THE TRVE PROTESTANT SOVLDIER Fighting valiantly under Truths Banner AND By the glorious light of Gods Word overthrowing the strongest Bulwarkes and subtle Stratagems of the Church of Rome By HAMNET WARDE ANCHORA SPEI LONDON Printed by G. M. for William Lee at the Signe of the Turks-Head in Fleet-street 1642. TO THE HONOVRABLE AND TRVLY VERTVOVS THE LADY BRIDGâ—T BRIANT all Happinesse in CHRIST IESVS Madam THe true zeale which you have for the maintenance of the Truth together with those many favours which your Ladiship hath been pleased to bestow on me my deceased and surviving friends hath encouraged me or rather inforced me to present this little Manuall being the first fruits of mine endeavours to your Ladiships acceptance In that short stride of the World which I have travelled having found many strong oppositions from our adversaries of the Church of Rome as well at home as beyond Sea touching the Protestant Religion I began somewhat to doubt of the truth thereof But by Gods providence lighting on this short Treatise after the perusall thereof I found the Religion of the Church of Rome if I may so call it so sleightly poasted upon the quicksands of mens frivolous opinions and contrariwise the Protestant Religion so soundly founded on the true and lively rocke of our salvation Christ Iesus that by Gods grace asâ—isting me neither the bewitching charmes of their devillish temptations nor the fiery darts of their hottest persecutions shall ever be able to divert me from the profession thereof Wherefore having received so great comfort thereby my selfe I have laboured with as much as in me lyeth to translate it verbatim out of French into English that others also may have benefit therby humbly beseeching your Ladiship to accept thereof as a token of my ever bounden duty and your Ladiship shall thereby encourage me to pray for your long and happy life here on earth and your eternall happinesse with God in heaven Madam Your Ladâ— ps most humble and truly devoted Servant Hamnet Warde To the READER Christian Reader MOnsieur Pierre Monginot a Gentleman as well learned as truly noble forsaking the Church of Rome and turning to the Protestant his friends being much discontented thereat wrote this short Treatise to satisfie them shewing them the causes which moved him to change his Religion Which I have translated for thy good out of French into English take but as much heed in reading it as I did labour in the translating it and God grant thee as much benefit by the Copy as I had comfort by the Originall Thine in Christ Iesus Hamnet Warde CHAPTERS 1. Of the true Church 2. Of the Popes power 3. Of the worshipping of Images 4. Of Prayer and Service in an unknowne tongue 5. Of the Invocation of Angels and Saints departed this life 6. Of Abstinence from Meats 7. Of Abstinence from Marriage 8. Of Purgatory 9. Of Merits and Justification by Works 10. Of works of Super-erogation 11. Of the superaboundant satisfactions of Saints and Monkes which the Pope distributes by Indulgences 12. Of the reall presence of the Lords body in the Sacrament and of Transubstantiation 13. Of the Sacrifice of the Masse 14. Of the taking away the cup in the Sacrament Decemb. 1â— 1641. Imprimatur THO. WYKES THE TRVE PROTESTANT SOVLDIER CHAPTER I. Of the true Church THe holy Scripture tels us of diverse kindes of Churches There is that Church which is spoken of in the Creed which the Apostle S. Paul calleth the body of Christ against which saith our Saviour Mat. 16. The gates of Hell shall not prevaile which is the Assembly of the truly faithfull and elect people of God wherof part doe already injoy the heavenly pleasures of Gods kingdome part now live here on Earth among sinfull men and infidels and cannot be discerned by the eyes of man Others not yet borne But besides this Church of Gods elect there is another universall and visible Church which is the Assembly of all such as professe themselves Christians and to believe in Jesus Christ This is that Church which Saint Paul 1 Tim. 3. cals the pillar and ground of the truth as being bound to defend and maintaine the truth against all those who labour to corrupt or suppresse it This universall visible Church is composed of divers particular Churches such as were in the Apostles time the Church of Jerusalem the Church of Corinth the Church of Rome and that of the Galatians c. Of these particular Churches some are puter than others nay and there may be some so corrupted as that it is impossible for them to be saved namely as where Idolatry reigneth and where the benefits of Jesus Christ are abused The Church of Rome is one of these particular Churches wherin reigneth Idolatry First in that they call God a Sacrifice made by men Secondly because the honour appertaining to God is by them attributed to Saints in that they say the Saints know the hearts of all men and because they give them and their reliques and Images a religious worship and adoration Lastly because they call the Virgin Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth for the Soveraigne Royalty of the world is not communicable to the creature Likewise the benefits of Jesus Christ are therin abus'd in that they teach that Jesus Christ by his death delivers us from sinnes committed before Bapisme but as for sinnes committed after Baptisme he hath left us to satisfie Gods justice for them by satisfactory pains as well here as in Purgatory Thus then let it be that the Church of Rome be a particular visible Church and it more corrupt than any other although she terme her selfe the universall Church as if there were no other Church besides whereas indeed the Churches of Syria Greece Armenia and Affrica be more pure and mor◠… cient then the Roman and no way subject therunto All th 〈…〉 h the holy Scripture and the Creed attribute to the universall Church of Gods elect or the universall visible Church the Church of Rome by an intolerable abuse and usurpation attributes unto her self as if in the holy Scripture there were no other Church spoken off but the Church of Rome or as if shee alone were the pillar and ground of the truth And when Jesus Christ Mat. 18. sends two Brothers being at strife to the judgement of the Church saying Tell it the Church and if he neglect to heare the Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican these Gentlemen would needs make us beleeve that he sends such as doubt in matters of Faith and Doctrin to the judgment of the Church of Rome which they call universall but reade the passage and you shall see that our Saviour speaks not there of doubts touching Religion but of quarrels and broyles which happen betweene man and man and consequently he speaks not of the Church universall but of the Ministers of some particular Church for to appease a quarrell between two Neighbours men doe
not betake themselves to the universall Church In this then there appeares a very great abuse that the Church of Rome being indeed but a particular Church stiles her selfe the universall Church and in that she being full of errours vaunts her selfe neverthelesse to be without any errour nay more that it is impossible for her to erre and least her errours should be discovered by the glorious light of Gods holy Word the writings of the Prophets and Apostles she doth not only hinder the people from reading the word and reade it in the Church in a language which the people understandeth not but endeavours also to take away all its force and authority for they make the people beleeve that the Church of Rome is soveraigne Judge in all matters of difference in Religion by this meanes he that will accuse the Church of Rome of any errour may be sure to loose his processe seeing she alone is soveraigne Judge in her owne cause The Church of Rome doth likewise affirme that it is impossible for her to erre in the interpretations of the holy Scripture and that it is in her power to make constructions of the like authority with the word of God which is indeed no lesse then to place her selfe in Gods seat For as there is none but the King that can give an interpretation to his edict that may be of equall force with the edict it selfe So there is none but God alone that may give such a construction unto the Word of God as may be of the like power and authority with the Word of God And there is nothing more certaine then that such an interpreter is greater then the Law-giver sithence he giveth unto the Law such a sense as he pleaseth and the people taught to rely more on that then on the Law it self And to be sure that the Church of Rome be not any way subject unto the holy Scripture they maintaine that it is the Church that doth authorize the Scripture and which gives it all its power and authority as if the Subject could give authority unto Lawes or as if the Word of God did receive its authority from men To this end the Doctours of the Church of Rome say that the Church is more ancient then the holy Scripture but doth it therefore follow that the Church must be above the Scripture the people are they not many of them older then the King yet are they neverthelesse subject both to the King and to his Lawes however there be many Doctrines in the holy Scripture more ancient then the Church But say they we should not know that it were the Scripture if the Church did not tell us so but doth it follow thence I pray you that the Church must be above the Scripture If I should say I doe not know which is the King and if my friend should shew me doth it therefore follow that my friend must be above the King Many serve for witnesses unto persons unto whom they are farre inferiour Likewise to undervalue the authority of the Scripture and to strengthen that of the Church they say that the holy Scripture is a dead thing and cannot speake and consequently may not be Judge for say they a Judge must be able to speake as the Church is This is most false and deceitfull for the holy Scripture speaketh enough and if it speaks not enough it is that it guides us But the Church of Rome forsooth will be the rule it selfe and not subject to any Law but will be Judge both of the Law and of the Word of God Thus are men become Gods Judges and guilty persons shall be infallible and soveraigne Judges of the sence and authority of the Law which concernes their owne crime by this meanes they need not feare to be condemned but will they nill they at the day of Judgement they shall be judged by this very word over which they now thus usurpe authority then shall that pratling Judge be constrained to keep silence So then these Gentlemen in sending the people to the Church for the deciding of doubts in faith distract their minds with an innumerable company of doubts and difficulties for how shall an ignorant man know that there must be a Church in the world If they say he may know it by the Scripture it is then necessary that he be acquainted with the Scripture and thus the authority of the Church should be founded on the Scripture and when the Church teacheth this or that how shall the people know whether it be conformable to the Word of God sithence the reading of Gods Word is absolutely forbidden them and there being many Churches disagreeing one with the other how can the poore people discerne that which teacheth lyes from that which teacheth the truth seeing the very rule of truth which is the holy Scripture is a book utterly forbidden them Shall they follow the multitude Jesus Christ saith Mat. 7. That the gate is wide which leadeth to perdition and there are ten times as many Turks and Pagans as there are Christians shall they believe miracles our Saviour faith Marke 13. There shall come false teachers working miracles whereby to seduce if it were possible the very elect shall they have regard to seats and successions The Churches of Greece have also had their seats since the Apostles and the Churches of Syria theirs and brag of S. Peters chair and yet all these are quite contrary to the Church of Rome and indeed more ancient Jesus Christ himself and his Apostles having preached there and beeing the first Institutours of them We doe not here dispute of S. Peters superiority over the rest of the Apostles he might be the first in order authority or virtue and yet not have any superiority of jurisdiction But that matters not the question is whether the Pope of Rome be S. Peters successour as the head of the universall Church which is the principall point of the Papists Religion wherof neverthelesse there is not one word spoken in all the Scripture The Bishops of Corinth and Thessalonica were Saint Pauls Successours not as Apostles but as particular Bishops of those cities So the question is not whither the afore-said Bishop of Rome be Saint Peters Successour in the Bishoprick of Rome but whether he succeeds him in the Apostleship as the head of the whole Church This is that which we slatly deny and which they can never proove or if they could so prove it yet the Pope having corrupted Saint Peters Doctrine and changed his Bishoprick into an absâ—lute temporall Monarchy had long since that lost his succession To conclude there being but one holy Scripture and there being many contrary Churches and the Doctors of these Churches being apt to seeke their owne profit and subject to be carried away with diverse evill affections but the holy Scripture being an incorruptible Judge let us have recourse to this holy Word of God in the which if there be any obscurity there is
accuse God Almighty of injustice to thinke that he inflicts more punishments on any man then his sinnes doe deserve It is not to know the greatnesse of sinne and to be ignorant of the punishment due thereunto to conceive that a few fasts and scourgings or any miseries that are to be endured in this life can be a satisfaction more then sufficient for the same For our Saviour in the 5th Chapter of Saint Matthew saith that he that calleth his brother foole shall be in danger of hell-fire And if the satisfaction of Iesus Christ be sufficient for the punishment due to all our sinnes what need we the satisfactions of Saints Why should we thinke that God will take two payments for one and the same debt when the first is sufficient Moreover God rewards us to the full here on earth for all our good works and endeavours how is it then that we should merit any thing to another thereby A foolish conceit it is indeed as if the same money which I imploy to buy me a house should likewise serve over and above for the payment of another mans debts And in a thing so holy and important as touching our reconciliation with God in Christ is it lawfull to forge articles of faith without any ground for the truth thereof out of the word of God For where is the least proofe for this in all the holy Scripture who seeth not that it was invented on purpose to increase the Popes treasury and to exalt his Empire who hereby with his pardons and Indulgences amasseth unto himselfe infinite riches I would very willingly learne who it was that first put the Saints satisfactions into the treasury of the Church when began this distribution how shall we know certainly whether God doth receive these satisfactions as sufficient why had not the Priests in the old Testament such a treasury wherein to keep the superaboundant satisfactions of Noah Abraham and Jacob c. which overplus it seems they have lost by ill husbandry What is the cause why our Saviour Christ Iesus nor his Apostles were not advised to speake of this Treasury or of one mans satisfying for another Surely Saint Paul was asleep when he said that every man shall beare his owne burthen Gal. 6. or else they will make themselves wiser then Saint Paul But whether it be allowable by Gods Word or no so it be any way conducing to the Popes profit it matters not with them so the Pope hath a fee it 's no matter whether God hath any honour Thus doe they both dishonour God and wrong their owne soules CHAP. XII Of the presence of the Lords body in the Sacrament and of Transubstantiation IF there were none other abuse in the Church of Rome save only this one errour of Transubstantiation it were of it selfe sufficient to drive away from the Church of Rome any man that is carefull for the salvation of his soule The holy Scripture declareth that no Idolaters shall enter into the kingdome of God 1 Cor. 6. and surely there can be no greater Idolatry then to call a morsell of bread his god and his Creator and to adore a god made with a few words a god that may be stollen away a god that may be mouldy and eaten up with wormes and those termes which they use of eating God of lifting up God of carrying God about in procession me thinkes should make a true Christians haire to stand on end to heare such intollerable blasphemies whereby God Almighty is so greatly dishonoured and the Christian Religion so exposed to the reproach of Pagans and Infidels The Doctors of the Church of Rome strive to prove this their Transubstantiation from that passage of our Saviour which they alleadge cropt and maimed not mentioning either the foregoing or the following words where we find that Jesus tooke bread brake it blessed and gave it to them saying take eat this is my body which is broken for you doe this in remembrance of me It appeares then that our Saviour gâ—ve bread and it is manifest that he gave it not till after the consecration it was therefore bread after the consecration Our Saviour saith that the bread is his body not that the bread is changed or transubstantiated into his body so that the bread is not the body of Christ Capernaitically or grossely but sacramentally and spiritually Moreover our Saviour in the 12th Chapter of Saint Johns Gospell saith me ye have not alwayes which were false if he were alwayes inclosed in a wafer cake To this they answer that we have him no more visibly I reply that to have Jesus Christ invisibly is neverthelesse to have him that man should lye that should say he hath no money because it is in his coffer So likewise in the 16th of Saint Johns Gospell ver 17. I goe to the Father saith our Saviour which also were an untruth if he did still remaine in a peece of bread All this they pretend under the shadow of these words this is my body for the meaning whereof they will not receive Saint Pauls exposition who thus delivereth it unto us the bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 And I pray how many times in the Scripture is it said that we are the body of Christ doth it therefore follow that we be transubstantiated into his body We see then into how many blasphemies how many grosse absurdities and contradictions they run into to defend this their fantasticall Transubstantion having no proofe at all for it out of Gods word what they have out of their unwritten word I know not neither doe I care CHAP. XIII Of the sacrifice of the Masse A word or two now of the Idolatrous sacrifice of the Masse Hereupon it was that I first found the Doctors of the Church of Rome at a fault For I often called on them to shew me some passage out of the word of God that commandeth the sacrifice of the body of Christ Jesus but they could none of them ever shew me any Some forsooth will take the institution thereof from those words of our Saviour doe this which they interpret sacrifice my body but this interpretation is of their owne invention Others alleadge that passage of our Saviour this is my body for the institution of it But what if it were such a body indeed as they interpret it which notwithstanding is very false can they conclude because our Saviour said this is my body that he commanded the sacrifice of his body Briefly they cannot alleadge any passage out of the word of God which might prove the institution of this their most idolatrous sacrifice And indeed seeing the sacrifice of the death of Iesus Christ is sufficient what need is there to sacrifice him any more Againe through the whole passage of the institution of the Lords Supper there is not the least signe or mention of any sacrifice neither did the Apostles any worship at
whole Kingdome hath interest Nay I say more though S. Peter had been the head of the Church and though he had resided at Rome and had left his charge to the Bishop of Rome which are all such presuppositions as they shall never be able to proove yet hath the Pope long since fallen from his charge and consequently lost his honour by comporting himselfe quite contrary to S. Peter and to a spirituall Pastour being become a temporall Monarch having amassed unto himself such an aboundance of riches that the Superiours and Kings of the Earth are poore in comparison As for his Doctrine the Chapters following shall be imployed to shew that it is absolutely contrary to the Doctrine of the Apostles Again S. Peter never made himself a religious worship but contrariwise in Acts 10. v. 25. he hinders Cornelius from worshipping him saying Stand up I my selfe also am a man S. Peter never indeavoured to set himself above God as doth the Pope glorying that he can dispence with men from keeping their vowes made unto God He that can dispence with a servant from obeying his master must be greater then the master The Pope dispenceth with men from obeying Gods commands doth he not then make himselfe greater then God He dispenceth also with Subjects from keeping their oath of allegiance which they have sworne to their Soveraigne inciting therby to rebellion He permits a man to marry his Neece and his wives sister things absclutely against Gods expresse command in the 18. 20. Chapters of Leviticus Faults committed against the Pope are many of them accounted so hideous that they are not to be pardoned under a great summe of mony or it may be two or three years pilgrimage but as for sins which tend only to Gods dishonour as swearing blasphemy Sabbath-breaking and so though they be fâ—atly forbidden in Gods holy Word yet if they doe not any way intrench upon the Popes prerogative not derogate from his supremâ—cy theseare esteem'd but petty faults half a dozen pâ—â—er nosters and two or three ave Maries are a suâ—ficient satisfaction for a thousand such sins Briefly he boasts himself to be above the Church and saith that the Church is above the Word of God by this reckoning then the Pope is two degrees above Gods Word Moreover in the Councels where the Pope is present the holy Scripture is set at his feet as it was in the last Councell of Lateran I leave any reasonable man to judge whether by this it appeareth not plainly that he tramples under his feet the Word of God To conclude when I reade in the second Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Thessalonians That there shall come a man which is called the man of sinne and the sonne of perdition that shall call himselfe God and exalt himselfe above God boasting himselfe in signes and miracles And in the 17. of the Revelation of the great Whore that is cloathed in scarlet that seduceth Kings and maketh them drunke with the bloud of her fornication that hath her habitation in the City seated on seven mountains that is to say the City of Rome I have searched every where but can find none to whom this may be so truly applyed as to the Pope of Rome CHAP. III. Of the worshipping of Images THe third abuse which I have taken notice of in the Church of Rome is the service which they doe unto Saints departed this life The Councels of the Church of Rome namely the second Councell of Nice command that Images be adored At Paris a little before Lent you may see the people goe in procession to the Image of our Lady to have permission to eat butter The women come and rub their Chappelets on the feet of the I mages they light them torches at mid-day they kisse them they make coursies to them they bring them presents and carry them all about in procession with great solemnity Nay more then that you may see many Images of Saints that never were As of the three Kings Saint Christopher Saint Margaret Saint Martiall Saint Vrsuline Saint Longis Saint Catherine and many other such like fantasticall Saints that never were in the world Many prayers likewise there are which they mumble out before such their dumbe petty-gods as that unto the crosse Ave Lignum triumphale c. and diverse others which prayers if they intend them to Gods honour they must also cause those things to which they speake to understand what they say unto them No man except he be franticke will speake to the Kings Image with a conceit that thereby he doth the King any honour All these inventions serve on purpose to lull the people asleep in ignorance wherefore they call Images the books of the ignorant they themselves also hide them in time of Lent which is the time of their devotion that they may not hinder their devotion That which causeth all this misery is that they take away from the common people the holy Scripture for having forbidden them Gods Word it was most necessary for them to finde them out somewhat or other to muse on for this end they take out of the table of the commandements which they deliver unto the people the second commandement wherein God forbids the worshipping of Images and the making of the likenesse of any thing in heaven or in earth Deut. 5.8 Thus they doe in some places clip and crop the word of God and in other some patch it and peece it wherby to make it answerable to their owne inventions As I cannot therefore but pitty the miserable estate of those people who are thus kept in darknesse and ignorance so I cannot but most justly condemne the intollerable usurpation of their Leaders who to serve their owne unsatiable avarice hating the glorious light of Gods word endeavour by all meanes to eclipse the same and thereby bring themselves and all such as are carried away with their lives and doctrine without Gods great mercy to everlasting destruction CHAPTER IIII. Of Prayer and serving God in an unknowne tongue ONe of the most deadly and most dangerous abuses of the Church of Rome in my judgement is their praying to God in a language that oft times the person that prayeth understandeth not for S. Paul in the 1. to the Corinthians chap. 14. ver 15. willeth us to pray with understanding How can we expect that God should grant our requests if we our selves doe not know what we would have True indeed God understandeth all languages but in prayer God hath not so much regard to the tongue but to the heart which cannot be then well disposed when it knowes not what the tongue doth say For the tongue is given unto men to testifie the thoughts of their hearts so that he who prayeth not knowing what he saith doth not expresse his thoughts by his words by this meanes he doth as it were act a Comedy before God There is no Prince that will suffer a man to prate thus
God for the truth thereof And were it so that the Saints knew all things then were they equall with God Almighty in wisedome and knowledge But the Scripture saith that the Saints know not the day of judgement Mat. 24. and Mar. 13. And the wise man in the ninth Ecclesiastes excludeth the dead from any knowledge of earthly things The dead saith he know not any thing neither have they any more a portion in any thing that is done under the Sunne And Job Chapter 14. speaking of a diseased father his children saith he come to honour and he knoweth it not and they are brought low but he perceiveth it not of them Their ordinary excuse is that they goe to God by Saints as men goe to the King by his officers But the case is not alike For a King cannot be every where neither doth he know all things and it is not possible that every one should have accesse to him Likewise be hath need to be informed of the truth of things by persons put in trust therefore It is not thus with God for he knoweth all things and doth see and behold all the creatures in the world at once and knoweth and understandeth all mens prayers not needing either Saints or Angels to informe him thereof And although this comparison were allowable yet if a King cals any one unto him certainly he will not be well pleased if that person should goe to any of his officers before he come to him Thus God invites us saying Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you Mat. 11. He doth not bid us goe to Saint Vrselin Saint Margarite or any other such like solicitors Nay more God cals us his children and therefore if we should not goe unto him in all our necessities when he cals us we should shew our selves very undutifull and unworthy of so high a calling Moreover we have one only Advocate with the Father namely the Sonne of God our Lord Jesus and there is none other The Apostle Saint Paul in the 1 Tim. chap. 2. saith thus There is one God and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus As therefore there is but one God so there is but one Mediator And Saint John in his 1. Epistle chap. 2. We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins And in the 14. Chapter of Saint Johns Gospell I saith our Saviour am the way the truth and the life no man commeth unto the Father but by me Their greatest abuse is yet behind which is that they doe not onely make the Saints our Mediators but also our Redeemers For in the Masse the Priests pray for salvation through their merits For they say that the Saints undergoe more punishment and paines then their siunes deserve Hence they gather their superabundant satisfactions which the Pope hoordeth up in the treasury of the Church and distributes them by Indulgences so that any one that hath money may goe to the Pope and purchase as many merits as will satisfie Gods justice for all the sins that he commits all his life long let him sinne as much as he can This also is a tricke which serves very well for the Popes profit and to exalt his dignity and is founded on the unwritten word that is to say on their owne hellish Inventions CHAP. VI. Of fasting and abstinence from certainements THe grand enemy of our salvation hath laboured with might and maine for the accomplishment of the prophecye of the Apostle S. Paul in the 1 Tim. 4. chap. where he speaketh thus Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which beleeve and know the truth for every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanks giving This prophecye of the Apostle is long agoe accomplished in the Doctors of the Church of Rome For doe not they both forbid marriage and command to abstaine from meats which abstinence is also flatly condemned by the same Apostle in the tenth Chapter of the 1. to the Corinthians Whatsoever saith he is sold in the shambles that eat asking no question for conscience sake for the earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof If any of them that beleeve not bid you to a feast and ye be disposed to goe whatsoever is set before you that eat asking no question for conscience sake And in the second Chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians he condemneth those who say touch not taste not handle not And to the end that we might not thinke that he speaks only of those who abstaine from meats which they conceive filthy in their owne nature he declareth plainly that he speaketh of such as abslaine themselves in humility and in voluntary devotion punishing their owne bodies not sparing their flesh which doctrines saith he have indeed a shew of wisedome in will worship and humility and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh The Church of Rome is full of these observations there being above five moneths in the yeare wherein some abstaine from some kind of meat or other Observations which we cannot find that they were ever practised by our Saviour or his Apostles These abstinences they give unto God in part of payment and their fastings they account for satisfactions as if a man should thinke to pay his debts by fasting presuming that his Creditors will abate him somewhat because that such a day he did eat nothing but fish for his dinner Nay the abuse is now come so farre as that one man may fast for another and so satisfie for him and that a man to whom the Priest hath set certaine fasts for pennance may for a peece of money buy them out Sobriety and abstinence of themselves are indeed good and holy duties so as they be not abused by superstition and by thinking to merit any thing unto our selves thereby for so that which is in it selfe an exercise of humility is changed into an efficient cause of pride and that which should serve to lay open our sinnes before God is made a covert for our hypocrifie This is also another device whereby the Pope increaseth his dignity and gathers vast summes of money to his treasury CHAP. VII Of abstinence from Marriage AS for forbidding to marry Saint Paul telleth us that it is the doctrine of devils In the Apostles time marriage was permitted unto the Ministers of the Church witnesse the same Apostle 1 Tim. chap. 3. A Bishop saith he must be blamelesse the husband of one wife ruling well his owne house having his children in subiection with all gravity and a little after Let the Deacons be the husbands of one wife