Pope as it was Himself also to plaine of that matter by his Embassadour in the Councell at Lions to represse the Popes Legate in this land 〈◊〉 were the Popes exactions here then What demeanour of Pope and popelinges was that towardes King Henrie the second before to take his Crowne from his head and so villanously to vse him in maintenance and defence of a villanous traitours cause as is reported I doe but occasion the Reader to consider of the hurly burlies of this false Catholike Churche and religion What was that demeanour to excommunicate King John to discharge his subiects of the oth of allegeance to stirre vp warre against him and at lengthto bereaue the King both of kingdome and life after hee had giuen his wicked definitiue sentence that hee shoulde bee deposed from his estate and had enioyned the execution thereof to y t French King for remissiō of his sinnes tohaue for his rewarde the kingdome of Englande he and his successours for euer Hee called this king Iohn his Vassall or tenant for y t after the Pope by his Legate 〈◊〉 phus had taken the Kinges Crowne into his hande once the good King coulde no other wise after inioy it but that hee must acknowledge that hee and his heires must receiue the same from the Pope This dealing of Pope Innocentius against King John may not bee thought strange for that in a solemne Councell helde vnder him at Rome we finde it decreed that if a Temporall Lorde being admonished by the Church doeneglect to purge his lande from heresie wee knowe what they called heresie then he shoulde bee excommunicated by the Metropolitane and the other Bishops of his Prouince and if he refused to make satisfaction within a yeere it shoulde bee signified to the Pope that hee from thence foorth shoulde pronounce his Subiectes to be free from keeping or yeelding fidelitie to such a temporall Lorde should expose his land to be inuaded by Catholik es To come nearer home and to speake of that most mightie Prince of famous memorie King Henrie the eight within mans remembrance what demeanour and proceeding was vsed in cursing excommunicating and suche like styrre keeping to disturbe that victorious King of Englande and the State of the whole Realme For our liege Ladie and dread Soueraigne most high and noble Queene Elizabeth what and howe many thinges haue beene attempted and howe many wayes also and yet still are the thing is freshe and common the rebellions so late in memorie the dayly practises and attemptes by Gods Prouidence so reuealed and met withal as I think yee can haue no face to stande in the deniall though your Epistle blushe not Shortly to say What Englishman soeuer borne in this Realme shall denie the superioritie or refuse to submit him selfe vpon the grounde of his faith giuen to the Pope of his Popish or Romane religion vnder the power authoritie and ciuill gouernement of our dread Soueraigne and Iawfull Queene Elizabeth as Gods Lieuetenant or chiefe minister be he Apostle Euangelist Prophet or whosoeuer and howsoeuer els yee list to call him in resisting the order and ordinance of G O D hee is to bee reputed of all men Gods enimie and no good Christian but a very naughtie man in so doing c. But suche are your English Romane or hot Catholikes as her Maiestie and the State chargeth you and all the worlde seeth and you your selues dissemble not in allowing your Popes Bulles and other writinges therevppon grounded agreeable thereto and in your ouuert and open dealinges whereof may easily bee gathered what maner of men yee are to be reputed towards God and the world although I hope well in God that there bee not many such heere in England Yf because you bee disputers yee aske Scholasticall argumentes and yet if one argue with you out of the scriptures you make little account thereof thinking the bare Scriptures so can yee speake too sclender stuffe to conuince you withall Therefore grounding vpon your owne doctrine which is of more waight with you and vppon the lawe of this Realme which decideth cases of Treason here I purpose God before to prooue some what further this way Albeit I must suppose that you bee not ignoraunt of the pointes of your owne doctrine and that true hearted Englishmen knowe the Soueraigntie of our Prince and Queene and so their duties towardes her Maiestie taught them first in Gods worde and afterwarde expressed heere further by the lawes of this Realme in Acts of Parliament c Yet hauing layed the one and the other as the foundation of the arguments that I minde to make you Let mee so much as shalbee necessarie heereunto note in summe the the wordes of your doctrine and our lawe and then from both see if I can frame some fewe Scholasticall arguments that yee may thereby perceiue that it is not hard for him that list y t way to exercise himselfe to bring many substantial argumēts against you in this case of doctrin demeanour of disobedience and Treason towards superiours Thus is it written in your popish decrees and thence taken and repeated by your D. Thomas in his summe where he treateth of subiects discharge frō the gouernemēt of their princes and from their othe and fidelitie towardes them Wee holding the statutes of our holy predecessours by Apostolique authoritie doe absolue them from their bonde which are bound by fidelitie or othe to them that be excommunicated and by all meanes forbid that they keepe not fidelitie to them till suche time as they come to satisfaction Now adde to this your Popes late traiterous Bulles in her Maiestics case and this Realmes wher with you are but too wel acquainted forget not your owne profession and doing at this day And so let the perpetuall doctrine of your supreme pastour and his supreme authoritie acknowledged receiued and in practise followed by you bee for one parte the grounde and proofe of the Arguments that I shall propounde vnto you Or if you 〈◊〉 furder let N. Saunders a principall piller of your Popish English Synagogue beyonde Sea speake particularly for all Of whose speache in this case I haue giuen you a taste before out of his visible Monarchie On the other part let those that bee presently of that state heere to go no furder of speake on the other side and reporte vs whether you hot Catholikes bee traitours c or no Fume not fret not at my wordes nor at any other priuate mans but examine y e matter your owne cōscience herein And because yee talke of the renting of your Catholike hearts at these wordes and the like which being double may with murmuring and grudging possible bee vexed to litle purpose and sone rent a sunder Therefore for your good this way here Gods counsaile rather by the holy Prophet Rent your heartes and not your clothes and turne to the Lorde your
A Checke or reproofe of M. Howlets vntimely shreeching in her Maiesties eares with an answeare to the reasons alleadged in a discourse therunto annexed why Catholikes as they are called refuse to goe to church Wherein among other things the Papists traiterous and treacherous doctrine and demeanour towardes our Soueraigne and the State is somewhat at large vpon occasion vnfolded their diuelish pretended conscience also examined and the foundation thereof vndermined And lastly shevved that it is the duety of all true Christians and subiectes to haunt publike Church assemblies 2. Cor. 4. 3. If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost c. I Imprinted in London at the three Cranes in the Vintree by Thomas Dawson for Toby Smyth 1581. The Preface to the Reader IT is no maruell though that Antichrist the Pope of Rome seeing his kingdome of darknesse decay apace in these dayes and fearing the vtter ouerthrowe of it for euer being rowzed bestirre himselfe as hee doth He is in high place hath of some yeres growen too mightie in this world by his owne ambitious pride and the grace hee hath founde in the eies of great princes and their people God so iustly punishing mens ingratitude towardes his maiestie This lawlesse man therefore of whom I speake will no doubt leaue no meanes vnattempted so long as hee may to vpholde this his pompe and estate whiche thing will not in these daies be perfourmed without much ado especially when he cannot bee content to keepe himselfe within boundes that is as a Romane at home in his owne Citie and Countrie where hee dwelleth or as a Churche man in Church matters but will needes roue ouer the worlde sitting in Gods seate and hauing an Oare in euery mans boate as they say yea and ruffle euen among Monarques and great Princes and that in and for their kingdomes giuing the same taking placing displacing disposing c. at his will and pleasure But playing thus his parte like himselfe that is so impudently and Godlesly in the sight nowe of all the worlde bewraying himselfe to bee in deede that man of sinne that is prophesied of Gods spirit on the other side detecting and reuealing dayly vnto vs by the cleare light of the Gospell the treacherie and sleightes of this sonne of perdition some possible may maruell howe hee shoulde finde fauour grace and good liking with any that beare but a shewe of godlinesse and honestie sauing that wee are sufficiently admonished afore hande that the God of this worlde hath blinded the mindes of them that belesue not that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christe Iesus which is the image of God should not shine vnto them And againe because they that perishe haue not receiued the loue of the truth that they might be saued therefore God will sende them stronge delusion to 〈◊〉 lyes that al may bee damned which haue not beleeued the truth c. A necessary caueat to stay vs in these troublesome dayes on Gods truth immoueable and a iudgement of God with feare and trembling to be reuerensed of all So then such thinges as wee see come to passe at this day and set abrod for the vpholding of that beast the Pope of Rome and his rotten religion ought so little to seeme strange vnto the faithfull that being assured the Lorde will destroy that lawlesse man with the spirite of his mouth take him away by the appearing of his cōming We should take cōfort incouragemēt therby manfully rather oppose our selues against him his ministers euery one in our calling then bee any whit weakened by such accidents putting differēce as we are taught haue compassion of some and saue other with feare plucking them out of the fire and hate euen the garment spotted by the fleshe The moe stumbling blockes wee see Satan and his suppostes to cast before men the more diligent and paineful ought we againe to be in setting our hands shoulders to the worke for the remoouing thereof out of mens way if God at any time will giue suche as are intangled in the snares of the Diuell repentance to knowe the truth leauing euer in good hope the successe to God and his blessing The consideration heereof in confidence of Gods mercifull 〈◊〉 mooued mee though among his seruants of a thousande the vnfittest whyle other bee otherwise occupied to take in hande vppon request of diuers godly and well disposed to answere a certaine seditious booke of late imprinted and set out to the viewe of the worlde by I. Howlet the title whereof is A briefe discourse containing certaine reasons why Catholikes so hee calleth the earnest and hot Papistes heere in Englande reconciled of late yeeres vnto the Pope refuse to goe to Churche written by a learned vertuous man as hee saieth to a friend of his in Englande Whome hee nameth not neither the one nor the other Why not to her Maiestie as these men vse to suppose and wee must beleeue what they say The whole for the woorthinesse thereof forsooth with a long Epistle Dedicatorie is offered by I. H. To the Queenes most excellent Maiestie and printed as is pretended at Doway By Iohn Lyon with priuiledge Though wee knowe it was printed not at Doway but in Englande without priuiledge or good leaue yet wee may not say so nor doubte of the other such suppositions bee these Catholiques principles wee may not cal them in question nor iudge of them they be aboue our reache For the Authours name of these reasons because they list not to vtter the same I am not curious whether the same proceed from him that wrote the Dedicatory Epistle to her Maiestie or no it is not greatly material sauing if they did not M. Howlet seemeth to doe his fellowe some iniurie in taking out of his handes that which hee promiseth in his booke in the second place to performe and nowe omitteth to wit to shewe the way and meanes that Catholiques as he calleth thē haue to remedie or ease themselues of this affliction now laide vpon them for their consciences with reasons and motiues to induce her Maiesty the rather to tollerate them in their religiō in respect of God her selfe and her whole Realme This peece of dealing with her Maiestie shoulde haue come after the treatise sauing that M. Howlet either doubting of the performance or seeking that glorie as one loth to tarie so long or for some other respect gleaning as appeareth from his friend setteth the same out afore hande and putteth it in the forefronte For I. Howlets person who hath the chief dealing in publishing deliuering this whole matter vnto vs as one supposed to be a good faythfull and stout proctour for the Popish Church and a fit instrument to bring vs such an vnto warde and like a shrich Owle sodenly and vntimely to make a great noyse in her Maiesties eares or as hee in his fellowes names and vnluckie
of hypocrisie and hypocrites whom that religion maketh such ye might haue spared to talke of this kinde of men here They that knowe him not you say as in deede no man doth furder then hee vttereth and sheweth him selfe must needes presume him to goe of conscience and as a fauourer of that Religion and so be brought to like the better of that religion and the worse of the Catholike by his example You say true This is and if not needes must bee all christian and honest mens opinion of him yea ours vnlesse he must be taken to bee the diuels childe and of his religion And then knowe you him inwardely to be a Catholike a true Christian or of Christes religion and that we follow we denie him to be ridde him from vs and take him to your heape for his religion if he bee suchy a one You say Anibrose did accuse Valentinian the Emperour for giuing a publike Scandale to the worlde because he did but permit certaine altars to the Gentiles saying that men woulde thinke that he priuily fauoured them Ye giue a good lesson to warne Princes that bee professours of the Gospell to take heede they permit Papistes to haue no altars to sacrifice vpon in their dominions for giuing the like offence And for you Romane Catholikes that sue for tolleration for the free exercise of your Romane religion may her Maiestie answere you by your own rule and Reason We thanke you sir for giuing vs still so good weapons to beate your selues withall This is your very case Nowe let the Reader applye and make his profite of the rest The thirde reason is this When and where going and not going to Churche is made a signe 〈◊〉 betwixt a Catholike and a 〈◊〉 then and there is it not lawefull for a Catholike to goe to the Protestants Churches But so is it heere nowe wherefore it is not lawefull c. The first part of this reason he explaneth by diuision of the wayes whereby the professour of any religion may be 〈◊〉 which he maketh there by wordes workes and signe hee setteth out the whole by example of the Iewe in Italie familiarly knowne by our English Romanistes among whom the Iewe liueth in free profession of his religion and therefore had neede to be distinguished from christians by some markes But among vs heere in Englande where there is no such faction and diuersitie of religion by order of lawe vnder our gracious Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth tollerated but all bounde to professe the true christian religion to Gods glory and her Maiesties singular commendation neither is there neither needeth there in this policie any such distinction deuised by mē to seuer betwene religion and religion that is betweene truth and falshood Protestants and Papistes we content our selues with the notes and markes to knowe the professours of christian religion in Englande which are set vs downe in the holy worde of God which also depende not on mens cpinions nor are at their pleasure variable but are stayed vpon a 〈◊〉 better groūd And therfore we returne thcse voluntarie marks signes to note religiō the professors therof by to you to Rome to Italie where volūtary religiō or superstitiō raigne gaine is thought to be godlines We thank God and her Maiestie for our freedom frō the same and that we may liue at home in England in good conscience and sincere professiō of Christes religion without needing to runne into Italy where there is suche danger to denie the christian faith as yee tell vs of Looke you English Italianates to that and other the like dangers that ye haue willingly cast your selues headlong into And thus much concerning your first deuise in this reason 〈◊〉 that where telling vs of a Iewe yee affirme that to keep the Saterday holy day is a work proper to Iudaisme And againe that 〈◊〉 a christian yeelde therein to vse the same he sinneth greeuously and in effect denieth his faith Due might demaunde whether you English Romanistes and such other Catholikes in Italie do 〈◊〉 beare to keepe holy euen any of your late Pope canonized Saints dayes falling on the Saterday for feare of conformitie with the Iewes in that behalfe I weene not Thē in an externall signe as a yeallow cap wearing on the head which is a matter of lesse importance bee not too harde wherein though I thinke not the whole waight of our religion to consist yet speak I not on the other side as though I liked conformitie of the professours of Christes religion to antichriste and his ministers in any tokens and marks of their religion whatsoeuer I speake heere nothing of your grosse prophane exāple of a Tauern bush in liken ng the same to holy signes of religiō which too prophanely in my iudgement yee byd the Reader marke hee may also marke that as yee make going to Churche to seuer vs from you and to distinguish our religion from yours which is knowne by not going to Churche or by abstaining from Church so the haunting of Churche assemblies argueth some religion to bee in our men and that they carry religious mindes and abstaining from Churche assemblies which ye make a proper and peculiar signe of a true catholike argueth as much religion as is in a Horse For the proofe of the seconde part of your reason that the going to Churche in Englande is an apparant signe of a schismatike and the not going of a catholike It is manifestly to be proved yee say but it is not so easily doone as saide for vnlesse we will presume going to the Protestants churches to be hereticall as you doe and say a Catholike must so doe which is starke false your proofe will not goe forwarde All is still grounded on your false supposition and on the double and doubtfull taking of the termes of catholike and schismatike Al is but hollow and double dealing and belongeth for those wordes to the fallation of equiuocation that yee may finde moe slights then one in your reasoning Must the Protestant be a schismatik and a Papist a catholike because you presume and thinke so presume and thinke otherwise and as the truth is or at least notwithstanding your presumption giue vs leaue to thinke and say the contrary as the truth enforceth vs. But let vs see howe by presumption you prooue going to Church to be a peculiar signe distinctiue betwixt religion and religion First yee prooue it by the commanndement and exaction thereof You take vpon you to make a Cōmentarie to expounde the proceedings heere You make your self priuie of her Maiesties meaning and the Sates you 〈◊〉 imagine no other ende that men are commaunded to come to churche but to shewe themselues conformable to the religion heere professed You might knowe Sir there be and may bee diuers ends of one thing Considering that God hath instituted church assemblies to the good and benefite of his people if to the end his Maiestie may be obeyed accordingly and