impeachment of That mine euerlasting Offering Popish Ceremonies apish ridiculous and Office after the order of Melchisedech Your multiplicity and absurdity of most apish and toyish Ceremonies as ducking crossing closing opening of hands Host-eleuating loud-bawling secret Mumbling and the like are fitter for a Theater then for the Church What reuerence can yee require to such jrreuerend childish and profane Administrations To be short your dishonorable seruice your detestable Altar your hypocriricall creeping and casting downe your bodyes your no lesse odious lifting vp jmpure harts and hands your idolatrous adoratiō your contumacious endeauour of blynd zeale your dreadfull nay direfull abhominable sacrifice The abhomination of the popish Masse therfore abhominable because an offring not only of my passion but of my body a spirituall a Carnall a bloudy and vnbloudy Sacrifice indeed a Sacrifice and no Sacrifice because not only a memory of me the Redeemer of my Chosen is solemnly celebrated and liuely represented but a propitiation also for the liuing and the dead is pretended to be offered directly crossing and contrary to that one Oblation of my selfe once offred not without bloud Heb. 10.14 whereby for euer I haue consecrated and perfected them that are sanctified wherein by the Eternall spirit I offered vp my selfe vnto God Heb. 9.12.13.14 and found eternall redemption for them All these are not the workes of my Children and seruants and therfore I command you once againe vnder the penalty of my great and Eternall curse that yee cease any further to lead the blynd out of the way whome you haue peruerted too farr already and will not suffer them so much as to enter a deliberation to returne vnto the flocks of my Sheapheards againe The false Embassador Schismaticks justly repelled from the Sacramēts HEre you straine courtesie here flesh and bloud reclaimeth the spirit taking the foyle and the old man triumphing Some of you discharge themselues of their crimes by my Stewards ouer rigorous austerity c. How dare you proffer to approach to my Altar where so great a Maiestie is resident c. The Lord Christ IS not this an ouer-Rigorous austerity and most apparent in you First to inhibite them the Churches of the Protestants and after to exclude them from your own mysteries Oratories also You say nay For first you would haue them to Confesse themselues guilty for ioyning with the Protestants and to purpose amendment of that fault to receaue your absolution and to doe penaunce and so to be purged and so be prooued worthy to come vnto your Altar But I say vnto you still your Altar is not my Altar my great Maiestie is not there resident but onely the pettie Maiestie of your profane bread neither is your penaunce your pardon your Confession my ordination Therefore they who refuse these things from you are guiltles before me and as yee saye in this one thing happie that they are suspended and reiected of you And I denounce a woe against you that Cal good euill and euill good sweet sower sower sweet Esay 5.20 put light for darknes and darknes for light The false Embassador WEll then Schismaticks are to be praesumed for Haereticks and why among my Catholicks since you are not where shall I find you where c. The Caluinist taketh you for Proselytes c. The poore Catholick scandalized at your impiety c. The Lord Christ WHat and will you still make me the Patrone of your lyes surely I doe not hold them among my true Catholicks no more then I doe your selues neither yet doe I conclude The Lord alloweth not dissembling Catholicks that cleauing to the Protestants they cleaue to sectaries neither doe I pronounce them Protestants neither do I allow their reproofe either in priuate talke or in priuate opinion of the Protestant proceedings neither are those proceedings departure from the faith nor yet their Temples houses of Idolatry as ye blaspheme So that albeit by their presence with them in appearance they honour by obaying they allow by example they further by deeds they cōfirme by dissembling they establish those proceedings albe-it they goe to those houses as one of them they sit there as one of them they behaue themselues reuerēdly as one of them yet in all this or in any of these they cannot be defined eyther Schismaticks or Haereticks In a word howsoeuer they are reputed Proselyts of the Caluinist as you terme the true Christian and howsoeuer your poore Catholicks poore indeed and voyde of true Catholicke faith Dissembling Catholicks no Schismaticks are scandalized of them though they may be lost sheepe for the time and dissemblers yet are they no Schismaticks being not diuided from the true Church much lesse at the brinck of bottomles haeresie in that respect The false Embassador Those which goe to the Conuenticles of Haereticall rites are iustly and properly called s hismaticks ABhominable is Schisme and horrible is the name of Schismaticke c. When my Church in her first prime c. The Lord Christ. Schisme is a separation from the faith of truth and the true Cōmunion of Saints What is Schisme And therefore all those Christians vpon whatsoeuer intent purpose of heart whether for Feare of the Aduersity and Crosses or for loue of the prosperity ease and sensuality of this present euill world who do consort themselues though but for a time with the Iewish Turkish or any other Heathnish profession let them be censured for schismaticall Reuolters till they returne into the Church againe But herevpon how can you charge your cunning Catholicks of schisme for associating in their actions with the Protestants First you are to proue the one to be Haereticks their Assemblies also and rites haereticall which you can neuer do and then forewarne the other vnder the penalty of Schismaticall reproch to adhaere vnto them Be it that some of them for all I know who know the hearts doe not repute and take the Protestants for Haereticks for that is the poynt you press vppon them and yet like Ambidexters Machiauels and Temporizers only for feare or for loue of the earth and earthly things against their consciences will make a shew to be on their side yet I say neuer shal their own false opiniōs no more thē yours conclude them to be Schismaticks in joyning with my Church howsoeuer they may be convicted of themselues for notorious hypocrites and dissemblers and so be vnexcusable in my sight For I cannot like it that they or you or any should dissemble with me Iosue 9.9 or my people The Gibeonites in that they sought the friendship of my seruant Iosua and his host did not offend me in that they sought it by dissimulation they did not please me vers 21. Therfore for the one I spared their liues and for the other I adjudged them to perpetuall seruitude The remnant of those Iewes who dwell now among
the feeling of his conscience or by both As he that came vpon the Stage when he had said Vtinam ne in nemore was able to go no farther so this praunsing Priest directing an Epistle to all Schismaticks meaning his Catholique minded that come to our Churches beginning at first more like a franticke furious Herauld then a sober prudent Embassador to rayle at them is choked as it wereof himselfe as chasing and cholerick spirits vse to bee in their overhasty fumes not able to deliuer one perfect Period But A Domino factum est istud this was the Lords doing that he became so speechlesse vppon a sodaine â—ob 38.11 He that said to the Sea hitherto shalt thou come and here shall it stay thy proude waues gaue a notable forewarning to this blasphemer hitherto to range here to breake off his prowde words if he had had the grace to take it But as it is our jubred corruption to like best and bee most eager of the forbidden fruite and as the Poet spake of a stomackfull jade The more he was held in with Bridle and bit Vidi ego nuper equum contra sua froena tenacem Ore reluctanti fulminis tre modo Ovid. The more head-strong furious he stroue against it And as a strong Current the more it is stopped the more it rageth till it runne over the banks like the swelling of Iordan so it is apparant that this naughty nature would not be warned this vnbrideled Pegasus would not bee tamed this running Rhetorician would not be restrained but his voluble tongue must needs cast out the wilde fire of blasphemies against CHRIST and his truth of slaunders against the Gospell and Professours thereof and of revilings against his owne Catholique minded as in the sequele wee shall perceiue THE COVNTERMAVND of the counterfait EMBASSAGE The false Embassador HEarken yee erring soules who will not enter the Arke ordained for the safety of my elect The dangerous estate of Schismatickes yet hope c. Come forth before me and iustifie your selues if yee can c. To all both Angels and Men I appeale to Catholickes and Heretickes c. The Lord Christ HEARKEN YEE FALSE Embassadors and messengers of the Romane harlot Yee runne but I send you not yee speake but I haue not spoken vnto you your dissembling Catholiques I doe not iustifie either in their opinions or in their dissimulations Their opinions are haereticall their dissimulation is damnable yet their suting and sorting with my Protestants in England is both justifiable in it selfe and acceptable vnto me Their estate therefore is not herein dangerous never trouble them with such account But yours who are Recusants is For in your own words to answere you Ye are the erring soules who will not enter the Arke nor refuse to leaue Sodome who forsake not the Tabernacles of Korah who neglect to flye from Babylon yee are the lost sheepe who have worne out My marke and enter an other folde yee runne with the theefe and partake with iniquity yee broken braunches ignorant of your owne decay yee rent my vnseamed coate yee teare my bodie yee breake the vnitie of my Church without scruple of Schisme Could you possibly have deuised fitter words wherein to describe your own Hereticall and Schismaticall qualities Therefore stand vp and plead for your selues if you bee able before me your Iudge and Creator of all your wickednesse shall testifie vnto your owne faces and let all my Creatures testifie against you for notorious Impostors Men and Angels Protestants and Romanists Christians and Infidels and your owne Consciences if yee haue any The false Embassador I Haue tryed you and found you faithlesse c. Schismaticks no true servaÌ„ts of GOD. I haue prouided for you a plentifull haruest of glorious and eternall merits I proffer the purchase of the kingdome of Heauen but I perceiue c. Oh seed of Samaria c. The Lord Christ. YOu I haue tryed and found indeed a faithles and disloyall generation yee haue set at naught my wisedome and bountie and contemned the treasures of my kingdome Oh yee seed of Samaria your idolatrous blindnes and frowardnes as that of vntamed Ephraim I detest abhorr and cannot digest The purchase of the kingdome of Heaven by my glorious and aeternall merits how so ever I seeme to proffer vnto all yet I have provided for none but my true beleevers As for them who only for the feare of a Temporall losse will not make publique and open profession of the truth how can I choose but hate their so dastardlie dissimulation Yet I am no Counsellor as thou wouldest make me here Oh thou false tongue to any vnresolved or vnsetled soules to turne Traytors to their King and Countrey to the hazard of thâ—ir liues and goods The false Embassador Vngratitude of Schismaticks and their iniurious dealing towards GOD. IF any man with-hold your right an action is readie he is serued with processe and exclaimed against for vnconscionable dealing c. But where is your owne dutie the honour of your Maker the loue of your Redeemer the awe of your God where are the fruites which my care haue deserued Long haue I trauailed in manuring your barren soules I haue sent my labourers c. The Lord Christ TVrne your eyes and looke vppon your selves yee Runnagates and yee shall see that yee are the men of vnthankefulnes here described I will and do challenge you in your owne words that you with-hold your owne soules from me my right and interest by Purchase of redemption that you are stubborne servants and disobedient Children that I haue sent my labourers vnto you who haue travailed much with him that I haue by many occasions sollicited you Recusant Papists many wayes sollicited to â—ome to the truth of the Ghospell profâ—â—â—ted in England as by the great prosperitie and long peace of this Land by miraculous defence of the late Queene and the present King thereof and strange deliverances of all the states therein both from forraine invasions and domesticall treasons secret and open practises by encreasing both the multitude and learning of my true Pastors according to my mind as I promised of old vnto my Church Ierem. 3.15 and many other vnspeakeable blessings besides yet have you like barraine soules brought foorth no sweet and kindly fruites of truth and Godlines but vnprofitable and bitter weeds of Poperie and Impietie Stiff and intractable as yee are wicked and perverse people why doe yee wrong my patience and dailie vexe me to drawe my people from me yea those among yourselves that are comming towards me why doe yee your selues thus forsake me and deny me despize and disobey me oppugne and assault me The false Embassador Schismaticks deny despise and impugne GOD. YEE forsake me and deny mee and say with a bold countenance wherein haue wee forsaken and denied thee Haue yee not renounced my seruice cast off my liuerie departed
jmitarion But yet of them who are sure they maintayne the truth of god as those were and did not of your Pope-lings though yee bee stout much lesse when yee be stammering in your opinions For what say yee what would Tobias what would the Israelites what the 7. Brethren what would Eleazar what Maccabeus what would Peter what Paul or my beloued Iohn haue done in these times would they not haue joyned with my professors the ProtestaÌ„ts I say yes they would and I am sure You they would haue despised abhorred reiected and all your Babylonish jmpieties and Profanations no lesse then they did the heathen persecutors Blud-suckers jdolaters of their time and then they did those named Hereticks Simon Magus Elymas and Cerinthus and all the like with their heathnish jdolatries and detestable heresies But here I haue somewhat against you Will you neuer clense your filthy tongues neuer cease to reuile and rayle at my faithfull seruants and worthy Champions of my truth Luther What is Luther like to Simon Magus no. But I must tell you That man of sinne who brags and vaunts him selfe to be an vniuersall Bishop in Simon Peters place and is not to be the Vicar generall of the vniuersall Church on earth and by me was neuer appointed to that office is a very subtill Simon and a Magicall enchaunter of my people For I neuer gaue to my beloued Apostle Simon Peter him selfe any such place or power as this your Peter Pope by many crafty sleights and deuilish practices hath aduanced himselfe vnto Luther founder and Grandfather of many falsehoods No No but ordained of old and borne by my great prouidence and mercy to be the discouerer of your falsehoods and recouerer finder out of that holy truth which long had bin lost in the ground and dung of your Canonisticall and Sophisticall diuinitie and many other of your meet machiauellianly politicall and practicall corruptions Therfore you hate him the more deadly and I loue him the more dearely and will loue honour him in my heauenly Kingdome eternally Dare you say of Iohn Caluin Caluin An Arch Haeretick and corrupter of whole Prouinces whome though I know to haue knowne the truth in part and to haue prophecied in part 1. Cor. 13.9 as all my Seruants do yet I haue well approued for a choyce Teacher and Instructor of the truth by his laborious writings godly jnstitutions through all the parts of Christendome I say therefore once more touch not mine Annoynted do my prophets no harme Psal 105.5 make not the Ministers of my gospell the seducers of soules 1. Tim. 4.16 for they shall saue themselues and them that heare them Els I will come against you shortly and not onely consume you with the breath of my mouth 2. Thes 2.8 but vtterly abolish you by the brightnesse of my coÌ„ming Then shall you see and know the third sort of your examples myne Ancient true Martyrs worthy jndeed of all jmitation for their constant labouring and striuing in defence of my gospell vnto the death to be none of your defiled and corrupted Church yea you shall see them I say Crowned with jmmortall happines and glory but your selues with a number of false Martyrs whome yee haue thrust into your yerely Kalender with all haereticks and jdolaters to be cast out into vtter Darknes Mat. â—4 51 there shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth The false Embassador Participatition in works of Haeresie worse then in Acts of Idolatry IF now you be so simple as to thinke that Heresie is not worse then Idolatry that to forsake me c. Greater sacriledge then the courtesie of Cap and Knee c. Euery Iote of whose rituall Customes c. 24. 24. Heresie worse then jnfidelity jdolatry Seeing euery falshood the more it hath of truth is the more apt to beguile c. A plaine fable is laughed at but not hated c. The Lord Christ. WHether Haeresie be worse then Idolatry or no I do not reasoÌ„ with you neither is it to the purpose here They are both Abhominable in my sight and damnable it is to communicate with either But this is your perpetuall error to take the Protestants for Haereticks reforme that and this declaration is altogether jmpertinent Let Haeresie be worse then Infidelitie and Idolatry yet if the professed Protestants of England be not Haereticks and their seruice not haereticall you haue no Reason by that reason to call those your adhaerents in some opinions from those their Congregations where they may learne to reforme them but yee say if yee be so simple as to thinke that to cast 2. or 3. graines of frankincense vppon an heathen Altar or to lay c. that is to offer and doe homage to the Idols of the heathen Bacchus Ceres Iupiter and the like to be greater sacriledge then the curtesie of Cap and knee and reuerentiall presence at their thrice Idolatrous Communion or then the seruice to maintenaunce thereof erected Euery iot of whose rituall Customes and publique prayers was inuented Commaunded practised and is still continewed only in detestation defiance extirpation and deniall of my faith Catholick Then oh then how are yee deceaued First why say you thrise Idolatrous Communion and not rather thrise haereticall in this place being now about to Call your fellowes from the Haeresie of the Church of England by presuming the same to be worse then Infidelitie idolatry But this Crazines in your braine I forgiue you only I would haue you shew but one poynt of Idolatry in that Communion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is no worship of bread as in yours no veneration no adoration of a crosse or Crucifixe They onely kneele and do reuerence to me the honourable sonne of God represented vnto their faith when they receaue the bread and wine in remembraunce of my death and passion §. 20. pag. 36. lin 11. Againe haue yee so short and shitlie a memorie as to forget what you lately charged the Protestant Church withall viz. That their ministerie hath stolen away your Churches ornaments and let vp and downe clad in her robes that now you say euery lot of their rituall Customes and publique prayers was inuented Commaunded practised and is still continewed onely in detestation defiance extirpation and deniall of your faith Catholick for myne you call it falsely for if euery Iot of their rituall customes and publique prayers were inuented onely in deniall of your faith then haue they stolen away none of your ornaments nor let vp and downe in her robes c. And if they haue stolen any then euery Iot of their rituall Customes was not invented as yee say Thus jnconsequently and giddily to speake is this to bring a message from Heauen jn my name Now Fie vppon such folly Idolatrie and Haeresy are both alike abhominable It is Idle to argue which is the worse Yf I should examine your doughty
from my familie Haue not I ordained Sacraments for your speciall comfort A Sacrifice c. The Lord Christ HEre you lay vpon your friends a threefold accusation in my name but I haue not accused them of Deniall Contempt and Resistance of God in yeelding to the Profession of a Protestant Your service is not my seruice your Coate my liuerie your Synagogue my familie your pitcht field my Campe and Colours or the Protestants pavilions mine Aduersaries Tents yee are my Adversaries and your Tents are the tents of vngodlines your Campe and Colours are opposite vnto mine To enter your familie to weare your liverie to doe service in your assemblies is to forsake and denie mine But they doe well that doe the contrarie Againe I haue Commanded all my professors to loue mee aboue all to confesse my Name my faith and Church and to striue for the truth even vnto bloud But your Religion is not the Truth your Faith and Church are none of mine so that they cannot despise and disobaye mee that depart froÌ„ you For your 5. 5. SacrameÌ„ts thrust in by papists which Christ never ordained see Sect. 13. Sacraments added vnto my Baptisme and holie Supper I never ordained as necessarie to Salvation or significant symboles of my death Passion Your infernall Sacrifice of the Masse He. 10.10 c. as not onlie an jdle and odious repeticion of my pretious death But a most jmpious and blasphemous derogation from the All-sufficient and eternall merite thereof I hate and abhorr as an Antichristian Idoll They haue doon well that haue with-drawen themselues from it and entred into the Congregations of my faithfull Protestants despizing and refraining your tedious Multiplicitie of Ceremonies altogether ridiculouslie both Superstitious and Profane obseruances for herein they haue honoured and obayed me Lastlie then let other Romanized English bee discomforted let their courage faile and the number decrease on your part let the false-Catholicke cause be weakened and the enemie thereof be fortified they doe well who are a meanes of this and please mee best of all that come from among you so farr it is that they oppugne and assault me The false Embassador Schismatickes wilfully deceaue them selues YOu flatter your selues notwithstanding all these iniuries soothing your consciences c. The Lord Christ NAy never perswade them vnto that For having builded vpon a false foundation how can you choose but inferr a false and presumptuous conclusion Your foundation was that they are * Sect. 1. erring Soules departing from my Church joyning with Heretickes * Sect. 4. denying despizing and oppugning mee which they will never graunt you which I will never yeeld you yet thereof you would haue them to be perswaded And to that end forsooth would rouze vp their Consciences and sound the bottome of their hearts to search and see their dissimulation That they are Romanists in heart and dissemble their faith I cannot approue it that they vnite themselues vnto the Protestants I will not blame it that they doe so onlie in a colour to saue their Lands and goods I doe not justifie it that they therfore must be concluded for deniers despizers oppugners of me The Popish Priest t keth vpon him to judge his brethren contrary to the commandement of Christ Mat 7.1 and my faith of truth in conversing with the Protestants and comming to their Seruice and Churches how should I jnferr it yet you take vppon you to prooue it The false Embassador DOe yee not as Peter denie your selues to bee of my Company c. By Peters denyall is prooued that Schismaticks deny Christ Not contented with eschewing the exercise of the Catholicke faith and participation with the faithfull in profession of conscience yee make no Scruple to frequent the rites of a false beleefe c. The Lord Christ NO sir they doe not Doubtfull Catholicks may come to Protestant Churches to 〈◊〉 theÌ„selues Recusant Papists perseuere in erroneous Contumacie For yee Recusant Papists are none of my companie my followers my inheritance my â—ooke the household of faith my Children and the like as you stile your selues To denie your companie your Religion and false Catholicke Church is not to renounce mee their God Redeemer and Saviour and to denie my holie Name and Maiestie Therefore let this whole comparison betwixt Peters deniall of me and theirs as yee suppose goe for naught and cancelled Onlie I would haue you remember The Pope is onlie the presumed successor of Peter that your holie Father the presumed Successor of this Apostle and all his followers haue learned well his Apostasie but cannot find the waie to returne repent goe out with him weepe bitterlie My blessed * Mat. 16.17 Apostle had hee not slipped from mee in the high Priests Hall * Mat. 26.58 his continuance in the profession of my name had beene true Christian constancie But your perseverance in your erroneous hereticall and jdolatrous course can be no lesse theÌ„ profane contumacie and wicked desperation Happie then are they who eschew the exercise of your Catholicke faith and participation in profession of Conscience with such mis-beleeuers as yee are Happie who frequent the Rites of my true friends the Protestants and partake with them in the sacred profession of their Religion Be it known vnto you Protestants onlie are true Catholicks and to all men They onlie are accepted of me for true Catholicks and remaine firmelie vnited to the Church my Spouse and all the rest whatsoever they professe commit the Acts of heresie Nay are absolutelie either mis-beleevers or vnbeleevers Hereticks of Christendome or Panim Infidels The false Embassador DAre yee then saye that Catholicke Recusants are not my proper flocke c. Schismaticks are not of the Catholike Church The Lord Christ. NAy dare yee saie they are I say they are the heard of Antichrist Recusant Papists Foxes Wolues the wilie * Canti 2.15 Foxes the wild Bores that destroye my vine yea the * Matt 7.15 ravening Wolues that prey vpon the soules of men If your conceaved Schismaticks be not of their band nor members of their Church and brother-hoode it is the better for them For no companie is or can be mine which imbraceth their erroneous and false Catholicke Faith which pursueth their traiterous murderous and vnnaturall course of life The false Embassador The assured ground where-vpoÌ„ Recusants stand REcusants to stand vppon an assured ground none can iustly denie or with reason call their saluation in question who cleaue stedfastlie to their fore-fathers Faith c. First christened Auncestors c. The Lord Christ NO can indeed Ah yee spirits of presumption stand they vpon the assured ground of my Apostles doctrine in my word Popish foundations traditions and shew of Antiquitie No they are weakelie builded vppon the sand of humane traditions Therefore I even I doe call their saluation in question They cleaue not stedfastlie but
with their secret purposes haue no reason but in charitie to hope the best that in time they will become good Christians Yet in wisedome to suspect that being as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither fish nor flesh Romane Catholicks in opinion in outward Acts of conversation Statists they will prooue no better in the end then Obnoxious that I may not say pernicious vnto the state What talke you fondlie of my Saints and Angels as though you knew what the spirits and soules of just and perfect men in heaven and those Caelestiall and Sempiternall Thrones Ephes 1 21. Dominions Principalities and Powers doe judge If they abhorr them it is because they are false-hearted Catholicks like your selues not because they conforme themselues vnto my Protestants As for me I will answere you as I did sometime the Pharises Ioh. 8.15 yee iudge after the flesh I iudge no man and if I iudge 16. this my iudgement is true This I say then yee reconciled Romanists ye haue cast away my Cognizance ye are not of my familie yee are my foes yee are the Church Malignant yee are little better then Infidels your flocke your fold is another and not mine your pastures your sheepheards are none of mine and if I returne your owne woords vppon your selues which you presse vppon your poore Schismaticall soules I am able to make it good Haue no confidence in vaine lying words say not in your harts we be catholicks ye are none ye are become like black a Moores brats like Egyptian elues Sentence your selues ye naughty seruāts For I must tell you plaine the Protestants doe weare my badge and liverie they are of my familie the true Church and fellowship of the faithfull how dare you call them persecutors who haue been so grieuouslie and tyrannously persecuted by your Church As that in those bloudie times of Queene Marie See Foxij Act. Clanum within the space of 4. or 5. yeares about 400. Martyres even for that monstrous Article of Transubstantiation haue felt the furie of your fire and sword And I must laie it to your charge On the other side they never haue done you any harme but onlie haue castigated by necessary justice the same tempered with exceeding great mildnes and moderation the audacious and horrible Treasons and Rebellions of your popish Sectaries of whome not one all the daies and Raigne of the late Queene or of the present King for his conscience and Religion onlie hath been put to endure any Capital punishment But contrary yours haue most tenderly carefully byn dealt withall by writing by preaching by other good meanes and vsage recalled if not reclaymed as wandring and straying sheepe into my pastures flocke and fold and vnto my sheepheards among the Protestants Surely they are the Church which I haue purchased with my own bloud They are my beautifull and beloued Spouse Apoc. 14.4 They are the Virgins vndefiled with jdolatry white and glorious are their garments because they are the Robes of myne own jnnocency and they are the Israell of God which I haue deliuered from your Aegyptian bondage Then those that joyne in heart with them are true Catholicks though not Romane Catholicks Happy are they that are syncerely cōming from among you vnto them And for the rest who onely make a shew of separation from you for feare of the world hauing euill in their jmaginations when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed I the Lord will iudge both them and you 2. Cor. 5.10 at the last day In the meane time speake no more I charge you of the supposed punnishments and calamities of the English Church and the yoke whervnder your obstinate and wilfull Catholicks are sayd to groane neither slaunder my Church of England any more with cruelty least I jncrease my justice vpon you and reward you double according to your deserts The false Embassador Schismaticks shall receaue Iudgement with Haereticks OVt of my sight whome to behold is my griefe the view of your deformitie I cannot abide As I did to Chore and his company c. And as in the day of Vengeance I will plague Hereticks and Infidels c. The Lord Christ WHat doe you rayling vpon my people in my name yet the time is not come that I will say to them or you or any Mat. 7.23 out of my sight the day of doome and Iudgement is the day of Depart from me ye workers of Iniquity In the meane time I jnvite in mercy all that will come vnto me while they are lyving here they may repent and come 2. Cor. 7.3 Now is the accepted time now is the day of Saluation he that now refuseth it in this world shall never find it in the next Yet a little while Iam. 2.13 and there shal be Iudgement merciles to them that despize mercie But the day and time of this mortality must first be past before I shut vp all compassion from them for I may call offenders Matt. 20.6 and giue them grace to come to me at whatsoeuer hower I will True Abac. 1.13 I am a God of pure eyes and cannot behold iniquitie In which regard let no man trust to much vpon my mercy and let these take heed how they joyne praesumption to infirmity and grieue my holy spirit Ephe. 4.30 wherby I seale vp all my chosen vnto the day of redēption And so I counsaile you and all men Yea remember you withall especially that as I did to Chorah and his confederates Num. 16.32 and all that remained within the compasse of their tabernacle as I haue done not only to Samaria and her Idols Ezech. 16. but to Ierusalem and her abhominations 2. Thes 2.16 As I will plague not only the known Hereticke and Infidell but the secret Hypocrite and dissembler also who for feare or friendshippe of any man departeth from me and mine with the like scourges of Scorpions as the rest and the vengeance of eternall fire so except ye also come out from the Sodome Aegypt and Babylon of your Adulterous Romish Synagogue because you loue to be partners with her in her vnrighteousnes you shall ere long assuredly be partakers with her of her Plagues for her judgement is not farr off In the meane time from henceforth I commaund you call not the blynd any longer out of the right way wherin they are about to walke challenge not your poore vnsetled Catholicks any more thus jdly and ridiculously as ye do of Apostasie from my holie seruice of impugnation of my Faith of adhearing to faction of yealding to furie of partaking in iniquitie of exhibiting reuerence to an vngodly sect and performing personall obseruance to an Adulterous Synagogue for ioyning with my friends the Protestants of England for as all these your slanderous raylings and odious blasphemies I vtterly abhorr so be ye certified that these are with me in farr better estimation and accompt yea whatsoeuer
the Nations who are baptized and professe Christianity therein are no offenders but being true as it is reported of many of them that they still are judaicall in opinion and that the vayle of Moyses is layd ouer their hearts in that I disclame and detest them as forlorne mis-beleeuers and my sworne Enemies So let euery one of yours either be as they professe vnfayned Christians Perfect schismaticks Schisma facere ab vnitate Christi aut in Schismate esse profecto malū est magnū malū nec omninò fieri potest vt Christus det Schismatico non fidem sed sacrilegum errorem aut in Christo radicem Schismaticus fixerit aut Schismatico Christus sit origo caput Aug. lib. 4. contra Crescon Gramm or professe as they are false-hearted and false opinionated Catholicks Schismaticks they cannot be that professe the truth in the Church They only are such who being runnagates and hereticks maintaine falshoods with personall separation from the Church Neither yet doe I allow them for good and faithfull Christians who would be so reputed and are not for they only are such whose opinion and profession agree togither in the truth that is who professe the truth in syncerity The false Embassador I Know Protestants cannot be of the Catholicke church neither in their faith can be salvation I know what it is that lyeth at your heart c. Yee are not perswaded forsooth that the Protestants Religion is so abhominable c. To take your selues for a particular Church is vnpossible for a headlesse multitude who haue neither Temple Altar Priest nor Sacrifice neither distinct members nor anyband of Vnion aswell you may thinke of going at the latter day neyther to Heauen nor to Hell as to thinke in this life a Newtrality c. Will you diuide my Church c. To say that Protestants may by their profession be saued c. The Lord Christ. OH ye wretched and wicked Priests of Antichrist I know well I know that my Church my Spouse my body mysticall my chast Turtle my Citie my Kingdome my Familie 1 Cor. 11.19 Mat. 18.7 the piller of Truth is but one For albeit in my visible Church there must bee Haeresies 2. Tim. 2.20 Mat. 13 24. c. Mat. 3.12 and Scandals for the triall of my chosen for that in my house there are vessels of honour dishonour in my field there is Corne Tares in my garner there is Wheat Chaff Mat. 13.47 Gen. 7.8 in my Net there is good and bad Fish in my Arke there are cleane and vncleane beasts Phil. 3.2 Rom. 6.17 and there will be alwaies some of whome it may be sayd Beware of Dogs Mat. 7.15 Act. 20.29 Marke them that make diuisions among you and auoyde them Beware of false Prophets Grieuous Wolues shall enter in among you Yet as vnto my chosen there is but one way Ioh. 14.1 One truth one life so they are all baptized by one spirit into one body 1. Cor. 12.13 Ephesi 4.4 c. For there is one bodie and one spirit euen as they are called in one hope of their vocation one Lord one faith one Baptizme one God and father of all which is aboue all and through all and in them all One sheepheard and one fold My Doue is alone Ioh. 10. Cantic 6. The company of my chosen is but one Communion of Saints partly triumphant in Heauen and partly militant on Earth But must ye therefore be that one Do ye take it for graunted that I will not yeeld you Nothing but begging of the Question How dare ye say in my name that they are blind and impious who imagine holines in the Protestants prayers or saluation to bee found in their Faith For I euen I pronounce vnto you their prayers are holie A true sauing faith and their faith is a sauing faith which ascribeth and acknowledgeth the sole and whole worke and merite of redēption and the purchase of Heauen vnto me alone And to say that by any other profession a man may be saued is indeed to make an other God and Summum bonum besides me and to make me none or euil or jnsufficient at the least which in truth ye prowde Papists doe Papists ioyne their own merits with the Death of Christ in the purchase of saluation in vaunting the merits of your owne defectiue and jnfected works as coadjutors to the purchase of Eternall glory with the obedience and sprinckling of my precious bloud as though I had not made a full and perfect satisfaction without your ayde or helpe But thus ye boldly and presumptuously diminish dishonour me and my all-sufficiently meritorious Sacrifice and yet ye malapertlie charge my true beleeuers of that fault whereof your selues are guilty Shall I not punnish you for this thing The false Embassador The perfect opposition and contrariety of Catholicks Protestāts IF on the other side you ioyne Caluinists with Catholicks in one Church then set together the Woolfe with the Lambe c. For asmuch as my dreadfull Eucharist is irrefragably beleeued by the one to be my true body c. Of other maine differences consider c. The Lord Christ THis generall opposition betwixt you Papists and my true professors the Protestants I doe allow prouided alwaies that yee are the Wolues the Lyons the Goshawkes and they the Lambes the Harts the Partridges and that your Religion is the surmized their 's the sure yours vnpossible their 's infallible yours newly reared by mans imaginations cherished for pollicie c Theirs founded by my selfe from the beginning vppon my selfe the Rocke What other Haereticks doe or how they injuriously reuile vpbraide as an Idoll teare spit at and treade vnder foote my dreadfull Eucharist What is that to these true Christians whome opprobriously yee call Hugonots Sure it is they for their parts most constantly and deuoutly beleeue my true body jmpute no jdle Manichean phantasie vnto them and the personall presence of my Deity in the Eucharist I know their faith Popish adoration of bread me they adore with due veneration though not the Element that representeth my true body Neither doe they commit such a mysticall and spirituall kind of murder and mangling of my body asye do who professe Papists feed corporallie they say vpon Christ when they feed on him in the Sacrament See Ferus in Iohn cap. 6. The number of Popish Sacraments howsoeuer in termes ye disclame it not only a spiritual but a corporall feeding thervpon brutish Cannibals as yee are As touching the other maine differences between them and you in the particulars Know yee that I neuer ordained the number of 7. Sacraments but onely Baptisme and my holy Supper your vse of Images I scorne and abhorr Images being directly contrary to the second Commaundement of my morall Law Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image c. Act. monū
yea at the sacred Font. Now also away with your smoky tapers greasie candels to giue you light at noone day they are not able to enlighten you in your spirituall Darkenes I Commaund let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes c. and to that purpose let my word be a lanthorne vnto your feet and a light vnto yours pathes my Commaundement is a lanthorne and Instruction a light Let these other lights alone Your Idle vestments and gay clothes your vessels also of your profanation put of leaue of and appeare no more like heathnish or jewish priests in my presence And in a word seeing this is all as I perceiue that you can except against the seruice of the Protestants namely because they doe not communicate with your popish paltry trash and Traditions whereafter yee goe a whooring as after your owne jnuentions let them alone to pray jncessantly for propagation of their reformed and pure profession no Sect I-wisse against the Turke and Pope together who are both my professed aduersaries 2. Thess 2.4 the one raigning without the other raging within my holy Temple No your Pope is not Peters true and lawfull Successiour The Pope hath forsaken the doctrine of Christ His personall succession could neuer yet be prooued either by doctrinall or personall Succession much lesse the Rocke of Faith Finally let their wals and pillers be still more and more witnesses of their jntegritie and just departure from your more then superstious apparently Idolatrous abhominations And seeing their ministerie is the more sacred vnto mee the Lesse agreement and conformitie it hath and holdeth with your old our rather new vpstart paltrie and patcherie and their seruice I doe and will acknowledge for mine owne let your poore Schismaticall soules as yee terme them joyne themselues to my holy Sanctuaries And I would not onely they but all the rest vnresolued that are mine would speedily make hast come out of your spirituall Sodome Egypt Babylon Leaue your dissimulation or feare or whatsoueer hindereth and become not onely in part but altogether such as are my faithfull Protestants I say Trouble them not to call them backe that are Entring into the old and good way but let my people goe that they may serue me Ierim 6.16 Exod. 7.16 The false Embassador You can say that Priests did in many parishes follow the new course c. Schismaticks vainely build vppon pernitious examples And why rather leaue yee not vnto the example of the Bishops c. Who vniuersally died in long and lingring imprisonment c. Oh but great presidents moue you and many wise fellowes c. Where haue these Pastors the key of knowledge whence fetch these Doctors their profound Learning The Lord Christ BY this time you should haue ended your pretended Message but I see false Embassadors as yee are what you cannot enforce by Arguments yee will attempt to perswade by wordes But haue you neuer read ◠Cor. 2.4 not in the perswasiue words of mans wisedome but in plaine euidence of the spirit and Power Yf your Demy-Catholicks held an euill course no reason they should build vppon examples either of parish Priests or learned Bishops or any great presidents or any wise fellowes Nullum carn◠exemplo nesas Seneca or whatsoeuer Pastors Doctors Counsellors or holy men For which of them confesseth not that no mans example is to be followed in sin But if Priests and great presidents and wise fellowes Pastors and Doctors yea but puny students haue gon before them in a right way to follow them it can be no fault but a praise rather Therefore vainely and Idly doe you make your comparison betweene the parish Priests and other presidents and puny students on the one side as Corruptest soules Carcases Carions the like and the Bishops whome you meane great as you say for learning Popish Bishops neither ouer learned neither vnkindly vsed by Q Elizab. and superiour function on the other Especially seeing those bishops had no greater measure of learning and sanctity then their great places nor so much neither as their waightie functions required But as for that jmpudent and shameles lye which you are bold to vtter in my name of their Imprisonment death I knowing the truth to stand otherwise jt is jntolerable and hatefull in mine eares For some of them were not jmprisonned at all See Tortura Torti pag. 146. some cōmitted to the custody of their honorable and louing friends some after an easie jmprisonment for their stubbernnes to the Prince and States exiled themselues and onely Bishop Bonner that bloudy persecutor of my Saints died in the prisō A notable Popishlie and slaunder So vntrue it is that they died vniuersally after long lingring imprisonment Though had it bin so as you haue declared yet their stubborn standing out against the Truth had bin no good president for those whome you blame or any other to refraine the companie or Communion of my Saints the Protestants The false Embassador Examples fit to be regarded by Schismaticks for their instruction WHy rather fix ye not before your eyes so many c. Yf things present please you not cast your regard vppon age past c. The Lord Christ Examples yee bring I see of three sortes ' The first of your owne false Catholicks The second of Certaine holy and good men mencioned some in the Apocryphall some in my Canonicall scriptures The third of the auncient Martyrs of the Church To what end forsooth to perswade further your Schismaticks as yee call them to withdrawe themselues from the protestants service and prayers But neither is this any message of mine vnto them For first the examples of the first ranke which you take and alleadge to bee the Martyrs and Confessors of your owne Church you mistake and misaply You mistake For they were and are Traytors to their King and Country Traytors are Martyrs and Confessors with Papists disloyall disobedient Subiects to his Iust lawes for their Treasonable practises manifest and obstinate breach of the Law and not for the conscience of their superstition haue bin and are according to iustice yet with great mercy both put to death and imprisonned Yet are they not many much lesse multitudes in comparisō of those valiant Christians whome the persecuting Tyrants on your side haue murdered jmprisonned and many waies afflicted In the raigne of Queene Mary Popish Tiranny in the space of foure or fiue yeares Therefore these examples ought to haue bin spared in this place as being misapplyed For would you haue your Ambiguous or Ambidexter priests to follow them in open profession of their disloyall practises against their naturall Prince and natyue Country But the other of the second order viz. Tobias the Israelits the seauen Brethren Eleazar Maccabeus also Peter Paul Saint Iohn are indeed in themselues the more remarkeable and worthiof all
confesse to Saluation But they giue not my glory to another that goe to Protestant Churches yee doo that adore and worship jmages Crosses and crucifixes The rites of Protestants are not heathnish but few and easie and significāt yours of the Romane Synagogue are borrowed both from Iewes and Heathens as I haue told you before and a mightie multitude both Idle and cumbersome for nomber and for nature Their Conuersation that haue society with English Protestants js with faithfull Christians yours that are Romaine Catholicks is with Antichrist and his adhaerents Now then I commaund and Charge you all the sort of you Christ Iesus calleth not the wauering Romaine catholicks from the Protestāt Churches Companies to speake no more to your fellow Catholicks after this fashion in my name For I the Lord the omnipotent Creator haue not thus called them from among the protestants But I exhort and warne them rather to follow their faith because it is the faith of truth that faith also to beleeue in heart that they may be justified and that Faith to Confesse with mouth that they may be saued As for you you proud flesh and bloud neuer cast vpp an jdle and presumptuous accompt of merit added vnto merits yours or theirs or any mans to mine which will neuer verely I say vnto you amount to any sume of Felicitie mine owne beeing onely and altogether al-sufficient to that purpose The false Embassador Schismaticks violate the law of nature by going to the Protestant Churches And what if I had not in such expresse wise prescribed your duty doth not the light of reason the Law af nature c. Which faileth or falleth in one point of faith be fully guilty of Infidelitie c. The Lord Christ NO it doth not teach your Catholicks who are with Protestants any such thing viz. to cleaue firmly to their Popish faith and Religion for that is stubbernly to persist in error and to embrace in deed a strange and false faith and irreligious proceedings But what one argument bring you to proue that the lawe of Nature herein is violated Are you so jmpudent to alleage Propositions in my name and bring no proofe at all or do you goe about to prooue it thus He which breaketh one Commaundement is guiltye of all and a violater of Charitie ergo hee which faileth or faulteth in one point of Faith is fully guilty of Infidelitie and so by consequent violateth the lawe of nature The first assersion I graunt is mine owne in myne Apostle Iam. 2.10 if you vnderstand it aright But this latter thus inferred is your paradox For if he which faileth or faulteth in one point of faith be fullie guilty of jnfidelity that is must needs be charged and taken for a meer jnfidel then not onely all haereticks and you Papists who faile in many poynts of Faith but euen all true Christians and good Catholicks must be condemned so to Cor. 13 9. seeing they all know but in part and prophesie in part and so must needs faile in one point of Faith at least euen that which is hidden from their knowledge whereto they cannot for that cause yeld any manner of assent no man consenting vnto that which in his knowledge he doth not apprehend at all And thus ye Condemne by this Paradox all the world and namely all Christendome and your owne Romane Church for jnfidels nay fully guiltye of jnfidelitie and so there are no beleeuers at all by your doctrine There is no Church no Faith No Truth no Gospell no Christ no God among men Heere I must tell you also Though in some sence hee that is fully guiltye of jnfidelitie that is that beleeueth no one poynt at all of god or godlines as he ought Tit. 1.15 his very minde and Conscience is defiled and so the light of reason and the law of nature is violated in him Yet those famous and Renowned Paragons among the heathens Trismegistus Pythagoras Socrates c. Cato Aristides Scipio and many others of that ranck for their great and Admirable learning profound politick wisedome and worthy morall vertues were neuer-thelesse verie great lights and had the light of Naturall reason shining in them gloriously concerning many secular and ciuill affaires and liued in many things agreeable to the lawe of Nature How be it concerning Spirituall and heauenly things yea the true knowledge of God they became vaine in their Imaginations Rom. 1.21 and their foolish hearts where full of Darknes and in that might they be sayd to be fully guilty of jnfidelity because they knew not God the Father in me his only begotten Sonne Iesus Christ So that Iohn 3.18 26.8.9.10 17.3 some may be fully guilty of jnfidelitye and yet not violate the law of Nature Wherfore be not so rash hereafter I aduise you to proiect your Paradoxes in my name do not challenge them for partaking with haereticks that goe to protestants neither say any more that your Church your Faith your Sacraments are myne as ye doe For I will not acknowledge them yee doe me jniurie The false Embassador Heresie persecution purposely permitted of God for tryall of mēs hearts I Foretold while I conuersed on earth that heresies of necessitie must be for the triall c. The Lord Christ. True it is I foretold of Haeresies for the tryall of my Saints But are ye Romanists therefore the vniuersall Church No. yee know and allow my seruant Austen answering the Donatists of his time Augustine Africa non est orbis Therefore I say also vnto you The Synagogue of Rome is not the vniuersall Church And do Protestants and their followers preferre their owne Imaginations before it I tell you nay but yee Papists doe and run a madding after your owne jnuentions and Apostaticall Traditions closed and clasped vp in the bosome of your Pope Luc. 12.51 What though I forwarned that I came not to send peace but separation meaning not that I doe loue or bring diuision and strife among men but that many whose hearts my selfe haue not reformed are and wil be euer so bad and obstinate in their euill opinions and wicked wayes wilfully disobeying my Ghospell that they will gaine say and oppose their owne parents Children Princes Subiects Maisters Seruants wiues Husbands Brethren Kinsfolks and Friends that professe my name yea and will raise vp bitter persecution against them But I had no meaning to teach Children or seruants or Wiues or Brethren or friends disobedience and disloyalty against their Parents theyr Maisters their Husbands their Brethren their frinds much lesse to foster treasons in a state to raise vp mutinies and rebellions to arme naturall subiects against their naturall Princes and to practise the ouerthrowe of their Coūtries for the pretended catholick cause These are diabolicall suggestions and actions of Sathan my sworne Enemie wherewith yee Romanists are too too much acquainted The false Embassador ARe yee Christians and think your selues excused