them saying He that slayeth his enemie or is slaine of his enemie let him enter possesse paradise he spake like a man with a carnal spirit teaching reuenge to the vttermost prâ—mising paradise to such but no proofe of a diuine spirit appeareth in him 6 As Mahomets religion is defended by force of sword and fraud insomuch as hée made it death to cal it into question so likewise did it begin as by force of sword so likewise by notable fraud was established through wiles deceit subtiltie and lyes for first he hauing the falling sicknes perswaded his wife and others that it was the power of God the presence of the Angell Gabriel that caused him to fall downe Sergius the hereticall Monke was at hande and bare false witnes to the same saith Zonaras He told them that the same Deue which hee taught to féede at his care was sometime an Angell and sometime the holy Ghost He had thrée companions all of a confederacie to deuise and face out lyes with him When hee perceiued that men gaue eare to him he feigned that the Angell Gabriel had carryed him to Ierusalem thence to haue lifted him vp to heauen and there to haue learned his law Hee made the Saracens beléeue that before God made the world there was written in the throne of God There is no God but the God of Mahomet When hee had framed his Alcoran and bound it vp faire he caused secretly a wilde asse to bée taken and the booke to be bound about his necke and as he preached vnto the people vpon a sodaine hée stood amazed as if some great secrecie were reuealed to him from aboue he brake out and tolde the people Behold God hath sent you a lawe from heauen goe to such a desert there yee shall find an Asse and a booke tyed about his necke The people ran in great hast they found it so as hee had saide they take the Asse they bring the booke they honour the Prophet Touching diuorced and separated wiues hée tolde the Saracens he had receiued a paper from heauen He vsed sooth-saying and diuination the which at Fessa a Cittie of Mauritania vnto this day is called Zarragia He perswaded his followers that at the end of the world hée should bée transformed into the forme of a mightie Ramme full of lacks and long fléeces of wooll that all that held of his lawe should bée as fleas shrouding themselues in his fléeces and that he would iumpe into heauen and so conuey them all thither These and such like were his sleightes to beguile a foolish rude and barbarous country people the foolerie pride and vanitie of whose religion I trust euery one doth sufficiently perceiue 7 Mahomets Religion is no true Religion but a méere deuise of his owne and of thrée others his false conspirators for hée hath patched together his Alcoran of the doctrine of Heathens Indians and Arabians of superstitious Iewes of Rechabites of false Christians and Heretikes as Nestorians Sabellians Manichées Arrians Cerinthians Macedonians Eunomians and Nicholaits of illusions and inuentions of their owne and lastly for further credit hée borrowed some out of the old and new Testament But God will not thus bée serued for hée deliuered his mind of old vnto Israell and hée is not chaunged but continueth the same God still Ye shall not saith God doe euerie man what seemeth him good in his owne eyes Whatsoeuer I command you take heed you doe it thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take ought there from Satan béeing coniured to deliuer the truth of the Alcoran of Mahomet said that therein were comprised twelue thousand lyes and the rest was truth by all likelyhood verie little And therfore I conclude that there is no euidence to proue Mahomet a true Prophet many to proue him to bée a false Prophet and blasphemous and presumptuous and his Religion to bée a wicked carnall absurd and false Religion procéeding from a proud spirit and humane subtill and corrupt inuention and euen from the deuill the craftie father of lies a murderer and mankiller from the beginning And so much héereof may suffise CHAP. V. VVherein is shewed that the Church of Rome is not the true Church of God nor obserueth the right Religion I Am nowe entring into that great controuersie betwéene the Protestantes the Papistes whether of them should bée the true Church and true worshippers of God in Christ for they both acknowledge God and Christ his son and all the sacred and canonicall books of the scriptures they confes to come from God from his diuine spirit as indéede they could come from no other But whiles they both confesse this booke it is good reason that they shoulde both stand to the arbitrement and iudgement of these bookes for the trial of the true Church which if they doo as indéed they must this controuersie is at an end and not worthy to be made a question or to be doubted of for by the sacred canonicall writinges it shal by and by be manifest that the Church of Rome cannot bee the true Church possibly But first let vs hear what it saith for it selfe what good groundes it hath for the fortification thereof For if it bee not builded vpon a good foundation and vpon such sure groundes as will holde the whole building is like to lie in the dust and to come to ruine 1 They hold very stiffely but not so strongly that the Church of God militant here vpon earth is euer visible to the outward eye and may bee pointed out by the finger at al times in such sort as that any one may know thither to resort as to the congregation of Gods people there to ioine himselfe vnto them to praise and pray vnto God with them and to do those things which he requireth at their hands But al this gain of profit them nor hurt vs for as in the Primitiue Churches persecuted by those tyrannicall heathen Emperors there was a Church of God though not seem of them who had their meetings assemblies amongst themselues though secretly because of their enemies so likewise in the dayes of Quéene Marie as also in all other times of the persecution of our Church by the Romish Bishops and their partakers our Church no doubt was and might be and they likewise haue their méetinges and assemblies though both they and the place of their resort were vnknowne to those their persecutors In the time of Dioclesian the Emperour especially Christians were so wasted as to the iudgement of men none were remaining theyr bookes were burned the Churches destroyed and themselues put to death in the end when this great hauock was made and crueltie had wasted and destroyed all that could be found where was then the visible church It must néedes then bée enforced to hide it selfe and so it was and the glorie thereof so eclipsed that for a wâ—ylâ— it shined
was Prince of the Apostles and had authoritie ouer them all when as indéede it is manifest by all the Scriptures and course of his life he neither claimed nor had any authoritie ouer the rest more than the rest had ouer him and consequentlye the Pope of Rome can neuer claime that as successour to Peter which was neuer in Peter his supposed predecessour The Papists perceauing that the scriptures make nothing for them but against them because they would haue the matter coloured with some Antiquitie or shew of Antiquitie at the least haue deuised some counterfet and forged Authors as Amacletus and Amissetus and such like to speake somethinge for them But the falsehood of all those is discouered by other writers if they bee well marked In Cyprians time it was déemed a matter odious for any to take vpon him to be a Bishop of Bishops as appeareth by that voice which he cryed in the Counsaile of Carthage It was likewise decréed in the Affricans Counsell that none should be called Prieste of Priests or Archpriest or any such like The Counsel of Nice did decrée that the Bishop of Rome should kéepe himselfe within the compasse of his prouince and not excéed his bounds as likewise the Bishop of Antioch Ierusalem and Constantinople were â—â— doo the like Other Councells did affirme as much which because they are sufficiently knowne I néede not to recite But they all shewe that at those times the Bishop of Rome had no greater Jurisdiction than within his owne Prouince and that hée coulde not meddle within the Prouinces of other Bishops And Ierome of his time sayth that the Bishoppe of Engubium or any other the least Sea is equall to the Bishop of Rome The Title of Uniuersall Bishop was much desired of John Bishop of Constantinople and much contention there was about it But it was neuer obtained of the Bishop of Rome vntill the time of Boniface the third who procured that Title of Phocas that wicked Emperour of Rome after which the Bishops of Rome neuer ceased still to augment their dignitie and increase the pride of their Romish Sea And euen at that very first time when John Bishop of Constantinople sought to get that Title of Uniuersall Bishop to his Sea Gregorie then Bishoppe of Rome did himselfe stand against it mightily and affirmed that hée could bée no lesse than Antichrist whosoeuer did take vnto him that Title First therefore it is manifest that vntill the time of Gregorie Bishop of Rome an vniuersall Bishop was not heard of in the Church and Boniface the thirde was the first Bishop of Rome that got this title which was aboue 600. yeares after Christ. And besides how will the Bishop of Rome that now is avoid himselfe to be Antichrist Sith by the expresse determination of Gregorie Bishoppe of Rome his predecessour hée is condemned for Antichrist in as much as hée hath this Title and is not ashamed thereof For what is this else but to come in the place of Christ and consequently to bee Antichrist vsurping the prerogatiue Title of Christ Jesus But the Pope saith that though hée claime thus to bee the heade of the Church yet hee doth not name himsâ—lfe to bee otherwise than a Ministeriall head to bée Christs Vicar on earth But why will he be so arrogant as to challenge this Title without â—â—â—full â—onueyance made vnto him from Christ which hee cannot show For who dare take vppon him to bée a â—iâ—uetenant to an earthly Prince without Sâ—stâ—rs Pattents first had from the Prince Againe the Church of Christ on earth being as a chast Spowse to her Husband and head Christ Iesus neither can or ought to acknowledge any other for her head than that her husband to whom shée hath plighted her troth Lastly there can bee no successour but when the Predecessour is gone and absent but Christ is alwaies presente with his Church according to his owne words Beholde I am with you to the ende of the world Matthew 28.20 And therefor hée can haue neither Successour nor Vicar to represent his person or to guide his Church For his spirit since his bodily ascention is the guide and gouernesse of the Church in his roome Iohn 14. 15. 16. For no man mortall is appointed thereunto I conclude therefore that for all these causes the Church of Rome can not possibly be the true Church 7 The Church of Rome doth not ascribe Justification to faith in Christ Iesus onely but saith that mens works be meritorious and to them partly is Iustification to bée ascribed and so they make mens imperfect works to be causes of saluation which is a grosse errour euen in the foundation or fundamental point Saint Paul saith That all are iustified freely by his grace Rom. 3.24 If they be Iustified gratis freely as hée affirmeth then are they Iustified withoot any desert of theirs And Saint Paul setteth downe the Axiome in the Conclusion VVee holde that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Law Rom. 3.28 And the Apostle in very many places whereof mention shall hée made hereafter doth expressely exclude Weekes from being any causes of our Iustification 〈◊〉 indéede they are the effects thereof And therefore it appeareth to bée a true position that Faith onely doth Iustifie in as much as Iustification is in the sight of God imputed to our Faith not to our Workes For Abraham beléeued God and that was imputed to him for righteousnes as Paul speaketh Rom. 4.8 And hée sheweth that Abraham was not iustified by Works before God for if Abraham were iustified by works then should hée haue wherein to glory but not before God and because hée had not wherein to glory before God therefore hée was not iustified in the sight of God I graunt that saint Iames in his seconde Chapter doth say that Abraham was iustified by his Works when hée offered vp his Son Isaac at Gods commaundement And likewise that hée saith that a man is iustified by Works and not by Faith onely But before whom is hée iustified by Works Not before God but before men that is to say his works doo declare vnto men that saith whereby hée is iustified before God And that this is the meaning of saint Iames may appeare by that his saying where he saith Shew vnto me thy Faith by thy VVorks thou saiest thou hast faith that is not inough thy words doth not proue it thy works will therefore saith hee shew me thy faith by thy workes This word Shew mee doth manifest what manner of iustification hée speaketh off namely that he speaketh of a iustification before men For it is God that respecteth the faith of a man whereby onely hée is iustified in his sight And it is men which respect the workes whereby indéede they testifie vnto the world their faith to be good before God For as saint Iames saith truely faith without works is but a dead faith and not good nor found nor
one Againe if the Papistes doo not worshippe the Idoll or Image why doe they bowe downe vnto it God commaundeth saying Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image so that the verie making of Images to represent God withall who is a spirit eternall and invisible is Idollatry Againe hée saith Thou shalt not bowe downe to them nor worship them c. So that to bowe downe vnto them though they bée supposed to represent God 〈◊〉 Idollatrie for God must be worshipped in such sort as himselfe hath prescribed and not otherwise and that it is flat Idollatrie to worshippe God in any Image is expresse and manifest by the Children of Israell when they made the golden Calfe to bee a representation of God for the Tert sheweth that it was Idollatrie for which many of them were plagued punished and yet their meaning was to worship the true God in the Calfe for they were not so simple as to thinke or beléeue that that dead Idoll or Image was God and therefore the Idollatrie of the church of Rome is as grosse and wicked as theirs was Neyther can the Papists helpe themselues in their wonted distinction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 affirming that they giue to Images but Duliam that is seruice and to God Latriam that is worship shewing thereby that both they worship God and serue Images But how agreeth the temple of God with Images saith Paull or what warrant haue they to serue Images beside God When Christ him selfe saith it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue And Paull the Apostle doth likewise perswade expressly that men shuld turne from Idolls or Images to serue the liuing God where the word Dulia is vsed whereby the Apostle doth shew that there is such an opposition betwéene Images and the seruice of God that he that serueth the one cannot serue the other God himselfe disliketh Idolles and Images vtterly saying by his Prophet that they are so farre from being Lay-mens Bookes as the Papistes tearme them that they are no better than teachers of lies And Saint Iohn himselfe commaundeth all Christians to kéepe themselues from Idols Besides it is Idollatry to praye vnto any but God For Christ hiddeth when men pray not to call vppon the Uirgin Mary nor any other Saint departed this life but vpon God onely When yée pray saith hée say thus Our Father whinh art in heauen c. Againe Saint Paull saith howe shall they call vppon him on whom they haue not beleeued declaring therby that faith and prayer goe together Wee can call vpon none but we must consequently also beleeue on him But we are to beléeue none but God therefore wee may pray to none but God and therefore the Church of Rome calling vpon Saints departed committeth grosse Idollatry for the Scripture sheweth that God onely is to be prayed vnto Besides They that in their Idolatrous Masse or Sacrament of the altar as they tearme them after a certaine mumbling of wordes by the Priest there is no bread nor wine remaining but the very bodie blood of Christ and that péece of bread which is showed for bread it still appeareth to be for al their magicall mourning they commanded to bée adored and worshipped To adore or worship any creature such as bread is is Idolatrie the Papisticall Church doth the same Ergo it is Idolatrous I haue proued it before that it remaineth bread after consecration and that Christ cannot possiblie bee there as touching the bodilie substance because in that respecte he is ascended vp into heauen and there sitteth on the right hand of God his Father vntill he come to iudge the quicke and the dead if they will not beléeue Diuine testimonies therein Yet the authority of Cicero a heathen man might somewhat moue them for in one place he saith Quē tam Amentemesse putas qui illum quo vescator Deum credat esse That is Whome doe you thinke so mad as to beleeue that which he eateth to be God Insomuch therefore as the Church of Rome doth worship bread as if it were God It is manifest they be grosse Idollaters And consequently their Church cannot be the true Church of God on earth 3 The Papistes doe not denie Christ in wordes but if we examine them by perticulars we shall finde that in déede they doe as for example we know that the right faith beléeueth Christ Iesus to be both God and man which the Church of Rome in wordes will so affirme But vrge them in this point of the Sacrament and then they bewray themselues that they beléeue not Christ to haue a true bodie for when they are preassed with this that the bodie of Christ cannot be both in heauen and in earth at once and the selfe same time because it is against the nature of a true bodie so to bée then they become vbiquitaries and say that because the Godhead of Christ is euerie where therefore his humanitie is euerie where But this is no good consequent for the Godhead and humanitie are of seuerall nature And if his bodie and flesh were euerie where as his Godhead is howe is that true which the Angell spake saying surrexit non est hic He is risen he is not here For these wordes sheweth that his bodie and flesh is not euery where Againe if he were euery where in respecte of his humanitie how is it true that he ascended into heauen For that word ascention doth shew that his bodilie presence did remoue from one place to another and then was it not in that place from whence it did remoue Lastly it is the propertie of a Diuine nature to be euerie where and therefore whilest they defend this vbiquitie of the flesh of Christ It is as much as if they should say that the flesh of Christ is turned into God which is a groosse Herisie And thus it appeareth that the Papists doe with the Eutichians deny that Christ hath a true bodie when they holde that contrarie to the nature of a true bodie it may be in diuers places at once yea euerie where and therefore denying Christ to haue a true bodie they are not the true Church and somuch for their error concerning the person of Christ. 4 Now for the office of Christ for his person his office bee two chiefe thinges which we are all to regard The Papists will yéeld with vs that it consisteth in these thrée points namely that he is both a Prophet a Priest and a king This I say in words they will acknowledge but in déedes and veritie they doe not for in respect that Christ is our Prophet which should and did reueale his Fathers will vnto the world wee ought to bee content with his voice and search no further then hée hath reuealed in his Scriptures But the Papists are not so contented but they holde that their
continuall intercession cannot possiblie be the true Church 6 The Papists in words will not denie but Christ is a King which hath all power in heauen and in earth But indéed it appeareth they doe exile and banish him out of his kingdome or at least leaue him but a small portion or rather none at all for in respect that hee is a spirituall King and the King of his Church he is also as Saint Iames speaketh the only law giuer thereunto and therefore-by his lawes only the Church is to be gouerned which they cannot abide for they adde their Popish cannons constitutions and customes whereby they will haue the Church gouerned yea they wil haue these take place though they vtterly displace the word of God for the maintenance of them Secondly Christ onely is to raigne in the consciences of men and yet the Pope claimeth power to binde mens consciences by his lawes statutes and decrees Thirdly hee claimeth most traiterously to be the head of the whole vniuersall Church which title by way of prerogatiue is giuen and attributed onely to Iesus Christ to whome it onely appertaineth But before I procéed anye further herein I demaund of the Pope and Papists when by what right he their proud Pope taketh vp on him this title to be head of the Church or vniuersall Bishop ouer all the Christian world by vertue of which title he taketh vpon him to rule as he list to doe what he list First to claime it as successor to Peter is impossible for that Peter the Apostle neuer had any such title prehemince or authoritie ouer the rest of the Apostles It is true that Christ sayd to Peter after hée had confessed Christ to be that Christ the sonn of the liuing God Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church These wordes hitherto giue no superioritie to Peter aboue the rest only they shew that the Church is builded non super Petrum sed super Petram not vpon the person of Peter but vpon the rocke and vpon what rocke namely vppon that Christ Jesus whom Peter confesseth to bée the sonne of the liuing God For that confession of Peter concerning Iesus to bée that Christ the sonne of the liuing God is the rocke whereupon the Church is builded for as Saint Paull expoundeth and affirmeth Other foundations can no man lay but that which is laid already namely Iesus Christ And in another place hée saith expressely that that rocke was Christ And Christ himselfe affirmeth likewise that he that heareth his wordes and doth them is likened to one that buildeth his house vpon a rocke shewing thereby that he and his words Doctrine be the rocke against which the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile Agreeably whereunto speaketh Saint Paull againe when hee saieth that the Church is builded vppon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Christ Iesus himselfe beeing the head stone in the corner Where then shall wee finde that Peter was made Prince of the Apostles to rule ouer all the rest as the Pope now doth The Papists answeare that in the next wordes when Christ gaue vnto Peter by speaciall name the keyes of binding loosing he thereby made Peter the Pâ—ince vniuersall Bishop of the whole Church But hereunto I say that Christ therein gaue no authoritye more to Peter than to the rest that is at this time The keyes were not giuen to him nor to the rest only there was a promise that they should be giuen for the wordes be not in the present tense Do tibi I giue vnto thee But in the future tense Dabo tibi I will giue vnto thee which promise of Christ was afterward truely performed and when it was performed the keyes that is the power of binding and loosing sinners was giuen not onely to Peter but to Peter and all the rest together as Saint Iohn in his Gospell cléerely declareth and avoucheth Now because Peter was the man that gaue answeare for himselfe and the rest and so both Cyprian and Augustine doe expound and declare it And therefore neither in the promise of the keyes nor yet in the receit of the keyes by Peter did he receaue any more authoritie or superioritye than the rest of the Apostles did I grant he was called Primus because he was of the first that was called to the Apostleship or because hee was the first of all the Apostles that confessed Christ to be the Messias and Sonne of the liuing God or because hée was readiest alwaies to speake and answere But all this doth not proue that hee had authoritie ouer the rest or a larger Commission than the rest Yea the words of their Commission doe shew the contrarie namely that they had all equall authoritie for it was thus made vnto them all indifferently without putting a difference namely Goe ye and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commaunded you Math. 28.19.20 Runne ouer all that remaineth written and you shall finde that Peter was one of the twelue equall with the rest and their fellow but not their Lord Where was Peters superiority when Paul reprooued him to his fate Gallathians the second Chapter and the eleauenth verse when béeing accused hée pleadeth no priuiledge but for the clearing of himselfe and satisfaction of others hée aunswereth to that accusation Where was Peters authority ouer the rest when the rest sent him and Iohn into Samaria Acts the eleauenth Chapter the third and fourth verses and also in Acts the eighth Chapter and the fourtéenth verse In that hée went at their sending hée plainely sheweth that hée had no principalitie ouer them Where was his preheminence or authority when in a Councell held at Ierusalem where the Apostles were yet not Peter but Iames ruled the action and according to his sentence was the Decrée made Luke 22.25.26 c. Yea I say moreouer that when there was contention amongst the Apostles who should bée chiefe amongst the Christ told them plainely that kings of Nations might beare rule ouer their people and that great men vnder those kinges might likewise exercise authoritie ouer other but so might not they doe one ouer another Luke 25.26 c. But the greatest amongst them should be as the least as a seruant yea should bee the least and should be a seruant as it is declared in Matthew 20.25 26 and in Marke 10.42 43. If the greatest must be as the least what authoritie hath hée aboue the least For then hath the least as great authoritie as the greatest That is they bene all equall authoritie I meruaile therefore what the Pope and Papists meane contrary to the tenour of the Commission of Christ contrary to the practise of Peter himselfe and contrary to this decrée made by Christ of their equallity to say notwithstanding that Peter
vnwritten traditions and Popish Cannons must also bee receaued vpon like perill of damnation as before it shewed concerning the Priesthood of Christ. It consisteth in two things namely the offering vp of himselfe once for a full perfect and sufficient Sacrifice And his intercession with his Father which yet remaineth also and shall doe to the worlds end Both these the Papists annihilates as I will proue First concerning the Sacrifice and Oblation of Christ there is noe doubt but béeing once done vpon the Crosse it was a most full perfect and satisfâ—ctorie Sacrifice to deliuer both a culpa pana from the guiltines and the punishment incident to that guiltines for otherwise how should Christ bée Iesus that is a Sauiour if he did not deliuer vs from the punishment as well as from the sin But the Papists hold that Christ hath obtained by his passion remission for our sins going before Baptisme but sinnes committed after Baptisme that his passion hath taken away only the guiltines but that the punishment remaineth notwithstanding which is to be paide in purgatorie as they say and to be redéemed by our owne satisfactions and so they make the punishment due to sinne which is indéed eternall in hell to bee but temporarie in purgatorie vpon satisfactions as they haue deuised But what can a man giue for the ransome of his soule And it appeareth before euen by the reporte of Augustine that the Catholicke faith beléeueth in Purgatorie such as they haue inuented For as Saint Iohn saith the blood of Christ is that which purgeth vs from all sinne and that his most pretious blood is the onelie Purgatorie wée holde and doth deliuer his people from the punishement due to sinnes aswell as from sinnes for our punishment was laide vppon him and with his stripes are wee healed as the Prophet Esay speaketh Againe the Papists doe saye they offer vp Christ in their Masse which Masse they saye is propitiatorie both for the liuing and the dead First for the dead it cannot bee propitiatorie nor doe good vnto for as the tree falleth so it lieth and as a man is found to die so bee goeth either to heauen or to hell A third place which the Papists call purgatorie there is not And if any bee in heauen their Masses can doo them no good for they inioy all good alreadie And if any bee in Hell wee know that Ex inferno nulla redemptio from hell there is no redemption And therefore for the dead it canot be propitiatory nor any thing els availeable And for the liuing it cannot be propitiatorie Yea it is blasphemo us derogatorie to the passion of Christ once for all for in asmuch as he is a Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedeck he is to die but once which he did vpon the Crosse whose obligation béeing perfect as the Author to the Hebrews speaketh néedeth not any other helpe as of maske or whatsoeuer els to make it perfect yea it is wicked grosse blasphemous and damnable to suppose any imperfection in the sacrifice and ablation of Iesus Christ for God twice cried with a voice from heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased 5 As touching the other part of his Priesthood namely his intercession with his father whereby he maketh request vnto God for vs although the Papists ascribe them chiefly vnto Christ yet what doo they else but cleane robbe him of it when they associate others with him As namely the virgin Mary They call her the Queene of heauen the gate of Paradise their life and sweetenes the Treasurer of Grace the refuge of sinners and the Mediatrix of men I pray what doo they nowe leaue to Christ Yea when they say thus to her O felix puerpera nostra pians scelera iure matris impera Redemptori that is O happy mother satisfieng for our sinnes by thy motherly authority commaund the Redeemer What greater blasphemy to Christ coulde they haue vttered It is cleare that saint Paul saith there is but one God and one Mediatour betwéene God and men the Man Christ Jesus 1. Tim. 2.5 But the Papists bée not content with him but will haue many Mediatours Saint Paul saith moreouer that by him wée haue bâ—ldnes and accesse vnto God Eph. 3.12 And therefore what foolish feare is it of the Papists to appoint to themselues other Mediatours Sith therefore the Church of Rome doth not repute the once Oblation of Jesus Christ and his Intercession to bee perfect but accuse them of imperfection as appeareth by their doctrines it cannot possibly be the true Church Christ himselfe biddeth to aske in no other name than in his and promiseth that whatsoeuer shall bée asked in his name it shall bée done Ioh. 14.13.14 Chrysostome speaking of the woman of Canaan who though shée were a sinner was hold to come vnto Christ saith thus En prudentiam huius mulieris non precatur Iacobum non supplicat Iohanem non adit ad Petrum nec Apostolorum caesum respicit aut vllum eorum requirit sed pro his omnibus penitentiam sibi comitem adiungit ad ipsum fontem progreditur Behold the wisedome of this woman She doth not pray Iames shee doth not beseech Iohn shee goeth not to Peter shee looketh not to the companie of the Apostles neither doth request any of them but for all this shee taketh repentance for hir companion and goeth to the verie fountaine it selfe And againe he saith that to haue accesse vnto God Nihil opus est atriensi seruo vel intercessore sed dic miserere mei Deus is enim te audit quocunque sis loco vndecunque innocetur VV haue no need of any Courtly attendant or intercessor but say haue mercie vpon me O God for hee heareth thee in what place so euer thou art and from what place soeuer thou callest vpon him Ambrose likewise answeareth the carnall reason of the Papists solent saith he misera vti excusatione dicentes per istos posse ire ad Deum sicut per comites itur ad reges ideo ad regum per tribunos comites itur quia homo vtique est rex ad deum autem quem vtique nihil latet suffragatore non est opus sed mente deuota Vbicunque enim lelis locutus fuerit respondebit illi That is They are wont to vse a pityfull excuse saying by these Saints They may haue accesse vnto God as by Earles there is accesse to Kings Therfore is it that by Officers and Earles accesse is made to the King because the King himselfe is a man But to come to God from whom nothing is hid there is no neede of a spokesman but of a deuout minde for wheresoeuer such a one speaketh to him he wil answeare him The Church of Rome therefore which accounteth not of the sufficiencie perfection of that one Oblation of Christ nor of his