and last resolution for matters of faith argument 15 The Church of Christ neuer burned the scriptures no albeit there were errors in the Gréeke translation of Theodosion and Symachus and the seuentie interpreters and in all the Latin translations the vulgar and olde edition not excepted z yet did the true church neuer burne the scriptures for that was practised by Dioclesian and other persecuters of the church and by heathen men rather than by any that carried the name of Christians but the church of Rome hath caused Gods holy word to be burnt vnder pretence of false translations which notwithstanding she was neuer able to prooue to be false she doth therefore plainly declare her selfe to be the synagogue of Satan and not of Christ argument 16 The true Church did neuer prohibit the scriptures to be publikely read in such tongues as the people of God were able to vnderstand nor did she euer condemne them and burne them for hereticks that read them in vulgar tongues for our sauior commanded his apostles to teach all nations and no question but it was lawfull to teach them as well by writing as by word In Psal 86. S. Hierome saith that scriptures do not only belong to priests but also to the people Non scripserunt saith he speaking of the holy apostles paucis sed vniuerso populo and our sauiour where he commanded his auditours to search the scriptures meant that it should be lawfull for all to read them finally what is more vnreasonable séeing the scriptures conteine Gods holy lawes and his eternall testament than that the lawes of God should not be red in a knowen tongue and that it should not be lawfull for children to vnderstand their heauenly fathers testament and last will but the Romish congregation prohibiteth the scriptures to be publikely read in vulgar tongues and i Index libr. prohib à Pio 9. prohibiteth all translations but such as themselues set forth which are most wicked peruerse The bloody inquisitors haue also burned diuers poore people for reading scriptures in English as appeareth by the Registers of Lincolne and London in king Henry the eighth his daies Finally Nauarrus a braue Romish doctor teacheth that it is mortall sinne for a lay man to dispute of religion Laicus disputans de fide saith k In primum praecept c. 11. Nauarrus peccat mortaliter argument 17 Our sauior Christ l Iohn 4. teacheth vs that all true worshippers do worship God in spirit and trueth Venit hora nunc est saith our sauior quando veri adoratores adorabant patrem in spiritu veritate And God by his prophet m Isay 29. Matth. 15. Isay doth condemne his people that honored him with their lips their hearts being farre from him The apostle also Coloss 2. would not haue Christians condemned in respect of meat drinke and holy daies and reprooueth those that make decrées concerning touching and tasting and such like ceremonies he doth also vtterly n 1. Cor. 14. condemne praiers in a strange language and not vnderstood of those that vse them but the worship of God which the papists vse and most commend doth wholly consist in externall ceremonies as knocking lifting vp of the Sacrament censing lights and such like they also rather honor God with their lips then their hearts not vnderstanding what they say thinking that to gaze on the masse is to serue God finally they haue many decrées concerning meats drinks saints daies and also concerning touching and tasting and such like is it not then apparent that they are no true worshippers argument 18 The Church of o Exod. 20. Christ doth worship but one God according to this commandement Thou shalt haue no other gods but me and according to the words of p Matth. 4. Christ Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serue but the papists worship the images of God as God himselfe and giue as much honor to the image as to the originall Cum Christus saith q P. 3. q. 25. art 3. Thomas Aquinas adoretur adoratione latriae consequens est quod eius imago sit adoratione latriae adoranda Séeing as Christ is honored with diuine worship saith he it followeth that his image is also to be worshipped with diuine worship and friers in their sermons speaking to the crucifix are wont to say to it Thou hast redeemed vs thou hast reconciled vs to thy father which r Bellar. de cult imag lib. 2. c. 23. Bellarmine himselfe can not deny he confesseth also that images may be worshipped with that honor that is due to the originall Admitti potest imagines posse col◠improprie vel per accidens eodem genere cultus quo exemplum ipsum colitur they also worship the Sacrament with diuine worship and fall downe before it but neither are images gods nor is the Sacrament God Finally they confesse that the worship of seruice or doulia is due to saints and this they wil not deny how then can they shew that they worship and serue one true God argument 19 The catholike church only saith ſ Instit 4. c. vlt. Lactantius doth reteine the true worship of God neither can any society be termed Gods church which reteineth not Gods true worship but the papists doe not reteine Gods true worship for first they worship God according to the doctrines and commandements of men which our Sauiour t Matth. 15. Christ condemneth secondly they giue diuine honor to creatures as we shewed in our last argument thirdly their worship consisteth principally in the sacrifice of the masse which is nothing els but a masse of many superstitions impieties and blasphemies as I haue shewed particularly and largely in my treatise of the masse against Bellarmine argument 20 The true church of Christ beléeueth that Iesus Christ is perfect God and perfect man and that Christ Iesus is ascended vp into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of his father for these two points are articles of our faith the first being in termes conteined in the créed of Athanasius the second being expressed in the apostles créed but the papists attributing to Christ in the sacrament such a body as is neither visible nor palpable and can neither sée nor féele nor helpe himselfe nor others being oftentimes deuoured by mise and other brute beasts cannot shew how these qualities can be in a perfect man neither can they shew that a perfect man is both in heauen and in earth and in many places at once or that the flesh of Christ can be properly in heauen and earth and not onely beléeued but also apprehended with mens hands and téeth u Cōtr. Eutyth lib. 4. c. 4. Vigilius saith that the flesh that is in heauen is not in earth Fulgentius writing to Thrasimundus saith that the bodie of Christ hath the properties of a true body x De resur carn Tertullian teacheth vs that the body of Christ
idolatries and whose doctrine is confirmed by scriptures most certeine traditions councels fathers and practise of the ancient church and which teacheth the narrow way and maketh subiects obedient and is sure to continue but neither is the church of Rome catholike nor apostolike which embraceth vncerteine traditions and apocryphall scriptures with equall affection to canonicall scriptures and which receiueth all the popes decretales concerning matters of faith albeit they conteine doctrine neither apostolicall nor general secondly it will be an easie matter to shew that the Romish church abhorreth neither heresie nor idolatrie nor noueltie thirdly in diuerse discourses against Bellarmine I haue shewed that popish doctrine hath neither ground of scriptures councels nor fathers thereby also it may appeare that popish traditions are most vaine vncerteine and superstitious fourthly the way which that church teacheth is broad and easie for what is more easie than to heare masses and to eat fish and to confesse sinnes and to obserue diuers externall ceremonies and yet by these small things papists hope to be saued fiftly we finde that all the rebellions of England Ireland and France haue wholly procéeded from the church of Rome and the doctrine of the seditious Iebusites and Cananites and masse priests neither will euer rebellion be rooted out vnlesse the tyrannicall vsurpation of popes be repressed and their parasites taught to submit themselues to their liege princes sixthly what certeinty in iudgement can the papists haue that depend vpon the resolutions of blinde vnlearned and wicked popes finally we sée Antichrist to be reuealed and the city of Babylon to fall to confusion who then doth not expect and beléeue the vtter ruine and desolation of Antichrists state Further Bristow telleth vs that euery church that is risen after the first planting of religion and gone out of the catholike church and from apostolike doctrine and is not the communion of saints nor euer visible and which is not the teacher of all diuine trueth and the vndoubted mother of Christes children is not the true church But the church of Rome as it is now visible in the pope and cardinals in the officers of the popes chamber in popish prelates sacrificing priests monks friers and nunnes and their officers and adherents whose faith is built on popish decretals and mincing scholasticall distinctions as fine wouen as any spider webbe rose out of the earth long after the apostles times and first planting of religion and that the Romish church crept out by little and little out of the catholike and apostolike church for apostolicall doctrine embracing apostaticall and light fancies and traditions and for the maintenance of mens bellies and the popes authoritie is departed from Christ and hath made war vpon the saints in the same also whores are openly mainteined cutthrotes by rewards incited to kill and poison princes and a way to all periuries and vices by the popes indulgences opened how then can any call this a communion of saints finally he that expecteth trueth at the popes hands shal be gulled with fables and he that calleth Rome a mother can be content for gaine to call the whore of Babylon and mother of errours his mother argument 70 The church of Christ neuer allowed the decretals of popes or the extrauagants or rules of Chancery concerning the popes authoritie and procéeding but in these lawes the church of Rome hath diuers rules of the Romish faith and thereby gouerneth her procéedings argument 71 In the church of Christ clerks were not exempt from the subiection of princes The apostle saith Let euery soule be subiect to higher powers But in the church of Rome all clerks are quited and exempted from the princes power as Bellarmine in his booke of that argument by the popes canons and all his wit endeuoureth to proue argument 72 The true church neuer baptized belles nor held monkes coules to be equall to baptisme but the popish church as the l Grauam 51. Germanes in their grieuances declare baptizeth belles and compareth the entrance into monkish profession with baptisme argument 73 Finally neuer was Christes church or any part of Christes church within any kingdome gouerned by an archpriest and certeine seditious Iebusites masse priests and such like vermine Howsoeuer then they deny it in others yet can they not deny but that the papists of England are not members of Christes church but rather of the synagogue of Satan CHAP. II. That the doctrines and traditions of the Romish church which the church of England refuseth are mere nouelties and late deuised fancies IF when the papists doe recommend vnto vs their old religion they meant nothing els but the religion of Christ Iesus which the apostles first taught and which the apostolicall and most ancient Christians receiued and deliuered to posterity we should not much contend with thim for that is the religion which we professe not varying in any thing from the apostles créed and other créeds either set out by Athanasius or the most ancient generall councels of the church nor denying any thing that is expressed or proued out of the holy canonicall scriptures But when they talke of old religion they meane the religion of the church of Rome which was either established by later popes or taken vp by lewd custome and vncerteine tradition the which though it séeme to some ancient yet in very truth is new and no way to be compared to the religion that was first deliuered by Christ and his apostles neither doth it deserue the name of old religion for as Ignatius said a Epist ad Philadelph sometime antiquitas mea Christus est so we may say that Christ is the top of our ancestry that the apostles doctrine is both ancient most true id verius quod prius saith b Lib. 4. contra Marcion Tertullian id prius quod ab initio id ab initio quod ab apostolis if thē the papists as they bragge could prooue their religion to be deriued from the apostles then would we indéed confesse it were ancient if they cannot then we must say to them as c Epist 65. ad Pammach Ocean Hierome said to one in his time cur profers in medium saith he quod Petrus Paulus edere noluerunt why doe they produce articles of faith vnknowen to the apostles nay why doe they teach vs points of religion which in times of the ancient fathers of the church were vnheard of will they haue that accounted old which the fathers of the church which were long after the apostles neuer knew nor the ancient church euer receiued they would so d Contra. haeres c. 35. but Vincentius Lirinensis doeth call him a true catholike that doeth onely beléeue and hold whatsoeuer the ancient catholike church did vniuersally beléeue quicquid saith he vniuersaliter antiquitus ecclesiam catholicam tenuisse cognouerit id solum sibi tenendum credendumque decernit if then the papists will hold all the religion which now
act of the conuenticle of Trent and so receiued of as many as liked that conuenticle So I may say likewise that the paradoxe of the Romish church concerning the subsistence of accidents in the sacrament without subiect was prated of and debated in schooles before the conuenticle of Constance but yet I may say also that it was not receiued generally nor by solemne act confirmed before the coÌ„uenticle of Constance where Pope Iohn the 23. was deposed for Sodomitrie Atheisme and other grieuous and enormous crimâ—s in the actes of that assembly recorded Secondly he would gladly finde some contradiction in my wordes for that pag. 21. I say as he setteth it downe that the opinion of Luther concerning the real presence concerneth not any fundamentall point of faith and yet pag. 54. of my Challenge affirme that the Papists holding transubstantiation doe bring in Eutychianisme teaching that Christs body is in the sacrament without visible shape or true dimension or circumscription which as Leo teacheth serm 6. de ieiunio 7. mensis is flat Eutychianisme But he striueth in vaine to force contradiction out of these wordes for papists may wel be Eutychianists and yet not Luther as I beléeue they teaching that the substance of bread is abolished in the sacrament of which followeth Eutyches his errour and Luther holding the contrarie For if the bread be abolished and the sacrament is like to the person of Christ consisting of two natures then it followeth that as bread remaineth not in the sacrament after consecration so Christs humanitie is abolished after the vnion of the two natures which is flatte Eutychianisme Further he was a simple fellow to leaue a charge of Eutychianisme vpon the Papists vpon a smal hope of taking me in contradiction Indéede I confesse he denyeth it in termes and saith that Christs body in the sacrament is not without shape and true dimensions He should also haue said circumscription if he would haue auoided the note of Eutychianisme but if that be so he dischargeth me of contradiction But in the meane while he sheweth himselfe to be ignorant of the state of his owne cause and very impudent to say that Christ his body hath all his true dimensions and shape in the sacrament which at large is disprooued in my treatise de missa against Bellar. Finally going about to take me in contradiction like a falsarie hee doth alter my wordes and peruert my meaning For I say onely Reply pag. 21. that Luthers and Caluins priuat opinions concerning either princes soueraigne authoritie or the real presence concerne not fundamentall points of faith And my reason is first for that our faith is not built on priuat mens opinions as the faith of the papists that are bound to beléeue all the determinations of euery Pope that doe concerne the faith And secondly for that Luthers opinion is not hereticall in it selfe and as it may be expounded but by inference of such conclusions as follow of it His thirde supposed contradiction is forced out of my wordes where I say that the Fathers make against Bellarmine and yet séeme to make Gelasius and Gregorie Papists that liued aboue a thousand yeares agone But herein is neither contradiction nor repugnance For first it will not be proued that either Gregorie or Gelasius maketh for Bellarmine in their authenticall writings Secondly these two are not for antiquity or learning to be compared to Hierome or Augustine or the Fathers that liued in their time and before Finally albeit the dialogues that go vnder the name of Gregorie or the decrée of Gelasius C. sancta dist 15. did sauour of the pumpe of Poperie and fopperie yet that maketh nothing for the papists For it shall neuer be proued that Gregorie did write so foppish fables and lies as are contained in his dialogues nor that Gelasius did indéede set downe all that decree that is reported C. sancta dist 15. especially that of lying and fabulous legends Neither if in any one point or ceremony Gregorie or Gelasius doth differ from vs is he therefore to be reputed to speake wholy for the papists But saith Owlyglasse we may as truely inferre that seeing the protestants doe with great applause admit the actes of their holy Martyres written by M. Foxe they receiue fabulous martyrologies and lying legends as it is inferred that Papists receiue fabulous martyrologies and lying legends but the case is so vnlike as Owlyglasse though a ridiculous fellow is vnlike to Gelasius for neither doe we reade our martyrologies in churches as the papists doe their legends nor doe we beléeue them as grounds of faith as the papists doe their legendicall traditions nor doth M. Foxe report any such abominable and ridiculous fables as are contained in the Romish legends But all this notwithstanding if Owlyglasse will impudently still compare our martyrologies with the lying legends let him shew if he can where M. Foxe telleth tales of men walking without heads talking without tongues passing the sea without shippes going inuisible restoring of birdes to life of a cowe bellowing being boyling in a cauldron of remoouing mountaines and such like as are in the legends very common and must be beléeued as ecclesiastical traditions His fourth obseruation is that it were a point of some cunning to guesse by my writings of what religion I am But it is a point of small cunning to guesse that Owlyglasse is a man of no religion making no conscience to snatch at any thing that may serue his turne though neuer so false to lie to falsifie to rayle at all that are not of his damned humor If any religion he haue it is some reliques of poperie which he notwithstanding is neither well able to vnderstand nor any way to defend A religion if we may call faction a religion most fond foppish absurd vaine superstitious false and impious as partly in this treatise is declared and shall God willing more at large be declared other-where As for my selfe I doe him to wit that I am a Christian and a true Catholike beleeuing the Apostolike faith and professing the same as it is set downe in the Apostles créede in the confessions of faith published in the foure first generall councels and in the créede of Athanasius I doe also beléeue whatsoeuer is expressed in holy canonicall scriptures or may be deduced out of them and I doe detest all popish superstition blasphemy hereticall abhominations and all other heresies and this Owlyglasse might well haue vnderstood by all the course of my writings if he had read them or would or could vnderstand them But saith Owlyglasse Page 110. on the one side reason there is to thinke him a conformable protestant c. Afterward he talketh his pleasure of new Geneua Iigs and of harmony puritanicall Which course of rayling if he doe continue there is good hope that to accorde with this Iigge he may ere it be long sing a base de profundis at Tiburne To the matter I answere that in England albeit
it concerneth my aduersaries exceptions is not great nor the controuersie betwixt mine aduersarie and me materiall but the fault was not mine but his whose trifling pamphlet at this time gaue mee no better subiect to worke vpon yet this profit may the readers reape by it that they shall hereafter not need to feare either the vaine brags or great words and titles which the Papists do arrogate to themselues seeing they are demasked and declared neither to be true catholicks nor loiall subiects if they hold the grounds of Popery But whatsoeuer this treatise is or may effect I beseech your Honor to accept it as a token of his deuotion that is a member of that Vniuersitie whereof you are Chancellor and as you do succeed your worthy father in that place so I beseech God that you may not only succeed him but also surpasse him if it be possible in his zeale and pious care to aduance true religion and learning During his time although none of Baals priests durst either looke into the Vniuersitie or shew himselfe abroad in this realme yet did they secretly keepe in corners but by your Honors care and vigilancy according to her Maiesties late Edict we do hope to see them not onely repressed but also quite expulsed and returned to him that sent them What their errors are and what they deserue it may in part appeare by this treatise the rest we refer to those whom it concerneth And so loth to interrupt the course of your more serious congitations and actions I end beseeching the God of heauen to blesse you with his heauenly graces and as he hath vsed you hitherto as a notable instrument to aduance religion learning and iustice so to grant that all that loue true religion learning and iustice may long enioy your helpe and fauor Your Honors in all dutifull affection MATTH SVTCLIFFE The Preface to all indifferent Readers wherein not only the purpose of this treatise is declared but also diuers points of the aduersaries Preface and first chapter that fell not within the compasse of any order examined and refuted ALthough the quarrels and cavils of false teachers and haeretikes gentle reader proceed from the fountaine of their malice and are set forward by the suggestions of satan who by all meanes endevoureth to trouble the peace of gods church and to shake the faith of such weaklings as are not firmely built vpon the immooueable rocke Christ Iesus yet it pleaseth God oftentimes by his vnsearchable wisdome to dispose mens evill purposes and actions to his great glory and the aduancement of religion the great good of his church which those men thought to ruinate Etiam sic veris illis catholicis membris Christi malo suo prosunt saith Saint a Lib. 18. de ciuit dei c. 51. Augustine speaking of haeretickes that contumaciously resist the trueth and seeke to defend their pestilent and wicked opinions Whereof although I had no great experience before this time yet now by the friuolous and vaine cauils of a certaine corner-creeping disciple of antichrist against my late challenge made to Robert Parsons disguised vnder the maske of two letters and calling himselfe N. D. I finde to be most true For whereas heeretofore my challenge was not knowne to many and now beganne to be forgotten of such as first had read it I doubt not but this vaine cauiller by his vaine exceptions will cause the same to be both more diligently read and better remembred than it was like to be otherwise for I doe not beleeue that any man will offer me that wrong that he will condemne me before he hath both read what I haue written examined the matters wherewith I am charged Secondly because he hath alledged that I deliver out matters upon mine owne credit without proofe I have taken occasion to peruse my former challenge to fortifie the same with divers authorities and arguments and so to publish it assuring thee if any thing now want proofe that it is of that nature that it is of it selfe most euident and needeth no proofe being either knowen publikely or confessed by the aduersaries themselues Thirdly this miserable fellow that maketh himselfe partie against me seemeth rather to betray the cause of the papists then otherwise For taking vpon him to debate some matters in my late challenge he is neither able to contradict my arguments whereby I prooued that the papists were neither catholicks nor the true church nor mainteined the old Christian faith nor hath he abilitie to discharge his consorts of the crimes of haeresie and treason wherewith they stand charged and now by his silence seeme to be conuicted So that I doubt not but if the pope may vnderstand and be well informed of this prating fellowes treacherous dealing in his cause that he will either punish him as a false traitor to his See or at the least commaund him to silence as a weake ideot and foolish pleader in matter of religion Fourthly he doth greatly grace my writings against his father Robert Parsons for if he be not able to except against more places then sixe and twenty or thereabout it is cleare that I haue said true in the rest and that I haue argued and alledged authorities to good purpose For if I had offended I doubt not but I should haue heard of it And because you shal not suspect that these are but surmises rather than firme conclusions I doe before hand tell you that this vaine bangler will not hereafter vndertake to answer my challenge from argument to argument allegation to allegation testimony to testimony Behold then ô miserable papists your poore distressed proctor and let the cacolike conuertite sisters relieue him with some good words of comfort that in his needlesse quarrell hath ouerthrowne himselfe and his cause and hath done me more fauour than I shall be willing to requite him in haste Fiftly he doth discouer the vanitie of his owne bragges in his most miserable pleading I require no more learning saith b Detect Ch. 1. p. 8. he then the vnderstanding of Latin no more labour than to open the books view the places quoted no more conscience then that the tongue can truly report what the heart thinketh and yet when it commeth to the iumpe with all that little learning he hath and withall his labour could he not fasten any one vntrueth or falsification vpon me as shall sufficiently appeere by my answer beside that it is ridiculous to talke of learning and vnderstanding of Latin when in most of the places by him touched I speake English and alledge not the fathers words in the rest it will appeare that his prouision of Latin is not superabundant this sentence therefore he hath translated out of the pretended bishop of Eureux his discourse although it fit not his purpose in any sort Sixtly He is a very vaine fellow to demand of vs such a conference as passed in France for well might he haue seene
had done before them and yet affirmeth also that pope Syricius was seduced by Sathan published wicked doctrine taught the flat doctrine of the divel that pope Sozimus brought in superstition and falsified the decrees of the Nicene councell so to mainteine the vsurped primacie of the Church of Rome as if M. Belles propositions might not well stand together for he saith not that all the bishops of Rome were good and godly men and taught true doctrine vntill S. Augustines time but speaketh indefinitly of the bishops of Rome without adding all which maner of speech in materia contingenti is not to be taken absolutely and vniuersally but for the most part and so no doubt saint Augustine speaking of the bishops of Rome vnderstood it knowing that Marcelline sacrificed to idoles and that Liberius was an Arrian and we may say also that the apostles of Christ were good men although Judas was a traitor and lanterne bearer to the Iewes as some popish writers say that betraied Christ and much of the nature and condition of this detectour of falsifications and detractor from honest men and a very lanterner of Antichrist and a traitour to his countrey let him therefore beware he be not taken passing through backe dores like the idolatrous priests of Bel and so for his gordian knot be taken tied in a Tyburne knot 10 I need not say much of our adversaries forme of writing or frame of sentences for it appeereth euery where that he did not know the difference of pneuma and periodus nor could distinguish betwixt colons and periodes commaes and colons his whole discouse is liker to nothing that I can imagine then to the way betweene Chard and Honiton in the west countrey that is rude and rugged vp hill and downe hill and very vnequall but to let that passe yet may I not passe in silence that a Praefat. fol. 1. speaking of the great commanders and princely pilots that sit at the sterne of the common wealth he seemeth to communicate her Maiesties souereigne authority to inferior persons and doth not once vouchsafe to acknowledge her princely power or to name her among the governors of this state and yet such disloiall traitors that acknowledge the popes supreme authoritie and deny her Maiesties power as being excommunicate by the popes scuruinesse our fellow percase would say holinesse are not sought out nor brought to such a triall as their offences deserue By this therefore it may appeare that as our aduersary hath no ability to disproue any point of religion which we hold so he hath vtterly shamed his consorts and the crew of papists that hitherto haue made great brags of this their champion of his inuincible arguments all hard knotty like the haft of a dougeon dagger he hath also vtterly shamed himself in medling with these matters being a mā not read nor any way fit to discourse or handle matter of cōtrouersy the which that it may further appere I purpose god willing not only to iustify my former chalenge which this poore menowe would nibble at but also to discharge my selfe honestly of all those vntruthes and falsifications which the detractor maliciously goeth about to charge vpon me Wherein that I may proceed more formally not onely skin this dead dog whose ouerthrow shall helpe vs nothing but handle somewhat else that may make for the aduantage of true religion and the instruction of the ignorant The order and chiefe propositions chapters of the discourse ensuing I wil God willing declare first that the church of Rome that now is and which embraceth the doctrine of the pope and conuenticle of Trent is not the true church of Christ Iesus and secondly that the doctrines and traditions of the Romish church which the church of England refuseth are meere nouelties and late deuised fancies for the most part thirdly that the papists are no true catholikes nor hold the catholike faith and that it is a great wrong offred to Christes church to call them catholikes vnlesse it be as we call dead carcases men fourthly that papists mainteine many both old new haresies and points of doctrine contrary to the word of God and to the catholike faith fifthly that they are idolaters finally that such as haue died in the popes quarrell in England were vnnaturall traitors and no true martyrs and that such priests also as come from Rome with commission and faculties from the pope are traitors and enemies to their prince and countrey and so to be reputed and taken and not otherwise All which points one or two excepted I handled in my last challenge this challenge thus iustified I shall God willing presently encountre our detractor and answer first his obiections concerning vntruthes secondly his quarrels concerning supposed falsifications thirdly his vaine childish obseruations and to shew the vanitie of our aduersaries pleading and how much the papists are to shunne all conferences and disputes concerning lies and falsifications I will also for further euidence against them set down first certeine notorious lies and forgeries committed by the popes and church of Rome and next such lies and forgeries as are committed by their principall agents and heerein first I will declare Bellarmine to be most guiltie in this point the next place shall conteine Baronius his cardinall leasinges after them I will note certeine notorious lies and forgeries conteined in the writings of other papists yea of Parsons himselfe and of this Momus in his new nothing which he calleth a detection of lies and falsifications finally to answer his obseruations I will also discourse of such things as in our aduersaries and their writings seeme woorthy to be obserued and all this to let our aduersaries know that they had more need to defend themselves then to presse vs and to take the beames out of their owne eies rather then to espie motes in our eies As for his railing words rustical vnciuil behauiour I leave to be censured by the archpriest in his next generall synod which if he doe not I will referre him over to be answered by master Kempe vpon the stage and if he desist not his railing and rusticalitie either vpon the archpriests admonition or master Kempes censure I assure him I will set a fellow to answer him that shall so currie him and his consorts the papists and that shall in such sort tippe vp their vilanies that the whole fraternitie of asses shall curse him for braying so vnciuilly I hope also that some odde priest or other out of his grammer dictates will admonish him to looke better to his grammer rules and tell him that he hath falsified a verse out of Horace and made a grosse fault in it This is the onely verse in the booke for where Horace saith quid dignum tanto feret hic pro missor hiatu our wise b Pag. 4. aduersarie hath quid dignum tanto proferet promissor hiatu both altering his authors words and
they built all vpon Christ Iesus and taught that which immediatly they receiued from God but the Pope receiueth nothing immediatly from God nor doth he now preach Christ as did saint Peter argument 2 Further the true church of Christ is built vpon a rocke most solide and vnmouable against which the gates of hell can neuer preuaile but the church of Rome is built vpon the popes and their see against which the gates of hell both haue already and may further preuaile as appeareth by the Ch. Si papa dist 40. where it is supposed that the Pope may draw with him innumerable soules into hel and m In Matth. 16. Lyra confesseth that diuers popes haue proued apostataes from the faith and that finally is proued by diuers particular examples as of Marcellinus that sacrificed to idoles of Liberius that fell into Arrianisme of Honorius condemned for a monothelite and diuers other popes that fell into diuers heresies and forsooke the true faith neither doe I thinke the papistes will denie but that some of their popes for diuers impieties and wickednesses are damned and cast downe to the nethermost hell How then can that be the true church of Christ which is built vpon a foundation against which the gates of hell haue preuailed argument 3 n Arg. 3. The true church of Christ is neuer without her head for Christ Iesus who is the head of the church was yesterday and to day and the same for euermore he is the head of the church and shall alwaies so continue and of him his church hath continuall dependance but the church of Rome is often without her head the pope and hath no such dependance on him but that she may well subsist without him as the continuall vacation of the papacy doth shew and p Lib. de auferribilitatâ— papa Gerson doth confesse the church of Rome therefore cannot be the church of Christ vnlesse we will grant that the church of God may be without a head or that the church of Rome neuer wanteth a head argument 4 q Arg. 4. The church of God also hath but one faith for as there is but one Lord r Ephes 4. so there is but one faith and one baptisme but the faith of the church of Rome is not that one faith which was professed in the apostles times and in the primitiue church as appeareth by the doctrine of faith published in the wicked conuenticles of Constance and Trent and by ihat profession which Pius the 4. decreed to be exacted of all that are promoted in schooles for neither did the first christians admit all the traditions which the church of Rome now calleth apostolicall nor the 7. sacraments and vsuall rites practised by the church of Rome in the administration of them nor the sacrifice of the masse or transubstantiation or the rest of the doctrine therein contained if any papist thinke otherwise let him shew me either any such like faith or proue me any such doctrine to haue bene in the ancient church of Rome or else we must needs beleeue that this doctrine was first published by the conuenticle of Trent and by Pius the 4. by name but a wicked man for doctrine and life and by other popes confirmed argument 5 Å¿ Arg. 5. The grounds also and foundations of the catholike christian faith are diuers from the grounds foundations of the faith of the church of Rome the t Ephes 2. apostle saith that the houshold of God and citizens of saints are built vpon the foundations of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone neither doeth he admit any other foundation Saint u Apocal. 21. Iohn sheweth that the wall of the city of God hath twelue foundations and in them the names of the twelue apostles and this because vpon that doctrine which they deliuered the faith of the church is built for as x Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Ireneus signifieth the canonicall scriptures which she apostles left vnto vs are the foundation of our faith neither may we thinke that Peter was more the foundation of the church then Paule or the rest of the apostles at dicis super Petrum fundatur ecclesia saith y Lib. aduers Jâ—uiâ— Hierome licèt id ipsum in alio loco super omnes apostolos cuncti claues regni coelorum accipiant ex aequo super eos ecclesia solidetur Theophylact also without giuing any prerogatiue to one saith z In Ephes 2. the church is built vpon the apostles and prophets neither doe the auncient fathers either allow or mention any foundation beside Christ Iesus and the apostles and prophets who in all their writings doe preach Christ Iesus But the faith of the Romish synagogue is now built vpon a diuers foundation for first they acknowledge vnwritten traditions to be a foundation equall to the written word of God a Sess 4. concil Trid. traditiones ipsas tum ad fidem tum ad mores pertinentes tanquam vel oretenus à Christo vel à spiritu sancto dictatas continua successione in ecclesia catholica conseruatas pari pietatis affectu ac reuerentia scilicet ac scripturas sacras suscipit ac veneratur the conuenticle of Trent maketh traditions as well concerning faith as maners to be equall to the written word of God whereof it foloweth that we must as well beléeue the fashions and ceremonies of the Romish church as the written word of God Demonstrate conabimur saith b Lib 4. de verb. dei c. 4. Bellarmine scripturas sine traditionibus nec fuisse simpliciter necessarias nec sufficientes he denieth also the scriptures to be a perfect canon or rule of our faith without traditions next they receiue the popes decretals and vpon their determinations doe they build their faith as c C. inter dist 19. c. sancta dist 15. appeareth by their decretals though counterfeit and d Jn praefat in relect princip doctr Stapleton sticketh not to affirme so much in expresse words Alij nunc à Christo missi saith he eorumue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locum habebunt and e ibidem againe Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud We haue saith he another foundation of Christian religion diuers from the writings of the apostles and prophets can then the Romish congregation be the church of Christ that euen in the maine foundation of religion is departed from the church of Christ argument 6 f Arg. 6. The principles likewise of the doctrine of the Romish church are diuers froÌ„ the grounds principles of Christs true church for we haue shewed in our last argument that the true church hath no canon or rule of faith or certeine principle of faith beside the canonicall scriptures but the church of Rome admitteth the books of Iudith Tobia Ecclesiasticus Wisdome of the Machabees by the
ancient church accounted apocryphal as g In epist ad Paulin. in prolog in prouerb Hierome h In Synops Athanasius and diuers of the ancient fathers 〈◊〉 witnesse It alloweth also the old latin translation of the bible though different from the originall bookes the same also admitteth for principles of faith the sentences of popes the doctrine of the Romish church that now is the traditions of the Romish church the consent of fathers and diuers other grounds as Stapleton disputeth in his bookes De doctrinalibus principijs argument 7 i Arg. 7. Neuer certes did the church of Christ speake euill of scriptures k Lib. 3 aduersus haeres c. 2. Irenaeus saith It is the property of heretikes when they are conuinced by scriptures to fal into dislike of them and to accuse them as for the children of God they cannot either calumniate or lightly estéeme their heauenly fathers testameÌ„t or refuse to heare his voice but the scriptures conteine a declaration of the eternall testament of our heauenly father and therefore they are rightly called his testament in the scriptures also God speaketh vnto vs. and therefore if we be Christs sheepe we caÌ„not but hearken to his voice My sheepe saith our l Iohn 10. Sauiour heare my voice but the Romish church is still carping at scriptures as if they were neither sufficient nor perspicuous m Lib. 4. de verl die c. 4. Bellarmine saith they are neither necessarie nor sufficient without traditions n Praefat in reâ—act princip doctr Stapleton denieth them to be a sufficient foundation or rule of our faith the authors of the annotations vpon the Rhemish testament doe call them most blasphemously a killing letter and signifie that the reading of them is pernicious o Censur coloâ— others slander them as if they were a nose of waxe or a matter and subiect of contention argument 8 The church of God neuer called the bishop of Rome either a god on the earth or Christes vicar generall or vniuersall bishop but the church of Rome admitteth all this the canonists exalt him like a god p Epist ad Gregorium 13. ante princip doct Stapleton calleth him supremum numen in terris generally they call him vniuersall bishop and condemne all that hold contrary argument 9 The church of God doth kéepe the doctrine of the apostles and prophets q Gal. 1. without addition alteration or corruption and the apostle pronounceth him accursed r Aduers haeres c. 34. that teacheth any other Gospel than that which he taught Vincentius Lirinensis saith that this is the propertie of catholicks to kéepe the faith and doctrine of the fathers committed to them in trust and to condemne prophane nouelties CatholicoruÌ„ saith he hoc ferè proprium deposita sanctorum patrum commissa seruare damnare prophanas vocum nouitates sicut dixit iterum dixit apostolus si quis annuntiauerit praeterquam quod acceptum est anathematizare but the papists kéepe not entire the originall writings of the olde and new testament nor allow them as authenticall neither will they yéeld the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect and sufficient rule of faith nor doe they allow the law of God to be a perfect law nor doe they kéepe Christes institution in the Sacrament of the Lords supper distributing the kinds of bread and wine to the communicants but haue vnto this rule added vnwritten traditions and the determinations of popes concerning matters of faith they haue also encreased the numbers of Sacraments and added many precepts and rules not receiued in the Apostolicke church argument 10 The true Church can not endure hereticks and false apostles that teach doctrine contrary to the faith of Christ and doctrine of Christes apostles Christ Iesus speaking of his shéepe saith They will not follow a stranger but flie from him for that they know not the voice of strangers The apostles gaue vnto Christians a speciall charge concerning this point If there come any vnto you saith S. Å¿ Epist 2. Iohn and bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither salute him Tantum apostoli horum discipuli saith t Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 3. Irenaeus habuerunt timorem vt neque verbotenus communicarent alicui eorum qui adulterauerant veritatem Let vs separate our selues saith Cyprian as farre from them as they separate themselues from the church The true church certes can not embrace erroneous doctrine neither can any heretiks be accounted Christians Si haeretici sint saith u De praescrip aduers haeret Tertullian Christianiesse non possunt But the Papists communicate with hereticks as Liberius Felix Vigilius Honorius Iohn the 22. and 23. whom in my treatise De pontifice Rom. I declared to be heretiks they do also embrace the heresie of Angelicks in worshipping angels of the Collyridians in worshipping the blessed Virgin of Marcion Valentinus and others in denying Christes true bodie in the Sacrament to be solide and palpaple of the Pelagians in magnifying their merits and the force of frée will of the Carpocratians in burning incense and worshipping the images of Iesus and Paul and diuers others as we shall héereafter particularly declare argument 11 The true Church of Christ admitteth not the apocryphal legends of S. George Cyricus and Iulitta for these are condemned by the censure of Gelasius who testifieth that the olde Church of Rome receiued not any such legends but the latter Church of Rome and papists of our time doe admit these legends and out them they gather their traditions which they make equall to the word of God argument 12 The Church of God is the mistresse and teacher of trueth and admitteth no falshood nor vntrueth the apostle doeth call her the pillar and ground of trueth Est fons veritatis saith x Instit diuin lib. 4. c. vlt. Lactantius speaking of the church hoc est domicilium fidei that is she is the fountaine of trueth she is the house where true faith dwelleth but the church of Rome that now is is not only a receptacle of leud opinions but also the mother and mistresse of lies and vanities and so Petrarch for aboue two hundred yéeres doubted not to call her Madre d'errori e tempio d'haeresia saith he which authoritie albeit they regard not yet the same which he auoucheth is prooued first in that the church of Rome auoucheth lying traditions as for example the tradition concerning Ember fasts and fasts vpon Saints vigiles concerning the ceremonies of the masse concerning the words aeterni mysterium fidei thrust into the words of consecration of the challice and such like secondly the same approoueth lying and forged decretals as for example C. Constantinus dist 96. and c. ego Ludouicus dist 63. and c. quis nesciat dist 11. infinit more of that nature thirdly the same giueth credit to Caesar Baronius his most lying and fabulous narrations and the popes haue commended them
by solemne decretals although we doubt not but to make the vanitie of them appeare partly in this discourse but farre more at large hereafter finally the same admitteth most lying legends and now and then permitteth them to be read publikely in the church as for example the legends of Catherine Clement Gregory called also Thaumaturgus Peter Martyr a dominican S. Catharine of Siena S. Christopher and diuers others in the legend of S. Catherine y In breuiaer Ro. in festâ— Catharinae they write that she was a maiden of Alexandria and so well learned that at the age of eighteene yeeres she passed the most learned and in dispute ouercame fiftie Philosophers and that also she conuerted Faustina the empresse and Porphyrius a captaine of the emperors to the faith they say also that she broke the tormenting wheele with her praiers that after her death her body was buried in mount Sinah by angels in the feast of S. Clement in the Romish breuiary we read that Clement Peters successor was by Traian sent into the wildernesse of z Let Parsons tell vs where this is Cersona and that there he saw a lambe make a well to sally out of the top of the mountaine and that he being cast into the sea with a millstone about his necke the sea fled three miles from the shore and that in the very same place a little chappell was found in the sea where his body was bestowed On the festiuall day of Gregory of Neocesaria the church of Rome a In breuiar Rom. appointeth his legend to be read where it is said that he caused the riuer of Lycus to keepe within the chanell by planting his staffe on the banke and that his staffe grew presently into a great tree in the rituall books of Sarum we read that Gregory the first deliuered Traians soule out of hell which if it were true why is it now crossed out of the new bookes if false how hapeneth it that the church of Rome so long beléeued that tale b I'n breuiar Rom. in fest Petr. Mart. Peter Martyr one of Dominickes order as they write I thinke beléeue did keepe his virginity both in body and minde and in that sort that he neuer felt himselfe defiled with any mortall sinne they tell vs also that he did fast so long that he could scarce open his mouth to eat They tell vs further many wonders of Saint Nicolas Valerian and Tiburtius Lucia Christopher and other saints in the c Historia Louâ—bard del volto santo italic legend of Ieames of the colepit for else I cannot tell how to English Iacobus de Voragne we read that a certaine picture of our sauiour did lift vp his foot and cast off his slipper to a certaine pilgrime that deuoutly stood before it and would haue offred somewhat having nothing to offer Of Saint Catherine of Siena they say that she was betrothed to our sauiour Christ all which points are very incredible and not to be found in any authenticall writing If then the church of Rome publish and teach these fables and lies then is she no mistresse of trueth but of lies if Robert Parsons will say they are no lies I would pray him to declare vs the trueth out of authenticall histories argument 13 The faith of Gods true church cannot be built vpon any vncertainty or vntrueth for faith is an argument certaine or an euidence of things not seene est fides saith the d Hebr. 11. apostle sperandarum rerum substantia argumentum non apparentium and it is built on Christ Iesus that is trueth and on a rocke that is unmouable neither neede we long profes for this point for the aduersaries themselues confesse this to be true Nihil saith Thomas Aquinas cadere potest sub fide nisi inquantum stat sub veritate prima sub qua nullum falsum stare potest and afterward he saith quod fidei non potest subesse aliquod falsum if then the faith of the church of Rome be grounded on falshood then is it no true faith and if that churches faith be no faith then is not that church the true church but that the faith of the church of Rome is built vpon diuers false positions it may easily be proued for first the same beleeueth that the traditions of the church of Rome are either descended from Christ or the apostles for the most part and namely such as concerne the canon and ceremonies of the masse fastes praiexs for the dead praiers to saints and such like secondly it beleeueth all the determinations of popes concerning faith and manners to be true and infallible as for example that it is necessary for euery christian to be subiect to the Pope that he hath power to depose kings to giue power to cutthrotes to kill kings to dispense with the vncle to marry his neece with the brother to marry his brothers wife and such like thirdly that church beléeueth what is contained in the breuiary and missale as for example the stories or rather legends of Saint Christopher Saint George Saint Catherine and such like finally the same must beléeue whatsoeuer the Pope shall determine to be de fide But among such traditions determinations and legendes there are diuers both false and ridiculous fables neither can it be denied but that the Pope hath determined and may also determine falsely and contrary to the faith and this is shewed in my bookes de Pontifice Rom. at large e Lib. 4. de pontif Rom. and cannot be denied unlesse Robert Parsons can prooue vnto vs that all the Popes decretales concerning matters of faith and maners and all the traditions of that church and all legendes are true which to him will be a matter of some difficulty argument 14 The church of Christ is bounded within the limits of the holy canonicall scriptures habet vrbes legis prophetarum euangelii saith Saint f In Mich. lib. 1. c. 1. Hierome and againe non est egressa de finibus suis id est de scripturis sanctis he g Ibidem c. 7. saith also that it is the property of heretickes to flie to mens commandements and the leauen of the pharisees S. h Lib. 19. de ciuit Dei c. 18. Augustine also concureth with him and saith that the city of God beleeueth the holy scriptures that are called canonicall but of other reports he saith she doubteth but the church of Rome will not be bounded within the limites of holy scriptures neither will she acknowledge the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect rule of faith the same also from scriptures flieth to vnwritten traditions and is much soured with the leauen of the pharisées and mixture of Popish and Iewish ceremonies deuised and established by men finally the same doth rather or at the least as soone beleeue the determination of the Pope as the letter of holy scriptures for in the Pope Stapleton placeth the chiefe authority of the church
is in the pallace of heauen neither may we suspect that he supposed that Christs body might at the same time be in earth Saint y Lib. 10. in c. 24. Luc. Ambrose saith that we touch not Christ with corporall handling but by faith and that we are not to seeke him on the earth nor after the flesh if we will finde him finally the scriptures and fathers do teach vs that Christ is so ascended into heauen that we doe not enioy him héere on the earth according to his bodily presence as I haue declared at large in my treatise against Bellarmine concerning the reall supposed presence of his body in the sacrament argument 21 The true church beléeueth that we are iustified by faith in Christ Iesus and not by the works of the law arbitramur iustificari hominem saith the z Rom. 3. apostle per fidem sine operibus legis Rom. 4. si qui ex lege haeredes sunt exinanita est fides this is the faith likewise of the fathers a Dial. 1. contr Pelag. tunc ergo iusti sumus saith Hierome quando nos peccatores fatemur iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex dei consistit misericordia and that we are not iustified by charitie or by our works it may be prooued by the testimony of saint b Epist 29. ad Hieronymum Augustine plenissima charitas saith he quae iam non possit augeri quamdiu hîc homo viuit est in nemine quamdiu autem augeri potest profectò illud quod minus est quà m debet ex vitio est ex quo vitio non est qui faciat bonum non peccet neither may we suppose where the fathers doe speake of iustice of workes that they meane any other iustice but such as declareth vs iustified and which without remission of sinnes cannot stand before God but the papists both beléeue and teach contrary as appéereth by the c Sess 6. actes of the Trent councell and friuolous disputes of d Lib. 4. de iustific c. 10. seq Bellarmine who endeuoureth to shew that man is able to fulfill the law and that our works doe iustifie vs. whereupon it followeth that contrary to the apostles intention we are iustified by the law if he say truely argument 22 The true church also beleeueth that we are not to boast or glory of our works and that the reward of sinne is death and that eternall life 's the gift of God Si Abraham ex operibus iustificatus est saith the apostle Rom. 3. habet gloriam sed non apud deum and Rom. 6. stipendium peccati mors gratia autem dei vita aeterna in Christo Iesu domino nostro likewise the scriptures shew that when we haue done all we can we are to acknowledge our selues to be vnprofitable seruants and that our sufferings are not woorthy of the glory that is to be reuealed and this the church of Christ also beléeueth and hath from time to time beléeued tua peccata sunt saith Augustine in Psal 70. merita dei sunt supplicium tibi debetur cum praemium venerit sua dona coronabit non merita tua and Hilary in Psal 51. non illa ipsa iustitiae opera sufficenrent ad perfectae beatitudinis meritum nisi misericordia dei etiam in hac iustitiae voluntate humanarum demutationum motuum non reputet vitia but the papists hold that we may trust in our works as appeareth by Bellarmines dispute lib. 5. de iustific c. 7. and say that all sinnes doe not deserue death and that eternall life is due for our works argument 23 The true church doth acknowledge no head of the vniuersall church but Christ alone which is also the Sauiour of his body Christ saith the e Ephes 2. apostle is the head of the church he is sauior of his body neither is the title of head of the vniuersall church due to Peter Peter the apostle saith f Lib. 4. epist 38 ad Joan. Constantinop Gregory is the first member of the holy catholike church and Paul Andrew and Iohn what are they but heads of diuers parishes and yet all are members of the church vnder one head Saint g De agon Christ in Psal 9. Augustine saith that Christ Iesus that is the mediator betwixt God and man is head of the church but this title of mediatour onely belongeth to our sauiour Yet the Romish church doth acknowledge the pope to be her head and h In gloss in c. vnam de maior obed Bertrand blasphemously saith that Christ had not beene discreet if he had not left a vicar generall behind him and this doth i Praefat. in lib. de pontif Rom. lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Bellarmine very well allow and prooue it to be due to the pope is that congregation then the true church that hath either two heads or a head beside Christ Iesus argument 24 The true church is not built vpon the pope for the church was before there was either pope of Rome or chiefe priest among the Iewes but the church of Rome doth acknowledge the pope to be her rocke and her foundation as appeareth by Bellarmines preface before his treatise de pontifice Rom. and doth take the pope to be her foundation k Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Bellarmine among other the popes titles doth reckon this for one that he is fundamentum aedificii ecclesiae that is the foundation of the building of the church argument 25 The true church is Christs faithfull spouse Oseae 2. God speaking to his church saith sponsabo te mihi in fide the church also being Christes spouse harkeneth to him alone and of him is most dearely beloued en dilectus meus saith the l Cantic 2. church loquitur mihi surge propera amica mea columba mea formosa mea veni Cyprian saith that the church cannot be drawne to like of an adulterer adulterari non potest saith m De vnit ecclesiae he Christi sponsa incorrupta est pudica but the n Turrecrem lib. 2. c. 28. Aquin. in 4. sent dist 38. church of Rome doth acknowledge the pope of Rome to be her spouse and o Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Bellarmine doth mainteine that the pope is iustly entituled the spouse of the church and that this is not without the allowance of the pope it may appeare by the popes owne p C. intercorporalia de translat episc c. quoniam de immunit ecclesiae wordes where he challengeth this title of spouse to be due vnto him and yet I hope he will not say of the church sponsabo te mihi in fide nor propera amica mea columba mea nor doth the true church say of the pope en dilectus meus what then resteth but that the church of Rome should be the whoore of Babylon Apocalyp
testimony of Iustine Martyr apolog 2. of Dionyfius ecclesiast hierarch c. 3. of Origen lib. 8. contra Celsum of Hierome in epitaph Paulae ad Eustochium and in his 17. epistle to Marcella of Ambrose de sacramentis and Cyrill catech 5. and others doth declare but the Romish church will haue no other tongue vsed in the common liturgy of the westerne church and publike administration of the sacraments but the latin of which the vulgar people scarce vnderstand one word argument 48 The true church of Christ contenteth herselfe with the religion first taught by Christ his apostles for vpon the fouÌ„dation of their doctrine is the church built and as b Lib. 4. contra Marciâ—n Tertullian saith id verius quod prius id prius quod ab apostolis contrariwise c Aduershares c. 26. Vincentius Litinensis saith that is a tricke 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 first denieth the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect rule of faith secondly the same is departed from the doctrine of the apostles thirdly the same is bound to beléeue all determinations and decretales of popes concerning matters of faith finally that church hath added and changed the ancient faith argument 49 True christians neuer kissed the popes toe nor admitted his outragious dispensations or gréeuous lawes nor were tied to beléeue that the popes iudgement in matters of faith was vnfallible but the Romish church thinketh it a great fauour to kisse his pantofle and séeketh for dispensations at his hands and beareth all his burdensome lawes albeit not with out great grudging as may appeare by Peter de Alliaco his treatise de reformatione ecclesiae by Vllerstones petitions proposed in the councell of Constance and diuers complaints both of English French and Dutch finally if they doe not yéeld his iudgement to be infallible then must they confesse that the church of Rome is built rather on sand than on a rocke argument 50 The church of Christ neuer beléeued that the bishop of Rome could depose princes take their crownes from them or that they could dispense with subiects for their othes of allegeance to their liege princes nay the apostles teach obedience to princes and Peter did rather exhort to obedience then rebellion the canons that goe vnder the names of the d Can. 83. apostles doe seuerely punish such as doe speake reprochfully of princes and magistrates and certes most vnlike it was that euer king or prince would haue embraced christian religion if the same had giuen power to bishops to depose them from their regall throne and to subiects to rebell against their liege soueraignes but papists doe beléeue and e Bellar. lib. 5. de pontif Rom. c. 6. 7. 8. teach that the pope hath power to depose kings and to translate kingdomes from one to another they also do beléeue that he hath power to dispense with the othes of subiects to command them to rebel Howsoeuer the rest beléeue pope f In Bulla contra Elizabetham Pius the fift most wickedly commanded her Maiesties subiects to take armes against her vpon paine of excommunication and the like insolency did g In declarat eiusdem bullae Sixtus quintus vse against her being the Lords annointed and he being the greased and marked slaue of satan both he and Pius quintus doe wickedly raile against her and the like course did that flagitious pope h In bulla contr Henric. 8. Paule the third take against her Maiesties noble father and this is now the popes and their agents most common practise to raise sedition against christian princes and when they cannot otherwise doe hurt like helhounds to barke against them and to publish infamous libels tending to their dishonour and disgrace argument 51 The true church of Christ is also catholike and compriseth all the faithfull of all times and is not limited within any one countrey or nation for our Sauiour Christ commanded his apostles to teach all nations and in our créed we beléeue the catholike church now this catholike church as saint i In psal 56. Augustine saith is spred throughout all the world and conteineth not onely those that are present but those also that are past and are yet to come but the Romish church is not catholike neither doeth it conteine the Greekes or Africanes or men of Asia that for many ages past haue shaken off the yoke of antichrist of Rome further it doeth not reach to the people of God before Christ finally k Lib. de ecclesia milit c. 2. Bellarmine doeth define those onely to be of the church which liue vnder the obedience of the pope this church therefore differeth much from the catholike church argument 52 The true church consisteth not of fierce lyons nor of wolues nor tygers nor such like wilde and fierce beastes but of sheepe and lambes which learne of Christ and are méeke humble and gentle these did Christ commit to Peter and all godly pastors his successors to be fed and these are the members of his church and not those cruell ones that are more like to lyons then shéepe they shall not hurt nor kill saith God by his holy l Isai 11. prophet in all my holy mountaine nay the force of Christes religion is such that it maketh sauage and fierce people to become méeke and gentle the wolfe saith the m ibidem prophet shall dwell with the lambe and the pard shall lie with the kidde quis coegit barbaros gentesque alias in suis sedibus saith n Lib. de incarnat verb. Athanasius immanitatem deponere pacifica meditari nisi christi fides crucis signaculum Optatus in his second booke against Parmenian speaking of catholickes to heretickes which of vs saith he hath persecuted any man can you shew or proue that any of you hath bene persecuted by vs But the Romish church doth consist of lyons tygers wolues and inquisitors popes and friers more fierce and cruell then lyons tygers and wolues their o Extr. de haereticis per tot lawes are most cruell their executions notwithstanding passe both law and reason In the time of Charles the emperor the fift of that name it is recorded p Meteran de Belgit tumult that aboue fifty thousand persons were condemned by sentences of inquisitors and iudges and executed to death in the low countries for the profession of their faith In France as the stories of that country declare thréescore thousand christians without all order of law and contrary to solemne othes giuen them by the king for their security were most shamefully and trecherously murdered and massacred for the profession of their relion at the kings sisters mariage Circiter sexaginta hominum millia saith q Hist Nat. com lib. 23. p. 508. Natalis Comes speaking
of the virgin Mary of angels and saints and giue latriam or souereigne worship not to God onely but also to the images of God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy ghost to the images also of the holy Trinitie and of the crosse Of their Agnus Dei they b Caerem lib. 1. c. 7. say Peccatum frangit vt Christi sanguis angit and when they consecrate a crosse they pray that as the world was deliuered from the guilt of sinne by the crosse of Christ so those that offer to the new made crosse by the merit of the same may be acquited from all sinne argument 56 The true church neuer vsed the mediation of others then of our Lord and sauiour Christ Iesus the c 1. Tim. 2. apostle teacheth vs that there is but one mediator betwixt God and man the man Christ Iesus but the Romish church hath gotten to it selfe a packe of mediators and doubteth not to entitle the blessed virgin the mediatrix betwixt God and man d Hist p. 3. Tit. 23. c. 3. Antoninus writeth that on a certaine time Christ sitting at the right hand of his father rose vp in fury purposing to destroy all sinners from the earth but that he was intreated by his mother to stay vntill such time as she had sent forth Dominicke and Francis to preach in the world neither can that trite and absurd distinction of some sophisters excuse the papistes that they accknowledge one onely mediatour of redemtion and vse to pray to saintes as mediatours of intercession for first the scriptures and fathers allow no mediators but such as are mediators of redemption and not onely of intercession and therefore that title of mediator the scriptures giue onely to our Sauiour as appeareth by the words of the apostle 1. Tim. 2. and Hebr. 9. 12. where our sauiour is called the mediator of the new testamnet and Saint e Lib. 2. contra parmen c. 8. Augustine where he dissallowed the title of mediator in Parmenian doth not deny that the pastor may intercede and pray for his flocke but that he may be called a mediator and his f Ibidem reason is quia vnus verusque mediator est which excludeth all men whether aliue or dead from this title of mediator secondly the papistes in their blasphemous canon doe make priestes mediators not onely of intercession but also of redemtion where they say qui tibi offerunt hoc sacrificium landis pro se suisque omnibus pro redemptione animarum suarum thirdly they so pray to angels and saintes as if we could not come to Christ but by them but our sauior doth immediatly call men to himselfe and teacheth vs to pray to the father in his name and Saint g In Rom. 1. Ambrose saith that to obtaine Gods fauour we need no spokesman but a deuout minde Chrysostome likewise homines saith h De poenit homil 4. he vtuntur atriensibus in deo nihil tale est sine mediatore exorabilis est and in another place i De profectu enang nihil tibi patronis opus est apud deum neque enim tam facilè deus audit si alij pro nobis orent qùam si ipsi pro nobis oremus etsi pleni simus omnibus malis fourthly they so pray to angels and saintes as they giue men to understand that they are present in all places for to Saint Francis Saint Dominicke and other saintes they pray in Italy Spaine France and other countries they also signifie that they vnderstand their heartes and deuotions but this is proper to God onely to be in all places and to search mens heartes and the same belongeth to no creature vnlesse we will ascribe diuinity vnto them fiftly they in their litanies to saintes and angels haue such formes of praiers as in the ancient church of Christ was no time vsed in the masse they pray to God that by the merites and praiers of saintes in all thinges they may be protected by Gods helpe at other times they pray to saintes not onely to pray for them but to defend them and helpe them finally they call vpon such persons as we haue iust cause to doubt whether they be saintes as for example traitors executed for their offences and friers and monkes odious for their superstitions in the first ranke commeth Thomas Becket and Campion and his fellowes in the second Francis dominicke Clare Rocke Catharine of Siena and such like vnlesse therefore Robert Parsons and his consortes can proue these formes of intercession to haue bene vsed in the church of Christ it is a great hazard but he will proue himselfe and his fellowes not to be of the church argument 57 In the true church of Christ we neuer read nor heard that christians vsed to scourge themselues before crucifixes and other images publikely or in their chambers of meditations priuatly or that they cried out before their images and crucifixes but we read that the priestes of Baal cut themselues so that the blood followed and that they cried mainly vpon Baal we read also that the priestes of Cybele in honor of their goddesse were wont to cut themselues they say also that in the Indiaes there are certaine priestes that lash themselues before their idoles are not then the papistes that scourge themselues before their images and in their chambers of meditations liker to Baals priestes and ethnikes then to the children of God argument 58 In the church of Christ sinners doe penance in their owne persons in the Romish church they thinke it sufficient to scourge themselues and to doe other offices of penance by deputies argument 59 In the true church of Christ the bishops of Rome gaue forth no indulgences nor iubelies nor did take on them to dispence Christs and the saints merits by publike charters nor gaue pardons of hundreds of daies or yéeres is it not then the false church that taketh this power vnto her argument 60 The true church is a societie of faithfull people vnder lawfull pastors for as the k Ephes 4. apostle saith our Sauiour Christ hath giuen pastors and teachers for the worke of the mynistery for the aedification of his body vntill we all meet together in the vnitie of faith and acknowledging of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man l 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 he plebs episcopo adunata pastori suo grex adhaerens so likewise saith m In dial aduers Luciferianos Hierome quod ecclesia non est quae non habet sacerdotes and this we are taught by reason that there ordinarily can be no church where there is no ministery to gather a church nor a family of Gods children where there are no pastoral fathers to beget sons to God But the Romish church hath long wanted true bishops priests and
call Rome vnder the popes false and wicked Babylon Gia Roma saith he hor ' Babylonia fals'eria his opinion is likewise confirmed by the bishop of Salzburg Auentin lib. 7. Michael Cesenas Petrus Blesensis and others and so guilty are the Romanists in their owne conscience that either they can not endure the interpretation of the Reuelation of S. Iohn or els they giue out such vaine constructions of it as neither satisfie themselues nor others argument 63 The true church of Christ did neuer worship S. Peter nor the ancient bishops of Rome nor did S. Peter suffer himselfe to be worshipped or carried on mens shoulders or to haue his pantofle kissed but the Romish church doth worship the pope and call him a god on the earth and Christes vicar and the foundation and spouse and head of the church the bishop of Modrusa in the councell of Lateran cried out to Leo the tenth te beatissime Leo saluatorem expectauimus others beare him on their shoulders others crie out to the pope to haue mercy on them others leade his palfrey others kisse his féet argument 64 The true church did alwaies reuerently thinke of the holy mysteries of Christian religion and accordingly did she vse them it is a common saying that holy things are respectiuely and reuerently to be vsed But the Romish church neither thinketh nor beléeueth reuerently nor vseth the mysteries of Christian religion so respectiuely as the holinesse and grauity of such things require one pope cast the eucharist into the fire Hildebrandus saith x In vita Gragor 7. Beno sacramentum corporis Domini responsa diuina contra imperatorem quaerens iniecit igni Pius Quintus cast one Agnus Dei into the water of Tybre y In vita de Pio 5. and another into the fire Cresciuto il Teuere saith Hierome Catena Pio vi gittò vn ' agnus Dei il fuoco appreso in vna casa piena di fieno vi si gitto vn altero All papists for the most part affirme that if a dogge or hogge or mouse eat a consecrate host he eateth the body of Christ really and properly the conspirators that were suborned by Sixtus Quartus to kill Laurence and Iulian de Medici were commanded to do it in the church and at the instant of the eleuation of the sacrament Dato signo saith z Lib. Geograph 5. Volateran cum eucharistia tolleretur When the pope rideth abroad he sendeth his corpus Domini before with the baggage and with the basest seruants of his house as Mouluc in a treatise directed to the Quéene mother of France declareth finally albeit the papists teach that the crosse is to be worshipped with latria or diuine worship yet doe the popes make crosses on their slippers to shew what base reckoning they make of their religion argument 65 The church of Christ is a society of beléeuing and faithfull people and a communion of saints this is an article of our faith that is proued by the definition and nature of the church but the Romish church requireth in her followers no more to make them her true members but that they professe the Romish faith outwardly and communicate with the church in sacraments and be subiect to the pope vt aliquis aliquo modo dici possit pars verae ecclesiae de qua scripturae loquuntur non putamus requiri vllam internam virtutem saith a De eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine so by his account the church may consist of hereticks and most wicked persons so they make an externall profession of Christianitie and holde with the pope but such can not be parts or members of Christes church without true faith and charity argument 66 b Matth. 18. Whosoeuer heareth not the church is to be accounted as a heathen man or publican but he that heareth not the church of Rome that excommunicateth Christian princes and stirreth vp subiects to rebellion and debaseth holy scriptures and setteth vp vncerteine and false traditions and mainteineth false doctrine idolatry and heresie is neither to be accounted a publican nor a heathen man but a true Christian and follower of Christ Iesus the papists will denie perhaps the church of Rome to be guilty of this crime but the wicked excommunications of Paul the third denounced against Henry the 8. K. of England of Pius 5. Sixtus Quintus against her Maiesty and of other popes against other princes and the stirres that haue ensued of them doe prooue them to be authors of rebellion the rest we haue already touched and shall more at large proue hereafter argument 67 c Lib. de notis ecclesiae Bellarmine confesseth and all papists agree with him first that the true church of Christ is the catholicke church and maintaineth catholicke doctrine 2. that the same is most ancient sine dubio saith he vera ecclesia antiquior est qùam falsa 3. that the same shall alwaies continue ecclesia dicitur catholica non solum quia semper fuit sed etiam quia semper erit saith Bellarmine 4. that it shall be enlarged to the endes of the earth ecclesia catholica saith he non solum debet amplecti omnia tempora sed etiam omnia loca omnes nationes omnia hominum genera 5. that it hath a succession of bishops certaine and continuall 6. that it consenteth with the apostolicke church in the doctrine of faith sexta nota saith Bellar. est conspiratio in doctrina cum ecclesia antiqua 7. that it be vnited to Christ Iesus and haue the partes vnited among themselues septima nota saith he est vnio mēbrorum inter se cum capite 8. they confesse also that the doctrine of the church is holy 9. that it is effectuall 10. that the authors of the docttrine of the church are holy ecclesia enim saith Bellar. habet doctores sanctos 11. that the same is adorned with miracles prophecie 12. that the aduersaries of the church confesse the doctrine thereof to be true and finally that such as haue fauored the church haue prosperous successe and such as disfauour it euill successe and vnhappie endes but the Romish church is neither called catholicke of all nor is it catholicke in respect of place or doctrine nor is the same ancient the doctrine of popery being not established but since the councell of Lateran vnder Innocent the third the first father of transubstantiation enacted for the most part by the conuenticles of Constance Florence Trent nor hath the Romish church any assurance that it shall alwaies continue seing the same dependeth on the Pope and his determinations in neither of which is there any certainty for the pope may be taken away as saith d De auserribilit papae Gerson and his decrées doe oftentimes alter e Epist 2. ad Bohemos Nicholas of Cusia saith that the scriptures are to be fitted to the time and that they are diuersly to be vnderstood and that God doth
alter his iudgement according to the iudgement of the church we sée also that the popes are still publishing decretales of faith and that one destroieth that which another buildeth and contrariwise 4. it were plaine impudency to affirme that the doctrine of the church of Rome concerning frée will and works sacraments and the popes authority and such like points was alwaies taught and receiued of all nations and in all places and that shall appeare by diuers perticulars where wée declare that the papists are no catholickes 5. that church hath no certaine nor continuall succession of bishops for neither doe the aduersaries know who succeded Peter nor what bishops from time to time succeded one another nor haue the popes bene true bishops a long time wanting due election and ordination and relinquishing vtterly the office of bishops to rule the temporall state of Rome nor can they deny but that the succession of that sée hath bene often interrupted by long vacations distraction by schisme intrusion of Dame Ioane into the popedome 6 we shall easily proue that the doctrine of that church agréeth not with the apostles doctrine for I doe not thinke that Bellar. can shew the decretales to consent with Paules epistles or to haue bene written with the same spirit 7. the papists haue not onely ouerthrowne Christs propheticall office in teaching new doctrine but also his regall and priestly function appointing a new gouernment neuer established by him and erecting a new priesthood and sacrifice contrary to Christes doctrine furthermore that church not onely hath bene oftentimes distracted by schisme but also is much distracted by contrary opinions of schoolemen monks and friers in euery point of doctrine as to goe no further appeareth both by Dionysus Carthusianus vpon the master of sentences Iosephus Angles his Flores doctorum and Bellarmines disputations wherein he alledgeth in euery point diuers opinions 8. their decretaline doctrine is neither sound nor holy standing more on temporall iurisdiction then pointes of faith and establishing the blasphemies of the masse the idolatrous worship of saints departed and of images and the tyranny of the pope 9. the same doctrine is without effect being vpholden with lies fables fraud fire and sword and not being otherwise able to stand 10. Gregory the 9. was a most wicked ambitious man of Boniface the 8. it is said that he sought rather to rule by force then religion Clement the 5. was a notorious adulterer as f Villani Vrsperg stories write Iohn the 22. was an hereticke an ambitious man yet were these the principall authors of Romish doctrine for as for friers and monkes they might prate their pleasure but the chiefe authority to allow or disallow was in the pope 11. the reportes of Romish miracles and prophecies are nothing but lies and fables and stand onely vpon the report of their legendes 12. Bellarmine shall neuer prooue that any of vs haue confessed the doctrine of popery to be true finally it appeareth that the popes of Rome and their agents in most of their attempts haue had no good successe Charles the fift and his sonne Philip the greatest protectors of the popish cause died discontent to say no more Henry the third the principall agent in the massacre of France was killed by a frier The duke of Guise and other massacrers came to violent ends contrariwise it hath pleased God to maintaine true Christians against all the forces and ambuscadaes of their enimies by small meanes if then Bellarmine say true the Romish church will prooue no true church argument 68 The church of Rome is also conuinced not to be the true church by the confession of g Relect. doct princip contron 1. q. 5. Stapleton for if the true church began at Hierusalem and is vniuersally dispersed ouer the whole earth and hath continued in all ages and hath a true and certeine succession continued from the apostles and disagreeth not about matters of faith nor dissenteth from the head of the church and hath planted christian religion and 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 intiere and also sheweth the true way of saluation and keepeth the scriptures sound pure from corruption and finally holdeth the decrees of general councels as blundring h Princip doctrinal relectis Stapleton not onely confesseth but after his rude and most odious and tedious fashion with multitude of words goeth about to prooue 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 affirme that Rome now is like to old Rome Robert Parsous should do vs a speciall fauour to shew vnto vs that the glory and fulnesse of power that the pope challengeth with his glorious cardinals masse priests mitred prelats idle monks lying friers and all the popes doctrine concerning the law faith sacraments ceremonies and other matters came from Hierusalem he may do well also to prooue that the latter scholastical decretaline doctrine which the church of Rome mainteineth was vniuersally receiued throughout the world nay that it was receiued in any part of the world during the apostles times or the times of the ancient fathers of the church as for the rocke of succession of popes vpon which our aduersaries build so large conclusions i Lib. de pontif Rom. de notis ecclesiae we haue shewed it to be nothing but a banke of sand for neuer shall the popes agents be able to shew the same to haue beene certeine or continued without interruptiō it is also apparent that popish doctrine is not onely diuers from Christs doctrine but also contrarie to the same and that there are infinit contradictions and contrarieties in the opinions of the chiefe patrons of popery albeit all dissent from Christ the head of the church the church of Rome hath also béene torne in pieces by diuers schismes further we shall héereafter shew that the later popes haue not planted but rather rooted out Christian religion out of diuers places and in the rest haue corrupted it with diuers nouelties and heresies finally the church of Rome hath not onely abrogated ancient canons and changed the ancient forme of church gouernment but also corrupted the rule of faith by adding of vnwritten traditions determinations of popes and their fancies to the canonicall scriptures the gates of hell therefore preuailing against the church and popes of Rome it is easily to be inferred that the same is not the true church argument 69 Héere we will also adde the testimony of Bristow a man as the aduersaries imagine well séene in motiues and markes of the church He k Bristowes motiues commendeth that for the true church that is catholike and apostolike and which abhorreth all nouelties heresies and
grant that any is saued iumbling catholike and Romane together as appeareth by the confession of the Iebusites of Burdeaux by Canisius Catechisme translated into Spanish by Hierome Campos Bristowes 12. motiue in the margent the cardinall of Cusa epist 5. ad Bohemos Cochlaeus hist Hussit lib. 11. argument 15 The papists also to fit their new fantasies haue coined a new definition of the church h De eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine defineth the church to be a company of men conioined in one profession of faith and communion of sacraments vnder the gouernment of lawful pastors and especially of the bishop of Rome which definition is neither to be shewed in any authenticall writer nor prooued by any good argument for neither is it sufficient to professe the faith outwardly and to communicate in sacraments and to liue in subiection vnder lawfull pastors to make a man a true member of the catholike church nor can it be shewed that all christians haue euer liued in subiection of Romish bishops not that for that most wicked persons and atheists and heretikes may make an externall profession of their faith and receiue the sacraments as did Iudas and liue in outward subiection to their pastors which notwithstanding the ancient fathers doe not acknowledge to be true members of the church not this for the Easterne and Africane churches in time past were neuer gouerned by the popes decretales If Robert Parsons thinke otherwise let him produce thrée or foure decretales of popes whereto these churches yéelded obedience argument 16 The ancient fathers beléeued that the catholike church is a communion of saints and a multitude of true beléeuers the first is proued by an article of our creed and so proued that it may appeare that the fathers accounted no licentious liuers true members of the church Non ideo putandi sunt mali saith S. i Lib. 2. contr lit petil c. vlt. Augustine esse in Christi corpore quod est ecclesia quia sacramentorum eius corporaliter participes sunt the second is proued for that faith is the life of Christans Ecclesia est domus Dei saith k In Psal 51. Hilary omnes euangelicae fidei sectatores likewise l Lib. 1. de sacrament Ambrose saith that the first thing that is required in a Christian is faith and both these points I haue at large prooued against m Lib. de eccles part uat sedec 6. 7. Bellarmine but the papists if any credit be to be giuen to n Lib. de eccles miâ—it c. 2. Bellarmine do hold that a man may be a part and true member of the true church albeit he haue neither faith nor charitie nor any inward vertue so that by his confession the Romish church may consist of infidels atheists sodomites and abominable persons argument 17 The ancient church was wont to reuerence the apostles canons but the late Romish church doth not much regard them as is apparent by the the 5.9 and 31. canons which are not now obserued Ex 84. apostolicis canonibus saith o Lib. 5. de sacror hom continent c. 105. Michael Medina quos Clemens Romanus pontifex eorundem apostolorum discipulus in vnum coegit vix sex aut octo Latina ecclesia nunc obseruat likewise Martin Perez de tradit part 3. c. de autorit can apost saith that many things are conteined in the apostles canons which through the corruptions of times are not fully obserued argument 18 The ancient church neuer vsed to confesse their sinnes to angels saints and to the virgine Mary neither were Christians inioined in time past to say Confiteor Deo omnipotenti beatae Mariae semper virgini beato Michaeli archangelo beato Ioanni Baptistae sanctis apostolis Petro Paulo omnibúsque sanctis as the papists say in euery masse nay in ancient p In missa Jacobi Marci Basilij Chrysostomi missals this forme is not found argument 19 Neither did the priests clerke in ancient time giue absolution to the priest as it is in the missale of Rome nor say Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus dimissis omnibus peccatis tuis perducat te ad vitam aeternam for that is nothing els but to giue the keies to boies and preferre the scholar before the master argument 20 The confession of faith also set out by q Bulla Pij 4. super forma profess fidei Pius the fourth wherein all that take degrées in schooles or take charge of soules professe that they beleeue and admit ecclesiasticall traditions and constitutions and the scriptures according to the Romish sense the seuen sacraments and the doctrine of the councell of Trent concerning originall sinne iustice of works the sacrifice of the masse transubstantiation and other points there established is new and no where to be prooued out of the ancient fathers of the church argument 21 In the rehersall of the tenne commandements the ancient fathers neuer vsed to leaue out that commandement that concerneth the making of grauen images like to God and the worshipping of them But the Romish church knowing it selfe guilty of the breach of this commandement in their litle catechismes put before the office of the blessed virgine and diuers other r Catechism de Hieronymode campos bookes doe leaue the same quite out argument 22 In ancient time Christians beléeued that all was sinne that was contrary to the commandements of God for so they collected of the words of the law that pronounced all accursed Å¿ Deut. 27. Galat. 3. that did not abide in all things t 1. Iohn 5. that are written in the booke of the law to doe them and Saint Iohn saith expresly that all vnrighteousnesse is sinne and if it were not so then were the law of God a most imperfect and vncertaine rule but the u Consur colon f. 46. papists of late time affirme that all that is repugnant to the law is not sinne and that concupiscence is not sinne in the regenerate and finally that it is no sinne not to loue God withall our hart and all our soule argument 23 Ancient Christians beléeued that concupiscence euen in the regenerate is sinne for that is prohibited by the law of God that saith thou shalt not couet the apostle also doth call concupiscence in himselfe being now regenerate sinne and necessarily it must be so séeing we are by the x Deut. 6. law of God bound to loue God withall our hart all our soule all our strength Saint Hierome y In Amos 1. saith that it is sinne to thinke things that are euill and Saint z Lib. 2. contr Faust Manich. c. 27. Augustine teacheth vs that whatsoeuer is desired or coueted against the law is sinne but the late conuenticle of Trent decréeth that concupiscence in the regenerate is no sinne argument 24 The apostle Iames teacheth that we doe all of vs sinne and that in diuers things and Saint Iohn saith that he
immunitat in 6. nos iustitiam nostram saith he ecclesiae sponsae nostrae nolentes negligere argument 90 The ancient fathers neuer called the pope vniuersall bishop for n Lib. 4. ep 32. Gregory the first doeth much mislike that title and calleth it sacrilegious and profane and a certeine councell of Africa cited by Gratiam dist 99. c. primaesedis importeth that the bishop of Rome should not be called vniuersall but now euery lousie frier made pope will be called vniuersall bishop and the papists dare not deny him this title argument 91 Ancient Christians neuer called the pope god nor supremum numen in terris but the canonistes doe not sticke to call him and honor him as God as appeareth by the chapter satis dist 96. and by Augustine Steuchus in lib. de donat Constantini and Stapleton in his epistle dedicatory before his booke intituled doctrinalia principia calleth him supremum numen in terris that is the soueraigne god of the world argument 92 In ancient time the church was gouerned by the lawes of councels and Christian emperors as appeareth by the acts of councels and lawes of Iustinians Code it appeareth also that in the time of Charles the great and his sonnes the church was gouerned for externall matters by lawes of princes but now the popes exclude both emperors kings and princes and take on them the sole gouernment of the vniuersall church argument 93 In the councell of Constance it was holden that the councell was aboue the pope the same also appeareth for that diuers popes haue answered and some haue béene deposed by councels but now the papists holde contrary and say that the pope is aboue the councell neither doe they allow any councels to be authenticall but such as are called and confirmed by the pope argument 94 The apostles their successors were subiect to emperors princes and paid tribute vnto them the apostle S. Paul taught all bishops and priests to be subiect to higher powers but now they hold that the pope is aboue all princes and kings whatsoeuer Papa est dominus dominantium saith o In c. ecclesia vt lite pendente Baldus ius regis regum habet in suos subditos and p De pontific Rom. lib. 5. Bellarmine holdeth that the pope hath power to depose kings and to take their crownes from them argument 95 The apostles and their successors in ancient time exhorted subiects to obedience now the popes of late haue exhorted subiects to rebellion as appeareth by their execrable bulles against Henry the 8. king of England and his daughter Elizabeth now reigning against Henry the 3. of France and against diuers emperors argument 96 In ancient time bishops spoke reuerently of kings and princes and in the q C. 83. canons of the apostles the censure of deposition is inflicted vpon such of the clergy as vtter words of reproch against princes but now the popes raile against princes as is euident by their wicked bulles and when railing will not serue by assassins and murdrers hired and aposted they séeke to cut their throates as appeareth by the fact of Iames Clement that murdred Henry the 3. Chastell that assaulted Henry the 4. of France and diuers assassins hired to kill our noble Quéene argument 97 Before Gregory the firsts time the popes made no bishops either in England or France or Germany or Afrike or Asia but al nations and prouinces were frée from his vsurpations neither did any bishops sweare fealty to the pope but now all this is quite changed and the pope claimeth a generall power to ordeine bishops ouer the world and maketh them r C. ego N. de iurtiurando sweare fealty vnto him as to their souereigne argument 98 In S. Cyprians and Augustines time the bishops of Afrike would suffer no appeales to be made to Rome now Bellar. disputeth that it is a point of the popes right to heare appeales out of all the world argument 99 Now also the papists make the pope supreme iudge in all causes and controuersies of faith but the ancient church nâ—uer imagined that such matters could be decided without a councell argument 100 The pope now Å¿ C. vnam extr de maior obed challengeth both swords but our Sauior Christ taught that his kingdome was not of this world and the apostle Paul said that the weapons of his warfare were not carnall The ancient bishops of Rome certes neuer vsed swords nor souldiers but sincerely taught the Gospel argument 101 Vntill Boniface the ninth his time the city of Rome was either vnder the emperors or vnder her owne magistrates as Å¿ Lib. 2. de schism Theodoric à Niem testifieth is it not then strange that the emperor will suffer his imperiall state and empire to be holden from him which is so lately vsurped and by fraud intercepted by the pope argument 102 It is not long since the pope began to weare a triple crown and to be borne on mens shoulders and to tread on princes necks and to make others to kisse his pantofle Let Robert Parsons shew that this was done before Gregory the seuenth and Celestine the third argument 103 Neither is it many hundred yéeres since the pope challenged annates and tooke money of archbishops for their palles argument 104 The popes prouisions reseruations translations and other extraordinary dispensations were vnheard of in the ancient church argument 105 Finally whether we respect the foundations of popish religion or the doctrine of the Law and Gospel or the doctrine and ceremonies concerning sacraments praiers and the worship of God or the gouernment and lawes of the popes chamber chancery and consistory we may boldly say that so much as we reiect in this church is nothing els but a packe of nouelties CHAP. III. That the papists are no true catholikes nor holde the catholike faith if they beleeue the popes decretals and his schoole diuinitie IF false teachers as they secretly broch erronious doctrine so would openly manifest their malicious and wicked natures we should not néed so watchfully to looke to their procéedings nor so earnestly to exhort all Christians to beware of their deceits and entisements but séeing like wolues in shéeps clothing they come abroad with the names of catholiks and catholike religion and abuse simple people I thinke it very necessary to take this maske from their false visages and to shew that they are woluish papists and not Christes shéepe or true catholiks the which that we may with all plainnesse and sincerity performe we will first declare what is meant by the catholike church which we professe in our Creed and next what is the catholike faith which euery Christian is to embrace and with all constancy to mainteine The catholike church therefore is the vniuersall societie of Gods saints and it comprehendeth all the faithfull from the beginning vnto the end of the world This catholike church saith S. a In Psal 56. Augustine is
spred thorowout the world and conteineth not only those that now liue but those also that are past and are yet to come The catholike faith is the faith of Christ Iesus which the apostles first taught and which all true Christians both haue holden and do holde and shall holde to the worlds end In this catholike church saith b De haeres c. 3. Vincentius Lirinensis we are to hold that which alwaies hath beene beleeued of all Christians for that is truely and properly catholike he c De haeres c. 34. teacheth vs also that the property of catholiks is to keepe the doctrine committed to them and left with them by the ancient fathers and to auoid profane nouelties finally he determineth that those onely are truely and rightly called catholikes which onely beleeue and holde that which the catholike church in olde time did vniuersally holde Saint d De vera relig c. 5. Augustine doth take catholikes to be nothing els but Christians and true beleeuers which mainteine the sincere faith and follow that which is right Apud eos solos saith he quaerenda est religio qui Christiani catholici vel orthodoxi nominantur he doth also oppose catholikes against heretikes e Epist 81. ad monach palaest epist 95. Leo saith also that there is one true only perfect and inuiolable faith whereto nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken If then the papists be hereticks and no true beléeuers then are they no catholikes if they holde a faith grounded vpon priuate opinions of men and not alwaies nor vniuersally holden then doe they not holde the catholike faith but that they holde diuers heresies and false opinions shall be shewed in the chapter following that they hold many new points altogether vnknowen in ancient time and when the Gospel began first to be preached we haue alreadie proued and demonstrated in the last discourse f That papists hold points of doctrine not catholike It resteth then now that I héere declare that the papists mainteine diuers points of doctrine neuer generally holden of all Christians nor vniuersally taught in the church of Christ and that may appeare first by the doctrine of the church of Rome concerning the foundations of Christian religion next by the doctrine of that church that cōcerneth both the law and the Gospell thirdly by the faith of the Romish church concerning the sacraments fourthly by their faith concerning praier and the whole seruice of God fiftly by their doctrine concerning repentance ordination of ministers marriage almes and fasting and finally by their doctrine concerning the church and the gouernment of it argument 1 Concerning the foundations of religion they teach first that scriptures are an g Bellar. lib. 4. de ver◠Dei c. 12. vnperfect rule of faith as hath béene declared in the chapter going before and h Bish of Eureux some of them haue not feared to write books of the insufficiency of scriptures but the i 2. Tim. 3. apostle saith they are able to make the man of God perfect and wise to saluation and true catholikes alwaies held the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect rule both for faith and maners Saint k Lib. 2. de doct Chr. c. 9. Augustine saith that all things necessarily belonging to faith or maners are conteined in plaine places of scriptures argument 2 The papists will not allow the scriptures to conteine all that word of God which we are now to follow for albeit they do not in expresse termes say so much yet it is necessarily inferred of their doctrine where they l Bellar. de verb. Dei teach that we haue one word of God written and another vnwritten and m Sess 4. concil Trid. determine that we are with equall affection to embrace vnwritten traditions and the holy scriptures but the catholike church neuer taught that after the writings of the prophets and apostles once perfected and published we had a word of God vnwritten which is to be placed in equall ranke with the holy scriptures n Aduers gent. Athanasius saith that the holy and diuine scriptures are sufficient to instruct vs in all trueth S. o In Mich. 1. Hierome calleth the scriptures the limits or bounds of the catholike church Non est egressa de finibus suis saith he id est de scripturis sanctis What saith p Regul 80. Basil is the propertie of a faithfull man forsooth to beleeue with certine fulnesse of minde whatsoeuer is conteined in scriptures and neither to reiect any part thereof nor to adde any new thing vnto them Saint q Lib. de paradis c. 13. Ambrose saith we may no more adde to Gods commandements than take from them and S. r In Ioan. tractat Augustine electa sunt quae scriberentur quae saluti credentium sufficere videbantur that is those things are chosen out and thought fit to be written which séemed to be sufficient for the saluation of the faithful and albeit the fathers mention traditions which were sometime vnwritten yet if they were necessary they signifie that now they are written Si aut in euangelio praecipitur saith * In epist ad Pompeium Cyprian aut in apostolorum epistolis aut actibus continetur obseruetur diuina haec sancta traditio he signifieth that no tradition is to be admitted vnlesse it be conteined in scriptures argument 3 The papists also teach that the pope and his Sée is the foundation of the church est Petri sedes saith ſ In praefat ante lib. de pontif Rom. Bellarmine lapis probatus angularis preciosus in fundamento fundatus these words also he applieth to the pope whom he calleth Christes vicar in another t Lib. 2. depont Rom. c. 31. place he calleth the Pope the foundation of the church and Sanders in his Rocke of the church disputeth that the pope is that rocke is not then the Romish church a weake building that in euery vacation is without foundation and relieth wholly vpon one man true Catholikes certes neuer applied the words of Isay ch 8 28. to the pope nor thought him to be an approoued stone or corner stone or a precious stone laid in the foundation of the church the u 1. Cor. 3. apostle teacheth vs that no man can lay any other foundation then that which is laid that is Christ Iesus and in another place he x Ephes 2. saith that the church and citizens of saints are built vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone with him also consenteth all the company of true catholikes argument 4 Stapleton in plaine tearmes denieth the scriptures to be the foundation of his religion aliud hodie saith he y In praefat ante relect princip doctrin Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus and afterward ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud the same z In analysi ante
argument 10 The Romanists n C. ad abolendam de haeret adiudge all to be hereticks which teach and hold otherwise of the sacraments then the church of Rome determineth and holdeth and commonly they condemne all that receiue not the popes determinations concerning faith but catholiks make the doctrine of Christ to be the squire of our faith Our o Matth. 28. Sauiour Christ gaue his apostles in charge to teach what he had commanded them the apostle likewise pronounceth him accursed that should teach otherwise than the Galatians had receiueth So it appereth that not those that taught other doctrine than the bishops of Rome but such as taught contrary to the apostles doctrine yea albeit they were bishops of Rome were condemned and accursed argument 11 The Romanists doe aswell build their faith vpon p Concâ—l Trid. sess 4. vnwritten traditions as the written word of God so the papists must aswell receiue the traditions of the legends as the holie scriptures aswell must they beléeue the wounds of S. Francis as Christ his passion and the miracles of S. Dominike and other braue Romish saints as the miracles of Christ and his apostles for these as they holde are traditions and the wounds of S. Francis are confirmed by diuers decretales of popes To this effect writeth q C. sancta dist 15. Gelasius and saith Gesta sanctorum martyrum recipimus but true catholikes haue more certeine grounds of their faith and would be much ashamed to beléeue such fables nay some of the papists haue much misliked these fabulous legends as may appeare by the testimony of Dante an Italian poet Cant. 29. and Laurence Valla in his treatise contra Donationem Constantini argument 12 The papists allow the legends of S. George S. Christopher S. Catherine Abgarus of the inuention of the crosse of S. Iohn Baptists head and diuers such like as conteining olde traditions but true catholikes will not allow any such fables to be read in the church nay Gratian himselfe vnder the name of r C. Sancta dist 15. Gelasius doth condemne the legend of George of Cyricus and Iulitta Abgarus of the inuention of the crosse and such like argument 13 Alij nunc à Christo saith Å¿ In praefat in relect princip doctrin Stapleton eorúmue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locum habebunt that is others beside Christ together with their doctrine preaching and determination shall be accounted of me as a foundation The rest also beléeuing that the popes can not erre in their determinations concerning faith must néeds rest vpon them as the foundation of their faith but true catholiks build their saith onely vpon Christ and his doctrine deliuered by the apostles and prophets argument 14 The church of God and all true catholikes kéepe the doctrine of the apostles and holy fathers without addition and alteration and auoid all prophane nouelties The t Galat. 1. apostle pronounceth him accursed that teacheth any other Gospel than that which he had taught Catholicorum hoc ferè proprium saith u Aduers hares c. 34. Vincentius deposita sanctorum patrum commissa seruare damnare prophanas nouitates sicut dixit iterum dixit apostolus si quis annunciauerit praeterquam quod acceptum est anathematizare If then the church of Rome and papists haue altered the apostolike and ancient fathers faith and haue added diuers points of new doctrine vnto it as I haue verified in the chapter going before he doth greatly wrong the catholike faith which calleth them catholikes argument 15 True catholikes beléeue in God onely Faith saith the x Rom. 10. apostle is by hearing and hearing by the word of God y De diuin non inib. c. 7. Dionyse saith that faith hath for his obiect the most pure and euer being trueth and euery catholike rehearsing his beliefe saith he beleeueth in God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost but the papists after a sort beléeue in the virgine Mary in angels and saints and pray and confesse their sinnes vnto them for if they beléeue not in them how doe they call vpon them séeing the z Rom. 10. apostle saith how shall they call on him on whom they haue not beleeued and why doe they confesse their sinnes vnto them if they beléeue not that they do vnderstand the secrets of their hearts and know that their confession is sincere and true if they doe not beléeue in saints yet I hope they will not denie that they beléeue the determinations of the pope and of the Romish church a In oâ—usc contra errores Gracorum Thomas Aquinas saith it is a matter of faith to beleeue the determination of the pope ad fidem pertinct saith he inhaerere determinationi pontificis fummi in his quae sunt fidei imò in his quae spectaÌ„t ad bonos more 's with him also concurreth b Summa Siluest in verb. fides Siluester Prierius He saith also further that we are to beleeue whatsoeuer is taught by the church of Rome Ad fidem pertinent omnia saith he quae sunt in doctrina ecclesiae argument 16 True catholiks beléeue that Christ Iesus as he was true God so was he also true man and had a body like to ours in height bredth and thickenesse and that he filled the place where his body was as do our bodies We must beleeue saith S. c De essentia diuinitatis Augustine that the Sonne of God according to his Deitie is inuisible incorporeall and incircumscriptible but according to his humane nature that he is visible corporeall and locall d Contr. Eutychem lib. 4. c. 4. Vigilius saith that Christ is conteined in a place according to his humane nature and that this is the catholike faith Illud corpus saith e Dialog 2. Theodoret habet priorem formam figuram circumscriptionem vt semel dicam corporis substantiam so likewise saith f Ad Thrasymund lib. 2. c. 5. Fulgentius Si verum est corpus Christi loco potest vtique contineri If then the papists doe assigne to Christ such a body as is neither visible nor palpable nor circumscriptible in the sacrament nor hath the dimensions of height bredth and depth such as a mans body by nature hath nor is continued to it selfe as all bodies are but wanteth all the properties of a true bodie then are the papists neither catholikes nor Christians for how can they be either that erre in things so materiall argument 17 Euery catholike Christian beléeueth that our sauior Christs true body is ascended into heauen and that he there remaineth and shall remaine vntill his comming againe he g Iohn 16. told his disciples before his passion that he must leaue the world and goe to the father he saith also in another h Iohn 12. place that they should not alwaies haue him with them In the first of the Acts we reade that his
owne sinnes much lesse for the sinnes of others n Bellar. lib. 1. de indulgent papists beléeue that a mans sufferings may be so great as they may serue for his own and other mens sinnes and are laid vp in a treasury whereof the pope hath the dispensation argument 74 Catholicks neuer beleeued that there are 7. orders and euery one of these a sacrament and yet all but one sacrament for that is as much as if a man should deny one and one to make two yet papists beléeue this o Sess 23. concil Trid. and accurse them that shall say contrary argument 75 Catholikes doe not beléeue that Christ ordeined seuen orders in the church or that exorcistes doore-kéepers and subdeacons were instituted by him or that they are a holy sacrament the papists notwithstanding doe hold contrary or at the least the contrary may be gathered out of their doctrine argument 76 Catholikes doe not deny but that second mariages are as well to be blessed as first mariages why then doe papists obserue and teach the contrary if they will be accounted catholikes argument 77 Catholikes doe not beléeue that by almes and fasting they are either iustified or able to satisfie for their sinnes but papistes as appeareth by Bellarmines disputes holde contrarie argument 78 Catholikes did neuer tie themselues to beléeue whatsoeuer the church of Rome or the pope determined for not onely the Asian churches dissented from Victor and the African churches from Sozimus but long since all haue left the popes that would not be oppressed by them Saint p Lib. de sacrament Ambrose sheweth that he was not bound to follow the church of Romes direction in all ceremonies but papists are tied to Peters chaire as they séeme to confesse by Pius 4. his constitution are bound to beleeue all things conteined in the Creed which the church of Rome vseth seruilly also they submit themselues for the most part to the decrées of the counsell of Trent argument 79 Catholikes doe not condemne all for heretikes that either teach or thinke otherwise of the sacrament of the altar or of confession of sinnes or other Romish sacraments then the church of Rome for concerning the Lords supper I haue q Lib. de missa papist cont Bellar. shewed that al antiquity is against the Romanistes and the rest shall be prooued as occasion serueth but papists condemne all that dissent from the church of Rome in the points aboue mentioned argument 80 Catholiks beléeue the catholike church but the papists only beléeue the catholike Romane church that is so much of the Catholike church as agréeth with the Romanists for so the Iebusites of Bordeaux in their confession doe signifie and the same is prooued by Bristowes 12. motiue the 5. epistle of cardinall Cusanus to the Bohemians and Sanders in his fift booke of his visible monarchy r Lib. 2 de eccles milit Bellarmine also admitteth none to be of the church but such as are subiect to the pope and that is Boniface the eight his determination c. vnam sanctam extr de maior obedientia argument 81 Catholikes are the shéepe of Christ and therefore kill none especially none of Christs shéepe but papists like woolues murder all that like not of the popes gouernment and doctrine argument 82 Catholikes are a society of saints and true beléeuers as S. Augustine sheweth lib. de ver relig c. 6. 7. but to be a true member of the popish church neither faith nor holinesse nor inward vertue is required as saith Bellarmine lib. de eccles milit c. 2. but onely an outward profession and obedience argument 83 Catholikes neuer beléeued that the pope of Rome was by Christ made his vicar generall or the spouse or the monarke or head of the church ſ De pontif Rom. lib. 2. c. 31. Bellarmine albeit he searcheth all corners yet cannot finde that any catholike writer had any such conceit is it not then apparent that the pope is a plaine intruder into ecclesiasticall gouernment and that the papists holding with him haue forsaken the catholike doctrine of the church argument 84 In ancient time the bishops of Rome were subiect to councels and at their entrance into their bishopricks professed and acknowledged their canons as appeareth by the chapters sancta Romana ecclesia and sicut sancti dist 15. but now papists will haue them to be aboue councels argument 85 In times past the bishops of Rome were subiect to emperors as appeareth by the lawes of Iustinian and diuers other emperors before him which are to be séene in the code vnder the titles de summa trinit fid cath de episc audient authent de ordinat episcop but now contrary to the old forme of gouernment of the church papists exclude the emperour and giue all authority to the pope t Sic omne dist 19. Agatho determines that all the decrees of the apostolike see are to be receiued as if they had beene established by the voice of Peter argument 86 Saint Cyprian teacheth that the apostles had all equall power and that is prooued for that they had like calling and u Luk. 9. Matth. 28. Iohn 20. like commission and for that the church was equally founded vpon them all but papists beleeue that Peter was head and monarke of the church x Summa de ecclesia and that the rest of the apostles were to him as the cardinals are to the pope for so Turrecremata a cardinall séemeth to holde argument 87 Among catholiks Christian emperors were alwaies wont to assemble generall councels as appeareth by the first foure generall councels of Nice Constantinople Ephesus the 1. Chalcedon and diuers others and that the cardinall of Cusa and Anastasius the popes principall agent in his library confesse ex superioribus habetur saith y De Concord Cath. li. 3. c. 13. Cusanus imperatores sanctos congregationes synodales vniuersalium conciliorum semper fecisse ita ego perlustrans gesta omnium vniuersalium conciliorum vsque ad octauum inclusiuè Basilij tempore celebratum verum esse reperi z Ibid. Anastasius also affirmeth vniuersales synodos de omni terra imperatores colligere solitos fuisse but to the papists this catholike forme of assembling councels is much displeasing argument 88 Our Sauiour Christ committed the gouernment of the church to his apostles and a Ephes 4. ascending vp on hie gaue some apostles some prophets some euangelists some pastors and teachers and these he thought to be sufficient for the gouernment and building vp of the church and gathering together the saints and worke of the ministery and he is no catholike that thinketh contrary the hierarchy therefore of the church of Rome where we sée a triple crowned pope a multitude of carnall cardinals a heard of fat abbots and generals of orders of friers and whole swarmes of monkes and friers is not catholike these friers a certeine popish b
in England is nothing but a packe of impostures lies fables and superstitious toyes I shall haue occasion to declare at full in some other treatise But least any might thinke that I wronged the sée of Rome from whom all these abuses are deriued I would pray euerie man that hath skill and leysure with indifferencie to reade the Legends of the Romish Church the Rubtikes of the masse their rituall and ceremoniall bookes their treatises of the Popes authoritie the fabulous lies of Caesar Baronius that filthy lying Cardinall and such like testimonials as they prooue their religion by Now we will onely talke of the definition of a Romish Catholike that euery man may sée what a bare fellowe he is and how little religion and honesty he hath I say that Bellarmine teacheth that he is a good Romish Catholike and a true member of the Romish church that professeth the Romish faith and communicateth with the Romanistes in their sacraments and is obedient to the Pope yea although he haue neither inward faith nor charitie nor other inward vertue And thereupon I conclude that the Papists are like to the Eunomians that taught that so a man were of their religion it skilled not what sinnes he committed That Bellarmine so teacheth it is apparant by his words in his second chapter de ecclesia militanti Nostra sententia est saith he ecclesiam vnam esse non duas illam vnam veram coetum hominum eiusdem christianae fidei professione eorundem sacramentorum communione colligatum sub regimine legitimorum pastorum ac praecipuè vnius Christi in terris vicarij Romani pontificis And afterward he saith Non putamus requiri vllam internam virtutem sed tantum externam professionem fidei sacramentorum communionem scilicet vt aliquis aliquo modo dici possit pars verae ecclesiae de qua scripturae loquuntur If then he be a good Romane catholike of whom the true definition of a Romane catholike may be affirmed then may all wicked and damnable heretikes be true Romish catholikes if they professe the Romish faith and communicate with the Romanists in sacraments and submit themselues to the Pope But saith Owlyglasse Bellarmine saith not that such as want inward verrues are good Catholikes but onely that they are true members of the Church As if the true members of Christs church were not good catholikes or as if he were not a good citizen of whom the definition of a citizen may truly be affirmed and as if he could not be a good and true pope that is no good man Of which point our aduersarie must beware least he touch too rudely the sores of his holy father and of a pope make no pope He saith further that this obiection of Eunomianisme is rather to be charged vpon Lutherans and Caluinists for so this papal swad doth call Christians and vpon M. Willet they giuing excessiue prerogatiues to faith and such as teach that a true faith cannot be lost But albeit he take his pleasure to rayle vpon me yet should he forbeare to wrong those that are either at rest or at the least neuer wronged him And in this place hauing his hands so full of me he might well haue spared to contend with others being no match for any To his charge I answere that Eunomius his heresies touch vs nothing For neither doe we déeme them good Christians as Eunomius did that haue no inward faith nor workes nor did Eunomius talke of the faith of Christ Iesus as we doe when we say the iust shall liue by faith but of his owne new deuised faith Owlyglasse therefore hath no reason for any thing done by me to crie out that Bellarmine is abused and his words falsified nor to charge vs with Eunomius his heresie But his consorts will and iustly may thinke him an idle fellow if he can no better either cleare himselfe or conuince others especially taking vpon him to doe both Sect. XIII Of second mariages and whether the Papists dislike them or no. THe last place out of which our aduersarie goeth about to fasten an imputation of falsification vpon me is for that I say that the Papists like to the Montanists dislike second mariages and denie to blesse them accounting these mariages not so holy a sacrament as the first And this he saith is a slander for that Papists doe not mislike second mariages But here as before oftentimes he forgetteth the subiect of his discourse for he should haue conuinced me of falsifications if he had remembred what he had in hand And yet in this place he doth not so much as touch any place by me alleadged or supposed to be falsified Onely to conuince himselfe of notorious ignorance he hath quoted a marginall note belonging not to this but to the next place as he might haue perceiued by the direction if hee had not béene blinde and hath set the same ouer against my words in this place as if I had proued my sayings of the Montanistes by Damascens chapter beginning Christianocategori in his booke de haeresibus such a learned aduersarie haue we to deale withall I answere further that I doe not slander the Papists as my aduersarie chargeth me when I say that they sauour of Montanisme in disliking second mariages for their counterfeit canons doe pronounce them punishable by excommunication that marie more then once De his qui frequenter vxores ducunt say they de his quae saepius nubunt 31. q 1. de hi◠tempus quidem poenitentiae his manifestum constitutum est And afterward Cum praecipiatur say they Ibidem secundis nuptijs poenitentiam tribuere quis erit presbyter qui propter conuiuium illis consentiat nuptijs It appeareth therefore that they enioyned penance for second mariages as for a grieuous crime and forbad the priest to be present at the feast of such maried folkes Beside that they doe not allow that a Priest shall blesse the second mariage nor doe they accompt the second mariage to be so holy a sacrament as the first Finally Syricius calleth maried folkes C. Plurimos dist 82. and defenders of priests mariages followers of lustes and teachers of vices sectatores libidinum C. proposuisti Ibidem praeceptores vitiorum And Innocentius as if they were vnholy and could not please God and were in the flesh excludeth maried folkes from the ministerie of the altar Which sheweth that they sauour of Montanisme if not worse But saith Owlyglasse if it be Montanisme to denie second mariages to be so holy a sacrament as the first what then be they that denie first and second mariages to be any sacrament at all But this is a balde kinde of disputing to propose a mans argument otherwise then he frameth it We doe not say they be Montanists in denying the second mariages to be a sacrament but that they sauour of Montanisme in disliking second mariages and preferring the first before the second Of which that is
no part of my meaning but I say that the true Church cannot longe want true bishopes and teachers and that therfore the Romish Church is not the true Church hauing no bishops nor préestes at all but in name And that I proued for that they wanted true priesthood and true ordination and were ordayned and sent by antichrist by heretikes and simoniacall persons and such as had no authority to ordayne or sende forth bishops and preestes He answereth finally that I haue no reason to carpe at the Romish clergie for their bad life and lacke of learning seeing Pag. 96. our Church as he saith admitteth most base lewd vnlearned artisās this he indeuoureth to proue by M. Parries words in his preface before Vrsinus his catechisme But he lyeth like a lewde and base fellow if he suppose that such are admitted by our Church they do thrust in I confesse by the abuse of sōe on or more but the church alloweth thē not nay there are canōs made that none is to be ordained minister but bachilars of art or men otherwise well qualified and knowne to be able to teach If any doe otherwise by indirect meanes come into the ministery which abuse Master Parry noteth yet I hope they are not so rude or so lewde as masse Preests which are the scumme of all vileny for the most part as those that trauell Spayne and Italy knowe by practise and our rinegat English masse Preestes by their lewdnesse and insufficiency playnly proue Hauing answered according to his best skill and broken as he thinketh all our bonds like Dalilaes cords though some of his friends say that a certeine Dalila hath strong hold of him he goeth about to retort this argument vpon vs and saith if the true Church hath alwayes true bishops and preests that the Church of England Pag 100. is not the true Church as wanting true preestes and bishops And with this argument hee hopeth to giue vs such a drie shauing as he doubteth not but he will marre the whole beauty thereof but he sheweth himselfe to be but a simple barber and a worse drie shauer for nowe he cannot shew but that we haue true bishops hauing both lawfull ordination and our bishops exequuting the office of bishops loyally and orderly Before this reformation also our bishops had all that which our aduersaries thinke necessary in the outward calling of bishops Besides that there fayled not among our bishops and préestes at all times diuers men which detested the abominations of the Romanistes as Robert Grosted bishop of Lincolne Richard Vllerston that liued about the councell of Constance Iohn wicleffe and diuers others But saith he who layd hands on bishop Parker He séemeth also to make the like question of Luther and Zuinglius I answere that bishop Couerdale and Skory and others which were bishops in King Edwardes time layde hands vpon bishop Parker I confesse also that bishop Cranmer Luther and Zuinglius had an externall calling though corrupt in a corrupt state yet such as Owlygalsse dare not deny to be sufficient And beside that externall calling it pleased God to reuele to them his will extraordinarily and to call them out of Babylon to the knowledge of his truth our aduersary therefore of all men hath least reason to challenge them for their calling Beside that he cannot conclude because that externall calling was then thought sufficient that now the popish Church hath a calling sufficient For albeit the préestes of the Iewes that worshiped Baal had an externall calling which was not disabled when they returned to the true worship of God yet was not their Idolatrous seruice doon to Baal nor that preesthood lawful the like wee may say of masse préests They should haue serued God aright yet whē they serued at their massing alters they worshipped strange Gods But when they left their Idolatrie then their calling tooke effect they doing that for which they were principally called Furthermore he cannot say because now all Idolatry and superstition being abandoned we are the true church that the papists that reteine still their superstitiōs are the true church for the true church is tryed by true faith true worship and seruice of God not by externall rites and ceremonies and succession without Gods true worship or the true faith Owlyglasse would also gladly haue me to set down the names of those bishops that gouerned our Church euer since Christ As if all bishops that mayntained the Apostles créede and catholike faith were not our bishops If they digressed from the faith we are not to séeke for a new ranke of bishops but to acknowledge them to be true bishops that professed the true faith He talketh also of my being at Cales but it is more honesty for me to goe in the seruice of my Prince and contry against forreine enemies then for him with forreine enemies like a disloyal traytor to fight against his prince and contry and like a base slaue to serue the popes turne And this may serue to iustifie my argument against the popish préesthood It resteth now that I answere his friuolous obiections concerning some points which he supposeth to conteine matter of contradiction which he vanteth that hee will handle to the little commendation of my learning as he saith But if he would indéede haue disgraced me he should haue taken in hand the aunswere of some latine treatise which I haue published against Bellar. For therein he might haue shewed lerning whereas this discourse concerning falsifications and vntruthes is nothing but a little fardle of foolery and a vaine bable for his clients to sport themselues with all Well in the meane while let vs know his worships pleasure concerning these supposed contradictions First he chargeth me with saying that the number of seuen sacraments was not certainly established nor receiued before the late councell of Trent and this he supposeth to be contrarie to that which I affirme in another place viz. that the iust number of seuen sacraments and neither more nor lesse was first deliuered by the councell of Florence vnder Eugenius the fourth and afterward confirmed by the councell of Trent But the poore ideot doth rather bewray his owne ignorance that knew not how this doctrine of seuen sacraments crept into the Romish church and great dulnesse that could not distinguish betwixt instructions and canons talking or mentioning matters and confirming them by solemne act and decree To reforme his errour therefore I must let him vnderstand that the conuenticle of Florence did not by any solemne canon establish the iust number of seuen sacraments but certaine idle Friers or others in that conuenticle or at the least vnder the credit thereof deliuered this doctrine of seuen sacraments to the Armenians Furthermore not all Churches but the Armenians had this doctrine deliuered vnto them I speake therefore warily where I say that albeit that doctrine was talked of perhaps and deliuered to the Armenians yet it was first confirmed by solemne
there hath béene some difference betwéene priuat persons about ceremonies and gouernment and that without disagréement in religion yet now all that quarrell to the great griefe of Owlyglasse and his consorts is ended and all godly christians iointly concurre to the repressing of the seditious massepriests and their adherents that by faction and heresie seeke to vndermine both the Church and state In this obseruation he goeth about also to prooue that I doe not séeme to allow the doctrine established in this church of England But as in the rest so in this Owlyglasse doth but trifle I doe holde I confesse that baptisme is not so necessarie but that diuers may and haue beene saued without it especially where there is no contempt committed in procuring it Further I doe beléeue that it is vnlawfull for women to take vpon them to administer baptisme and doe aduise in case of extremitie all christians to procure the ministers presence Thirdly I doe vtterly condemne the doctrine of the papistes concerning their limbus patrum Fourthly I doe much mislike their superstitious stationary obambulations about the limits of parishes for the blessing of new corne and their superstitious letanies and ceremonies vsed in the fame Fiftly I deny that euer the catholike church had any precepts or canons to forbid mariages on such daies and in such sort and for such respects as the Romish Church doth practise Sixtly I doe beléeue that Luthers opinion absolutely considered in it selfe is not a fundamentall point of religion especially if we giue his wordes a fauourable construction Finally I accompt none to be true christians and professours that make no conscience of sinne and liue not according to their profession But what of all this doe I therefore teach contrarie to any point of doctrine maintained by the church of England so Owlyglasse my good friend would insinuate But his proofes are simple and his assertions most false He saith Page 111. that the Church of England teacheth that baptisme is necessarie to saluation But the booke which he alleadgeth out of which he cannot bring one word to prooue his saying doth conuince him both of lying and impudencie Secondly he affirmeth that to deny womens baptisme is contrarie to religion established But it is not contrarie to his religion to lie and face out lies most impudently Thirdly to prooue that our church beléeueth limbus patrum he should haue alleadged our confession and not a certaine verset of the créede in méeter Beside that in that verset nothing is said but that Christ illuminated those that sate in darknesse which is nothing to limbus patrum a place that cannot be illuminated as papistes holde Further that verset may be rather an exposition of the words of the song of Zacharie Luke 2. of the illumination of the ignorant and of the like wordes of the Prophet Esay chap. 9. then an assertion of limbus pactum Fourthly the papists in their perambulations of parishes vse to blesse or rather to exorcise corne and to say most wicked litanyes They vse also diuers superstitious ceremonies which vnlesse Owlyglasse prooue to be allowed by our Church he will prooue himselfe a cogging compagnion Fifthly he talketh of prohibitions of the solemnizations of mariages at certaine times but he alleadgeth neither lawe nor record to prooue that our Church alloweth either the doctrine or the ceremonies of the Romish congregation in this point And there whither he sendeth vs we finde nothing but the testimonie of an Almanacke Sixtly albeit the church of England doth not holde Luthers real presence of Christes body in the sacrament yet cannot the detractor shewe but that his opinion may be reconciled with the Christian faith if a man will not vrge those points that follow of that doctrine too seuerely and further percase then at the first Luther himselfe allowed them If a man doe gather what doth followe of it then is the doctrine dangerous as I and others confesse Finally he doth not so much as go about to shewe that I haue deliuered any thing contrary to the doctrine of our Church where I affirme that good life is as well required in a true professour as true faith Why then is this point touched in this place Doth it grieue him that I touch the filthy Sodomiticall priests and friers and shut that abhominable generation out of Gods church It séemeth so and therefore to requite me he saith that this doctrine may touch me for that I haue falsified and maliciously corrupted the fathers But if I haue cleared my selfe of all those matters that he hath laide to my charge I hope the vanitie of his collection will manifestly appeare to all indifferent men But hee poore ideot appeareth not but séeing the Romish Church and diuers of her principall pillers to be charged with notorious lies and falsifications passeth away in silence and is not able to answere one worde Nay hee leaueth his clients in the briers and signifieth for ought he can doe they must pleade for themselues Wherefore to leaue off further to vrge this distressed followe that is able to say nothing for the defence of them whom he doth principally fauour I may well conclude séeing the arguments which I brought in my Challenge stand immooueable and the detectors exceptions are prooued to be vaine and friuolous first that the Romish church is not the true Church of Christ Iesus Secondly that the religion of Papists is neither auncient nor catholike Thirdly that all papists maintaining the doctrine of the Pope and his adherents are heretikes Fourthly that such as embrace popish religion are idolaters Fifthly that all the Popes adherents and agents that haue suffered for his cause in England are to be reputed no better then disloyall traytors and not as some would haue it Martyres Finally that my aduersary by his friuolous obiections hath much confirmed and strengthened our cause against which he was not able to obiect any one thing of moment and iustified my allegations being not able to take any iust exception against any thing said by me nor to obiect any thing which is not fully answered CHAP. IIII. Of diuers falsities committed by the Popes and Church of Rome IF our aduersarie had well remembred his promise he ought not onely to haue conuinced me of vntruthes corruptions contradictions and falsifications according to the title of his pamphlet but also of maliciousnesse and wilfulnesse for so he vaunteth he will I challenge the challenger saith he of many malicious vntruthes Cap. 1. pag. 8. and many palpable and wilfull falsifications But when it commeth to performance of corruptions he saith nothing contradictions he toucheth slenderly vntruthes and falsifications he can by no meanes fasten vpon me The qualitie of maliciousnes and wilfulnesse being a matter purposed and fully promised he vtterly forgot In the rest how poorely he hath demeaned himselfe by my answere to his whole dispute it will appeare But suppose I had either mistaken a report misalleadged a place yet
nothing more For there is not any one historiographer that doth mention any such matter nay histories report that Otho deposed this Iohn and caused another to be placed in his seate So farre was he from swearing fealty to him beside that not any man of credit euer wrote that the emperor held his crowne in fealty of the Pope Bellarmine albeit he wish well to the Pope yet doth he not holde or beleeue any such mattter Or at least he dare not speake or write so much Thirdly it is apparent that Otho and his successors claymed iurisdiction in Rome and the territory adioyning longe after this supposed decretale Therefore vnlike it is that the emperor should as is here pretended forswere it Finally the frame of the othe is most ridiculous and the stile most brutish the emperor calleth the pope dominum and saith tibi domino Ioanni papae ego rex Otho promittere iurare facio Which is a most absurd kind of spéech For he that sweareth himselfe taketh his oth directly and maketh not others only to swere or promise but no man can deny but that it is falsity to exhibit or vse any false instrument or to corrupt or falsifie any publike or priuat writings by any meanes whatsoeuer paulus respondit saith the law legis corneliae poenateneri L. instrumentorum ff ad L. cornel de falsie qui etiam extra testamenta cetera falsa signassent sed et ceteros qui in rationibus tabulis literis publicis aliaue qua re siue consignatione falsum fecerunt vel vt verum non appareat quid celauerunt surripuerunt subiecerunt resignauerunt falsification 25 The epistles ascribe to Clement Anacle tus Euaristus Alexander Sixtus Telesphorus Hyginus Pius Victor and other ancient bishops of Rome are nothing but méere forgeryes For first seeing they liued in times when latin was most purely spoken it is not likely but their epistles should be good latine But these supposed epistles are most barbarous and Gothical and very vnlike to the stile of Tertullian Cyprian Lactantius and other fathers Secondly it is not like that liuing in ancient time those bishops should speake as the Italians spoake about a thousand yeares after Christ Thirdly séeing there is such difference of stile in diuers writers that no two or thrée write all alike it is not like if all these epistles had béene written by the men whose names they carry that the stile of al should be like Fourthly if they were written by diuers how happeneth it that in diuers epistles diuers writers vse the same words phrase and sentences Againe what is the reason that some of them alledge the words of the scriptures according to Hieromes traslatiō that was made longe after Fifty neither Bellarmine nor Baronius dare maintaine that all these epistles are authentical 6. The Romanistes themselues doe not giue any credit to these epistles For they hold that Linus succeded Peter immediatly but Clement epistle 1. telleth contrary that he did succede Peter being ordained by Peter himselfe Finally they containe some matters disagréeing farre from the times wherein they wrote and others very impossible and sometimes contrarie to authenticall histories Clement epist 1. writeth to Iames of the death of Peter who séemeth to be dead before Peter He talketh of sending of bishops into France Germany and Italy as if he had then had men to commaund at his pleasure and could haue disposed of things then as in latter times He talketh of a forme and face of gouernment which then was not vsuall In his second epistle most arrogantly he taketh on him to instruct Iames the Apostle which had his instruction from Christ Iesus Qualiter tenere de sacramentis debemus That is of the dong of mise in the sacrament which he calleth the Lords portion saith he te ex ordine nos decet instruere And then full wisely he talketh de murium stercore inter fragmenta dominicae portionis Anacletus in his first epistle would haue all hard questions referred to the church of Rome But it is not likely that the true Anacletus would haue so written that died before Iohn the Apostle who was better able to decide controuersies of faith then Anacletus In his second epistle he saith that the Apostles appointed the 72. disciples which the gospell sheweth vs to haue béene ordained by Christ In his third epistle he saith that Abilius succeeded Marke in Alexandria whereas Anianus did follow Marke and Abilius followed Anianus He saith also that Cephas signifieth a head in gréeke The same man denieth the lesser orders vnder priests and deacons to be instituted by Christ or the Apostles Euaristus talketh idely of ordaining priestes without titles and consecrating of Churches and stone altars whereas titles and churches began not before the peace of the church and stone altars were not built for many yeares after Sixtus beginneth his epistle thus Sixtus vniuersalis apostolicae ecclesiae episcopus whereas this title was by Gregory the first and long after Sixtus his time refused It is not like that Hyginus being a Gréeke wrote to the Athenians which were Gréekes in latin which notwithstanding is signified by his epistle Beside that he affirmeth that the first epistle of Iohn was written to the Parthians Calixtus in his second epistle argueth against those that refused repentance to those that had fallen in time of persecution which was the heresie of Nouatus that rose vp some prety while after his time Pontianus in his epistle ioyneth Christ and Peter together contrary to the stile of those times Marcellinus saith non licet imperatori Epist 2. vel cuiquam pietatem custodienti aliquid contra mandata diuina praesumere whereby he signifieth that the Emperor then professed christian religion In his first epistle he disputeth against the Arrians which denied Christ to be of one substance with his Father very stoutly and yet in his time the heresie of Arrius was not knowne in the world Infinit other exceptions may be taken to these and to the rest of the decretale epistles that go vnder the name of auncient bishops of Rome But the rest being like to these of which we haue already spoken there is no question but they are all of one stampe falsification 26 Melchiades 12. q. 1. c. futuram ecclesiam telleth vs how Constantine was christened and gaue his seate and other great possessions to the church of Rome and yet Melchiades was dead before Constantine was christened or had giuen any thing to the Church This act therefore must néedes be forged and so doth the glosse confesse after a sort falsus est titulus saith the glosse in the canons set out by Gregory the 13. which sheweth that the Romish Church impudently vseth false titles falsification 27 Next to decretale epistles shall follow the falsification of Fathers Out of Augustine de doctrina christiana lib. 2. c. 8. they describe this sentence in canonicis scripturis ecclesiarum catholicarum quamplurimum diuinarum
words forcing him to speake for praiers to angels which true S. Ambrose as may appeare by my answeres to his exceptions condemned falsification 12 Pag. 36. he produceth Hierome as a witnesse for prayers to saints and alledgeth his booke against Vigilantius for that purpose but vnlesse he falsifie S. Hieromes words he shall not find any thing in him that maketh for his aduantage falsification 13 Pag. 53. 54. he falsly alledgeth the 4. councell of Toledo c 1. Ignatius his epistle ad Trallianos Cyrilles cateches 4. Epiphanius haeres 46. Hierome vpon the 4. to the Ephes Gregories Morals lib. 13. c. 20. and all to prooue Limbus patrum which the papists fancy to be in hell and a receptacle of the fathers before Christ His falshood may appeare for that not one of these testimonies maketh for Limbus patrum and that if he will not beléeue me Bellarmine will teach him lib. de anima Christi c. 14. where he shall not once finde his Limbus patrum mentioned in any father falsification 14 Pag. 62. he doth falsly ascribe the defence of womens baptisme to Master Hooker of blessed memorie whosoeuer listeth to reade Master Hookers fift booke of Ecclesiast policie sect 62. shall finde that he condemneth women that presume to baptize children albeit he do not pronounce the baptisme by them administred to be of no validitie falsification 15 Pag. 80. 81. he alledgeth S. Augustine ser 243. de tempore and the councell of Neocaesarea c. 7. to prooue that the custome of not blessing second mariages is no new deuice but a practise of the primitiue church and yet neither doth the canon alledged nor the author of that sermon speake one word of blessing of second mariages Furthermore neither this sermon that he alledgeth séemeth to be S. Augustines nor are the acts of the councell of Neocaesarea authenticall Finally if this simple fellow had alledged more places more he would haue alledged falsely being not able to alledge any thing almost truely If then the Archpriest Blackewell doe happen to méet with this owle of Canke wood he may doe well to admonish him not to abuse the testimonies which he alledgeth and his readers patience which he trieth to the vttermost with such notable falsities he himselfe confesseth that it is a flagitious matter to poule and pare the sentences of venerable antiquitie There resteth therefore nothing but séeing he hath confessed his fault that the Archpriest set him to penance and afterward cause him if he haue a good voice to sing masse séeing he can say no better CHAP. XII A Note of diuers vntrueths told by Owlyglasse in his pamphlet wherein he pretendeth to charge others with vntrueths IT is a shame for any man to lie but for him that taketh vpon him to charge others with lying euery foot to lie is not only a great shame but also an argument that he is past shame let him therefore the next time looke better to himselfe and desist to raile face and slander vnlesse he stood himselfe vpon better ground and did vse more trueth in his dealing falsification 1 In his preface he saith that popish religion was planted here by Gregory the great but he telleth a great vntrueth for neither was Gregory euer here in this Island nor did either he or his agents mainteine that doctrine that is published by the conuenticle of Trent or those points which I haue declared neither to be ancient nor generally holden falsification 2 He doubteth not also to affirme that Gregory receiued that religion which now the papists professe from Peter Let him therefore shew that all those points of doctrine against which I except in my challenge were receiued from Peter or els he must receiue answere that speaking of religion he speaketh without religion reason or conscience falsification 3 He chargeth me and M. Willet with assaulting the impregnable fort of Gods church and battering that rocke against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile but if he meane the true church then doth he make a lie of vs. if he meane the present Romish congregation adhering to the pope he maketh a lie of the pope his church for we haue by many arguments declared that the Romanists and their adherents are not the true church We haue also shewed that the gates of hell haue preuailed against them and that declining from the apostolike faith they are fallen into many foule heresies falsification 4 Further speaking of his consorts he saith they repaire to the continuall tradition and practise of the church and that we reiect the same but he lieth both in the one and the other for neither doe the Romanists regard the generall practise of the apostolike church for many hundred yéeres after Christ nor doe we desire any thing more than that late customes and traditions reiected we may returne to the sound forme of apostolike faith and gouernment falsification 5 He saith they haue recourse to the consent of the ancient learned fathers and that we reiect them but the first is proued a lie by Bellarmine and other popish proctors who most lightly reiect the fathers when they make against them the second is reproued by our confessions wherein we shew that we desire nothing more than that all latter decretals called we may returne to the ancient fathers faith falsification 6 He telleth vs further that papists appeale to generall councels and that we will not admit them but after his fashion hée hudleth vp lies by couples for neither doe they admit any councels but such as pleaseth them nor do we refuse to admit any article of faith established by ancient and lawfull generall councels falsification 7 He would make men beléeue that popish religion is most seuere and yet the world knoweth that in all places papists mainteine open stewes and in Rome and diuers great cities suffer Iewes and Turks to dwell quietly Further the pope doeth set to sale all sinnes and euery polshorne paltry fellow thinketh he can giue absolution to sinners which bringeth the keyes of the church into contempt Finally no sect euer liued more loosely or leudly These things therefore vnlesse they be better answered do sufficiently conuince him of lying and his consorts of loose liuing and popish religion of lightnesse falsification 8 In the same lying preface he saith that protestants doctrine looseth the raines to all liberty that vnbrideled sensualitie will neuer put vp petition for any greater and by protestants he vnderstandeth true Christians that abhorre the abominations of Babel but if he had not giuen the raines to his vnbrideled tongue to speake all villany of honest men he would not haue vttered and if he had not béene a brutish beast that vseth not to be rained he would not haue written such impudent lies Let him therefore set downe our doctrine wherein wée seeme to let loose our sensuall affections and let him if he can shew any man of our side that alloweth publike stewes as the Iesuite
pretence of religion haue intangled their folowers in diuers practises of faction and treason I hope all English albeit otherwise fauorers of popery wil better looke how they engage themselues in treason they come from forreine enemies and depend vpon them and though they talke of religion yet their intention is wholy for the pope and Spaniard and their course is irreligious and factious If popish religion founded in the conuenticle of Trent and taught by late popes and their proctors be catholike and ancient then will it be an easie matter to shew it and to answer our obiections where we prooue the contrary if our aduersaries flie triall and will not ioine with vs and directly answere then haue all papists and others reason to flie from such false teachers and heretikes and to abandon all their wicked haeresies there is no agreement betwixt Christ and Belial 2. Cor. 6. betwixt trueth and error light and darknes if they can shew themselues that they are no idolaters they will cleere themselues if not why do they seeke to erect altars of Baal in euery corner and why doe not all Christians auoid to communicate with the priests of Baal in their idolatrous masse 2. Cor. 6. there is no agreement betwixt the temple of God and idoles neither 1. Cor. 10. can any drinke the Lords cuppe that doth participate at the table of diuels or diuelish masse but what should I talke of the Lords cup when these idolatrous priests take the Lords cup from all that follow them If the aduersaries be cleare of lying and falsification then will they answer plainly and directly as I haue answered them if their lies and forgeries be made notorious to the world he is not very wise that will trust such lying and forging companions But what should I need to declare that briefely which at large is prooued in the discourse following reade onely diligently and examine carefully and iudge indifferently and so leauing thee to thy meditations and referring thee to the touch of both our aduersaries accusations and our answers I beseech God to giue thee true vnderstanding of his sauing trueth and that hee will giue thee grace if thou knowest the trueth to perseuere constant vnto the end if thou cariest a preiudicate affection towards popery then to see into the deformities impostures and abuses of popish religion and that in the end it will please him to discouer all fraudes impostures conspiracies trecheries and vilanies of the popish faction and to let thee see the damnation of the great whore and the abominations of Babylon Adieu Thine in all Christian affection MATTH SUTCLIFFE A CHALLENGE concerning the malignant church of Antichrist and false doctrine and lewd practises of Papists Directed to Rob. Parsons Frier Garnet G. Blackwell the Archpriest and all their adhaerents CHAP. I. That the Church of Rome that now is and that embraceth the doctrine of the Pope and conuenticle of Trent is not the true Church of Christ Iesus THe Church of God being a 1. Tim. 3. the house of God and b Ibidem the pillar and ground of trueth and c Galat. 4. the mother of all faithfull people as the Apostle teacheth vs it is no maruell if all congregations that professe Christian religion do also challenge to themselues the name and title of the Church d Inst lib. 4. c. vlt. Singuli quique haereticorum coetus saith Lactantius se potissimum Christianos suam esse catholicam ecclesiam putant euen the couenticles of hereticks doe imagine themselues to be true Christians and entitle their Congregations by the name of the Catholike church and that this is true the papists affoord vs most euident proofe for albeit in many points they know not the voice of Christ Iesus but follow a stranger that without all colour challengeth to himselfe to be Christs vicar yet very confidently and proudly they call themselues Christes true catholicke church and challenge to themselues all those prerogatiues that are due to his most holy spouse neither do they only challenge to themselues the title and name of the Church but also exclude all others from the same and as Leo said speaking to certeine monkes of Palestine ecclesiae nomine aduersus ecclesiam armaminï so we may well say of these blinde zelators of popery that in the name of the Church they fight against the true Church of Christ Iesus That the papists adhering to the pope of Rome and imbracing the doctrine of the conuenticle of Trent are not the true church of Christ Iesus it may be prooued by diuers inuincible reasons argument 1 for first the church of Christ is built onely vpon Christ Iesus as a principall rocke and a foundation most sure and immoouable No man saith the e 1. Cor. 3. Apostle can lay any other foundation beside that which already is laied which is Christ Iesus for he is that f Isai 28. corner stone that is placed in the foundation of Sion he is that g Matth. 16. rocke vpon which the church is built Super hanc petram quam confessus es saith S. h Serm. 13. de verb. Dom. Augustine super hanc petram quam cognouisti dicens Tues Christus filius Dei aedificabo ecclesiam meam id est super meipsum filium Dei viui aedificabo ecclesiam meam he saith the church is built vpon Christ Iesus whom Peter confessed neither doe the fathers meane otherwise where they affirme the church to be built either vpon the confession or faith of Peter or els vpon Peter himselfe for all these doe either indirectly vnderstand Christ whom Peter confessed or Peters faith concerning Christ but the Romish church that now is is built vpon the pope and vpon his Sée and doctrine Est Petri sedes saith i In praefat in lib. de pontif Rom. Bellar. lapis probatus angularis pretiosus in fundamento fundatus he k Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. 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 although that good Father neuer thought of any such matter l Sanders his rocke of the church Sanders doth endeuour to proue that the Popes of Rome are the vnmouable rocke of the church Turrian likewise because Christ said aedificabo ecclesiam meam non aedifico ecclesiam meam concludeth that the popes of future times and not onely Saint Peter were vnderstood by that rocke vpon which the church is built seeing then the church of Rome is built vpon a foundation diuers from the foundation of Christ his church and relieth vpon the pope as much or more then Christ Iesus it cannot be the true church for if the papists say that Christ is the chiefe foundation and the Pope is the next they crosse the scriptures that make Christ the sole foundation and onely attribute the name of foundation to the apostles and prophets in that
they professe their religion will neuer prooue ancient nor catholike not ancient for that diuers doctrines and traditions which they hold are new and vnheard of in the ancient catholike church argument 1 First they teach vs that the holy canonicall scriptures are no perfect canon of our faith for this doctrine is gathered out of the decrée of the councell of Trent that with equall affection embraceth vnwritten traditions and canonicall scriptures e Lib. 4. de verbo Dei c. 12. Bellarmine saith that scriptures are a part of the canon or rule of faith and not a whole rule dico secundò saith he scripturam etsi non sit facta praecipuè vt sit regula fidei esse tamen regulam fidei non totalem sed partialem f De doctrin princip li. 7. c. 1. Stapleton beside scriptures frameth a new rule which he calleth the order of tradition but this doctrine is new and contrary both to scriptures and fathers The g 2. Tim. 3. apostle he teacheth vs that the scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect and furnished for euery good worke he teacheth vs also that they are able to make vs wise to saluation likewise the fathers testifie that the scriptures are a perfect canon sufficiunt sanctae ac diuinitus inspitatae scripturae saith h Lib. contr idola Athanasius ad veritatis indicationem Basil in serm de fid confess saith it is an argument of infidelity and pride either to reiect scriptures or to bring in matter not conteined in scriptures he meaneth in questions of faith cum habeamus omnium exactissimam trutinam gnomonem regulam diuinarum legum assertionem saith i In 2. ad Corinth homil 13. Chrysostome oro vos omnes vt relinquatis quid huic vel illi videatur de his à scripturis haec omnia inquirite Tertullian writing against Hermogenes saith that he adoreth the fulnesse of scriptures And saint k Lib. 2. de doctr Christian c. 9. Augustine teacheth that all things concerning faith and maners are found in scriptures clearely propounded to conclude this point most derogatory it were to Gods diuine wisedome if any man should suppose the scripture to be an imperfect canon or halfe a rule or maimed doctrine as the papistes lately haue begun to teach argument 2 They haue made the bookes of Tobia Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus Machabeies and such fragments of bookes as are in the old Latin interpreter and not in Hebrew equall to the bookes of Moyses and other prophets and to the writings also of the apostles this is the determination of the councell of Trent and the common doctrine now of the Iebusites and papists but new and no way approoued by the ancient church for these bookes were neuer allowed by any prophets or by the church of God before Christs time nor did the ancient fathers allow them Gregory in his morals lib. 19. c. 16. directly affirmeth the bookes of Machabeis not to be canonicall sicut ergo Iudith Tobiae Machabaeorum libros legit quidem ecclesia saith l In Prouerb Solomon Hierome sed eos inter canonicas scripturas non recipit he saith m In praefat in lib. paralip also where controuersie is concerning Apocryphall writings we must haue recourse to the Hebrews neither doth Augustine so make them canonicall as he reputeth them equall to other scriptures as appeareth by his words lib. 18. de ciuit dei c. 36. conrra Gaudent lib. 2. c. 23. nay Sixtus Senensis albeit he make all these bookes canonicall yet doeth he not giue to all equall authoritie let vs therefore sée any ancient writer that alloweth the decrée of the councell of Trent if the papists will not haue all men sée that they haue innouated the very canon of the Christian faith argument 3 They haue also made the old Latin translation authenticall contrary not onely to reason séeing it differeth not onely from the originall bookes but also is contrary to it selfe as may appeare by the editions of Sixtus Quintus and Clement the 8. but also to antiquity which as appeareth by the testimony of Hierome and Augustine alwaies preferred the originall bookes in matter of difference before translations argument 4 Concerning the interpretation of scriptures the conuenticle of Trent n Sess 4. determineth that no man shall interpret them against that sense and meaning which the holy mother church holdeth to whome it belongeth to iudge of the true meaning and interpretation of scriptures end by the church they vnderstand the the pope and church of Rome but this act is altogether new for we do not finde that euer the easterne or African churches were forbidden to interpret scriptures as well as the church of Rome or that the fathers of the church were tied to expound scriptures after the opinions of the bishop of Rome nay we finde that no interpretations are more absurd then theirs or more contrary to the meaning of the holy ghost as for example may appeare in these two points In the law of Moyses we are expresly forbidden to make grauen images to worship them but the church of Rome interpreteth these words so galantly that men may both make grauen images and worship them our sauior Christ saith bibitē ex hoc omnes but the Romanistes turne it contrary and will haue no communicantes to drinke of the Lords cuppe but the priest onely argument 5 In time past o Dist 15. c. sancta Romana Christians were forbidden to read the legends of Quiricus Iulitta and George the 8. books of Clement the acts of Tecla and Paul the booke of the assumption of the virgine Mary and such like The acts also of Siluestre bishop of Rome and writings concerning the inuention of the holy crosse and of the head of Saint Iohn Baptist were doubted of but now these legends for the most part are the grounds of Romish traditions which the church of Rome placeth in equall ranke with holy canonicall scriptures is it not then apparent that the very grounds of Romish traditions are laid vpon fables and of late inuention argument 6 The foundation of the ancient apostolicke faith was laid vpon the scriptures as is euident for that the city and church of God is built vpon the prophets and apostles Christ Iesus being the corner stone p Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Ieremy saith that the apostles first preached the gospell and afterward by the will of God deliuered the same in scriptures that they might be a foundation and piller of our faith but now Bellar. teachech vs that the pope is the foundation of the church and Stapleton doubteth not to q De doctr princip in praefat say that the pope is the chiefe subiect of ecclesiasticall authority and r Cancanonicis dist 19. Gratian like a shamelesse fellow vnder the name of Saint Augustine doubteth not to recken the popes decretale epistles among the canonicall scriptures argument 7 Stapleton
eat all swéet meates and dainties on their fasting daies fourthly we find not that in the ancient church men were commanded to come to auricular confession once euery yéere at the least for that was first decréed by Innocent the third as appeareth by the chapter omnis vtriusque de poenit remiss finally the ancient church did not forbid Christians to solemnize marriages as of late time the Romish church hath done in regard of holinesse of times and for that maried men cannot so well serue God as those that forsweare them such humane doctrines therefore our Sauiour Christ condemneth and such voluntary worships the holy apostle misliketh neither can such additions of humane precepts binding mens conscience stande either with the liberty of Christians or perfection of gods law argument 38 The doctrine of purgatory for satisfaction to be made for temporall punishments due for mortall sinnes which the papists doe holde was not knowne in ancient time Augustine maketh a question whether any purgatory is after this life and Gregory the dialogist séemeth to grant that small sinnes are purged after this life but that men doe satisfie for temporall punishments in purgatory neither of them doeth once affirme neither was any such thing knowen or taught before the conuenticles of Florence and Trent the first founders of this deuice in the church argument 39 The solemnity of the yeare of Iubiley amongst Christians was first ordeined by Boniface the 8. and afterward altered by Clement the 5. and last of all brought to 25. yeares by Paule the second but not borrowed from Christians but either from the heathen that euery hundred yéeres had solemne plaies called Iudos seculares to which these plaies and pageants of Romish indulgences may well be resembled or from the Iewes that euery fifty yeares celebrated a Iubiley and now agréeing neither with Iewes Gentiles nor ancient Christians the popes also when they please grant extraordinarie Iubileies and as great pardons as are granted the very yeare of Iubiley argument 41 That the popes indulgences depend vpon late lawes and authority without proofe out of scriptures or fathers it appeareth by the defences made by the principall patrons of indulgences those also that are not altogether past shame confesse so much ſ Art 18. aduers assert Luther Fisher sometime bishop of Rochester saith that before purgatory was feared no man sought for indulgences he confesseth also that in the beginning of the church there was no vse of them quamdiu saith he nulla fuerat de purgatorio cura nemo quaesiuit indulgentias and againe in initio nascentis ecclesiae nullus fuerat earum vsus as for indulgences for not onely hundreds but also thousands of yeares neither Bellarmine nor Parsons can alledge either good proofe or ancient precedent argument 42 The taxe of the popes chancery for the dispatch of pardons for murders parricides rapes adulteries incestes sodomitry yea apostacy and Iewish and Turkish blasphemies I doe not thinke that the most shamelesse Iebusite in the whole order will auow to be ancient argument 43 Scholasticall diuinitie which is nothing else but a mixture of fathers authorities philosophicall subtilties and popes decretals began but from Peter Lombard some eleuen hundred and odde yéeres after Christ how then can the Romish faith that relieth wholly vpon this diuinity be accounted ancient argument 44 t Lib. 1. de verb. dei c. 3. Bellarmine saith that the new testament is nothing els but the loue of God shed into our hearts by the holy Ghost which argueth that the Gospell and new Testament of papists is a new Gospell differing much from that of Christ Iesus for Christs Testament was established in his blood and is a couenant concerning remission of sinnes most especially but charity is wrought by the holy Ghost in those that are alreadie reconciled by the blood of the new Testament Chrysostome Theodoret and others writing vpon the second epistle to the Corinthians chap. 3. say that the spirit quickning is the grace of God that remitteth our sinnes and that charity is not the new testament it is most euident for that then Christ had died in vaine and then we might haue had the new testament established by the law that requireth charity and not by the testament in Christ his blood which is a declaration of Christ his satisfaction and remission of sinnes argument 45 The same u Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 12. man teacheth vs that it is a matter of faith to beleeue that the pope hath succeeded Peter in the gouernment of the vniuersall church but this is new and neuer heard of in the ancient church of Christ is it not then a new Christian faith which these new vpstart Iebusites defend argument 46 That there are iust seuen sacraments and neither more nor lesse albeit the same was talked of in the instruction of the Armenians in the conuenticle of Florence yet it séemeth to bée first established by the conspirators of x Sess 7. Trent for neither can Bellarmine nor any of that faction shew any authenticall law of greater antiquitie for the ioint and iust number of sacraments then the authoritie of the instruction of the Armenians deliuered in the name of the councell of Florence and the conuenticle of Trent is it not then a new religion that hath so new sacraments argument 47 The papists also teach vs that the sacraments conteine grace and doe iustifie those that are partakers of them but since the world began it was neuer heard of till of late idle monkes and friers began to resolue it that Christians were iustified by orders confirmation matrimony and extreme vnction let Bellarmine or any papist if he can prooue that men are iustified by these sacraments if he cannot then can it not be denied but as the papists deuise new meanes of iustification so they deuise vs a new religion argument 48 That the formes of confirmation and extreme vnction are new it appeareth by the decrées of the Trent councell and instruction of the Armenians fathered on the councell of Florence if any deny this he must shew where these words signo te signo crucis confirmo te chrismate salutis were receiued by any authority before and where the words and greasings of diuers parts of the body vsed in extreame vnction were established by the church Wherein to auoid cauilles I would haue Robert Parsons and his seditious brood of rebelles to marke that I deny not but that idle schoolemen might prate of such matters before but I say the same was not before those times confirmed by law nor generally receiued would he please to try his strength in demonstrating the contrary he should soone be forced to confesse that I say true argument 49 That spirituall gossips may not intermary and that such mariages being once contracted should be of no force is also a new doctrine flowing from the stinking sinke of popery argument 50 It is also new doctrine that man and wife
relect princip doctrin man intreating of the sure grounds and principles of Christian religion doeth leaue the scriptures quite out of the reckoning but Athanasius in Synopsi doth call the canonicall Scriptures the anchor and stay of our faith a Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Irenaeus saith that the apostles first preached and afterward deliuered the Gospell in Scriptures that they might be a foundation and pillar of our faith the church saith b Homil. 6. in Matth. Chrysostome is Hierusalem whose foundations are placed vpon the mountaines of the scriptures and with them doe consent all true catholikes condemning the error of the papists falsely called catholikes argument 5 The papists call the scriptures a killing letter as appeareth by the Remish annotations vpon the 3. chap. of the 2. epistle to the Corinthians as if God had deliuered his will in writing to the entent to kill them that read them they c Annot. Rhemens in Ioan. c. 5. slander them also as if they were darke and hard to be vnderstood finally they disgrace them d Ibidem in c. 4. Matth. saying that the diuell and heretikes alledge scriptures others call them a nose of waxe Inken diuinitie and matter of strife and contention and condemne the reading of scriptures as pernicious and hurtfull but true catholikes had alwaies a reuerent regard of holy scriptures as the grounds of faith and directions of holy life e Lib. 3. aduers hares c 2. Irenaeus saith that it is the property of heretikes when they are conuinced by scriptures to fall into dislike of them and to accuse them the papists therefore in this point are rather heretikes then catholikes argument 6 The papists among canonicall scriptures reckon the decretales of popes inter canonicas scripturas decretales epistòlae connumerantur saith the rubrike dist 19. c. in canonicis and this Gratian goeth about to prooue by a place of saint Augustine which he there falsifieth this also séemeth by Gregory the 13. to be approoued in his edition of the canon law neither doe I thinke that any papist will deny that the popes decretales in matters of faith are to be receiued of all men but ancient catholikes neuer had the decretals in this estimation nor thought them to be canonicall scriptures or grounds of faith or infallible as the papists call them nay Thomas Aquinas albeit no catholike f 2. 2. q. 1. art 1. confesseth that the ground of Christian faith is the first trueth or God himselfe and not onely Cyprian tooke exceptions against Cornelius Ireney against Victor the councell of Carthage against Sozimus but also diuers catholikes against the decretales of diuers popes argument 7 The conuenticle of g Sess 4. Trent vnto the canon of scriptures of the olde testament hath added not onely the books of Tobias Iudith Wisdome Ecclesiasticus and of the Machabeies but also such additions as are found in the olde latine translation albeit they be not found in the originall text and these they place in equall ranke and degrée with the books of the prophets and apostles which is contrary to the faith of the catholicke church as appeareth by the testimony of Hierome in his preface to the prouerbs of Salomon in his epistle to Paulinus and in his generall prologue before the bible which he calleth prologum galeatum of Athanasius in synopsi of Epiphanius in his booke of waightes and measures of Melito of the councell of Laodicea can 59. of the canons of the apostles can 84. and diuers others neither is it materiall that Augustine lib. 2. de doctr christ c. 8. and a certaine councell of Carthage doe reckon the books of Tobias Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabeies among the canonicall scriptures for by canonicall scriptures they vnderstand such books as by order of the church were read publickely and commonly ioined together in one booke and were rather for some part a canon and rule of maners then of faith for that may be gathered out of the words of Saint Augustine and the councell that speake rather of the books as they were read then as they were authenticall Ruffine speaking of these books saith legi voluerunt in ecclesiis non tamen proferri ad authoritatem fidei ex his confirmandam Augustine also lib. de ciuit dei 18. c. 36. speaking properly of canonicall scriptures excludeth the books of the Machabeies though some churches receiue them for canonicall Athanasius in Synopsi accounteth the 3. and 4. of Esdras as canonicall as these books and Sixtus senensis doth not accounpt them equall to the rest of canonicall scriptures finally no one catholicke writer can be produced that alloweth the fragments and additions that in the olde latine interpreter are added to the originall text to be canonicall scripture are the papists then catholicks that haue no catholicke grounds of their faith argument 8 Papists allow no interpretations of scriptures against that sense which the church of Rome holdeth contra eum sensum h Concil Trid. sess 4. quem tenuit tenet sancta mater ecclesia but true catholicks neuer allowed such senses and interpretations as the church of Rome doth make as for example the church of Rome beléeueth that Christ when he said to Peter pasce oues meas gaue power to the pope to depose princes Againe where God saith to Hieremy chap. 1. ecce constitui te hodie super gentes regna Boniface the 8. concludeth that the pope hath power to iudge all earthly princes and these words ecce duo gladij hic he k C. vnam sanctam de maior obed expoundeth so as if the pope had two swords giuen to him the words deus fecit duo magna luminaria the pope interpreteth so as if the pope were meant by thy sonne and the emperor by the moone and as if the pope did so farre excell the emperor as the sonne is greater then the moone bibite ex hoc omnes they expound thus drinke not all of this and these words scrutamini scripturas they interpret as if lay men might not search the scriptures without license of the inquisitors infinit such like interpretations the church of Rome hath deuised but all contrary to the expositions of the fathers and the catholicke church argument 9 The conuenticle of Trent doth adiudge the old vulgar latin translation of the bible to be authenticall and preferreth it before the originall text but catholicks haue alwaies preferred the originall text before the latin translation Saint l In Epist ad Suniam Fretel ad Damasum Hierome saith that in the olde testament in matters of doubt concerning the translation we must haue recourse to the Hebrew as to the fountaine and in the new to the Greeke ad exemplaria Hebrea Graeca à latinis recurratur saith m Lib. 2. de doctr Chr. c. 10. Augustine Hilary also writing vpon the 118. psalme confesseth that the latin translation cannot satisfie the reader
fathers how downe to grauen images or worship them the i Exod. 20. commandement of God is direct against such images thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image c. thou shalt not bow downe vnto it nor worship it k Lib. 2. institut c. 19. Lactantius saith that there is no religion where grauen images are religio nulla est vbîcunque simulachrum est The papists therefore that make the images of God and worship them are no catholicks nor haue any good religion neither can it auaile them that they say they worship not the matter of the image for so did the gentils answere in excuse of their idolatry as testifieth l Institut lib. 2. c. 2. Lactantius argument 22 True catholicks beléeue that by the law we know sinne and that m 1. Iohn 5. all vnrighteousnesse is sinne and thirdly that n Deut. 27. Galat. 3. he is accursed that abideth not in all things that are written in the booke of the law to doe them if then the papists teach that all is not sinne that is repugnant to Gods law as the Iebusits doe in the censure of Coleine fol. 26. and as others doe that it is not sinne in this world not to loue God withall our heart and all our soule which is commanded by the law of God then are they no catholicks argument 23 Catholicks holde that we haue but one lawgiuer and iudge that is able to destroy and to saue vnus est legislator index saith Saint o Iacob 4. Iames qui potest perdere liberare that the transgression of the popes lawes is sufficient to condemn vs and the obseruance of them to iustifie vs as papists holde was neuer generally taught or holden argument 24 Catholicks holde that Gods law is perfect and that nothing is sinne but that which is repugnant to the law of God but papists beléeue that it is sinne not onely to neglect the precepts of the church as they are called but also the lawes and decretales of popes as appeareth by the enchiridion of Nauarrus and other books of cases of conscience argument 25 The law of God p Exod. 20. saith directly Thou shalt not couet and catholikes doe expound this law so that it bindeth the regenerat aswel as the vnregenerat as appeareth by the words of the apostle Rom. 7. I should not haue knowen sinne saith he but by the law for I knew not concupiscence but because the law said Thou shalt not couet and this sinne he confesseth to be mortall Who saith he shall deliuer me from the body of this death S. q Lib. 2. contr Faustum Manich c. 27. Augustine also teacheth that whatsoeuer is desired or coueted against the law is sinne and very absurd it is to surmise that baptisme should sanctifie concupiscence and of sinne in the vnregenerate to make no sinne The conuenticle of Trent therefore that r Sess 5. determineth that concupiscence in the regenerate is not sinne and all adherents vnto it are no catholikes argument 26 The scriptures teach vs that euen the iust man falleth seuen times a day and as the apostle saint Iames saith that we offend all in many things our Sauiour Christ taught his apostles to pray for remission of sinnes and to confesse when they had done all they could that they were notwithstanding vnprofitable seruants so likewise teach catholike fathers Saint ſ Lib. 1. aduers Pelag. Hierome saith that then we are iust when we confesse our sinnes and saint t De spirit lit Augustine signifieth that in the frailtie of this life we can not perfectly performe Gods law we shall then saith he performe the law of God with all our soule and all our heart and loue our neighbour as our selfe when we shal see God face to face the papists therefore that teach first that the regenerate are able to performe the law of God perfectly and secondly that they are also able to performe more then is commanded and to doe works of supererogation are no catholikes nor shall they euer be able to prooue that this doctrine of theirs was generally holden by the fathers and by all Christians or by any man of note argument 27 The apostle teacheth vs that the law is the minister of death and u Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 20. Irenaeus affirmeth that the law being spirituall doth onely manifest sinne and not kill it the papists therefore that hold that all our life and saluation doeth consist in the law as appeareth by the censure of Coleyn are no catholikes argument 28 The councell of x Sess 6. c. 10. Trent condemneth those that say they are iustified formally by Christes iustice and their meaning is that we are formally iustified by charity and by the works of the law but the catholike church teacheth vs farre otherwise no flesh faith the y Galat. 2. apostle is iustified by the works of the law he denieth also that z Rom. 4. Abraham was iustified by the works of the law and saint a Lib. 1. aduers Pelag. Hierome saith that our iustice doeth not consist in our merits but in the mercy of God this also is prooued by an inuincible reason for that none are iustified by the law but such as performe the law and are not to be accused of sinne by the law but if our aduersaries will say that all that shall be saued are such they will bring the number of them into a small compasse for as b De inter pellat Dauid Ambrose saith Dauid doeth acknowledge his sinne and Paule doeth acknowledge himselfe guiltie who is then innocent argument 29 The apostle c Rom. 5. teacheth vs that through the offence of one all men were subiect to condemnation and that is the doctrine of all catholikes but the d Bellar. lib. 4. de amissi grat c. 15. papists exempt the holy virgine Mary from originall sinne as appeareth by the determination of Sixtus 4. and conuenticles of Trent doctrine sess 5. some of them also hold that the prophet Heremy and saint Iohn Baptist were sanctified from this sinne and so borne without originall sinne at the least argument 30 Catholikes hold that original sinne is a great sinne as infecting all by ordinary course descending from Adam excluding them out of the kingdome of heauen and which could not be purged but by Christes passion but the papists hold that it is the least of all sinnes as hauing the least force of our fréewill and that it deserueth not sensible paines in hell which in effect is as much as if they should deny that all men sinned originally in Adam or néeded to be saued from sensible paines by Christ argument 31 The e Th. Aquin. dd in 2. sent dist 33. Bellar de amis grat lib. 6. c. 4. papists also teach that children departing without baptisme and with originall sinne onely shall not be punished with hell fire nor with sensible
paines as if at the last iudgement all that stand on the left hand as it is written in the 25. chap. of saint Matth. shall not by the sentence of the iudge be adiudged to euerlasting fire or as if that sinne that brought condemnation vpon all should not be punished with sensible paines or as if there might be a place in hell without sensible paines or finally as if there were a middle state betwixt heauen and hell fire Saint f Lib. 1. de orig animae c. 9. Augustine certes saith there is no middle place betweene the kingdome of heauen and the place of the damned g Lib. de fide c. 3. Fulgentius likewise doeth plainely affirme that children dying without baptisme shall susteine endlesse punishments and h Lib. 8. moral c. 16. Gregory the first holdeth that such shall endure the perpetuall torments of hell argument 32 Martin ab Aspilcueta in his Enchiridion writing vpon the first precept of the law chap. 11. saith that it is mortall sinne for a lay man to dispute of matters of faith but catholikes doe not acknowledge any such matter to be mortall sinne argument 33 The papists teach that men haue grace conferred on them by their owne acts ex opere operato and that they are iustified ex opere operato by the sacraments of the new law whereupon it followeth that by the signe of the crosse in confirmation by orders matrimony and extreme vnction men receiue charitie for that is the grace they speake of and are iustified exopere operato for this doeth Bellarmine dispute lib. 2. de effectu sacrament cap. 3. and 14. and other chapters following which doctrine if they doe prooue then ex opere operato let him take the grace of the popedome if he doe not prooue he must néedes confesse that the doctrine of papists is not catholike argument 34 The Iebusites in the censure of Colein teach that the regenerat after baptisme haue no sinne and it followeth necessarily of their doctrine of iustification by the works of the law for by them a man can not be both vniust and iust at one time but the cathotike faith is otherwise S. Iohn saith that they deceiue themselues that say they haue no sinne and other scriptures signify i Prouerb 20. that no man can say his hart is cleane neither is this to be vnderstood of veniall sinnes which the papists say may be done away without repentance for S. k Lib. 2. aduers Pelagian Hierome saith that the most iust man in some things standeth in need of Gods mercy and it is apparent for that euery man transgressing the law of God which is the case of all men maketh himselfe subiect to the curse of the law and to the wrath of God argument 35 Papists teach that some sinnes are done away with holy water and without repentance and deserue not death but no catholike euer taught or thought so for the apostle teacheth vs that by Christes blood we are purged and that wée are made partakers of remission of sinnes by faith In the sixt to the Rom. he declareth that the wages of sinne is death and Galat. 3. that such as transgresse Gods law are accursed by the sentence of the law argument 36 They l Censur Colon. f. 204. teach also that this is the proper doctrine of the Gospel if thou wilt enter into life keepe the commandements but catholikes know that those that so teach confound law and gospel and ouerthrow the doctrine of the apostles for he m Rom. 1. teacheth that the gospel is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleeueth their doctrine doth take from vs all hope of saluation for how can we hope to be saued by the gospel if that promise life to none but such as perfectly fulfil Gods commandements argument 37 They doe also much derogate from the gospell of Christ Iesus where they teach that the rules of Benet of Nursia Francis Dominike Ignatius Loyola and diuers other founders of monkish and frierlike orders doe shew vs the way to perfection and holde not that the gospel of Christ Iesus is sufficient of it selfe to do it true catholikes certes neuer mainteined any such fantasies nor allowed any such order which may also appeare by this that all these orders of monkes and friers haue their approbation and allowance from the popes of Rome argument 38 Of saith they speake thinke and write very basely for they holde first that faith is onely a bare assent and requireth neither firme hope nor holinesse of life to make it truely Christian secondly that not onely wicked men but also the diuels of hell may haue true faith thirdly that faith is not only grounded vpon holy canonicall scriptures but also vpon traditions and determinations of the pope which if they firmly holde and vary not then must they confesse that we are no lesse to giue credit to lousie legends and lying and erronious decretals of popes than to the eternall word of God But true catholikes haue alwaies beléeued otherwise The apostle n Rom. 1. saith that the iust shall liue by faith and the church beléeueth that o Iohn 3. whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shall not perish but haue euerlasting life and p Rom. 5. that being iustified by faith wee haue peace with God further the apostle q Rom. 10. teacheth that faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God but there is great difference betwixt the word of God and traditions of men betwixt the infallible trueth of Gods word and the deceiuable doctrine of popes decretals argument 39 They teach that charity is the forme of faith but catholiks haue alwaies taken this doctrine to be erronious for how can one vertue be the forme of another againe séeing matter and forme be parts in natural bodies is it not absurd to apply these words to qualities that rather resemble forme than matter thirdly if iustifying faith were alwaies formed with charitie then could not faith worke of it selfe for it is the forme from whence actions procéed and not matter but the apostle r Rom. 1. saith that the iust liue by faith and Ephes 2. that wee are saued by grace through faith hereupon ſ Lib. 2. epist 3. Cyprian saith that whosoeuer doth beleeue in God and liue by faith he is found to be iust argument 40 They t Bellar. lib. 1. de fid c. 13. attribute our first iustice to faith and other preparations as for example feare hope loue repentance a purpose of new life and such like but the principall forme and beauty of our iustice they place in charitie and works of the law and that they call our second iustice but true catholikes doe otherwise thinke and speake of iustice The u 1. Cor. 1. apostle saith that our Sauiour Christ is made iustification vnto vs and x Rom. 3. Gal. 2. 3. that we are not iustified by the workes of
monkes and nunnes among heretikes that méeting together vsed to skip and dance also together as they thought to the praise of God yet doe not the popish sort leaue their piping and dancing processions nor doe priests monkes and nunnes cease to celebrate their comedicall dancing masses skipping and hopping about the alter like apes that are taught to skippe and to leape for their masters best aduantage argument 45 Gnosimachi were certaine heretiks that held an opinioÌ„ that vulgar Christians were not to study the scriptures omni Christianorum congnitioni ac scientiae ita aduersantur z Ibidem c. gnosimachi saith Damascene vt vanum minus necessarium laborem esse dicant eorum qui in diuinis scripturis aliquam exquÃrunt scientiam neque enim deum aliud à Christiano postulare quam bonas praeclarasque actiones Itaque aliquem simplici rudique animo institutum suum persequi melius est vt aiunt quam multam curam in cognoscendis decretis sententijs ponere and like to these hereticks are the papists for they holde it to be mortall sinne for lay men to dispute vpon matters of faith as Nauarrns in his enchiridion declareth they suppose also that the coliars faith is sufficient albeit he knoweth nothing but being demanded a reason of his faith answereth that he beleeueth as the church beleeueth a De legit iudicibus lib. 1. Hosius writing against Brentius doth greatly commend ignorance and doth greatly allow this saying thy faith hath saued thee and not the exercise of scriptures b Lib. 3. de authorit scripturae he saith also that nothing is more pernitious then with scriptures to enter into a 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 argument 46 The c Damascene de haeres 6. Ethnophronians were by the church condemned for obseruing diuers heathenish customes holidaies which notwithstanding pope Boniface the 8. instituted the Iubiley euery hundred yeares in imitation of certaine plaies or games called Ludi seculares the papists also haue their expiations and lustrations with holy water like to the gentles they kéepe their carneual as the Romans kept their lupercalia running disguised vp and downe the stréets they canonize saints as the heathen did canonize their benefactors for gods and like as they burned incense to their idols so papists burne incense to their idols neither doe they regard that such as offered incense to dumbe idols in the primitiue church were condemned as idolaters as appeareth by diuers censures of Cyprian and others contra thurificantes that is against those that burned incense before idols they doe likewise offer sacrifices or inferias for the soules of the departed as did the Gentiles finally they vse lots and coniurations and lash themselues before their images and haue diuers other tricks of gentilisme argument 47 As the Montanists so likewise doe papists mislike second mariages denying to blesse them and not accounting those mariages so holy a sacrament as the first nay they séeme to goe yet farther to enioine pennance for 2. mariages d 31. q. 1. de his qui. concil Neocaesar they decrée presbyteruÌ„ conuiuio secundarum nuptiarum interesse non debere maximè cum praecipiatur secundis nuptijs poenitentiam tribuere quis ergo erit presbiter qui propter conuiuium illis consentiat nuptijs it appeareth therefore that they would not haue priests to allow second mariages or to blesse them or to be present at them argument 48 e De haeres c. Christiano-categori Damascene also accounteth them hereticks that worshipped the images of our sauiour of the blessed virgine and the saints as the gentiles did their gods which is iust the case of papists for both of them bow vnto them pray before them burne incense to them offer sacrifice in honor of them and yet both of them deny that they worship stocks or stones and say that they worship only the things represented by them as f Lib. 2. diuin instit c. 2. Lactantius testifieth of the Gentiles and is very often repeated by papists argument 49 The papists doe likewise in diuers conditions and qualities resemble the olde hereticks and false teachers of which the apostles and ancient fathers make mention the g Rom. 16. apostle when he had warned the Romans to beware of those that caused diuisions and scandals he addeth also against that doctrine which they had receiued In the first epistle to Timothy chap. 6. he sheweth that hereticks had a fashion to teach other doctrine and not to rest in the wholsome words of our Lord Iesus Christ The apostle h 2. Pet. 2. Peter saith that there shall rise vp false teachers which shall priuily bring in heresies and damnable sects i De praescript aduers haeret Tertullian doth oppose hereticks to the apostles and their doctrine to apostolicall doctrine vnde extranei inimici apostolis haeretici saith he nisi ex diuersitate doctrinae quam vnusquisque de suo arbitrio aduersus apostolos aut protulit aut recepit If then the schoolemen and doctors of the popish synagogue haue caused a great diuision from the apostolicke and ancient church and haue taught doctrine diuers from that of Iesus Christ and if they rest not in the holsome words of Christ Iesus but make humane traditions equall to the word of God if they haue troubled and corrupted the déepest and highest mysteries of Christian religion by their late inuentions and haue digressed from the doctrine of the apostles and refuse to be tried by the writings of the prophets and apostles then are they cléerely prooued to be false teachers and heretikes that they are departed from the doctrine of the apostles and haue brought in diuers heresies and sects and new doctrines which by no meanes are to be reputed catholike it may be proued by this whole discourse It is made euident also by the grounds of popish religion by the popes decretales by the schoole diuinitie by the lying and fabulous legends of the Romish church by the doctrine of the conuenticle of Trent by the manifold corruptions of the masse by the idolatrous worship not onely of saints but also of stocks stones rotten bones and ragges by their rebellion against princes and by the tyranny of the pope and finally by the Iebusites new doctrine concerning these points nay if they teach doctrine contrary to scriptures and to the apostles by their owne confession they will be proued heretikes Haeresis saith k Lib. 2. part 1. Occham est dogma falsum fidei contrarium orthodoxae l Apud Matt. Paris in Henric 3. Robert Grosthed saith that heresie is an opinion chosen of humane vnderstanding contrary to scripture and either openly taught or defended m Apud Dionys Carthus in 3. sent dist 31. Durand signifieth that heresie is onely an opinion contrary
he sheweth that the inuention of images and their worship came of the diuell Vnde non est saith he simulacrificum hoc studium diabolicus conatus praetextu enim iustitiae semper subiens hominum mentem diabolus mortalem naturam in hominum oculis deificans statuas humanas imagines prae se ferentes per artium varietatem expressit mortui quidem sunt qui adorantur ipsorum verò imagines quae nunquam vixerunt adorandas introducunt adulterante mente ab vno solo Deo velut commune scortum ad multam multiplicis coitus absurditatem irritatum quod temperantiam legitimi coniugij vnius viri detriuit he doth cléerely shew that the diabolicall inuention of images hath adulterated the seruice of God and brought in absurd spirituall fornications S. u De haeres in cap. 6. Augustine sheweth that one Marcellina was noted as an heretike and a follower of Carpocrates because she worshipped the images of Iesu and Paul Colebat saith he imagines Iesu Pauli Homeri Pythagorae adorando incensum ponendo and yet in burning of incense and adoring the images of Iesu and Paul our aduersaries the papists nothing dissent from her He doth also condemne those that worship sepulchres and pictures as those which doe that which belongeth not to the religion of Christians Noui saith x De morib eccles c. 34. he multos esse sepulchrorum picturarum adoratores Likewise S. Hierome in Danielis c. 3. doth condemne the worship of images Siue statuam vt Symachus siue imaginem auream vt alij transtulerunt voluerimus legere cultores Dei cam adorare non debent Gregory also the first albeit he would not haue images broken downe yet did he teach that they ought not to be worshipped as may be gathered by his words lib. 7. epist 109. and lib. 9. epist 9. Finally the worship of images is condemned as idolatrous by a certeine councell of Constantinople whose acts are inserted in the reports of things passed in the second councell of Nice in the councell of Francfort vnder Charles the great a certeine councel of Paris about the yere of our Lord 824. in the time of Lewes Charles the great his sonne Non nos imagines in Basilicis positas saith the y In lib. Caroli Magni câ—ntr imagin councell of Francfort idola nuncupamus sed ne idola nuncupentur adorare colere eas recusamus the councell signifieth that images being worshipped in churches are idoles neither doth any thing more confirme the Christian faith touching the false worship of images and statues than Bellarmine his wretched and wicked answeres to these obiections in his treatise concerning the worship of images as shall shortly God willing appeare by our answere and hath sufficiently beene declared by M. D. Rainolds already in his learned booke De Romanae ecclesiae idolatria against Bellarmine argument 29 z Arg. 29. The papists also shew themselues idolaters in calling vpon saints departed in deuising masses in their honor in setting vp light before their dead bones and praying before their images as the holy fathers teach vs that haue shewed themselues alwaies ready and forward to suppresse such abuses S. a In epistol ad Ripar Hierome saith that the reliques of martyrs are not to be adored his words I haue before related answering in defence of such women as light candles at noone day b Contra Vigilant he confesseth plainly that they had zeale but not according to knowledge Zelum habent saith he sed non secundum scientiam Sed neque Helias adorandus est saith c Haeres 79. Epiphanius etiamsi in viuis sit neque Ioannes adorandus quamuis per preces suas proprias dormitionem suam admirandam effecerit imò potius ex Deo gratiam acceperit sed neque Tecla neque quisquam sanctus adoratur non enim dominabitur nobis antiquus error vt relinquamus viuentem adoremus ea quae ab ipso facta sunt hée saith that neither Helias nor Iohn nor Tecla nor any saint is to be adored forasmuch as this sauoreth of the olde idolatry of the Gentiles and in so doing we should abandon the liuing God and adore creatures made by him and againe Sit in honore Maria saith he pater filius spiritus sanctus adoretur Mariam nemo adoret non dico mulierum sed neque virûm that is let the virgine Mary be had in reuerence but the Father the Sonne and Holy Ghost is only to be adored but as for the virgine Mary let neither man nor woman adore her Likewise S. Augustine sheweth that the worship of Christian religion consisted not in the seruice or worship of dead men or their reliques Non sit nobis religio saith d De vera religione c. 55. he cultus hominum mortuorum quia si piè vixerunt non sic habentur vt tales quaerant honores sed illum à nobis coli volunt quo illuminante laetantur meriti sui nos esse consortes honorandi sunt ergo propter imitationem non autem adorandi propter religionem He saieth that saints are to be reuerenced in regard they are examples to be followed and not to be adored for religion sake In his booke also De moribus ecclesiae cathol c. 34. he reprooueth those that worship the tombes of men departed Bellarm. lib. 2. De cultu imaginum lib. 11. alledgeth the 36. chapter of this booke where there are not so many in the whole in his 44. epistle ad Maximum he sheweth that in his time dead men were not yet worshipped Scias à Christianis catholicis saith he quorum in vestro oppido etiam ecclesia constituta est nullum coli mortuorum nihil denique vt numen adorari quod sit factum conditum à Deo he signifieth that religious worship is not due to any creature argument 30 e Arg. 30. Neither doe the fathers onely testifie against the idolatry of papists but diuers also of themselues doe confesse to the shame of the rest that diuers points of popish doctrine sauour of idolatry The second Nicene councell doth not allow any image to be made of the Godhead nor that Christians should giue the worship of Latria to images Christiani adorationem in spiritu veritate saith that f Act. 6. councell imaginibus non exhibuerunt nec etiam diuinae crucis effigiei nec etiam vnquam inuisibilis incomprehensibilis naturae imaginem appararunt Diuers are of opinion that not the image is to be worshipped but that which is represented by the image as Durand lib. 3. sent dist 9. q. 2. and Alphonsus à Castro in verb. imago and that is also signified by these two verses Sabellici lib. 8. Aenead 8. Nam deus est quod Imago docet sed non deus ipsa Hanc videas sed mente colas quod cernis in ipsa The meaning of these verses is that not the image
obedience then to be made priest by the popes agents is argument sufficient to prooue a man to be a traitor likewise it is no treason simply to be addicted to the superstitions of the Romish church no more then it is to be Sarracen or Turke yet to bée reconciled to the Pope and to receiue absolution from his agents is treason he being a professed enemie of the state and vsing this reconciliation and colour of religion for a meanes to ouerthrow her Maiestie and this kingdome and to réestablish yet once againe his tiranny in England finally to obey good bishops cannot be euill interpreted but to submit a mans selfe to the pope that pretendeth to haue right to depose princes and to translate kingdomes from one to another at pleasure a matter repugnant to scriptures to the practise of the apostles and primitiue church and as Sigebertus Gemblacensis testifieth speaking of Gregory the seuenth his time a notarious and plaine condemned heresie cannot but preiudice the right of a prince in enmity with the pope prooue flat treason Thirdly the true martyrs of Christ suffered for defence of the trueth wronfully and therefore deserued the honour and title of martyrs and very high commendation that is thankeswoorthy saith saint c 1. Pet. 2. Peter if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe suffring wrongfully such were the martyrs of times past who suffred death because they would not deny the Lord Christ Iesus nor sacrifice to idoles but the popes martyrs suffer for practising with forren enemies and die for the Popes pleasure and desire nothing more then to set vp idolatry for conscience they cannot say they suffer vnlesse the make treason against their prince and countrey a matter of conscience and rule their conscience by the Popes will and make no conscience of idolatry or blasphemie neither can they say they are punished wrongfully being punished for their treasons rebellions and packings against the state with forren enemies whosoeuer therefore shall entitle and call these fellowes martyrs he shall greatly wrong religion and the state of martyrs and much resemble the Donatistes and other old heretikes Saint d Epist 68. Augustine saith of the Donatists viuebant vt latrones honorabantur vt martyres Alexander also an heretike of whom e Lib. 5. eccles Iust c. 17. Eusebius maketh mention liued as a thiefe and died for his deserts and yet by those of his sect was honored as a martyr such martyrs also are those of the popish sect for whatsoeuer reckoning their consorts make of them they were punished iustly for their offences and died for treason rebellion practising and packing with forren enemies Fourthly true martyrs are charitable and die in charitie for without charitie furious and Iesuiticall zeale to promote the Popes cause auaileth nothing if I giue my body to be burned saith the f 1. Cor. 13. apostle and haue not loue it profiteth me nothing now what charity thinke you had they that were emploied by publike enemies to the hurt and destruction of their liege Lady and most deare countrey Charity saith the g Ibid. apostle is patient gentle humble but these by force of armes sought to returne into their countrey and like fierce lions endeuor by conquest to subdue men to their opinions anno 1588 their common talke was of sharing of lands and liuings In Wisbich also all the stirres among the papists grew about superiority the Iesuits seeking to rule the rest refusing to be ruled by them Parsons they say hath an old prophecy how England must be ruled by certeine men in long blacke gownes and square caps that is by Iesuites and long he hath béene dreaming of a cardinals hat yet none falleth to his share in all the English colledges and seminaries the Iesuits by great stirres haue sought the gouernment h A discouery of Campian and his consorts Cottam an English Iesuite being condemned to die praid God that he would send downe fire from heauen to consume all the people that stood round about him to gaze on him and this is the gentlenesse and charitie of Iesuiticall martyrs when Sixtus quintus told the Iesuites that he wondred that none of their order were canonized for saints some of them answered that they sought honors in the church triumphant and not in the church militant such triumphant martyrs are these of the popes and Iesuits calender Fiftly true martyrs are men of a peaceable disposition and no way desirous of tumults and troubles l Lib. 3. contr parmen si supra memoratos saith Optatus videri martyres vultis probate illos amasse pacem in qua prima sunt fundamenta martyrij aut dilexisse deo placitam vnitatem aut habuisse cum fratribus vnitatem sine qua nullum vel nomine potest vel re esse martyrium his words in effect amount to this that none can be martyrs vnlesse they they be studious of peace and vnity if then the papists neither agrée with vs nor with themselues and are giuen much to contention and continually haue stirred vp warres and hurliburlies in diuers countries and haue like firebrands set most parts of Christendome on a flame as appeareth by their actions in England Scotland France Germany Flanders Suethland and other places why should such men dying rather be accounted martyrs then the contentious Donatists Sixtly the true martyrs of Christ Iesus died in time past for the true faith of Christ deliuered vnto vs in the apostles writings but the popish mastifs died for the popes excommunications for defence of his most vniust and tirannicall vsurpations according to such doctrine as they had receiued out of the popes decretales their masters dictates who then doth not maruell that any should be so bold as to call such obstinat fellowes that died out of the church for no point of faith were so much as once called in question martyrs cum deo manere non possunt saith Cyprian qui esse in ecclesia dei vnanimes noluerūt ardeant licet flammis ignibus traditi obiecti bestiis animas suas ponant nō erit illa fidei corona sed poena perfidiae occidi talis potest coronari non potest if then these good fellowes haue forsaken the church and linked themselues with enemies and traitors die they may for their treasons but crowned they shall not be as martyrs neither is it death but the cause that maketh christians dying to be estéemed martyrs Seuently no true martyr euer séemed more desirous of the applause and praise of men then of the glory of God good of Christes people fi ita martyrium fecerimus saith i In epist ad Galat. lib. 3. c. 5. Hierome vt nostras velimus ab hominibus reliquias venerari si opinionem vulgi sectantes intrepidi sanguinem fuderimus substantiam nostram vsque ad mendicitatem propriam dederimus huic operi non tam praemium quà m paena debetur perfidiae magis
obseruation againe desire me to procure him a free conference but what shall that néede when I yéeld him more then is desired Notwithstanding if he thinke to winne any thing at my hands by conference let him procure me first a frée conference at Paris and Salamanca and I doe promise to procure him a frée conference at Cambridge and Oxford In the meane while I pray him I prouoke him I by all means vrge him to answere in writing such lies as I auerre his consorts to haue made and to cleare the Church of Rome and her principall proctors of such notorious falsifications as I say they haue committed If he be not able as indéede I take him to be altogither vnsufficient let Robert Parsons Frier Garnet or the Archpriest answere and maintaine the quarrell which this idle compagnion hath begun And let them set their names to their writings and come foorth with bare faces that wee may know what they are we deale with and not as hitherto fight with N.D.E.O. and such like hollowe fellowes and meere shadowes If not let them assure themselues I wil by publike writing discouer such a packe of impostures lies falsifications villanies and treasons committed by Rob. Parsons and his consorts that they shall wish Owlyglasse hanged that first prouoked me and beganne this quarrell I will also make it knowne that they are so guiltie that they cannot answere His second obseruation is that no credit is to bee giuen vnto me concerning matter of fact because in matters of faith and learning as he saith I make no scruple to corrupt and vse broad falsification But his collection is so childish and foppish that his owne clients if they list may sée that he knoweth not what concerneth fact and what concerneth faith and learning that distingusheth learning from matter of fact as if no learning were required of Ro. Parsons to discusse matters of fact and would make fâ—ith and learning both one as if his consorts that take themselues to be learned were also faithfull christians and teacheth that the controuersie concerning falsifications and vntruthes obiected by him toucheth faith and not fact as if we did not as well contend about matter of fact as faith in this idle quarell begonne by our aduersarie and wherein the state of the mayne controuersie is whether I haue spoken vntruth or not and whether I haue falsified any authors alledged by me or not Secondly if no credit be giuen to those that tell lyes and falsifie authors as Owlyglasse affirmeth then by his sentence we are not to beléeue either the pope of RoÌ„e or his agents the most notorius lyers falsifirrs that euer the world sustained Againe if no credit be to be giueÌ„ vnto my discourse concerning the packing trechery of his consorts why doth he not answere me and conuince mee of vntruth And what reason hath he to desire his readers not to beleeue that which himselfe is not able to controule Is not such a bald compagnion ashamed to take to him as much authority as the Pope that all the generation of antichriste is to beleeue vpon his owne bare word Thirdly if all his idle obiectioÌ„s concerning pretended corruptions and falsifications he so cleared as that I looke for no more answere of so nastie a disputer as this Owlyglasse is then it can be no credit for him to cry so loud or to vse these odious and slaundrous termes of corruptions and falsificatioÌ„s but he ought rather to looke downe vpon his owne and his consorts filthy factes then to pinche at others meÌ„s faultes Fourthly if the papistes his clients be so cleare as he maketh them why doth he not answere for them playnly and honestly refuting euery point of my charge If they be guiltie why doth he not rayle a spirt at Rob. Parsons that so foolishly brought them forth to this triall and there left them to speake for themselues Fifthly if he list not to excuse any Papist for the cariage of his life as he confesseth what reason hath he to blame me if I vpon so iust occasions giuen me by that rinegat and false traytor Rob Parsons haue toulde them some parte of their faultes Sixtly if he will not haue my verdict admitted against his clients though conuinced by playne euidence witnesse he hath no reason to require that the verdict of Robert Parsons a most notorious and infamous libeller and a knowne and professed traytor and an infamous person conuicted by his owne wicked and treasonable writings and by the testimony of his owne consorts or the accusations of such libellers as Owlyglasse and such worthlesse and namelesse fellowes should be admitted or receiued Againe if he wil haue nothing to be affirmed without authenticall testimony proofe then must he and his malicious mates forbeare to send forth so many vaine and fabulous pamphlets 7. Further if hee charge me hereafter with wilfull and witting falsification as he sticketh not very boldly and often to doe then must he proue first falsification then this quality of wilfull knowledge wherof hytherto he hath done neither againe if I obiect that to him which he cannot deny then modesty would require that he should confesse shame force him not to defend any more matters knowne notoriously to be false 8. If hee take to himselfe and his consorts the name of Catholike Church and will néedes charge me with a setled malice and desperat resolution against the Catholike Church he must proue two thinges First that Popish religion is the ancient catholike religion and next that I oppugne the catholike faith Vnles he doe this his reader will take him for a lewd begging compagnion that taketh that for granted that is in controuersie and we must accompt him for a paltry fellowe that is not able to answere our arguments whereby we proue that Popish religion which we refuse is neither catholike nor ancient 9. If boldly and falsely he will denie that our faith hath had continuance and succession from Christs time and challeng both to himselfe he must then deny that the faith taught in the Apostles créede and established in the fowre first general counsels and contained and grounded vpon the holy canonicall scriptures hath alwayes continued since Christs time and hath had continuall succession vntill our dayes And to prooue the Popish faith he must shew that the Apostles taught and that the holy fathers beléeued First that Christ had a body inuisible and impalpable and that might be in heauen and earth and many distant places all at one time secondly that Christs body did not fill the place wherein it was 3. That accidentes may subsist without foundation or subiect 4 that préestes may celebrate masse without communion 5 that the préestes may take away the cuppe of the newe testament from Gods people 6 that christians are to worship the crosse and the sacrament with Latria or diuine worship 7 that the préest doth offer vp the true body and bloud of Christ to God the
Father for the sinnes of quicke and dead 8 that christians are iustified by greasing which they call extreme vnction and by all other Romish sacraments 9 that the Diuell is coniured out by the blasphemous Romish exorcismes 10. that the pope is head and monarch of the Church 11 that it is sinne to eate flesh vpon imbre dayes 12 that the popes decrées are the foundation of the faith and other such like points of popish doctrine 10. If hee be not able really and playnly either to iustifie his owne cause or to disproue ours as he walketh by night himselfe so he may do well to keepe his conceits secret and to talke of them by night rather then by day credit he can winne none by his vaine babling rayling or lying Finally either let him acquit himselfe like a braue fellow or els desist from his odious termes of odious stuffe paued faces desperat dealing treachery legerdermain Pag. 86.87.82 false packing crafty conueyance filthie fardle of fowle lyes and such like And let him not thinke that he shall winne any thing with such courses For nothing can be deuised more odious and desperate then the cause of the wicked préestes of Baal Neither did euer any sect vse more cogging iugling or lewd impostures then the Papistes to conclude this point nothing is more easie theÌ„ to declaime against the Pope and the préestes of Baal and their impostures fraudes vilenyes superstitions trecheries blasphemies and all their abominations I would therefore aduise this paltry fellow to beware that he giue me not iust occasion to take the like course against his consorts I assure him I shall make all the packe of them infamous to posteritie In the second obseruation he saith further that hee will touch one lye of mine and that he saith is knowne to be one both to Spayne and Italy But vnlesse Spayne and Italy doe vnderstand English in which toung I wrote it can hardly be knowne to these two countries vnlesse by Spayne and Italy he vnderstand bastardly and vnnatural rinegat English which are either Italianated or turned Turke or Spanish beside that it must néeds be a strangelye that hath filled two so great contries and not vnlike their phantasticall corpus domini that is really in Spayne and Italy and euery altar as the Papish fansie at one time Let vs therefore heare him tell this wondrous lye and by his testimony the only lye of all my booke set out against these lying and traytorous wardeword Page 84. framed by Robert Parsons He saith that I affirme that Cardinall Allen was in the Spanish armado he should say armada in the yeare 1588 and that I repeat it diuers times and namely as he quoteth in the margent reply p. 61. p. 98. 110. But what if I did not once name the Spanish armada when I talke of Allans comming against his contry was not this lying companion armed with a Vizor of impudency where he talketh of lying to lye so grossely I hope his best frends will not deny it well then let vs sée what my words are that Owlyglasse taketh hold on I say in my reply p. 62. that anno 1588. diuers rinegat English and among the rest Cardinall Allen came with the Spaniardes to fight against their countrie I say againe pag. 98. that Cardinall came with the Spaniardes anno 1588. With fire and sword to destroy this lande In my challenge p. 110. I say cardinall Allen and not so little as a hundred preistes came with the Spanish army And out of these words he gathereth that I say he was in the spanish armada but he was blind that could not sée that there is great difference betwixt an army and an armada that signifieth a fléete betwixt the Spanish forces and the Spanish fléete And a great wonder it is that an hispaniolized english masse préest should no better vnderstand either spanish or English Although then it were true that Cardinall Allen was not in the fléete yet was he to come with the Spanish Armie Neither is there any vntruth in my wordes as appeareth by the testimony of Allen himselfe in his wicked libell to the nobilitie and people of England and Ireland where he writeth thus I hope euerie man will beleue Allen himselfe and his owne words before the base fellow our aduersarie that was not priuy to all his treasons Thus much my good Lords and deare friends I haue thought good to forewarne you of the whole cause of these present sacred warres and of his holinesse and Catholike maiesties sincere intention therein both their incomparable affections towards our nation whereof I could giue you farre more comfortable intelligence if I were personally present with you as I trust I shall be verie shortly For that is fully meant by his holinesse and by his maiestie and of me so much desired that euerie short day seemeth a long yeare till I enioy you in our Lord. Note I pray you that by the Popes speciall appointment and the king of Spaines good liking that vnnaturall Cardinal was to come with the Spanish army against his countrey Note also how much this traytor desired this inuasion and howe that he thought euery short day a yeare vntill it was accomplished He saith also that the Pope preferred him to a high function intending to send him as his legat with full commission and commandement to treate and deale from time to time as well with the states of the Realme as with his holinesse and the kings maiestie for the sweeter managing of this godly and great affaire Doe you not sée and is it not plaine by the Cardinals owne confession that this swéete Cardinall was appointed a principall commander in that swéete action wherin he swéetly intended to cut our throates And yet this sowre varlet in sowre termes giueth me the lie for making him one of these inuadors that meant to destroy this our natiue countrey which all honest men of which Owlyglasse is none with all their power ought to defend against such traitors as Allen was But saith Owlyglasse Card. Allen was neuer out of Italy but eyther at Rome or at Grotta Feâ—rata Suppose he were not yet might he be of the party and so farre engaged as I related for the Spanish forces and army was not then drawne togither but part was in the lowe countries and France and no small parts yet remaining in Italy and Spaine And certes if the Cardinal was not come in person to the army yet was he of the army and to come with it as appeareth not onely by his owne wordes but also by the testimony of many others that well knew it and in not comming he was to be taken as a desertor and so to be punished But that he that was in the way towards England and when he heard of the discomfiture of the Spanish fleete turned aside to wéepe at Grotta Ferrata deseruing rather to be strangled as a traytor in Cauea Ferrata then to take the fresh ayre
a spiritu sancto dictatas c. pari pietatis affectu ac reuerentia suscipit ac veneratur scilicet haec synodus and afterward they pronounce alâ— cursed Lib. de verbo Dei that shall conteÌ„ne the sayd traditions Bellarmine also and the rest of his consorts teach that there is one word of God written and another vnwritten and that both are of equall authority But it is playne falsity to forge any part of a testameÌ„t Galat. 3. or to interline it or to adde to it hominis testamentuÌ„ saith the Apostle nemo spernit aut super ordinat that is no man addeth to a testament or taketh on him to superordinate or set downe more then is declared by the testators will And he signifieth that it is much more odious to adde to Gods testament and as it were with pretended nuncupatiue additions to corrupt Gods writen will and testament Qui testamentum falsum scripserit signauerit recitauerit dolo malo saith Paulus L. qui testameÌ„tum ad L. Cornel de falsis cuiusue dolo malo id factum erit legis corneliae de falsis poena damnatur Againe si quis legatum sibi ascripserit saith Africanus tenetur poena legis corneliae So if the Romish Church haue added to Gods eternall testameÌ„t any traditions vpon the credit of the church L. siquis legatum ff ad L. cornel de falsis and made them parte of Gods testament or meane to receiue benefit or as it were a legacie or authoritie by any thing therein contained the same is guilty of falsification falsification 5 Fiftly the Romish Church hath committed falshood by making the old latin translation authenticall which differeth in many poynts from the originall bookes of the old and new testament Statuit declarat saith the conuenticle of Trent speaking of it selfe vt haec ipsa vetus vulgataeditio quae longo tempore tot seculorum vsu in ipsa ecclesia probata est Sess 4. in pub licis lectionibus disputationibus praedicationibus expositionibus pro authentica habeatur Now that this translation doth differ from the originall bookes it cannot bée denyed For that by collation of both is apparent Beside that it is proued by the testimony of Isidorus Clarius in his preface to his translation of the Bible of Erasmus and diuers other learned men and sometime confessed by the aduersaries theÌ„selues that this is falshood it is proued for that to exhibit a false copie of a testament is falsity It is also a notorious absurdity to preferre a translation or a copy before the originall falsification 6 Sixtly it is falsity to adde to the rule of faith or canon of scriptures For if a man may not add to the rules and lawes of men but he shall falle within the danger of the law cornelia de falsis much lesse may a man adde to the rule of faith and canon of scripture Concil Trid. Sess 4. but he shall bee condemned for falsification But the Church of Rome hath in two sorts added to the rule of faith first making the bookes of Tobias Iudith Ecclesiasticus Wisedome the Machabees and others by the councell of Laodicea and Hierome and other auncient Fathers excluded out of the canon canonicall and next by making the Popes determinations and vnwritten traditions the rule of faith as is proued by Stapletons discourse de doctrinalibus principijs and other treatises of the Romanistes concerning that argument Neither hath the Romish Synagogue any thing to alleadge in excuse of her falsitie but that such bookes haue sometime béene accompted canonicall by the councell of Carthage Can. 47. and S. Augustine and next that traditions haue béene much stood vpon by the auncient Fathers But the third councell of Carthage and S. Augustine speake onely of the bookes of the Bible that were publikely read and of the canon as it prescribed a rule for the reading of bookes and not otherwise and by tradition they meane no other doctrine then that which is contained in holy scriptures and gathered out of them falsification 7 7. Either hath Sixtus Quintus or Clement the 8. egregiously falsified the holy scriptures For both of them hauing taken vpon them to set out the same according to the olde latin translation we finde in diuers places either manifest contradictions or at the least notorious differences betwixt them As for example Gen. 4. the Clementine edition hath in foribus pettatum aderit In Sixtus Quintus his edition set out at Louain peccatum tuum aderit Gen. 5. v. 3. Clement readeth genuit ad imaginem similitudinem suam Sixtus hath genuit filium ad imaginem Contrariwise Genes 1.27 Clement readeth creauit deus hominem ad imaginem suam ad imaginem dei creauit illum and Sixtus hath creauit deus hominem ad imaginem similitudinem suam ad imaginem dei c. Genes 9. Clement readeth de manu viri fratris eius requiram Sixtus hath onely de manu fratris eius requiram Exod. 16. Clement readeth cur eduxistis nos in desertum istud Sixtus contrariwise readeth cur induxistis Exod. 23. Clement readeth victimae meae and Sixtus victimae tuae Leuit. 27. Clement readeth iuxta aestimationem tuam Sixtus iuxta aestimationem suam and it the 28. verse of the same chapter Clement readeth non vendetur and Sixtus non veniet Deut. 24. Clement readeth animam opposuit tibi Sixtus apposuit tibi Deut. 29.19 Clement readeth absumat ebria sitientem Sixtus readeth assumat ebria sitientem Iosue 11.19 Clement readeth non fuit ciuitas quae se traderet and Sixtus quite contrarie quae se non traderet 2. Reg. 6. v. 13. These words that are found in Sixtus his edition dixitque Dauid ibo reducam arcam cum benedictione in domum meam are not found in Clements bible 2. Reg. c. 15.23 Clement readeth contra viam quae respicit ad desertum Sixtus readeth contra viam oliuae 2. Reg. 16.1 Clement hath vtre vini Sixtus readeth duobus vtribus 3. Reg. 7.9 Clement hath extrinsecus vsque Sixtus intrinsecus vsque 1. Paralip 8. v. vlt. Clement readeth vsque ad centum quinquaginta omnes Sixtus readeth ad centum quinquaginta millia lib. 1. Ezrae c. 2. v. 66. Clement readeth septingenti triginta sex Sixtus sexcenti triginta sex Sapientiae c. 2.11 Clement hath sit fortitudo lex iustitiae nostrae Sixtus readeth lex iniustitiae Eccles 8.8 Clement readeth in gâ—udium nolumus venire Sixtus readeth volumus venire c. 21. v. 15. Clement readeth est autem sapientia Sixtus hath est autem insipientia Iohn 6.65 Clement readeth qui essent non credentes Sixtus readeth qui essent credentes Heb. c. 5.11 Clement readeth grandis sermo ininterpretabilis Sixtus readeth grandis sermo interpretabilis Infinit repugnances also there are more betwixt these editions which who so list to sée let him peruse M. Th. Iames his painefull treatise intituled Bellum papale wherein he hath
founders falsification 2 Gregorie the fourth saith that all bishops causes and the discussing of matters of religion belōgeth to the apostolike Romane See as the head of all Churches the place frō whence the Church tooke her beginning cum nulli dubium sit saith hée quod non solum pontificalis causatio C. praeceptis dist 12. sed omnis sanctae religionis relatio ad sedem apostolicam quasi ad caput ecclesiarum debeat referri inde normam sumere vnde sumpsit exordiū Anatorious lye For the law went out of Sion and not from Rome and bishops causes were handled in times past in councels and not before the bishops of Rome There also were matters of faith decided and not by the Romish bishops as this lying Pope affirmeth Nay the causes of the bishop of Rome himselfe as wel as of all other bishops were handled in councels falsification 3 Vnder the name of Athanasius the Church of Rome c. Septuaginta dist 17. teacheth that the counsell of Nice published 80. canons which were reduced afterward to the number of 70. according to the number of 70. disciples and that the copie brought to Alexandria was burnt by heretikes But authenticall stories doe refute this lye and shew that there were onely 20. Canons established in that councell Beside that Luke 10. Luke saith that Christ sent 72. disciples As the old latin transtation hath Thirdly if the canons were 80. it were a méere falsity to cut of or reduce 80. to 70. Finally of the burning of the canons of the Nicene counsell there is no recorde in any authenticall writer falsification 4 Marcellus saith that these words Psal 81. ego dixi dij estis are spoken of Preestes And thereby would proue them to bée aboue magistrates Si seculares in publicis iudicijs saith he C. synodum dist 17. libellis vtuntur appellatorijs quanto magis sacerdotibus haec eadem agere licet de qubus dictum est ego dixi dij estis The Pope therefore may bee conuinced of notorious lying and forging by all interpreters and not only by the text it selfe falsification 5 Vnder the name of Leo. c. ita dominus dist 19. They teach that Peter was assumed into an inseperable bond of vnitie with Christ hunc in consortium indiuiduae vnitatis assumptum id quod ipse erat voluit nominari a matter vntrue and blasphemous and vnworthy to be vttred by Leo. For albeit Christ consist of two natures yet no man euer yet sayed beside this counterfect◠Leo that Christ and Peter made one person falsification 6 Anacletus saith that Peter was made bishop when Christ sayd to him thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will builde my Church and the gates of hell shal not preuaile against it C. innouo dist 21. and I will giue thee the keys of the kindome of heauen He saith also that the rest of the Apostles made Peter their prince ceteri vero apostoli cum eodem pari consortio honorem potestatem acceperunt ipsumque principem eorum esse voluerunt But this second poynt is refuted by the whole tenor of the euangelical history and the actes of the Apostles recorded by Saint Luke For in no place we finde where the Apostles did ordaine or make Peter their prince or gouernor Nay we rather finde where Christ made all the Apostles equall The first point is contradicted also by the words of Christ who in the future tence said Dabo tibi and not Do tibi Bellarmine also holdeth that Peter in this place receiued nothing but a promise quorum verborum saith he planus obuius sensus est lib. 1. de pontif Rom. 10. vt intelligamus sub duabus metaphoris promissum Petro totius ecclesiae principatum Hee speaketh of the sence of the words rehersed by Anacletus and by his exposition it appeareth that Anacletus sayd vntruely that Peter was made bishop by christs words vttred Mat. 16. which may also be proued by Turrecremata in his treatise de ecclesia Finally all the Popes agents hold that Peter receiued the primacy from Christ and not from the Apostles falsification 7 Gelasius saith that the Church of Rome obtained the primacie not by any ordinances of synodes C quamuis dist 21. but by Christes owne words in the Gospell A matter most vntrue For the scriptures speake no where of the primacy of the Romish Church neither can it be proued out of the wordes tu es Petrus alledged by Gelasius Neither doth euery prerogatiue of Peter belonge to the Church of Rome Nor had the apostle Peter any such high primacy As the Pope nowe claymeth and practiseth falsification 8 Pope Nicolas saith that Dioscorus was not condemned for matter of faith C. in tantum dist 21. but for denouncing an excommunication against Leo bishop of Rome But the actes of the 2. councell of Ephesus being in fauour of Eutyches and the councell of Chalcedon do reproue him and playnly conuince him of vntruth The same also may be gathered by the chapter Canones dist 15. And therefore the glosse to salue this lye saith we must so vnderstand Nicolas his words as if he had sayd that Dioscorus was not condemned for matter of faith onely which was no part of Nicolas his meaning falsification 9 Omnes siue patriarchij cuiuslibet apices siue metropoleon primatus aut episcopatuum Cathedras vel ecclesiarum cuiuslibet ordinis dignitates C. omnes dist 22. saith Nicolas the Pope instituit Romana ecclesia But he telleth a grosse vntruth for the scriptures tell vs that the Apostle Paule ordeined bishops in Crete Ephesus and diuers places both in Europe and Asia and ecclesiasticall histories tell vs that neither the Church of Ierusalem nor Antioch nor other easterne Churches nor their dignities were founded by the Church of Rome Finally the actes of councels tell vs that councelles did appoynt the seuerall limits of bishops diocesses did enlarge their dignityes according to diuers occasions and that emperours and the dignities of greate cityes did adde dignity to the bishops falsification 10 The same Nicolas also affirmeth that Christ gaue to Peter terreni simul caelestis imperii iura that is the right both of the kingdome of heauen and kingdome of earth Ibidem But our Sauiour Christs words shew that he gaue him no earthly kingdome but promised him onely the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Nay if he be Christes vicar then he must clayme no earthly kingdome For our Sauiour Christs kingdome was not of this world falsification 11 Anacletus affirmeth that Peter and Paule were both crowned with Martyrdome in one day and at the same time C. sacro sancta dist 22. a matter denyed by Prudentius peri steph hym 12. Arator in Act. Apost lib. 2. and the author of the 18. Sermon de sanctis that goeth vnder Saint Augustines name and diuers others falsification 11 Pope Nicholas saith that Constantine called the bishop of Rome God Constat à pio principe
did cure deafe and dumb men and those that were sicke of the palsey and restored one dead man to life But all these report◠of miracles are nothing but miraculous lyes for Ignatius doing no miracles how is it likely that Xauier should doe so many falsification 30 In the 17. chapter of the same booke he telleth how Luther died sodenly that Oecolampadius was found dead in his bed lying downe in good health that Carolstadius was killed by the diuell that Caluin died eaten of wormes as did Antiochus and Herod and others Lies deuised by men hyred to rayle vpon honest men and refuted by the histories of their life and death and by the testimony of all that were present at their endes falsification 31 In his second booke de eucharistia c. 6. he hath these words Irenaeus probat Christum esse creatorem ex eo quod panis fit corpus Christi per consecrationem But Irenaeus hath no such matter nay if he should haue vsed any such argument then must it follow that Christs body is created as oft as masse is saide Furthermore it appeareth by the place of Irenaeus lib. 4. contr haeres c. 34. that he disputeth not against those that denied Christ to be the creator but which denyed God to be the creator And that he prooueth not as saith Bellarmine because by consecration the bread is made Christs body but because heretikes offered to God bread which by consecration was made Christs body and because this sacrifice had béene vngratefull vnlesse it had consisted of Gods creatures Finally because it were long to set downe the particulars of all sorts of lyes vttered by Bellarmine this I doe giue the reader to vnderstand in generall that almost all his reports of his lying legends vnwritten traditions feyned miracles new deuised prophecies and of the fathers testimonies concerning the speciall points of the late Romish religion established in Trent are either plaine lyes or vntruly let downe by him and that shall euery man perceiue that listeth to reade my bookes de missa papistica de Pontifice Rom. de purgatorio de ecclesia de concilijs de monachis and others set out against him especially if he list diligently to compare the fathers writings with that poyson which he like a spider hath sucked out of them CHAP. VIII A Catalogue of certaine lies and falsifications of Caesar Baronius taken out of a smal part of the beginning of his first booke of Annales NOw least Bellarmine should séeme to be in lying and forging singular I will adioine vnto him his fellow Caesar Baronius a cardinall forger and lyar and one of all the authors that euer I read that most impudently abuseth and detorteth scriptures contrary to the intentiō of the holy ghost to serue his owne humour falsification 1 In the front of his booke hauing placed the image of the Romish church in forme of a woman with a heauy woodden crosse on her shoulder and the triple crowne vpon her left hand with two great keyes of the Popes sellar as it should séeme hanging downe vnder it and on the one side placing this word vicit haereses and on the other subegit gentes he doth giue vs to vnderstand that hee meaneth to tell little truth in his booke that telleth so many lies in the first front and face of it For first it is most vntrue that this Romish church that is now possessed of the triple crowne was euer subiect to the crosse of Christ Iesus For the Pope he claymeth a power aboue all Emperors and liueth in all delightes and pleasures and though he cary with him headlong into hell great multitudes of soules yet may no man say to him domine cur ita facis His cardinals also and other adherents liue like princes without all feare and danger vnlesse it be in regard they feare their panches Finally all these persecute others and are not persecuted themselues falsification 2 Secondly he lyeth impudently where he signifieth that Christ gaue the keyes to the Pope and to his adherents For he gaue them to Peter to such as should succeede him in féeding Christs lambes and that by preaching the Gospell and administring the sacraments and ruling the Church according to instructiōs giuen them by Christ and now conteined in the Apostles writinges But the Pope is now become an earthly potentate he féedeth not but rather cutteth the throates of Christs lambes his followers haue adulterated the faith and changed the institution of Christs sacraments and now doe rather handle clauas quam claues that is rather clubbes then keyes murdring as many as will not suffer the Pope and his masse préestes with their counterfect keyes to creepe into the secretes both of their consciences and their worldly estates falsification 3 False it is also that this latter Romish Church hath subdued heresies being it selfe ouercome and ouergrowne with heresies and being like to a large fielde ouercomme with wéedes And this I haue shewed at large in my former challenge in the chapter of Romish heresies falsification 4 Neither can Baronius shew in all his voluminous legends that the true Church in time paste did worship the wooden crosse as the Pope and Baronius and others doe If then hée by his wooman represent the true Church he lyeth if he re-represent the Romish church and the purple hore apocalyps 17. He saith truely For with the superstitious worship of the crosse and the Popes tyranny and false doctrine shée is much oppressed and greuously burdened Yet that is nothing to this purpose falsification 5 Furthermore all histories shewe that sence the Pope began to weare the triple crowne and to shew himselfe in that height of pride which Baronius representeth vnto vs in this figure the Saracenes Turkes Gentiles haue preuayled against the pope his followers as may appeare by diuers disastrous attempts made against them for the regayning of the land of Palestine commonly called the holy lande Baronius therefore playnly coggeth where he telleth vs how the popes haue preuayled against the Gentiles for all the victoryes they haue gotten haue rather béene to the preiudice of christian princes from whome they haue taken Rōe Italy other territories thē of Turkes and Heathen who by the popes false doctrine and turbulent gouernment haue subdued a great parte of the christian world and yet are suffered for their idolatry and heresie to preuaile against papists falsification 6 He doth also paynt the holy ghost houering ouer the popes triple crowne the blessed virgin with her son in her lappe as gouerning the world and Peter and Paule supporting the worship of our lady which doe all containe notorious lyes For we may not thinke that the holy Ghost hath any thing to do with the mayntenance of the popish triple crowne or that these men were inspired with gods spirit which leauing the preaching of the Gospell sought for triple crownes earthly kingdomes Secondly it is impious to teach that our sauiour Christ
is now an infant or that he hath communicated his gouerment with his mother Thirdly neither doth Peter nor any other Disciple of Christ teach or maintaine the Romish doctrine concerning the worshippe of our Lady and the Popes authority All these figures therefore are lying and false figures falsification 7 Sixtus quintus in his decretall epistle profired before Baronious his bookes saith that he hath faithfully and diligentlye reported the stories of the Church and deliuered the true fountaines of apostolicall traditions speaking of his booke he calleth it opus fideliter scriptuÌ„ and not only reporteth so of his bookes that already were published but of those that yet he had not séene prophesiyng belike of Caesar Baronius his future workes perfections and exploytes speaking of his diligence in describing of Romish traditions he saith that in his bookes of Annales apostolicarum traditionum purissimi fontes aperiuntur But this is a notorious and large vntruth for not only his traditioÌ„s are fabulous but his discourse most vaine and false being grounded for the most part vpon lying legendes counterfect sermons and orations set out vnder the names of fathers lewd authors and such as Simeon Metaphrastes Anastasius Gratian Iuo Theodorus Studites certein bookes that neuer yet sawe light and Baronius allowing this Epistle of Sixtus must néedes proue himselfe a lyar falsification 8 The yeare and precise time of Christs natiuity being the ground of all his worke it must néedes follow that if he faile in that then that his whole booke is nothing but a packe of lies That the whole worke is layed vpon that point himselfe confesseth haec basis quaedam ac fundamentum annalium esto saith he Apparaâ—us ad annales eclesiast But that he hath erred in that point it is very probable Epiphanius in panario haeres 51. saith that our Sauiour was borne Augustus and Siluanus being consuls Seuerus hist lib. 2. saith hee was borne when Sabinus and Ruffinus were consuls why then should we rather beléeue Cassiodorus whoÌ„e Baronius followeth then the other two But if this were not erroneous yet in the supputation of yeares continually he erreth reducing matters rather to the false tradition of the Romish Breuiaries and other rituall bookes then to the truth falsification 9 This sentence which he placeth in the front of his booke in petra exaltauit me nunc exaltauit caput meum super inimi cos meos he doth falsely apply to the Romish church contrary to the meaning of the Prophet Psal 26. For he speaketh of himselfe Beside that he saith abscondit me in tabernaculo suoâ— in die malorum protexit me in abscondito tabernaculi sui that is he hath hidden me in his tabernacle and in the dayes of my trouble hath protected me in the secret place of his tabernacle But the Romanistes will not graunt that the Church of Rome is a congregation hidden or that God doth place the same in the secret place of his tabernacle Furthermore that which the prophet speaketh of himselfe cannot by any meanes be applyed to the Pope or Romish Church for it is not God that hath aduanced the Pope to this height of pride nor doe those heresies which the Church of Rome maynteineth nor those massacres and impostures which shée worketh proceede from god Finally God shall destroy antichrist with the breath of his mouth and shall not exalt him nor suffer him long to be thus exalted falsification 10 In his epistle to Sixtus quintus he giueth the title of Vniuersal or Catholike to the Romish Church and doubteth not to affirme the traditions of the Romish Church to be holy and auncient pro sacrarum traditionum antiquitate saith he ac saÌ„ctae Romanae catholicae ecclesiae potestate but of the prophanenesse and nouelty of the Romish traditions I haue spoken already both in my challenge and in my bookes de missa and other treatises against Bellarmine and I doubt not but thereby euery man may conuince him of lying both concerning the holinesse and also the antiquitie of Romish traditions To affirme that the Romish church is catholike concerning faith vniuersally taught I haue declared in my challenge to be most false to affirme that the Romish Church is the vniuersall and catholike Church in regard of time and place is not only most false but also most absurd for were the Church of Rome the true church as it was sometime yet as wel may we call London all england as the Romish Church the catholike Church falsification 11 In the same epistle most impudently he applyeth these words of Iacob Genes 27. surge sede comede de venatione mea vt benedicat mihi anima tua to himselfe as if he had béene a hunting about Rome and brought Sixtus quintus a goate or some like venaison and as if Sixtus quintus were a prophet like to Iacob And to fitte the words to his purpose he addeth to the text the word Pater and taketh away the word sede and saith surge pater comede de venatione mea vt benedicat mihi anima tua Which is a false and leud kinde of abusing of scriptures falsification 12 Concerning the visible monarchy of the Pope he telleth if not a visible yet a very palpable lye In praefat Catholicae ecclesiae visibilem monarchiam saith he à Christo domino institutam super Petrum fundatam ac eius legitimos verosque successores romanos nimirum pontifices inuiolatè conseruatam c. demonstrabimus But if Christ had apointed any such visible monarchy it is strange that neither the Apostles nor first church of christians could euer sée it Againe it is absurd to thinke that generall councels would haue made lawes if there had béene a generall monarke apoynted ouer them Thirdly if Peter had béene a monarke yet it is absurde to say that the visible monarchy is founded vpon him For no man saith that the kingdoÌ„e is founded vpon the King neither is it probable the foundation being inuisible that the building should bée visible Finally this being a ground of his legendicall fables that the bishops of Rome succeeded Peter in the visible monarchy of the church it must néedes follow if this ground faile him the cardinall lyeth in euery page of his annales and as often as he talketh of this matter But that neither Peter was constituted monarke of the church nor the bishops of Rome haue succeeded in any such phantasticall monarchy I haue at large proued in my booke de pontifice Rom. set out against Bellarmine some fowre or or fiue yeares sence falsification 13 Out of Clement lib. strom 6. most simply and falsely he affirmeth Apparat. p. 17. Cod. Antuerp that as the Iewes knew God by the prophets so God did separat from the commoÌ„ multitude of the Gentiles the most excellent of the philosophers and made them capable of Gods beneficence He alledgeth also an apocryphal text out of Paule and seemeth to affirme that some Gentiles did knowe Christ
his meaning quoniam haec opinio tunc fuerat exorta saith Saint Augustine scilicet vt praecepta professa fide opera iustitiae contemnantur aliae apostolicae epistolae Petri Ioannis Iacobi Iudae contra eam dirigunt maximè intentionem vt vehementer astruant fidem sine operibus nihil prodesse These wordes Parsons translateth thus for that this wicked opinion of onely faith was sprong vp in the Apostles time by ill vnderstanding of Sâ—int Paul c. he addeth to Saint Augustines wordes wicked and where he speaketh of a sole faith or rather solitary faith deuoide of workes hee maketh him to speake against these that say that faith onely iustifieth or applyeth iustice vnto vs which Saint Augustine misliketh not for in that same chapter he saith that workes follow him that is iustified and go not before iustification falsification 10 Pag. 269. he alleadgeth a counterfeit writing vnder the name of Athanasius wherein Saint Anthonies the ermites life is described and of the liues of Paul and Hilarion supposed to be Hieromes but altogether false like Dolmans booke of titles falsification 11 In his directory page 353. he maketh Cyprian to say that Christ appeared to a bishop in the forme of a goodly young man He saith also Serm. de Mortalit that Saint Augustine did often vse to recount this example and alleadged Posidonius for his witnes He saith further that Cyprian writ a booke de Mortalitate But first this discourse is but one poore sermon and no booke Secondly it is vncertaine whether this sermon was his or no. Thirdly he saith not that Christ appeared but that a goodly young man appeared to that Priest Finally he lyeth of Saint Augustine as well as Cyprian and in his allegations forgeth as fast as if he were the sonne of a blacksmith and brought vp in his forge falsification 12 In the same place ridiculously he alleadgeth certaine sermons ad fratres in eremo which he fathereth most falsely vpon Saint Augustine and this his owne side as well as the learned men of ours could haue tolde him if he had but had so much sence as to vnderstand them In the two pages following he telleth certaine fables of the apparitions of good and bad angels and layeth them vpon Gregory the dialogiste and Bede whose bookes are much corrupted by monkes and such like falsaries falsification 13 To prooue purgatory he alleadgeth a certaine counterfeit booke that is attributed to Saint Augustine intituled de vera falsa poenitentia and a forged prayer supposed to be said by Saint Ambrose when he went to say masse and such like counterfeit stuffe as may be found in his directory pag. 369. and the pages following falsification 14 Lib. 1. p. 1. c. 11. of his directory he alleadgeth a place out of Saint Ambrose ser 2. in psal 118. where hee supposeth him to speake of popish purgatory but he speaketh of purging onely in this life and of such a purgatory as that some passed through it to hell But the papists teach that no man passeth out of their purgatory into hell He is therefore fitter to talke of the fire of his putatiue fathers forge then of the fire of purgatory which he shall neuer be able to prooue with any forgery falsification 15 Lib. 1. p. 2. c. 1. he maketh Saint Augustine to say confess lib. 6. c. 12. that his owne passions and the diuell would needes perswade him before his conuersion that he should neuer be able to abide the austerity of a vertuous life But S. Augustine hath neither any such wordes nor any such meaning For first he speaketh not of a vertuous life but of abstinence from mariage to attaine to wisedome Secondly he saith the Diuell or Serpent went about through him to perswade Alypius and speaketh nothing of the Diuels perswasions to himselfe Thirdly he doth not so much as mention austere life in that place neither is it so austere a matter to forsweare mariage as is pretended especially if God giue men grace to liue chaste The Iesuits and massepriests certes haue no reason to talke of austeritie of life albeit they forsweare mariage especially if they liue at ease and fare daintily and wallow in all filthinesse as they shall heare particulerly hereafter if they content not themselues with this present payment falsification 16 Likewise he citeth certaine Meditations and Sermons vnder the name of Saint Augustine pratum spirituale vnder the name of Sophronius the legend of Barlaam vnder the name of Damâ—scene and diuers other forged and counterfeit writings He doth also abuse both the scriptures and fathers most impudently as I shall at more leysure particulerly demonstrate Especially if he or any other dare vndertake to answere my challenge and to reply vpon my answere to his disciple Owlyglasse falsification 17 Fift reason of refusal Where Saint Paul 2. Tim. 4. speaketh of Alexander the copersmith he changeth his words and saith he commanded Timothy not to consent to Alexander the heretike And this corruption séemeth to be committed in fauor of his putatiue father the blacksmith whose occupation percase he was loth to sée disgraced falsification 18 Reason 6. Alleadging Saint Augustine contra Maximinum he séemeth to signifie that he wrote but one booke Againe he would make Saint Augustine to say that it was the fashion of heretikes to haue scriptures in their mouth But Saint Augustine in all his thrée bookes against Maximinus hath no such wordes nay himselfe in those bookes alleadgeth scripture often and reasoneth out of them and plainly signifieth that his instructions were drawne from thence De diuinis scripturis instructi saith he falsification 19 Reason 7. Speaking of the Pope hee giueth his reader to vnderstand that Cyprian de simplic praelat and epist 47. 55. and Chrysost lib. 2. de sacerdot Innocentius epist 93. apud Augustinum and Leo epist 84. and the Synode of Alexandria apud Athanasium and Theodoret lib. 2. hist c. 4. call the Pope the high priest of the Church the bishop of the vniuersall Church the pastor of the Church the iudge of matters of faith the repurger of heresies the examiner of all bishops causes and finally the great priest in obeying of whom all vnitie consisteth and by disobeying of whom all heresies arise But scarce doth he speake truely of any one of these fathers or councels as any man may sée both by examining the places and in my booke de Pontifice Rom. against Bellarmine would Parsons set downe the fathers words he might also sée it himselfe if he pleased falsification 20 Where he saith that the fathers of the primitiue Church with one consent affirme that the body and bloud of Christ was by Christ appointed to be offered vp daily for remission of sinnes of quicke and dead and quoteth Dionyse Ignatius Tertullian Augustine Chrysostome Gregory Hierome Cyprian and others with one breath he falsely alleadgeth them all as I haue particulerly demonstrated in my third booke de missa against
those that haue beene destroyed by this change of religion A most shamelesse and palpable vntruth For not religion or any alteration therein but the malice of the Pope and wicked practises of Iesuites and there consorts haue caused most of these troubles The rest haue happened vpon other accidentes By the Popes secret practises and Charles the 9. his great disloyalty many thousandes of innocentes were massacred in France the yeare of our Lord 1572. by the working of Claude Matthieu a Iesuite and others his consortes that league was made which brought infinit calamities to the people and kingedome of France Paule the third stirred vp warres against the princes of Germany Pâ—us the fift was the firebrand that inflamed the Northren rebellion in England Sanders the Popes legat was the originall cause of the destruction of the earle of Desmond And happie had the late Quéene of Scots beene if shée had not béene to credulous to beléeue Sammier and other seditions Iesuites entisinge words and promises the attempt of Spaniardes against England anno 1588 was set forward by Frier Sixtus quintus at the solicitation of Robert Parsons and his fellowes albeit here he would gladly discharge himselfe and lay the fault vpon others the Iesuites were the causes of the destruction of the Duke of Guise of Henry the french King that was murdered by Iames Clement of the Duke of Parma of the discontentment of the Prince of Transiluania neither was the losse of Sebastian King of Portugal of his whole army his estate to be ascribed to any other theÌ„ to the wicked counsaile of the Iesuites which gouerned him wholy and drue him into that action they haue also brought the King to Poland in danger to loose his kingdome of Suethland and caused the ouerthrow of Ferdinand of Croatia by the Turkes and finally both haue they ruined as many as haue harkened to their turbulent counsels and will they ruine as many as will be guided by them And this is not only proued by experience but also testified by diuers records and bookes in England and France of late set out by men of their owne religion The diuisions certes which they haue caused in the emperors army in Hungary haue wrought many calamities to christendome falsification 5 In the same encounter he saith that before the late alteration of religion there was one forme of seruice one number of Sacraments one tongue one Sacrifice one heade of the Church throughout all christendome but in my reply pag. 19. I haue shewed that this shorte sentence containeth the truth haue respected temporal commodity or as if we did not vrge them with the truth of apostolicall doctrine and the ancient christian faith falsification 38 In the preface of his directory fol. 13. p. 2 he saith that S. Ambrose S. Augustine S. Gregory S. Bernard perswade men by their examples to be afraid of purgatory A fourfold lye for neither did S. Ambrose nor any of the rest speake of a purgatory wherein christians did satisfie for the temporall punishment of sins remitted in earth nor did they beléeue any such purgatory Whatsoeuer they held of another purgatory viz. for veniall sinnes yet false it is that they perswaded men to be afraid of it by their examples falsification 39 In his directory lib. 1. p. 42. he saith that the world knoweth that Socrates was put to death for iâ—sting at the multitude of gods among the gentiles a matter which the world knoweth to be a lie and is refuted by Plato al that write of his death falsification 40 In the same place he saith Plato was wont to report of Zeno the stoike that he should say that either there was one God or no God but the record of the report will not be found Further if Plato liued before Zeno it was not like that he should prophecy what Zeno would say These lyes certes being the grounds of Parsons proofes where he goeth about to shew that there is a God are rather like to make a gentile or heathen maÌ„ obstinate then to make him beléeue in one God falsification 41 Pag. 174. he telleth that the number of infants slaine at Bethlehem was 14. thousand and this he goeth about to proue by the greeke calendar and the liturgy of the Aethiopians but such fables as he bringeth doe rather discredit christian religion then prooue it We beléeue that Herod killed the yoong children in Bethlehem and thereabouts but so many as 14. M. could not be found in that quarter as is very likely falsification 42 Pag. 269. he saith that Philo the Iew doth set forth strange things in the life and exercises of S. Marke and of his disciples that liued in Alexandria But if Philo in his booke de vit conteÌ„plat do neither speake of S. Marke nor his disciples in Alexandria I hope that Parsons disciples will be ashamed of their masters ignorance and confesse that he hath lyed It were an easie matter to set downe infinit lyes of this lying compagnion whoe without lying is not able to speak any thing as his consorts the seculer priests say but when he hath cleared himselfe of these he shall haue twise so many more obiected against him and drawne out of his simple writings In the meane while it may appeare that neither he nor his disciple Owlyglasse had any great reason to challenge the combat of vs for falsifications and lyes CHAP. XI That Owlyglasse himselfe hath falsified diuers authors and allegations in his little lewd Pamplet wherein he chargeth others with falsifications IS it possible thinke you to worke somewhat out of nothing certes no. Strange therefore it may seeme vnto you that I endeuour out of this small Pamphlet that is as nothing to make something Yet if you please to consider the particulers ensuing you shall finde that in this trifling discourse of the woodden detector wherein he hath shewed neither witte learning nor honesty nor any good thing that there are diuers points contained that may conuince him both to bee a falsary and a false lying compagnion falsification 1 Out of Origen pag. 11. c. 2. he citeth these words qui renascitur debet sale saliri Homil. 6. in Ezech. But the fathers words are these oportet ergo eum qui renascitur vtique in Christo renascentem rationabile sincerum lac desiderare prius quam rationabile sine dolo lac desideret debet sale saliri pannorum inuolucris colligari ne dicatur ad eum sale non es salitus pannis non es inuolutus So then by this it appeareth that he cutteth away the words in the midst and leaueth out the words in the end of the sentence and the maliciously to serue his purpose for otherwise it would haue appeared that Oregin spoke allegorically or that al children and others that are to be baptized must as well drinke milke and be lapped in cloutes as salted or touched with salt falsification 2 In his preface he abuseth