bee good and vertue to bee evill except shee would sinne against conscience Likewise in offering incense to the Saincts in generall sweareing by them praying and vowing to them which are partes of Divine worshippe Doe they not commit vile idolatrie And in worshipping of images forbidden so clearlie and frequently in Gods word whether it be with relative terminative or conterminative worship in all these they prove idolaters Further their Idolatrie doth manifest it self in worshipping Saint Christopher the three imaginarie Kings at Culen and others who never had life breath nor being as their Saint Longinus whom ignorance hath canonized transforming the speare that pierced Christs side called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into Longinâ—â—s a religious Latine Saint What credit is there to be given to their forged reliquies let any man judge when the heads and bodies of Saints parcels of the crosse nailes and speares that pierced Christ have exceeded and daylie do exceed their just number and quantitie Neither are they inferiour in idolatrie to the prophane Gentiles who were aliens from the common-wealth of Israel without GOD without hope for as they had tutelarie Gods for the protection of nations cities places and Gods for averting of evils and curing of diseases as also for conferring all manner of benefites So also in the Romane church they have their tutelarie saints for nations cities places for curing of diverse diseases and conferring of benefites Finally as the Samaritans did worship that which they knew not and the Athenians did erect an altar to the unknowne GOD so also in the sacrament of the Lords body they worship and know not what they worship whether bread or the body of the LORD for seeing the change of the body of Christ dependeth upon the Priests intention as they affirme and they being uncertaine of his intention do worship and know not what they worship whether bread or the body of Christ To conclude one of their cheif schoolemen Vazquez confesseth that they have no Scripture for the worshipping of images and is further bold to say that they may worship lawfully upon ignorance the divel lurking under the crucifixe Therefore that we be not partakers of her spirituall whoordomes and idolatries and thereby receive of her plagues let us come out of Babylon As to the fift and last sin moving God to powre out the vials of his wrath upon Rome is her corrupt doctrines and heresies for shee is loaden not with one heresie only but heaps of heresies For clearing of this heresie is to be considered materially and formally A materiall heresie is an erronious doctrineâ— opposing and everting the saving grounds of religion A formall heresie when a doctine everting the saving grounds of Truth is maintained with obstinacie Materiall errours was received into the Church of Corinth when the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was called in question The like befell the churches of Galatia when circumcision and the works of the law was thought necessare supplements to Faith to make up our justification before GOD Yet because these foresaid errours was not defended with obstinacie the maintainers were not formally hereticks But in the Romane church doctrines everting Ground trueths are defended with obstinacie and the opponents persecuted with fire and sword wherefore shee is justlie charged with heresies and that both against faith and the dueties commanded in the law as followeth It is an hereticall doctrine maintained in the church of Rome with obstinacie that the Scripture is unsufficient for salvation and is but a partiall rule of our Faith seeing according to the Divine Apostle Paul It is able to make us wise to salvation and perfect to every good work It is more hereticall then this to affirme that their church traditions which are uncertain shall equall the written Word of God given by divine inspiration There is a third hereticall doctrine that surpasseth the two former that the last resolution of our faith shall not be grounded upon Gods Word but upon the church that is according to their glosse upon the Pope who only as they misbelieve is priviledged from all errour It is an hereticall doctrine which teacheth Christ to be offered up 〈◊〉 in an unbloudie sacrifice for the expiation of sin under the bare speces of bread and wine being repugnant to the eternitie of Christs Priesthood who liveth for ever repugnant to the perfection of his sacrifice by reiteration repugnant to his Majestie who hath entered into the heavenly tabernacle in glory and is not any more Priest on earth repugnant finally to his merit which being in it self infinit is redacted to a finite worth and measure at the pleasure of every Messemunging-priest It is an hereticall and arrogant doctrine which teacheth man by the merit of condignitie to deserve life everlasting seing when we have done all we can we are unprofitable servants and when we have suffered what is possible to us these momentanie asslictions are not worthie of that infinit weight of glory layed 〈◊〉 for us in Heaven And seing the righteousnesse of the most just as David Esay and others can not stand before God it is an hereticall doctrine and preiudiciall to salvation to place our justification before God in our owne maimed inherent righteousnesse It is a Divine trueth that there is no name under Heaven to be saved but by the name of Christ Contrare to this is that heretick doctrine of the Romane church that the merits intercession and bloud of Saints and Martyres are mixed as satisfactorie for our redemption with the bloud merit and intercession of Christ The Scripture telleth us that man in his creation was made according to the image of God perfect in holinesse and righteousnesse The doctrine of the Romane church jumpeth with the heresie of Florinus which holdeth that God made the inferiour and sensuall part of mans soule with a propension and inclination to sin In the doctrine of Free-will besides the fond opinion they have in advancing immoderatly the libertie of the same they have fallen upon sundrie hereticall positions in extolling the power thereof for seeing man as saith the Apostle hath no aptitude in himself so much as to thinke a good thought and worse then that We are dead in sinnes and trespasses by nature and if worse can be yet our hearts are said to be meer stones Is it not then an heretical assertion that there is in us any active power to do good being in such a miserable condition Moreover such being our corruption that all the imaginations of our heart are altogether set upon evill and that without the holy Spirit we cannot say so much as the Lord Jesus Is it not an heretick doctrine which teacheth that man unregenerat and voide of the sanctifying Spirit may inact and produce a good morale work wherein there is no sin Further to averre not God but the will to determine it selfe
but in regard of us for though the authoritie of John the baptist the miracles of Christ the testimonie of one sent from the dead the voice of an Angell from Heaven and the voyce of GOD heard of the disciples in the Mouâ—â— were of themselves divine and infallible yet in respect of us as testifieth Peter GOD will have his word to be of a more certaine authoritie In it God hath judged and determined all contraversies and his decision registrate by the Prophets and Apostleâ— continueth to the end of the world and the duetie of the Kirk is to search out his decisive sentence conteined in the holy Scriptures and apply the same Our adversaries to â—id this divine authoritie of Gods written word have forged four deceit full rules Antiquitie Councels Traditions and the voice of the Church which being tryed shall be found no rules for the rule of faith must be infâ—llible these are not so the Phaâ—â—sees pretended Antiquitie which Christ rejected tradition which also he rejected the voice of the Church even of the doctors that sate in Moses chair the Lord bids the people beware of it calling it the Leaven of the Pharisees which he interpreteth to be the Doctrine of the Pharisees Shall they alleadge Councels Christ His Apostles and their doctrine were condemned in themâ— yea and even by the testimonie of our Adversaries these rules shall prove no rules The ancient Doctors and Fathers of the kirk have erred in many things which the Adversaries themselves confesse The like they affirme of Councels On traditions they never yet could agree And as for the voice of the Church which by their glosse and commentarie is the voice of the Pope it hath beene by many of themselves condemned for heresie Therefore let us come out of Babel least we be pertakers of her plagues By these plagues is understood her destruction which shall not bee speedie but a lent destruction and by degres as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a consumption importeth a Thess 2 till at last she be totally and eternally destroyed For as the mysterie of iniquitie did grow and advance by degrees so shall it fall by degrees It was conceived as holy Scripture witnesseth in the dayes of the Apostles it was quickned in the time of Victor and did stirre more powerfully under Stephanus and Cornelius bishops of Rome more yet under Damasus and others following most strongly did it move in the time near the birth under Leo the first It was borme and brought to the view of the World by Boniface the third upon whom the title of universall bishop was conferred by Phocas Emperour as a sythment and satisfactorie price for the bloud of his Master Mauritiâ—â— cruelly and treasonably shed This bruid of iniquitie did grow and was advanced much by the decay of the Greeke impire and donations of the western Emperours till at last it came to the full hight and maturitie in Hildebr and in whom the Antichrist was so visible that many of the Cleargie in France and Germanie and others did avow him to bee the Antichrist This destruction GOD shall bring to passe three wayes as Wee learne out of holy Scripture First by the sword of the Spirit 2 Thessâ— chap. 2. vers 8. Next by the sword of the Kings on Earth Revel 17. chap. 16 and 17. verse Lastly by the brightnesseof the Lords coming 2 Thess 2. 8. God also hath wounded her by the sword of the Spirit first in raising up the Valdenses against her of whom Frier Reinerius who wrote against them thus reporteth saying That they were of all the most pernicious sâ—ct for Antiquitie some holding they were from the Apostles time for generality there scarce being any nation where they are not And tastly for shew of piety in that they live justly before men and believe all things touching GOD aright and all the articles of the Creed only they blaspheme and hate the church of Rome By these Vaidenss the Romane beast gote so deep a wound that though by all meanes they laboured to cure the same yet shall it not bee cured but waxeth more and more incurable for the publick and open reformation begun by them did not so wound that Beast as the reformation by Wickleph who did more clearly espie and more sharply refure the Mysterie of iniquitie then others before him and that reformation by Husse made the wound yet deeper and after him by Luther and Zuinglius it was deepest of all so this wound is incurable And as the mysterie of iniquitie rose by degrees so doeth it fall by degrees Neither doth the article ' O help their cause as if the Antichrist were one singular man seing it is usuall in Scripture under one to comprehend many The woman in the Revelation cloathed with the Sun having the Moone under her feet though shee be but one representeth the Church which is a collective body and comprehendeth many So the Angels in every one of the seven Churches is interpreted by many collectively for many Pastors and Messengers of God And every one of these four beasts recorded by Daniel doth signifie not onâ— singular King only but a race of many Kings and Kingdomes as is clear by the 23. and 24. verses of the seventh chapter of Daniel Yea the Popes of Rome abuse the name of Peter pretending his name to all their usurped tyrannie Therefore it is that their large possessionm Italy are calleds Peters Patrimonie their Pole-money collected sometimes out of England Peters pence And their Plenâ—tude of jurisdiction they claime over the whole church Peters keyes and that one rocke in a popish glosse upon which they will have the church to be built is a lawfull succession of the Bishops of Rome which they affirme to have descended from Peter the blessed Apostle notwithstanding they be as far different from Peter in a doctrinall succession which is the only true succession as Cajaphas that condemned Christ was from holy Aaron first high Priest of the Jewish nation It may be haplie objected that many Bishops of Rome were godly and suffered martyredome for the Christian faith I answere that it is the antichrist and the antichristian Kingdome and not every person in that line that is appointed for destruction for what is recorded of Victor Lee the first and others who being tickled with the itch of ambition aspired to a supremacie over the church doth not argue them to be reprobates but men compassed with infirmities Who were building Babylon not knowing that they were building Babylon even as faithfull Gideon when he was making his Ephod of the ear-ring given him of the spoile of the Midianites was erecting a monument of idolatrie to the destruction of his house and knew not he was so doing So the Bishops in affecting Soveraignitie were ignorantly promoving the antichristian Kingdome which God appointeth to destruction Therefore Come of Babylon the
houre of the birth by the mercie of God and wisdome of that Prince of blessed memorie Bee wise therefore O Kings and be not inebriat with the cup of the fornications of that whoor Neither bear they rule over the lives of men but also over their soules after this life imprisoning them in Purgatorie and inlarging them when they will and in this life the deepest thought and most inward secret of their soul must be revealed unto them that if they be sinfull or inclining to sin they upon their Confession may receive pardon and except all even their most hid sins be confessed to the priest and pardoned by him they can have no mercie from God nor hope of salvation By this fond perswasion as if they dwelt in the breasts of all men and women they are made privie to their thoughts and actions and nothing is hid from them what hath beene done thought or spoken By this their fraud also and craft they dominier and beare rule over the consciences of men ascribing to themselves a power of making lawes to binde and louse the conscience at their arbitriment And least their deceit should bee knowne they have musted up the Word of God in an unknowne tongue and leade their blinded disciples whether they will And this is their craft and policie whereby they reigne over the lives moyens secrets and consciences of men But God who catcheth the craftie in their craftinesse and delivereth the upright and sincere will catch with the nets of his justice these deceitfull workers of iniquitie in Babylon Therefore come out of Babylon least being partakers of her sins yee partake of her plagues These former three vices Pride Crueltie and Craft have ever been esteemed to be badges and marks of a false and corrupt religion The Pharisees for crueltie are called by Christ murtherers for craft serpents for pride to walk in long robes to covet the first salutations in markets and first seat at tables Of these three pride is not the least and demonstrative of a false worship because that where it is God is robbed of his glory Eusebius speaking of Samosatenus an heretick mentioneth his pride and arrogancie Augustine the Monk sent from Rome to induce England to the obedience of the Romane church not daining himself to rise being saluted For his pride was esteemed of the beholders not to be sent of God Optatus Milevitanâ—â—s a learned and godly Bishop brandeth with pride Donatus that archschismatick that he was not so much called Donat bishop of Carthage as out of pride Donat of Carthage that is stylo novo lord of Carthage With this leaven of pride the doctrine of the Romane church is heeven up by their merit of condignitie works of supererogation possibilitie of fulfilling the Law with perfection of Faith and hope in this life Notwithstanding these three former are only outward characters bewraying a counterfeit religion but idolatrie and heresie are deadly diseases destroying the soul and life of Gods true worshipâ— with both these the Romish kirk is deeply infected Her idolatrie is visible to all whose eyes are not blinded For idolatrie is an idole-worship or a false worship and worship is made up of three of the estimation of the minde subjection of the will and reverend gesture of the body When these are either given to a false God or to the true God and an idole or when the true God is not worshipped truely according to the prescript of his Word the worshippers are guiltie of idolatrie with all these sorts of idolatrie the church of Rome is stained But I in a more popular manner will discover her whooredomes and idolatries both in respect of the Creator and of the creature As to God the Creator of all they show themselves vile idolaters representing GOD the Father in the similitude of an old man GOD the Son in the similitude of a lamb GOD the holy Ghost in the similitude of a dove And in so doeing they are no better but rather worse than the idolatrous Gentiles who as the Apostle sayeth did transforme the glory of the incorruptible GOD into the similitude of corruptible things as of beasts foules and creeping things wherefore the Lord gave them up to unnaturall lusts and finally to a reprobate minde And it is just with GOD so to do with the Romane church being guiltie of the like idolatrie As to the creature they are in many respects idolatrous for they worship the images of the Trinitie and crosse with a Divine worship and although some would excuse it to be a Divire accidentall analogick or râ—ductive worship yet their prime schoolemen who are canonized as Saints and followed by many attribute to them a divine proper worship And so it appeareth to be by their prayers directed unto the Crosse for grace and parâ—on in these words O crux ave spes unica auge piis justiâ—iam râ—isque da veniam that is Haile Crosse our only hope give to the godly râ—ghteousnesse and to the guiltie pardon What greater worship would they give to God then this Do they not also honour with divine worship the blessed Virgine The Heretiques called Collyridiari did offer cakes unto her and so do the Romanists this day Hath not Bonaventura transformed the Psalterie of David to the honour of the Virgine Marie changing GOD in goddesse and Lord in Lady And where it is said by David Praise the Lord by him it is praise the Ladie and for trust in the LORD trust in the Ladie And in his 35. Psalme are these words Incline the countenance of GOD upon us and compell him to have mercie upon us Sutable unto this is the Crown composed by him where this is one of his orations that is prescribed to be said O Empresse and our most kinde Ladie by the authoritie of a mother command thy most beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ that hee would vouâ—hafe to list up our mindes from the love of all earthly things unto heavenly desires O blasphemous speaches But whose speaches are these Are they not the speaches of their doctor exalted by them to the Seraphick order of angels a place not fit for an idolater In adoring the Pope their head they are no lesse transcendent idolaters in acknowledging his power not only to dispense with the law of God but also to repeale the same as likewise in ascribing the finall and last resolution of their faith to his determination What bee their idolatrous absolute subjection to the Pope who so like to know may read it in Bellarmine his fourth book de Pont. Rom. 2. chap. where he averreth impudently That the Pope ought to bee heard with obedience whether hee erre or erre not And not only impudently but blasphemously hee affirmeth in the fifth chapter of the same book towards the end that if the Pope did erre commanding vice forbidding vertue the Church should be bound to believe vice to
the full injoyment of God But the foolish braine of man evanishing in fond speculations did conceive that the souls not fully purged from sin Flitting out of the tabernacles of this mortality before they did attaine to the fruition of God behooved to be purged by fire as most fit for that use Whereupon was kindled this fire of Purgatory to wast and consume the moyens of the simple and credulous and warme the kitchines of the Romane church And it is to be observed that this errour was not universally received for the Greek church to this day reject and condemne the same As to altars Bellarmine confesseth that there is no mention either of Priest or altar in scripture in the dayes of the Apostles for that whereof is spoken Heb. 13. 10. is Christ our altar in heaven upon whom we offer our prayers and Minucius Felix who lived in the 300 year of God witnesseth that Christians in his time had no altars nor images And though Tertullian who lived about that same time in the Latine Church mentioneth an altar yet it is to be understood that there was then no sacrifice of the body of Christ seeing the same author against Marcion calleth the bread a figure or representative signe of the body of Christ and that kneeling at the altar recorded by him in his book intituled Of Repentance importeth no ordinare bowing to the altar but the humble gesture of a penitent which was performed sometimes at the entrie of the church without and sometimes within With altars there came in sacrifices first representative and commemorative then subjective by faith and prayer then propitiatorie and at last the offering of Christ under the naked speces of bread and wine The Canonick Scriptures dyted by Divine inspiration were first only read in the church as is evident out of Justine Martyres apologie Origen and the councell holden at Laodicea and other councels But in the latter end of the 400 year of God the reading of Apocrypha in the kirk did open a doore to the reading of homilies and they to the reading of the acts of Martyres and thereafter the fabulous legends of Saints fictitious for the most part in stead of Gods word did sound in his church and 〈◊〉 last the reading of Apocrypâ—â— and humane writs in the church made that these books called Apocrypha were esteemed Canonick and of no lesse authoritie then if they had beene dyted by the holy Ghost Whereby we may clearly perceive how dangerous it is to give way to wil-worship and humaine 〈…〉 such as faiars dayes crossing in baptisme images altars reading of Apocrypha in the church and the rest of the that Romishrubbish Neither only after this manner secretly but openly errours were obtruded and imposed upon the church under colour of law by a prevailing faction to the regrate and grief of many good Christians who did in private mourne and according to their power resist the same as in the corrupt councels the second of Nice Lateran these of Constans Florencs c. Besides this thirdly great way was made to superstition and idolatrie when the Gregorean liturgie by violence to the effusion of blood of many Saints was inforced upon the Christian world Thaâ— have I declared that the Romane antiquitie in religion is no antiquitie but noveltie as also when and how errours had their original some closely and unknown in the â—owing and spring till they came to maturitie others appearing at the first in thâ—â—r colours were opposed by the Godly which notwithstanding by a prevailing faction were established some under pretext of law others by violence It may seeme strange that the Romane religion being contrare to grace by the presumptuous merite of man contrare to peace by anxious doubtings whereby they keep the souls of men in perpetuall suspensions being also contrare to reason and sense as to maintaine a body without dimension a subject without accidents and accidents without a subject contrare to all societie by approving lying and equivocation Contrare to the light of nature dispensing with incestuous marriage Contrare to magistracie in freeing subjects from the oath of alleadgeance their native Prince and teaching further man to scourge his body kill his King and eat his God being I say such a religion it may appear strange and admirable that men of great learning and understanding Thould be addicted and devoted thereto But there be five reasons why it so falleth out first they have transformed as I said the glorie of 〈◊〉 Eternall God into the similitude of corruptible freatures and God therefore hath infatuaâ— and given them over unto a reprobate minde as he did the Gentiles for the like sin â— They are drunk with the cup of fornication of the Babylonish whoor and as men drunk are bereaved and spoiled of their iudgement and understanding so are they â— They worship images the worshippers whereof as saith the Psalmist by Gods iustice are made like 〈◊〉 of them and as the images have eyes and see 〈…〉 and heare not so are they â— Because the love of the Trueth is not in them as the Lord gave over the Jewws to strong delusions so hath God done with them in Romane church who are enemies to the word of God forbidding the reading use and exercise thereof Finally God fayeth by Esay because the Jewes did worship him after the precepts and traditions of men that their understanding should bee blinded that in hearing they should not heare and seing they should not see To this judgement the Romane church by their vaine inventions and traditions have made them selves lyable For 〈◊〉 therefore that we be not carried with the Current of errour to destruction it is expedient we beware of these fix rocks whereupon many have made shipwrack of their faith which are mentioned by the Apostle Coloss 1. chap. to wit Philosophie Traditions dead and unprofitable Ceremonies called the Rudiments of the world Wil-worship pretended humilitie and uncertaine speculations The church of Christ hath felt the wounds of all these and is still bleeding therewith crying for the help and hand of a pitifull and skilfull Physiciar The church was first wounded by Traditionarâ—s as by Papiaâ— the first of that number and others following Then by Wilworship as festivities and holy dayes to creatures and such like Moreover by humane rites and ceremonies in the sacraments especially in baptisme as crossing spitle oyle salt c. What errours were brought in by Platonicke Philosophie in the prime antiquitie by Origen and others and in the latter ages by the Romish schoolemen what be the uncertaine speculations of the hierarchie of the Angels and pretended humilitie of worshipping of angels and mediating by them dolefull experience doth testifie Therefore let us beware of these rocks and direct our course by the compasse of GODS word which is of greater authoritie by many degrees then the voice of the church not in it self only