vses men may redeeme their owne or their friends soules from suffering there for any sinnes at certaine rates A Merchandize as profitable for the Popes Church triumphant on earth as vnprofitable for the patient in that fire §. 10 Rossensis contra Lutherum art 18. fol. 111. Quamdiu nulla fuerat de purgatorio cura nemo quae sivit indulgentias c. Indulgences were begun by Vrban 2. anno 1100. saith hist concil Trent pag. 4. Vpon this opinion of Purgatory as D. Fisher Bishop of Rochester saith dependeth the vse of Pardons and Masses for the dead and such like These Pardons were sent abroad to all Countries to gather vp money for the Popes vses and set soules free from Purgatory and the abuse of Pardoners was so great that finally it caused M. Luther to oppose them and from them to proceed to detect many other abuses of the Papacy Pardon 's likewise were extended to them that went on pilgrimage to the Shrines Images or Reliques of Saints and there offered vp their money and deuotions Which was an incredible inriching of those townes in euery Kingdome where such Images and Reliques were and to which the good pope had granted such Indulgences and where the Inhabitants had spred abroad that strange miracles and cures were wrought that towne or City was made for euer it needed none other maintenance But such blessings were neither purchased gratis nor continued without gratifications to the pope Such was at Walsingham in England See Erasm colloquium Peregrinatio Religionis ergo in our Grandfathers dayes Thomas Beckets shrine Vbi omnia auro ni ent saith Erasmus where all shone with gold wealth and magnificence in the Temple and towne to the great admiration of the beholders And now or lately the Lady of Laureto in Italy the Lady of Hales the Lady of Aspricol in Germany miraculous Images draw hearts of people and heapes of gold the greatest miracle they worke and the greatest cure to cure the towne of pouerty More specially in later times the stations in Rome are vsed to this purpose that is vnto certaine Churches Saints and Images in Rome there are appropriated certaine Indulgences to be granted vpon the appointed Sundayes or Holidayes to all the visitors thereof that come and offer vpon the said dayes And of these stations and visiting dayes there are reckoned at least 89 in the yeare Moulins Defence pag. 161. Erasman Mat. 11. pag. 55. Anno 1540. wherin pilgrimes and trauellers come from all Countries to Rome to the great enriching of the Temples and the City The like Indulgences are granted also to the Visitors of some other places vpon the like dayes And this shewes vs a notable politicke and rich vse of the multitude of their Holydayes For the more Festiuall dayes the more going to the offering the more frequent pardons Those are the Market dayes for that Trafficke when other Tradesmen shut vp their shops the priests open theirs Poore mens hands are tyed with scrupulous Idlenesse from getting their owne liuing vpon such Holydayes and made wickedly deuout against their wills to maintaine the Incomes of deuout superstition §. 11. And yet they haue gone further Bonifiace 8. Rainold Hart. cap. 7. diuis 5. pag. 338. et 390. of whom it is said He entred like a Foxe raigned like a Lyon and dyed like a Dogge in the yeare 1300. ordained a Iubile to be euery hundredth yeare with grant to all people that in those yeares should come to Rome and visit the sepulchres of Peter and Paul and other Monuments or Reliques a full pardon of all their sinnes and that they should goe directly to heauen without comming at all in Purgatory These Iubilees were afterwards drawne to euery fiftieth yeare and lastly to twenty fiue And because some Countries lay farre from Rome the popes would grant and proclaime that it should be sufficient to send their money without comming themselues Polydor Virgil writing the History of England saith that in the yeare 1500 a principall yeare of Iubile Pope Alexander 6. sent to King Henry 7. as into all other remote Nations offers of pardons vsuall at Iubiles to all that for dangers distances weaknesse c. could not come to Rome if they would giue bountifully towards the Wars which he intended against the Turke And that the King might more willingly further this gathering the pope offered him part of the money Whereupon great summes of money were gathered but yet no wars with the Turke followed Dij meliora Thus writes Polydore Virgil. Hist conc Trent lib. 1. pag. 4 5. And within 20 yeares after anno 1517. pope Leo partly to supply his owne Coffers and partly to bestow more liberally on his friends sent an Indulgence thorowout all Christendome granting to all that would giue money freedome from the paines of Purgatory licence to eat egges and whitmeats on Fasting dayes c. and the mony which should be gathered in Saxony and some other parts of Germany he appointed to his sister Magdalene wife to Franceschetto Cibo bastard sonne of Jnnocent 8. by reason of which marriage this Leo was created Cardinall at 14 yeares of age which was the first beginning of the Ecclesiasticall greatnesse in the house of the Medici She committed the preaching of the Indulgences and exacting of the money to such as promised to raise the most profit by them and they vsed most wicked and scandalous courses to abuse the peoples credulousnesse withdraw them from the true way of saluation and draine them of their worldly maintenance Which abuses M. Luther and many other learned men could not endure with silence and being once opened to the world both Princes and people opposed them By these few Relations you may guesse at other times what hath been done And you may well think that neuer any Prince could so easily and so quickly get together such masses of money out of his owne Countries as the pope could doe out of all Countries of Christendome and that he could neuer want as long as he could hold a penne in his hand For by strange Alchymistry he can turne a little piece of Lead into a great masse of gold §. 12. Obserue here by the way that to maintaine the great profit that comes in by purgatory and pardons the popes positions found a necessity to corrupt the true ancient Doctrine of Iustification and to teach otherwise then Saint Paul and the Fathers had done to wit that a man endued with Gods grace is able to fulfill the whole Law and consequently that hee may be iustified by his owne workes and that his workes are truly meritorious of eternall life yea further that he is able to do works of supererogation that is more then he needed to doe for his owne saluation euen workes that may be imputed or ascribed vnto other men that want to merit their deliuery out of purgatory and that these super-abundant merits or works of supererogation may by the pope Christs
and more and place those words aâ—ter the note aftâ—r the words Sect. 3. p. 128. 29 furnished p. 140. marg Ecclesie promâ—tteâ— p. 143. and often elsewhere is printed Valentinianus for Valentianus p. 147. 25. ha h God vttterly forsaken p. 153. 35 read 370 yeeres after Christ p. 155. 21. Eckius p. 161. 21. other vices p. 196. 8. yet we doe not thinke p. 210. 2. oft the formost deuouring p 211. 32. Athanasius p. 220. 34 whereon p. 2â—6 11. suppositions p. 234. 12. a whole booke p. 243. 25. members all of p. 2 17. 11. being voided ib lin 16. not the Churches opinion p 209. marg ad li. 18 read 2 Cor. 5. â— 6. 3. Eph. 4. 12. col 4. 17. â— tim 1. 12. 2 tim 4. 5. p. 103. 35. pontificatus nostri decimo p. 308 25. in the more p 311. marg â— Armachanus lib. 11. in q. Armeniorum c. p. 7. Numbers of pages are sometimes misprinted and Sections which may be amended by this generall I able In the second Alaphabet pag. 65. adde to the marginall notes Avenein Aâ—nal â—â—ior lib. 5 See Tortura Torti pag. 264. p 71. lin penul wasted it with fire Other smaller sâ—â—pt in letters or points I note not they will trouble the Reader lesse in â—â—ading then amending The most are amended The Preface or Jntroduction containing 1 a briefe description of the parties conferring in this Dialogue 2 The purpose and profit of the conference touched 3 The manner of it intended in all humility and meekenesse of spirit 4 the matter solidity of Arguments and allegations out of the best Authors of both sides Roman-Catholicke 1 ALthough in mine owne iudgement I am sufficiently resolued of the verity and sanctity of the Roman-Catholicke-Religion and am loath to be either vnsettled or disquieted againe by any further conference yet to giue satisfaction to my tryed honest and good friends Such should be the qualities of a good Minister as may win the loue of the Aduersarieâ— who vrge me once againe to conferre with a graue learned Minister hereby I am content to goe to the man And the rather because besides his learning I know him to be very honest iust louing and of a meeke spirit And here he comes Saue ye Sir Protestant Minister Master Candidus I haue much longed to meet you The Lord now giue a blessing to our meeting I haue heard with no small griefe of heart by some of your good friends that you are fallen into mislike of our Church of England and into liking of the present Religion of Rome Now in tender care of your saluation I desire to confer with you thereabout to try if by Gods gracious blessing I may be a meanes to resolue and settle you in the truth Rom. Sir I would haue you to thinke that I haue a great care of my saluation and in simplicity of my heart and tendernesse of conscience and not for any other by respect I haue sought the true way to saluation and doubt not but I haue found it And therein I am so well settled that you may spare your labour Prot. I doubt not but in the simplicity of your heart and desire of the truth you haue laboured in this waighty matter For I haue obserued you alwayes to be of an honest disposition sober temperate aduised of discreet conuersation for which faire carriage of life you haue gained the surname of Candidus Good natures mis-led are much to bee pittied And I haue also found you zealous of Gods honour So farre as your knowledge did lead you The more it grieueth me that so honest a nature should be abused mis-led by bad Teachers But I pray you consider that Saint Paul himselfe was blamelesse in life deuout and zealous in his Religion when it was erronious as you are now and thought his courses maruellous godly and much tending to Gods glory He was instructed by Gamaliel Act. 2.3 Phil. 3.6 a learned Doctor according to the perfect manner of the Law of the Fathers as was then thought was zealous towards God and touching the righteousnesse of the Law blamelesse and of very zeale persecuted the true Church of God and thought he was bound in conscience to doe many things contrary to the name of Iesus A s 26.9 So that men may thinke they are in the holy way of truth and may be deuout and zealous therein and yet be farre wrong As we hold those of the Romish Religion to be at this day who persecute the Reformed Churches of Christ which professe to hold the doctrine of the holy Scripture entire without admitting any other grounds of Religion Remember what our blessed Sauiour foretold Iohn 16.2 John 16.2 Venit hora vt omnis qui interficit vos arbitretur obsequium se praestare Deo The time commeth that whosoeuer killeth you will thinke he doth God seruice This was fulfilled in part quickly As in Acts 13.50 The Iewes stirred vp deuout and honourable-women Acts 13.50 and the chiefe men of the City and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coasts So that people that are deuout and zealous in their Religion yet may be in the wrong and had need well to examine their groundes Rom These examples may as well be applied to the Protestants as to the Catholiks Prot. You apply them to the Protestants wee to your new Catholiks Let the vnpartiall world Iudge who are the persecutors and who are the persecuted But hereby you may see mortall men must not be too hastily resolued but first thorowly examine the truth of their groundes wherevpon they build their Faith Lest they run amisse as Saul did though taught by Gamaliel and as the deuout honorable-women and chiefe men of the City did being stirred vp by the Iewes Rom. But when a man is well resolued vpon good grounds why should hee disquiet himselfe and call his Faith into question againe Prot. The question is whether his grounds be good or no. Saint Paul before his conuersion and these honourable-women thought as well of their grounds as you doe of yours and yet were deceiued in them But beside this there is another reason why you should thorowly know the strength of your grounds to wit for the winning satisfying confirming of others To which end S. Peter saith 1 Pet. 3.15 Be alwayes ready to giue satisfaction to euery one that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meeknes and feare So then both for your own fuller resolutioÌ„ in the truth and for the satisfaction of me or any other I pray you let vs seriously conferre of these waighty matters Rom. With all my heart So it be done in that manner which Saint Peter there prescribeth with meeknesse feare and a good conscience For rough rude biting and railing speaches argue rather a blinded heart or a proud scornfull and vnmortified man then one endued with Gods grace loue
the Popes gainfull Indulgences and Pardons or for defence of their exorcised Holy-water or other ceremonies which would haue been matter of scorne and laughter rather then of persecution from the Heathen Neither dyed they for defending the Popes now-claimed Supremacy ouer all the Clergy people and Princes of the Christian world direct or indirect which in those times and many ages after was neuer thought of nor claimed and vpon the first claime thereof was most odious and hatefull to the best Christians and threw the world on heapes by grieuous warres and dissolutions nor for other points which the Church of Rome now maintaineth different from vs and which we refuse And therefore the great flourish which you make of the antiquity of your Church including all the points which at this day you doe with all policy and violence maintaine vtterly failes you and indeed makes against you For they are not the ancient doctrines of the Church but later or newer inuentions and corruptions so that in respect of them your Religion is new and not ours you are the Innouators and not we B. Vsher De Eccles successione pag. 66. The very same nouelty which you impute to the Protestants Wiclife long agoe imputed to your Fryars crying out as in an agony Good Lord what moued Christ being most omnipotent most wise most louing to hide this faith of the Fryars for a thousand yeeres and neuer taught his Apostles and so many Saints the true faith See hereafter chap. 6. sect 2. §. 4.5 6. but taught it these Hypocrites now first which neuer came into the Church vntill the impure spirit of Satan was loosed Antiquus Sir I would it were so for my countries sake that wee might enioy such a happily reformed Church as you speake of with true comfort to our consciences and hearty obedience to our Princes Lawes and all loue and happinesse of the Kingdome and of our States But all you haue yet said are but words you must giue me leaue to suspend my beleefe thereof vntill you make good proofe of what you affirme Antiquissimus The Poet said well Non est beatus esse qui se non putat No man is happy be he neuer so well if he thinke himselfe not so English men may be happy Bona si sua norint If they will but know their owne happiesse In deed what both you and I haue said yet are but generall words Wee must first say and afterwards proue You haue set downe your assertion I mine Mine I am ready substantially to proue euen out of your owne Authors and Bookes which you cannot disallow which I am well assured hauing read your strongest Bookes you can neuer doe for yours CHAP. 2. Of corruptions in the Church Sheweth 1 that particular Churches may erre as did 2 those of the Old Testament and 3 of the New for which 4 we find many reasons in the Scriptures 5 The Roman Church is not excepted but 6 warned thereof and 7 it hath been corrupted de facto Yea 8 Rome is the mysticall Babylon and 9 the seat of Antichrist and 10 taynted with foule impieties as well foregoing as following Antichrist Antiquus BY your Imputation of errours and abuses to the most Illustrious Church of Rome Rom. 1. so much glorified by S. Pauls writing vnto it so much honoured by the antient Fathers so renowned in all after ages you seeme to hold that all the Churches in the world may erre and be corrupt Antiquissimus We doe not hold that the whole Church of God may erre at any time in points fundamentall which constitute the essence of the Church and are absolutely necessary to saluation For then the Church should cease to be in the world Antiquus Good Antiquissimus See D. Field Church lib. 4. cap. 4 5. But particular Churches may both erre and fall away as some of the Churches haue done which flourished in the Apostles times and to which they wrote Epistles the Hebrew Church the Corinthian Ephesian c. Antiquus You speake contrarieties and absurdities for the whole Church consists of particulars and if all particulars may erre and fall away then the whole may Antiquissimus It is no more contrariety or absurdity then to say all particular men may be diseased and dye away but whole mankind cannot dye away till the end of the world although whole mankind consisteth of particulars For they may be diseased and dye by succession See Bellar. De Pont. Rom. lib. 4. cap 4. initio not all at once others by succession comming in their roomes and so of Churches No man saith all particular Churches may fundamentally erre and faile at once for then indeed the whole Church should cease to be in the world but euery one in their seuerall times may faile when others may hold the truth Rom. 11.17 As some branches of the Oliue tree may bee cut off while others grow and while others be grafted in and those that are grafted in may for want of goodnesse bee cut off also in their times and the first or others grafted in Ioh. 15. But the good husband of the Church will not suffer the whole Oliue or Vine to bee without fruitfull branches by cutting off all at once but when he pruneth off some will cherish and dresse the rest Rom. 11.25 Thus the blindnesse of the Iewes for a time procured the fulnesse of the Gentiles Verse 22. who may peece-meale be cut off Verse 23. if they continue not in goodnesse and the Iewes may be grafted in againe Antiquus Similitudes may well illustrate but cannot conuince the iudgement you must bring demonstrations if you will haue me yeeld Exod 32. Num. 16. Iud. 2.11 19. 3 7. 4.1 6.1 8.33 10.6 c. 1 Kings 11. 12.28 15.13 18.21 Gen. 35.2 Exod. 32.20 Iosua 24.15 1 Sam. 7.4 2 Kings 18.4 22.8 23. 2 Chro. 17.6 §. 2. Antiquissimus I will by Gods grace doe it briefly First that grosse errors and abuses may creepe into Gods true Church is manifest De facto in the Church of the Old Testament The Bookes of Moses Judges Samuel Kings and Chronicles are full of the peoples falling to Idolatry and corrupting the Law of God And there are many worthy reformations of those corruptions described wrought by Iacob Moses Iosua Samuel Hezekiah Iosia Iehosaphat and others And as these corruptions were frequent so sometimes very generall While Jeroboams people practised Idolatry in Israel 1 King 12.28 c. Rehoboams people in the other Kingdome forsooke the Law of the Lord 2 Chron. 12.1 So that all the face of GODS Church which was then onely in those two Kingdomes became mightily depraued and Idolatrous Aholah and Aholibah that is Samaria and Jerusalem Ezech. 23.1 4. did both falsifie their faith to God and plaid the harlots with strange gods yet the whole Church failed not For as in Eliahs time when hee thought himselfe alone
time in Rome before it was openly discouered For no man can tell who was the first that bought mens voyces with money nor that corrupted the sentence of the Iudges but he knoweth that this tooke away all authority and destroyed the Common-wealth So it is also with diseases in mans body they come not to the height and extremity at first and at once but ill humours and matter of diseases breed secretly and insensibly and afterwards by degrees become more full and strong and seldome are well discerned till they manifestly impaire the health and actions of the body Now when a disease is growne apparantly dangerous and deadly shall neither the Physitian nor the grieued Patient beleeue that there is any disease at all because they know certainly there was once health and they cannot set downe the time when the humours began first to corrupt nor by what accesses and increasings it proceeded to that desperate danger 2 Kings 5. So Naaman because he was once cleane and could not tell the very time meanes and degrees of the comming of his leprosie might be proued to be cleane still and needed neither the Prophet nor the washing Our Sauiour sheweth Matth. 13. that in the field where good feed was sowen the enemy secretly sowed tares but they were not discerned to be tares till they were growne vp to some height and peraduenture fauoured watered and defended by the Husbandmen and thought to be good Corne for a time till they shewed themselues more fully Shall we be so idle to say they were not tares because we know good wheat was sowen there but when any tares were sowen we know not The Master of the field acknowledgeth theÌ„ by their present view to be tares and saith that the enemy had sowen them secretly but your argument would perswade the contrary You Protestants grant say your Doctors that the seed first sowen in this field in the Church of Rome was good and there sowen by the Master himselfe now if these which you call tares be no good Graine but weedes sprung vp from some other seed tell vs the mans name that sowed it and the time when it was sowen If you be not able to shew this surely your eyes deceiue you either they are not tares as you call them or they are not of any enemies but of your owne Masters sowing §. 4. Antiquus Your similitudes are apt and perswasiue but no similitude is demonstratiue Can ye shew me some examples of things in this kind confessed to be changed the beginnings of whose examples were not perceiued or obserued or opposed Antiquissimus I can and will and you may read them more at large in D Vshers answer to the Iesuite in Jreland Your owne Catholicks confesse that the Primitiue Church See also D. Field Church lib. 3. cap. 14. who reckneth many more for many yeares deliuered the holy Eucharist to the people in both kindes according to Christs Ordinance and the Apostles practise that custome is now quite changed and the cup disused and forbidden to the people This change they grant but when and how it began and vnder what Pope they know not a Valent. de lâ—git vsu Euchar cap. 10 See more in B. Morton Appeal lib. 4. cap. 6. Gregory of Valentia your great learned Iesuite saith It began first in some particular Churches and in time grew to be a generall custome in the Latin Church not much before the Counsell of Constance in which at last to wit about two hundred yeares agone this custome was made a Law But of the time when it first began to get footing in some Churches he saith Minime constat It is not knowne D. Fisher b Rossensis assert lutheran confut art 18. B. of Rochester and Cardinall Caietan c Caietan opusc tomo 1. tract 15 de indulgent cap. 1. grant that of Indulgences no certainty can be had what their originall was or by whom they were first brought in But of the great increase and bringing infinite wealth out of all Nations to the Pope and the abusing of simple soules thereby we haue knowledge more then enough D. Fisher addeth ibid. that of Purgatory in the ancient Fathers there is no mention at all or very rare that the Latins did not all at once but by little and little receiue it that the Grecians beleeue it not to this day and that Purgatory being so long vnknowen it is not to be maruelled that in the first times of the Church there was no vse of Indulgences for they had their beginning after that men had a while been scared with the torments of Purgatory The originall of their priuate Masses wherein the Priest receiueth the Sacrament alone and none of the people communicate with him but all are lookers on D Harding d Hard. answere to the first article of Iewels challenge fol. 26. v. Antwerp â—dit anno 1565. fetcheth from no other ground then lacke of deuotion on the peoples part Tell vs in what Popes dayes the people fell from their deuotion and then we may hap tell you in what Popes dayes your priuate Masse began You see then 1 what little reason your men haue to require of vs the precise time of the beginning of such changes seeing themselues grant that in many things themselues cannot doe it 2 That some of them may come in pedetentim as B. Fisher saith of Purgatory by little and little and by very slow steps not so caste to be discerned as you would make simmple men beleeue 3 Thar it is an idle imagination to thinke that all such changes must be made by some Bishop or any one certaine Author whereas it is confessed that some may come in by the silent consent of many and grow after into a generall custome the beginning whereof is past mans memory as the abstaining from the Cup and some may arise of the â—ndiscreet deuotion of the multitude as those of Purgatory and Indulgences and some from the want of deuotion in the people as the priuate Masses and some also must bee attributed to the very change of time it selfe as publike prayers in an vnknowne tongue in Italy France and Spaine for there a long time the Latin was commonly vnderstood of all but when afterwards their speeches degenerated into those vulgar tongues that are now vsed there then the language not of the seruice but of the people was altered So that saith Erasmus e Eras in declarationib ad censuras Parisiens tit 12. sect 41. the vulgar tongue was not taken from the people but the people departed from it Now then shew you vnder what Pope their language degenerated and we will shew you when publike prayers there began in tongue not vnderstood §. 5. I may well then conclude with that learned D. Vsher that if we can shew the present Doctrines of Rome refused by vs disagree from the Primit ue it is enough to shew there hath been a change degeneration
dissolving the whole frame of Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy and forme of gouernment settled by Christ was thought no lesse hurtfull then the bringing in of heresie and false doctrine by all that wrote against it and therefore they impute vnto it Heresim pestilentissimam and all such things as belong onely to Antichrist and his followers And indeed the desire of worldly wealth and honour drew on many corruptions of doctrine For when the ouer-politicke Popes found but few learned iâ—dicious men able to maintaine the truth and few potent couragious Princes able to maintaine their right against them then they fell to make their owne greatnesse wealth and honour the very rule to square out the Canons of Faith and Gouernment and then set Clerks on worke to deuise arguments to maintaine them The Church at that time abounding with rewards to quicken their wits and spurre on their diligence From this root proceeded doubtlesse the forged Donation of Constantine and the Decrees and decretall Epistles of ancient Bishops then newly brought to the knowledge of the world and neuer before seene and in these more learned Ages rejected by their owne Doctors and from this root sprung a new generation of Schoolemen moulding a new Doctrine mixed of Philosophy and divnity to amuse and amaze the world and keepe it in blindnesse and much corruption of Scriptures which now must haue no other sense then their Philosophy and the Rules of their Gouernment will giue it This desire of wealth and greatnesse brought in Image-worship which the holy Scriptures so plainly and plentifully condemne For when it might easily haue been abolished See the Histories of those times as but then creeping in and that Leo Jsaurus Emperour seeing the Sarazens take offence at Christians to abhorre and massacre them for their Images in Churches which offence Leo tooke away and burned the Images Pope Gregory the second that ought to haue Ioyned therein opposed him and tooke the hint to make the Emperour odious to all Italy as an enemy to Religion to the Saints and to their Memories And while the Emperour was weakned by the Sarazens in the East the Pope made this an occasion to make the West to reuolt from him and quickly depriued him of Italy to the great iniury of the Emperor scandall to the world and hurt to Christendome And then Image worship must be defended that had been the meanes of so much wealth to the Pope with opposing Councell to Councell Princes and learned men one against another to the great trouble of Christendome The worshipping of Images therefore did the Pope good seruice and so it doth still for it drawes multitudes of deuout people to Rome and other places with their offerings and other spendings to enrich them §. 14. But to leaue these things and come to particular doctrines held then by many otherwise then they be now by the Romans The Fathers held those bookes for Canonicall Scriptures which we now doe D. Field of the Church lib. 4. cap. 23. Appendix part 1. pag. 100. See all their allegations in D. Field lib. 4. cap. 23. and separated those from the Canon which we doe separate Namely Melito Bishop of Sardis Origen Athanasius Hilarius Nazianzen Cyril of Jerusalem Epiphanius Ruffinus Hierom Gregory and Damascene So did also many other learned men liuing in the corrupt state of the Church vnder the Papacy as Hugo de Sancto victore Richardo de Sancto victore Petrus Cluviacensis Lyranus Dionysius Carthusianus Hugo Cardinalis Thomas Aquinas Richardus Armachanus Picus Mirandula Ockam Caietan and Dredo In this point they were all Protestants and desired the reformation that we haue made That man after the Fall Field Appendix ad lib. 5. part 1. pag. 101. vntill he be restored by grace can doe nothing spiritually good or that is not sinne nor can any way dispose himselfe to a true conuersion vnto God without preuenting grace was the doctrine of S Augustine Prosper and more lately of Thomas Bradwardin Gregorius Ariminensis Cardinall Contaren and Bonaventure cited by Cassander Consult art 8. Iustification by Christs imputed righteousnesse not by our inherent was taught by S. Bernard Epist 190. Bernard Geâ—son lib. 4. de consulatione theologiae See these alleadged in my second Booke in the chapter of Iustification Assignata est homini Iustitia aliena quia caruit sua To man is assigned the righteousnesse of another because he had none of his owne And serm 61 Jn cantica And Gerson and Cardinall Contarenus and the Diuines of Colen in their Enchiridion and Antididagma and Albertus Pighius That man cannot merit any thing properly at Gods hand See D. Field Church appendix ad lib. 4. cap. 11. Scotus Ariminensis Waldensis are plaine So Pope Aâ—rian on the 4 of the Sentences cited by Cassander Consult art 6. and Clicthoveus cited there also And Bernard serm 1. in festo omnium sanctorum and oft elsewhere he saith our good workes are via regni non causa regnandi the way to heauen but not the cause meriting heauen See these Authors words cited at large in Bishop Vshers booke D. Field Church appendix part 1. pag. 103. c. And Cardinall Contarenus epist ad Cardinalem Farnesium To which adde out of Bishop Vshers answer to the Jrish Iesuite pag. 500. seq A great number more of ancient Fathers and later writers That Christs merits are to be apprehended by a liuely faith which faith is a motion of the spirit when men truely repenting of their former life are raised and lifted vp to God and doe truly apprehend the mercies of God promised in Christ and doe indeed feele in themselues an assurance that they haue receiued remission of their sinnes and reconciliation by Gods goodnâ—sse and by the merit of Christ and doe cry Abba Father Cited by Cassander consult aâ—â— 4. This is expresly deliuered in the booke exhibited by Charles the fift Emperour to the Diuines of both sides and the Diuines agreed vnto it And in the Enchiridion cited by Cassander ibid. well approoued by all the learned Diuines of Jtaly and France and by Cardinall Contarenus in his Tract of Iustification and by the Diuines of Colen in their Antididagma De duplici fiducia and by Saint Bernard serm 1. de Annuntiatione dominica The Communion in both kindes is deliuered to the people in all Churches of the world vnto this day sauing in the Roman Church and in the Roman Church it so continued for more then a thousand yeares in the solemne ordinary and publike dispensation of that Sacrament Cassander consult art 22. As Cassander sheweth and Beatus Rhenanus And it hath been called for with great earnestnesse by many Nations and Churches Rhenanus vpon Tertullian de corona militis both before and in the Councell of Trent and is still stiffely denyed by the Pope and his Prelates Against priuate Communions called priuate Masses where none of the people present receiue but the
Churches and Monasteries Cochleus lib. 5. Petrus Messias in Sigismundo they brake downe the Images there and not long after vnder the conduct of Joannes Zisca a noble and victorious Warriour they grew to be forty thousand strong in one Armie and got into their hands the Castle of Prague the chiefe City of Bohemia Shortly after contemning the Curses and Croysados of Pope Martin they wanne many victories vnder the leading of Procopius and other Captaines but especially vnder Zisca of whom a lib. 5. Cochleus saith scarce any Histories of the Greekes Hebrewes or Latins doth mention such a Generall He built a new City of Refuge for his men named Thabor whereof the best of the Hussites were called Thaborites Vpon a new Croisado of Pope Martin wherein hee promised remission of sinnes to all that would either fight or contribute money against the Hussites forty thousand German Horsemen were gathered to destroy them §. 6. but vpon their approach they turned their backes and fled not without some secret Iudgement of God saith Cochleus b lib. 6. Then was the Councell of Basil called saith c Onuph ib. Onuphrius against the Hussites and in that Councell contrary to the Act of the Councell of Constance d Session 13. the vse of the Cup in the Sacrament was granted to the Bohemians an argument of their great numbers and vnresistable strength at that time For the Bookes of Hus full of wholsome and mouing Doctrine liued though he was dead and through the memory of his constant standing for the Truth against the whole Councell and the Councâ—ls perfidious and outragious burning of a man so learned so painfull so greatly beloued and lamented his bookes were earnestly desired and read and wanne many The like wrought the memory of Ierom his admirable learning eloquence memory and patience in his death e Poggius Epist ad Leonardum Aret. num which Poggius in an Epistle doth very much commend being an eye-witnesse and feelingly describes the same as one much affected with his excellent parts Recorded also by Cochleus f Lib. 3. So that notwithstanding the continuall opposition against them they continually encreased and in short time got a Bishop Suffâ—agan to the Archbishop of Prage g Ib. lib. 4. and after him Conradus the Archbishop himselfe on their side to giue orders to their Clerkes and to helpe for the compiling a confession of their faith anno 1421 h Ib. lib. 5. Which the Archbishop and many Barons afterwards did stiffely maintaine and complained against the Emperour Sigismund for offering wrong to those of their Religion Alexander Duke of Lituania gaue them aid and was reproued by pope Martin 5 for it And Sigismund in fine in a treaty with the Bohemians granted that the Bishops should promote to holy orders the Bohemians euen Hussites which were of the Vniuersity of Prage i Ib. lib. 8. §. 7. Aeneas Sylvius complaineth that about the yeare 1453. the Kingdome of Bohemia was wholly gouerned by Heretickes for that all the Nobility and all the Commonalty were subiect to one George or Gyrzikâ— who then was gouernor vnder K Ladislaus afterwards was King himselfe Who with all his Nobles shewing vndaunted constancy and resolution rather to dye then forsake their Religion caused the pope Pius to tolerate many things in them But his successor Paul the second excommuicated King George publishing a Croisado against him and gaue his Kingdome to Matthias King of Hungary for which they warred for seuen yeares space and in the end concluded a peace But while some Princes mediated to the pope for King George his absolution Abbot ib. §. 18. he dyed anno 1471. not long before Luthers rising §. 8. And your k Cochleus lib. 2. Cochleus who wrote his history in Luthers time sheweth that the Hussites continued to those dayes For saith he Hus hath slaine soules for an hundred yeares together neither doth he yet cease to slay them by the second death And againe l Ibid. Hus did so rend the vnity of the Church that at this day there remaineth a pittifull division in Bohemia And m lib. 8. vnto this day remayneth the sect of the Thaborites in many places of Bohemia and Moravia vnder the name Picards and VValdenses And n lib. 12. in the yeere 1534 he wisheth that he may see the remainders of the Hussites to returne to the Church and the Germans to cast out all new sects And it is certaine that in the very yeare 1517. wherein Luther began to oppose the corruptions of Rome the Councell of Lateran ended vnder pope Leo the tenth and consultation was had there and then of reforming the manners of the Church and of recouering the Bohemians to the vnity thereof o See the booke extant And D. Featlieâ— Replie to Fisher pag. 154. Luther himselfe writeth a Preface to the confession of faith which the Waldenses then odiously called Picards dwelling in Bohemia Moravia did set forâ—h which he greatly approueth coÌ„mendeth to godly men to read with thankes to God for the vnity which he found betwixt them and vs as the sheepe of one fold Besides we find many Waldenses remaining in France §. 9. in and after Luthers time p Vesembeâ— Oration of the Waldenses citat in history Wald. booke 1. cap. 5. See ib. booke 2. cap. 8. Anno 1506 Lewis 12. King of France hearing much euill of the VValdenses in his Realme sent the Lord Adam Fumce Master of Requests and Parvi a Doctor of Sorbon his Confessor to try the truth who visiting all their parishes and Temples in Provence found indeed no Images nor ornaments of Masses or other Ceremonies but they found also no such crimes could be found in them as were reported but that they Religiously obserued the Sabboth dayes baptized their children after the order of the Primitiue Church taught them the articles of the Christian faith and the Commandements of God c. Vpon which report the King said and bound it with an oath that they were better men then he or his people The same King being informed that in the valley of Frassinier in the Diocesse of Ambrun in Dauphiney there were a certaine people that liued like beasts without Religion hauing an euill opinion of the Romish Religion he sent his Confessor with the officiall of Orleance to bring him true information thereof who found them all so truely righteous and religious that the Confessor wished in the presence of many that He were as good a Christian as the worst of the said valley q Ioachim Camerar in his hist pag. 152. King Francis 1. successor to Lewis 12. seeing th Parliament of Provence grieuously afflict the VValdenses of Merindal Cambriers and places adioyning appointed VVilliam de Ballay Lord of Langeay then his Leiutenant in Piedmont to search and informe him more fully of them Vpon whose information of their piety honesty charity peaceablenesse painfulnesse
all the euils that the Church of God had endured that it shold be rent with contentions and contrary opinions of her owne children for the contrary opinions among the learned at that time and their dissentions saith the Story were so scandalous that many were thereby alienated from embracing Christian Religion But Constantine appointing a day to receiue all their Bookes of complaints when it came hee exhorted them to vnity and concord and to ioyne hands for the holy worke of their calling and in one great fire he burned all their Books of accusations Matth. 11.29 1 Pet. 2.21 c. Thirdly Meeknes and mildnes is an excellent vertue in all Christians and especially in the Ministers of God Leaders of others our Sauiour Christ calls vs to learne it of himselfe as his peculiar vertue But yet when the cause is Gods and not our owne we may learne also euen of him a holy zeale and earnestnesse he pronounced many woes against the Scribes and Pharises Read Matth. 23. ver 13. to the end for dishonouring God corrupting his Religion misleading the people and abusing them he called them hypocrits damned creatures children of hell fooles and blind guides painted sepulchers full of hypocrisie and iniquity serpents and generations of vipers Ioh. 8 44. And elsewhere saith to the Pharisies and other Jewes ye are of your Father the Deuill and the lusts of your Father ye will do c. Acts 8.20 23. So Saint Peter to Simon Magus Thy money perish with thee Thou art in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of Iniquity Act. 13.10 and Saint Paul to Elimas who went about to turne Sergius Paulus the Deputy from the faith O full of all subtilty and all mischiefe thou child of the Deuill thou enemy of all righteousnesse c. Zeale of Gods glory is not onely excusable but commendable euen when it is mixed with Error which is condemnable Phil. 3.4 6. for so Saint Paul reckons it among the things wherin he might glory Concerning Zeale I persecuted the Church Bellar. De Rom. pont lib 4. cap. 7. §. per hoc respondetur Fourthly Bellarmine somewhat excuseth Cyprian though sa th he he seemeth to haue sinned mortally in crossing and vexing the pope being in the right himselfe being in the wrong At least he should not haue written such reuiling and reproachfull words against the pope Steuen as he did in thâ—t Epistle to Pompey calling the pope superbum imperitum caecae ac prauae mentis c. Proud vnskillfull of a blind and corrupt mind Yet saith Bellarmine also It seemes Cyprian sinned not mortally because hee sinned onely of Ignorance thinking the pope perniciosè errare to erre dangerously and while he so thought hee was bound in conscience not to obey him because he ought not to do against his conscience Thus saith Bellarmine Fiftly the question of Rebaptizing such as were baptized by Heretickes See D. White Way digress 21. Eu ch hist lib. 7. cap. 2. seq bred many broyles in the Church betwixt Saint Cyprian with the Councell of 80 Bishops of Africke and also the Metropolitans Dionysius and Firmilianus with most of the Bishops of Egypt Cappadocia Galatia and Cilicia on the one part and the Bishop of Rome with the Westerne Bishops on the other part There was scarce any Church or Catholicke Bishop therein which was not entangled in this discord And many bitter speeches and contumelious actions and writings passed betweene them Sixtly Eusâ—b hist lib. 5. cap. 21. the strife betwixt the East and West Churches about the day of the celebration of Easter proceeded so farre as to excommunications The Easterne Churches kept Faster day the 14 day of the first Moone in March after the vernall Equinoctiall though it hapned on the weeke day by tradition from Saint John and Saint Philip Ibib. cap. 22. and many other holy men and Martyrs liuing and dying in Asia as Bishop Polycrates wrâ—teth But in diuers Synods held 1 in Palestina vnder B. Theophiluâ— of Caesarea and Bish Narcissus of Jerusalem 2 In Rome vnâ—er pope Victor 3 in Pontus vnder Palmas 4 in France vnder Irenaeus 5 In Greece and other places It was ordered that Easter should be kept not on the weeke day but on the Sunday after the 14 day And Victor Bishop of Rome Ibid. cap. 21. Jbid. cap. 23. proceeâ—ed in sinâ— to pronounce all the Reuerenâ— Easterne Bishops that kept it otherwise excommunicated and inueighed sore against them by letters But not onely they but the Westerne Bishops also disliked Victors doing therein yea dissâ—aded and sharpely reproueâ— him Especially Jrenaeus with his brethren of France alleâ—â—ging that for such like differences as this For example for the kâ—â—p ng of Lent Fast some onely one day See the Epistle of Irenaeus in Euseb History ib. some two some more some forty dayes before Easter and that by custome of long time before that Age in such difference of fasting they kept the vnity of faith and peace one with another and neuer proceeded to hate or excommunicate one another for such petty differences D. Field Appendix 1. part pag. 116. Zozemen lib 8. cap. 15. Socrat. lib. 6. cap. 13. Seuenthly Grieuous were the differences and contentions betwixt Saint Chrysostome and Epiphanâ—us the one refusing to pray with the other the one accusing the other of manifest breaches of the Canons the one cursing the other and praying that he should nâ—uer die a Bishop the other cursing him agaâ—ne and praying that he should neuer returne into his Countrey aliue Bâ—th which came to passe For Chrysostome was cast out of his Bishopricke and dyed in banishment And Epiphanius dyed in his reâ—urne homeward Yâ—t were both of these excellent holy and Catholicke Bishops that thus contended Eightly And beside their owne contentions the taking of parts with them drew on much mischieife Theophilus Patriarke of Alexandria ioyned with Epiphanius against Chrysostome and with them ioyned the other Bishops of the Prouinces as they fancied The Empresse was set against Chrysostome being informed that he had made a Sermon against women She incensed the Emperour by whose appointment Theopilus called a Counsell of Bishops at Chalcedon whither all Chrysostomâ—s enemies resorted and there pronounced him deposed Cyrinus Bishop there called him impious arrogant and froward From thence most of the Bishops went to Constantinople but none of the Clergy met them to doe them honour There they obiected many crimes against him and cited him to answer But he refused to come excepting against them as his enemies and appealing to a generall Councell But finally they condemned him for obstâ—nacy in not comming vnto them and depriued him of his Bishopricke This being noysed in the City caused a great sedition multitudes watching about the Church to hinder his carrying away anâ— cryed out his cause ought to be heard in a greater Councell of Bishops But by the Emperours command and practise he
to whom all things are referred Sixt. God is the giuer of all righteousnesse holines and grace He forgiueth sinnes and restoreth sinners by the grace of adoption to his fauour and friendship Seuenth God is the bestower of eternall glory and heauenly felâ—city in whom the highest happinesse of blessed soules consisteth Of the other seauen Articles concerning the humane Nature The First sheweth that the Sonne of God for our sakes debased himselfe from Heauâ—n to these inferior parts descended and assumed the humâ—ne Nature and coupled it to himselfe with a maruelous knot and bond in such sort that after that coniunction there was one person of both subsisting in two Natures diuine and humane and therefore in time he was conceiued without Father of an vncorrupt Virgin the power of the holy Ghost so working in her that the word was made flesh and God Man The Second sheweth the same Sonne of God taking humane Nature of the vndefiled Virgin was borne into the world in such sort that Many was at once the Mother of God and a pure V rgin The Third sheweth how Chriâ—â— our Lord did most excellently performe the office of teaching working miracles died and made his end vnder Pilate the Iudge and President and vnder him endured an vniust condemnation and suffered the most shamefull kinde of punishment of the crosse and sustayned the most bitter death for vs and refused not buriall offered vnto him in another Mans sepulcher The Fourth article teacheth how Christ after he had died vpon the crosse descended in his soule into * Or the lower parts inferoâ— hell both that he might shew himselfâ— conquerour of death and Diuells and also the dâ—liuerer of the Fathers there detayned and in his body he lay three dayes in the sepulcher The Fifth professeth that Christ the third day returning conquerâ—nâ— from the lower parts to lâ—fe immortall and full of glory by his owne force and power did rise from the dead The Sixt sheweth how Christ hauing performed the worke of Mans redemption the fortieth day after his resurrection by his owne power ascended into heauen that in his humane Nature he might be exalted aboue all things and he aboue all might be chiefly worshipped of all who sits in heauen at the right hand of the power of God and as God exercising equall power with the Father and shining with diuine Maiesty The Seuenth article setteth out the last Iudgement day when Christ in his humane Flesh shall descend againe from the highest heauen and performing the office of the terrible Iudge of the whole earth shall openly render vnto euery one according as he hath done in his body whether it be good or euill before whose tribunall all men both good and euill shall stand whether that day of Iudgement finde them yet aliue in the flesh or dead before These 14 articles I haue set downe at large and in the full wordes of Azorius not that I approue euery word and point therin but to shew what is the generall doctrine of the present Roman Church what and how much is necessary for euery man to know and to beleeue explicitè to his saluation Note he is said to beleeue explicitè who assenteth to any thing that is told him or which he conceiueth in his thought and hee beleeueth implicitè which beleeueth any thing in generality and in that thing beleeueth many other things which are contained in it as when a man beleeueth all things which the Church beleeueth Azor ib. cap. 6. in calce Thus saith Azorius out of Gabriel the Schoolman §. 3. Abundant in superfluis deficiunt in necessarijs Beâ—â— sâ—prâ— l tâ—k See â—ellar in thâ—t chapter at large First These Articles vpon due consideration will bee found to haue two faults they containe too much and too little Too much for all things in them are not taught in the Scriptures as namely that of the fourth Article of the Humanity that Christ descended into hell to deliuer the Fathers there detained as by Bellarmines confession and the ancient Fathers testimonies they should be Costerus â—uchir cap. 1. pag. 49. § Caterum Costerus the Iesuite saith also that the chiefe heads of faith necessary for all Christians to know and to beleeue vnto saluation are plainly enough contained in the Apostles writings Secondly these Articles also containe too little for here want somethings that are deliuered in the Apostles Creed which Creed was ordained for the necessary instruction of all Christians and called Symbolum a badge or signe to dâ—stinguish Christians from Infidels and wicked people Axor ib. cap. 5. § Postremo obâ—â—tes There were indeed three Symboles or Creedes receiued in the Church for briefe comprehensions of the publicke necessary doctrines thereof for all Christ ans to know and professe the Apostlâ—s Creed the Nâ—cene and Athanasius his Creed which three do not containe diuers doctrines but rather one and the same faith set forth more largely oâ— briefly â—n more or fewer words more cleerely and distinctly to confute heresies as they sprung vp in the Church In these Creedes we are taught that there is one holy Catholicke Church and Communion of Saints c. which in these fourteene Articles are not mentioned Thirdly Besides some other things which the Romanists account very necessary Articles of their faith as that of transubstantiation that of Purgatory that of the Popes supremacy which they haue wholly left out as they haue done also the worshipping of Images Inuocation of Saints Prayer for the dead and generally all other things almost which wee refuse shewing thereby and so much gratifying vs that in their own iudgement these things are not necessary for ordinary Christians to beleeue to saluation Fourthly and the view of these Articles may confirme any man in the sufficiency of the Protestants Religion because they stedfastly beleeue excepting that one clause of one of them all these Articles which the Romanists themselues say are sufficient for saluation Neither doe the Protestants hold any thing at all that crosseth them §. 4. But Bellarmine touching vpoÌ„ this point Bellar. De verbo Dei lib. 4. c. 11. initio in answering to Irenaeus and diuers other Fathers that say The Apostles wrote all that they preached saith more briefely There are some things simply necessary for all men to saluation as the knowledge of the Articles of the Apostles Creed and of the ten Commandements and of some Sacraments other things are not so necessary that without the manifest knowledge faith and profession of them a man cannot be saued if so be that hee haue a ready will to receiue and beleeue them when they shall be lawfully propounded vnto him by the Church And this distinction saith he is gathered from hence that without the knowledge and faith of the Mysteries of the first kinde no man of a ripe Age is admitted to Baptisme but without the knowledge and Faith at least explicit of the latter men were ordinarily
he had power to ruine the Lombards his sworne enemies and to bring them to extreame confusion yet for the feare of God settled in his heart he neuer had any such intent And he writeth to Mauritius the Emperour that although a certaine Law which the Emperour commaded to be proclaimed was in his iudgement vniust Greg. lib 2. Indict 11. ep 61. cited also by King Iames. Apol. pag. 24. yet he as a dutifull subiect and vnworthy seruant of his godlinesse had caused it to be sent into diuers parts of his dominions paying to both parties what he ought to wit obedience to the Emperour and speaking what hee thought for God Espencaeus in Tit. digress 10. aedit Paris 1568. Whereupon B. Espenceus saith Gregorius primus idem magnus lib. 2. epist 64. Gregory the first called also the Great ingenuously acknowledged that God had granted the Emperours a dom nion ouer Priests This Gregory I and his predecessors were plaine contrary to Gregory VII and his successors Bozius makes it one of the signes of the Church of God that it yeelded so many Martyrs Bozius de signis Eccles tomâ— 1. lib. 7. cap. 5. §. 5. suffering patiently vnder cruell Emperors and Princes seuen and twenty Roman Bishops for their onely cleauing to the doctrine and honour of Christ Greg Tolossan 1. V. Doctor lib. 26. de Repub. cap. vlt. 〈◊〉 10. And Gregorius Tolossanus Doctor of the Lawes saith That for 300 yeares after Christs Passion though Christians suffered most cruell torments and death yet wee neuer read they rebelled against their Princes nor moued against the Commonwealth though they had number and power sufficient But by that argument they shewed that they and their Religion were to be preferred before all other because their pâ—â—us doctrine taught theâ— to obey Magistrates Whiles therefore the Church continued such a schoole of good life among Christians and of faithfull loyalty true subiectâ—on to Princes Rom. 13.5 whom they obeyed not onely for feare of punishment but especially because they were bounâ— in conscience and so taught by their holy Relig on B. King Sermon at Yorke on the Queens day 1595. Religion was â—he ioy glory and happinesse of the world It was the glorâ— of Princes and Emperors to maintaine it and it was the glory of the Chuâ—ch to maintaine them Constantius the father of Constantine the Great made more reckoning he said of those that professed Christianity then oâ— gâ—eat treasures Jouianus after Julian refused to be Emperour albeit elected and sought to the Emp re except he might gouerne Christâ—ans Great Constantine and Charles the Great had their surnames of greatnesse not so much for authority Aug. de ciuit Dei lib. 5. 6. 24. as for godlinesse Saint Auâ—ustine saith Emperours were not therefore happy because they raigned long or left sonnes to raigne after them or tamed enemies or quieted rebelling subiects c. but because they ruled iustly remembred they were men when men almost made them Goâ—s vsed their power to promote Gods honour loued feared worshipped God loued that kingdome best wherein they feared not to haue partakers slâ—wly reuenged easily pardoned punâ—shed for necessity to preserue the Commonwealth not to serue their priuate hatred pardoned not to impunity of euill but for hope of amendment and if compelled to deale more sharply recompenced it with mercy lenity and larges of benefits â—f their luâ—ury was so much the more restrained as it might bee more free if they had rather rule their euill lusts then any Nations and all these not for desire of vaine glory but for the loue of heauenly felicity Such a happy Emperour was Great Constantine Ibid. cap. 25 26. Constantine was celebrated in the old Marbles with these titles Vrbis liberator quietis fundator reipubilicae instautator publicae libertatis auctor restitutor vrbis Romae atque orbis Magnus maximus invictus And in the lawes Qui veneranda Christianorum fide Romanum munivit imperium Divus Diuae memoriae Divinae memoriae c. Camden Britannia in Yorkshire describing Yorke City II. Of the euils of false or corrupted Religion Esay 1.21 Rome Reuel 17.9 18. becante Babylon v 5 2 4. 6. Nauel generat 39 H Mulius Chron. German lib 18. Vsher De eccl succes c. 7. §. 17. whom the Lord blessed also with all other happinesse and such an one was Theodosius who desired rather to be a member of the Church then a King ouer Peoples Then was the world happy when the Church bred and trayned vp the best people and subiects in the world and Emperours Kings and Princes were the nuâ—sing Fathers of the Church and so the one vpheld the other and the one was happy in the other But alas for griefe that euer so excellent a blessing should be corrupted and turned to a curse and scourge to mankinde that Ierusalem the whilome faithfull City should become an Harlot And Rome the Imperiall City whose faith was spoken of through the whole world Rom. 1.8 should be turned into Babylon the seat of Antichrist and inebriate the Kings and Inhabiters of the earth with the wine of her fornications her selfe becomming drunken with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Iesus that Emperours and Princes should shut the Cardinals out of their Churches and Cities and write to the Pope their reason because they found them nor Predicatores sed Predatores Non pacis corroboratores sed Pecuniae raptores non orbis Reparatores sed auri Insatiabiles corrasores denique superbiae detestabilem bestiam vsque ad sedem Petri reptasse So wrote the Emperour Fredericke Barbarossa to the Pope to wit your Cardinals come not to preach vnto vs but to pray vpon vs not to strengthen our peace but to ransacke our purses not to repaire the decayed world but vnsatiably to rauine after gold Finally we see the detestable beast of Pride hath crept euen into Saint Peters seat The Hierarchy of Rome is here charged with vnsatiable couetousnesse the roote of all euill 1 Tim. 6.10 and Ambâ—tion or Pride the cause of the fall of Angels in heauen and men in Paradise froÌ„ which two euils proceeded many mischiefes corruptioÌ„s into the Church Sabellicus obserueth that the feare and reuerence of Potent Princes Sabellicus Ennead 9. lib. 1. Genebrard Chronol lib 4. in 10. saculi initio Baron tomo 10. anno 900. §. 1. Matth. 8.24 25 kept the Popes of Rome a long time in some good moderation but when they were out of feare of such Princes they rushed into all impudency and wickednesse And Genebrard speaking of the tenth Age saith Then was the world exhausted both of learned men and potent Princes and good popes and confesseth that in 150 yeares there were about 50 popes vtterly swaruing from the vertue of their predecessors and were rather Apotactici Apostaticive quam Apostolici debosht Apostataes rather then Apostolâ—cke Bellarmine and Baronius complaine of the ninth and tenth Ages wherein powerfull and sordid Whores ruled at Rome
him or sent to Rome before him And yet these euils are small in comparison of others which Englishmen haue felt continually for many Ages from the Court of Rome as the Historians of those times with full consent record Verè enim hortus deliciarum Papis fuit tum Anglia puteus inexhaustus As we reade it was truly and trâ—mly said by Pope Jnnocent 4. England was a Garden of deliciousnesse to the Popes and a fountaine inexhaust or vndrainable I speake not now of the true blessings of the soule for which all men may thanke the Reformation of Religion which pious Princes make more account of then of all the Kingdomes of the earth The sincere worship of God alone without fellowes or copartners The veneration of the B. Virgin and holy Saints without superstition The peace of conscience with God by faith in the merits and death of Christ not that the faithfull should cease from good works fie away with such madnes but that when a man hath doneall he can do yet to acknowledge himself an vnprofitable seruant and neuer place confidence in his owne merits to gather exceeding great comfort in the daily and continual reading and meditating of the Scriptures not interpreting them after his own sense but in those things which he finds in them perspicuous and plaine for in such sort they afford vs if we beleeue the Fathers all things necessary to saluation and such as are agreeable to the expositions of the first Doctors of the Church he may sortisie his minde against false opinions which at this day are obtruded vpon the vnwary for ancient articles of faith The receiuing of the holy Communion according to the institution and commandement of our Lord and the continuall practise of the Chuch for more then a thousand yeeres vnder both kindeâ— Mindes confirmed against those thunders of Excommunication so terrible in former times which the Popes cast abroad oftentimes against innocent Princes and rather for humane causes then Diuine as euery man knoweth As when Innocent 3 kept all the people of this Land vnder a curse most deadly and damnable as the Popes would haue men beleeue and then it was so beleeued whole sixe yeeres three moneths and fourteene dayes In which time all that dyed in the Land were depriued of buriall and iudged to bee damned creatures all new borne remained vnbaptized prayers and teaching ceased in all Churches and men liued like Infidels In so large a land so plentifull of people to continue this curse but for one day vpon so many thousands of Innocents had been doubtlesse a most wicked and damnable thing But from all these euils and many other the blessed Reformation of that formerly corrupted Religion hath redeemed vs. Such things writes the learned and iudicious Casaubon And as the Reformation deliuered vs froÌ„ many euils so it hath filled vs with many blessings which we daily feele in full measure but are not able in any sufficient measure to expresse Take a short view of our blessings enioyed vnder our late Princes Cambden Annales Elizabethae initio B. Carltons Thankfull Remembrance initio Queene Elizabeth entring her raigne anno 1558 found at first many potent enemies few and impotent friends Philip King of Spaine who sued to marry her by a dispensation from the Pope hauing buried Mary her sister his former wife now being refused by her turned his loue into hatred Henry 2 King of France with whom she sought peace and amity brake out into open hostility His sonne Francis hauing married Mary the Queene of Scotland professed his Wife to be the heire of England assumed the Armes and Title thereof and sought to displace Elizabeth as one also accounted an Hereticke So were the great neighbour-States of Spaine France and Scotland her professed enemies Her Friends that would haue hâ—â—ped her were weake and could not but stood in need of helpe from her The Scots sore troubled with the French Armies procured by the Guisians The Low-Countries beaten down by the Duke of Alva Agent for the King of Spaine The Protestants of Denmarke and France were faine to craue aide from Her as also other friends did The State at home was much troubled the treasure exhausted and oppressed with great debt contracted by King Henries boundlesse expences King Edwards minority and Queene Maries forraigne marriage and other troubles the land without strength forces souldiers artillery powder and treasure Calis lately lost and nothing seemed lefâ— but a weake and poore State destitute of meanes and friends So that her great neare Neighbours round about her made no other account of her but as one left to be a prey to the strongest that would inuade her Yet see the mighty hand and blessing of God vpon her not onely to deliuer her out of all these difficulties but further to enable her to support her friends and to match and master her enemies When shee prouided Armour at Antwerpe and King Philip caused it to bee stayed yet she partly procured Armour and Weapons out of Germany but principally God opened new Brasse Mines in England which had been long before neglected sufficient for vs and to vent into other Countries and yeelded vs then first the stone called Lapis calaminaris needfull for working in Brasse By meanes whereof She caused store of Gunnes to be cast of Brasse and Iron at home and Gunpowder also then first to be made in England which before was bought from other Countries Camden ibid. pag 27. And further By the happy abolishing of the Popes Religion as England became the most free of all other Countries in the world the Scepter being as it were manumitted from the former seruitude of the Bishop of Rome so it became also more rich then in former Ages a great masse of money being kept at home which formerly was exhausted and yearely and daily carried to Rome for first fruits Indulgences appeales dispensations Palles such other things Strengthned therefore by all these blessings She fortified Barwicke against Scotland and prouided a great Nauy to safeguard the Sea-coasts And whereas former Kings hyred ships from forraigne places Hamburg Lubecke Dantiske Genua Venice c. Now She built great store of ships of Warre Herselfe and all Coast-townes with incredible alacrity wondring at her wisedome and care of them did the like So that in short time England was able to employ twenty thousand men in Sea-fight at once And her enemies began to feare her more then she did them And such was her power and policy See Speedes Chronicle in Elizabeth § 347. seq and Gods extraordinary blessings vpon them that the great affaires of Europe mainly depended vpon Her directions She sitting at the helme of the ship as Fronto spake of Antonius the Emperour arbitrated and guided their estates both in peace and warre Spaine seeking to ouerflow all was beaten backe and scarcely able to maintaine her owne Barkes In France the house of Valoys vnderpropped by Her counsell that of Bourbons