictly without working or causing others to work should condemne according to their doctrine another great multitude by whom this rigid and straight commandment is hard to be kept for the great charge and imployment of their calling yet that is nothing in comparison of the difficultie that is in the commandments of hearing the Masse which obligeth all Christians and the saying over of the Breviary which obligeth the Priests and the obligation of Auricular confession which is common to all Because ye must know according to the Doctors and Casuists of the Romish Church that for accomplishing the commandment of hearing the Masse it is not sufficient to be there bodily present but to fulfill the precept one must be present in attention and devotion so that he who
of all the Casuists Doctors of that Church which is taught in the Schooles preached in the Pulpits and published in all the Bookes which handle this matter and I know that no man of learning dare deny it Oh! how sweet is the yoke of Christ in respect of that of the Romish Church and how it is more easie and sure for to be saved to follow the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles than in following the doctrines inventions of men And can that Church be the true and beloved Spouse of the Son of God that redacteth her followers even to an impossibilitie of salvation and out of hope of eternall glory CHAP. XXIX A Comparison of the Protestant and Reformed Church with the Church of Rome and in which of them two is Salvation most certaine I Have often marveiled that the Church of Rome whose doctrine is so far different from the doctrine of Christ and which accounteth lesse of the Word of God than any other sect that is or hath ever been amongst Christians which preferreth her traditions and inventions to the holy Scripture and followeth the institution of the Sonne of God so little in all his Sacraments which imitateth so little the life order established and followed by the Apostles in her Prelats and Discipline in a word which is so corrupted and vitiated as well both in doctrine and discipline and where Gods Commandements are so little observed his Sacraments so much prophaned the Sabbath so little sanctified where prophane vices and abhominations raigne so much and where disorders and corruptions are to be seen almost in every place and in all sorts of persons that neverthelesse it is shee amongst all others condemneth more freely and quickly others and which braggeth shee onely is in the way of salvation and all others are damned that consent not to her beliefe And upon this doctrine which the Pope causeth his followers preach and maintaine to retaine and draw to him the people by feare being neither able to doe it by Scripture nor reason are builded and published strange conclusions extreamly dangerous and pernicious to all other States but his owne and that by the Jesuits and a number of other Doctors of his faction to wit that all they of all other sects except their own whom they terme all hereticks are worthy of death and their Protectors also that it is a sacrifice to God to exterminate them either by fire or sword or any other meane whatsoever that they are not obliged to keepe promise with them in any thing whatsoever they being unworthy and uncapable of it That a Prince of a contrary Religion to theirs being an hereticke as they terme him is consequently excommunicated by the Pope who pretendeth to have authoritie over him as a Christian and that after the Excommunication thundred out against him he is but a Tyrant and Usurper and falne from all rights and uncapable of the Crowne that no Christians should hold him for King nor are obliged to obey him that it is great pitty they should be suffered to live and possesse the earth which should be onely for them and those of their beliefe and a number of the like seditious doctrines which are written especially by Becanus Mariana Suarez Bellarmine and others And Parsonius an English Jesuit and Rector of the English Colledge at Rome wrote a Booke in the Reigne of that vertuous Queen Elizabeth which went secretly up and downe this Kingdome wherein he laboureth to maintaine that those many hundred years the Kings of England have not been lawfull Kings both for having saith he being criminall of Leze Maty or disinherited or bastards or for being hereticks and so excommunicated by the Popes and fallen from their right and that neither the King of Scotland to wit James of thrice worthy memory nor his posteritie nor any other of his beliefe could pretend nor ought to be admitted to that succession nor yet the Earles of Hertford Darby Hastings and others who were next and indeavoureth to prove that it did appertaine by right to the King of Spaine as heire of Portugall And upon those impertinent propositions and other imaginary pretences the Pope was resolved to seize upon England and supposing the King of Spain and his sister would finde too great resistance he had intention to send his Cosen the Duke of Parma a great friend of his See who being descended from Portugall by his Mother pretended some right to it or else the Cardinall Pharnesius the Dukes yonger brother and procure him to mary the Lady Arabella if need were to accommodate the busines and to that effect many strange practises and factions were at worke as well within as without England by the Papists of the Island which may be seene more at large in a Letter that famous and learned Cardinall Arnauld d' Ossat writ from Rome to Henry the 4. King of France dated the 22 of Novemb. 1601. and is the 191 Epistle of his seventh Booke there he mocketh all those fantasticke designes and writeth besides to the King his Master that the Pope knowing his inclination to assist the King of Scotland in pursuing his just title would labour to divert him so far as he could and make him favour his designes and many other things of this State which are in those curious Letters and shew the great inclination the Pope hath for England not as they say Propter Christum sed propter Lazarum not for the love of Christ but for the love of himselfe And howsoever those practises and maximes and the like dangerous and pernicious opinions rellish not nor are approved of the more judicious and noble spirits of that partie who well see all to be but a Papall invention to multiply his followers and consequently to augment his revenues and tributes for there are no States of his beliefe out of which he draweth not profit and where he hath no subjects there is nothing for him yet they are but too much followed by multitudes of that sect and the attempts against the lives of Kings the abominable treasons execrable plots and conspiracies set on foot both within and without have often been the dangerous effects of that damnable and bloudy doctrine And to speake truth a State of a contrary Religion to theirs is not secure where many of them thinke to have power and pretend to have authoritie for the Pope never faileth to have his Agents amongst them whereof they which are of any religious Order are the most dangerous because they being Members of great companies are men who have intelligence and factions and besides they depending altogether on their Generalls who for the most part are Italians and engaged to the Pope and they having made vow of obedience to him what affection soever they beare towards their Princes they dare not but further and advance the Interests of the Bishop of Rome in every thing for they are destinated to that end and if they faile they