bee good and vertue to bee evill except shee would sinne against conscience Likewise in offering incense to the Saincts in generall sweareing by them praying and vowing to them which are partes of Divine worshippe Doe they not commit vile idolatrie And in worshipping of images forbidden so clearlie and frequently in Gods word whether it be with relative terminative or conterminative worship in all these they prove idolaters Further their Idolatrie doth manifest it self in worshipping Saint Christopher the three imaginarie Kings at Culen and others who never had life breath nor being as their Saint Longinus whom ignorance hath canonized transforming the speare that pierced Christs side called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into Longinâ—â—s a religious Latine Saint What credit is there to be given to their forged reliquies let any man judge when the heads and bodies of Saints parcels of the crosse nailes and speares that pierced Christ have exceeded and daylie do exceed their just number and quantitie Neither are they inferiour in idolatrie to the prophane Gentiles who were aliens from the common-wealth of Israel without GOD without hope for as they had tutelarie Gods for the protection of nations cities places and Gods for averting of evils and curing of diseases as also for conferring all manner of benefites So also in the Romane church they have their tutelarie saints for nations cities places for curing of diverse diseases and conferring of benefites Finally as the Samaritans did worship that which they knew not and the Athenians did erect an altar to the unknowne GOD so also in the sacrament of the Lords body they worship and know not what they worship whether bread or the body of the LORD for seeing the change of the body of Christ dependeth upon the Priests intention as they affirme and they being uncertaine of his intention do worship and know not what they worship whether bread or the body of Christ To conclude one of their cheif schoolemen Vazquez confesseth that they have no Scripture for the worshipping of images and is further bold to say that they may worship lawfully upon ignorance the divel lurking under the crucifixe Therefore that we be not partakers of her spirituall whoordomes and idolatries and thereby receive of her plagues let us come out of Babylon As to the fift and last sin moving God to powre out the vials of his wrath upon Rome is her corrupt doctrines and heresies for shee is loaden not with one heresie only but heaps of heresies For clearing of this heresie is to be considered materially and formally A materiall heresie is an erronious doctrineâ— opposing and everting the saving grounds of religion A formall heresie when a doctine everting the saving grounds of Truth is maintained with obstinacie Materiall errours was received into the Church of Corinth when the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was called in question The like befell the churches of Galatia when circumcision and the works of the law was thought necessare supplements to Faith to make up our justification before GOD Yet because these foresaid errours was not defended with obstinacie the maintainers were not formally hereticks But in the Romane church doctrines everting Ground trueths are defended with obstinacie and the opponents persecuted with fire and sword wherefore shee is justlie charged with heresies and that both against faith and the dueties commanded in the law as followeth It is an hereticall doctrine maintained in the church of Rome with obstinacie that the Scripture is unsufficient for salvation and is but a partiall rule of our Faith seeing according to the Divine Apostle Paul It is able to make us wise to salvation and perfect to every good work It is more hereticall then this to affirme that their church traditions which are uncertain shall equall the written Word of God given by divine inspiration There is a third hereticall doctrine that surpasseth the two former that the last resolution of our faith shall not be grounded upon Gods Word but upon the church that is according to their glosse upon the Pope who only as they misbelieve is priviledged from all errour It is an hereticall doctrine which teacheth Christ to be offered up 〈◊〉 in an unbloudie sacrifice for the expiation of sin under the bare speces of bread and wine being repugnant to the eternitie of Christs Priesthood who liveth for ever repugnant to the perfection of his sacrifice by reiteration repugnant to his Majestie who hath entered into the heavenly tabernacle in glory and is not any more Priest on earth repugnant finally to his merit which being in it self infinit is redacted to a finite worth and measure at the pleasure of every Messemunging-priest It is an hereticall and arrogant doctrine which teacheth man by the merit of condignitie to deserve life everlasting seing when we have done all we can we are unprofitable servants and when we have suffered what is possible to us these momentanie asslictions are not worthie of that infinit weight of glory layed 〈◊〉 for us in Heaven And seing the righteousnesse of the most just as David Esay and others can not stand before God it is an hereticall doctrine and preiudiciall to salvation to place our justification before God in our owne maimed inherent righteousnesse It is a Divine trueth that there is no name under Heaven to be saved but by the name of Christ Contrare to this is that heretick doctrine of the Romane church that the merits intercession and bloud of Saints and Martyres are mixed as satisfactorie for our redemption with the bloud merit and intercession of Christ The Scripture telleth us that man in his creation was made according to the image of God perfect in holinesse and righteousnesse The doctrine of the Romane church jumpeth with the heresie of Florinus which holdeth that God made the inferiour and sensuall part of mans soule with a propension and inclination to sin In the doctrine of Free-will besides the fond opinion they have in advancing immoderatly the libertie of the same they have fallen upon sundrie hereticall positions in extolling the power thereof for seeing man as saith the Apostle hath no aptitude in himself so much as to thinke a good thought and worse then that We are dead in sinnes and trespasses by nature and if worse can be yet our hearts are said to be meer stones Is it not then an heretical assertion that there is in us any active power to do good being in such a miserable condition Moreover such being our corruption that all the imaginations of our heart are altogether set upon evill and that without the holy Spirit we cannot say so much as the Lord Jesus Is it not an heretick doctrine which teacheth that man unregenerat and voide of the sanctifying Spirit may inact and produce a good morale work wherein there is no sin Further to averre not God but the will to determine it selfe
but in regard of us for though the authoritie of John the baptist the miracles of Christ the testimonie of one sent from the dead the voice of an Angell from Heaven and the voyce of GOD heard of the disciples in the Mouâ—â— were of themselves divine and infallible yet in respect of us as testifieth Peter GOD will have his word to be of a more certaine authoritie In it God hath judged and determined all contraversies and his decision registrate by the Prophets and Apostleâ— continueth to the end of the world and the duetie of the Kirk is to search out his decisive sentence conteined in the holy Scriptures and apply the same Our adversaries to â—id this divine authoritie of Gods written word have forged four deceit full rules Antiquitie Councels Traditions and the voice of the Church which being tryed shall be found no rules for the rule of faith must be infâ—llible these are not so the Phaâ—â—sees pretended Antiquitie which Christ rejected tradition which also he rejected the voice of the Church even of the doctors that sate in Moses chair the Lord bids the people beware of it calling it the Leaven of the Pharisees which he interpreteth to be the Doctrine of the Pharisees Shall they alleadge Councels Christ His Apostles and their doctrine were condemned in themâ— yea and even by the testimonie of our Adversaries these rules shall prove no rules The ancient Doctors and Fathers of the kirk have erred in many things which the Adversaries themselves confesse The like they affirme of Councels On traditions they never yet could agree And as for the voice of the Church which by their glosse and commentarie is the voice of the Pope it hath beene by many of themselves condemned for heresie Therefore let us come out of Babel least we be pertakers of her plagues By these plagues is understood her destruction which shall not bee speedie but a lent destruction and by degres as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a consumption importeth a Thess 2 till at last she be totally and eternally destroyed For as the mysterie of iniquitie did grow and advance by degrees so shall it fall by degrees It was conceived as holy Scripture witnesseth in the dayes of the Apostles it was quickned in the time of Victor and did stirre more powerfully under Stephanus and Cornelius bishops of Rome more yet under Damasus and others following most strongly did it move in the time near the birth under Leo the first It was borme and brought to the view of the World by Boniface the third upon whom the title of universall bishop was conferred by Phocas Emperour as a sythment and satisfactorie price for the bloud of his Master Mauritiâ—â— cruelly and treasonably shed This bruid of iniquitie did grow and was advanced much by the decay of the Greeke impire and donations of the western Emperours till at last it came to the full hight and maturitie in Hildebr and in whom the Antichrist was so visible that many of the Cleargie in France and Germanie and others did avow him to bee the Antichrist This destruction GOD shall bring to passe three wayes as Wee learne out of holy Scripture First by the sword of the Spirit 2 Thessâ— chap. 2. vers 8. Next by the sword of the Kings on Earth Revel 17. chap. 16 and 17. verse Lastly by the brightnesseof the Lords coming 2 Thess 2. 8. God also hath wounded her by the sword of the Spirit first in raising up the Valdenses against her of whom Frier Reinerius who wrote against them thus reporteth saying That they were of all the most pernicious sâ—ct for Antiquitie some holding they were from the Apostles time for generality there scarce being any nation where they are not And tastly for shew of piety in that they live justly before men and believe all things touching GOD aright and all the articles of the Creed only they blaspheme and hate the church of Rome By these Vaidenss the Romane beast gote so deep a wound that though by all meanes they laboured to cure the same yet shall it not bee cured but waxeth more and more incurable for the publick and open reformation begun by them did not so wound that Beast as the reformation by Wickleph who did more clearly espie and more sharply refure the Mysterie of iniquitie then others before him and that reformation by Husse made the wound yet deeper and after him by Luther and Zuinglius it was deepest of all so this wound is incurable And as the mysterie of iniquitie rose by degrees so doeth it fall by degrees Neither doth the article ' O help their cause as if the Antichrist were one singular man seing it is usuall in Scripture under one to comprehend many The woman in the Revelation cloathed with the Sun having the Moone under her feet though shee be but one representeth the Church which is a collective body and comprehendeth many So the Angels in every one of the seven Churches is interpreted by many collectively for many Pastors and Messengers of God And every one of these four beasts recorded by Daniel doth signifie not onâ— singular King only but a race of many Kings and Kingdomes as is clear by the 23. and 24. verses of the seventh chapter of Daniel Yea the Popes of Rome abuse the name of Peter pretending his name to all their usurped tyrannie Therefore it is that their large possessionm Italy are calleds Peters Patrimonie their Pole-money collected sometimes out of England Peters pence And their Plenâ—tude of jurisdiction they claime over the whole church Peters keyes and that one rocke in a popish glosse upon which they will have the church to be built is a lawfull succession of the Bishops of Rome which they affirme to have descended from Peter the blessed Apostle notwithstanding they be as far different from Peter in a doctrinall succession which is the only true succession as Cajaphas that condemned Christ was from holy Aaron first high Priest of the Jewish nation It may be haplie objected that many Bishops of Rome were godly and suffered martyredome for the Christian faith I answere that it is the antichrist and the antichristian Kingdome and not every person in that line that is appointed for destruction for what is recorded of Victor Lee the first and others who being tickled with the itch of ambition aspired to a supremacie over the church doth not argue them to be reprobates but men compassed with infirmities Who were building Babylon not knowing that they were building Babylon even as faithfull Gideon when he was making his Ephod of the ear-ring given him of the spoile of the Midianites was erecting a monument of idolatrie to the destruction of his house and knew not he was so doing So the Bishops in affecting Soveraignitie were ignorantly promoving the antichristian Kingdome which God appointeth to destruction Therefore Come of Babylon the
to the accepting of grace in the article of conversion is hereticall in so far as it is contradictorie to the sayings of the Apostle Who hath separate thee what hast thou that thou hast not received A likewise It is not the runner nor the witter but God that showeth mercie Lastly the Romanists prove hereticall in the cooperation of mans will with grace giving unto it not only a proper working by it selt but also the first place setting God beside the coushen in the second roome which hath a flat opposition to the Apostles words I dare not faith he speak of any thing which Christ hath not worught by mee to make the Gentiles obedient in word and deed As also that every good gift and perfect donation is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights I may joine to the roâ—mer heresies these of the Semipâ—lagians of Massilia touching conditionall predeltination and free will mentioned by Prosper and Hilarius to Augustine which are now refined by the Jesuits and goe most curient in the Romane church as best coine to be layed up in the treasurie of mans merits and rightreousnesse The meanest of these foresaids heresies against faith are of greater moment then the old heresies of the Quartodecimani c. recorded by 〈◊〉 Epiphanius and Augustine Neither have these pesâ—â—erous weeds of heresies spread their roots to the suppression of Faith but also to the destruction of the law Teach they not that divine worship is to bee given to creatures against the first Commandment images to bee worshipped against the second and dispensation with perjuries against the third Saints dayes are among them in greater estimation then the Lords day contrare to the fourth commandement they liberate children from obedience to parents and Subjects from the oath of Alleadgance to their native Princes against the fift They yoak Christian Princes in bloodie wars and persecute the Saints of GOD to death contrare to the sixt They allow incestuous marriages and tolerat stewes prohibite in the seventh they transferre Kingdomes and Empires at their arbitrement being a great injustice contrare to the eight they tolerat lies equivocations and mentall reservations prohibite in the ninth and lastly they deny concupisence to be formally sin after baptisme as if in any article of time it might be said of man that he is without all sin Since then this Romish Babylon is so fraughted with heresies let us all obey the voice of God from heaven and come out of her least being partakers of her sins we receive of her plagues If it be demanded when and how these errours came in and what was the cause that being so grosse and palpable they get such acceptance of the learned I answere that many errours and a-abuses have creept in into the Romane church even of late since the reformation began by the Valdenses As that superstitious festivitie of the forged transubstantiat bread into the body of Christ jubilees depriving the laicks of the cup erecting of images in resemblance of the blessed Trinitie schoole divinitie more Aristotelian then Scripturâ—li diverse orders of begging Monks Jesuites and others bowing at the name of Jesus and now lastly Pelagianisme doth prevaile so far in the doctrine of election conversion and freewill that GODS grace is made a subservient cause to nature and the immaculate and pure conception of the blessed Virgine without originall sin against reason and Scripture is now almost universally maintained These I say are the late cockle and dornell that have sprung up sowne by that ill One since the light of reformation so that the light of GODS word hath beene to them as the Sun to the clay to harden them more and more As to the errours before the reformation though they pretend antiquitie it shall be found that some of them were unknown to the church for many hundred years and the most ancient of them hath nothing but an humaine antiquitie which being compared with Divine antiquitie is but a meer noveltie Where was that doctrine of prayer for the dead in the dayes of Irenaeus who lived in the 180. year of God and some others about these times and long after who thought the souls to rest in subterranean places till the last Judgement Where was the antiquitie of worshipping the Crosse when Minucius Felix who flourished in the 206. year of God averreth in the person of Octavius his dialogist that Christians did neither wish nor worship crosses Where was images in the church when they were condemned in the councel holden at Eliberis And Epiphanius who lived in the 370 year of God seeing a vail haying in it the Picture of Christ or some saint as hee sayeth hung without the door of the temple of Anabletâ—a moved with an holy indignation did cut the same in twaine which doing is approven by Hierome Was the worship of Angels received in the church when the councill of Laodicea did prohibit the same and Theodoret who lived in the 430. year of God in his commentar upon the 2 Colâ—ss condemneth it likewise Doeth not Gregorie bishop of Rome about the 600 yeare of God writing to Serenus bisop of Marsilia condemne the worship of images Was the Saints worshipped in the church when Augustine who was in the 420. year of God in his book de verarelig affirmeth that they did honour the saints with charitie and with noworship And in his 22. book of the Citie of God We name the Saints saith he when wee pray but we do not pray to them Was not these books which now the Romane church accounteth to be Canonick Scripture esteemed to be Apocryph in the councell of Laodicca and by Hierome in his prologue called Galâ—atus and by the Christian church in these dayes Was the imputation of Christs righteousnesse unknowne to the Ancient church when Augustine in his Enchiridian ad Laurentium clearely averreth the same as also Bernard in the larter dayes Was the title and power of Oecumenick or universall bishop received and approved in the church of Christ when Gregorie the great did averre that whosoever did assume that style was either the Antichrist or the foreâ—unnâ—r of the Antichrist Or was the supremacie of the Pope over the church acknowledged when Polycrates with the rest of the eastern bishops did resist Victor bishop of Roâ—e The holy Martyr Cyprian did resist Stâ—phanus and Cornâ—lius both bishops of Rome And the bishops of Africk in the Milevitan councell whereat Augustine was present did inhibite all transmarine appellations to the Sea of Rome Was the doctrine of the substantiall changing of the bread in the body of Christ nothing remaining of the bread but naked accidents received and approved when Theodoret plainly affirmeth that the bread doth abide in its substance unchanged The same doeth Gelasius bishop of Rome after him Bertrame and Scotus one of their chiefe schoolemen testisyeth lib.
the full injoyment of God But the foolish braine of man evanishing in fond speculations did conceive that the souls not fully purged from sin Flitting out of the tabernacles of this mortality before they did attaine to the fruition of God behooved to be purged by fire as most fit for that use Whereupon was kindled this fire of Purgatory to wast and consume the moyens of the simple and credulous and warme the kitchines of the Romane church And it is to be observed that this errour was not universally received for the Greek church to this day reject and condemne the same As to altars Bellarmine confesseth that there is no mention either of Priest or altar in scripture in the dayes of the Apostles for that whereof is spoken Heb. 13. 10. is Christ our altar in heaven upon whom we offer our prayers and Minucius Felix who lived in the 300 year of God witnesseth that Christians in his time had no altars nor images And though Tertullian who lived about that same time in the Latine Church mentioneth an altar yet it is to be understood that there was then no sacrifice of the body of Christ seeing the same author against Marcion calleth the bread a figure or representative signe of the body of Christ and that kneeling at the altar recorded by him in his book intituled Of Repentance importeth no ordinare bowing to the altar but the humble gesture of a penitent which was performed sometimes at the entrie of the church without and sometimes within With altars there came in sacrifices first representative and commemorative then subjective by faith and prayer then propitiatorie and at last the offering of Christ under the naked speces of bread and wine The Canonick Scriptures dyted by Divine inspiration were first only read in the church as is evident out of Justine Martyres apologie Origen and the councell holden at Laodicea and other councels But in the latter end of the 400 year of God the reading of Apocrypha in the kirk did open a doore to the reading of homilies and they to the reading of the acts of Martyres and thereafter the fabulous legends of Saints fictitious for the most part in stead of Gods word did sound in his church and 〈◊〉 last the reading of Apocrypâ—â— and humane writs in the church made that these books called Apocrypha were esteemed Canonick and of no lesse authoritie then if they had beene dyted by the holy Ghost Whereby we may clearly perceive how dangerous it is to give way to wil-worship and humaine 〈…〉 such as faiars dayes crossing in baptisme images altars reading of Apocrypha in the church and the rest of the that Romishrubbish Neither only after this manner secretly but openly errours were obtruded and imposed upon the church under colour of law by a prevailing faction to the regrate and grief of many good Christians who did in private mourne and according to their power resist the same as in the corrupt councels the second of Nice Lateran these of Constans Florencs c. Besides this thirdly great way was made to superstition and idolatrie when the Gregorean liturgie by violence to the effusion of blood of many Saints was inforced upon the Christian world Thaâ— have I declared that the Romane antiquitie in religion is no antiquitie but noveltie as also when and how errours had their original some closely and unknown in the â—owing and spring till they came to maturitie others appearing at the first in thâ—â—r colours were opposed by the Godly which notwithstanding by a prevailing faction were established some under pretext of law others by violence It may seeme strange that the Romane religion being contrare to grace by the presumptuous merite of man contrare to peace by anxious doubtings whereby they keep the souls of men in perpetuall suspensions being also contrare to reason and sense as to maintaine a body without dimension a subject without accidents and accidents without a subject contrare to all societie by approving lying and equivocation Contrare to the light of nature dispensing with incestuous marriage Contrare to magistracie in freeing subjects from the oath of alleadgeance their native Prince and teaching further man to scourge his body kill his King and eat his God being I say such a religion it may appear strange and admirable that men of great learning and understanding Thould be addicted and devoted thereto But there be five reasons why it so falleth out first they have transformed as I said the glorie of 〈◊〉 Eternall God into the similitude of corruptible freatures and God therefore hath infatuaâ— and given them over unto a reprobate minde as he did the Gentiles for the like sin â— They are drunk with the cup of fornication of the Babylonish whoor and as men drunk are bereaved and spoiled of their iudgement and understanding so are they â— They worship images the worshippers whereof as saith the Psalmist by Gods iustice are made like 〈◊〉 of them and as the images have eyes and see 〈…〉 and heare not so are they â— Because the love of the Trueth is not in them as the Lord gave over the Jewws to strong delusions so hath God done with them in Romane church who are enemies to the word of God forbidding the reading use and exercise thereof Finally God fayeth by Esay because the Jewes did worship him after the precepts and traditions of men that their understanding should bee blinded that in hearing they should not heare and seing they should not see To this judgement the Romane church by their vaine inventions and traditions have made them selves lyable For 〈◊〉 therefore that we be not carried with the Current of errour to destruction it is expedient we beware of these fix rocks whereupon many have made shipwrack of their faith which are mentioned by the Apostle Coloss 1. chap. to wit Philosophie Traditions dead and unprofitable Ceremonies called the Rudiments of the world Wil-worship pretended humilitie and uncertaine speculations The church of Christ hath felt the wounds of all these and is still bleeding therewith crying for the help and hand of a pitifull and skilfull Physiciar The church was first wounded by Traditionarâ—s as by Papiaâ— the first of that number and others following Then by Wilworship as festivities and holy dayes to creatures and such like Moreover by humane rites and ceremonies in the sacraments especially in baptisme as crossing spitle oyle salt c. What errours were brought in by Platonicke Philosophie in the prime antiquitie by Origen and others and in the latter ages by the Romish schoolemen what be the uncertaine speculations of the hierarchie of the Angels and pretended humilitie of worshipping of angels and mediating by them dolefull experience doth testifie Therefore let us beware of these rocks and direct our course by the compasse of GODS word which is of greater authoritie by many degrees then the voice of the church not in it self only