to be true seruants to their Sauiour or good subiects to their Souereigne I Hauing finished yet in great weakenesse our former worke wherein I doe humbly craue of all sorts a friendly and fauourable construction and acceptation and there still remaining a few pages vnwritten I thought it not labout lost if I did annexe some common yet courteous direction to the Lay-papists of the land to disswade them from the corrupt Doctrine of the Church of Rome vnto the which they are induced by the inchaunting allurements of Popish Priests men whose learning and wits are tempting baites yea bawdes Thamar-like prostitute themselues so that they may haue children they will deceiue their owne father Iudah as also by the ignorance of these Lay-disciples whose right eyes of knowledge they thrust out as Nahash the Ammonite would haue done to the men of Iabesh Gilead depriuing them of the word of knowledge the Scripture and saying It was the Deuills inuention to permit the people to reade the Bible as one of their fide writes and therfore the Church of Rome forbiddeth the reading of it among the people By which meanes oh wofull meanes and to cry with their owne Doctor to their Cleargy for it woe to our Parish Priests woe to our Bishops woe to our Prelates they haue brought in such a floud of prodigious ignorance as that many of them are as ignorant as that Knight was of whom Claudius Espâ—ncaem tells of who being demanded his beliefe touching the holy Ghost answered he knew not whether there was an holy Ghost or no. So that their followers being so blind not able to iudge of colours wanting the word of Truth the Scripture in the tongue they vnderstand which is the lapis Lydius the touchstone to try the truth from error diuina statera as Augustin calles it the diuine ballance to weigh truth from falsehood it is easie to winde such into selfe-losing labyrinthes and to driue them with their painted clothes like woodcockes into their nets and to goe with them with Domitius Chalderinus yet hee learned who when he should goe to the Masse accustomed to say Eamus ad communem errorem Let vs goe to the common error So these are content to goe to Masse the common or Catholicke mother of all Bastard errors The attractiue motiues which draw many to fancy and follow the religion of the Church of Rome may be reduced to three Heads 1. The Antiquitie 2. The Vniuersality 3. The Vnity of that Church which three if they could be found there were of powerfull consequence to mooue reuerence but neither of these can be found there for the moderne Romane Church which coines so often new Creedes and Articles of faith and is reuolted from herselfe in substance of doctrine is no more like herselfe in her primitiue State then Lais the Curtizan is an honest woman I could demonstrate this I say without controulement if I were purposed to write a common-place-booke of Controuersies in this point but it hath beene handled so largely and learnedly by other Diuines of our Church that I may at this time forbeare any long discourse I will but touch it and instance this I write how the moderne Church of Rome is swarued from herselfe not onely from the Truth which primitiue Rome embraced but also varied from herselfe declining into heresie innouating those Articles and dogmaticall points of faith as they count them which in the processe of her fall she professed it might be specified in most of the points of Doctrine she maintaines at this present time but I will rest with these few for I write but an Epitome 1 Example shall be in the Sacrament At the first the people receiued the cup as well as the bread for the space of a thousand yeeres yea afterward the Romance Church commanded the wine to be consecrated that the lay-people might fully communicate saith Micrologus most and the best Papists liked this well that the people should communicate in both kinds but afterward the Councell of Constance forbad it and after that the Councell of Basil released the decree of Constance to some and after that the Councell of Trent the mint of errors confirmed it againe and depriued the Laity of the Cup Sect. 21. c. 2. So that this point of Doctrine now maintained in the Church of Rome can pleade no antiquity being now so oft renewed put vp and put downe and their most ancient Liturgies shew how the people receiued the wine as well as the bread and this custome saith Caietan endured long in the Church and as one of their Church say It were better if this custome were renewed againe 2 Example in Transubstantiation Transubstantiation lately brought into the Church and made a matter of faith by a silly Pope Innocent the third in the Lateran Councell within these 400 yeeres and the Papists themselues say this opinion is very new and lately brought into the Church and beleeued onely vpon the authority of the Lateran Councell and speake so vncertainely and inconstantly in this point and doe so stagger enterfere in their opinion herein confessing that there is no Scripture to conuince it vnlesse ye bring the Church of Romes exposition so that hitherto we can see no great antiquity nor good vniuersality in their doctrine 3 Example in Popes supremacy The Councell of Constance and Basil decreed That a generall Councell was of greater authority then the Pope but long after that the Councels of Lateran and Trent decreed contrary The Councels of Chalcedon and Constantinople make the Bishop of Constantinople equall with the Bishop of Rome yet now he arrogates a supremacy aboue Bishops aboue Councels aboue Kings aboue all his title no lesse then vniuersall Bishop yet Gregory who was Pope of Rome saith I hat he dare confidently say He is the forerunner of Antichrist in his pride whosoeuer he be that calleth himselfe vniuersall Bishop but this smoaky pompe of pride the Pope now likes well enough and makes it an Article of Faith to sweaâ—e obedience to his primacy and he that denies this denies Fidem Catholicam The Catholicke Faith faith Bellarmine I might here produce other examples of Popish Doctrine crept in by degrees as their abhominable Image-worship brought in by the second Councell of Nice the first restraint of Priests marriage by Pope Siritius the doctrine of the merit of workes lately by the Schoolemen as Waldensis writes Their prayers to the dead Popes pardons Purgatory a Platonicall or poeticall fiction Auricular confession with other like triuiall trash which if they haue any colour of antiquity yet they haue no colour of verity And what is antiquity without verity Saint Cyprian tels vs Consuetudo sine veritate est vestustas erroris Continuance without truth is the antiquity of error And againe Non hom ines consuei â—dinem
Church that is the Pope concerning any place of Scripture although he neyther know nor vnderstand whether and how it agreeth with the words of Scripture yet notwithstanding he hath ipsissimumverbum Dei the very word of God saith Hosius voices most odious to all the Fathers whom they boast of to name but one S. Chrysostome saith Scripturis sacris potius credendum quam omnibus hominibus in mundo VVe must beleeue the Scripture before all the men of the world and not to cleaue to the Popes exposition for as the same Father Sacra Scriptura seipsam exponit auditorem errare non sinit the holy scripture expounds it selfe and will not suffer the hearer to erre Their Cardinall Cusanus hath written a booke which he entitleth De Authoritate Ecclesia Concilij supra contra Scripturam of the authory of the Church and of a Councell aboue and against the Scripture with many others who haue vomited out blasphemous speeches and would infringe the authority of the worde of God robbing it sacrilegiously of her all-sufficiency and bestow it vpon their Pope the Master of the mystery of iniquity and herefie 4 They prohibit the people to read the Scripture and odiously exclaime against vs as Bellarmine the Rhemists because our translated Bibles be in the hands of euery husbandman artificer prentise boy girle mistresse maide man and for the maintaining of their practise to depriue the people of the worde they would colour it with certaine paradoxes 1 The Scripture makes heretickes 2 Ignorance is the mother of deuotion 3 Images are the Lay-mens Bookes 4 They must belieue as the Church belieues implicitly Christ commands all Search the Scriptures but they say The Scripture makes heretickes Paul saith Let the worde of Christ dwell in you plenteously but they say Ignorance is the mother of deuotion Iohn saith Babes keepe your selues fram images but they say They are the Lay-mens bookes Abakuk saith The iust shall liue by his faith but they say You shal liue by another mans faith beleeue as the Church beleeues and doe not know what the Church beleeues Their doctrine to the Scripture is as opposite as heauen is to hell and therfore would not haue the people acquainted with the Scripture It is lamentable to reade how impiously they write in this kind their great Cardinall and president in the Trent Councell Hosius saith It was fitter for women to meddle with their distaffe then with Gods word So Duraeâ—â— God hath left them not the bookes of the Scriptures but Pastors and Doctors They take away from the Christian Souldier his weapon scriptum est and in stead thereof giue him traditum est a wooden dagger pictures legends and fables forsaking the fountaines of liuing waters and digge them broken pits that can hold no water They imitate the malicious Philistims who stopped the wells of Abraham and filled them vp with earth to put their memoriall out of minde so that they might challenge the ground so these stop the veines of life found in the Scripture with the earthly drosse of traditions legends Sathans songs to make a merchandize of ignorant soules and to starue them with a famine of Gods worde as if the contents in the Scripture were like the mysteries of the goddesse Ceres which might not be reuealed making the bread of life like the shew-bread whereof it was lawfull for none to eat of it but the Priests onely To colour this Gorgon with a cleanly vizard they say Ignorance is mother of deuotion Pessima mater est saith Austen itidem pessimae duae filiae falsitas dubietas illa miserior ista miserabilior illa perniciosior ista molestior Ignorance is the worst mother and her two daughters worst falshood and doubtfulnes that very wretched this more miserable that more pernicious this more troublesome but they make much of this mother for she is the vpholder of the Popes chaire Pythagoras said well Aboue all take care to keepe thy body from diseases the city from sedition and thy soule from ignorance But we may say to these popish Interpreters of the Law as our Sauiour did to the Pharasaicall ye haue taken away the key of knowledge yee enter not in your selues and them that came ye forbad I haue the longer insisted vpon this marke a red lattise to shew the house of the great whore which sits vpon many waters by which signe I may say Pulchrum est digito monstrari dicier haec est The second meretrician marke is her outward face pontificall pompe and gouernment How vnlike is her Pope to Peter Peter arrogated no primacy no Episcopall vniuersality painefull to preach the worde neuer medling with the temporall sword To feed Christs sheep was all his ioy he neuer had Emperor hold his stirrop or kisse his toe neuer deposed King from his Crown neuer freed subiect from obedience hee gaue himselfe no other title but an Apostle of Iesus Christ He neuer gloried in these smoaky titles Vicarius Christi sponsusecclesiae the Vicar of Christ the husband of the Church Vniuersalis Episcopus caput Ecclesia Vniuersall Bishop Head of the Church or as others stile him lumen orbis the light of the world or vice-deus in the roome of God not a meere man but mixt with other Luciferian titles which by me are elsewhere touched his vsurped prerogatiues and power they may that will finde in Bellarmines bookes de Romano pontifice yea as some say the Goates of Candie haue al their eyes fixed vpon the canicular star when it ariseth in the Horizon so all popish eyes fixed vpon this star of Rome homagers to his chaire all their tongues saluting with Gallinae fillus albae Peter and the Apostles were no fishers of Gold as it may be said of these Popes praedam quaerunt non animas they fish for siluer not for soules Innocent the third a Pope of Rome told Aquinas being in his Gallery among his gold that Peter could not shew so much gold when he said siluer and gold haue I none to whom Aquinas gaue a good answere and saide your Holinesse cannot doe that which Peter said and did to the cripple surge ambula arise and walke How vnlike are Romes Cardinalls to Christs Apostles State pride ambition and policy are their foure cardinall vertues Their stile ego Rex I and the King their purple hat and scarlet habit will scarce giue way to regall robes The pride ambition and vaine-glory of the Romane prelacy hath beene taxed in most histories yea their owne side hath condemned them for these sinnes and are branded with these markes by Cusanus Zarabella Marsilius Occham Duareaus c. Their selling of Pardons symoniacal corruption hath made it a common by-word omnia venalia Romae Templa sacerdetes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces coelum est venale deusque
all the World and that the Emperour holds his Empire of the Church of Rome and may be called the Popes Vicar or Officiall as Iacobatius Writes Agreeable to the doctrine and propositions of Bellarmine that Kings are subiects to Popes and haue degraded Emperors and thereupon they challenge both swords and striue to free themselues and Dragon-like with their taile would draw the third part of the starres from all obedience and allegiance from the Kings of the earth denying all suites and seruice tributes trials or secular punishments to be inflicted vpon them exempting all their Cleargy from temporall subiection Contrary to the Precepts and practise of the Priests and Prophets of the Law and Christ and his Apostles in the Gospell yea contrary to the practise of the purer times euen in the Church of Rome when as their Bishops acknowleged their seruice and fealty to Caesars and paied them tribute Episcopi dederunt tributa potestatiregiae non resistentes c. saith Eusebius The Bishops paid their Tributes not resisting regall power yea let their Pope Vrban speake tribute was found in the mouth of a fish Peter fishing Ecclesia tributum reddidit then the Church paid Tribute yea Tributarium nummum debetis dare quo vos indicatis obedientiam vestram You ought to pay tribute mony by which you ought to declare your obedience But peraduenture they will alledge King Artaxerxes commission giuen to Esdras in which it pleased the King to command that no Tribute or taxe of the Priests Leuites holy Singers Porters Ministers of the Temple or workemen of the Temple should be taken or any had power to taxe them in any thing the answere is easie First this immunity proceeded ex mera gratia beneplacito from the meere fauour and pleasure of the King the better to incourage them in their worke at Ierusalem Secondly they possessed no lands but liued by oblations and sacrifices being herein like the Druides among the Frenchmen who payed no Tribute as Caesar writes the reason was because they had nothing and where nothing is the King loses his right Thirdly a particular fauour or example makes not a generall law Indeed Iustinian the Emperor hath granted to the Cleargy speciall priuiledges and freed them from military or martiall imployments personall officers and from many exactions but all this proceeds ex beneplacito out of an Emperiall fauour and royall grace which all vertuous Kings beare vnto Gods Ministers non ex praecepto or praxi for practise Christ himselfe payed Tribute for himselfe and Peter and by precept Giue vnto Caesar that which is Caesars telling his Disciples The Lords of the Gentils had dominion ouer them And S. Paul commands euery soule to be subiect to the higher Powers to pay Tribute and to giue Tribute to whom they owe Tribute To them therefore that challenge immunity from the performance of these publicke debts of tributarie duties to their Liege Lords and Kings I may say to them as Dioclesian to the Philosopher Thy profession differs from thy petition thy profession teaches thee to giue Caesar his due and not to rob him of his right Bishop Latimer calls such theeues that rob the King of his due debt Subsidies Tributes or Taxes Rather imitate that Ambrose the famous Bishop of Millan who teacheth thee a better lesson Si tributum petit Imperator non negamus agri Ecclesiae soluant tributum si agros desiderat Imperator potestatem habet vendicandorum tollat eos si libitum est Imperatori non dono sed non nego If the Emperor demand Tribute we doe not denie it your fields of our Church shall pay tribute If the Emperor demand the fields he hath power to challenge them let him take them I neither giue them nor denie them in no case arguing obedience in ordinary or extraordinary exactions agreeing fully with Luther If thy substance bodie or life should be taken from thee by the Magistrate thou maist say thus I doe willingly yeeld them vnto you and acknowledge you for ruler ouer me I will obey you but whether you vse your power and authority well or ill see you to that For Kings must one day giue account of all their workes to the King of Kings and if they haue abused their power by Tyrannie crueltie or any bad gouernment an hard iudgement shall such haue that beare such rule for then abides the sorer triall as the Sonne of wisedome speakes The power is from God the abuse of it from themselues and they will finde it when God and it cals them to reckon The chaine of gould is not made the worse because an harlot weares it about her necke it is Luthers comparison in this case so still Kings must be obeyed for conscience sake if not commanding contrary to Gods commandements Let vs in these follow the steppes of faithfull Fabricius of whose fidelity Pyrrhus boldly speakes Difficilius Fabricius a legalitate quam sol a suo cursu vertipossit Let the Sunne first turne from her course then we from the course of loyall obedience and allegiance alwaies remembring that Christian saying of the Martyr Ignatius No man euer liued vnpunished which lifted vp himselfe against his betters superiours his Princes disobedience brings infamie disgrace death yea hatred after death that the sorrowfull Sonne may say of his treacherous sire Ye haue troubled me and made me stinke among the inhabitants of the land as Iacob said of Simeon and Leui. Let vs alwaies from the bottome of our heartsâ— pray for the Kings safety corporally for his saluation spiritually and preseruation politically Let vs obey him because hee is the Lords annointed appointed by God to be his vicegerent representing the person on earth of the King of Kings in heauen Let vs honor him not with lips onely but with hearts truelie because he is the Father of our Countrie the constant Defender of the Faith and so worthy of double honour Let vs be ready to performe at his command our best seruice being his natiue and naturall Subiects born and bound by Allegiance to all Christian dueties of subiection Let vs be willing to pay Tribute a publike purse must helpe the publicke peace Multorum manibus grande leuatur onus Yet let vs pay him his duty Tribute to him for we owe him Tribute Custome to him for we owe him Custome Feare Honor Obedience Seruice and all other loyall seruices and performances of duties belonging to good subiects in their seuerall degrees and places humbly to tender them and render them vnto our gracious and high Soueragine Lord the King whose Sword Crowne Scepter Throne and Person iustly requires all these duties the Sword exacts obedience Crowne commands honor Scepter seruice Throne tribute and Person prayer alwaies powring forth to God this prayer and petition God saue the King Corporally Spiritually Politically CHAP. IX First Corporally
vp Israel against Dauid and all Adoniahs that gape to take the kingdome from our Salomon all like them let them perish like them Then will all loyall subiects reioyce when they see the vengeance they shall wash their feet in the bloud of the wicked Let our feruent prayers be daily powred forth vnto God to defend him from all Traytors to reueale their plots and reuenge their purposes that they qui volunt occidere regem posse nolunt That they who would kill a King may neuer haue power to performe it that no danger may assault him no treachery may endanger him giue thine Angels charge O Lord to sentinell ouer him make his chamber like the tower of Dauid built for defence a thousand shields hang therein and all the targets of the strong men and his bed like Salomons threescore strong men round about it of the valiant men of Israel they all handle the sword and are expert in warre euery one hath his sword vpon his thigh for the feare by night that so no enemy may oppresse him nor the wicked approach to hurt him to destroy his foes before his face and plague them that hate him his seed long to endure and his daies as the daies of heauen So shall the Lord be gracious to his Seruant and mercifull to vs his people who continually pray God saue the King Corporally CHAP. X. 2. Spiritually GOD Saue the King Spiritually God euer keep him constant and couragious to maintaine the true profession of the Gospell and to labour to purge Gods Church of all superstition and to plant in it Gods true religion This is the first duety of Kingly seruice vnto God to cleanse his Church of all idolatry and superstition The good Kings Ezechias and Iosias were carefull in this behalfe Ezechiah when hee came to the Crowne of Iudah he tooke away the high places brake the Images and cut downe the groues and brake in peeces the brazen serpent c. that is rooted and raced out all Idolatry So Iosiah puts downe all Idols and Idolatrous Priests who defiled the Temple So Asa tooke the wicked Sodomites out of the land and deposed Maacha his Mother because shee had made an Idoll in a groue So Salomon installed in his kingdome built a Temple for seruice and worship of the Lord. It is the office of a King specially to take care to prouide that God may be religiouslie worshipped that his people may feare the Lord serue him in the trueth for the happinesse of King and Kingdome consists in the trueth of their religion For that nation and kingdome which will not serue the Lord shall perish and be vtterly destroyed saith the Prophet Esay Est boni Principis religionem ante omnia constituere saith Liuie It is the part of a good King first to establish true religion for that is the very fountaine and foundation of all felicity Beneficentia quae fit in cultum Dei maxima gratia That loue and care which is declared towards the true worship of God is most commendable for true religion is Cardo or Axis the very Pillar of all prosperity the soule of Tranquility the totall summe of true felicity Propter Ecclesiam in mundo durat mundus saith Luther Christs Church on earth is the cause of the continuance of this earthly world without the light of the Gospel Kings people liue in thraldome in the Egypt of wofull blindnesse it is but painted happinesse a vaine flourish nay a dangerous ship of state where God sits not at the sterne As all kingdomes stand luteis pedibus vpon clay feet so that Kingdome cannot stand at all which wants the foundation true religion It is the speech of an Heathen but may be the lesson of a Christian Religio vera est firmamentum reip c. True religion the foundation of a Common wealth and the chiefe care ought to be to plant the same So Dauid reioyces in nothing so much as in the Arke of God desirous rather to be a dore-keeper in Gods house then to rule in the tents of the vngodly Like to that good Emperor who gloried more to be membrum Ecclesiae then caput Imperij a member of Gods Church then an head of a great Empire Salomon begins well first in building an house for God knowing nothing can prosper without God Except the Lord keep the City the watchman watcheth but in vaine In vaine doe the Kings of the earth stand vp if they assemble against the Lord for then hee laughes them to scorne and shall haue them in derision Be wise now therefore O ye Kings serue the Lord in feare be wise in Diuine matters serue the Lord in feare for his feare is the beginning of wisedome to direct you to rule your selues and people in the seruice and worship of his holy name We read it recorded of Constantinus the Emperor that when he died he did much lament for three things which had happened in his reigne First the murther of Gallus his kinsman Secondly the liberty of Iulian the Apostate Thirdly the change and alteration of religion And surely there cannot be a greater cause of lamentation then an innouation or alteration of religion yea then a tolleration of a contrary religion It had beene a hard matter to haue had obtained a tolleration of such a thing as a Masse at Moses hands with a masse of money A godly Prince may not suffer any religion but the true religion in his Dominions and this we may proue by diuers reasons First the exercise of a false religion is directly against the honour and glory of God Ergo. Secondly consent in true religion is vinculum Ecclesiae the chayne and bond of Gods Church for there is but one faith therefore a difference and dissention in religion is a dissolution in Gods Church but no Prince ought to haue his hand in dissoluing Gods Church for Kings are nursing Fathers of the Church Thirdly it is the Princes duty to prouide for the safety of the bodies much more for the safety of the soules of his Subiects Now true religion is the foode but false the bane of soules and you know Qui non seruat periturum cum potest occidit He that doth not helpe one ready to perish being able to helpe kills him Fourthly the Angell of the Church of Pergamus is reprooued for hauing such in Pergamus as maintained the doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of the Nicholaitans and the Church of Thiatyra reproued for suffering Iezabel to teach and deceiue Fiftly the Lords Altar and Baals Altar must not stand together Quae concordia Dei Belial No agreement twixt God and Belial Indeed the Papists haue beene very earnest to supplicate for a Tolleration for their corrupt religion and yet themselues neuer allow it The Pope neuer afforded such fauour to Protestants witnesse their
the Ablatiue of grace A Bishop or Priest should be no striker or fighter no warrior no man of bloud no tutor to Traytors no teacher of rebellion to publish doctrine of King-killing Oh but will some Iesuite reply It is abhominable to kill a King marke their euasion or equiuocation but a King excommunicated or at least deposed by the Pope is no King no King in popery then if he command take him by the throat presently In hunc Tarba 〈◊〉 â—…sa They will haue some desperate Rauilliacke Chastell or Gerard to touch the Lords Annointed Iesuites will compasse Sea and land Sollicitando pollicendo as Simo chargeth Crito in the Comedie solliciting promising and perswading no obedience is to be giuen to Kings excommunicated or deposed as Parsons and Campian did after the Bull of Pius the fift and what followes Rebellion in the North. Haec Cornua quibus ventilabis Israel These are the hornes which proceed from Papall Bulles rebellion treason which if at any time it succeeds according to their expectation they triumph in it and say Hic digitus Dei est It was the Lords worke and as Salomon of the wicked They reioyce in doing euill imitating Dyonisius who after the robbing of a Temple finding the winde and weather fauourable to his shippes burst foorth into this hellish voice Ecce dij approbant sacrilegium Behold the gods approue of our sacriledge but let them know that at last though perchance too late they shall finde and confesse Nec surdum nec Tiresiam quenquam esse deorum God is not deafe or blinde he sees all sin Abhors all sinners who delight therein And therefore you of the Church of Rome who are or should be guides for the blinde iustructers of them who lacke discretion teachers of the vnlearned hate and abhorre your former doctrine the doctrine of Deuils in teaching disobedience to Gods Annointed or to be your selues actors authors or fautors of so abhominable practises as King-killing for know this Religion with bloud builded will be in bloud buried and that voice from heauen concerning this Babilon shall bee verified Reward her euen as she hath rewarded you and in the cup that she hath filled to you fill her the double For the Lord will condemne this great whore which corrupts the earth with her fornication and auenge the bloud of his seruants shedby her hand And you who style your selues Lay-Romane-Catholikes behold the persons plotters of this treason brought to a miserable confusion Consider ortum scelerum obitum sceleratorum the birth of their treason the death of these traytors God confounding both scelera sceleratos the actors and their actions Gods eyes are pure and abhorre such practises and likes not such who walke in the counsell of the vngodly for both the workes and the way of the wicked shall perish As for the final and eternall doom of the Iudge of quicke and dead vpon these dead Malefactors it belongs not to vs to search after it and say with Gregorie Diuina iudicia nesciuntur non audacisermone discutienda sunt sed formidoloso silentio veneranda Gods iudgements are vnknowne to vs and are not rashly to be spoken of but with fearefull silence to be reuerenced he will haue mercy vpon whom hee will haue mercy They that were apprehended satisfied Iustice on earth yet mixed with mercy so that for the persons I haue no more to say but end this in the Apostles wordes Now these are examples to vs to the intent wee should not lust after euill things as they lusted and are written to admonish vs to beware of sinne and aboue all such capitall and crying sins as these Sequitur Rebelles vltor à tergo Deus Gods plagues and punishments hang ouer Rebels heads Ex vitio alterius sapiens emendat suum and therefore let others harmes make all beware to flie from this sinne of treason as from a serpent CHAP. VIII 3. The Causes THE motiues or inducements which prouoked these Practisers and Conspirators to inuent this Tragedy was onely and meerely religion they were no bankerupt persons or discontented vpon occasion of any disgraces done vnto them for then it might haue seemed a worke of reuenge but it was onely as they confessed the cause of religion which moued them to this Treason A deplored and desperate religion which must stand for a stawking-horse to practise rebellion This colour of religion like the Fowlers glasse and feather serues to draw some within the reach and net of treason to lay snares to catch the children of God and bring them to destruction Grace vses no sword Faith no knife the Church no bloudy tooles Non mactando homines Christumque fidemque docere Ecclesia arma ara non laniena macelli The Church by force the faith did neuer plant Her Altar-prayers her Armes she shambles want But the Church of Rome vses these tooles when their prayers can doe no good they fall to weapons and would seeme to doe the Lords worke in the destroying of the Lords people farre better were it for them to follow the counsel of Elias to try themselues whether they be Baals Prophets or no to call vpon the name of their God to prepare a sacrifice and see if the Lord will send a fire from heauen as hee did for Elias to manifest the trueth of their cause and religion but their prayers are so bad inuocating dead Saints and adoring dumbe Images that though they cry like Baals Priests from morning vntill noone not a voice or word can they get from their woodden gods no fire from heauen then they will fetch fire from hell the hope of the plantation of their Romish religion shall be the ruine of an whole nation for Non stetisset nostra Troia si cecidisset noster Priamus for our Land could not haue stood happy if our Priamus Prince Peeres and Parliament had beene destroyed as they intended And indeed a long time these Pope-Catholike men haue vsed a pretence of religion by which goodly vizard they haue practised most horrible butchery cruelty and abhomination It is lamentable which is of late reported of Ferdinandus Mendoza a Spanish Catholike who with his cruell company in Westphalia spared neyther sexe nor age no not them which submitted themselues ripping vp womens bellies taking out their infants and hung them about their Mothers neckes compelled the men with long famine to eat their owne children with such brutish butchery as is abhominable And so the Pope when he sent his secular armes the Spaniards among the Indians vnder a faire errand to winne them to religion they vsed them in an heathenish yea hellish cruelty rosted them with fire worried them with dogs c. so that in forty yeares space they destroyed as some write fifteene millions of men that is 150 hundred thousand wasted and vnpeopled fiue times as
sequi â—porter sed Dei veritatem Wee may not follow the custome of men but the truth of God for as Tertullian Quodcunque contra veritatem sapit hoc erit haeresit etiam consuetudo Whatsoeuer is contrary to truth is heresie euen custome and antiquity Ignatius writes that he heard some say Nisi Euangelium in â—nt quis inuenero non credam Vnlesse I find the Gospel among the Ancients I will not beleeue it Pâ—gani saith Austen Antiquitatis causa se verum tenere contendunt The Pagans for the cause of antiquity contend they hold the truth If antiquity might carry it the Iewes might carry it from the Christians The Church of Antioch from the Church of Rome for so saith Bellarmine Petrus Antiochiae Cathedram suam aliquandiu tenebat priusquam ad Romam eam transtulisset Peter did set his Chaire at Antioch before he translated it to Rome Indeed the woman of Samaria pleades antiquity to Christ our Fathers worshipped in this mountaine and ye say that in Ierusalem is the place where men ought to worship so say our Lay-Papists Our Fathers worshipped God with Images with the Masse c. But Christ will say to them as to that woman ye worship that which ye know not Away with your wicked and wil-worship I will be worshipped according to my word The great hinderance saith the Iesuite Acosta to the plantation of the Roman Faith among the Indians Ex inueterata consuetudine proficiscitur proceeds from their ancient custome wherein before they were inured and from it hardly reclaimed and as the Iesuite Xauerius saith Indi ne Christiani fierent hanc causam afferebant so à maioribus suis semper cultores extitisse c. The Indians that they should not be made Christians alleadged this cause that they had alwayes beene worshippers according to their Forefathers The same is the answere of many Papists We serue God as our Fathers did and yet the Lord saith to all walke not in the ordinances of your Forefathers neither obserue their manners nor defile your selues with their Idols I am the Lord your God walke in my Statutes c. Men should not doe as the most doe but as they must doe God doth not say walke as others doe but Haec est via ambulate in ea This is the way walke ye in it Truth is not to be tried by antiquity or vniuersality but by the Scripture Nabuchadnezars idolatry graced with vniuersality onely three doe gainesay it In a word with Cyprian Multitude errantium non parit errori patrocinium An erring multitude doth not patronize error It hath beene a long time the calumny and reproaches of Popish Priests men who haue an infirmity to void excrements at their mouth to defame our Church with an vpstart nouelty where was your Church before Martin Luthers time We doe not fetch our Religion from Martin Luther a worthy man but from the Scripture from Christ and his Apostles we want no antiquity hauing the Scripture your Iesuite will tell you so much Sanctarum Scropturarum summa est antiquitas c. The Holy Scripture is of the greatest antiquity and that Church whose doctrine agrees with it is most ancient Yet Martin Luther is more ancient then your Tridentine Fathers and brood of Iesuites the Atlasses to support your falling Church But many hundred yeeres before Luthers dayes there wanted not famous and zealous men who resisted the corrupt doctrine of the Church of Rome the persons and the points the time when in all Ages are compendiously recited by a iudicious and very learned Diuine of our Church to whose Booke for breuity sake I referre my Reader The nakednesse of the Roman Diana was discouered long agoe for which dscouery many good men haue beene Acteon-like hunted by bloody hounds to death Corruptions spread by degrees Et tanquam cancer serpit as Espencaeus creepes stealing like a Canker infects one part then another Such hath beene the malady of the Church of Rome their creeping corruptions canker-like first one part then another point that it is hard to set downe the precise time when these corruptions ingendered The Greekes debated long on this probleme The ship Argos wherin Iason sayled for the golden Flecce after the voyage ended was laied vp in the roade for a Monument where decaying by degrees it was repaired by peeces anew in the end the whole substance of the vessell extinct and nothing left but onely the reparations successiuely made Now the question was whether-this ship suppose it Peters were the same that he sayled in when he liued or an other renewed and whether can any man tell when such a peece was added such a part supplied And if this cannot be so precisely shewed doth it follow infallibly that it was the very Argosie wherein Iason sayled So in this case their ship their Church so often peeced so many new points added euery Pope almost changing his Predecessors decrees abrogating this point and augmenting it with another that it is indeed a new ship and can iustly pleade no great antiquity And for vniuersality and vnity in Doctrine no Church so much diuided VVe doe reade how Popes vsually haue condemned that which other Popes haue confirmed Councels contradicted that which others haue concluded Their outcries in Schooles Pulpets Consistories one against another makes their diuision and difcord audible That we may say of them which Lucian of the old Phlosophers With the noise of their disputations they haue so filled the eares of Iupiter and made him deafe that he cannot heare their prayers How irreconciliable are the iars and contentions of Scotus Aquinas Egidius Romanus and others that they imitate the wranglings of the old Academicks Stoicks and Peripatetickes Haue they not Families of the Schoolemen wherein euery one professeth his particular Sect-Master Thomas Scotus Occham Durandus both Masters and Scholers haue spent their lines and liues in opposition The Dominican and Franciscan Friers many ages quarrelling about the conception of the Virgin Mary Their writers sharping their pens one against another Armachanus against the Friers the Iesuites and secular Priests one against another Catharinus against Caietan Catharinus and Soto one against another Pighius Gropper Bâ—rus Peresius Cassander Hosius Almayne c great pillars of Popery some fourescore yeeres agoe are now by late Iesuites contemned and confuted who knoweth not saith Bellarmine that Pighius in many points was miserably seduced by reading Caluins Bookes and of Gropper and other Diuines of Collen he saith Their Bookes haue need of the Churches censure Yea are not the writers of the last stampe euen Bellarmine Gregory of Valence Stapleton Suarez Vasquez Molina Baronius c vp to the eares in contention and faction among themselues Bellarmine confuted by Barâ—layus Suarez Carerius Marsilius yea Bellarmine hath often confuted himselfe by contradictions Suarez confuted by Vasques Baronius by
Mariana c. Yea this Kingdome is so diuided among it selfe that we presume and this presage it shall not long stand They that would further behold this Campe of the Midianites sheathing their swords in their neighbours sides let them reade the worke of that learned and reuerend Doctor D. Hall in his Booke called the Peace of Rome And yet the Papists with might and maine exclaime at factions in the Church of England to whom we may say with our Sauiour Hypocrita eijce primùm Trabem de oculo tuo Hypocrite first cast the beame out of thine owne eye sweepe cleane before your owne threshold before you blame spots in others They tell the World what an implacable discord and dissention is betwixt the Protestants and the Puritanes a name we scarce know and is proper to none but onely vnto Iesuites who thinke themselues so pure that they will arrogate to be of the society of Iesus But we may truly say that which they shall neuer say That in the Church of England there is vniuersality and vnity in substance of doctrine and religion and in circumstance we haue or hope for a generall vniformity But they want these and yet of late they haue a new policy to purge and raze many of their owne dead Doctors to speake that in their graues they neuer thought on in their studies putting out that which they printed and putting in that which the Authors neuer purposed Thus haue they serued Caictan Gratians Glosse Ferus Polydore Lodonicâ—…Vines c. And to this end serue their Indices Expurgatorij To purge away their best blood and leaue them nothing but skinne and bones And thus haue they serued Andreas Mazius Comments and Iansenius Harmony vpon the Gospell yea whom not if hee hath touched neuer so tenderly the sores of Rome this is the medicine to helpe the malady But I would this punishment had beene onely inflicted vpon their owne Doctors and that they had neuer laied their correcting hands in corrupting the Fathers of whom they haue a long time boasted the Fathers the Fathers are all of our side but these are but wind and words and as he said of the Nightingale Vox est praeterea nihil A meere voice and nothing else for these will vse the Fathers as Soloâ— his Friends or as Merchants vse figures in Accounts for hundreds if they please them for Cyphers if they crosse them and truly the ancient Fathers of the best esteeme speaâ—e little or nothing on their side in any fundamentall points and difference twixt them and vs except they haue dieted and giuen them vomits and purgations except they haue so done to them as Clement the eighth did to his Predecessor Sixtus Quintus corrupting that his correction of the Bible by a new Translation which one called a new Transgression and they haue herein so falsified many of the Fathers and foisted in other counterfet Fathers that it puts me in mind of a Popes Iester Pogghius speakes of who when he told the Pope tales to make him sport did it standing behind a cloath for being outfaced So the Fathers who speake for them must stand behind a skreene mantled or mangled by their correction So that taking away these desperate shifts which the Church of Rome vseth there will be found no great antiquity vniuersality or vnity in the Doctrine of the Church of Rome But to leaue these and other motiues allectiues to many to loue the Church of Rome for I did not intend to muster vp all their motiues wherewith they fight against vs for so I should send out a Ship and not a Pinnesse I will rather mention a few markes and apparent tokens whereby these children may iustly misdoubt their mother to be an harlot and in part palpably perceiue her corruption Her first whorish marke is her blasphemy against the Scripture being that woman in Saint Iohns vision sitting vpon a scarlet coloured beast full of the names of blasphemy and that in foure respects first her blasphemy and contempt of the Scripture appeares because the Church of Rome maintaines that all things necessary to saluation are not contained in the Holy Scripture and that the best part of true religion is knowne by vnwritten traditions and that these traditions are to bee receiued with the same reuerence and affection wherewith wee receiue the Scripture as the Councell of Trent decreed Many things belong to Christian Faith which are not contained in the Scripture openly nor obscurely saith Canus The greatest part of the Gospell is come to vs by tradition very little of it is committed to writing saith Hosius The Canon Law set out newly by Pope Gregory the 13. saith that men doe so reuerence the Apostolicall seate of Rome that they rather desire to know the auncient institution of Christian religion from the Popes mouth then from the holy Scripture Their workes are full of such words by which all may see their blasphemy comparing traditions of men with the infallible worde of God 2. Their mouthes are full of bitter and irreuerent speeches against the Scripture calling it a nose of waxe to be writhed this way or that way a dumbe Iudge as Pighius termes it dead inke as another yea Bellarmine their great Doctor saith the Scripture is not simply necessary or as Eckius we must liue more according to the authority of the Church then after the Scripture or the Scriptures without the authority of the Church are no better then Aesops fables And often they will deny the Scripture it selfe as Catharinus accuseth Caietan their great Cardinall called by them an incomparable Diuine and the most learned of all his age who doth charge him for denying the last chapter of Markes Gospell some parcell of S. Luke the Epistle to the Hebrewes the Epistle of Iames the second Epistle of Peter the second and third of Iohn the Epistle of Iude all which are Canonicall they wil denie the scripture if it make not for them say with Eckius Scriptura sine ecclesia authoritate non est authentica The Scripture without the authority of the Church that is the Pope for so Gregory of Valence saith by the Church we meane her Head that is the Roman Bishop is not authenticall 3. They make their Pope Iudge ouer the Scripture whosoeuer resteth not on the doctrine of the Bishop of Rome as the infallible rule of God from whom the holy Scripture takes her strength and authority hee is an heretike saith one of her side The Pope may change the holy Gospell and may giue to the Gospell according to time and place another sense We are bound to stand to the Popes iudgement alone rather then to the iudgement of al the world besides saith Aluarus Pelagius The Popes rescripts and decretall Epistles are Canonicall Scripture If any man haue the interpretation of the Romane
At Rome all sacred things are to be sold Temple priests prayers heauen and God for gold Yea many of their great Popes symoniacall hereticall boyes yea the feminine Pope Ioane was no honest Pope yea their owne Baronius saith that a notable strumpet to Adelbert Marquesse of Tuscia prostituting her daughters to the Popes did create Popes at the pleasure of the strumpets and he cries out How filthy was the face of the Romane Church then when most powerfull and withall most sordide whores bare all the sway at Rome and their louers were thrust into Peters seate At this day as wee reade the Pope hath a pension from the stewes at Rome Were he like Peter he would abhorre to foule his hands with such stinking gaine or enrich his coffers with an harlots hire rather with S. Peter say Thymony perish with thee or with our Sauiour to the women taken in adultery Goe away and sinne no more and not to giue them a toleration or dispensation for fornication To leaue this point as the Poet left Rome with this verse Roma vale vidi satis est vidisse reuertar Cum leno meretrix scarra cinaedus ero Oh Rome farewell I haue seene and seene too much Returne I will when turne baud whore or such The third marke may be this That there is no point of our faith but many learned in the Church of Rome approue the same and no point of Papistry by vs confuted but some of the chiefe of their Church haue disliked as well as we that we may say to them as our Sauiour did to that bad seruant Ex ore tuo te iudico of thine owne mouth will I condemne thee Thus the diuision of the tongues and people of Babilon are a meanes of the plantation and edification of Gods Ierusalem This point hath beene demonstrated in the chiefe questions betwixt them and vs by many learned Diuines of our Church and excellently verified and declared by Doctor Morton a singular ornament of our Church in many of his workes but especially in his first and second part of his Catholicke Apology wherein he hath ouerthrown the points of Popery of the chiefest difference by the affirmations and assertions of the best learned Papists to whose labour in this point I refer the iudicious Reader The fourth marke is this That many maine points in popery are absurd and euen against common sense and the light of nature What man endewed with mother-wit can perswade himselfe that the Pope is Iudge and Lord ouer the Scripture Church Councels and all the world and that in his breast there is an infallibility of not erring when as common and continuall experience speakes the contrary What likelihood is there in the doctrine of transubstantiation that the Priest should pull caelum in caenam Christs body with all his dimensions put in a little boxe and the same body be in seuerall places and parts at one time What colour of trueth can there be in the doctrine of workes of Superogation that a man can merit more then is needfull for him and that this his ouer-plus of obedience by the Churches dispensation is beneficiall to other who want this plenitude when as our Sauiour saith VVhen ye haue done al those things which are commanded you say we are vnprofitable seruants To pretermit their ridiculous ceremonies which Kemnitius well termes Sarcasmi Diaboli as christning of Bels sprinkling of holy water Exorcismes Annealing spitting in the baptizeds mouth creeping to the Crosse praying vpon beades c. or their doctrine of praying to the dead who can neyther heare nor helpe or their many mediators and intercessors when as Paul saith There is but one mediator betweene God and man which is Iesus Christ 1 Tim. 2. 5. If any man sinne wee haue an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous c. 1 Iohn 2. 1. or their auricular confession and absolution of their sinnes yet the very Pharifies could fay Who can forgiue sinnes but God onely Luke 5. 21. or that saying of Masse or singing Dirges for the dead could benefit the dead as well writes S. Ambrose herein qui hic non aocipit renaissioneÌ„ peccatoruÌ„ illac non haâ—… he that doth not receiue remission of his sinnes in this life shall not find it in the life to come and as S. Cyprian Hâ—e vita 〈…〉 â—…t tenetur c. Here life is to be lost or got after death neyther Masses Dyrges or Auc-Maries are auaileable How repugnant to a good mans reason is their popish equiuocation to dissemble the truth with a mentall reseruation How doe they follow the counsell of Peter of whom they boast who commands them to lay aside al dissimulation or as S. Paul cast off lying and speake trueth euery man to his neighbour but the Father of lies will not haue his children to speake truth this doctrine none but Atheists Machiauelists or Iesuites can commend Not to touch all the fringes or fragments belonging to this whore wherewith she is apparelled I will but handle foure of her relickes foure points of popery which in my weake apprehension are dislonant to common reason much more to Christian religion 1. Her Latin seruice 2. implicit faith 3. worshipping of Images 4. Popes pardons a touch and away not tast of her cup for it is full of poyson no not primis labris degustare onely looke vpon it and see how vgly it seemes to common sense excepting eyes and eares for therein popery is a bewitching Lady faire images for the eyes and sweet musicke for the eares like the booke giuen to Iohn sweete in the mouth sweete to carnall and naturall men but bitter in the belly very sowre to the soule which is sanctified and shall be saued 1. Popish Latin seruice What possibility is there that Seruice or Praiers said in a tongue which the people vnderstand not should be profitable to them As the Apostle If I pray in a strange tongue my vnderstanding is without fruit and the same Apostle I had rather in the Church to speake fiue wordes with my vnderstanding then tenne thousand wordes in a strange tongue and againe Except ye vtter words that haue signification how shall it be vnderstood what is spoken for ye shall speake in the aire and the Apostle seemes vpon purpose in the whole chapter to condemne this point which chapter 1 Cor. 14. I commend to all lay Papists to read it yet in their mother Tongue except they vnderstand the Latin To pray in an vnknowne tongue is not to pray but to prate like a Parrot and yet the Tridentine Councell decreed Non expedire vt diuinum officium vulgari passim lingua celebretur not expedient that Diuine Seruice should be celebrated in the vulgar tongue and they call it an intollerable error of the Lutherans who thinke the contrary And this doctrine of Luther who requires a knowne