and murder Christes lambes Our aduersary he passeth this ouer without touch and onely telleth vs That the popes power hath beene acknowledged in all Christendome for many yeeres and ages But he lyeth and forgeth in this also For the easterne churches neuer acknowledged this power nor could the pope euer sell his commodities in those countries for any mony The churches of Africke likewise resisted the popes vsurpations and forbad their people to runne to Rome eyther for fauour or iustice The Frenchmen neuer would receiue the sixt booke of decretalles His prouisions the kinges of England would neuer admitte his pilling legates were odious generally to all Christendome Finally albeit his tyranny preuailed much in latter times yet haue a Petr. de Alliac de refor eccl Conciâ— Basil grauam Gâ—â—man honest men declared the discontentement which they haue receiued by his burdensome lawes iniurious excommunications and most shameful exactions and pillages He telleth vs moreouer How Christ said to his Apostles Luk. 10. He that heareth you heareth me and he that contemneth you contemneth me But first he is mistaken in the persons to whome these wordes were spoken For these wordes were deliuered to the seuentie disciples and not to the twelue Beside were these wordes to be vnderstood of the apostles and their successors yet they concerne the pope nothing For he is no apostle béeing neither called immediately of God nor sent into al the world nor ledde into all truth nor being able to make his decretals of authenticall credite Hée is not the apostles successor for hée féedeth not nor preacheth nor doth anie part of apostolicall function Nay hee doth contrary to the apostles fashion murder Gods saints trouble Christian people and resist Christes doctrine The apostles taught such things as Christ gaue theÌ„ in instructions The popes publish nothing but fond decretals and strange doctrine not onely diuers but also in manie points contrarie to Christes Gospell and holy Scriptures But saith N. D. The bishops of Rome be successors in the apostle Saint Peters seat Which I do not altogether deny if he meane the first bishops of Rome which were indéede true bishops and succéeded Peter and other apostles teaching apostolicall doctrine So all other true and godly bishops also were successors of Peter albeit they claymed not this vniuersality and fulnesse of power which the pope pretendeth to belong to him But whatsoeuer the first bishops of Rome were yet this concerneth the pope nothing for he is no bishop nor teacher nor successor in Peters chaire but rather Simon Magus his successor buing and selling not onely sacraments and benefices but also mens soules He succéedeth also the Angelicks in worshipping angels the Carpocratians in dissolutenesse and worshipping images the Collyridians in worshipping the virgin Mary the Manichées in his halfe communions and forbidding of mariage to priests the Pelagians in extolling the force of nature and merit of works and infinite other heretickes in seuerall points of leud doctrine He succéedeth also Nero in the Empire of Rome rather then Peter that was subiect to Neroes gouernement He alleadgeth also the example of the scribes and pharisées and saith That Christ commaunded his disciples to obserue and do whatsoeuer the scribes and pharisees that sate in Moses chayre said to them And to speake truth he hath more reason to compare the pope to scribes and pharisers corrupters of the law then to the successors of Christes Apostles But yet will not this serue his purpose for our Sauiors meaning was to shew that such as sate in Moses seat and taught his law were to be heard albeit otherwise bad men But the popes do not sit in Peters seat nor in Moses chaire nor teach apostolicall or true doctrine Hée telleth vs further That railers shall not inherite Christes kingdome especially such as raile against Magistrates All which wee admitte For it is a sentence condemnatorie against the pope of Rome and his faction that of late time haue taken to themselues infinite libertie in all their writings to raile against christiaÌ„ princes and others not sparing any that is contrarie to their procéedings For witnesse proofe héereof I referre my selfe to the railing buls of Paule the third against Henrie the 8. of Pius quintus and Sixtus 5. against Elizabeth his daughter of Sixtus 5. and Gregorie the 14. against Henrie the third and fourth of France and of Sixtus 5. against the prince of Condey To Sanders Ribadineiraes Rishtons Anniball Scotus the author of the commentarie of the popes late constitutions and other most slanderous and railing libels against Quéene Elizabeth The wise fellow doth also condemne his owne scurrilous railing against sir Francis Hastings Against vs it maketh nothing that onely in plaine termes declare our aduersaries leud dealings sparing all euill termes as much as we can Neither doth this concerne the pope that is neither Magistrate nor good Christian For that which this Noddy writeth How the pope is a spirituall Magistrate and hath a higher degree of authoritie then temporall magistrates and that he doth represent immediately the person of Christ Iesus is nothing but a péece of his frierlike folly and ignorance in spirituall and temporall matters For if such high authoritie had béene giuen him no doubt but wée shoulde long ere this haue séene authenticall writings of this donation and haue heard of the particulars Now wée must take these words as procéeding from a writer of antichristes marke that for Christ woulde commend vnto vs antichrist He telleth vs That all ancient diuines and doctors for aboue a thousand yeeres togither haue taught that it is blasphemie to raile at the bishop of Rome appointed by Christ to gouerne in his place and damnation not to acknowledge his authoritie And yet he is not able to shew either one sound diuine or doctor that hath so taught Nay he is not able to name many canonistes no nor schoolemen that haue so written or spoken Thomas Aquinas a 2.2 q. 13. teacheth him That blasphemie is against God Syluester Prierius b Summa in verb. blasphemia saith Blasphemy is a sinne against God properly which he prooueth by the authoritie of Saint Ambrose and improperly against saints But the pope is neither God nor saint Nay if it bée blasphemy to attribute to man that which is proper to God as the foresaide schoolemen teach then do the papists blaspheme that giue to the pope Christs power to remit sins sticke not to call him a god on earth All ancient fathers of the church had the bishop of Rome in no other estéeme then they had other godlie bishops neither did euer any one suppose that it was damnation not to acknowledge his authoritie Nay his vniuersall authoritie ouer all the church and infinite power in deposing princes not Caluin and Luther but all ancient writers doe gainsay and denie So that vnlesse the Reader haue great patience in this place hée will hardly endure to read so shamelesse and
Peter descended to the pope of Rome Fourthly the aduersaries themselues cannot prooue this succession by any such infallible and certaine deduction as is pretended Wherefore vnlesse this Noddy can shew first that the pope hath succéeded Peter in the generall charge of apostolicall gouernment and teaching throughout the worlde and secondly that the pope is a true bishop pastor and successor of Peter and thirdly that neither the bishops of Antioch nor Caesarea nor Ioppe nor Lydda where Peter taught nor any saue the bishops of Rome succéeded in Peters seate and fourthly that the popes authoritie in giuing lawes in censures exactions dispensations iudgements was generally allowed and neuer contradicted and finally that he still holdeth the apostolike doctrine and faith intirely and admitteth no heresies nor false opinions in religion vnlesse I say he prooue all this he is at the end of his reckoning for the popes authoritie and sheweth himselfe to bée but a vaine babler and a foolish challenger that euen in the midst of danger conueieth himselfe out of the steccato And I do much woonder that all true Christians do not suspect this manner of procéeding and detest the pride and vanitie of this discourser that leaueth his miserable disciples more perplexed then before For he teacheth that vpon paine of damnation they must subiect themselues to the popes authoritie and yet when it commeth to the iumpe he is neither able to iustifie the popes authoritie in making and dissoluing lawes nor in ordering bishops throughout the worlde nor in iudging of controuersies nor authorizing the scriptures nor in dispensing in cases reserued nor in deposing princes nor in raising warres and handling both the swords and such like matters Nay he is not able to prooue that he is Peters true successour or a lawfull bishop He teacheth subiects to rebell and setteth princes to murder Christians and blinde papists blindely obey and yet no warrant can the popes proctor bring to iustifie the popes strange desseines and dooings Onely he endeuoureth in the last end of his pleading for the pope to shew That this land ought especially to respect the sea of Rome for beeing twise conuerted from paganisme to Christian religion and that first by Eleutherius then by Gregory the first which were both bishops of Rome And here he triumpeth and thinking that he hath satisfied his reader with an exquisite and delicate dish at the ending of his papall banquet he taketh away the table and biddeth all his guests Proface and à dieu But if his readers be not more wary while they thinke to be fed with holesome meat they are like to be gulled which googeons This gull certes in this his catastrophe séemeth to haue no other purpose For first it is a méere fable to say that this land was conuerted from paganisme either by the one or by the other of these two For Christianity was in England long before Eleutherius time and stories say he did onely and that by his deputies christen king Lucius And when Augustine the monke came to the Saxons the Britons long before that were Christians Secondly neither did Eleutherius nor Gregory preach the faith here nor giue much aide to the conuersion of the people of this land Onely Eleutherius sent Eluanus and Meduinus two Britons otherwise called Fugatius and Damianus to king Lucius and Gregory sent Austin the monke hither But the Saxons were conuerted by certaine Britons and French that could speake the Saxon language and not by Austin that could do nothing but hould the crosse like a crosier-clerke whiles others preached Thirdly albeit this land had béene conuerted by Eleutherius and Gregory yet this is but a personall fauour rather making vs beholding to those two then to those that succéeded them To prooue that we owe any obedience to the sea of Rome for that cause this argument is all too weake For the church of Rome was first conuerted by those that came from Ierusalem yet doth not Rome yéelde any obedience to the bishops of Ierusalem Nay they haue forgotten Saint Paul whome we are assured preached at Rome and do all depend of Peter Likewise the Phrysons and Germanes were conuerted by Saxons out of England yet do they not subiect themselues to the church of England Fourthly the late popes of Rome haue béene alwayes beholding to the kings and people of this country One king gaue the tribute of peter pence others gaue them great priuiledges and authority by which meanes they drew out infinite treasure out of England Bonner a In praefat in lib. de ver obed saith that the reuenues of the pope out of England were equall to the kings reuenues In requitall whereof the popes haue b Matth. Paris sent to our princes either glasses or feathers or rotten bones or paper lead and such like toies Adrian the fourth gaue to our princes a title to Ireland which he had no power to giue Innocent the fourth to king Henry the thirdes sonne gaue a bare title to the kingdome of Naples which cost infinite treasure in the end prooued a méere mockerie Other popes haue shewed theÌ„selues alwaies opposite to the English nation to the kings of this realme No sooner had the pope intelligence that William of Normandie was purposed to come with a puissant armie to conquer this lande which coulde not be done without great waste wracke and slaughter but hée c Matth. Paris caused his standard and ensignes to bée halowed and blessed So much did it please him to heare of an inuasion of our countrey and so holy a thing did warre and waste of this kingdome séeme vnto him Another pope did vpholde Thomas Becket and his rebellious consorts against king Henry the second fauored his professed enimies and in the end forced him to a most shamefull penance d Matth. Paris in Ioanne Innocent the thirde thundred out his excommunications against king Iohn and stirred vp forreine enimies against him Neither did he euer cease to pursue him vntill such time as he had made both the king himselfe and as much as in him lay all his people tributarie to forreiners At which when the Nobilitie and people of England repined the furious pope in great choler e Ibidem sent out his interdictions excommunications and curses against them and neuer ceased to pursue them as long as he had meanes to hurt them In the warres which the kings of England made in France for the obteining of their right in that kingdome the popes crossed them by all meanes possible and declared themselues vtter enimies to our nation being glad of any calamitie that hapned to vs and sorrowfull for our good successe But neuer did anie declare more malice against any of our kinges then Paule the third against king Henry the eight the Quéenes most noble father as appéereth by his most execrable a D. Sanders de schâ—sm lib. 1. bull which he published against him For therein hée doth not onely curse
sparing their holy God of the altar Deteriores sunt Iuda saith Christ in Saint a Onus ecclesiae c. 23. Brigits reuelations qui pro solis denarijsme vendidit illi autem pro omni mercimonio She speaketh of priests that trucke and barter masses for all manner of commodities yea to whoores for a nights lodging With the Angelicks they worship angels with the Staurolatrians they worship the crosse crucifixe giuing to the same diuine worship With the Collyridians they worship the virgin Marie With the Manichees they bring in halfe communions or communion in one kinde With the Carpocratians and Simonians and heathen idolaters they fall downe and offer incense and worship dumbe images With the Pelagians they beléeue merits and iustification by workes And almost out of euery heresie haue taken a peece as hath béene lately they say iustified against Giffords treatise intituled Caluinoturcismus Well therefore may it be saide that popish doctrine is full of poison and vnaduised was our aduersarie to charge vs with heresie or to mention any such matter séeing the blame must needes redounde vpon himselfe and vpon his consorts of the Romish synagogue Secondly he telleth vs That ecclesiasticall supremacy ouer all Christian nations is proper and essentiall to the popes office and that to his apostolicall authority is annexed the office of preaching But that should more properly and substantially haue béene prooued This beeing graunted doth shew that the pope doth faile in his apostolicall or rather apostaticall office For if preaching and féeding Christes flocke belong to the popes office why doth he not preach Why doth he not féede Nay why doth he famish Christes flocke by murdering all true preachers that come within his danger He answereth that The pope is obliged to preach by himselfe or by others But Saint Peter a farre greater apostle and greater man in apostolicall gouernment then the pope preached by himselfe and put not ouer his charge as the pope doth to Iesuites and Friers that preach more heresie and sedition then true doctrine The old bishops of Rome also which were honester men then these late popes put not ouer their charge but preached themselues and in their owne person executed all bishoplie functions Yea and saint Paule telleth vs that the office of a bishop is a good worke and not as the popish bishops make it a naked bare title To conclude this is also the iudgement of a In 1. Tim. 3. Ambrose Chrysostome Theodoret and all that write on the third of the first to Timothie from whence our authoritie is drawne He procéedeth notwithstanding further and professeth openly That when the pope leaueth his supremacy and embraceth that religion that is preached in England he ceaseth to be pope Which I do in part also confesse to be most true For antichrist shall in the church of God exalt himselfe and clayme not onely supreme but also diuine power He shall also defend manifold heresies and abhorre all true doctrine that may concerne his supreme title And if he should not so do he should not shew himselfe to be antichrist Herein therefore the Iesuites and he may be conioyned and march together hand in hand For all of them haue shut their eies and hardened their hartes against Christes true doctrine although it be to their shame in this life among all godly Christians and if they repent not shall be to their euerlasting confusion in the life to come Yet this hard faced Sycophant sticketh not to glory in his shame and to reioice that the pope and his children the Iesuites are matched togither At the length our aduersarie hauing highly extolled the father of heretikes and traitors the pope he descendeth to discourse of the popes darlinges begotten by him now in his declining state and decrepit age the Iesuites and saith They haue many enimies A matter true and by vs confessed and by them well deserued being a sect new vpstart and openly professing obedience to antichrist and enmitie to Apostolike and true catholike religion a societie conspiring mischiefe against al such as they hate practising diuision in priuate houses sedition and trouble in common-wealthes treason against godly princes and leauing the markes of their abominations and wicked actions behinde them wheresoeuer they come A generation stirred vp by Sathan to disturbe the peace of Christendome and to scourge all those that are not thankefull for the reformation of Gods church nor studious in seaâ—ching the truth nor zealous in rooting out of heresies and planting true religion What maruell then if they haue many enimies among those especially that beare good mindes either to true religion or to the state where they liue As for the example of Christian religion and of the first Christians and Christes disciples the holy apostles which were euery where spoken against and persecuted which the discourser our party pretendeth and alleageth to iustifie the generall opposition of al sorts of men against the Iesuits it fitteth his purpose nothing The example likewise of godly men that are often put to their trials is excéedingly euil applied to this sect of vngodly fellowes most absurdly doth he compare these Antijesuites to Christ Iesus that was as it were a marke set vp to be contradicted and was hated and persecuted of those that were of most eminent authoritie among his nation borrowing as it shoulde séeme a péece of some olde declamation vttered in the college of Iesuites or else where in praise of this sect and thrusting it in héere His defence I say is absurd and his comparisons most odious First Christ Iesus that I may beginne with him that is the beginning and fountaine of all spirituall graces and whom these Antijesuites do seeme in some things to counterfait and yet in most things oppugne came from God and did teach no doctrine but which he had receiued from his father humane traditions and pharisaicall boasting of workes of the law he disallowed and condemned These Antijesuites that I say no worse of them come from the pope and teach his decretalles and doctrine grounding themselues vpon mens traditions and vainely bragging of their owne merits and workes Christ Iesus loued his owne and was beloued of his owne These vsurpers of the name of Iesus loue none but theÌ„selues and were charged by their owne friends and were accused of heresie schisme and many grieuous crimes as witnesseth Ribadineira that wrote the legend of his father Ignatius Our sauiour â—or determining controuersies and finding out the truth sent vs to the law and the prophets these destroyers of soules send vs to the pope and his tribunall and most vaine decretalles Iesus Christ though Lord of heauen and earth taught obedience to Caesar and earthly princes these fellowes albeit neither lordes nor princes yet teach disobedience to princes and dissolue the bond of obedience that tyeth subiectes to their superiors Christ Iesus was the true shepheard and sought the saluation of his flocke and albeit iniuriously apprehended and
tamen haereticus potest appellari But whosoeuer listeth to read either the popes decretals or the popish factions writings shall finde that they do interpret Scriptures not onely otherwise then the holie Ghost meant but quite contrarie to his meaning Which is euident by many particulars but wée will content our selues with some fewe for a taste The e Isai c. 28. 8. prophets f Rom. 9. 1. Pet. 2. apostles by the corner stone placed in the foundation of the church and stone of offence do vnderstande Christ Iesus but g In praef in lib. de Pontif. Rom. Bellarmine will haue the pope to bée vnderstoode by these wordes Hée will also z haue the wordes of Christ Super hanc Petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam to bée ment of the pope Where our Sauiâ—ur saith h Ibidem Pasce oues meas these wordes the papists do appropriate to the pope These words Drinke yée all of this they interpret as if Christ had saide drinke not all of this Where the apostle saith Mariage is honorable among al men and vnderstandeth it of such as may marrie by the lawes of God they say mariage is not honorable for priests or monks Where our Sauiour Christ saith Scruta mini scripturas they say Search not the Scriptures Where hée saith that Those do in vaine worship him that teach doctrines of men these teach quite contrarie and place the speciall worship of God in humane traditions Where the spirite of God commandeth That praiers be made for princes and willeth subiects to obey the Magistrate these antichristian papists curse princes and teach subiects to rebell and say that it is meritorious to kill them Ecce duo gladij hîc ergo saith pope Boniface the pope hath two swordes and with these swordes de facto the popes do destroy mens soules and kill their bodies It were infinite to rehearse all their wicked and false interpretations of Scriptures and in this place it is not necessarie séeing by these which wée haue alreadie alleaged it may sufficiently appéere that the papists are heretikes at least if Isidorus saie true As the a Damascen de haeres Herodians gaue the name and honor of Christ to Herode so the papists do giue the names of Christ to the pope allowing these words of Bernard to Eugenius vnctione Christus es They call him the foundation and rocke of the church the head and spouse of the church and such like They teach that he and Christ make but one seate of iudgement and b Lib. caerem. say That all power is giuen to the pope in heauen and earth If then the Herodians deserue for honoring Herode with Christ his titles to be reputed heretikes why should not the papists likewise be reputed heretikes that do as impudently and wickedly giue Christes honor to the pope c De haeresib c. Heicetae Damascene numbreth those monkes and nunnes among heretikes that méeting vsed to dance togither in the praise of God yet do not the popish fort leaue their piping and dancing processions nor do monkes and nunnes cease to celebrate their comedicall dancing masses skipping and hopping about the altar like apes that are taught to leape for their masters aduantage d Ibidem c. Gnosimachi Gnosimachi were certaine heretikes that would not that vulgar Christians should study the scriptures Omni christianorum cognitioni ac scientiae ita aduersantur saith Damascene vt vanum minus necessarium laborem esse dicant eorum qui in diuinis scripturis aliquam exquirunt scientiam Neque enim deum aliud à Christiano postulare quam bonas praeclarasque actiones Itaque aliquem simplici rudique animo institutuÌ„ suum perse qui melius est vt aiont quà m multam curam in cognoscendis de cretis sententijs ponere The which now is iust the opinion of the papists that hold it to be mortall sinne for lay men to dispute of matters of religion and thinke the colliars faith to be sufficient albeit he knoweth nothing but onely answereth That he beleeueth as the church beleeueth a De leâ—â—t indiâ—â— lib. â— Hosius writing against Brentius doth commend ignorance and doth greatly allow this saying Fides te saluum fecit non exercitatio scripturarum b Lib. 3. de auth scriptur He saith also That nothing is more pernitious then with scriptures to enter combat with satan Generally they allow an implicit faith in the rude sort and dehort them from knowledge of scriptures which is the flat heresie of the Gnosimachians The c Damascen dâ— haeres c. â—thnopâ—ronis Ethnophronians were condemned for obseruing diuers heathenish customes and holy daies Which notwithstanding pope Boniface the eight instituted the Iubiley euery hundred yéeres in imitation of the playes called by the Romaines Ludi seculares The papists also haue their censinges and expiations with holy water like the Gentiles They kéepe the Carneuall as the Romaines did their Lupercalia They canonize saintes as the heathen did canonize their benefactors for Gods They offer sacrifices for the soules of the departed as did the Gentiles They vse their lots and coniurations and lash themselues before their idoles and haue diuers other fashions of the Gentiles d As the Montanistes a De haeres c. christiano-categori so likewise do papists mislike second marriages denying to blesse them and not accounting those marriages so holy a sacrament as the first Damascene accounteth them also heretikes That worshipped the images of our Sauiour of the blessed virgin and the saintes as the Gentiles did their Gods Which is iust the case of papists For both of them bowe to them pray to them burne incense to them offer sacrifice before them And both of them denye that they worship stockes or stones but rather those persons that are represented by them Finally the very nature and properties of heretikes do argue and conuince the papists to be such The apostle when hée had warned the Romaines to beware of those that caused diuisions and scandales Rom. 16. hée e addeth also Against that doctrine which they had receiued so that by the apostles iudgement those séeme to bée heretikes that cause sects diuisions and scandales contrary to apostolicall doctrine Hée also is an heretike That a 1. Tim. 6. teacheth other doctrine and resteth not in the holesome wordes of our Lord Iesus Christ The apostle Peter where hée saith b 2. Pet. 2. that There shall rise vp false teachers which shall priuily bring in heresies and damnable sects doth shew them to bee heretikes that teach false doctrine ouerthrowing the mysterie of our redemption through Christ c De praescrip aduers haeret Tertullian doth oppose heretikes to the apostles and their doctrine to apostolicall doctrine Vnde extranei inimici apostolis haeretici saith hée nisi ex diuersitate doctrinae quam vnusquisque de suo arbitrio aduersus apostolos aut protulit aut recepit Haeresis
principall rocke doth wholy rely vpon the popes of Rome men neither like to Christ nor like to Peter nor like to a rocke Vnlesse it be in that they deny Christ and are as hard harted against Christians as if they were rockes Secondly the faith of the true catholike church is built vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets and their canonicall doctrine The apostle c Ephes 2. saith That the houshold of God and citizens of saintes are built vpon the foundations of the apostles and prophets S. d Apocal. 25. Iohn sheweth That the wall of the city of God hath twelue foundations and in them the names of the twelue apostles The church is built not vpon Peter onely as saint e Lib. aduers â—â—in Hierome saith but vpon all the apostles At dicis super Petrum fundatur ecclesia licèt id ipsum in alio loco super omnes apostolos cuncti claues regni caelorum accipiant ex aequo super eos ecclesiae fortitudo solidetur The church of God saith f In Ephes 2. Theophylact is built vpon the apostles and prophets And all this is therefore affirmed of them because they preached not themselues but Christ Iesus and wrote the canonicall scriptures that they might be as g Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Irenaeus saith The foundation of our faith Vnto this foundation the ancient fathers do all giue testimony But the faith of the Romish synagogue is built vpon the determinations decretals of popes They count their determinations to be infallible and make them souereine iudges of all controuersies in Christes stead Alij nunc à Christo missi saith h In praefat in relect in prinâ—ip doct Stapleton eorumue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locum habebunt He plainely i Ibidem confesseth that the papists haue another foundation of their faith besides the scriptures Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus saith he ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud And k Lib. 4. de verb. Dei c. 4. Bellarmine disputing of traditions calleth them the word of God not written and saith That the scriptures are neither necessary nor sufficient without them Demonstrare conabimur saith hée scripturas sine traditionibus nec fuisse simpliciter necessarias nec sufficientes Nowe if they cannot shewe that the church of God in times past did builde their faith vpon the popes decretals and traditions they must néeds confesse that they are not the true church Thirdly neuer did the church of Christ speake euill of Scriptures a Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 2. Irenaeus saith It is the propertie of heretikes when they are conuinced by Scriptures to fall into dislike of them and to accuse them The children of God certes cannot calumniate their heauenly fathers testament or refuse to heare his voice My sheepe saith our b Iâ—hn 10. Sauiour heare my voice But the papists say they are neither necessary nor sufficient as doth Bellarmine or no sufficient foundation of the church as doth Stapleton in the places aboue mentioned and speake euill of them as if they were c Annot. Rhem. in 2. Cor. 3. A killing letter and most pernicious or as if they were a nose of ware d Ceâ—sur Colon. or a matter of contention and will not suffer them to be publikely read in a toong that is vnderstood of the vulgar fort 4. The church of God doth keepe the doctrine of the apostles without addition and alteration auoiding all prophane nouelties The Gal. 1. apostle pronounceth him accursed That teacheth any other Gospell then that which he taught So f Aduers haeres c. 34. Vincentius Lâ—rinensis saith Catholicorum hoc ferè proprium deposita sanctorum patrum commissa seruare damnare prophanas nouitates sicut dixit iterum dixit apostolus si quis annuntiauerit praeterquam quod acceptum est anathematizare But the synagogue of Rome hath added vnto the doctrine of the apostles infinite nouelties as hath béene declared aboue in the second chapter Their doctrine concerning the grounds of faith concerning the law the Gospell and diuers points of Christian faith their worship of God their massing seruice and popish gouernment is newe as their newe decretals and late Tridentine doctrine the decrées of other late councels whereupon all their popish faith dependeth do plainly testifie 5. The true church cannot abide heretikes that teach doctrine contrary to that of the apostles Christ Iesus speaking of his shéepe g Iohn 10 saith They will not follow a stranger but flye from him for that they know not the voice of strangers that the apostles gaue the faithfull Christians in charge If there come any vnto you saith a 2. Iohn saint Iohn and bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither salute him Tantum apostoli horum discipuli saith b Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 3. Irenaeus habuerunt timorem vt neque verbotenus communicarent alicui eorum qui adulterauerant veritatem Let vs separate our selues saith c Lib. 1. ep 3. Cyprian as far from them as they separate themselues from the church Neither can the true church embrace erroneous doctrine For true Christians will not heare the voice of strangers Si haeretici sunt saith Tertullian d De praescrip aduers haeret Christiani esse non possunt But it is apparent that the popes of Rome are heretikes which are the great maisters and Rabbines of the Romish synagogue as may appeare by the examples of Liberius Felix Vigilius Honorius thâ— first Iohn the two twentith Eugenius the 4. and diuers others We haue also shewed that the synagogue of Rome hath embraced diuers heresies and doth wholy addict her selfe to embrace heretikes and to persecute true teachers 6. The church of God is the mistresse and teacher of truth and admitteth no falsehood nor vntruth The e 1. Tim. 3. apostle doth call her The piller and ground of truth Est fons veritatis faith f Instit diuin lib. 4. c. vlt. Lactantius hoc est domicilium fidei She is the fontaine of truth that is to say The house where true faith dwelleth but the synagogue of Rome is not onely a receptacle of leud opinions but also the mother and mistresse of lyes and vanities She not onely receiueth false traditions but also teacheth them She embraceth lying legends and old wiues fables and apocryphall deuises And this is the word of God not written which they so much commend and make equall to holy scriptures That church g In breuiar in festo Cathar beléeueth That saint Catharine was a maiden of Alexandria so well learned that at eighteene yeeres of age she passed the most learned and ouercame fiftie philosophers conuerted Faustina the empresse and Porphyrius a captaine of his to the faith and broke the tormenting wheele with her oraysons They say also that her body was buried by angels
all saintes Nay sometimes they flie to their images and reliques Neither can the distinction of mediators of intercession helpe them For the true church in her liturgyes neuer vsed to call vpon any mediator or intercessor beside Christ Iesus Beside that the Romish church crauing of saints all thinges necessary and attributing to saintes the merite of remission of sinnes do make them more then mediators of intercession 36. In the church of Christ we neuer heard nor read that christians did vse to scourge themselues before crucifixes and other images But the priestes of Baal were woont to launce themselues before their idols And the priestes of Cybele in honour of their goddesse were woont to cut themselues So likewise the papists do scourge theÌ„selues and punish their bodies and are thereby declared to more bée like to Pagans heathen then to the people of God 37. The true church is a societie of faithfull people vnder lawfull pastors For a Ephes 4. Christ Iesus hath giuen them for The worke of the ministerie and for the edification of the bodie of Christ vntill wee all meete togither in the vnitie of faith and acknowledging of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man b Lib. 4. epist 9. Cyprian saith That the church is a people vnited to their bishop and a flocke adhering to their pastor Est ecclesia saith hée plebs episcopo adunata pastori suo grex adhaerens So likewise saith c In Dial. aduers Lucifer Hierome Ecclesia non est quae non habet sacerdotes That is there is not the church where there are no priestes or bishops But the church of Rome hath long wanted true priestes and bishops For the Romish bishops haue no authoritie nor mission but from the pope to whom they also d C. ego N. de ureiurando sweare fealtie But he hath no authoritie to sende them or ordeine them being himselfe no bishop Secondly the Romish bishops neither teach nor féede nor do the worke of a bishop Neither do the priestes of that synagogue obserue their commission in teaching that which Christ hath commaunded Thirdly in ordination of bishops and priestes they neither kéepe the apostles rules 1. Tim. 3. and Tit. 1. nor the ancient canons but ordeine boies and men vnlearned and infamous and vnable to teach and neither duly examine them nor orderly choose them nor canonically ordaine them Fourthly they do not ordaine priestes to teach and gouerne their flocks but e Machab. in lib. de missis episcopor pro ordinib confe rendis To offer sacrifices and to say masses for quicke and dead Which forme neither did either Christ or his apostles prescribe or the ancient church euer practise or know Fiftly they are ordeined simoniacally and by excommunicate persons and by apostataes from Christes true faith Lastly they are all f C. ego N. de iureiurando sworne to antichrist and therefore no ministers of Christ Iesus nor true pastors That the pope hath no authoritie to sende foorth pastors to féede Christes flocke it is appaâ—ent for that hée is a hireling or rather a woolfe and no successor of Peter or of the apostles varying so much from their doctrine and liuing nor true bishop doing not the function of a bishop nor teaching of Christes flocke That he is antichrist and of the temple of God hath made a denne of idolatrie and théeuery is prooued in the former discourse Most apparant therefore it is that the bishops of the Romish synagogue are no true bishops nor pastors Which is also prooued by their manners and doctrine For they murder Christes lambes and féede them not if they teach at all or if their priests and fryers teach it is not Christe faith but heresie which they teach 38 The true church of Christ cannot adhere to antichrist Our sauiour Christ speaking of his shéepe a Ioan. 10. saith they will not follow a stranger but will fly froÌ„ him But the church of Rome doth manifestly adhere to antichrist that exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God and that sitteth in mens consciences that persecuteth all true Christians and yet pretendeth that he is Christs vicar That the Papists adhere to the pope they will not denie for they b C. Vnam ext de ma. obed make it a matter necessarie to saluation to be subiect to him That the pope is antichrist his pride his crueltie his doctrine the time of his rising the place of his kingdome and many arguments declare which we haue touched in the former discourse 39 As the true Church is figured by Ierusalem which was the holy citie of God so the malignant church is signified partly by Babylon Apocal. 18. and partly by the purple whore Apocal. 17. that had a cup of gold in her hand full of abomination and filthinesse If then the state of Rome vnder the popes be represented by this purple harlot then must it necessarily follow that the Church of Rome is not the citie of God but rather the city of Babylon and synagogue of Satan adhering to antichrist But that the state of new Rome as it is subiect to the pope and is the fountaine and metropolitane church of all idolatrie and heresie is meant by the purple whore and by Babylon Apocal. 17. 18. diuers arguments do teach vs. First the order of Saint Iohns historie doth shew it For after that in the 12. chapter and in the beginning of the thirtéenth he had described the state of olde Rome vnder the emperors and the decay of that empire it is not likely that he should returne againe to describe the flourishing state of the empire in the seuentéenth chapter and so to relate the same things confusedly Secondly he representeth vnto vs the rising of antichrist out of the earth and vpon the decay of the Romane empire in the end of the thirtéenth chapter and therefore whatsoeuer followeth may séeme better to belong to antichrists kingdome and new Rome than old Rome Thirdly after the destruction of the purple whore and of Babylon the Apostle describeth the end of the world and last iudgement as if the one were to follow the other But the end of the world doth not follow presently vpon the destruction of the empire but rather after the ouerthrow of Antichristes kingdome Fourthly the beast which Iohn saw and vpon which the purple whore did sit was not then as she should be Non adhuc erat a saith Saint Iohn ex abysso ascensura erat Apoc. 17. But the empire then did most flourish And therfore that beast must signifie another empire which in Rome was to be erected after the Romane empires decay Fiftly those tenne kinges which were signified by tenne hornes did not arise during the time of the olde empire but vpon the rising of antichrist neidid they giue their power to the Romane empire but to the pope and therefore this must néeds be a figure of the papacie and not of
colour lay vpon them So that nowe notwithstanding the riches of the Indies the people of Spain for the most part are brought to beggerie Secondly by the abolishing of the popes vsurped power his extreme exactions ceased and the publike treasure of the kingdome which by his meanes was woont to be exhausted began to encrease at the least it was kept within the kingdome Thirdly her Maiestie restored peace vnto vs which Quéene Marie intricating her-selfe in her husbands quarrell did exchange for warres and lost Calice and all the remainder of her ancestors possessions in France This peace but that the papists haue gone about by diuers attempts at home and abroade to trouble it hath now continued two and fortie yeeres and vpward So it appéereth what troubles wants warres rebellions losses or disgraces haue hapned now this many yéeres to this nation or else are intended against vs that the same haue wholy procéeded from the popish faction and their abominable and cursed idolatrie and superstition as all blessings that haue béene bestowed vpon vs haue issued from the fountaine of Gods fauour for the maintenance of his truth by meanes of her Maiesties gracious gouernment and of her fathers and her brothers noble purposes and deseignements Neither did her Maiestie restore peace to vs onely with forreine enimies but restraine the cruell rage of popish butchers that murdered Gods saints at home made warres vpon them shée I say restored peace and gaue rest to Gods church Lastly by meanes of her Maiesties gouernement the strength of this land is growne great Neuer were there more valiant men of warre nor better men at sea then now Her Nauie is excéedingly encreased her munitions and furniture for the war is exceeding Neuer was there in England greater store of learned men nor more cunning artificers in al trades There is no countrey better peopled nor was euer prince more reuerenced or beloued of her subiects These blessings God hath bestowed on her people by meanes of her gouernment It hath pleased him also singularly to blesse her both with spirituall and temporall graces and to make her reigne farre longer then of most of her progenitors to multiplie her daies aboue ordinarie Shee hath also seene the miserable endes of most of her enimies and of such traitors as haue sought her hurt and long may shée continue and see the confusion of the rest to the comfort of all her louing subiects and griefe of her wicked enimies As for those that haue either by open force or priuate practise sought to destroie her they are all perished and come to confusion euen so Lord let them all perish and come to confusion that hate thée and thy truth and the maintainers and professors thereof At this happinesse of the English nation by the happie change of religion made by her Maiestie at her first entrance into her kingdome it is no maruell if this our aduersarie and his consorts be repine for that is the nature of enuie to bée sorie if shée see no cause of others sorrow Vixque tenet lachrymas as the Poet a Ouid. Metamorph 2. saith quia nil lachrymabile cernit It is the propertie also of busie fellowes to be quarrelling and accusing of others they feede on accusations as daintie meate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as saith Pindarus They looke not into their owne myseries and calamities but curiously looke into other countries not vnlike hungrie Grammarians that are descanting still of the calamities of Troie and yet sée not their owne domesticall miseries that more néerely concerne them But it is true as one saith That he that is curious in other mens causes is also malitious Which appéereth true in this our aduersarie for gladly woulde he by ripping vp our estate make the worlde beleeue that we haue receiued no blessing nor benefite by change of religion but he demonstrateth nothing but his owne folly ignorance and malice He b P. 1. beginneth with a long tale of flatterie and the harmes ensuing thereof and at his first setting out entreth into a common place as it were into a common Inne pleasing and resting himselfe but tyring and harrying his reader with his néedelesse fooleries For what skilleth it I pray you to know what a dangerous beast a flatterer is Againe who denieth but that flatterie is an odious thing But what is this to vs Can he shew that sir Francis is a flatterer no nay he doth not so much as go about to prooue any such matter nor doth he applie his common place to his purpose but leaueth it as a fragment borrowed out of some frierlike declamation without any coherence to the rest of his long speake Wherefore to helpe him foorth where he faileth we confesse that flatterie is a foule fault and are content that he should speake his pleasure against flatterers For whatsoeuer he saith against them falleth right vpon him and his consorts who albeit they raile starkely against honest men yet are still clawing the pope and the king of Spaine and their adherents shewing themselues to be clawbackes parasites and flatterers what the pope saith that they say all what he denieth they denie They are of néere kinred to Gnatho of whom c In eunucho imperaui egomet mihi omnia assentari Terence speaketh That had no power to gainsay any thing which his master said so saith d In praes in relect princip doctrin Sapleton That the popes determination is the foundation of his religion They are also like the parasite in Plautus whose belly taught him to speake strange thinges for these good fellowes for their bellies sake speake raile holde their peace write faune flatter and vnto the popes pleasure turne their stile and their teaching Mutato iudicio ecclesiae saith the a Epist 2. ad Loâ—emos Cardinall of Cusa mutatum est dei iudicium Now by the church he vnderstaÌ„deth his holy father the pope who as b De princip doctrin passim Stapleton holdeth is the principall subiect of Ecclesiasticall authoritie him a multitude of parasites doth most palpablie flatter Augustin Steuchus doth honour him as a God audis saith c Contr. Donat. Constantini he Pontificem deum appellatum habitum pro deo Gomesius writing vpon the rules of the popes chancerie saith That the pope is a certaine visible God Papa saith he est quoddam numen quasi visibilem quendam deum prae se ferens Stapleton like a shamelesse parasite doth d In Epist dedicat ante princip doctrin worship him as his souereigne God on the earth Tanquam supremum in terris numen Iohn Andreas in c. quanto de translat episcopi and Abbas Panormitanus in c. licet de electione saie That he and Christ haue but one tribunall seate betweene them e In breuiloquio e In praef an t lib. de pontif Rom. Bonauenture calleth the pope The onely spouse of the church Christs vicar generall Robert Bellarmine who
among themselues Nay the contention betwéene Caluin and Luther is not so great but that popish doctors haue greater As for our selues all of vs professe the doctrine of Christ Iesus according to that rule that was established by common consent of the church of England from which if any digresse he is no more to be accounted of our societie then the papists that are of the popes retinue Lastly where he calleth our religion Parliament religion hée speaketh like himselfe that is falsely and slanderously For albeit the same be receiued by authoritie of the prince and state yet is it Christs religion and not the princes The a Lâ—unctos Cod. de summ Trin. sid Cath. emperors Gratian Valentinian and Theodosius decréed That all people of their gouernment should hold the doctrine of Peter the apostle taught by Damasus bishop of Rome and Peter bishop of Alexandria and that they should beleeue one God three persons and yet I hope this Noddie will not call the faith of the Trinitie An imperiall faith And thus much in answere of his obiection of parliameÌ„t faith and of supposed diuisions amongst vs. But if hée had considered how that all the authoritie of their Romish faith as it differeth from ours standeth vpon the authoritie of late popes and of the late conuenticle of Trent and that both the grounds and positions of it are either nouelties or old condemned heresies and was in Quéene Maries times established more by parliament then by authoritie of the apostles and how many and diuers sectes they haue among their monkes and friers and b About the matter of the sacrament of the Lords supper they haue not so few as 200. diuers opinions diuers opinions among their schoolemen and how their late writers dissent both from fathers and schoolemen and among themselues I thinke hée woulde haue spared either to haue obiected vnto vs our dissensions or to haue talked of the authoritie of our religion To discredite the report of spirituall blessings bestowed on vs he a P. 5.6 saith further That before this change we beleeued the catholike faith of Christendome deliuered by the vniuersal church grounded vpon that rocke that cannot faile now beleeue onely either other mens opinioÌ„s or our owne fancies which choice is properly called heresie and héere hée thinketh to haue argued like a great doctor But first as his doctrine is strange so his stile is new and fantasticall For although hée sweate hard in séeking yet shall hee not finde that any one doctor saith That the vniuersall church doth deliuer to euerie priuate man the catholike faith for as schoolemen might teach him Actiones sunt suppositorum and it is not the whole kind but some one or other that doth this or that action Secondly most vntrue it is That either poperie is the catholike faith of Christendome or that the apostles or their catholike successors taught those errors of poperie which wee condemne Thirdly he doth vs wrong where he saith That our doctrine is diuers from the catholike faith of Christendome For whatsoeuer Christ or his apostles taught or is deliuered in the confessions of faith or créedes generally receiued of Christs Catholike church that wée beléeue and receiue refusing no point of catholike doctrine and all priuate fancies opinions heresies whether of popes or other heretikes and false teachers we renounce condemne and anathematize Héereof it followeth that the doctrine and faith of the church of England is most catholike and certaine being grounded vpon the apostles and prophets Christ Iesus being the corner stone which is a firme rocke against which the gates of hell cannot preuaile Grounded it is I say vpon the writings of the apostles and prophets endited by Gods holie spirite and thereunto not onely Councels and fathers but also the aduersaries themselues for the most part giue testimonie But the blinde papists haue deuised and receiued both new grounds of their religion and new doctrine which standeth onely vpon the authoritie of this pope and that pope whose fancie and opinion is all the certeintie they haue This is that rocke or rather banke of sand whereon the miserable papists faith is built For what the pope determineth that they hold to be the determination of the vniuersal church vpon his credite they receiue the scriptures Nay without his determination a Stapletonde author eccles they denie the scriptures to be authenticall b Princip doct lib. 9. c. 12. Stapleton teacheth that the church that is the pope at all times hath power to approue and taxe and consigne the bookes of holy scriptures In another place he c Ibidem lib. 11. c. 4. holdeth that vniuersall tradition is the most certaine interpreter of scriptures Generallie they hold that the pope is supreme iudge in all controuersies of faith and manners and that he is the iudge that cannot erre Hereof that followeth which this noddie obiecteth to vs That the faith of papists is built vpon the popes fancie and opinion which altering from time to time the faith of the Romish church is variable like the moone and vnstable as the sea Trusting to the popes determination from the Angelickes they haue receiued the worship of angels from the Collyridians the worship of the holy virgin Marie from the Carpocratians and Simon Magus and their disciples the worship of images from the Manichées and other heretikes prohibition of meates and dislike of mariage of priests and from other heretikes other damnable opinions So that their faith is not the catholike faith of Christendome but méere heresie grounded vpon the fancie and opinion of most wicked and vnlearned popes But d P. 6. saith this Noddie Why should you beleeue more your owne opinions then Caluin concerning the Queenes supremacie Luther concerning the reall presence and Beza in the church gouernment I answere first that these mens priuate opinions concerne not fundamentall points of faith And therefore that they are not to bée brought foorth for instance in this cause where we talke of the foundations reasons of Christian faith Secondly I deny that Caluin did deny the Quéenes supremacie in ecclesiasticall matters as we hold it For neither did he subiect princes to popes or priests in matter of their royall gouernment nor did hee denie princes power to establish ecclesiasticall lawes nor to command for Gods truth or to prouide for the setting foorth of true religion or redressing of disorders in churches or priests which are the principall points of supreme gouernment of princes in their realmes and dominions Neither do I thinke that any ancient father of the church did euer denie this power to princes Sure I am that many haue allowed it The reason why Caluin did once mislike the title of king Henry the eight was because hée was perswaded that hee had challenged all that power which the pope arrogateth to himselfe as head of the church wherein after that he was better informed he changed his stile and
retracted his opinion Thirdly I say we suspend our opinion and giue no approbation to Luthers opinion concerning the carnall presence of Christs body in the Sacrament for that we sée that doctrine to be new not taught by the apostolike church Nay we finde it to be repugnant to the apostles doctrine deliuered in Scriptures to the doctrine of the ancient catholike church and to the analogie of faith Lastly I say that in external gouernment it is not necessarie that all churches should concur and agrée séeing not onely the east churches differed from the west but the western churches also from themselues The churches of Afrike had diuers customes differing froÌ„ the churches of Italy a I ibâ—d sa 〈◊〉 Ambrose in his church at Milan thought it not necessary in al things to follow the church of Rome Further I say that it is not to be doubted but that it is better in matter of externall gouernment to folow the consent of antiquitie and succéeding ages rather then any mans priuate humour and opinion and therefore I doubt not but our cause is better and our grounde more certaine which in searching out the doctrine of Christian faith do build our selues vpon Christ and his apostles and vpon holy Scriptures approoued by consent of times descent of holy fathers bishops testimony of the most ancient church which all appéereth in ancient symboles of faith then that of the papists which in doubts and controuersies runne to this pope or that pope which for the most part is but a blocke or a sot and a man ignorant not onely in the controuersies but often in the grounds principles of Christian religion Now what assurance the papists can haue of their faith that haue no ground but in the determination of the pope I report me euen to the papists themselues that condemne priuate opinions and singuler mens fancies and in externall termes yéeld all not to this man or that man but to the iudgement of Christ his vniuersall church Another spirituall blessing a P. 6. and 7. saith our aduersarie is when good works follow faith as meeknes penance mortification of the flesh continencie virginitie fasting praying almes voluntarie pouertie renouncing of the world And that mens sauage natures should be altered by Christs doctrine he prooueth out of Isay the 11. where it is saide That the woolfe shall dwell with the lambe and the Pard lie with the goate And the calfe lyon and sheepe abide togither Lastly hée asketh Whether our doctrine hath wrought these effects of peace and meekenesse of penance and mortification and the rest I answer that the doctrine of the Gospell hath wrought good effects in all true Christians And that all such do good workes and liue according to their profession And albeit euerie one do not so square their liues according to Gods law as they should do yet compare our people with the papists nay with the priests and popes themselues whom they call most holy and I make no question but they do farre excell them In Quéene Maries time this land flowed with bloud of innocents Vpon her Maiesties entrance these cruell executions ceased Such was her clemencie that shée would not shed the blood of those woolues that had shed the most innocent blood of many others Nay albeit during the time of her sisters reigne shée had receiued many wrongs yet did shée forget al. So rare was her clemencie that euen strangers commend it Tanta eius animi extitit moderatio saith b Histor Gâ—nuens lib. 23. Peter Bizarus atque inuata clementia vt non immeritò de illa dici possit quod veteres de Seuero Alexandro Mammea matre genito posteris tradidere nempe anaematon hoc est citra sanguinem gessisse imperium cum suapte natura semper à caedibus crudelitate abhorrens nunquam adduci potuerit vt aliquem nisi publico iudicio damnatum ad supplicium rapi pateretur Her people likewise did folow her steps and neuer sought the blood of papists though the world knoweth they séeke ours In France and Flanders our side neuer tooke armes but in defence of their liues against those that sought to murder them In our victories likewise great clemencie hath béene vsed The king of Nauarre now king of France was euer admired for his great clemencie The English entring perforce into Caliz and other places shewed great moderation in their victorie In diuers places where religion is professed adulterie is punished with death fornication with corporall punishments other vnnaturall filthinesse is not named No where are stewes accompted lawfull Neither do we accompt any man a true professor that doth not moderate his affections and absteine from swearing drunkennesse pride and deale mercifully with the poore and conscionably with all If any man do otherwise he may liue among vs but he is not of vs. But the whoorish synagogue of Rome she is redde with the blood of saintes No tigre was euer more fierce or cruell This farre surpasseth the bloody city whereof the prophet a Nahum 3. speaketh the gouernours of this synagogue like wolues haue deuoured the lambes of Christ and not spared his flocke they imprison the true professors they spoile them torment them and kill them Innocent the third caused many thousands to be slaine in France Iohn the two and twentieth did b Io. Villan hist. fiorent 11. persecute the poore Christians of Armenia and hired the Saracens to war vpon them and all because they would not acknowledge his authoritie Martin the fift and his successors with fire and sword sought to ruinate the Bohemians onely for séeking reformation of abuses and redresse for the cruell execution of Iohn Husse murdred at Constance contrarie to the emperors safe conduct To forbeare to speake of former times the world knoweth that the warres of Germanie against the protestants as they are called were stirred vp by Paul the third and prosecuted with great rigour By the instigation of bloody priestes of the Romish synagogue the innocent christians of Cabriers Merindole and the villages néere adioyning were most cruellie slaine without respect of age sexe or qualitie These be the wolues that in the time of Quéene Mary made such hauock of Christs flocke in England that haue caused millions of christians in France Flanders and other places to be slaughtered Lib. hist 24. Natalis a popish writer saith that thréescore thousand were murdred in the massacre of France anno 1572. Cum amirante saith he Lutetiae Parisiorum in omnibus propè Gallicis ciuitatibus caesa fuisse dicuntur plura sexaginta millibus hominum factionis Vgonoticae nouae religionis And therefore he doubteth not to cal this execution Cruell and bitter The numbers of those that haue béene secretly murdred by the bloodie Inquisitors in Rome Italie Spaine is excéeding great the crueltie of the persecutors strange the patience of saints admirable Neither doe they onely practise crueltie against such as they accompt
of papists and telleth what monuments of learning they haue left behinde them and what vniuersities they haue built All which maketh nothing to the purpose For albeit there bée many learned men among them yet their common people may be very vnlearned and ignorant notwithstanding which is that whereabout we contend Againe if their learning be so great the greater shall bée their condemnation which in the knowledge of Christ Iesus are so ignorant themselues and suffer also the people to liue in ignorance Lastly albeit we will not deny them to be learned yet we doubt not but to match them with men of our profession and if we compare them with the ancient fathers they will be ouermatched But whatsoeuer their learning is good it were for them if they would vse it not to their owne but to Gods glory Likewise they teach That lay men may not meddle with matters of religion that is that Princes haue no power to reforme the church nor to make ecclesiasticall lawes And our aduersary confesseth That onely priests haue authority to define and determine matters of religion What reason then hath hée to quarrell with sir Francis Hastings séeing in effect he confesseth as much as hée laieth to his charge Forsooth saith he Because these words To meddle with matters of religion may haue a double sence But what if they might receiue a treble sence if the papists doe so remooue lay men from gouerment in ecclesiasticall causes that they néede not to care how God is serued then are they not wronged by him For hée doth not meane care in their owne behalfe but in respect of others And therefore his example of ministers wiues is very impertinent Neither hath hee reason to condemne lawfull mariage when he and his consorts wallow in all filthinesse to condemne I say the apostles doctrine which alloweth a bishop To be the husband of one wife when hée teacheth the doctrine of diuels that forbiddeth to marrie Finally Parsons the Iesuite hath no reason to condemne priests wiues when his true father as they say was a parson of a parish his mother also had béene more honest if shee had béene maried to the parson his father These iestes therefore if hée looke no better to his businesse may prooue him to bée irregular and vncapable of priesthood But what is that may hée say when a bastard maketh as good a Iesuite as hée that is well borne Where wée say that the papists stande more on externall complements and ceremonies then inwarde faith and other vertues onely requiring an outward profession and outward obseruations of going to masse to shrift and such like hee is much displeased with the matter and saith That his aduersary hath neither eies nor witte And yet this is the doctrine of the Romish church Vt aliquis absolutè dici possit pars verae ecclesiae saith a Lib. de ecclesia c. 3. Bellar. non putamus requiri vllam internam virtutem sed tantùm externam professionem fidei sacramentorum communionem quae sensu ipso percipitur And albeit he shoulde not so say yet it is apparent that those are accompted good Cacolickes that liue in obedience to the pope and obserue his lawes whatsoeuer they are otherwise Nay of late time they haue canonized murtherers traitors and rebels as for example Iames Clement that murthred Henry the thirde of France diuers of the rebels that rose with the Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland in the north and such trecherous priests as came from the pope to betraie their countrey to strangers In times past also Thomas Becket was canonized for a saint albeit he was a traitor to his prince and countrey stirring vp forreine enimies against them moouing the pope to depriue his prince of his crowne running to professed enimies and consulting with them to the hurt of his prince causing the land to be enterdited and giuen as a spoile to forreine enimies which neither Iohn Baptist nor the holie fathers Athanasius Ambrose Hilary or Chrysostome either did or allowed to bée done And therefore as these examples fit not Thomas Beckets cause so Thomas Beckets example doth fitly shewe how loose men and disobedient subiects are enterteined by the pope and made saints in heauen albeit they deserue not to liue on earth Lipomanus and Surius and others I know tell many goodly tales of this saint but wée must remember that all the grounde they haue is their lying Legend and percase the popes sentence grounded vpon hearesaie Sir Francis saith further that Albeit the pope and his clergie commanded blasphemies and disloialties yet blind papists were made beleeue that the pope must be obeied vpon paine of damnation And his meaning is most true For although popes command matters impious against God and disloiall against princes yet their friers and flatterers do cōmend them for glorious merits woorthie of celestiall glorie Iames Clement the Dominican frier that murdred king Henry the third of France is estéemed a martyr of the popish synagogue Pope a The oration of Sixtus quint. la fulminante Sixtus quintus in the consistory of Cardinals commended this detestable act as A worke of God a miracle a rare exploit of Gods prouidence and compareth it to The most excellent mysteries of Christ his incarnation and resurrection Cardinall Como in his letter to Parry that went about to murder her Maiestie calleth the worke Meritorious Sanders doth greatly commend the rebels of the north that vpon the popes commandement went about to depriue their liege Souereigne of her crowne and kingdome And what hath either Parsons the Iesuite or this personate Noddy be hée what hée will to obiect against vs in this point Hée saith it is a shamelesse slander to say The pope commandeth either blasphemies against God or disloialties against princes And for the rest hée telleth vs That obedience to the pope is a commendation to catolike religion But the first is prooued by his decretales legends missals portuisses and other rituall bookes full of blasphemies The second is manifest by their practise There hath no such treason almost béene wrought against princes of late time but the same hath procéeded from the pope and béen managed by Iesuits and other friers and priests All the rebellions in England against Henrie the eight Edward the sixt Elizabeth now reigning had no other cause nor originall The late league or rather late rebellion of France against Henry the third and Henrie the fourth was made by the pope and enflamed by the vermine of friers his agents The Iesuites professe obedience to the pope as to Christ Boniface the eight maketh subiection to the pope to be a matter of saluation a De eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine maketh it an essentiall part of a Cacolike or true member of the popes church And such trust haue papists in his iudgements concerning matters of faith that they thinke hée cannot be deceiued Nay if hée once either command or determine
any thing they accompt it no better then sacrilege to dispute of his dooing and b C. si papa dist 40. holde that if hée shoulde leade multitudes of soules to hell yet no man must say to him Domine cur ita facis that is Sir why do you so So generally the papists doe beléeue the pope and obey his commandements Which obedience and beléefe no man commendeth but those that embrace all his heresies and are readie to execute his treasons For although wée are to obey our superiors and that not for feare but for conscience sake and ought to harken to our pastors yet this is nothing to the pope that is not our superior nor a true pastour but a woolfe a hireling and antichrist or as some terme him The head of antichristes kingdome Beside that wée are not to beléeue euery thing that our pastors teach but as c Matth. 28. farre as they teach the doctrine of Christ Iesus Nor are wée absolutely to obey but when they command according to lawe O thrise vnhappie they that take these woolues for true pastors and beléeue their heresies and treasons to be true faith and obedience Finally it is most true that the papists when they haue committed most abominable offences and liued in all filthinesse are notwithstanding taught that the pope hath power to pardon them and absolue them Bellarmine d Lib. 1. de indulgent c. 10. faith That indulgences are profitable for all manner of persons and highly he extolleth the Iubiley and generall indulgences granted by the pope And for this cause many sillie soules with labour charge and danger trauell to Rome and all with great hope to haue their sinnes pardoned This therefore is no calumniation nor forgerie nor iugling tricke as this ingling companion telleth vs who himselfe hath many yéeres wandred vp and downe in forreine lands like the Egyptians or Cingari and hath in his time plaied many tricks of legierdemayne thinketh by his hopping skipping other apish trickes that he can make flesh and blood of a péece of bread and therefore imagineth others to bée like himselfe But saith hée The indulgence is not auaileable to remooue mortall sinnes but onely to take away the punishment either in this life or in the life to come And so the schoolemen commonly dispute But what is that to the purpose when the common people beléeueth otherwise and when in the indulgences they vse not so to distinguish Nay in the taxe of the popes indulgences it appéereth that for money they dispense with all sin For money they pardon Murder of children of men of women of wiues of neere kinred fornication adulterie incest and all vnnaturall abominations As for all irregularities they make small difficultie Nay they giue licence for Iewes to builde synagogues where Christ is blasphemed and pardon those that fall into Iudaisme and Turcisme Pro licentia erigendi de nouo publicam synagogam say a Taxa poenitent they taxa est Turon 60. ducat 15. Againe Marrania in amplissima forma componitur pro clerico Turon 15. ducat 15. pro laico Turon 4. ducat 10. So those that will not suffer Christians to liue and to breath giue priuileges and pardons to Iewes and dispense with apostataes maranoes and rinegued Turkes Neither do they distinguish so subtilly as our wise aduersarie woulde haue them Nor doe the papists respect more then that they may haue plenarie indulgence vnder seale But suppose that the pope shoulde onely take on him to remit the temporall punishment of mortall sinnes and to forgiue veniall sinnes yet that is contrarie to Christes doctrine to the apostles practise to the ancient orders of the bishops of Rome and of the catholike church and maketh carnall men more licentious in sinning when the penaltie is so easily redéemed and spoileth many poore Christians that giue al rather then they will endure the supposed extreme torments of purgatorie O miserable and simple papists that suffer your selues to be so deluded take paines trauaile far and powre out your money and all to get nothing but vaine wordes and bare lead and paper without any profite He telleth vs further That the popes pardons differ from absolution of priests by the keyes And therein taketh some paines to relate the schoolemens opinion as if it were materiall what such doting diuines and iangling friers do babble without all ground of scripture or allowance of fathers This is certaine that both the pope himselfe and all other priests do challenge their authority by one commission and by vertue of the keyes How then commeth it to passe that the popes power and authority is so ample and large and other inferior priestes so straite and restreintife both béeing ioyned in one patent héere the Noddy will be intricated if he shape not a better answere then any is héere declared Hée standeth also vpon this a P. 26. That it is not more capitall to transgresse the ordinances of the pope then to transgresse the lawes of God But what can impudent denialls auaile when the shamefull practise of the Romishe synagogue declareth the contrary doth not the whole faction hould that the popes lawes bind in conscience and is it not apparent that murders adulteries vnnaturall abominations yea Paganisme Iudaisme Turcisme and all atheismes are pardoned where such Christians as eate flesh on fasting daies and refuse to worship idoles and to fulfill other the popes lawes are declared a C. ad abolendam de haeretiâ—iâ— heretikes and burnt without remission Finally he saith It is a hard matter to frame his aduersaries ould head to vnderstand the depth of their catholicke religion Which I do beléeue séeing there is no bottome of their turning deuises But if he were wise he would rather séeke to defend himselfe then to teach his aduersaries We desire not to learne of any such ignorant masters He and his consortes flye to our Lady to Saintes to Angels to stockes and stones to rotten reliques to the pope and his pardons and trust by scourging themselues and by eating salt fish and playing vpon holy daies to be saued and this they learne out of the popes decretales Our onely hope is in Christ and his merits and all the doctrine of saluation we beléeue is contained in holy scriptures as not onely our Bishops and priestes but also all auncient bishops and fathers of the church haue taught vs. CHAP. III. That the Pope and his adhaerents both elsewhere abroad and also heere at home are most dangerous and malicious enimies to her Maiestie and this state and so haue alwaies declared themselues to be IF this aduersarie of ours had either bin a good Orator or a wise proctor he woulde haue taken great heed how he had touched any matter that béeing opened might haue hurt his Clientes cause especially where his aduersarie doth not greatly vrge him But what should we looke for better handling of so foule a cause sir Francis Hastings ayming at other matters
to beléeue that the popes excommunications are to bée executed and this is their common doctrine But suppose our aduersarie shoulde teach papists to contemne the popes authoritie which hée is not like to do yet would not his exhortation worke any effect For alwaies vpon the popes excommunication haue wars and rebellions ensued where the pope hath had any authoritie This was the beginning and motiue of the bloody warres of the popes against Henry the fourth and fift and the two Fridericks and against Otho Philip and Lewis of Bauier emperours of Germanie And no other cause can be assigned of the insurrections against king Henry the eight other excommunicate princes In vaine therfore doth this Noddy go about to reconcile the subiects obedience with the excoÌ„munications of the pope They neuer did nor euer coulde agrée hitherto Fire and water may percase bée reconciled but these two cannot Neither do I thinke that hée meaneth to reconcile them Onely hée desireth some respite vntill by our negligence either the papists may get a head or forreine enimies haue made their prouisions ready For how little affection hée beareth to the prince and state it appéereth throughout all his defence In this place hée goeth about to smooth and as farre as hée dare with the safetie of the cause in hand to defende the insurrection in the north of England anno 1569. the rebellions in Ireland the practises of Charles Paget and Francis Throgmorton and diuers other attempts against her Maiestie and the state Whereas the earles of Northumberland and Westmerland rose in armes in the north and spoiled all that quarter and purposed not onely the destruction of the prince but also the subuersion of the state and the bringing in of strangers as appéereth by the negotiation of Ridolpho as it is set downe in pope Pius the fift his life hée saith They onely gathered â—heir tenants togither and without battaile or bloudshed retired As if they had ment nothing but to méete at an ale-stake or May-game Doctor Sanders raised a rebellion in Ireland Francis Throgmorton not onely reuealed the secrets of the state to Bernardin Mendoça and practised with him how to draw in forreine enimies but also had his finger in other treasons Charles Paget began a practise about the coast of Sussex was the ouerthrow of Henry earle of Northumberland and afterward continued practising what mischéefe he could against his countrey The late earle of Northumberlandes actions were openly declared in the Starre-chamber to be dangerous The last earle of Arundell was taken as hée was passing ouer to the enimies And yet all these treasonable and dangerous practises are by him either lightly passed or else coloured Hée saith that Francis Throgmorton died for hauing a description of some portes in his chamber But his owne confession testifieth that hée was touched for far greater matters and I haue partly pointed at the same Hée saith The earle of Arundell was condemned onely for hearing of a masse and that he had cause to reioice that he was condemned for such a treason As if it were so spirituall and glorious a matter to heare a masse Assuredly in times past masses were no such glorious matters when they were solde to all commers for thrée-halfe-pence a péece and vnder As for the earle hée had great cause to commend the clemencie of this gouernment or else hée had well vnderstoode that hee had committed greater faultes then hearing of a masse all which I forbeare to relate for the respect I beare to his house The iustice that hath béene doone vpon papists that haue béene conuicted eyther of rebellion or secrete practises with forraine enemies or other kindes of treason and felony he calleth Pressures vexations dishonors rapines slaughters and afflictions Dishonoring her Maiestie and the state and calumniating the iudges And yet were more true catholickes and religious christians executed within one yéere in Queene Maries time then trayterous papists since her Maiestie came to the crowne a Histor Genuens lib. 23. Bizarus and other strangers do greatly commend her Maiesties clemency her very enemies could neuer appeach her of cruelty The papists most cruelly murder those that are of a diuers religion albeit they yéelde obedience to their prince and desire to liue quietly Her Maiestie executeth none to death for popish religion nay least she should séeme to touch any for religion she doth oftentimes spare offendors guiltie of dangerous practises and treasons Likewise in drawing the obstinate to the church there is great moderation vsed Many offend few are punished and that very gently The papistes haue the greatest part of the wealth of the land in their handes Diuers rayling companions are still publishing libels to the dishonor of her Maiestie and the whole gouernment neither can this Noddy represse his malitious affection but he must néedes allow their dooings And yet the papistes are spared although neuer the more for his wise pleading Finally he commendeth the papistes for their patience But I thinke he meaneth the patience rather of Lombardes then of christians For they neuer had yet patience but when they were vnable to resist In king Henry the eightes dayes they made diuers insurrections in England The trumpets of sedition were monkes and friers In king Edward the sixt his daies they stirred in Deuonshire and Cornewall and all for want of their masse and holywater and such like trinckets The chéefe moouers thereof were likewise priests in Quéene Elizabeths time they made head first in the north parts and afterward in Ireland by the seditious practises of priestes and Iesuites either most or a great part of that country is in combustion Neither haue they omitted any opportunity to mooue new rebellions in England In Fraunce they conspired together against their lawfull kings Henry the third and fourth and neuer gaue ouer vntill they were ouercome by famine sword and other calamities and this is the patience of papists nay they say that if the first christians had had power they would haue deposed Nero Dioclesian and other persecutors a Lib. 5. de pontif Rom. c. 7. Quod si Christiani olim saith Bellarm. non deposuerunt Neronem Dioclesianum Iulianum apostatam ac Valentem Arianum similes id fuit quia decrant vires temporales Christianis So when papistes are too weake to resist then they are content to obey but giue them head and then beware Compare now the dooings and procéedings of our side with our aduersaries I hope there shal be no such wickednes found in our hands Diligently doth this fellow search matter against vs but findeth none To iustifie his consorts he telleth vs of Goodman but we do not allow his priuate opinion Beside that he doth not like rebellion but misliketh womens gouernment which opinion since himselfe hath retracted Secondly he obiecteth against vs Wyats rebellion But that was not for religion but for matter of state not against Quéene Marie but against strangers whose tyrannie hée
a carnall fellow and a méere politicke Hée kept certaine women and his bastardes in his time bore no small swaie in Rome One of them made loue to a mans wife of the house of Glorieri Of whom receiuing some indignitie he brought the Glorieri into hatred with his father Who picking a quarrell to them fined Caesar Glorieri him that set his hand to the sentence of excommunication against the Quéene 100000. ducates and another Glorieri that was clarke of the popes checker chamber he put out of his office and solde it for diuers thousands of duckats So you sée much money made of a baudie matter and you woulde woonder whether all this money went and I beléeue hardly coulde you gesse it I will therefore assure you that all this money went to the Iesuites and was most of it imploied in the building of their colledge at Rome O holie societie and thrise holy colledge erected for the most part by baudrie and maintained as pope Sixtus said by vsurie This may serue for a taste to shew that the best founders that Iesuites haue are carnall and sensuall men that rather then they will frie in purgatorie will giue the Iesuites most of that they haue The second fault of this enumeration is this that it is defectiue For not so many atheistes carnall worldlings and heretickes as christian and catholicke princes zelous and godly bishops and pastors and honest and religious Christians do detest and abhor this wicked generation Princes for the hazard that they haue incurred of their liues and states haue eyther expulsed them and banished them their countries as the French king the Transyluanian and those that professe true religion or had them in iealousie as the king of Poland and diuers papisticall princes Godly Christians haue reason to suspect them and detest them for their abominable doctrine and treacherous and murderous practises Fathers feare them in regard of their children whom they inueigle and steale away The Venetians dissolued a colledge in Padua where gentlemens sonnes were wont to be brought vp for that the Iesuites taking vpon them to teach there corrupted their youth with their vnnaturall lasciuiousnes and restrained them from teaching others then such as were of their own society Husbandes haue them in iealousie for their wiues wiues for their husbands For it is no rare matter for these subuerters of all humanity to draw wiues from husbandes and husbandes from wiues yea sometimes through too much familiarity with women they spoile the men A certaine Magnifico in Venice perceiuing his wiues iewels to be wanting in the end learned that the Iesuites had gotten them To conclude this point I thinke the Iesuites will not deny but that the Carmelites and Franciscanes and Dominicans and othe orders of fryers are as honest men as themselues yet all these do inwardly hate them At Vienna they thrust out the Carmelites at Mentz the Dominicans at Trier and Bransberg the Franciscās out of their houses which maketh these orders to hate them In Bauier the priests béeing brought to pouerty and shame by the Iesuites haue no reason to loue them And thus we sée that many honest men do eyther suspect or hate the Iesuites and some also which they themselues cannot take iust exception against Let vs therefore now consider whether the causes that haue mooued and occasioned this hatred against the Iesuites be iust or no. The discourser saith They are had in hatred and emulation eyther for their rule and profession or for their learning and doctrine or for their life and conuersation But first the parts of this diuision are imperfect next the same conteineth diuers vntruthes and more are added in the declaration of it Lastly the whole defence parted in this diuision is not sufficient to iustifie the course and actions of the Iesuites the imperfection may be prooued by diuers particulars For they are not onely hated for these thrée causes but for diuers others As namely for that they do many things both contrary to their owne rule and contrary to the rule of Gods law and Christian religion They professe obedience but they practise sedition and rebellion Claudius Matthew a Iesuite and king Henry the third of France his confessor was the most principall author and agent in the league of papists against him and the peace established a litle before Parsons and Campian were sent into England to make a faction for the papistes which appeared in this that they procured a faculty to suspend the bull of Pius as farre as it concerned papists no further then Rebus sic stantibus These fellowes are the principall agents and stirrers of the rebellion in Ireland Iames Gordon Creichton and Hayes Iesuites laide a plot not onely for a rebellion in Scotland but for an inuasion in England Neither hath any warre or tumult béene raysed of late in any part of Christendome wherein the Iesuites haue not borne a principall part They professe chastitie and the law of God forbiddeth all vncleannes but how these obserue this profession and law I report me to their owne consciences to the Iesuites of Rome and Padua and to their practise in allowing and now and then frequenting bordelles They talke much of voluntary pouerty and Christ saith all should be left for his sake But these good fellowes leaue Christ for the wealth and ease they find in the order of Iesuites They dwell in costly pallaces their dyet apparrell is more dainty and braue then ordinary The furniture of their houses and churches is gorgious and princely Their armes are placed aboue the armes of princes most couetously they scratch and scrape from the orphane widow and poore and put out their mony to interest their rule and outward profession is to gaine soules but their practise is to kill soules They promise to teach without reward but if a great man will giue them a million they take all Nay they pretend to begge for banished English but take most themselues and by all practises séeke to enrich themselues by bribes and rewardes They professe religion and the name of Iesus but they are the slaues of the pope and oppugne the faith of Iesus preferring the decretals before scriptures in certainty and make a scoffe at religion In Venice they painted the virgine Mary like a Lady in the city whome they loued as a Vita Pij Quinti Pius Quintus cast an Agnus dei into the riuer so these vse the same practise in their coniurations Nay they administer the sacrament to those that go about to murder princes as Walpoole did to Squire First then they are hated for dooing against Gods law and their owne written rules Secondly for their ignorance in true religion Thirdly for that they peruert others by their leud perswasions and euill example Fourthly for that they peruert youth and teach them euill manners Fiftly for that they are not ashamed to defend any old condemned heresie or grosse new error holden by the pope Lastly
for that they peruert scriptures and corrupt the fathers and other auncient writers both adding and taking away and altering the text Which power Gregory the thirtéenth in a bull bearing date Anno 1575. séemeth to haue giuen vnto them That this diuision containeth diuers vntruthes it will appeare by these arguments Where he saith They are hated for their rule which notwithstanding is the same in substance with other religions and a way to perfection there are thrée apparent vntruthes First true Christians rather abhorre them for their vnruliâ—es then for their rule and other sectes albeit they loue their rule yet hate the men for their leud conditions and their friendes in regard of their rule that agréeth so well with the popes humor do loue them Secondly this rule is diuers from Christes rule which is the onely true and direct rule of religion It varieth also in infinite pointes from the rules both of monkes and begging friers Neither canne this be denyed For if it were the same yea euen in substance what should we néede this new rule hauing Christes rule Beside what meane the Iesuites to adde a fourth vowe and so many strange constitutions and lawes If the profession of Iesuites be the same that the ancient eremites or monkes professed why do they tie themselues with such othes and practise in matters of state and thrust themselues into the prease of people which the first monkes did not Thirdly it is most absurd to affirme or thinke that Ignatius Loyola could deuise a more perfect rule then Christ Iesus or that Christ deuised not a perfect rule but that we should néede Ignatius a lame soldiers and blind guides helpe The Iesuites therefore are hated not so much for their rule as for other iust causes And no more doth the commendation of ancient monkes belong to them then the prases of the ancient people of Israell to the obstinate Iewes that crucified Christ or of the old Romaynes to the scumme of the world that doth now inhabite Rome It is also most vntrue that they are hated for their learning for not their learning but the abuse of their learning which is wholy employed to maintaine heresies doth make honest men to suspect them and abhorre them Would they teach the catholicke faith as this man pretendeth they do they should be beloued and embraced But he must know that their doctrine of the popes power and supremacy of the sacraments of the Romish church of purgatorie and infinite other points is not catholike Much therefore is hée deceiued that thinketh wée account the name of a Iesuite to bée a crime for both master Topcliffe whom hée bringeth in to witnesse this point and many others can tell that their treasons practises and lewdnesse haue made them odious and not the name of Iesuites onely Lastly the defence of this discourser is very vnsufficient For it is not inough to say that they haue a rule and learning and liue orderly but they must haue their office and calling allowed by Christ Iesus if they meane to take vpon them the office of pastors teachers and gouernors in Christes church Wherefore eyther let them shew themselues to haue a lawfull calling or let them not thinke much to be thrust out as intruders We do not finde either in the epistle to the Epâ—esians chap. 4. or the first Epist to the Corinthians chap. 12. any such extrauagant friers Neither in ancient writers is any precedent of their Loyolian profession to be found Nay we do not read that Christ commaunded any to forsweare mariage or to giue away their goods to idle vagabondes or to obey the rules of Ignatius but rather the contrarie Further it is not sufficient in termes to praise the doctrine and manners of Iesuites vnlesse this discourser were able to iustifie the same by the rule of Christes doctrine and example of Christ and his apostles and the holy fathers of the church But that will be very hard for him to do Christ neuer taught that princes were to bee deposed by the apostles or their successors or that it was lawfull to kill excommunicate persons These teach that it is lawfull for the pope to depose princes and that it is lawfull for the subiects to rebell against such as the pope shall excommunicate and to kill them Benedict Palmio a Parries voluntary confession and Annibal Codret two famous Iesuites did not onely teach William Parry that it was lawfull to kill the Quéene of England but also that it was an act very meritorious Varade a Iesuite of Lion in confession did absolue Peter Barriere that went about to murder the French king now reigning and did assure him that it was a most noble and Christian act for which he shoulde obteine celestiall glorie as the saide Peter being executed at Melun for the saide attempt confessed who likewise affirmed that another Iesuite whose name he knew not did concurre with Varade in the same opinion In Paris the Iesuites not onely resolued that it was lawfull to kill king Henry the third but also by their perswasions did induce Iames Clement to effect the same Richard Williams Edmund Yorke Patricke Ocollen Iohn Sauage and diuers others that haue béene at seuerall times executed for attempting to kill the Queene confessed that they were perswaded to it by Holt and other Iesuites and were also made beléeue that it was a most meritorious act Lately one Edmund Squire confessed that hée was induced to empoison the Quéene by Walpoole an English Iesuite in Spaine Peter Panne confessed before his execution at Leiden that hée was hired to kill the Count Morice the terror of the papists and a great protector of the oppressed in the Low countries Neither is it to bee doubted but that this is the common resolution and iudgement of all Iesuites For if it be lawfull for subiects to rebell against their princes vpon the popes warrant and commandement as they holde then is it also lawfull to kill them and murder them For armes are not taken vp for other end then to force and kill all that resist Secondly it is not likely that so many woulde concurre in this perswasion if they did not like it Thirdly they woulde not teach it openly as did Comolet in the last siege of Paris saying That there wanted an Ahud meaning there wanted one to kill the king Fourthly they woulde not otherwise in their colledges dispute resolue that it was lawfull to kill princes excoÌ„municate by the pope And this is prooued first by the confession of one Chastel a scholler of the Iesuites that wounded Henry the 4. of France purposed to haue killed him And secondly by the writings of one Ghineard a Iesuit of the colledge of Clermont in Paris a In the register of the court of Parliam of Paris Chastell being demanded Whether this question viz. whether it was not lawfull to kill the king was not ordinarily talked of and disputed among Iesuites answered that hee hath oftentimes
heard them say that it was lawfull to kill the king for that hee was out of the Romish church and that it was not lawfull to obey him nor holde him for king vntill he shoulde be approoued by the pope Hée affirmed the same likewise in his second examination and for that wicked attempt was executed Ghineard did not onelie allow and praise the execrable murder committed by Iames Clement a Dominican frier vpon Henry the third but also affirmed That Henry the fourth if hee were not killed in the warres must bee killed otherwise and in diuers bookes and papers written by him prooued That it was lawfull to kill kings declared by the Pope to bée out of the church Finallie for this wicked doctrine the Iesuites were b In the monument erected in Paris banished France As a pernitious sect teaching that it was lawfull for any to kill kings and as it is conteined in the arrest against them As perturbers of peace and enimies of kings Christ neuer taught subiectes to breake their faith giuen to their princes nor to rise in armes against them nay the ancient Christiās albeit they neither c Tertullian apologet ad Scapulam wanted meanes nor opportunity yet did they neuer go about to take away the crowne from eyther infidels or apostataes or heretickes but rather obeyed them and prayed for them But Iesuites they hould that it is lawfull for subiectes to take armes and to rebell against their princes and teach that the pope hath power to loose them from the bond of their allegiance This doctrine Parsons and Campian meant to haue practised in England And Claudius Matthew anno 1585 did practise in France being a principall worker of that rebellion that was made against Henry the third The rebelles of Paris that held out against their kings were principally directed and comforted by Comolet and other Iesuites Nay when mony victuals grewe scarce in Paris yet woulde not the Iesuites suffer the rebelles to giue ouer but rather came into the trenches and brought with them of their owne store to giue to the soldiers By the practises of this seditious sect the cities of Perigueux Agen Tholose Verdun and diuers others tooke armes against the king In Scotland all late stirres haue béene raysed by the practise of Crichton Gourdon and Haies Iesuites Neyther is any thing doone in the rebellion of Ireland but by their direction and counsell Christ neuer taught children to shew themselues vnnaturall and vnkinde to their parents or women froward and rebellious to their husbandes But these steale children from the parentes and conuey them where they are neuer more heard of as is apparent by the example of Airault of Angiers his sonne and infinite others In Friburg they perswaded the women to deale with their husbandes to entertaine a practise against the cantous of contrary religion and when they could not otherwise obtaine it by the counsell of Iesuites they refused to lye with their husbandes The first Christians were examples of méekenesse bounty liberality to the poore of gentlenesse and clemency and all virtue These counterfeit Christians that call themselues Iesuites are proud hauty disdainfull couetous cruell vindicatiue While they perswaded the Duke of Bauier to go on foote to visite the reliques of some saint these gallantes road in wagons The princesse of Tyrole built the Iesuites a house hard by hers but it was not long before they had gotten into the princes palace and thrust her into their owne meane house Likewise did they exclude the bishop of Herbipolis out of a church which himselfe had built for them They encroch not onely vpon the liuinges of secular priestes and take away their tithes and prebendes but also vpon all other regular orders They aduance themselues and despise others those that confesse themselues to other priestes they accompt litle better then Atheistes In Milan they onely beare the sway in hearing womens confessions and did the like at Venice vntill they were forbidden By meanes of their confessions they haue drawne to themselues excéeding great riches empouerishing many rich houses and leauing little to the widowes and orphanes Maldonat a Iesuite of Paris caused the president Monbrum S. Andrè through his perswasions in confession to giue the Iesuites all his mooueables and halfe his reuenues The president Goudran of Dijon making his testament by their practises gaue onely halfe a crowne to his sister and to the colledge of Iesuites seuen thousand pounde French money in rent In Bordeaux they haue ruined the house of Bollans and impaired the state of the house of Large baston They haue gotten into their societie the onely brother of the Marques of Canillac lieutenant of the king in Auuergne In the countrey of Grisons they haue perswaded a seely old man called Lamberting to sell all hée had and to take their habite who gathering twentie thousand duckats ment to giue all to them from his onely daughter So cruell they are that they spare none that is repugnant to their purposes Maffaeus complained that the elder Iesuites managed all matters absolutely but hée was sent for his labour into Portugall They brought Harbort and Glisel two famous preachers in Vienna in danger onely enuying their excellencie How many they haue vpon small causes brought into the Inquisition the recordes testifie It is death to speake a word against them One Lupus a Franciscane in Milan calling them False prophets escaped hardly with his life Cardinal Borrhomeus restreining their encrochments was by them accused before the pope Of their forced chastitie what fruites insue I referre me to the report of Hazenmyller and others that haue liued amongst them I hope they do no otherwise then other monkes before them And if they had béene so chaste as they pretend the Venetians woulde not haue dissolued the colledge of yoong gentlemen in Padua where these fellowes were teachers and regents for auoiding of publike scandale Neither hath the Noddy our aduersary either iust exception to auoide this accusation or witte to cleare his Clients Gretzerus hath long trauailed to purge his companions of this slaunder but all in vaine And therefore small reason hath this petit companion to attempt that wherein his betters haue failed But séeing he hath gone about to face out matters let vs consider of his allegation In defence of the Iesuites of Paris charged with the allowance of the act of Iohn Chastel that attempted to murder king Henry the fourth he saith That the said Iohn Chastell examined vpon the torture constantly denied that any Iesuite liuing was priuy to his intention of killing the king or had giuen him therein counsell courage or instruction and that his father beeing examined did likewise deny it But the recordes of his examination which are yet to be séene do affirme flat contrary as before I haue shewed And the sentence of the court of parliament of Paris doth plainely porport that this fact was attempted by the Iesuites counsell and instruction
and therefore was it ordered That they should depart out of Paris within three dayes and out of France within fifteene dayes after notice to them giuen as corrupters of youth perturbers of publike peace and enemies of the king the state Iohn Chastel also himselfe cōfessed That Garet a Iesuite did teach him these lessons which made him resolue to kill the king Yea and that the father and sisters of the young man with teares and bitter tearmes detesting the Iesuites did declare further that it might appeare to posteritie that this was the doctrine of Iesuites that they taught the saide Chastell a pillar was set vp in the place where this desperate murderer and parricide dwelt testifying the same and mentioning that this was the cause of their expulsion out of France In that Monument the Iesuites are called Mali magistri and their colledge Schola impia and their religion called Noua malefica superstitio Further the Iesuites in a certaine apologie published presently vpon their expulsion out of France do not denie Iohn Chastels attempt to be lawfull or contrary to canons but rather conformable vnto them and that they endeuour to prooue by Sixtus Quintus his bul against the king and refute the sentence of the court against the saide Chastel as vniust He procéedeth further in cléering the Iesuites saith That Iohn Garet Chastels master being tortured denied that the Iesuites were priuie to this fact and that thereupon by publike testimony of the magistrate he was declared innocent Wherein he declareth himselfe very impudent howsoeuer the other was declared innocent for I haue shewed before by diuers arguments that the Iesuites were both priuie to this fact and did publikely defend the doctrine Nay the a Of the parliament of Paris register wherein his confession is recorded and the sentence of the court doth declare that the said Garet being a Iesuite was the teacher of that wicked doctrine which Chastell ment to execute therefore by publike sentence Was hee banished France and his goods confiscated Let it then bée considered with what conscience this woorthy Warder affirmeth that Garet was declared innocent by the magistrate Hée saith also That Iohn Ghineard Iesuite was put to death for that in his studie this question Whether it be lawfull in any case to kill a tyrant was found disputed on both sides without resolution But the a In the processe against Ghineard register of the court of parliament of Paris doth conuince his impudent lying For there it is testified that The saide Ghineard was founde seazed of diuers bookes composed by him and written with his owne hand conteining the approbation of the inhumane murder of Henry the third Beside that the court of Parliament of Paris enioined him to confesse That hee had wickedly spoken and determined that if Henry the fourth was not slaine in the wars hee must be slaine otherwise Finally his owne hande writing which hée acknowledged vpon his examination doth shewe that he did not onely propound the question in Thesi but resolued it in Hypothesi Neither doth our aduersarie doubt to accuse the Parliament of Paris of great iniustice for executing the saide Ghineard Seeing he saide no more then Thomas Caietan Sotus and other scholasticall diuines and Philosophers in times past As if scholasticall diuinitie and Philosophers fancies were warrant sufficient for men to kill princes or for Christians to attempt any thing Beside that the case of the Iesuites and of ancient writers is diuers These onely thinke it lawfull to kill such tyrants as by oppression and force inuade a kingdome The Iesuites account all tyrants that resist the popes tyrannie and are by him excommunicate Olde writers for the most part speake in Thesi against vsurpers But Ghineard the Iesuite spoke in Hypothesi and determined b In papers of Ghineard That it was lawfull to kill Henry the 3. and Henry the 4. which all the world acknowledgeth to be lawfull kings the popish faction onely excepted The fact of Iames Clement that murdred Henrie the third this Ghineard calleth Heroicall and a gift of gods spirit Speaking of king Henry the fourth he saith thus If he die not in the warres let him be slaine some otherwaies Hauing done with the Iesuites of France he goeth about to answere for the Iesuites of Doway and the low countries that as Peter Panne confessed himselfe Perswaded and hired and furnished him with a knife to kill Count Morice And this action he calleth a fiction denying that euer the Iesuites had any such intention But the matter is all too plaine to be faced out with flearing wordes The poore man was taken seased with a strange fashioned knife béeing examined he voluntarily confessed both his owne fault and by whome he was induced to do that wicked act He continued in his confession and was executed for his treason at Leyden The magistrates of Leyden do testifie so much and there is no cause why any part of this narration should séeme vntrue For no man hath reason to accuse himselfe or others vniustly especially where it goeth vpon the perill of a mans life Nor is it likely that any should suffer death for matter feined and supposed and without proofe Certes if any doubted of the matter before b Sica tragica Costers and this Noddies defence is so simple that it may greatly confirme him in this truth They alledge certificates to disprooue Peter Pannes confession But what credite can such writinges deserue that may bée forged for any thing wée knowe and béeing admitted to haue béene written yet appeare to haue beene extorted by the Iesuites and made by men fauouring their faction Beside that they séeme to bee graunted without due proofe and procéeding and yet neither conclude against Peter Panne nor his confession First it is alleaged That hee was no papist at all But that is a fiction without all colour For why should not he be reputed a papiste that was continually among them and neuer had tast of any other religion Secondly our aduersarie saith He was a drunken vagrant and madde fellow As if he were not therefore more likely to enterprise such a made action He telleth vs further That Peter Panne was a man extreamely well affected to Count Morice But how canne this be prooued seeing it appeareth by the processe made against him that he neither knew him nor euer had séene him before his comming into Holland Is it not extreame folly to imagine any such extremity of affection without cause or proofe Fourthly he would beare vs in hand That the Iesuites had no cause to desire Count Morice his death Why then did the Iesuites séeke his fathers death and perswade men to kill the Quéene of England and the French king Do not men of euery faction desire those taken out of the way that are opposite to their designes Fiftly he denieth that Peter Panne euer prouided butter for the colledge of Iesuites as is conteined in Peter
reasons First God commandeth b Deut. 13. vs strictly that wée shall not suffer either prophet or dreamer of dreames to liue that shall goe about to drawe vs from God to serue other gods Neither may wée thinke that either this law is abrogated standing vpon morall equitie or that the popish friers and priestes that teach the idolatrous worship of angels saints crosses and images and of their God of the altar are without the compasse of this lawe Secondly a Isai 49. God appointed Christian princes to bée Foster fathers Queenes to be nursing mothers to his church And therefore may they not sée either God dishonored by false religion and idolatrie or true Christians oppressed with force or trecherie They carrie not the sword for nothing and God requireth the maintenance of his truth at their handes Hee that honoreth me saith the b 1. Sam. 2. Lord him will I honour and he that despiseth me shall be despised No policie therefore will serue where Gods religion and his true honour is little regarded Thirdly the apostle c Rom. 16. would haue those That cause diuisions and offences to be marked and auoided and d 1. Tim. 1. giueth Timothy charge not to suffer such as woulde teach an other doctrine How then may they be suffred that would teach a cōtrarie doctrine to that of Christ Fourthly it was euer the custom of christian princes to punish false teachers as appéereth e L. Quicunque Cod. de haeretic by the law of Valentinian and Martian emperors Vltimo supplicio afficiantur say the emperors qui illicita docere tentauerint And that Hierome writing vpon the fift to the Galathians doth allow misliking that Arius escaped so long vnpunished Lastly the aduersaries will not suffer true preachers to teach truth Why then shoulde their priests and friers be suffered to teach heresie and falshoode Will they giue lawe to others and not endure themselues to be ordered by lawe Nothing can be deuised more vnreasonable or more repugnant to f L. 1. ff quod quisque iuris lawe Whatsoeuer libertie therefore is granted to simple people abuse by false teachers that concerneth Iesuites priests and other false teachers nothing The second point is prooued by lawes of nations and necessary rules of state For all nations do punish such as practise against the princes person and the security of the state as offending in the highest degrée of treason and mere simplicity it is reputed to suffer any to liue in a state that entendeth or practiseth the destruction of the state By the g 25. Edw. 3.2 lawes of this realme it is accompted treason To compasse or imagine the death of the prince or to adhere to his enemies By the Romayne h ff all Iud. m◠〈◊〉 l. ◠2 3. lawes it was treason To runne to the enemies to assist them with armes or meanes or intelligence and much more to stirre vp sedition or to draw enemies vpon the state or to practise the destruction of it All which seuerall lawes do shew that it is not possible to maintaine this state vnlesse such traytors be punished seuerely that either attempt against the princes sacred person or séeke to stirre sedition to alter the gouernment or that adhere to the pope or Spanyard or that endeuour to depose the prince from her gouernement and to ouerthrow this state or that intertaine intelligence with forraine enemies or that are eyther ayders or abettors or allowers of any such actes or treasons Neither is it materiall that these practisers be they Iesuites priestes or whatsoeuer else do pretend a certaine kinde of religion séeing their end is war and rebellion their meanes faction and diuision and their maintayners and vpholders publike enemies of the prince and state The third point is taught vs by the instinct of nature For euen light of nature sheweth euery liuing creature how to prouide for his owne safety and to decline and auoide such things as may séeme hurtfull And reason teacheth man to draw himselfe into some society and common wealth whereby he may be in safety from his enemies For this cause euery man that is not transported with strange passion loueth to liue vnder law and gouernment and to hate those that would dissolue lawes and lawfull gouernment Howsoeuer then we fauour seduced papistes yet vnlesse we will shew our selues deuoide of naturall reason we may not shew our selues negligent in séeking the safety of our selues and the mainteinance of lawes and gouernment wherein our safety in part consisteth We may not neglect the safety of those that depend vpon vs but euery man according to his place is to resist such as seeke our liues and the liues of those that are committed to vs or do depend vpon vs. In these thrée pointes or any of them it is not lawfull to offend by any law The papistes I thinke will not say that any man that eyther teacheth false religion or practiseth against the prince or state or by sedition séeketh to hurt his countrymen and to murder them is to escape vnpunished Wherefore then should they mislike any that teacheth that such offendors are to be punished If I say all were punished within these cases yet were it good iustice very necessary Howbeit such is the clemency of her Maiesties gouernement that she spareth Iesuites priestes and such false teachers as some thinke but too much Obstinate recusants if they be not taken in some practise of treason are not in danger eyther of life or landes or liberty they are not banished nor rigorously punished Nay their onely punishment is a pecuniary mulct and that of few exacted The poorer sort escape almost without punishment the richer do auoid the punishment by trauersing the enditement In Spaine and Italy our brethren would accompt such punishments great fauour Wherefore séeing this Noddy our aduersary knoweth the rigour of popish inquisitors against true Christians and by this may well perceiue her Maiesties great clemency extended not onely to quiet papistes that liue priuate without scandale but also to obstinate and factious recusantes yea and to notorious traitors hée was not wise either to challenge his aduersarie for speaking of Recusants so moderately or to accuse this state of iniustice that sheweth such extraordinarie fauour towards them that so little deserue it Hée chargeth his aduersarie With playing the Herodian bicause he saith that diuers Recusants vnder a visor of ciuill honestie do couer disloyall harts But if hée had done him right hée shoulde rather haue thanked him for commending their ciuill cariage which is more then their insolencie of late much encreased deserueth That it is true which sir Francis Hastings affirmeth if his face were not armed with a visor of impudencie hée woulde not haue denied Both reason and experience doth teach it to bée most true For if hée bée a true papist then must hée liue in subiection to the pope and acknowledge his authoritie a C. vnam
speaketh of the first our question is of the second kind of conscience as is euident by our aduersaries wordes who teacheth that if our consciences perswade vs to do any thing that we are bound to do it although our reason lead vs wrong Which is contrary not onely to the apostle but also to the schoolemen The apostle saith Whatsoeuer is not of faith or a good conscience is sinne And the schoolemen teach as I haue shewed that an erroneous conscience is not to be folowed but rather forsaken So that if we folow the apostles rule then those that vpon false perswasions abstaine from hearing Gods eternall word and coÌ„municating with vs in the sacraments and that go to idole seruice and eat bread that is made an idole do offend gréeuously for that this cannot procéede of conscience but rather is against good conscience Fourthly he assureth vs That the conscience of papistes that refuse to go to the church is grounded vpon so sure and euident groundes as any demonstration in the world can lay downe And his ground is this That the religion professed by papistes is true and that therefore they may not seeme to professe any other And here he thinketh he standeth firme immooueable But if this be his ground his building is founded vpon sand and vpon a cleare vntruth For neither shall he euer be able to disprooue that truth which we professe nor to iustifie those pointes of popish religion which we condemne If he will promise to do it I will giue him what tearme he pleaseth And to the entent all deceiued papists may sée his vanitie I will shewe him b See the 4. encounâ—â— following this treatise héereafter what the points are that hée cannot prooue In this place it is sufficient to shewe that his popish positions are contradicted in the greatest part of christendome But no firme demoÌ„stration can be grounded vpon vntrue or doubtfull propositions Aristotle c Analyt post 1. telleth vs that demonstrations are syllogismes That worke certaine knowledge But this demonstration of his is nothing but a mist or rather darknesse to deceiue ignorant people Wherefore let all papisticall Recusants beware what they beleeue vpon others credite The Iesuites teach them lies for truth heresie for faith antichrist for Christ superstition and falsehood for true religion and draw from them all meanes of their saluation Fiftly hée telleth vs That wee do greatly discredite our doctrine which wee were woont to teach viz. That no man shoulde be forced in matters of his conscience But the discredite is rather his that either vnderstandeth not our doctrine through his dulnesse or else cauilleth about this matter of forcing the conscience without iust cause then ours that teach as wee did euer and vary not from our doctrine in our practise Wée say as wée did euer that the conscience neither ought to bée forced with tortures and terrors of death neither can be forced For faith founded vpon sure groundes surmounteth all violence of tyrants and crueltie of persecutors which terrifieth and discourageth none taught rightlie in Christs schoole As for the sauage and barbarous crueltie of the popish synagogue that purple whoore of Rome Whose a Apocal. 17. vesture is red with the blood of Saints and which without difference of age sexe or qualitie tortureth hangeth burneth and killeth true Christians it is odious not onely to those that vnderstand the truth but also to the milder sort of the aduersaries Further albeit no man can bée forced to religion yet all gentle courses are to bée vsed to draw men to religion For this cause wée exhort the weake and ignorant and with pecuniarie mulctes wée represse those that are wilfull and obstinate And this is all the punishment that her Maiestie vseth against recusants too little certes if wee respect either their deserts or the malice of our enimies neither do we thinke it either vnlawfull to procéed further against hereticall teachers that corrupt Christs doctrine with their leuen or sufferable that notorious blasphemers and railers at religion shoulde escape vnpunished So then wee beléeue that religion is to be taught and not by terrors thrust vpon the people and yet denie not but that such as bee wilfull disturbers of the state of the church or common-welth ought to bée punished Neither is there any repugnance betwixt these two courses Onelie let papists absteine from practises and for the rest they are secured both of life libertie lands and goods We seeke them and not theirs and onely proceede against such as shew open contempt against our religion and yet vse all câ—emencie vnlesse their vntollerable abuses against church and state vrge vs to extremitie Finally he doth preferre the orders of the popish synagogue that burneth not onely those that forsake their religion a The papists cannot dissemble their bloody crueltie but such also as will not come vnto their religion The popes religion he calleth The faith of all Christendome and saith That such as thinke hardly thereof ought rather to be barred from comming to the church then drawne thither Wherein he sheweth first his cruelty and bloudy humor that seemeth to reioyce in slaughter and commendeth the woluish nature of the Romish synagogue Secondly his folly and treacherie that betraying his clients cause would haue them punished with death For if all that forsake the faith of Christ and his apostles be to suffer death then will it go hard with his clients the recusantes who pretending catholicke faith indeede do embrace the priuate doctrine and faction of popes Thirdly his impudency that dare auouch the popish religion to be the faith of all Christendome which notwithstanding is contradicted by the easterne churches and forsaken of a great part of the west church and is onely maintained by fire and sword and cruelty Lastly his ignorance in teaching religion that would haue such as do not like all points of faith to bée barred out of the church Which course neither by our Sauiour nor by his apostles nor by any true teachers of Christianitie was euer practised Nay our Sauiour inuiteth all to come to him when hée had made readie to feast his friends woulde haue guestes compelled to come in Likewise the apostles taught all that came and opened their armes to embrace all that were desirous to learne The ancient fathers by all meanes sought to draw people to the church and shut the doores against none that was willing to come in What then shoulde we thinke of the aduersaries but as of enimies of Christ true religion that seeke to murder and famish Christs flocke In the meane while let vs holde on our course and with our Sauiour call al men and refuse none that are willing to heare And thus an ende of the first consideration that concerneth the hurt that popish Recusants do Next we are to consider What hurt they would do that briefly Now that is apparent First by their hatred against religion
no more eare to these hispaniolized English combined with traytors for the destruction of the country For he canne hardly séeme honest whome such rinegued traytors so highly do praise In the end of this chapter he goeth about to teach his disciples the recusantes how farre they are to yéelde obedience to their prince But if his teaching be no better in schooles then in these encounters I doubt he will make but few good schollers First he doth not shew vs whome he taketh for a lawfull prince which for determination of this controuersie would certainly be knowne For if he do not beléeue that a prince excommunicate by the pope and by him deposed is to be reputed lawfull and to be obeyed notwithstanding the popes spite then whatsoeuer he talketh here of obedience to princes concerneth her Maiestie nothing a P. 88. Secondly he would haue recusantes to serue their prince With body goods and life Where we are to note that he neither mentioneth the heart nor the inward affection Do we not then thinke that the recusantes will do her Maiestie good seruice that are deliuered vnto her without soule hart or harty affection Thirdly least vpon his promise they might perhaps be too forward in seruice he draweth them backe with a limitation and teacheth that their seruice and obedience is to stretch no further Then to iust causes of which he maketh eyther the recusantes themselues or the pope their holy father to be iudge So that her Maiestie if the pope procéede against her is to looke for no seruice at the recusantes handes Nay Allen in his traytorous exhortation to the nobility and people of England and Ireland hopeth to draw them to assiste forreine enemies against her Behould I pray you this goodly doctrine Fourthly he teacheth That Christian princes haue no more commaund nor authority in ecclesiasticall causes then heathen magistrates for that Christ altered nothing at all in temporall gouernement But that is a position contrary to the law of God to the practise of Gods church and most absurd sencelesse The law of God referreth ambiguous matters aswell to the iudge or prince as to the priests or leuites For in the Sanedrin of which that law is the foundation the soueraine magistrate was chiefe b Deut. 17. and the king was commanded To read in the law that he might kéepe it by his authority restraining offendors In auncient time vnder the law the kinges and soueraigne magistrates gaue lawes to priests leuites and not contrarywise In the church of Christ for a thousand yéeres or more there were no lawes obserued but those of princes Bellarmine would fetch it higher but his proofes faile him In their Bullary which containeth a summe of the popes lawes they begin with Gregorie the seuenth but in truth Gregorie the ninth was the first that gaue authoritie of lawe to the popes constitutions and gathered them into the booke of decretals Before this time bishops priests deacons and the whole church was a Cod. de sum trin fid â—ath tit sequentib gouerned by the lawes of Christian princes as appéereth by the lawes of Constantinus Magnus ValentiniaÌ„ Gratian Theodosius Arcadius b Ansegisus de leg ib. Caroli Ludouic Charles the great Ludouicus Pius and diuers others And certes very absurd it were if heathen princes that are strangers from Gods church shoulde haue as much authoritie as Christian magistrates that are principall parts thereof and to whom the execution of Gods law is committed Neither is it materiall that Christ altered nothing in the office of magistrates for it did alwaies belong to the magistrate that was of the church to gouerne the church in externall matters and to sée true doctrine published and the sacraments sincerely administred by those to whose office it appertained So we sée that by this false position he would exclude her Maiestie from all gouernement in ecclesiasticall causes and that notwithstanding his pretence of teaching obedience he teacheth flat disobedience to princes ecclesiasticall lawes and their commaundements Fiftly he c P. 88. teacheth That ecclesiasticall and temporall gouernment is so distinguished that he that ruleth in the one ought not to rule in the other The which doth vtterly ouerthrow the popes temporall kingdome which our aduersary would so willingly maintaine For why should he gouerne a kingdome pretending to be a bishop rather then a king gouerne a particular church of one nation in externall causes especially Secondly we do deny this distinction of authority vpon which our aduersaries fancies are founded And our reason is for that in Christian common wealthes where the same persons are members both of the church and common-welth there the chéefe gouernours ought to haue care both of church and common-welth and most absurd it were if the prince which is a principall member of Gods church shoulde haue no gouernment therein and that inferior persons shoulde haue supreme command ouer the prince Sixtly hée doth insinuate that the pope is Christs vicar the apostles successor in supreme gouernment of the church And this hée teacheth is Recusant schollers least percase they shoulde faile to obey him But this is nothing else but to draw her Maiesties subiects from their due allegiance and to perswade them to listen to the pope as pretending to bée Christs vicar and the apostles successor and supreme gouernour and head of the vniuersall church of Christ which is quite contrarie to his faire pretenses and purpose in this place where hee shoulde perswade the Recusants to obedience towarde their prince Beside that it is so false as nothing more Let this Noddy if he canne shew foorth the popes commission eyther for his vicegerentship or for his pretended apostolicke office and supreme gouernement let him prooue it vnto vs or else forbeare impudently to assume it and to affirme it wée doe shew that bishops are the apostles successors and yet that is no preiudice to the princes supreme authority nor neuer was What then is that which hée bableth of the pope that is neither bishop nor the apostles successor Finally hée affirmeth That ecclesiasticall gouernment stood distinct from ciuill 300. yeeres after Christ and that euery emperour and mortall prince conuerted to the faith and entring into the church submitted themselues to this ecclesiasticall gouernment and so continued vntill certaine heretikes confounded all And so still cunningly hée speaketh for the popes authoritie and secretly disableth not onely her Maiesties power in ecclesiasticall matters but her title also to the crowne standing as shée doth excommunicate by the pope He doth also abuse his reader with the ambiguitie of ecclesiasticall gouernment For if by ecclesiasticall gouernment he meaneth the power of the keies consisting in the censures of the church and power of priestly function which is properly ecclesiastical we grant that such ecclesiastical gouernment belongeth not to princes so that they are to execute the same in their owne persons But if by
in these Iohn 21. Feede my lambes feede my sheepe In the wordes written by Matthew he telleth vs That the principalitie of the church is promised to Peter as the words themselues do shew and the consent of ancient fathers both Greeke and Latine doth expound In the latter hée saith Peter was made pastor generall of all Christes flocke as both the words themselues do import and all antiquitie with one consent hath euer taken the sense to be And this is the commission these are the recordes these the proofes which he vanteth of But if hée acquit not himselfe the better he will be taken and conuicted for a forger of false patents and commissions for a falsifier of recordes and for a corrupter of fathers and a vaine pretender of antiquitie And all that read his vaine writings with iudgement will condemne him woorthie if not to haue his eares clipped because our procéeding is not before the tribunall of iudges yet to haue his coxcombe pared for crowing and crying so loude and so proudly vpon so little cause For first the wordes of Christ are not Thou art Peter or a Rocke As hée forgeth changing a proper name into a noune appellatiue but simply Thou art Peter Secondly he confesseth himselfe that Christ in the first place giueth nothing but onely promiseth Now it is no warrant for any to alledge a promise of a commission vnlesse he canne prooue an act passed or else exhibite the commission it selfe Thirdly nothing is here promised to Peter but the keyes of the church But those keyes are common not onely to the apostles but also to all true pastors and successors of the apostles and therefore cannot signifie any sole monarchicall or supreme gouernement of the whole church Fourthly suppose that Peter were in this place promised to be made the rocke and foundation of the church which as the fathers expound it was onely in respect of his confession or of Christ the rocke which he confessed yet that is no priuiledge nor matter properly belonging to Peter but a common graunt made to all the apostles who in respect of their doctrine and after a sort may be termed the a Ephes 2. Apoc. 21. foundation of the church Fiftly it cannot be shewed that any gréeke or latin fathers do so expound the wordes Matth. 16. as if Christ meant to giue to Peter the sole monarchicall gouernement of the church Let them speake in their owne wordes and he shall perceiue it to be as I say Nay it appeareth by Bellarmine himselfe that no such matter canne be prooued by the fathers Sixtly Christ saying to Peter feed my sheepe and redoubling his charge thrée times gaue him not any new authority but rather stirred him vp to the execution of his office and sought to draw from him a thréefould confession to answere his former thréefould deniall And so saith Nazianzen in Orat. in sanct epiph lumina and Cyrill vpon Iohn Lib. 12. c. 44. and Augustin tract 123. in Ioan. de vtilit poenit c. 1. serm 149. de tempore Seuenthly the charge of féeding was as well committed to all the apostles Matth 28. as to Peter Iohn 21. Lastly not one of the fathers doth by these wordes prooue that Peter was ordeined the monarchicall and sole supreme gouernour of the church Saint b In c. vlt. Luc. Ambrose saith That Peter was preferred before all the apostles but he speaketh not of his office or function but of loue affection For speaking of all the apostles he saith c Ibidem Similiter praedicandi his per totum orbem mandat officium Saint d In c. Ioan. vlt. Augustine saith onely That Christ committed his sheepe to be fedde of Peter But so hée did also commit them to be fedde of the rest of the apostles when he gaue them authoritie to teach all nations e In c. 21. Ioan. Chrysostome saith That Christ committed to Peter the care of his brethren but we may not imagine that other apostles were carelesse or had no care committed to them neither may we imagine that all are supreme and sole gouernors that haue care committed to them Epiphanius doth a In Anchirat testifie That Christ committed his sheepefold to Peter So do the holy scriptures testifie that the apostles had all commission to féede Christes shéepe and to gouerne his folde But saith our wise aduersarie b P. 101. These wordes Pasce ouesmeas were spoken to Peter in preeminence and highest degree But Saint c De simplic Praelat Cyprian and d C. In nouo dist 21. Anacletus that were wiser then he make all the apostles equall in power and apostolicall dignitie and the common commission giuen to all doth prooue them equall And least any might surmise that the apostles receiued any power from Peter the apostle e Gal. 1. 2. Saint Paule saith hée had his authoritie from God and not from man and Receiued nothing from the rest of the apostles Most vaine therefore and foolish is all this our aduersaries discourse concerning the supposed monarchie of Peter But whatsoeuer is to be supposed of Peter yet that concerneth the pope of Rome that is more like to Nero and Heliogabalus then Peter iust nothing For he is not the Rocke of which Christ speaketh he hath not the keies of heauen deliuered vnto him hée féedeth not Christes shéepe nor liueth in poore estate and contempt nor suffereth persecution as did the holie apostle saint Peter But saith the woordy Warder our aduersarie All the christian worlde hath made euer this most certaine and infallible deduction that Christ gaue not Saint Peter these eminent prerogatiues for himselfe alone but for his posteritie and successors also that should ensue him in his seat to the worlds end As if whatsoeuer Saint Peter had must necessarily descend to his counterfect successors the popes of Rome Beside that the vanitie of this bragge of all the christian worlde and of the infallibilitie of this collection may appéere in diuers particulars First it is cléere that diuers of Peters prerogatiues were personall as to haue his name changed to bée called Cephas to worke miracles to speake with toongs to confesse Christ thrée times and such other like And therefore strange it is that this ignorant fellow durst either talke of all the christian worlde wherein he is but a stranger or woulde say that all the christian world beléeued these prerogatiues of Peter to belong to the popes of Rome Secondly it can neuer be prooued that Peter had or that the worlde beléeued that hée had power to depose kings to translate kingdomes to dispence with othes to grant pardons to release out of purgatorie to heare appeales out of all the worlde and such like points of the popes power Thirdly admit Peter had apostolicall power ouer the whole worlde yet neither was that proper to Peter nor did any sounde doctor of the church or true Christian imagine that whatsoeuer belonged to
to possesse a fertile and good countrey and which is praised in scriptures vnlesse the inhabitants bée good and vertuous Spaine I trow is not better then the land of Canaan that flowed with milke and hony yet were the people excéeding wicked What commendation is it to bée descended of a nation that hath had many religious Christians constant martyrs iust and wise princes valiant soldiers and captaines vnlesse the Spaniards continue in the steps of their ancestors But that now the Spaniards are like their auncestors this declamer durst not say Nay it may very well bée saide that the inhabitants of Spaine now are not descended of the Spaniards that were either in Traians Theodosius his time or in the daies of Isidorus and Leander Nor haue they the religion or zeale of the ancient Spaniards But saith the Ward-worder God in regard and recompence of other rare vertues will pardon other infirmities and defects Hée auoucheth also that God hath aduanced the Spaniards aboue other nations of Europe for the defence of Catholike religion So it appéereth by his owne confession that the Spaniards his clients want not sinnes and faultes hée calleth them onely infirmities Peccadillos and defects but all their enormous sinnes as hée supposeth are couered by their zeale in the popes seruice A verie excellent péece of doctrine If the Spaniard commit most heinous murders and rauage whole countries and liue most filthily and blaspheme Gods holy word neuer so execrablie yet by this mans diuinitie they neede not feare if they maintaine the popes cacolike religion and murder all that are studious of peace and Christs truth Let them go to father Parsons and hee will absolue them and set them toll frée that they shall not pay any thing to the pope But what if they oppugne catholike religion and murder Gods saints Then the case is altred and the Warder hath no fence for them nor for such offences Nay hée cannot denie but as their faith is heretical and superstitious so their sins are great and enormous The Spaniards therefore woulde be aduised not to trust this false frier too farre Zeale is commendable but then it must be ioyned with knowledge It is no Christian zeale that induceth men to kill poore christians Our Sauiour Christ sent his disciples to teach the Gentiles and not to kill them Neither did Peter kill the Gentiles and sinners that were ignorant of the truth albeit in a vision he was a Act. 10. macta manduca commaunded to kill and eate but sought by preaching to conuert them from their wicked liues to the truth of Christ Iesus But the pope and his adherents the Spaniards auert many from the truth conuert none to the truth kill the body with the sworde and destroy the soule with corrupt doctrine runne into the Indies vpon pretence of winning soules and yet neglect the Turkes Mores and Iewes that are hard at their doores And all this is commended in them by our aduersarie Nay he séemeth to teach that sinners that are out of the state of grace can merite remission of sinnes and that the Spaniards for murdring of Christians shall bée pardoned for other sinnes which they commit But be it hée shoulde onely say that a man that shoulde zealously adhere to the truth shoulde thereby purchase remission of other sinnes yet is not this iustifiable For wée being out of grace are dead in trespasses and sinnnes and Christ onely can purchase remission of sinnes which without faith cannot be applied to vs. Finally he is not ashamed to confesse That in times past our ancesters were neere linked to the Spaniard in loue leagues and allyance betwixt the princes of both the nations and that at this tyme the Spaniardes shew great kindenesse to papistes fled beyond the seas But little doth this make to the purpose and lesse for the commendation of the Spaniard For it is not here called in questiō what hath passed betwixt the natiōs but whether the Spaniard hath so rare partes in him that he is to be preferred before all other nations and before the English especially which is no way to be deduced or decided by this discourse concerning leagues and allyances Againe if we were so néere linked and conioyned together as our aduersary talketh and that to the profite and honor of both the nations what reason had the Spaniardes at the solicitation of that bald frier Pius Quintus to fall out with their ould friendes and to treate with our most malicious enimies What can they alledge why without all iust cause they should both by force and practises oppugne our nation that neuer offered them wrong Had they not thereby hazarded the losse of the low countries if her Maiesty would haue accepted them béeing offered vnto her And haue they not opened a way for the possessing some part of the Indiaes as oft as it shall please the princes of this land to establish a course for the mainteinance of the trade into those countries And albeit we haue omitted to take the aduantage of either of these two courses yet there is no time past but her Maiestie may alwaies take the one and percase haue opportunity to make benefit of the other Finally if the Spaniardes had remembred the ould friendship that hath passed betwixt both nations they would not haue abetted traytors to rebell nor receited rebelles that are fled out of the realme for feare of lawes albeit they pretend religion After the defence of the Spanish nation in generall our warder with his guard of loose wordes descendeth to speake of king Philip the second in particular A man now dead and buried and therefore the rather to be spared although while he liued he was a heauy enemy to our whole nation Yet for as much as our aduersary hired percase to pronounce a funerall discourse in his praise doth so commend him as he sticketh not to touch the honor of our nation someway entangled with his crosse dealings I thought it not amisse to consider what this exorbitant frier hath to say either for king Philip whome he rayseth out of his graue purposing percase to enshrine him for a saint or against the English nation which he hateth more deadly then doth the Spaniard First hée is offended that king Philip shoulde bée termed Proud ambitious false cruell trecherous tyrannicall and such like and saith that If any of the kings subiectes were to answere sir Francis he woulde giue him the lie and challenge him into the field As if the kings subiects were such dangerous men as none durst maintaine an honest quarrell against them or as if they were more terrible Rodomontes among the Spaniardes then otherwhere Well séeing these challengers come not forth we shall easily iustifie Sir Francis his charge against this frierlike combatants rude and vnciuill cauils and wrangling For it was no part of Sir Francis his meaning simply to charge king Philip with any matter further then concerned the cause in hand and further
first warres murder those of the true religion and shut out the rest Did they not in all other places as oft as they were the stronger séeke to murder them The matter is apparent and recorded in many histories Neither may wée thinke wée shall better agrée with them héere then others haue done in other places Light and darkenesse shéepe and woolues cānot agree togither And albeit our doctrine will not suffer vs to persecute papists yet their doctrine teacheth them to kill vs. And that is their continuall practise Finally this petition is most vnreasonable in respect of the petitioners themselues They will not grant or procure our brethren libertie in Spaine and Italy and yet they are so shamelesse to aske that which they will not grant vs or procure for vs otherwhere Againe they desire to liue vnder her Maiestie and yet they will not renounce her sworne enimie and his vsurped authoritie nor acknowledge her to bée lawfull Quéene although the pope do depose her Nay they giue her enimie power ouer her which by lawes of state is not sufferable Thirdly they haue héeretofore shewed themselues rebellious and factious How shoulde wée then secure our selues that they will behaue themselues more loyally héereafter Why shoulde wée thinke that they will do otherwise then the Irish rebels that haue shaken off her Maiesties gouernement They say they will behaue themselues peaciblie nay percase they will not sticke to sweare it But how shoulde wée beléeue either oathes or promises when they depend vpon the pope that will suffer them to kéepe neither I conclude therefore that to aske a toleration of the masse and of popish religiō is a matter impious vnsafe for her Maiestie and her people and most vnreasonable For it is contrarie to the a Exod. 20. Deut. 13. law of God that forbiddeth all idolatrie to the doctrine of Christ b Matth. 15. That excludeth all humane deuises in gods worship to the doctrine of the c Ephes 4. apostle that teacheth vs That there is but one Lord one faith and one baptisme to the practise of ancient Christians d Ioan. epist 2. That would not receiue those into their house or bid them god speede that brought not with them Christes true doctrine to the authoritie of fathers holy emperors and princes that by no meanes could endure any idolatrous worship or hereticall doctrine to the custome of the Romish synagogue and the traditions of the pope and his e Posseuini bibliotheca selecta lib. 1. c. 26. Iebusites and Cananites and finally to the lawes of the church and kingdome of England which without great consideration are not to be dissolued or suspended Neither can the same bée allowed by any good Christian or loyall subiect séeing it bringeth with it first an vncertaintie of faith and religion secondly a confusion in Gods worship thirdly a dissolution of ecclesiasticall gouernment discipline fourthly an ouerthrow of lawes and ciuill pollicie fiftly an entrance for seditious priests and Iesuites not tolerated euery where among the papists sixtly an easie meanes to practise against the prince and state seuenthly a coldnesse in religion eightly sedition trouble and rebellion Lastly the wrath of God and most spéedie destruction And that this is true the very f Ibidem aduersaries will not denie within the sphere of their actiuitie and in their owne gouernment Why then shoulde they looke for that at our hands which they will not yéeld vnto themselues Or with what face can they desire thinges so impious and vnlawfull First saith our aduersary Great princes and monarchies round about vs that had greater difficulties and differences then we haue He should haue said Monarkes and Neere vnto vs. For not monarchies but monarkes do treate of peace And the kings of France and Spaine dwell not round about vs but néere vnto vs. But we must beare with our great aduersary if talking of princes and states he forgot to vse fit wordes or make good sence Beside that he is much deceiued where he saith That they had greater differences difficulties in concluding of a peace then we haue For all ciuil causes may be compounded But no composition can be made with false religion or idolatry Againe kinges may agrée concerning temporall titles but we cannot agrée with the pope or his faction vnlesse we meane to forsake God and the true Christian faith Well let vs sée notwithstanding what These great princes and monarchies round about vs haue doone They haue saith hee concluded a most honourable peace and friendship And I will not deny but it may be so albeit diuers small accidentes may much alter the case But what maketh that for this purpose where it is debated whether the idolatrous masse is to be tolerated or any other course to be takē with English fugitiues and home-bred papistes If we might haue an honorable profitable and most assured peace it is the thing that we do much affect and desire neuer prosequuting warres but for our owne defence and safety But what is this peace héere spoken of to the toleration of seditious priests and Iesuites and such rebels and traytors Can wée haue no peace but by suffering of exiled and banished rebels and traytors to returne Why that is the extremest calamity that a ruined common wealth canne suffer Perditae ciuitates saith a Lib. 5. in Verrem Tully desperatis omnibus rebus hos solent exitus exitiales habere vt damnati in integrum restituantur vincti soluantur exules reducantur Againe we are not at warre with recusantes or papistes Why then should he talke of peace and friendship héere Therefore he telleth further How the French king is returned to the sea of Rome and that her Maiesty is courteously inuited to the same And is this the onely meanes of peace Sure then any warre is better then such a peace For if wée respect onely temporall matters yet to yéeld to a tyrant is the last and most extreme calamity that happeneth to a natiō vanquished and subdued and no prince can put himselfe vnder another but he giueth ouer his soueraignty Beside that suppose her Maiesty should yéeld to the pope which without indignation cannot be spoken nor yéelded vnto by any true English man how is she sure that she shall either reteine or recouer her crowne he hauing disabled her and dispossessed her of it Shall she begge a crowne at his handes Shall she do penance at his pleasure Will she abandon her selfe and her subiectes to such a base fellow Fye fye that any should be suffered once to motion such a shamefull and an abominable matter But if we respect religion truth and conscience we cannot submitte our selues vnto him we cannot acknowledge his authority we may not embrace his abominable doctrine and heresies whatsoeuer may ensue of it Hée is the head of antichristes kingdome and the synagogue of Rome is the purple whoore mentioned in the seuentéenth of the Reuelation
vniuersall church Saint c Lib. 4. de Symbol c. 10. Augustine saith that Euery congregation that is gathered in one corner is a concubine and not the spouse of Christ How then canne the papistes be catholikes that are gathered out of the society of the vniuersall church into the communion of the church of Rome Writing to Vincentius the Donatist he d Epist 48. concludeth that the Donatistes and Rogatians were not the catholike church for that they tooke their names of others then of the christian church Thirdly the faith of catholikes is e Ephes 2. built Vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ beeing the chiefe corner stone And this foundation is no where to be found but in the writings of the apostles and prophets which shew vnto vs the doctrine of Christ Iesus The apostle saint f Rom. 10. Paul doth teach vs That faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Which we may not séeke in decretales nor legendes but in the most holy scriptures endited by the holy ghost And so the fathers teach vs. g Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Irenaeus doth say that the apostles First preached and afterward deliuered the gospell in Scriptures that they might be a foundation and piller of our faith Per apostolos euangelium peruenit ad nos saith he Quod quidem tunc praeconiauerunt postea verò per Dei voluntatem in scripturis tradiderunt fundamentum columnam fidei nostrae futurum Athanasius in Synopsi doth call The canonicall Scriptures the anchor and staie of our faith Hée woulde not haue any thing spoken or heard of christians in matters of faith and religion beside the holy Scriptures Si diuersa à scripturis fabulari vultis h De incarr â—t verb. saith he cur nobiscum concertatis qui nec loqui nec andire sustineâ—â—s quod extraneum sit ab illis The church saith a Homil. 6. in Matthaeum Chrysâ—stome is Hierusalem whose foundations are placed vpon the mountaines of the Scriptures Hierome calleth the Scriptures the limites or bounds of the catholike church Non est egressa de finâ—l us suis saith b In Mich. â—â— he id est de Scriptuâ—â— fancâ—â— Finallie the c â—rir Aquin. 2. 2 q. 1. art â— papists theÌ„selues confesse that the obiect or grounde of faith is The fâ—â—st truth or God himselfe And we doubt not but that al certaine knowledge of God is to bee found in his written word which therefore is called the rule of our faith But the papists speake euill of scriptures and either will not haue them to be the proper foundation of our faith or sorge to themselues diuers other foundations whereupon they builde their church and their faith in the d In c. 3. epist 2. ad Corinth annotations vpon the Rhemish testament they call them A killing letter as if God had deliuered his will in writing to the end to kill the Readers They write e Annot. Rh. in c. 5. Ioan. also That they are hard to be vnderstood and would bring them in disgrace by f Ibid. in c. 4. Matth. saying That the diuell and heretickes alleadge scriptures Some call them A nose of waxe without any certeine sence as the Iesuites of Collen in their censure others call them Inken diuinity and account them no better then Matter of strife and contention Generally they g Censur Colon f. esteeme the canon of scripture to be a rule vnperfect and a maymed and lame péece of doctrine and condemne the reeding of scriptures As pernitious and hurtfull Stapleton h In praefat ante relect princip doct plainely denieth the scriptures to be the foundation of religion Aliud hodie saith he Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus and afterward Ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud The same man speaking of diuers principles and groundes of Christian religion i In analysi ante râ—lect p incip doct doth leaue the scriptures quite out of the reckoning Others also make small reckoning of scriptures but where they canne by forced interpretations draw them to their purpose and such as deny not the scriptures to be a foundation of religion do notwithstanding adioyne diuers other foundations to the scriptures and build their faith vpon them as well as vpon the Scriptures Vnto the canon of the scriptures of the ould testament consisting of two and twentie books l they adde first the bookes of Tobias Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus k Synod Trideniâ—sâ—ss 4. and the story of the Machabees and secondly certaine additions found in the latine translation ouer and aboue the originall bookes and this contrary to the iudgement of most ancient and catholike fathers Neither is it materiall that saint a Lib. 2. doct Christ c. 8. Augustine and a certaine councell of Carthage and two or thrée more following them do number these bookes among canonicall Scriptures For they by Canonicall vnderstande such bookes as by order of the church were read publikely and commonly bound togither and were rather a rule for manners then for faith Legi voluerunt in ecclesijs saith b In exposit Symbol Ruffin non tamen proferri ad authoritatem fidei ex his confirmandam The same is also the iudgement of c In Synopsi Athanasius d In prolog galeato Hierome e De ponder mensur Epiphanius and of the most sound and ancient fathers of the church And if wée shoulde otherwise interpret the wordes of those that reckon these bookes among canonicall Scriptures wée should also put the 3. and 4. of Esdras among the bookes canonicall For they are also by saint Augustine and f Sixtus Senensis biblioth sanct lib. 1. others after a sort iudged canonicall and Athanasius in Synopsi doth attribute no lesse authoritie to the thirde booke of Esdras then to the bookes of Tobias Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees The Gréekes also place the thirde booke of Esdras first although the assemblie at Trent excluded the thirde and fourth booke of Esdras out of the canon and Sixtus quintus in his new edition of the Latine Bible hath excluded them out of their ancient place They adde also vnwritten traditions to the Scriptures and builde their faith equally on them two giuing vnto them both equall authoritie Libros veteris noui testamenti saith g Sess 4. the assemblie at Trent nec non traditiones ipsas c. pari pietatis affectu ac reuerentia suscipit ac veneratur synodus ista h Lib. 3. de verbo dei Bellarmine accounteth of these traditions as of the most certaine worde of God and calleth them The worde of God not written i De fid Symb. q. 22. op Catech. Canisius woulde haue vs to beléeue these traditions Most firmely as reuealed by the holy Ghost The which is not onely derogatory to the sufficiencie of Scriptures but also vtterly ouerthroweth the
certaintie of faith For if traditions bée not certainly knowne of the aduersaries and if diuers ancient traditions be now growne out of vse how can the faith that is built on traditions be certaine Further the ancient fathers do not onely testifie the Scriptures to bée sufficient but also condemne vnwritten and vncertaine traditions Electa sunt quae scriberentur saith Saint a Tractat. 49. in Ioan. Augustine quae saluti credentium sufficere vide bantur b Aduer gentes Athanasius saith That the holy and diuine Scriptures are sufficient to instruct vs in al truth And diuers others testifie the same What saith c Regul 80. Basill is the propertie of a faithfull man Forsooth to beleeue with certaine fulnesse of minde whatsoeuer is conteined in Scripture and neither to reiect any part thereof nor to adde any newe thing vnto them Saint d Lib. de parad c. 12. Ambrose saith Wee may no more adde to Gods commandements then take from them And although the fathers talke ofttimes in commendation of traditions yet either they meane such things as are now conteined in Scriptures and from them to bée deriued and deduced by firme conclusions or else such matters as concerne order and decencie and yet do they not account of these as of diuine precepts Si aut in euangelio praecipitur aut in apostolorum epistolis saith e In Epist. ad Pompeâ—um Cyprian aut in actibus continetur obseruetur diuina haec sancta traditio Whereby it appéereth that other traditions which were not written were not had in like reuence and that the faith of papists that resteth on these vncertainties is most vncertaine Further the papists do builde their faith vpon most fabulâ—us martyrologies and lying legendes For vpon these narrations doth stande the holinesse of those saints whom they canonize and worship In these legends wee read of the moouing yea and speaking of stockes stones of restoring not onely dead men but also dead beastes to life of apparitions of Christ of the blessed virgine and of saints and infinite more miracles and prophecies then are conteined in holie Scriptures All which notwithstanding any absurditie ensuing our masters of Romish traditions must néedes receiue if they beléeue either traditions to bée the worde of God or else giue credence to f C. Sancta dist 15. Gelasius for hée saith That the histories of martyrs and their suffrings are to be receiued Gesta sanctorum martyrum saith Gelasius recipimus Let it therefore bée considered whether this faith can bée catholike that is builte vpon such fabulous vanities which not onely the strangenesse maketh suspected of vs but also euen of papists themselues g Ibid. Gelasius condemneth the legend of George of Cyricus and Iulitta of Abgarus of the inuention of the crosse and of Saint Iohn Baptistes head a Contra donat Constant Laurentius Valla laugheth at the follie of these legendes b Canto 29. Dante calleth them fooleries and vaine fables c In his historie to Clement the 7. Machiauel saith That these new myracles are repugnant to old christian religion The Germaines among other gréeuances account the vanitie of these fabulous legendes They do also take themselues bound to beléeue the doctrine of the church of Rome For this to d In praefat analys ante relect princip doctrin Thomas Stapleton séemeth a very firme foundation of his popish faith And as he supposeâ—h the voyce and testimony of this church is most certaine and infallible This sure we find by experience that they e C. ad abolendam de haereticis condemne for heretickes and most cruellie murder all that dissent from the church of Rome in matter of sacraments Nay they do ground their religion vpon the popes decretalles Decretales epistolae saith f C. Sancta dist 15. Gelasius quas beatissimi papae diuersis temporibus ab vrbe Romana pro diuersorum patrum consultatione dederunt venerabiliter recipiendae sunt The popes they honor as their supreme iudges and say they cannot erre Vnto them they haue recourse in all difficulties as vnto a rocke immooueable Stapleton doth g Princip doctrin lib. 6. teach That the pope is the principall subiect of ecclesiasticall authority and is not ashamed to write that his authority is the foundation of religion In hac docentis hominis authoritate saith h In praefat ante relâ—ct princip doctâ— he in qua deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscendae fundamentum necessariò poni cernimus O noble religion that is founded vpon so firme and holy a foundation as is the popes holy authority But sure catholike it cannot be For neither the ancient church in times past nor the easterne and Africane churches did euer acknowledge any such foundation Neither do they account the popes authority onely to be the foundation of their faith but also for Christ the corner stone substitute the pope and make him the rocke of the church and of their faith For at his handes they receiue the scriptures and all the principles and pointes of their faith and account his determination more certaine then the letter of Scriptures Bellarmine calleth the pope The foundation and corner stone of the church i In praes ante lib. de Pontif. Rom. and commonly by the rocke Matth. 16. they vnderstand not Peter onely but the popes of Rome which they imagine to be his successors Matters strange new absurd and most contrary to catholike faith To the vulgar latin translation they giue more authority then to the originall bookes of the ould testament in Hebrew and of the new testament in Greeke For that translation they make authenticall and do not giue like authority to the originall bookes That translation they will not haue any to reiect but the originall bookes themselues calumniate and reiect Which course is neither catholike nor reasonable Saint a In epist ad Sâ—niam Fretel ad Damasum Hierome saith That in the old testament in matters of doubt concerning the translation we must haue recourse to the Hebrew as to the fountein in the new to the Greeke Ad exemplaria Hebraea Graeca à latinis recurratur b Lib. 2. de doctr Christ c. 10. saith Augustin Hilary writing vpon the 118. psalme confâ—sseth That the latin translation cannot satiâ—fie the reader They holde also The doctrine and determination of priestes and Iesuites and others sent by the pope to be no lesse the foundation of Christian religion then Christ and his doctrine For so doth c In praef ante relect princip doctr Stapleton in expresse termes determine and generally they d C. ad abolendam de haeret condemne such for heretickes As the prelates and bishops do adiudge to be such Which is nothing else but to make the determination of popish prelates the foundation of the popish church But Christ sending foorth his disciples to preach commaunded them to teach all nations and withall
sinnes which are not conuinced by Gods law and yet are more grieuous then diuers transgressions and sins committed against the law as namely the breaches of the lawes of the pope and preceptes of the church For to breake the law of God in some pointes they make it either no sinne as hath béene said or else a veniall sinne But to condemne the popes anathematismes and to breake the commaundements of the church they make it mortall sinne Nay they make it sinne to mislike the abominable worship of images and inuocation of saintes But the apostle doth teache vs That the knowledge of sinne doth come by the law And it is flagitious to thinke that the law of God is not perfect and that mans traditions are of equall value with the law of God Finally the a Iames 4. apostle Iames teacheth vs That we haue but one law giuer and one iudge viz. that canne binde our consciences Which doth further conuince them to be no true catholikes They teach and holde that the regenerate cannot onely performe the law of God perfectly but also do workes of supererogation and more then is commaunded But the apostle Iames teacheth vs That we do sinne all and that in many things and our Sauiour Christ taught his most holy apostles to pray for remission of sinnes Yea when wée haue done what we can yet wée are taught to say That wee are vnprofitable seruants Saint Iohn saith That they that say they haue no sinne deceiue themselues Saint b Lib. 1. aduers Pelag. Hierome therefore saith That then we are iust when we confesse our sinnes Saint De spiritu litera Augustin saith that Wee shall then performe the lawe of God with all our soule and all our hart and loue our neighbour as our selfe when we shall see God face to face that is in the life to come They teach vs that wée are iustified by the workes of the law and that All our life and saluation doth d Ceâ—sur Colâ—n f. 22. consist therein The councell of e Sess 6. c. 10. Trent condemneth those that say We are iustified formally by Christes iustice All holde that charitie is the formall cause of our iustification But the catholike church teacheth vs farre otherwise Non iustificatur ex operibus legis vlla caro No flesh saith the apostle f Galat. 2. is iustified by the workes of the lawe Hee saith also g Galat. 3. That as many as are of the workes of the lawe are subiect to the curse and denieth that the law hath power to giue life Nay hée h Rom. 4. denieth That Abraham was iustified by the workes of the law Iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex dei consistit misericordia Our iustice saith l Aduers Pâ—lag lib. 1. Hierome doth not consist in our merites but in the mercy of God And k Aduers hares lib. 3. c. 20. Irenaeus teacheth vs That the lawe being spirituall doth onely manifest 〈◊〉 and not kill it Neither is it likely the law should iusâ—â—t vs when it pronounceth vs accursed and sheweth wée are all sinners For none are iustified by the lawe but those that performe the lawe But how can wee acquite our selues séeing as saint a Dâ— interpelat Dauid Ambrose saith Dauid doth acknowledge his sinne Paule doth confesse himselfe guiltie Saint b De lib. ach c. 16. Augustine saith That we are therefore commanded to do things which we cannot that wee may vnderstand what we are to desire of God To conclude this point they haue not onely changed the catholike doctrine of the law mingling the same with Pelagianisme but also brought in a new law giuer Bicause the c Heb. 7. apostle saith That the priesthood being changed the law must needes be changed the d De constitution 6. translato canonistes gather That Christs vicar hath authoritie to make lawes And these lawes say they binde mens consciences So the pope is now forsooth become a lawgiuer and a newe Lycurgus in the Romish church But the e Iames 4. apostle Saint Iames telleth vs That there is but one lawgiuer that is able to saue and destroy And for a thousand yéeres after Christ the catholike church of Christ did neuer sée any pope that durst take vpon him authoritie to giue lawes to the whole church Of which wée haue proofe euen by the bookes of popish decretals that began first by Gregorie the ninth to bée brought in forme and were neuer authorized before his time Sixtly the papistes hold doctrine both concerning original and actuall sinne diuers from the doctrine of the catholike church For first they deny that originall sinne passed ouer all men and f Decretal Sixti 4. synod Trid. sess 5. exempt the holy virgin Mary and some say that saint Iohn Baptist and the prophet Hieremy were sanctified from this sinne in their mothers wombe and so not borne in originall sinne which is contrary to the doctrine of the apostle that g Rom. 5. teacheth That through the offence of one all men were subiect to condemnation and to the words of the blessed virgin that calleth Christ Her Sauiour Againe they say that originall sinne is the least of all sinnes hauing so litle force of our will As if that deserued to be accounted litle which bringeth with it death and damnation and which without Christs death could not be purged and forgiuen They h Thom. Aq. â—d in 2. sent dist 33. teach that children departing without baptisme and with originall sinne onely shall not be punished with hell fire nor with any sensible paine As if at the last iudgement all that stand on the left hand as it is written in the 25 of Matth. shall not depart into euerlasting fire or as if that sinne Rom. 5. That brought condemnation vpon all should not be punished with sensible paines or as if there might be a place in hell without sensible paine Saint a Lib. 1. de Orig. anim c. 9. Augustine saith There is no middle place betweene the kingdome of heauen and damnation b Lib de fide ad Petr. c. 3. Fulgentius doth plainely affirme That children dying without baptisme shall susteine endlesse punishmentes And Gregory in his c Lib. 8. c. 16. morals saith That they shall endure perpetuall tormentes of hell They d Bellar. de purgat lib. 1. hold that all Christians canne satisfie for the penalty of all actual sinnes though neuer so gréeuous and yet for originall sinne which they account the smallest of sinnes they say no satisfaction could be made by any but by Christ Iesus But saint e 1. Iohn 1. Iohn saith That the blood of Christ clenseth vs from all sinnes And absurd it were if man could satisfie for most gréeuous sinnes and could not satisfie for the least sinne Of their false and erroneous doctrine concerning concupiscence and concerning the transgressions of the popes lawes which
they account mortall sinne I haue already spoken f Enchir. Nauar de 1. praecept c. 11. Martin ab Aspilcueta saith That it is mortall sinne for a lay man to dispute of matters of faith And others deuise a multitude of strange mortall sinnes The g Censur Colon f. 40. Iesuites teach that the regenerate after baptisme haue no sinne But saint Iohn saith That they deceiue themselues if they say they haue no sinne For as it is h 1. Reg. 8. written There is none but sinneth And who canne say i Prou. 20. My hart is pure and I am cleane from sinne And this is prooued by the most holy men that euer liued The most iust man saith k Lib. 2. aduers Pelag. Hierome in some thinges standeth in neede of Gods mercy And l Epist 29. ad Hieron Augustine saith That no man liueth heere without sinne albeit some offend more some lesse and the best least of all Generally they beléeue that certaine sinnes are so veniall and small that it is not necessary to repent vs of them and that they do not exclude men from the kingdome of God albeit they die without repentance Which doctrine all catholikes abhorre for the law doth pronounce him accursed whatsoeuer hée is m Deut. 27. Gal. 3. That abideth not in all the things that are written in the booke of the law And S. n Iames 2. Iames saith That he that doth offend against one law is guiltie of all Neither can anie thing impure or vncleane enter into the kingdome of heauen b Quaest breuit â—xplicat 4. Basill saith That no sinne is to be called light Quodcunque enim peccatum esse stimulum mortis Saint c In Isai c. vlt. Hierome saith That those that haue built woode haie or straw vpon the foundation are the nourishment of euerlasting fire Finally where they affirme that the transgression of the lawe is not alwaies sinne and that it is a more heinous sinne to transgresse the decretals of the pope and precepts of the Romish church then the Morall law they shewe that they vnderstande not well what is sinne and differ farre from true catholikes in their doctrine of sinne Seuenthly they d Censur Colon. f. 204. teach that this is the proper doctrine of the Gospell If thou wilt enter into life keepe the commandements But the e Rom. 1. apostle teacheth vs That the gospell is the power of saluation to euery one that beleeueth And f Act. 16. Paule and Silas when the Gailer asked them What hee shoulde do to be saued answered Beleeue on the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued Againe the law doth iustifie none but those that fulfill it but by the grace of the gospell all are iustified that beléeue in Christ Iesus And this is the beléefe of all true catholikes Further as if the Gospell conteined no certaine rule for to attaine to Christian perfection they haue deuised diuers other rules vnder the name of Benet of Nursia Francis Dominicke Ignatius Loiola and diuers other monkes and friers supposing by them to attaine more spéedily to perfection then by the rule of the holy Gospell 8. Of faith the papistes thinke very basely as if it were nothing but a bare assent and that not onely to thinges reuealed in holy Scriptures but also to such vnwritten traditions as the church of Rome or the pope deliuereth So that the grounde of the popish faith is laide as well vpon the popes decretales and lousie lying legendes and such trash as vpon the holie canonicall Scriptures They beléeue also that not onely wicked men but also the diuels of hell may haue true faith But the scriptures teach vs that the chéefe obiect of faith that iustifieth is Christ Iesus and those promises which are made vnto the faithfull through him God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne saith g Iohn 3. saint Iohn that whosoeuer should beleeue in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life They b Heb. 11. shew also that of faith procéedeth obedience patience hope sure trust victories and such like effectes Beeing iustified by faith saith the c Rom. 5. apostle We haue peace with God Now that faith doth onely rest vpon Gods word reuealed in scriptures we haue declared heeretofore That wicked men and diuels haue not faith it may appeare for that they cannot beléeue remission of sinnes and eternall life and this is the faith of true catholikes They teach that charity is the forme of faith which is most ridiculous For how canne one virtue be the forme of another seeing matter and forme are the partes of a naturall body It is also most false For if charity were the forme of faith then could faith worke nothing of it selfe But d Rom. â— the apostle saith That the iust shall liue by faith And e Ephes 2. againe You are saâ—ed by grace through faith And that not of your selues it is the gift of god noâ— of workes least any should boast Ex nullo legis opere saith f Lib. 3. ad Rom. Origen sed pro sola fide ait ad illam mulierem remittuntur tibi peccata tua Whosoeuer saith g Lib. 2. epist 3. Cyprian doth beleeue in God and liue by faith he is found to be iust And Hierome h Inâ— 10. ad Rom. saith That God doth iustifie by faith onely And infinite allegations may be brought to this purpose to shew that where faith and other virtues concurre yet it is faith onely that apprehendeth Christ Iesus and worketh our reconciliation and iustice with God and that the workes of charity and other virtues are effectes of faith And this is most catholike doctrine as the doctrine of papists is most erroneous and sophisticall To conclude this matter of faith they attribute to faith onely the first beginning of iustice or first iustice But our second and more perfect iustice they ascribe to charity and workes of the law Which is a plaine way to ouerthrow mans iustice not to establish it For who can say that he hath that measure of charitie that the law requireth Who can say that his hart is so cleane that his coÌ„science doth not accuse him of any transgression against the lawe Who can say he is without sinne Certes no true catholike will either challenge to himselfe that singular holinesse and puritie or affirme that hee is without sinne 9. The papists do teach that there are seuen sacraments of the new law and neither more nor lesse And that all these seuen were instituted by Christ Iesus and conteine grace worke iustificatioÌ„ For so much the venerable friers assembled at a Sess 7. Trent haue declared and determined and it is the popes pleasure that all his adherents shoulde beléeue their determination But this doctrine is neither true nor catholike b Apolog. 2. Iustin Martyr where he hath occasion to describe the rites of the
church doth onely mention two sacraments to wit Baptisme the Lordes supper c Lib. 1. 4. contr Marcion de coron milâ—t Tertullian where he handleth the same argument doth mention no more then two Cyrill likewise of Hierusalem d Catech. Mystâ—g speaking of the mysteries of Christian religion doth onely discourse of Baptisme and the Lords supper Dionysius whom they suppose to bée Dionyse the Areopagite albeit hée do fully set out the rites of the church of his time doth neither make penance nor matrimonie nor vnction of the dead a Sacrament Hée that wrote the bookes of Sacraments that beare the name of Ambrose and Augustine and Paschasius onely mention two sacraments Now who doth not sée that ordination of priestes and penance and matrimonie were instituted either in the law of nature or vnder the law of Moyses And certes if these things did iustifie then shoulde the Sacraments of the old law iustifie and iustification were a very easie matter No catholike writer doth imagine any such matter to bée in mariage or order and neither was extreme vnction nor popish confirmation known vnto antiquitie 10. In the Sacrament of Baptisme they vse exorcismes blowings salt spittle halowed water annointings light and diuers ceremonies neither vsed by the apostles nor practised by the ancient church And yet e Sâ—ss 7. Trident Concil c. 13. they say That none of their ceremonies may be omitted without sinne Finally they denounce them accursed that shall not holde Baptisme to bée necessary to saluation which ceremonies and doctrine do not appéere to bée catholike 11. They dissolue mariage contracted by entring into religion as they terme it and albeit it bée consummated yet they holde that by mutuall consent the maried couple may depart a sunder and that it shall not bée lawfull for them afterward to companie togither They separate also mariage for spirituall kinred and force all that will be priestes monkes or friers to forsweare mariage Matters not onely strange in the catholike church during the apostles and tâ—eir successors times for many hundred yéeres but also contrarie to Christs doctrine For what man can separate them whom God hath ioyned And what reason hath man to commaund any to forsweare mariage which the a Heb. 13. spirit of God pronounceth to be Honorable 12. They beléeue that penance standeth vpon contrition confession and satisfaction and that tâ—ese are the three parts of penance And yet themselues say that absolution is the forme of penance and that confession is not alwaies necessary Further b Concil Trid. Sess 14. they pronounce him anathema That beleeueth not that penance is properly a sacrament and that denieth confession in the priestes eares to be instituted by Christ Wherein they digresse both from the catholike church and catholike doctrine 13. The sacrament of the lords supper they haue most shamefully altered and abused teaching first that Christ is present with his body corporally and carnally in the sacrament and that he is there also really with his soule and that not onely wicked and faithlesse persons but also brute beastes swallow downe Christ quicke into their bodies Next that the substance of bread and wine is abolished and that the accidents thereof remaine without subiect and the substance of Christes body without the qualities of a body Thirdly that the sacrament is to be worshipped as God which is plaine idolatrie Fourthly they take the cup from the coÌ„municantes and for a communion make a priuate action of one priest called the masse Fiftly they make of this sacrament or sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing a sacrifice externall and propitiatory both for quicke and dead And by this sacrifice they hope to obteine remission of sinnes helth welth victorie and whatsoeuer the bâ—ter desireth Finally they do not distribute the sacrament as Christ commaunded but reserue it in pixes or carry it about in procession or as it pleaseth the priests All which do shew them to be no catholikes For catholikes do beleeue that these words This is my body are figuratiue c Lib. 4. contr Marc. TertulliaÌ„ saith That Christ made the bread which was giuen to his disciples his body by saying this is my body that is the figure of my body d De vnct Cyprian saith That Christ at his last supper gaue bread and wine with his owne handes and that thinges signified and signifying were called by the same names a In c. 15. Matth. Origen doth call the sacrament Christes figuratiue and typicall body b De ijs qui initiantur mysterijs c. 9. Ambrose saith That Christes true flesh was sacrificed but that the eucharist is the sacrament of that true flesh The Lord did not sticke to say this is my body saith saint c Contr. Adimant c. 12. Augustine when he gaue the signe of his body They beléeue not that the bread is abolished d Aduers Iudaeos Tertullian saith That Christ called bread his body Saint Hierome writing to Hedibia saith That the bread which the Lord brake and gaue to his disciples is the Lordes body The bread saith saint e De consecrat dist 2. c. qui manducant Augustine is the body of the Lord the cup his blood In the giuing of the mysteries saith f Dial. 1. Theodoret hee called bread his bodie But what néede testimonies of fathers when the apostle rehearsing the wordes of the institution calleth bread Christs body and nameth breade after consecration and when the pronoune Hoc can bée referred to no other thing but bread True catholikes beléeue that the holy communion of the Lords supper is a commemoration and a memoriall of the sacrifice made by Christ Iesus vpon the crosse rather then anie actuall and externall sacrifice Our g Matth. 26. Luc. 22. Sauiour saith This do in remembrance of me The h 1. Cor. 11. apostle saith that in this Sacrament Wee shew foorth the Lords death and celebrate a memoriall of it i In dialog cum Tryphon Iustin Martyr saith That in the sacrifice of bread and the cup which Christ instituted for a memoriall of his passion Christians giue thankes to God Saint k De fide ad Petr. c. 19. Augustine saith That in the sacrifice of bread and wine there is a commemoration of the flesh and blood of Christ that were offered for vs. Saint l In epist ad Hebr. Chrysostome saith That our sacrifice is a remembrance of Christes sacrifice Finally all true catholikes did distribute and receiue the holy Sacrament when they came to the Lordes supper and obserued his holy institution without mixtures of their inuentions or other alterations 14. The papists haue either abolished Christes priesthood or else much debased the same and haue brought in a new order of priesthoode neuer instituted by Christ nor practised by the catholike church For in stead of Christ they runne to angels to our Ladie and saints and beléeue that these can
exeuntes quia ipsi sunt scurriles leues volatiles rodentes sacras literas virides paganicae philosophiae sequaces quasi equi currentes sic illi in vanam disputationem 22. True catholikes haue alwaies shewed themselues obedient to their princes and performed their othes of allegiance They neither sought to murder them nor to depriue them of their crownes Dauid albeit he was gréeuously and vniustly persecuted by Saule yet did he not lay his hands vpon his prince albeit God had taken away the kingdome from Saul and giuen it to him The Israelites rebelled not against their kinges although they were wicked But papistes rebell against princes and neglect all promises and othes made to them as oft as the pope shall excommunicate them Nay the pope and his adherents excommunicate lawfull princes and pronounce sentence of deposition against them their associates make warres vpon them popish subiects are encouraged to rebell and are promised great rewardes and eternall blessednesse if they can kill the Lordes annointed as hath béene sufficiently alreadie declared by diuers examples In the rules or a Apud Ioseph Vestan de oscul ped pontif dictates of Gregorie the seuenth the twelft is That the pope hath power to depose the emperor The eight That hee may lawfully vse the ensignes of the emperour The 27. That hee hath power to absolue subiectes from their alleageance And this diuers late popes haue attempted and practised The which as it sheweth them to bée no catholikes so it prooueth them to be woorse then Turkes and Infidels which alwaies haue had a reuerend regard of their princes and superiors 23. True catholikes beléeued onely to haue remission of sinnes from Christ Iesus and neither trusted in indulgences nor Iubilies nor in pilgrimages to Rome or to other places But the Romanists without the popes pardons thinke themselues in no securitie and presuming of his fauour commit murthers and marie incestuously and do many outrages and villanies 24. True catholikes embrace all that doctrine which our Sauiour Christ commanded his apostles to preach to all nations throughout the worlde and refuse to heare those that preach otherwise and teach another kinde of doctrine But the papists haue not onely embraced diuers nouelties of which Christes apostles knew nothing but false heresiâ—s contrary to the doctrine of Christ and his apostles Which for that it is a principall argument to conuince them to bée no catholikes shall particularly God willing be demonstrated in the two chapters following Héeretofore wee haue shewed them to bée no catholikes for that their doctrine was neither generally taught nor receiued of al true catholikes now they shall bée prooued to bée no catholikes for that diuers points of their religion are either new deuises and fantasies not taught by the apostles nor receiued of the apostolicall and catholike church or else olde heresies condemned for such by the catholike church of ancient time CHAP. II. That diuers positions and principles of popish religion are meere nouelties and new deuises vnknowne to the most ancient and true catholike church of Christ IT may percase séeme strange especially to such papists as are but yoonglings and nouices in the Iesuites schoole that the religion of popes which is commonly called The olde religion shoulde now bée charged with noueltie and condemned by testimony of antiquitie Yet if wee please not onely to consider these later ages but also to looke backe to the apostles times and the ages next succeeding we shall assuredly finde by enumeration of many particulars that popish religion as it differeth from the religion now generally receiued and professed in the church of England is a new vpstart religion and full of nouelties and late receiued fancies For in religion that is onely to bée accounted ancient that is deriued from Christ and from his apostles Antiquitas mea saith a In epist. ad Philadelph Ignatius Christus est That is Christ is the originall from whence wée fetch our antiquitie b Lib. 4. contr Marcion Tertullian saith that the religion taught by the apostles is most ancient and from the beginning and most true Id vertus quod prius saith hée id prius quod ab initio id ab initio quod ab apostolis Saint c Epist 65. ad Pammach Ocean Hierome reiecteth all for newe that was not taught by the apostles Cur profers in medium saith hée quod Petrus Paulus edere noluerunt d Contra haeres c. 25. Vincentius Lirinensis calleth him a true catholike That doth onely beleeue and holde whatsoeuer the ancient catholike church did vniuersally beleeue Qui quicquid vniuersaliter antiquitùs ecclesiam catholicam tenuisse cognouerit id solum sibi tenendum credendumque decernit But the ancient church is not this late Romish church within this fiue or sixe hundred yeeres but the apostolike and primitiue church Now whatsoeuer commeth from late popes albeit the same hath had some hundreds of yéeres coÌ„tinuance yet is the same new and no part of the ancient catholike religion for that it hath no beginning from Christ nor from the apostles nor was vniuersally receiued of the most ancient church of Christ That corruption I say of poperie is new which the church of England refuseth as appéereth by diuers particular points First the very chéefe groundes and principles of popish religion and the lawes whereby they stande haue no greater antiquitie then from Iohn the 22. Clement the fift Boniface the eight Gregorie the ninth or to go to the highest from Hildebrand otherwise called Gregory the seuenth for from him doth a Bullarium hée that made a collection of all the popes buls and lawes fetch their first originall Before that it may be diuers bishops and popes wrote decretall epistles but vntill this time they had no force of law Nay before this time all histories do teach vs that the church was gouerned partly by the lawes of Emperors and partly by the canons of councels Now that the decretals of the popes being receiued and authorized for lawes are the foundation of popish religion it is apparent For therein all the nouelties of the Romish church are confirmed and established And b In praefat ante relect princip doctr Stapleton doth in plaine termes affirme so much In hac docentis hominis authoritate saith hée in qua deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscendae fundamentum necessariò poni credimus And generally all papists confesse that the pope is the souereigne iudge in matters of religion Whereupon it followeth that his determinations and decretals are the chéefe groundes of popish religion Secondly the apocryphall Scriptures of Toby Iudith Wisdome Ecclesiasticus the two bookes of the Machabees and the additions extant in the Latine translation and not in the original bookes which are as second grounds of popery were not declared of equall authoritie with other canonicall scriptures before the councell of Trent At that time also was the Latin vulgar translation made
worship the crosse with diuine worship or the images and reliques of saints with all deuotion and seruice Nay this worship is contrary to the second commandement and condemned by the councell of Eliberis by Epiphanius and all ancient fathers 40. The Romish missals breuiaries offices and psalters of our Lady primers and other rituall bookes wherein the whole worship of the Romish church is conteined receiue all their authoritie from Pius quintus Gregory the 13. corrected the Calendar and published the same after his owne fashion neither agréeing with truth nor with antiquitie 41. It is not long since the popes of Rome tooke vpon them to a De reliq venerat sanct c. 1. 2. in gloss canonise saints and after a heathen fashion to put them in the calendar of popish demy Gods Neither the apostles nor the auncient fathers did euer know anie such thing 42. The b Manual di Geronymo Campos rosaries and beades of our Lady conteining 63. Aue mariaes and .7 Pater nosters which are now much reckoned of in Spaine and Italy are but a new tricke of some late pope to get mony 43. The manner of the sanctifying of the paschall lambe as it is prescribed in the Romish missall is very strange in the church of Christ All ancient fathers condemne it as an odde tricke of Iudaisme 44. Ancient Christians had no mediators but Christ Iesus neither did they pray to our lady or to saintes or to angels but to God in the name of Christ Iesus 45. Neither had they any priests consecrated to sacrifice for quicke and dead as haue the papistes Nay as the apostle saith they beléeued that Christ was a priest after the order of Melchizedech without succession and that the sacrifice which he made was not to be reiterated 46. The doctrine of penance which the schoolemen first began to talke of was not setled before the councell of Florence and Trent If our aduersaries will néedes maintaine the contrary let them shew first where the ancient fathers teach that priuate penance consisteth of thrée parts to witte Contrition Confession and Satisfaction and how these are nothing without Absolution which they account to be the forme of penance Secondly let them shew that auriculer confession was receiued in the Westerne church before the c C. omnis vtriusque sexus de Poenit. remiss constitution of Innocent the third that first established that order Thirdly that certaine cases were specially reserued to the bishop of Romes absolution in time of the ancient fathers Fourthly that all Christians did make satisfaction to God for their actuall sinnes Lastly that in times past either contrition differed from satisfaction or absolution went before satisfaction or that noâ—e were reconciled to God but such as were confessed to priests and did satisfie according to their pleasures 47. The councell of Trent did likewise innouate diuers things iâ— the ordination of bishops and priests For the friers there determined that there were 7. orders and euery of these a sacrament and yet but all one sacrament which séemeth very enigmaticall They decréed That priests should be shauen and greazed that by the act of ordination there was a print made in their soules which they call An inuisible character matters very new and strange 48. In ancient time neither were monkes permitted to execute the office of priests nor were any ordeined bishops but such as did feede their flockes The dumbe bishops and boy-cardinalles and prelates of the Romish synagogue are but new creatures of the pope brought in onely to confirme and establish his new tyranny 49. Purgatory was not established before the late councels of Florence and Trent Neither was any part of it knowne in ancient time Saint Augustine began first to talke of purgatory for veniall sinnes and after his time Gregory that made the dialogues beléeued that veniall sinnes were indéede remitted in purgatory The schoolemen added that satisfactions for penance inioyned and not accomplished in this life were there to be performed They also haue of late begun to talke much of the popes power and of the merites of masses in purgatory but as yet they are not agréed about the same nor about many other such like matters 50. The yéere of Iubiley was a Constit Pauli 2. ordeined first by Boniface the eight and afterward altered by Clement the fift and last of all brought to twentie fiue yéeres by Paul the second But not borrowed from Christians but either from the heathen that euery hundred yéere had Luâ—os seculares or from the Iewes that euery 50. yeeres celebrated a Iubiley and now agréeing neither with Iewes Gentiles nor christians 51. That the popes indulgences depend vpon the late popes authoritie without proofe out of Scriptures or fathers the patrons of them that are ingenuous do confesse b Artâ— 18. aduers assert Lutherâ— Fisher sometime bishop of Rochester saide That before purgatorie was feared no man sought for indulgences and that in the beginning of the church there was no vse of them Quamdiu saith hée nulla fuerat de purgatorio cura nemo quaesiuit indulgentias And afterward In initio nascentis ecclesiae nullus fuerat earum vsus Such indulgences as are mentioned in the booke of Pardons of Rome are meere forgeries and fooleries In the church of Saint Paule at Rome saith the booke Yee haue 48. thousand yeeres of pardon on the day of his conuersion a hundred yeeres of pardon on Childermasse daie fower thousand yeere of pardon For kissing two iron crosses at S. Peters church doore fiue hundred yeeres of pardon On the feast day of Saint Peter 1000. yeeres of pardon And for looking on one of the pence for which our Sauiour was solde 1400. yeeres of pardon In the church of Saint Marie maior yee haue fowerteene thousand yeeres of pardon And Blessed be the mother saith our author that beareth the childe that heareth masse on Saturday at Saint Iohn of Lateran For he deliuereth al them that he desireth out of purgatory to the number of 77. soules Hée saith further That on the tower of the church standeth a double crosse that was made of the sworde that Saint Iohn was beheaded with and that at euery time that a man beholdeth that crosse hee hath 14000. yeeres of pardon and as many karines of all penance And infinite such indulgences are granted by popes in that booke Pope Gregory the 13. a In Constit Gregor per Petr. Matth. sent ouer his indulgence of Iubiley into England and no doubt but that this pope either hath or will do the like O simple creatures that buie such trash and suffer themselues to be abused with such nouelties and fooleries as beséeme neither christian religion nor common reason 52. The popes penitentiaries taxe which conteineth the rates of absolutions For murders Parricides Rapines Periuries Adulteries Incests Sodomitry yea and Apostacy and Turkish blasphemies I thinke our aduersaries will not denie but that it is most new 53.
places and altars as the sacrament is Who doth not perceiue that Christes humanitie was abolished if as the fathers holde the vnion of the natures was like to the vnion of Christes body in the sacrament especially if the substance of bread wine be quite abolished This is most certaine that both a Vbi supra Theodoret and b Contra Eutychen Gelasius do confute Eutyches by this reason for That the substance of the bread remaineth in the Sacrament which being denied by the papists it is plaine that they bring in Eutychianisme The papists also in many points conspire with the enimies of the grace of God the Pelagians First both Pelagians and papists define sinne to bée not whatsoeuer is repugnant to gods law but that is committed of frée will and by him that vnderstandeth what hee doth Propriè vocatur peccatum saie the Pelagians quod libera voluntate à sciente committitur This is the grounde of Pelagius going about to ouerthrow the traduction of originall sinne in the posteritie of Adam as appéereth by Saint Augustines disputations against him concerning this point And that also the c Censur Colon. fol. 44. Iesuites of Collein expressely do hold The Pelagians do teach that a iust man in this life may be without sinne Hoc Pelagiani audent dicere hominem iustum in hac vita omnino nullum habere peccatum saith Saint d De bono perseuerant lib. 2. c. 5. Augustine The papists likewise beléeue that the regenerate are cléere of mortall sinne and not onely that but also may liue without sinne The Pelagians teach That concupiscence by baptisme is sanctified and being before euill afterward beginneth not to be euill which doctrine Saint e Contra Iulian. lib. 6. c. 6. Augustine calleth very absurd yet is that the doctrine of the councell of Trent and of all papists Both papists and Pelagians do builde vpon one foundation and say that therefore concupiscence after baptisme is no sinne for that the guilt is remitted in baptisme The Pelagians would not grant that the Gentiles and Infidels sinned in all their actions nor that their actions were sinne as done without faith as Saint f Contra Iulian lib. 4. c. 3. Augustine sheweth proouing the contrarie The same doctrine the papists receiue for catholike The Pelagians sometimes were a Augustin contra 2. epist Pelag. c 19. woont to say In omni bono opere homineÌ„ semper adiuuari à gratia b Ibidem lib. 4. c. 6. gratiam adiuuare bonum euiusque propositum But their meaning was that God gaue his grace to them that disposed themselues and whose frée will was ready to receiue grace Which is also the doctrine of preparations and dispositions commonly taught by papists so that notwithstanding their faire pretenses of grace they yéeld a great part of the glory of our conuersion to our owne frée will The papists say That sinne is subiect to our will so likewise the Pelagians say c Augustin lib. 1. de gratia Christi c. 28. Nos forte firmum habere ad non peccandum liberum arbitrium And saint d Lib. 2. de baptis Augustine teacheth vs that this doctrine is Pelagianisme The papists say that God is ready with his grace if hée sée a mans soule readie and prepared to receiue it They also beleeue that a naturall man may desire his owne conuersion But Saint e Contr. epist Pelag. lib. 4. c. 6. lib. 2. c. 5. 8. de Gratia lib. 1. c. 14. Augustine teacheth vs that these were the propositions of the Pelagians They also both do vse the same reasons to prooue the strength of frée will as first that wée are commaunded to choose secondly that God woulde not commaund vs thinges impossible Magnum aliquid se scire putant Pelagiani quando dicunt non iuberet Deus quod sciret ab homine non posse perfici as Saint f De Grat. c. 16. cont epist Pelag. lib. 2. c. 10. Augustine testifieth Therefore Thomas Brandwardine doubteth not to call the popish schoolemen Pelagians Totus penè mundus g Lib. 1. de Grat. aduers Pelag. saith hée post Pelagium in errorem abijt exurge Deus iudica causam tuam Hée wrote about thrée hundred yéeres agone The Donatistes as Saint h De haeres c. 69. Augustine writeth beléeued that the church was onely conteined in Afrike and in the obedience or part of Donatus quod ecclesia Christ in Africa Donati parte remanserit as he saith They did also rebaptize catholike Christians So likewise the papists beléeue that to be the church that continueth in the obedience of the pope and reteineth communion with the church of Rome and of late time haue not doubted in France and Flanders to rebaptize children before baptized The Circumcellions thought it meritorious to kill those that were contrarie to their sect Immania facinora perpetrando as S. a De haeres c. 69. Augustine saith Nay that holy man had much a doe to escape their handes So likewise the papists teach that it is meritorious to kill princes opposite to the popish faction Sixtus quintus that shamelesse frier did highly commend b La fulmiminante Iames Clement that killed Henry the third of France Iohn Ghineard a Iesuite did maintaine this doctrine and was therefore by arrest of the parliament of Paris executed By these desperate assassins the papists haue diuers waies sought to murder the Quéenes Maiestie haue most shamefully murdred the Prince of Orenge Iames the Regent of Scotland and diuers other christian princes Alphonsus Diazius did most wickedly murder his owne brother trauailing as farre as froÌ„ Rome into Germany to commit that act and for the same was by the pope not onely defended but commended The Auâ—â—ans or Anthropomorphites did imagine God to haue a humane shape and partes like a mortall man Cogitatione carnali saith c De haeres c. â—0 Augustine Deum fingebant in similitudinem hominis corruptibilis And likewise do the papists imagine when they make the images of God the father and the holy ghost and the whole Trinitie The d Sess 25. councell of Trent doth permit the diuinitie to bée figured Diuinitatem ex primi figurari But how can this bee done vnlesse they beléeue either their god to bée like their images or their images like their god Origen beléeued that sinnes might bée purged and done away after this life and therefore e Augustin de haeres c. 43. imagined That euen the wicked after a long time shoulde bee saued And certes if sins may bée purged by fire why shoulde not mortall sinnes as well bée washed away as veniall And if man bée able to satisfie for the guilt of mortall sinne after this life and so bée quited from them why shoulde not euery one satisfie in hell for his sinnes And why shoulde a debt bée exacted when satisfaction is made In this
heresie therefore concerning the purgation of sinnes after this life and the satisfaction for the penaltie of mortall sinnes the papists sauour of Origens heresie They fauour his heresie also in this that they do say there is fower sences of Scriptures and draw the same by their allegoricall interpretations to their owne most peruerse purposes Eunomius taught that so a man were of his religion it skilled not greatly what sinnes he committed Asseuerebat saith a Augustin de haeres c. 54. Augustine quod nihil cuiquam obesset quorumlibet perpetratio ac perseuerantia peccatorum si huius quae ab ipso docebatur fidei particeps esset Vnto which heresie the papists come very néere For so a man professe the Romish faith and communicate with the Romanists in their sacraments and bée obedient to the pope they b Bellar. de eccles milit c. 2. say he is a good catholike and a true member of the church although he haue no inward vertue And so facile they are in this pointe that they absolue murderers and incestuous persons and most wicked rebels yea Marans and apostataes so they will professe their Romish religion In Ireland the White knight and Piers Lacy haue had children by their owne daughters and others that I coulde name by their sisters and néere kinsewomen And infinite outrages haue they committed not oneâ—â— against their lawfull prince but also against their owne people and kinred and so continue liuing almost without law yet do the priests and friers and popes agents absolue them and count them good catholiks Nay these are the pillers of the Romish church and the chéefe maintainers of the popish sect there The papists also where they by their lawes forbid priests and monkes to marry and to absteine from certaine meates do plainely embrace the heresie of the Tatians Seuerians and Manichées and are of the number of a 1. Tim. 4. those That teach the doctrine of diuels forbidding to marry and willing men to absteine from meates which God hath created Rectè posuit illud saith d In 1. Tim. 4. Theodoret prohibentium contrahere matrimonium Neque enim caelibatum aut continentiam vituperat sed eos accusat qui lege lata ea sequi compellunt He noteth those saith Theodoret that by their lawes compell men to absteine from marriage and certaine meates So that by his censure the papists are within the compasse of these false teachers of whome the apostle speaketh The heretikes called Anoâ—ni either corrupted or contemned the law of God which heresie is also by right of enheritance descended to the papists For first they deny the law of God to be perfect and therefore adde vnto it their owne traditions and the customes and precepts of the Romish church Secondly they haue c In offic beat Mariae Manual de Geronymo Campos cut out the commaundement of worshipping of images as directly opposite to their idolatry Thirdly they deny concupiscence after baptisme to be sinne contrary to the tenth commaundement Lastly they haue chosen to themselues a new a C. translato de constitutionibus lawgiuer that taketh on him to giue law to mens consciences and receiued a new decretaline law wherein they walke more curiously then in the law of God Nay for the true and euer liuing God they worship this their Terrestriall God as b In epist dedic ante princip doctrin Stapleton doth call him and diligently harken to the popes statutes and commandements Irenaeus and Tertullian doth range those among heretikes that flye from the scriptures and accuse them and affirme that the apostles did not commit all thinges necessary to writing Cum ex scripturis arguuntur saith c Aduers haeres lib. 3. c. 2. Irenaeus in accusationem coÌ„uertuntur scripturarum quasi non rectè habeant neque sint ex authoritate quia variè sunt dictae quia non possit ex his inueniri veritas ab his qui nesciant traditionem Non enim per literas traditam illam sed per vâ—uam vocem ob quam causam Paulum dixisse sapientiam loquimur inter perfectos He d Aduers haeres lib. 3. c. 1. saith also That the apostles first preached the gospell and afterward by the will of God brought the same into writing that it might be a piller and foundation of our faith Alius manu scripturas saith e De praescrip aduers haerec Tertullian alius sensu expositiones interuertit That is some heretikes plainely blot and corrupt the scriptures others peruert them by false expositions But he maketh the catholike to say thus Ego sum haeres apostoloruÌ„ sicut cauerunt testamento sicut fidei commiserunt sicut adiurauerunt ita teneo He saith they are true catholikes and successors of the apostles that continue in the doctrine deliuered in their testament And afterward speaking of scriptures he f Ibidem saith Quod sumus hoc sunt That is that we beléeue and teach that is there to be found But speaking of heretikes he g De resurrect carnis saith Aufer haereticis quaecunque ethnici sapiunt vt de scripturis solis quaestiones suas sistant stare non poterunt That is bring heretikes from that opinion that is common to them with ethnikes and cause them to be iudged in these questions by scriptures and they cannot stand In describing the qualities of these heretikes these two ancient fathers séeme to haue prophesied of the conditions of the papists For they will not allow as saith Irenaeus that the apostles haue comprehended all their doctrine necessary to saluation in the scriptures Neither will they confesse that out of holy writ we can learne the truth without tradition But contrariwise being conuinced by Scriptures they accuse the Scriptures and speake euill of them and say that they in respect of vs receiue authoritie from the pope they affirme that they Are subiect to diuers vnderstandings a Aduers Sadeel lib. 1. p. 99. Turrian calleth them Delphicum gladium others A nose of waxe they stande vpon the liuely teaching of their priests and friers and b Censur Colon. say That the wisedome of the church is apparent in vnwritten traditions They peruert the Scriptures by their wicked interpretations c Concil Trid. Sess 4. allowing no sence but that which the pope and church of Rome giueth They flie from the iudgement of apostolicall writings and will not haue the Scriptures to bée the rule whereby all controuersies are to bée ended and therefore plainly declare themselues to bée descended from heretikes and to bée very well like their parents d Lib. 8. Orig. c. de haeresibus Isidore doth declare them to bée heretikes that do otherwise vnderstande the Scriptures then the meaning of the holy Ghost requireth Quicunque saith hée aliter Scripturam sacram intelligit quà m sensus Spiritus sancti flagitat à quo conscripta est licèt de ecclesia non recesserit
saith d Lib. 2. paert 1. Occham est dogma falsum fidei contrarium orthodoxae e Apud Matth. Paris in Hen. 3. Robert Grosthed saith That heresie is an opinion chosen of humane vnderstanding contrary to Scripture and either openly taught or defended f Apud Dionys Carth. in 3. sent dist 31. Durande signifieth That heresie is onely an opinion contrary to canonicall Scripture Opinio ista g Aen. Sylu. de gest concil Basil lib. 1. saith he non est haeretica quia non est contra canonicam scripturam The h councell of Basill doth determine him to bée an heretike That doth reiect the catholike faith deduced out of canonicall scriptures and prooued by fathers Séeing then the papists haue caused a great diuision from the apostlike and ancient church and haue taught other doctrine contrarie to that of Christ Iesus and haue corrupted the verie déepest mysteries of Christian religion and haue digressed from apostolicall rules and taught doctrine contrary to Christian faith to the catholike church of former times and finally to canonicall scriptures as may appéere by their groundes of faith by their legends and decretals by their Tridentine doctrine concerning the Gospell and the lawe by their idolatrous masse by their worshipping of saints nay of stockes and stones ragges and rotten bones by their rebellion against princes and their allowance of the gouernment of the pope there is no question to bée made but that papists are cleerely heretikes CHAP. IIII. That the church of Rome is not the true church of Christ NOw if the pope and his faction the papists bée heretikes then doth it necessarily follow thereof that they are not the true church For the true church kéepeth the faith sounde and intire But these a 1. Tim. 1. Haue made shipwracke of faith Heretikes are gone out from vs bicause they are not of vs as saint b 1. Iohn 2. Iohn saith Those of the true church are of the houshold of faith and the apostles heires But heretikes are strangers as c De praescrip aduers haeret Tertullian saith and maintaine doctrine contrary to the apostles Heretikes as d In dialog contr Lucifer Hierome saith Are not the church of Christ but the synagogue of antichrist Againe if the church of Rome haue altered and innouated Christes religion then can it not bée the true church for That e 1. Tim. 6. doth faithfully keepe the faith committed to her in deposte and auoideth all prophane nouelties shée f Ibidem kéepeth Gods commandements without addition or blemish Catholica ecclesia sedula cauta depositorum apud se dogmatuÌ„ custos nihil in ijs vnquam permutat nihil minuit nihil addit as saith g Contra haeres c. 32. Vincentius Lirinensis Contrariwise h Ibidem c. 36. Heretikes not content with the ancient rule of faith are daily seeking out nouelties and are desirous to adde to change to take away Further if the faith of the church of Rome bée not catholike and generall and that which our Sauiour commanded his apostles to teach all nations then is not that the true church For as wée beléeue the church to bée catholike so we beléeue that the faith thereof is catholike and vniuersall We may not follow the pope of Rome nor the bishop of Ierusalem or Alexandria but the catholike church and that wée shall do if wée embrace that faith which the whole church throughout the worlde confesseth Sequemur vniuersitatem saith i Aduers haeres c. 3. Vincentius Lirinensis si hanc vnam fidem veram esse fateamur quam tota per orbem terraruÌ„ confitetur ecclesia If any haue a singular faith beside that which alwaies and in all places hath béene taught by the apostles and their true successors wée are not to harken to them No a Deut. 13. Although a Prophet or great learned man rise vp among vs yet are wée not to listen to him This may bée sufficient to teach vs that the synagogue of Rome is not that church whereto wée are to resort and adioine our selues But forsomuch as heretikes as apes imitate men so counterfeit to bée the true church as b Epist ad Iubatan Cyprian telleth vs and euery societie and company of heretikes do thinke themselues to bée christians and beare themselues bolde on the name of the catholike church as c Lib. 4. instit c. 30. Lactantius writeth and considering that the church of Rome hath long abused the worlde with the maske of the true church I thought it very requisite in this chapter briefly to set downe such arguments as may cléerely demonstrate what shée is and so much the rather for that many simple soules haue héeretofore béene seduced and perswaded that Rome is the citie of God and that chaste spouse of Christ which loueth and serueth none but him If our aduersary will needes call the same the catholike church yet let him first peruse and answere our arguments as they are héere laide downe in order First then we both confesse that the church of Christ is built vpon Christ Iesus No man saith the d 1. Cor. 3. apostle can lay any other foundation beside that which already is layd which is Christ Iesus He is e Isai 28. that Corner stone that is e Isai 28. placed in the foundation of Sion He is that f Matth. 16. Rocke vpon which the church is built Super hanc petram quam confessus es saith saint g Ser. 13. de verb. Dom. Augustine super hanc petram quam cognouisti dicens tu es Christus filius dei aedificabo ecclesiam meam id est super meipsum filium dei viui aedificabo ecclesiam meam Other fathers h Ambros in c. 9. Luc. Cyrill lib. 4. de Trinit that say the church is built either vpon The confession or faith of Peter or else vpon Peter himselfe do vnderstand indirectlie Christ Iesus whome he confessed and on whome he beléeued and on whome Peter was built But the church of Rome is built vpon the pope and vpon the papacy Est Petri fedes saith i In praefat in lib. de pontif Rom. Bellarmine lapis probatus angularis pretiosus in fundamento fundatus He k Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 3. saith also That the pope is the foundation of the building of the church and goeth about to prooue it by certeine words of Hierome who neuer thought any such matter a Sanders his rocke of the church Sanders doth endeuour to prooue That the popes are the immooueable rocke of the church b Contr. Saâ—eelâ—â— Turrian because Christ saith Aedificabo ecclesiam meam non aedifico ecclesiaÌ„ meam concludeth that the popes of future times are vnderstood and this is the common opinion of all papists How then can that be the true church that is built vpon a diuers foundation and either neglecting or not greatly caring for Christ Iesus the
f Iames 4. saith hée that is able to saue and to destroy But in the church of Rome the pope beareth himselfe as a soueraigne monarke and hée taketh on him power to bind and loose in heauen earth and purgatorie And his agents say That his lawes binde in conscience and that hée hath power to saue and destroy The Romish church is gouerned by his lawes and acknowledgeth him to bée the supreme iudge of controuersies 29. The true church of Christ contenteth herselfe with the religion first taught by the apostles For as g Lib. 4. contr Marcion Tertullian saith Id verius quod prius id prius quod ab apostolis And as h Aduers haeres c. 26. Vincentius Lirinensâ—â— saith it is the propertie of heretikes Not to content themselues with the ancient rule of faith but to seeke nouelties from day to day and to desire to adde to change to take away But the church of Rome doth not content herselfe with the doctrine of the apostles nor with the ancient rule of faith but is still adding changing taking away as may appéere by the popes decretals 30. The true church is dispersed euery where For our Sauiour f commanded his apostles To teach all nations i Matth. 28. And wée beléeue not a particular church but The catholike church that is the societie of Christians of all times and places but the Romish church neither conteineth the Gréekes nor Africans nor men of Asia that haue for many ages béene diuided froÌ„ that church Nor doth it reach to the people before Christ but onely a Bellar. de eccles milit c. 2. conteineth such as liue in obedience to the pope How then can the church of Rome bee the catholike church Shall the church of that citie bée as great as the church of the whole worlde 31. The true church of Christ conteineth neither lyons nor tygres nor woolues but consisteth onely of shéepe and lambes Nay it maketh milde Christians of sauage and wilde atheistes and miscreantes and as Paule of a fierce persecutor by christianity was made a constant professor so the mildenesse of this our christian mother the church changeth mens cruell natures They shall not hurt nor kill saith b Isai 11. God by his prophet in all my holy mountain The wolf shall dwel with the lambe and the Pard shall ly with the Kid. c De incarnat verbi Athanasius saith that nothing but Christes faith caused barbarous nations to become peaceable Quis coegit barbaros gentesque alias in suis sedibus saith he immanitatem deponere pacifica meditari nisi Christi fides crucis signaculum d Lib. 2. contr Parmen Optatus speaking of catholikes Which of vs saith he hath persequuted any man Can you shew or prooue that any of you hath beene persequuted by vs But the church of Rome hath of late yéeres and yet doth murder infinite numbers of men that would not adhere to her Romish faith Their e Extr. de haeret per tot lawes are bloody and cruell their executions are more cruell In the time of Charles the emperor the fift of that name it is found in f Meteran de Belgicis tumultibus record That aboue fiftie thousand persons were by sentence of iudges executed to death for the profession of their faith in the low countries In France as their owne stories report at one g Anno 1572. time thrée score thousand Christians without order of law were most shamefully massacred Circiter sexaginta hominum millia saith h Lib. 23. p. 508. Natalis Comes speaking of the massacre varijs in locis per illud tempus trucidata fuisse dicta sunt in Gallia And so extraordinary was the furie of papists that they spared neither age sexe nor qualitie Vel puberes vel impuberes saith i Ibid. p. 507. he trucidati sunt neque vllius sexus vel aetatis vel dignitatis habita est ratio Neither may wée thinke that they haue shewed lesse crueltie against Christians in Spaine Italie Germany England and other nations The Romish church hath died her garments in the blood of saints and the prelates haue shewed themselues leaders to the people in these barbarous executions Well therefore may that bée applied to them which a Lib. 2. con Parmen Optatus spoke of the cruell Donatistes Lacerati sunt viri tractatae sunt matronae infantes necati abacti partus ecce vestra ecclesia episcopis ducibus cruentis morsibus pasta est Men haue béene tormented women haue béene abused infants haue béene murdred women forced to loose their children behold your church is fedde with crueltie and your prelates haue béene captaines to the vulgar sort in their cruell executions 32. The catholike church neuer shewed more fauour to the Iewes and Infidels then to Christians that disliked the bishops of Rome The Christian emperors b L. hac valitura Cod. de Iudaeis Caelieolis excluded the Iewes from all gouernment and authoritie in the common-wealth and c Ibidem restreined their insolencies with diuers sharpe lawes The like course they d Cod. de Paganis sacrif templ tooke also with Pagans and Infidels shutting their temples and forbidding their sacrifices and Idolatries But the Romish synagogue doth indure the impieties of Iewes in the midst of Rome albeit they denie and blaspheme Christ Iesus tormenting and killing christians that shall but once offer to speake against the pope Likewise e Onuphr in Alexandro 6. Alexander the sixt receiued Turkes and Maranes into Rome being erpelled out of Spaine and the popes are content that their subiects shall trade with Turkes albeit they cannot endure any christian that shall mislike the popes authoritie 33. The true church of God neuer sought by forging and falsifying of mens writings and by lying and slandering to aduance Christes religion For truth is strong enough of it selfe and néedeth not to bée supported with falshood f Prouerb 12. and a Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. False witnesses and slanderers in ancient time were so farre from beeing estéemed in the church that they were b excluded out of the church g Concil Agath c. 27. Concil Elâ—bert c. 73. 74. But the church of Rome perceiuing that she cannot otherwise preuaile goeth to worke by plaine forging and falsifying leauing nothing sound that once passeth her fingers h Canones apostolor constiutioneâ— Somewhat she commendeth vnder the name of the a apostles and many thinges vnder the name of ancient fathers There is no ancient father but she hath ascribed vnto him many children which were neuer begotten by him as the workes of Cyprian Origen Athanasius Hierome Augustine Chrysostome Gregory and others do plainely testifie For who séeth not how many vnlearned and vnsound treatises are dayly published vnder the names of ancient fathers Nay the Romanistes are much offended with Erasmus and other learned mens censures that haue gone about
contrary in diuers maine points to the doctrine of the apostles Seuenthly they do neither retaine vnion with Christ Iesus nor with the ancient Church nor among themselues Eightly their decretaline doctrine is neither sound nor holy nor hath any efficacie in it nor hath other fountain then the popes fancie Ninthly their legendary miracles and prophecies whereupon a great part of the credit of the Romish faith dependeth are nothing but lies and forgerie and those ofttimes very ridiculous Tenthly their strange nouelties and heresies haue béene by many both olde late writers reproued and condemned Lastly as the authours of it haue liued vnhappily and died miserably for the most part so those that haue gone about to restore true religion and to roote out Romish idolatrie and heresie haue for this onely cause felt Gods great fauour towardes them both in their liues and ends 44 The Church of Rome is also conuicted not to be the true Church by the confession of a Relect. doct princip cont 1. q. 5. Stapleton For if the true Church began at Hierusalem and is vniuersally dispersed and hath continued in all ages and hath a true succession of bishops from the apostles and disagreeth not about matters of faith nor dissenteth from the head of the church and which hath planted christian religion preserued the same throughout the world and hath kept the apostolike forme of gouernment and preuailed against all heresies and temptations keeping the rule of faith sound and intire and which also sheweth the true way of saluation and keepeth the scriptures sound and pure frō corruption and finally which holdeth the decrees of all generall councels as blundering Stapleton not only confesseth but after his most odious and tedious fashion with multitude of words goeth about to proue then is not the church of Rome that now is the true church of christ Iesus For to say that the church of Rome began at Hierusalem is as absurd as to say that Rome is Hierusalem or to affirm that Rome now is like to old Rome Our aduersarie should do vs great fauour to shew that the glorie and fulnesse of power that the pope challengeth together with his cardinals dumbe bishops masse-priests idle monks lying fryars and all the popes decretals and ceremonies are come from Hierusalem He may doe also well to proue that the latter scholasticall and decretaline doctrine was vniuersally receiued throughout the world either in the apostles times or in the times of the ancient Fathers of the Church The rocke of succession vpon which they build so huge conclusions we haue shewed to be nothing but a banke of sand We haue shewed also that their doctrine is not only diuers but contrarie to the doctrine of Christ the head of the Church and of his apostles And how great contentions haue béene in the Romish church not onely the schismes and warres betwixt popes and princes but also the differences about all points of religion which is apparant both in the disputes of schoolmen and also in the writings of Bellarmine and his consorts do declare That the Romanists haue corrupted the faith not onely with nouelties but also with diuers heresies and haue changed both the ancient forme of apostolike gouernement and also the principles and grounds of faith established both by Fathers and councels and by the apostles themselues and haue yéelded to heresies and béene ouercome of the gates of hell I thinke no man can doubt that readeth this discourse and compareth the late procéedings of the Romish church to the rule deliuered vnto vs by Christ Iesus 45 Finally the testimony of a In his motiues Bristow doth vtterly ouerthrow the Church of Rome and declareth it not to be the true church For he commendeth that for the true church that is catholike and apostolike and which abhorreth all nouelties and heresies and idolatrie and whose doctrine is confirmed by scriptures most certaine traditions councels fathers and practise of the ancient church and which teacheth the narrow way and maketh subiects obedient and hath infallible iudges and is sure to continue But the Romish church is neither catholike nor apostolike neither doth it abhorre either heresie or idolatrie nor shun profane nouelties The doctrine of that church hath neither ground of scripture ancient councels nor fathers neither can the Romish doctors bring any certaine proofe of their traditions It teacheth a broad way and maketh rebellious subiects In iudgemēt it hath no other certaintie then the popes determination Finally already that tower of Babel which is built so high doth begin to totter and as we trust cānot long stand Further he saith that euerie church that is risen after the first planting of religion and gone out of the catholike church and from the apostolike doctrine and is not the communion of saintes nor euer visible and lastly that is not the teacher of all diuine truth and the vndoubted mother of Christs children is not the true church of Christ But the Church of Rome as it is now visible in the pope and cardinals and officers of the popes chamber in popish prelates sacrificing priests monkes friers and nunnes and their officers and adherents rose out of the earth long after the apostles times and went out of the catholike apostolike church and hath for the popes quarrell opposed it selfe against Christ and his true doctrine The same is also departed from the ancient faith and is no more to bée tearmed Christs Church which is a communion of saints linked together in the profession of Christs true faith but rather the combination of antichrist and the synagogue of Satan Such a church as is now to be séene at Rome and in the prouinces adhering to it was not visible many ages after Christ neither was any such church for a long time extant in the world neither when the same began to shew her selfe in great ruffe did she either teach all truth or refuse all heresie false doctrine or beare or bring forth children to Christ but to antichrist And therfore we may safely conclude that the Romish church of these times is the synagogue of Satan and not the true church of Christ Iesus The nature and propertie of the true and vnspotted spouse of Christ the inseparable qualities of true faith and such as truly professe the same and finally the confession and doctrine of the aduersaries themselues when they speake of the true church and true faith and true professours and matters incident vnto them in generall do declare it to be so CHAP. V. That no papists haue beene executed in England since her Maiesties comming to the crowne for meere matter of religion but for their treasons or other capitall offences HItherto wée haue spoken in the defence of our religion and Christian profession It resteth therefore nowe séeing our aduersary doth not onely calumniate our religion but our lawes also and gouernment that wée speake somwhat in defence of iustice especially so farre foorth as it
securitie to those that séeke the destruction of her people and the aduancement of strangers nor to defend them by law that oppugne her lawes and woulde bring in Spanish and Italian lawes Her Maiesties chéefe officers and the nobilitie haue no reason to beare with them that séeke by alteration of state to depriue them of their honors and to dispose of their landes and substance at their pleasure Nor to suffer themselues to be disgraced and commanded by strangers that were woont to command others All those that loue true religion haue no reason to suffer such to liue without controlment that woulde ouerthrow religion and erect a false worship and grosse idolatrie and that also by all fraud and violence All true English men are to oppose themselues against such as séeke to bring in strangers to set a fire in the midst of their countrey to destroy their wiues children friendes country-men and most déere countrey The reuerend Iudges and learned lawyers haue no reason to beare with such as séeke the subuersion of lawes and iustice putting armes in the handes of strangers and malcontents to rule all by violence and according to the popes and Spaniardes pleasure Nay the papists that haue any thing albeit they desire an alteration of religion yet haue no reason to worke their feates by violence They may sée by Ireland that warres bring with them most lamentable calamities to both parties and that many that thought to winne by the false shuffling of cardes haue lost both the wager and their liuing and liues also Finally treason is a most execrable and odious thing and therefore for this most gréeuous offence the law hath ordeined extraordinary punishments In hoc atrocistimo delicto saith a Sentent lib. 5. §. laesae maiest Iulius Clarus lex non nulla specialia introduxit And all true patriotes ought to haue the same in excéeding detestation No enimie is more dangerous then a traytor Omnium communis est hostis saith b Lib. 1. accusat in Verrem Tully qui hostis est suorum To hate traitors saith c In Prometheo in fine Aeschylus I haue learned neither is any villanie more hatefull to me then treason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So much more dangerous saith d Rerum Gracar lib. 2. Xenophon is treason by how much it is more difficult to take heed of traitors then enemies With our enemies we may be reconciled but traitors are neuer to be trusted Nay by lawes and all lawfull means they are to be discouered punished and auoyded séeing they séeke to bring this land into subiection of the pope and Spaniard to ouerthrow the lawes to destroy her Maiestie and her people and to make this land a spectacle to all the world of extreme miseries Neither do I thinke that the papists will denie this to be true or that Parsons the common proctour for traitors dare auouch the contrarie Nay cardinall Allen in his Treatise against the iustice of England in executing of certaine priests their consorts doth dissemble his clients treasons coloureth their practises as much as he can And N.D. sticketh not to auow that papists are good subiects And I doubt not but all papists will denie themselues to be either idolaters or heretikes or enemies to her Maiestie or their countrie or that they haue committed treason or transgressed any ancient law made against treason I know also that they will plead that they haue not attempted against her Maiesties life or the state or sought to stirre rebellion or bring in strangers or to do any thing but that which belongeth to a good conscience either in priestly function or otherwise In sum they sticke not to affirme that they are apostolicall men and seeke onely by teaching and saying of masses to win mens soules and not to meddel with state matters Let vs therefore particularly consider whether all that hath béene spoken in generall may not properly be charged vpon the popes agents and adherents that either haue béene executed as traitors or els wander vp and downe disguised as false teachers I say it may and that therfore they are guilty of those crimes that I haue named and haue diuersly transgressed all those lawes which haue béene mentioned and deserue to be reputed as wicked enemies of religion and disloyall traytors to their prince and countrie That they are idolaters it is too too apparant For idolatrie is nothing but false worship that attributeth that which is due to God to creatures as a 2. 2. q. 93. Thomas Aquinas and other schoolemen confesse And it cannot be denied to be true For séeing idolatrie is contrarie to Gods true worship that worship must néeds be idolatry that ascribeth Gods honour to creatures contrarie to the first second commandement But all papists giue the worship of God to creatures turning their prayers and spirituall sacrifices to our Lady to angels saints and mortall creatures They haue also masses made not only in honour of angels but in honour of Dominicke Francis and other pety saints of late standing They burne incense kisse and fall downe before saints idols They giue that which they call Latriam and which is confessed of all hands to be a kind of worship due to God only to the crosse and to the images of Christ and of the Trinitie Cùm Christus saith b Part. 3. q. 25. art 3. Thomas Aquinas adoretur adoratione latriae consequens est quòd eius imago sit adoratione latriae adoranda Their owne conscience also testifieth against them that they are idolaters which maketh them to suppresse the second commandement against grauen images in all their Summes of diuinitie positiue to say little or nothing against idolatrie It may be proued also by the proprietie of the word Idolum that is nothing els but parua imago or a diminutiue of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and also by the word simulachrum For séeing they worship images simulachra which is forbidden as idolatry they must néeds be idolaters And so the Gréeke Church taketh them which albeit it reteineth painted images yet it condemneth the worship of grauen images or sculptilia Secondly that popish priests and friers are false prophets false teachers and damnable heretiks I haue demonstrated by authority of the ancient Church that condemned long since diuers of their doctrines for heresies a Suprà c. 3. It is proued also by diuers nouelties which they hold contrarie to the form of words and doctrine deliuered by Christs apostles of which I haue brought diuers particulars in the second chapter of this Treatise It appeareth also by Bellarmines and his fellowes disputations wherein they teach diuers pointes contrarie to scriptures and not long since heard of in the catholike church as is iustified by the writings of our teachers against them the same may also be verified by their counterfeit traditions and lying legends of which the first they make equall to scriptures the second
the subiects from their oath of obedience and forbiddeth his adherents any longer to obey her And I thinke no papists dare refuse to obey him if he vrge them and commaund them vnder paine of his curse Secondly Campians and Parsons faculties do shew that whensoeuer the popes Bull can be put in execution then all papists are bound to concurre in the execution of it Thirdly Morton was sent to stirre a rebellion in England and effected his purpose The like was done in Ireland first by Nicholas Saunders and lately by Archer and other Priests Which sheweth that they will do the like in England whensoeuer occasion and meanes shall be offered Nay they apparantly professe in a treatise called aduertisment des catholiques Anglois that they committed a great fault in submitting themselues to her Maiestie pour s'estre soubsâ—â—is à vne princesse heretike and in that they did not take armes against her Fourthly Cardinall Allen as the Spaniards came by force so went about with his wicked letters and perswasions to worke a rebellioÌ„ in which act Parsons Holt other priests also coÌ„curred Fiftly Parson by setting forth first the Scottish title then entitling the Earle of Darbie last deceased and lastly in his Treatise set out in Dolâ—â—ans name for the Infantaes right endeuoureth nothing els but to worke sedition and rebellion as a a A discouerie of a counterfeit conference priest of his own side doth charge him calling his worke a bloody deuise and as his dealing with the yoong priests that come ouer into England doth plainly declare And albeit they be not acquainted with the particulars yet can they not be ignorant that some generall mischiefe is intended against the state being commanded so ofteÌ„ in their deuotions to say pater noster and aue Maria for the furthering of some good intention or rather treason of the recâ—or of the Romish colledge Nay b The discouery of Campian his fellowes Monday doth directly charge Parsons for preaching openly in the colledge seditiously against the Quéen and saith that their coÌ„mon argument is how mischief may be wrought against the state Sixtly the doctrine of Iesuites is notoriously knowne viz that it is lawfull for the Pope to depose princes and for subiects to rebell against them Lastly the rebellion of Leaguers in Fraunce much sharpened and furthered by English papists doth sufficiently teach vs c AduertismeÌ„t des catholiques Anglois A treatise tending to perswade the French to embrace the league what Iesuites and priests will do here if order be not taken Cardinall â—olet that well knew their purposes and was sometime a Iesuite said that Iesuites would set all Christendome in coÌ„bustion if they were not preuented But his libertie of spéech cost him his life as some popish priests sticke not to d In their discourses against the Iesuits affirme 9 It is also most notorious that they haue stirred vp forraine enemies against the prince and state Sixtus quintus in his declaration published against her Maiestie doth openly professe that at the earnest solicitation of certaine principall cacolike Englishmen he proceeded against her maiestie and had enioyned the Spanish king to execute his Bull and to come with great forces against England Allen also in his most traiterous letters to the Nobility and people of England and Ireland doth confesse so much Neither did the Spanish king any thing but at the motion of Englefeld Allen and Parsons and vpon the exclamations of their consorts To draw him on the rather a Testified by his owne consorts Parsons put him in mind that he was called Philip Norwey and how that according to a prophecie Betwixt Bostons bay and the pile of Foudray the blacke nauie of Norwey should come and doe wonders He confesseth also in a letter of his to a Nobleman in Scotland that he had beene with most princes in Europe to stirre them against vs. The Emperour likewise vpon their informations and solicitations hath shewed himselfe enemy to her Maiestie and our nation Anno 1586. and the yeare following Cardinall Allen and his consorts were verie busie with the Duke of Guise and other Frenchmen to induce them to concurre with the Pope and Spaniards in the warre against England And so seditiously did Morgan behaue himselfe that the king commanded him to be coÌ„mitted to the Bastil of Paris The English b Aduertissement des catholiques Anglois aux François catholiques papists that then were in Fraunce doe plainly tell the French that they were iustly plagued because they did not oppose themselues against the Quéene Le crime d'endurer Iezabel ta voysine say they Plonger au sang Chrestien te destruit peu à peu And of themselues they giue out that they are scorned of all nations for that they c Ibidem p. 89. suffered an hereticall Quéene to reigne Nous sommes c See heere a plain testimony of the loyalty of papists say they esclaues sous vne Izabel pire cent fois que Iezabel bref pour auoir souffert vne royne heretique nous sommes auiourdhuy le mespris la fable le iouet des heretiques Ad hereunto D. Stories practise with the D. of Alua the oration of Allen not yet Cardinall to Gregorie the 13. Saunders his perswasions to the same pope Parsons his negotiation with certaine princes néere adioyning to vs William Critons plots for inuasion and their clamorous and lying discourses dispersed throughout the Christian world and consider the summe of their practises with forraine nations and then thou néedest not doubt but that their principall deseignment was to stirre vp forraine nations to make warre vpon vs 10. Finally the whole scope of Seminarie priestes and their consorts is First to make a number in England to put the popes Bull in execution next to bring in the pope and Spaniardes which cannot bee done without the vtter desolation of the lande The first is prooued by experience For that their consortes began to attempt in England and haue in part effected in Ireland and for this purpose haue they erected Seminaries and sent into England Ireland whole troupes of priestes and deale both with forreine princes and domesticall malcontents Neither may wee doubt but that al these seditious fellows come with one purpose and resolution not daring to attempt any thing beyond their commission Secondly the facultie graunted to Parsons and Campian doth plainly shew that when the Bull can bée executed then all the Romanistes are bounde to do it Thirdly the popes wordes are plaine Hee l Bulla Pij 5. Sixti 5. commandeth all his adherents To execute his sentence vnder paine of excommunication Fourthly the doctrine of Iesuites doth plainly allow the popes power to depose princes and all that faction holdeth that his sentences are to bée obeied vnder paine of excommunication Fiftly neither woulde the pope nor Spaniard bestowe such charge in maintaining these fugitiues but that they hope againe to bée requited Finally the
now there is but one faith as there is but one baptisme and one God as the c Ephes 4. apostle teacheth vs. And this is the faith which the apostles and prophets haue taught and which wée in the church of England do professe Remember I say that true faith is Christes faith and apostolike faith It is not the popes faith nor his determinations nor vncertaine traditions It hath no other foundation but the doctrine of Christ and his apostles and holy prophets Beware therefore of the pretended cacolike Romish faith that hath no grounde but in the popes determinations nor support but lies fraude and violence If the doctrine and traditions of popish priests come not from Christ Iesus which is the foundation of our religion but is drawne out of vncertaine legendes and resteth on the popes determination remember what the apostle teacheth in this point If any man saith a Galat. 1. hée preach vnto you otherwise then that you haue receiued let him bee accursed Beléeue not euery spirite For many deceiuers are gone out into the worlde If any bring any doctrine not deduced out of holy Scripture suspect him and examine him and thou shalt finde him faultie And aboue all thinges beware of new doctrines For wée haue but one faith which hath his originall from Christ the fountaine of truth life Profanas vocum nouitates saith the b 1. Tim. 6. apostle deuita And if wée may not vse new termes or words in matters of faith then may we not receiue any newe articles of religion It is the part of true catholikes to adhere to holy fathers and to auoide nouelties as saith c Aduers haeres c. 36. Vincentius Lirinensis Nowe what fathers more holy then the prophets and apostles that are the fathers of fathers and the foundation of the church If the doctrine of poperie be for the most part a packe of old and newe heresies as hath bin shewed thée why shouldst thou bée abused by false teachers Why shouldst thou bée desirous as distempered stomackes are to feed vpon vnholesome doctrine Graues sunt haereticorum morsus saith Saint d In Euangel Luc. lib. 7. c. 10. Ambrose qui ipsis grauiores rapaciores bestijs nullum abaritiae finem impietatÃsque nouerunt They looke faire vpon thée but bite déepely They promise true religion and catholike faith but teach heresies and damnable opinions They come vnto thée with shéepes clothing and pretend sauing of soules but inwardly they are rauening woolues and séeke to destroie both thy body soule They giue thée honie but it is deliuered thée vpon a swordes point that when thou thinkest to licke honie thy hart may bée pearced with a sharpe pointed sword If the synagogue of Romanistes bée not the true church why takest thou delight to heare her teachers or to embrace her erronious doctrine Why doest thou not come out of Babylon Wilt thou remaine in her confusion and be partaker of her plagues Why shouldest thou go vp to Bethauen or delight in the congregation of wicked idolaters e Hoseae 4. Go not vp I say to Bethauen f 1. Cor. 10. flie Idolatrie g Apocal. 18. Come out of Babylon It is not I onely but Christ Iesus that calleth thée out of this confusion If thou wilt not heare him nor know him bée assured hée will not knowe thée nor heare thée It is not the pope that can saue thée nor his decretals that can warrant thee Leaue therefore the synagogue of satan and resort to Gods true church Forsake antichrist and adhere to Christ Quisquis saith Saint h Epist 152. Augustine ab ecclesia catholica abfuerit quantumuis laudabiliter se viuere existimet hoc solo scelere quòd à Christi vnitate disiunctus est non habebit vitam sed ira Dei manet super eum As without Noes arke in time past all flesh was drowned so there is no safetie out of Christes church And bée not lightly deceiued with the name of the church For antichrist as the i 2. Thes 2. apostle telleth vs shall sit in Christes church And with his followers as Saint Augustine teacheth vs shall bée accounted to bée the true church viz. by such as are abused The synagogue of satan in time past did take on them the name of Iewes and falshood is often set out with a faire lustre and shew of truth All Christians haue an interest in true religion Why then shoulde any suffer the damnable doctrine of poperie that is so full of heresies and erronious opinions Why shoulde any suffer the Scriptures to bée taken from the people of God so that they shall no more bée suffered to read them and in lieu thereof receiue the popes determinations and the synagogues of Romes traditions Can any true Christian indure the abominable idole of the masse where the bread and cup is adored for God or the idolatrous worship of Romish Babylon Those that honour God those hée will honour and such as are luke-warme and care not what religion they haue those God will cast out of his mouth as a lothsome race of atheistes and wicked men If religion mooue not euerie man yet if hée remember the slauerie of popish gouernment and how preiudiciall it is to princes to the nobilitie to the commons and all sortes of people hée will not much bée enamored of it The magistrate may not suffer either his authoritie to bée disputed of or doubted of or denied And yet the Iesuites and priestes and their adherents are suffred to teach and to do all this as appéereth by their answeres to the sixe Interrogatories by their cases of conscience and by their doctrine and actions Nay most boldly albeit secretly they practise against the life and state of her Maiestie as many particulars do shewe Happie are they that they haue encountred with such a prince and yet let them beware they abuse not her clemencie too farre For no state can stande where such contumacious and rebellious mates liue in open contempt of authoritie and lawes It behooueth also all them that carrie the sworde to looke that not onely Christ his shéepe bée defended from woolues but also that the state bée defended and maintained against professed traytors and rebels that lurke in all corners They haue not a sworde committed to them for naught But to the ende they may defende the quiet and peaceable subiect and roote out the wicked rebellious traytor Treason and notorious coÌ„tumacie against lawes cannot long be endured in any common-wealth Neither can magistrates in this case bée too watchfull God hath detected many secret conspiracies and attempts against her Maiestie and the state yet let vs not presume too farre vpon his goodnesse The way to settle peace to confirme the state to preuent all such trecherous attempts is to stop the head of rebellion and treason and to roote out all seditious priestes and Iebusites from whence all our troubles for this 43. yéeres