and his Apostles and it derogateth from the purging and cleansing of our sinnes which wee haue in the bloud of Iesus Christ whereof I wil only set downe a few places with one offering hath he made perfect them which are Hâ—â— 10. 14. 1. 3. Heb 9. 14. 1 Iohn 1. 7. sanctified hauing by himselfe purged our sinnes sitteth on the right hand on the Maiestie on high how much more shall the bloud of Christ which through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God The bloud of Iesus Christ his Sonne cleanseth vs from all sin If we confesse our sins God is faithful and righteous to forgiue our sins and to cleanse vs Apoc. 1. 5. 7. 14. from all our iniquities Christ hath loued washed vs from our sins in his owne bloud and makes vs Kings and Priestes vnto God c. The Saints wash their long Robes make Ioh. 1. 29. Psal 51. 7. Isa 2. 18. Rom 5. 10. them white in the blood of the Lamb that is Christ Iesus who is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world Purge me with Isope I shall be cleane wash me I shal be whiter then snow Though your sins were as Crimson they shall be made as white as snow If when we were enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his son much more being reconsiled we shall be saued by his life How these and such like places of Scripture will agree with the Popish Purgatory in the which they imagine sinnes to bee punished soules to be purged and Gods iustice to bee satisfied let the Christian Reader consider and so marke what the word of God sheweth to be our true Purgatory euen the bloud of Iesus Christ Saint Paul saith that wee bâ—ing Rom. 5. 1. Apoc. 14. 13. iustified by faith haue peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ And Saint Iohn saith Blessed are the dead which hereafter die in the Lord. Euen so saith the spirit that they rest from their labors and their workes follow them How the faithfull haue peace with God and rest from their labours and yet be tormented in the terrible paines of Purgatory I would saine vnderstand But of this popish purgatory and praier for the dead which depend on it I will write no more at this present expecting that this Catholike Gentlewoman which can propound such profound and vnanswerable questions will profoundly and pithily proue them by the Scriptures which when shee doth she shal by the grace of God heare further from me As concerning praier to Saints departed out of this life I say and here-vppon doe stand that in all the holy Scriptures there is not one commandement of God that wee should pray vnto them nor one promise made to such prayer nor one example of any Patriarke Prophet Apostle or godly man that euer prayed vnto them And although this may sufficiently satisfie a Christian conscience which ought to bee grounded vppon the word of GGD and thereby directed and may moue it to hate and abhorre this false doctrine which hath no warrant in Gods word yet the more to perswade this Gentlewoman and others of her crew to the truth I will sette downe a few arguments grounded vpon the Scriptures to confute this their doctrine of praying vnto Saints My first reason shal be vpon these words of the Apostle Rom 10. 14. How shall they call on him in whome they haue not beleeued Where-vpon I make this argument we are to pray only to him in whome we beleeue but wee beleeue onely in God therefore we are to pray onely to God and so consequently not vnto Saints The first proposition is the word of Apostle the second if they deny I wil hereafter proue it My second Argument shall bee this They are not to be praied vnto yâ— heare not our praiers but the Saints departed heare not our praiers therefore we are not to pray vnto them The first proposition is euident If they shal deny the second I wil hereafter proue it in the meane time lette them consider these places of Scripture Isa 63 16. 2. Reg. 22. 20 Psal 27. 10. My third Argument is this They are not to bee praied vnto which know not our hearts and know not whether our praiers proceed from our hearts or not but the Saints know not our hearts Ergo we ought not to pray vnto them My last argument shall be this wee are to offer sacrifizes Hosea 14. 2. Hâ—b 13 15. Psal 50. 23. to none but onely God Exod. 22. 20. but our praiers bee sacrifices therefore we are to offer them onely to God and so consequently not vnto Saints When this Gentlewoman and her friends shall directly and plainely answer these reasons and set downe as many or mo grounded vpon the Scriptures to proue their assertion then they heare more from me As touching Images if they can proue them by the Scriptures and by the testimonies of all writers since Christ and his Apostles they shall worke wonders the which vntill they doe I will set downe a few places out of the holy Scriptures and ancient Fathers which I would wish them well and deepely to consider and either to answer them or to yeeld vnto the truth of them I will begin with the commandement of GOD. Thou shalt Isa 20 4 Deut. 5. â— make thee no grauen Image neither any similitude of things that are in heauen aboue neither that are in the earth beneath nor that are in the waters vnder the earth thow shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them For I am the Lord thy GOD c. Take good heed vnto your selues for Deut. 4. 15 you saw no Image in the day that the LORD spake vnto you in the Mount Horeb out of the middest of the fire that you corrupt not your selues make you agrauen Image or representation of aâ—y figure whether it be male or female c. Cursed be the man that shall make any caruen or molten 27. 15. Image which is an abhominatioÌ„ vnto the Lord the worke of the handes of the crafts man and putteth it in a secret place al the people shal answer say Amen To whom theÌ„ Isa 40. 18. wil you likeÌ„ God or what similitude wil you set vp to him the workeman melteth an Image or the Goldsmith beateth it out in gold c. Al they that make an Image are vanity their 44. 9. delectable things shall nothing profit and they are their owne witnesses that they see not nor know not therefore they shal be Hab. 2. 18. confounded who haue made a God or molten Image that is profitable for nothing Read the rest that doth there follow Habacuke saith what profiteth the Image for the maker therof hath made it an Image a teacher of lies though he that made it trust therein when hee maketh dumbe Idols
in our writings auoyding all curious questions and intricate and needlesse distinctions we appeale to the consciences of al that reade and heare vs. As touching your method concerning errours in doctrine and inordinate affections in manners if you can proue that our wits be inueigled with them and our liues stained with these more then wee can prooue euen your holy Fathers the Popes forsooth Peters successors and Christes vicars haue beene you shall winne the victorie You seeme to attribute too much to our very naturall faculties to the iudging and discerning of truth proposed not considering the corruption of our naturall faculties by sinne how both the minde is blinded and the will peruerted Our Sauiour Christ saith The light shineth in darkenesse and the darkenesse Iohn 1. 5. 1. Cor. 2. 14. comprehendeth it not Saitn Paul saith that animalis homo the naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of GOD for they are foolishnes vnto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned But of this I forbeare to speake any more and also will leaue the other wast words in your letter and doe come vnto your articles of faith The Pamphlet The first article concerning knowledge and faith The Protestants haue no faith nor Religion THe Protestants haue no faith no hope no charitie no repentance no iustification no Church no alter no sacrifice no Priest no Religion no Christ the reason is for if they haue then the world was without them for a thousand yeeres as they themselues must needes confesse videlicet all the time their Church was eclipsed and 1500. as we will prooue by all records of antiquitie as Histories Councels monuments of ancient Fathers Whereby it plainely appeareth that the synagogue of the Iewes was more constant in continuance more ample for place then the Church of Christ For the haue had their sinagogue visible in diuers countries euer since Christs death and passion euen vntill this day which is the very path to lead men into Atheisme as though Christ were not as yet come into the world a Isa 60. 11. whose admirable promises are not accomplished b Math 16 18. whose assistance hath failed in preseruing his Church vnto the worlds end whose presence was absent many hundred yeeres before â— cap 28 20. the finall consumation and consequenetly they open the gap to all Machiuillians who say that our Sauiour was one of the deceiuers of the world promising so much concerning his Church and performing so little Answer LOoking in this first article to haue found a syllogisme which this worthy writer vseth in some articles following but heere for want of a good medium as it may seeme to frame one by hath omitted I found a false assertion and a foolish probation The assertion that we haue no faith Haue we no faith The Deuils haue some faith Saint Iames saith The Deuills beleeue tremble and haue wee no faith wee are much beholden Iaâ— 2 19. vnto you for your charitable opinion of vs. You are by the doctrine of Saint Paule not to thinke so euill but to 1 Cor. 13. 7. hope the best of them that professe Iesus Christ and his holy Gospell But to this your false and slaunderous assertion I will oppose a true affirmation and confession Wee beleeue all that God hath deliuered to vs by Moses the Faith Prophets and Apostles in the old and new Testament yea we beleeue the contents of the Creeds of the Apostles Nicene Athanasius and yet haue we no faith Wee hope Hope to passe hereafter from death vnto life and to bee partakers of that kingdome of glory which God hath promised and Iesus Christ hath purchased for all those that truly beleeue in him We trust that we haue Charitie loue both towards God and man although wee confesse not in such Charitâ—e full and perfect measure as wee ought to haue Wee with Saint Iohn say Hee that loueth not his brother abideth in 1. Iohn 3 14. death Wee acknowledge repentance to bee one of those Repentance chiefe heads wherein the summe of Christianity is comprised Saint Marke setting forth the summe and substance of Christes doctrine comprehendeth it in these two Repent Marke 1 16. Acts 20 21. and beleeue the Gospell so did saint Paule witnes sing both to the Iewes and to the Grecians the repentance towards GGD and faith towards our Lord Iesus Christ We beleeue to be iustified not by our owne works of righteousnes which wee vnprofitable seruants and prodigall Iustification Luke 17. 10. 15. 21. children haue done nor by the merits of any Saints in heauen or in earth but by the mercies of God purchased vnto vs by the blessed and bloudy merits of Iesus Christ and applied vnto our soules by the band of faith by the John 3. 36. Rom. 3. 25. 4. 5. Ephes 2. 8. Ephes 3. 17. Church which Christ doth dwell in our hearts and is made ours We beleeue that wee are true members of that holy Catholike Church which is Christes misticall body and whereof hee is the head which is the spouse and hee the bridegroome which is his flocke and he the shepeard which is the heauenly Hierusalem the Mother of vs all Galath 4. 26 finally which is the number of Gods elect and chosen people that shall rest with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Math. 8. 11 Kingdome of Heauen And wee know that wee haue perticular and visible Churches wherein Gods word is more truly preached the Sacraments seales of the word are more purely ministred and Gods name more faithfully inuocated and called vpon then in any or all the Romish Synagogues Indeed wee haue no Idolatrous Alters to offer either carnall or externall sacrifices vpon as though Altars Christs sweet smelling sacrifice were not yet offered but wee haue Mensam Domini the Lords Table where-vpon we minister the Supper of Christ which is a holy Sacrament 1. Cor. 10. 21. of Christs body and bloud giuen for vs a memoriall of his death and passion and a pledge of our redemption and saluation purchased thereby Wee haue that sweete smelling and sufficient Sacrifice which Iesus Christ by his eternall spirit offered without fault vnto GOD to purge Sacrifice Hebre. 9. 14. our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing GOD. As for the sacrifice of the Masse as being iniurious to the said sacrifice of Iesus Christ which he once for all and for euer offered vpon the Altar of the Crosse wee deny and defie We haue no shauen nor greased Priests to offer the Priests said false and forged sacrifice of the Masse but wee haue priests pastours or ministers how-so-euer wee terme them according to the ordinance of Christ to preach his holy Gospell and to administer his sacraments to his Church We haue and vse that religion which hath the testimonie of Religion Rom. 3. the law and prophets
sola sacrameÌ„ta in EuaÌ„gelio manifestè tradita legimus i We read that these only 2. sacraments are plainely deliuered to vs in the Gospell yet did hee not deny this article of faith Your owne doctor Alexander de Hales flatly affirmeth yâ— neither Christ nor his Apostles did Alexand. de Halis par quest â—4 men 1. institute ordain the Sacrament of Confirmation but yâ— it was afterward ordained in the councel called Meldense yet he denied not this article And therfore you ouershot your self in saying that they which beleeue not yâ— Chtist did institue 7. sacraments deny this article of faith The coÌ„munion of Saints But to proceed with you concerning the true reall presence of Christ in the Eucharist we deny the same not to the faith of the godly worthy receiuer but to the mouth teeth of the carnal eater We beleeue say that Christs body bloud in as much as they were offred vpon the crosse for our redeÌ„ption are the spiritual food of our soules without which wee can neither liue vnto God heare nor liue with God hereafter and that the same is offred to vs partly in the promises of the Gospel partly in the sacrameÌ„ts of Baptisme Christs supper is in both appreheÌ„ded of vs by faith without which neither the word nor Sacraments can profit vs. But here I must put you in mind that you corruptly alleage a place of S. Paul 1. Cor. 10. 17. foisting in this word Body for Bread S. Paules words be thus we that are many are one bread and one body because we are partakers of one bread This shifting of the words of the holy Ghost is too vsual with your companions Bounderius a Louaine Frier alleaging Compend concept titul 21. act the words of Saint Paul in the next chapter verse 27. Quicunque manducauerit panem hunc c. Hee that eateth this bread c. putteth out the word panem and foisteth in the word carnem flesh alleaging it thus Qui manducat carnem bibet calicem Domini indigne c. He that eateth the flesh drinketh the cup of the Lord vnworthily c. D. Harding in his confutation of the Apology intreating Confut. Apolo cap. 16. diuis 1 of Purgatory alleaging the words of S. Paul 2. Cor. 7. 1. to proue satisfaction for sinnes by that fained fire putteth out Sanctification and in place thereof putteth Satisfâ—tation alleaging it thus making perfect satisfaction in the feare of God Cardinall Hosius changeth the words of Saint Paul alleaging them thus Neque ferre possunt vt per verbum Deisigno Consâ— Petri 10 cap. 13. crucis vlla creatura sanctificetur They cannot abide that any creature should bee sanctified by the word of God and signe of the crosse Hee putteth out prayer and putteth in the signe of the Crosse as a more holy thing The foresaid Bunderius doth most shamefully alleage a Ibid titul 3. 0. arti 5. place of the Apostlein this sort Nam si cinis vâ—tâ—lae conspersas populum sanctificauit atque mundauit quantò magis aqua sale conspersa diuinis precibus sacrata poulum sanctificat atque mundat If the ashes of an heifer sprinkled haue sanctified and cleansed the people how much more shall water sprinkled with salt being hallowed with diuine prayers sanctifie and cleanse the people c. The words of the Apostle bee these If the bloud of bulles and goats and Heb. 9. 13. the ashes of an heifer sprinkling them that are vncleane sanctifieth as touching the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the bloud of Christ which through the eternal spirit offered himselfe without fault to God purge your conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing God Is not this horrible handling of Gods word and blasphemous attributing that to their salt water which is proper and peculiar to the bloud of Christ I could shew in like manner how they haue clipped the coine of Gods word in leauing out words of purpose which serue not their turne but I will omit them only this I say yâ— if they which counterfet clip the kings coine deserue haÌ„ging what do they deserue yâ— counterfeit clip the word of the eternall God king of all kings but corrupt doctrine caÌ„not be maintained without corruptioÌ„ of Gods word But to returne to S. Pauls place he there disswadeth the Christians of Corinth from going to Idolatours feasts by a reason taken from the supper of our Sauiour Christ shewing that as the faithfull by eating that bread which there is broken and drinking that Cup are made partakers of Christ Iesus so they that did eate those feasts ordained to the honoring of Idols were partakers of Idolatrie there committed or rather of the Diuell that was there serued And as the faithfull by being partakers of that bread haue communion togither and bee made one body to wit the mysticall body of Christ so they that receiue those Idol bankets haue communion together and shew themselues to be of one bodie videl of the Diuil Now as there needed no transubstantiation of the one no more there doth for the other Also this bread which Saint Paul calleth the coÌ„munion of the body of Christ is broken yet I trust they wil not say that Christs body is broken although Pope Nicholas De consecra distinct 2. Eâ—o Berenga caused that excellent man Berengarius so to confesse But of the grosse and absurd doctrine of transubstantiation I will speake no more at this present You say moreouer that wee deny the communion of the Chuch militant and triumphant by exclaming against inuocation of Saintes by which holie exercise those blessed Saints in Heauen and wee in earth communicate wee by praier glorifying them and they by meditation I thinke it should bee mediation obtayning our requests Herevnto I answere first that this inuocation of Saints is vnlawfull and cannot bee prooued by the holie Scriptures And this offer I do make you that if you can bring one plaine place out of all the holy scriptures wherein it was euer commaunded or of any faithfull man or woman vsed I will yeeld vnto you not onely in this but also in matters of Religion You quote in your margent Genes 48. 16. and Apoca. 1. 4. which make asmuch for proouing inuocation of Saintes as Tityre tu patule doth The words of the place of Genesis be these The Angell which hath deliuered mee from all euill blesse the children and let my name bee called or named vpon them and the name of my fathers Abraham Isaac that they may grow as fish into a multitude in the midst of the earth Out of this place the Papists take two arguments to proue praier to Angels and to Saints The first out of these words The Angell which hath deliuered me c. The other out of those let my name be called vpon them c. But yet let the reader note this that of the Papists some doe finde
and wherein the true worship and seruice of God according to his will reuealed in his holy word is contained your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and superstition we flee and forsake Finally we haue that Christ which came Christ 1. Tim. 1. 15. Iohn 1. 29. into this world to saue sinners and which is that Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world whom we acknowledge more soundly to be our onely high prophet Matth. 17. 5. to instruct vs in the will of his father whose onely voyce wee must heare our onely high priest with the sacrifice of his body and bloud once offered to redeeme vs and reconcile vs vnto GOD our onely mediator and intercessor to sitte for euer at the right hand of God to make intercession for vs and our onely high King to deliuer vs out of the hands of our enemies to giue lawes vnto our consciences and to rule vs with the scepter of his holy word then the Pope and all his adherents doe This our true confession where-vnto God and our consciences bee witnesses we oppose to your false and slaunderous obtrectation and accusation saying with Saint Paul Wee passe very 1. Cor. 4. 3. little to bee iudged of you or of mans iudgement and with him also exhort you not to iudge before the time vntill the Lord come who will lighten things that are hid in darkenesse and make the counsels of the hearts manifest and then shall euery man haue praise of God Further I doe exhort you that take vpon you so seuerely to censure and iudge others carefully to take heede to your selues that you haue not a false faith grounded not vpon Gods promises Faith contained in his word but vpon mans deuises and traditions which as Epiphanius saith is worse then no faith Epipha in Anâ—â—rat◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that you bee not voyde of true hope by teaching the doctrine of doubting whereof Hope I shall speake hereafter and by fearing to be after death throwne into the firie torments of purgatorie and that you want not true charitie in iudging so falsely and maliciously Charity and persecuting vs so cruelly as you vse to doe when time and powre serueth you and that you haue no true repentance nor remorse of conscience for sinne in Repentance persisting so obstinately in damnable doctrine and abominable idolatrie and that by leaning to your owne righteousnesse and the merites of other men which were sinners themselues you loose not that true iustification Iustification which is the righteousnesse of GOD by the faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleeue which is onely Rom. 3. 22. able to stand and discharge vs before the iudgement seate of Iesus Christ and is the onely strong staffe to leane vpon to leap ouer the ditch of damnation and beware I say that you leaning vpon the weake reede of your owne merites and others fall not into the middest thereof from which there is no rising take heede you be not of the malignant Church which heareth not the voice of Christ Church 2. Thessalo 2. and wherein that man of sinne and sonne of perdition sitteth and raigneth and that you haue not such Idolatrous altars as Iereboam had against which the man of God cried and vpon which the like iudgement of God fell Altars 1. King 13. 2 as hath done vpon yours now And that you haue not a false forged sacrifice which appeaseth not but dailie prouoketh Sacrifice Gods wrath against you and that you bee not without Priests to teach the law of God truely but haue Priest Ierem. 2. 8. Malach. 2. 8. swarmes of such Priests as say not where is the Lord and know not GOD but prophesie in Baal which haue gone out of the way and haue caused many to fall by the law c. Beware that you bee not without Religion remembring Religion Lactant. de origi erroris lib. 2 cap 19. Christ August de ciuitate dei lib. 18. cap. 2. the saying of Lactantius Quare non est dubium quin religio nulla sit vbicunque simulachrum est Wherefore there is no doubt but that there is no Religion wheresoeuer an Image is Finally I say againe and againe beware that you forsake not the true Christ and worship Antichrist sitting in the westerne Babylon built vpon seauen hilles which in the daies of Saint Iohn raigned ouer the Apoc. 17. 9. 18 Kings of the earth wherefore bee not so rash in iudging so hardly and vncharitably of others but examine and iudge your selues that you bee not iudged of the Lord. But I now come to your pithie probation of this your vncharitable 1. Cor. 11. 31. 1 and shamelesse assertion The reason you say is For if they haue then the world was without them for a thousand yeares as they themselues must needes confesse videl all the time their Church was eclipsed and for 1500. as wee will prooue by the testimonie of all recordes of antiquitie c. Wherevnto I answere that if wee take the world in that sense which the scripture sometimes doth for the multitude and societie of them Whereof the diuell Ioh. 14 30. 2. Cor. 4. 4 Iob. 15. 18. 19 1. Joh. 5. 19 Ioâ— 17 9 Ioh. 14. 22 is prince which hateth Christ and his true disciples which is set vpon wickednesse for the which our Sauiour Christ refused to pray saying I pray not for the world and whereof Iudas not Iscariot did say what is the cause that thou wilt shew thy selfe to vs and not vnto the world In this sense I may grant that the world hath not had these gifts of Gods grace these thousand yeares and put another thousand and more vnto them But if we take the world more generally for this great Globe and all the inhabitants thereof then prooue by the testimonie of all antiquitie that the doctrine which wee teach and professe hath not beene these 1500. yeares in the world and wee will yeeld and you shall winne the victorie But it is vsuall with you and your fellowes to make great and braue bragges to amaze the simple and ignorant and to bring small and poore proofes as you doe here none at all to perswade the wise and learned great braggers are no great doers In deede wee confesse that the Church is well compared by Saint Augustine to the Moone For as the August in Psa 10 Moone receiueth her light from the Sunne so doth the true Church receiue her light from Iesus Christ the sonne Malach. â— 2 of righteousnesse And as the Moone is sometimes in the full and shineth in full brightnesse and sometimes is in the waine and sometimes is eclipsed and doth little appeare euen so the Church is sometimes in the full and shineth in full brightnes and glory as in the Apostles times and diuers hundreth yeares after it did sometimes it is in the waine and eclipsed as for many