not the cause thereof seeing that Infants die sayth he which are free from sinne and that Adam notwithstanding his transgression had beene a pray to death I haue good reason to accuse you of Pelagianisme CHAP. XXX Of the dead THe Heracleonites as S. Austin writeth thought that they were able to redeeme those that were dead through inuocations and prayers which they vttered in Hebrew words and strange languages The Romish Church will not giue eare vnto the Doctors who maintaine that after this life there is neither place nor time to make any satisfaction for the sinnes that haue bin committed in this world And indeed that were to bereaue them of the fattest of their daily bread Concerning the feast of the dead we confesse that Boniface the fourth was the author thereof And whereon groundeth he his reasons Vpon the dreames of certaine melancholike persons Veni etiam Domine Iesu. FINIS a Cap. Cum inter Extrau Ioa. 22. Et lib. 1. Caremoniarum sacrar sect 7. c. 6. Sedes Dei 1. sedes Apostolica Concil Lateran sess 9. Diuina maiestatis tua conspectus sess 3. Vniuersis populis adorandus Deo simillimus b Sueton. Domit. cap. 13. Torrent Episco Antuerp comment in Sueton c Martial lib. 5. Epigra 8. d Credere DominuÌ„ Deum vestruns PapaÌ„ coÌ„ditorem huius Decretalis c. Loco suprà notato in Gloss. Extrau cum inter nonnullos e Bulla Greg. 23 praefixa nonae edit Decret Graet f In Agapet Iustinianus adorauit Beatissimum Agapetum hanc adorationeÌ„ intelliguÌ„t de qua Psal. 72. Adorabunt eum omnes reges terrae g Stapl. princip fid doct praefat ad Greg. 13. 9. dist 95. satis euidenter h Dist. 95. satis euidenter l Steuch de donat Const. k Blond lib. 3. inflam Rome l Cerem Pont. lib. 1. tit 7. m Plinius of this same purpose vvriteth thus Lib. nat hist. cae 7. Fragilis laboriosamortalitas in partes ista digessit infiâ—mitatis sue memor vt portionibus quisque coleret quo maximè indigeret Sic Gulielmus Philander annot in Vitruuium de Archit lib 4. c. 8. ait Christo in cruce pendenti suam esse dandam cellam atque materiaÌ„ qua Diuos fing as dignissimaÌ„ c. n Sic Virgil. Aeneid li. 6. non temnere Diues o Plaut in Casina Vnus tibi hic dum propitius sit Iupiter tu istos minutos caue Deos flocci feceris p The little Saints bee such as S. Leger S. Fremin S. Guerlichon S. Emeneheu S. Lupe S. Vit. c. a De Virg. veland b Ezech. 30. 18. c Aug. lib. cont Petil. c. 2. Ambr. in 1. Cor. cap. 4. Chrysost. hom 49. in ca. 24. Math. d Cyp. Epist. 63. ad Caecil e Vt Vatinius se PythagoreuÌ„ dicere solebat hominis doctissimi nomen suis immanibus barbaris moribus praetendere Cicero in Vatin sic Pontificij suis erroribus praetendunt nomen sanctorum Patrum Gloss in Can. Noli meis dist 9. vult prima scripta omnia enim authentica tenenda esse ad vltimum iota * Athan. in Synopsi f Aug. de vnit Eccl. cap. 16. g Pythagor in vers aurat h Plato in Timaeo i Agrippa apud Dionem k The most impure idolaters do cry out in Prudentius Hoc sanctuÌ„ ab aeu est hoc ab auis traditum i Apud Ambro. li. 5. epist. 10. extant verba Symmachi Ethnici quibus religioneÌ„ ChristianaÌ„ nouitatis infimulabat suam verò id est Pampilianam ceu antiquaÌ„ veram censebat retinendam a And may we not liken the liripipium or Doctorall hoode to those apices tutuli Flaminum SalioruÌ„ b Fran Bernard de Lutzemb in Catal Haeretic a The Pope is in Heauen a marshall which appointeth euery one his place to campe in b Sic Viues comment lib. 8. c. 27. de ciuitat Dei Multi christiani in re bona plerumê™ peccaÌ„t quod diuos diuasê™ non aliter venerantur quaÌ„ Deum Nec video in mult is quod sit diserimen de sanctis id quod Gentiles putabant de dijs suu c Comment li. 2. d Diodor. Sicul lib. 5. Strabo lib. 15. Raine e Pausan. in Attic Corinth Baeot. f In Atticis g Ier. 14. ve 22. An sunt inter vanitates gentiuÌ„ qui pluuiam edant an celi dant imbres noÌ„ne tu is es Iehoua Deus noster h Lib. 1. Eleg. 8. Nec pluuio supplicat herba Ioni Pestilence i Ouid. in Fast. Ecce leui scutum versatum leuiter aura Decidit à populo clamor ad astra venit k Liuius lib. 4. Dec. 4. Madnesse l Nunc pluit claro nunc Iupiter aethere fulget m De inuent rer lib. 6. ca. 13. Papistae Raphaeli committunt oculos sanandes Apolloniae dentes Alan Cop. dialo 3. cap. 29. Stormes n Inuocatio ad S. Rochum contra pestem his verbis concipi solet Tu qui Deo es tam charus in luce valde clarus sana tuos famulos Et à peste nos defende OpeÌ„ nobis ac impende contra morbi stimulos Missal Breuiar Sarish in Missa de S. Rocho 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Virg. Aencid lib. 7. Ad nos vix tenuis famae perlabitur aura b In Apol c 23. NarnensiuÌ„ Veridianus Aesculanorum Ancaria Volsiniensium Nursia O ticulanoruÌ„ Valentia Intrinorum Noctia Faliscorum in honorem est primacuris c. c Cont. Celsum lib. 8. passim tomo 2 pag. 930. d Secundum numerum vrbiuÌ„ tuarum sunt Dij tui ler 2. 28. In epistol ad Rom. 1. tomo quinto f Lib. 8. de ciuit Dei cap. 18. tomo quinto g De praeparat Euang. li. 13. c. 7. h Multi Christiani Diuos Diuasque non aliter venerantur quaÌ„ Deum nec video in multis quod sit discrimen inter eorum opinioneÌ„ di sanctas id quod Gentiles putabant de suis Dijs Vines comment in August de ciuit Dei li. 8. cap. vlt. i Cicero lib. 3. de legibus Diuos ens qui coelestes semper habiti sunt colunto illos quos in coeluÌ„ merita vocauerunt IteÌ„ Diuisque alijs alij sacerdotes omnibus Pontifices singulis flamines sunto k Lib. 3. bâ—lli Pelopon l De muneruÌ„ officiorum distributione quae sanctus sunt assignata praefinita Aug. de Ethnicis loqueÌ„s sic scribit lib. 4. de ciuit Dei cap. 22. Dicebat Varro ita esse vtilem cognitionem DeoruÌ„ si sciatur quam quisque Deus vim potestateÌ„ habeat cuiusque rei Ex eo enim poterimus inquit scire queÌ„ cuiusque rei causa Deum aduocare inuocare debeamus ne faciamus vt mimi solent optemus à Libero vini Deo aquam à Lymphis aquarum Dealue vinum a Iulius Capitolinus b Horat. Certos vt denos decies
your Capuchins make foure Lents in the yeare I will submit my selfe vnto that which is truth In the meane while we shall alledge against them that which S. Hierome sayth Their fasts and diuers rules and their lying hard who fasting three Lents in the yeare and humbling their soules 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by eating nothing but drie things and such other superstitions which haue proceeded from the roote of Tatianus vpon such paines as they lay on themselues must onely giue eare vnto this Why haue you taken so much paines without any cause Or haue you suffered so much in vaine CHAP. XXIIII Of abstinence from meates THe Councels and Canons which we alledged in the title of Fryers shall make vs abridge that which we were minded to speake here concerning abstinence from meates The Manicheans in their fasts obserued strictly this difference of meates as it is now practised and in like manner abstained from flesh in place whereof as S. Austin writeth they vsed other most delicate meates and fishes that were found with much difficultie and were so daintilie prepared with costly sauces that Apitius would haue enough adoe to make readie the like The Ebionians the Tatians the Encratites haue also authorised and taught their disciples this abstinence from flesh But aboue all others Marcion agreeth best with you seeing that he reputed the eating of fishes to be more holy then the eating of the flesh of other creatures whereunto Aerius the hereticke hath set his hand in like maner who also abstained from eating of flesh The Councell of Brachara holden the yeare 630. condemned abstinence from flesh if the same were obserued for religion and not for sobrieties sake CHAP. XXV Of vnknowne Language YOu dare not deny that which the Apostle sayth That euery thing ought to be read in the Church in a language that is vnderstood I should neuer haue done if I should here vnfold the authoritie of the Fathers The councels of Laodicea and Carthage ordaine that nothing shall be read to the people in the Church but Canonicall Scriptures And if they were not vnderstood what would the reading thereof profit vs The Law of God was read vnto the auncient people in a language that the whole multitude vnderstood as we may see in Nehemias The Emperour Iustinian will haue the whole diuine seruice to be celebrated in a knowne language You are of a contrarie minde and it were to enter into a labyrinth to refute your opinion We will say onely that Marke the sorcerer hath borrowed it of you or you of him who as we read in Epiphanius and Theodoret tooke delight in strange and vnknowne words And how Your whole seruice your Missall your Breuiarie are they not thus disfigured These be your cunning slights to the end that by such vaine thundering you may terrifie simple ideots after the example of the Marcionists CHAP. XXVI Of Simonie SImonie consisteth in selling of all manner of holy things I will haue no other witnesse then the whole world that there is none amongst all your Bishops and Priests that is not defiled therewith Blame your owne decrees and Canons which declare you all to be excommunicated and witnesse your vocation to be vnlawfull The Iesuites teach their scholars daily for nothing to the end that they may reward them againe with almesses of thousands yea and of millions of crownes In these dayes Bishoprickes and other Benefices are bestowed the Sacraments are ministred and that for nothing True indeed that if they take any thing alas it is but little and onely by way of contract which the Lawyers terme do vt des And from whence hath all this trading proceeded but from Simon Magus the father of all heretickes that would haue giuen money to the intent that he might haue the power to bestow the holy Ghost on such as would reward him therefore CHAP. XXVII Of Processions THose Processions are of your owne breeding the holy antiquitie knew them not We haue spoken thereof in the conformities of Gentilisme and declared that you abuse these words procedere and processio which the Father 's vsed but after a diuers sense and it is without all reason that you will haue them to be those Processions that are vsed among you And that which is spoken of the wise men of the Orient reuersi sunt per aliam viam is the cause why you make some Processions after a preposterous manner The Arrians were the authors of these circuites and made them with great solemnitie marching along the streetes singing certaine lauds which were penned in prayse of their sect Thereafter S. Chrysostome by an vnfit imitation whereupon followed a most dangerous sedition in the Church commaunded his clergie and congregation to doe the like as well to giue contentment to his flocke as to the end that they should not follow that band of the Arrian sect And the Historiographere concludeth that the Catholickes hauing for this cause begun to sing after the foresaid manner haue continued the same vnto this day CHAP. XXVIII Of extreme Vnction ARe you ignorant that the vnction which you call the last was a miracle of the primitiue Church And of a miracle why do you make a sacrament We haue protested before that we would not enter into the deepnesse of controuerted matters seeing that our butt is onely to ioyne you in alliance and matrimonie with heretickes In this title I find that you are companions with the Heracleonites The difference that is betweene you and them consisteth onely in this that they annoint the dead and you annoint such as are a dying CHAP. XXIX Of Death FRom extreme vnction we shall passe vnto death and truly it is the forerunner and the trumpet The greatest displeasure that you can doe to the wiues of sicke persons is to bring vnto them this manner of wares which is as much as a commission or packet that is deliuered to their husbands to carry into another world Behold death that arriueth whom the faithfull doe acknowledge to be the meane to change all these miseries into felicitie It is the hand of God that pulleth vs backe from these calamities it is the opening of the prison our deliuerie from captiuitie the issue of our miseries and the arriuing at the port And although death doth affoord so many commodities vnto vs yet it is the reward of sinne And what doe the Pelagians speake thereof with whom you haue more then ten heresies common That Adam had died although he had not transgressed Gods commandements This heresie is not generall among you But hauing perused your Index expurgatorius which spared not to censure the old Fathers and hauing perceiued that there was no order taken for scraping out of that which Austin Steuchus hath written to wit that death is a thing naturall and that sinne is
our God And therein Peacocke-like doth iett But in De Croys Conformities You may his errours plainely see Where all his foule deformities To life discou'red fully bee Obiection vnto the former SONNET VVHat the Church of Christ may it be sedus't And can it erre and can't so foully faile When Christ himselfe hath said Deuill nor hell Should haue no powr'e the faith though small t'assaile Answere Know that the church two waies may be cōceiu'd The one aptly to speake doth comprehend None but Gods children such as he elects And seales and gratiously will defend The other doth containe both good and bad Is that you see here in the world belowe Which erres so oft as Sathan it doth heare And by an euill life the same doth showe The first doth neuer erre for shee attends The sweete voice of her spouse to vnderstand The last may euer erre and be deceiu'd For in foule blacke blindnesse she loues to stand To those of the Romish CHVRCH YOu Romane Catholicks who sees this work I' st possible that it you can behould And cannot marke that horrible inchaunt Wherein bewitching Sathan doth you hould If the Apostles those most holy men Should now into the world againe returne Would neuer thinke that Christians you were Because al means might teach you truth you shun I speake and pronounce this not bitterly I speake it with a godly louing zeale Your pietie of which you make such bragges No warrant hath your grieuous sinnes to heale For you in humane merits firme your trust And that 's your anchors-hould and not in him Who sets you free from the eternall death And is the onely ransome for your sinne Antichrist by little and little and by craft And subtill shifts into the Church is slid And in Gods holy Temple now at last He sits in pompe trusting there still to byd It was often foretold that he should come And for our sinnes this reuolt was suffr'ed And that there must of meere necessitie Great and most blind errours be permitted Yea so ordain'd by our most puissant God That his most sacred Church should be opprest For a time in the bonds of Papacie For so long time as he would thinke it best But from these crooked and peruersed wayes Full of dreadfull and most deadly darknesse God hath bin pleased through his great bountie Vs for to draw and eke with peace to blisse Euen so Christ our Lord and Ionas were The figures of Gods Church in these last dayes For one was dead the other prisoner Christ in tombe Ionas in the fish he prayes Lift vp your eyes with speed behould this light Which shines in you and Iesus Christ imbrace By liuely faith cast off those euill Sp'rits Which makes you scorne Gods word to your disgrace Christ is the truth the way and onely life The Churches most deare spouse run then amaine And by a constant faith liue chast to him His company brings comfort that 's your gaine THE PREFACE To those of the Romish CHVRCH MY Masters who would discerne true coyne from that which is adulterated will not content himselfe with looking on the superscription the stamp colour roundnesse thereof but going on a little farther will come to the triall of the substance of the mettall will take the touchstone and draw thereon to examine the goodnesse or insufficiencie thereof Euen so to discerne true Religion from false and to know the Church of Iesus Christ in this confusion of so many that are like thereunto we must not be contented with the iudgement of the Church which you call representatiue but we ought to goe straight on to the onely Scriptures which are the foundation and pillers of the true cause in matters that concerne Religion And if we had stayed there we should not see at this day such horrible confusions in Christendome neither yet this mixture of cockle with good corne and there would remaine nothing but pure wheat in the garnar and store-house of the Church And would to God that some of the auncient Bishops could haue contented themselues with the marches established by the holy Ghost the greatest part of the world should not now be wandering in the auncient pathes and footsteps of Gentilisme against which the Apostles and many other infinite numbers of the most excellent and worthie men haue foughten and obtained the victorie through shedding of their bloud Should not this exquisite ballance square and canon of the Scripture this rule of right and veritie haue beene sufficient to teach vs whatsoeuer belongeth to the whole perfection of our beleefe We ought not to haue beene ignorant of these beautifull markes of antiquitie That there is no other proofe of Christian Religion but by the Scriptures if any controuersie arise where to find the bodie that is to say the Church that it ought not to be sought amongst our words but amongst his words who is the truth and knoweth his bodie to wit Iesus Christ. It was thither that the Bishops should haue led the Gentils to teach them to worship one onely God to make them turne from their old superstitions and idolatrous customes by the violence whereof they haue beene forced to worship their false Gods and creatures and should not haue giuen way to so many things which are so farre from hauing any warrant in the holy Scriptures that they are meerly contradictory thereunto It is after this manner that it hath seemed good vnto the wisedome of man to iest and play with the high and holy mysteries of true Religion It is after this manner that thinking onely to winke at things and that through tolerating of the lesser euill to eschew greater inconuenience this holy spring of Christian pietie hath beene infected by the filthie mud of Paganisme from whence those deludges haue proceeded which haue ouerwhelmed some fundamentall points of our saluation And would to God that those zealous ones without knowledge had taught their Neophytes to thinke it abhomination to suffer themselues to be led away by degrees vnto such things as at first seemed pleasant we should not see at this day such pestilent doctrine neither yet those superstitions and ridiculous ceremonies which haue caused as well in times past as in these dayes so many troubles in Christendome But this is their reward who haue chosen to preferre the Church to the Scripture and man to God as if it were more expedient to find out the head by the proofe and testimony of the members then the members by the testimonie of the head I am exceeding sorie to consider that when the time of appearing before the tribunall seate of God shall come the damned Gentiles shall know their markes and liueries on you and that in great aboundance as this present table of your conformities vnto their fashions and customes shall clearely and faithfully beare record But let vs examine how this filthinesse hath corrupted that beautie that was among you Those poore Gentils liuing vnder the Empire of Constantine the
dead wee haue them in Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And in Virgil. Hic duo rite mero libans carchesia Bacccho Fundit humi duo lacte nouo duo sanguine sacro Purpureosque iacit flores ac talia fatur Salue sancte parens iterum saluete recepti Nequicquam cineres animaeque vmbraeq paternae In Tertullian wee haue Oblationes pro defunctis Where Rhenanus noteth that from thence proceeded the beginning of anniuersaries But the Index Expurgatorius of the low countries will haue it corrected antiquitie instead of beginning and the Spanish one will haue it scraped out although their Parmelius say the same Anniuersariorum cum eleemosynis Veni etiam Domine Iesu. THE HARMONIE AND AGREEMENT of the Romish CHVRCH with IVDAISME The second Conformitie THE PREFACE To those of the Romish CHVRCH MY Masters we shall be briefe in the description of the harmony which is betweene your Church and Iudaisme For if we would search narrowly that great heape of ceremonies which hath beene transported from the ceremoniall law into yours wee should neuer haue done and the reading thereof might perhaps be tedious for the prolixitie of the same And truely if we search well the fountaine of all your ceremonies whereby the pure seruice of God hath beene made not honourable but by little and little hath beene disguised and transfigured and in end conuerted into Idolatry and vngodlinesse we should finde them to be as many remnants of Iudaisme if we adde vnto them that which hath beene taken out of the puddle of Gentilisme as we haue declared in the conformitie preceding It is after this manner that so cunningly you haue mingled together with your deuotions rules and ceremonies not onely the Mythologies of the Pagans but that also which in old times was appointed for his people at this time neuerthelesse abolished through the comming of our Sauiour Christ Iesus who hauing fully executed the charge which the heauenly Father had committed vnto him hath done all that was necessary for deliuering of vs from the second death and to purchase vnto vs life euerlasting as it was promised vnto the Fathers euen when the first sinne was committed and afterwards figured and shadowed by the Ceremonies of the whole outward seruice of the Church of Israel Seeing therefore that he hath fully and perfectly accomplished all whatsoeuer was promised and foretold as well of his person as of his office and that he hath put an end to all the shadowes of the legall ceremonies wherefore haue you restored againe the greater part of those types which were practised vnder the Leuiticall gouernement Those ceremoniall lawes were eyther personall or were appointed for the daily and ordinary seruice of the Tabernacle or for the vse of sacrifices purifications expiations and such other shadowes of this auncient pedagogie which God had ordained as well to separate his chosen people from the Idolatrous nations to hinder them from forging vnto themselues any new seruices at their pleasure and following their owne fancies as to admonish them to nourish and confirme their faith in looking for the great Messias who was shadowed by those Ceremonies All these things haue ceased And that those Ceremonies are not acceptable vnto God at this time it appeareth in this that the Iewish policie is no more the Arke is lost the Vrim and Thumim suppressed the citie of Hierusalem defaced and the temple destroyed so that there is not a stone left vpon another and what licence soeuer the Iewes obtained to reedifie the same as vnder Iulian the Apostate a mortall foe vnto the Christians who did contribute himselfe thereto yet could they neuer bring it to passe But as the Gentiles themselues of those dayes doe witnesse fires comming out of the earth and great thundrings from heauen consumed the workemen and scattered the workes which they had begunne with exceeding great pride and cost And where now is the fire consuming the holocaustes the glorie of God among the Cherubins the manifest inspiration of the holy-Spirit vpon the Prophets the Arke of the couenant the Oracles which came out of the propitiatory the Vrim and Thumim the Royall and Priestly annointing in a word all those goodly prerogatiues wherewith God in old times did beautifie and adorne his people The whole is no more and it is certaine that if it had pleased God to continue and prolong as well these things as the ceremonies of the Law he had not suffered the Romane Emperour to ouerthrow Ierusalem to destroy the sanctuary and abolish the sacrifices throughout the whole earth And those vtter desolations which haue happened vnto this people through his permission and were foretold in old times by the propheticall Oracles doe sufficiently shew the bill of diuorcement which God hath sent to those types and shadowes whereof also we did not stand any more in neede sith the truth hath beene manifested both vnto their eyes and yours And since it is so wherefore haue you set them vp againe You haue loaded your selues with so heauy a burden of diuerse ceremonies that you haue not beene contented with the reliques of Iudaisme and to practise the same yea and you haue made no difficultie to put forth your prophane hands vnto the holy Sanctuary of the miraculous workes of Christ Iesus And what Know you not well enough that that which he hath said and done wherein hee would be imitated of his owne ought to be referred vnto the practise of perfect pietie that is due to God and to the true and perfect charitie which he hath shewed vnto vs But doe you not counterfeit Christ Iesus in things which hee neuer did to that end that he might be followed and imitated therein For howbeit it be not borrowed from Iudaisme yet it is an indecent imitation and voide of all reason THE SECOND CONFORMITIE CHAP. I. Of Lent HE fasted forty dayes and forty nights without eating anything prouing by this miraculous worke that the preaching of the Gospell whereinto he entred was a doctrine descended from heauen and not of men the doctrine of the law hauing also beene authorized in Moyses by the like miracle You will haue this institution of Lent to proceede from that fasting which Christ Iesus practized once in all his life which you reiterate euery yeere and God knoweth with what abstinence We confesse that some auncient Fathers haue made mention thereof but went otherwaies to worke then you doe as it is to bee seene in the tripartite Historie in these words Concerning fasts which are vsed before Easter it is manifest that in diuers places they haue beene diuersly obserued for in Rome they fast three weekes before Easter the Satterday and Sunday being excepted In Illyrium in Grecia in Alexandria six weekes and doe call this time Lent Others begin the fast seauen weekes before the feast although they fast but fifteene dayes making certaine interualles and neuerthelesse call that time Lent And
tuo Who had in like manner their pretended Saints Iudas Cain Esau and such others vnto whom neuerthelesse Ireneus doth not oppose eyther Abel or S. Peter or Abraham and the like but onely our Lord Iesus Christ who alone is receiued in his Church We cannot finde therefore any footesteps of this inuocation in the venerable antiquitie or if you haue remarked any such our writers haue refuted them and haue rased the foundation thereof For the Fathers haue maintained that to call vpon God wee must no waies haue recourse vnto dead men neither yet admit any creatures how worthy soeuer they be to be mediators and intercessors but Christ Iesus alone Which is made manifest by S. Ambrose Iesus Christ saith he is our mouth by which we speake to the Father our eye by which we behold the Father our right hand by which we offer vp our selues to God without whose intercession there is no accesse to God either for vs or for any of the Saints S. Chrysostome Tell me woman why hast thou beene so bold as to addresse thy selfe to Christ Iesus thou that art a sinner and a lewd person I know well what I doe said she Behold the prudence of this woman She prayeth not to Iames She addresseth not her selfe to Peter She hath no regard of the whole company of the Apostles She hath sought for no Mediator but in stead of all these she hath made repentance her companion and thus hath taken her iourney to the soueraigne fountaine For saith she for that cause hath hee descended for that he hath taken flesh on him for that he hath become man to the end that I also might be bold to speake to him S. Austin saith The Christians in their praiers do recommend themselus each to another But hee that prayeth for all no body praying for him is the true and only Mediator And a little after If S. Paul were intercessor the other Apostles should be so likewise and by this meanes there should bee many intercessors Which could not agree with that which is said That there is one Mediator betweene God and man And vpon S. Iohn he addeth that it is not lawfull to worship any Saints neither yet to consecrate Altars and Chappels vnto them Cyrillus If wee would haue the Father to grant our requests we must pray in the name of the Sauiour What shall we say farther Clement Alexandrin Iustin Martyr Tertullian Ireneus and the most auncient speake nothing thereof And if you will not beleeue me at least you will beleeue Leo that was Bishop of Rome who plainely affirmeth that neither the death nor the merits of Saints are able to helpe vs a whit to obtaine remission of our sinnes but only the merits of Iesus Christ. And those passages of the auncient Fathers being so cleere and manifest are withall grounded vpon the testimonies of the Scripture Epiphanius reproueth the inuocation of Saints and Angels as a vilde heresie and an abuse of Satan and of the old Dragon and saith that in no waies wee must perfume their images with sweete incense The Mileuitane and Africane Councels haue taught the same and haue wholly ouerthrowne that which you hold concerning their merits and workes of superrogation Wee haue already spoken of those that called on the Angels whom S. Austin for this cause called Angeliques a title that belongeth vnto you as well as vnto them For who knoweth not after what manner you worship and serue them You ought to call to minde that which that holy Father writeth We honour the Angels by charitie and not by seruice and wee build no temples vnto them for they will receiue no such honour at our hands We will adde moreouer to the premisses another goodly sentence of this same Doctor q but that we may be briefe we will send the Reader to the place that is cited in the Margent S. Hierome saith that wee ought neither to worship Reliques nor Angels nor any creature Which was the same that S. Athanase had written before and S. Ireneus yet before him The Ethnophrones did celebrate birth dayes like as you doe the natiuity of your Saints and the dayes of their death and from these your greater and smaller feasts haue taken their beginning which wee acknowledge to be the markes of Antichrist only such as be condemned by S. Paul and by the Decree it selfe vnder the particularitie of Satterday thought by some persons to be a vacation day And the same Hereticks as Bodin reporteth had their enchantments as in old times you had the booke of exorcismes vpon the canonisation of Saints CHAP. XVII Of the Virgin Mary THese are your ordinarie reproaches that we contemne the Virgin Marie notwithstanding that we haue often protested that we will not diminishany thing that belongeth to the rights and prerogatiues of this holy Virgin Wee acknowledge her to be the mother of God the instrument of the reparation of mankinde a Virgin both before and after her deliuerie and we defend her with the holy Fathers against Heluidius and his associates It is not against her that we labour but against your Doctors which vtter most horrible blasphemies against this Virgin Gabriel Biel hath beene bold to write thus The heauenly Father hath giuen the halfe of his kingdome vnto the most blessed Virgin Mary Queene of the heauens which was figured in Esther vnto whom Assuerus promised the one halfe of his Kingdome And for as much as the heauenly Father holdeth iustice and mercy to be the riches of his kingdome he hath reserued iustice for himselfe and hath resigned ouer mercy to the Virgin Marie Can wee imagine any thing more abhominable then this In your Confiteor like as in the forme of your excommunication there is nothing performed without the consent and approbation of the Virgin and without her the Lord may not vse his mercy and iustice in the Church You haue composed a Psalter for her that cannot be red without horrour for all that Dauid hath spoken of God is changed and attributed vnto her and the names Lord and Eternall are changed into that of Ladie The songs of the Prophets of Simeon and those that are attributed to S. Athanase and to S. Ambrose haue felt the same Metamorphôsis It is your ordinarie prating to call her Queene of heauen Lady of the Angels Mistresse of the world the gate of heauen the starre of the sea the fountaine of mercy the fountaine of grace and pardon our life and saluation vnto all those that put their confidence in her And Bernardin de bustis Wee must appeale saith he from the Court of Gods iustice vnto the court of his mothers mercy And notwithstanding you ought to haue learned of S. Bernard that she taketh no pleasure in these false honors That her chiefe honour is to be saued through the