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A17445 Puritanisme the mother, sinne the daughter. Or a treatise, wherein is demonstrated from twenty seuerall doctrines, and positions of Puritanisme; that the fayth and religion of the Puritans, doth forcibly induce its professours to the perpetrating of sinne, and doth warrant the committing of the same. Written by a Catholic priest, vpon occasion of certaine late most execrable actions of some Puritans, expressed in the page following. Heerunto is added (as an appendix) a funerall discourse touching the late different deathes of two most eminent Protestant deuines; to wit Doctour Price Deane of Hereford, and Doctour Butts Vice-Chancellour of Cambridge. By the same authour B. C. (Catholic priest) 1633 (1633) STC 4264; ESTC S107396 79,660 208

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indisposition of the secondary causes that the lyke in Nature euer produceth and begetteth the like Thus irreasonable Creatures do ingender irreasonable Creatures and men beget men and this oftentimes with such a great resemblance similitude in the particulars as that we may easily glasse the Fathers eye in the Childs face The like by allusion we may affirme of the Theoremes and Principles of fayth whose immediate subiect is Morality or Conuersation of life Yf the Thearemes do resent of vertue piety and deuotion the fruites which they beget in mans soule belieuing them are vertuousnes of life Practise of good workes Austerity in manners and the like But if the Theoremes be of such nature as that they send steame forth nothing els thē sensuality libertinisme and voluptuousnes then such as giue assent and beliefe to the said Theoremes do in their manners participate of the same prophane Qualities Touching the vertuous liues of Catholikes in particular proceeding from their doctrines teaching vertue I will not heere in the displaying therof laboriously insist since my mayne Proiect at this present is to spend these ensuing leaues in this later point to wit to demonstrate first that the Principles of Puritanisme do inuolue in themselues the warrāting of vice falshood and Impiety and the dishonouring of vertue And secondly that the first Inuentors or coyners of them sucking from their owne grounds elements of doctrine tanquam ex traduce the secret poyson lying in them haue beene men of most enormous and facinorous liues And now to beginne with the doctrines 1. First I will begin with their chiefe Principle of the Priuate Spirit which they describe very gloriously to be (1) D. VVhitak in controuers 1 q. 5. c. 3. 11. A persuasion of the truth from the Holy Ghost in the secret closet of the belieuers hart With this I begin in that it comprehendeth within it selfe as a greater number doth many lesser diuers other positions of liberty For first it begets an vnaccustomed pride and elation of mind in the belieuers of this doctrine seeing it teacheth that euery one that enioyeth this spirit as euery Puritane by his owne religion ought to belieue that he enioyeth it is to preferre in exposition of Scripture determining points of fayth Himselfe aboue all other mens authorities of Gods Church whosoeuer And therefore Luther as resting himselfe vpon this ground writeth (2) tom 2. contra Regem Angliae fol. 344. Gods word is aboue all c. I regard not if a thousand Austins a thousand Cyprians a thousand Churches stood against me And another as presuming to enioy this spirit thus condemneth all Generall Councels (3) Peter Martyr l. de votis p. 476. As long as we insist in Generall Councels so long we shall continue in the Papists errours And the same priuiledge of this spirit doth euery obscure particuler Minister by the help of his owne spirit challenge to himselfe Now what an insufferable pride is it for a fellow being but one a man lately appearing for most part but meanly learned to aduance his iudgment in matters of fayth and Religion aboue so many so ancient and so learned Doctours and Fathers of Christs Church as haue flourished The second kind of Sinne flowing from this Principle is Multiplicity of Heresyes Seeing all Heresyes fortify themselues for the tyme vnder the rampyer of this Priuate Spirit in interpreting the Scriptures And from hēce it is that Vincentius Lyrinensis complayneth of the Spiritualists of his dayes in these wordes (4) l. aduers haeres An Haeretici diuinis Scripturae c. Do Heretykes cyte the diuine testimonies of Scripture They do and that most vehemently but therefore they are so much the more to be taken heed of And hence also ryseth that Hydra of different Sects and Heresyes in these dayes as the Moderate Protestant the Puritane the Brownist the Anabaptist the Anti-trinitarians others all which Heresyes did first take their roote from each particuler mans priuate spirit interpreting the Scripture in a different sense and construction from the rest of his Brethren And hereupon it proceedeth that so many hundreds of bookes mentioned by Coccius and by (5) Coccius in thesauro tom 2. Hospiniam in his Historia Sacramentaria parte altera Hospinian the Protestant are written by the Professours of the foresaid Sects one against another and often by men of the same Religion euen against others of their owne Brethren The third current of this Reuealing Spirit runneth not only to interpreting of passages of Scriptures which meerely touch Speculation in matters of fayth but also to giue most sensuall explications of such Texts thereof as may best sort to liberty and sinne Thus but to instance in one in place of many the priuate Spirit hath cast such an exposition of these wordes (6) Matth. c. 5. qui dimiserit vxorem suam exceptâ fornicationis causâ facit eam maechari Qui dimissam duxerit adulterat Whosoeuer shall dimisse his wife except for cause of fornication maketh her to commit adultery and he that shall marry her that is dimissed committeth adultery As that it teacheth that in case of fornication on the wyues syde the husband may marry agayne and consequently if his future wyues should offend therein might haue a dozen twenty or more wyues liuing all at one instant Thus the Priuate Spirit for his better maintayning of his voluptuous doctrine of Polygamy referreth those wordes excepta fornicatione to be the cause of taking a second wife which are to be referred only to the cause of a mans dimitting or parting with his wife according to the exposition of (7) In exposit huius loci Ierome almost all others 2. In this next place I proceed to that doctrine of theirs which teacheth that God is the Authour of sinne seeing this blasphemy implicitly contayneth within it selfe as a greater circle doth the lesse diuers other strange Paradoxes taught by the Puritans And first we find Luther thus to teach (a) Luth. in assertion damnat per Leonem art 36. How can man prepare himselfe to good seeing it is not in his power to make his wayes euill for God worketh the wicked worke in the wicked Againe (b) Vbi supra Art 36. Nullius est in manu c. It is not in the power of any man to thinke euil or good but al things proceed frō absolute necessity Swinglius heerto accordeth saying (c) Tom. 2. de Prouident● Dei fol. 166. sayth Mouet Deus latronem ad occidendum c. and there againe Deo impullore latro occidit and finally Latro coactus est ad peccandum God moueth the theefe to kil the theefe killeth God procuring him Yea the theefe is enforced to kill Melācthon thus affirmeth of the adultery of Dauid (d) In Rom. 8. The adultery of Dauid was the proper worke of God as was the conuersion of Paul Which sentence in Melancthon
drawne out by vs in proofe of our Catholike Religion Our Aduersaries most scornefully traduce all such Miracles For Osiand Cent. 10. 11. 12. Osiander and the Cent. 4. Col. 144● Cent. 5. Col. 1486. Centurists obserue heer the humility of this Priuate Spirit terme all such Miracles Antichristian wonders and flying signes But D. Whitakers more strangely answereth to all such Miracles for thus he writeth D. Whitak l. de Eccles p. 349. God doth giue power of working true Miracles to false Teachers not to confirme their false opinions but to tempt those to whome they are sent Thus he Galat. c. 3. O insensati Galatae quis vos fascinauit Thus my Deare Friend you see how your Protestants in matter of Fayth and Religion endeauour to waue all proofes and to breake with all Authority both Diuine and Humane and seeke to reduce all finally to the triall and touch-stone of the Priuate Spirit which Spirit is with them the Oedipus which must resolue all Enigmaticall doubts And thus the Protestants being but parties will eyther finally iudge all Questiōs of faith or els they will suffer no iudgement to passe on the at all Is there any candour ingenuity or vpright meaning in this their proceedings Or is it hard to defend any Religion how false wicked soeuer if so the maintayners of it could iustly reiect all sorts of Arguments and Authorities produced for the impugning of the sayd false Religion aduancing their owne priuate iudgements aboue all proofs whatsoeuer But seeing our Aduersaries will admit no Authorities but their owne I will therefore in this next place and in proofe of my secōd Reason which shal be to euict that The Protestant Church is not the true Church of God tye my selfe only to the Testimonyes and authorities of the learned Protestants themselues forbearing purposely all other kinds of proofes whatsoeuer so ready my good friend I am for the tyme to humour our Aduersaries in their owne Methode and this chiefly for your more full satisfaction My Media or Premises for the proofe of this foresaid Position which potentially inuolues all other Controuersies within it selfe shall rest in two points both clearly and abundantly taught by the most learned Protestants that euer with their pens endeauoured to honor their Religion My first Medium shal be that the Protestants teach that the true Church of Christ must at all tymes without the least interruption be visible and enioy her Pastours and administration of the word and Sacraments For proofe of this vndenyable verity I produce these following Testimonies from the Protestants own penns And first D. Field thus writeth Li. of the church ● 10. p. 190. The persons of whome the Church consisteth are visible their Profession known euen to the Prophane And againe thus he sayth Vbi supra pag. 21. Bellarmine in vayne laboureth to proue that there is and alwayes hath beene a visible Church and that not consisting of some few scattered Christians without Order of Ministery or vse of Sacraments for all this we doe most willingly yield vnto M. Hooker thus writeth Ecclesiast Policy p. 126. God hath had and euer shall haue some visible Church vpon earth Hunnius the great Protestant thus acknowledgeth In his Treatise of Free-will p. 91. God in all tymes hath placed his Church in a high place and hath exalted it in the sight of all Nations Iacobus Andreas In his booke against Hosius pa. ●10 we are not ignorant that the Church must be a visible Company of teachers and hearers Melancthon is most strong in this point for thus he discourseth Loc. com edit 2561. c. de Eccles whensoeuer we thinke of the Church let vs behold the company of such men as are gathered together which is the visible Church neither let vs dreame that the elect of God are to be found any other place thē in this visible Society neyther let vs imagine any other visible Church And againe the said Melancthon Melancth in Concil Theolog. part 2. It is necessary to confesse that the Church is visible c. Whither tendeth then haec portentosa oratio this monstruous speach which denyeth the Church to be visible Peter Martyr In his Epist annexed to his common places printed in English pag. ●53 We doe not appoint an inuisible Church but do define the Church to be a Congregation which the faythfull may know that they may adioyne themselues thereto D. Humfrey thus teacheth In Ieisuitism part 2. c. 1. Non clancularij secessus Cōuocationes sunt Christianae c. The Societies of Christians are not secret meetings And he thus endeth Oportet Ecclesiam esse conspicuam Conclusio est clarissima The same D. Humfrey also giueth a reason why the Church must euer be visible thus writing D. Humf. in Iesuitism part 2. tract ● rat 3. Dum Ministri docent alij discunt c. Whiles the Ministers do teach others do learne whiles these Men do Minister the Sacraments those do communicate of them whiles all do call vpon God and professe their fayth He that doth not see these things is more blynd then a Moale Instit c. 1. parag 10. Caluin In his defence of the censure pag. 81. D. Whitgif● Contra Camp rat 8. D. Whitakers Art 7. The Confession of Augusta almost with all other Protestāts do teach that the Preaching of the word c. administration of the Sacramēts are essentiall Notes of the Church that the preaching of the word doth constitute a Church as Contra Duraeum l. 3. pag. 249. D. Whitakers words are the want of it doth subuert it But how can eyther the Word be preached or the Sacraments ministred but to such men as are visible according to the former iudgement of D. Humfrey And thus farre in proofe of my first ground or Positiō to wit that the True Church of Christ must euer be visible Now I come to the second Proposition or groūd which is That the Protestant Church euen by the doctrine acknowledgment of the most remarkable Protestants hath beene wholly latent and inuisible for more then a thousand yeares togeather To proue this first I produce M. Perkins His wordes are these In his exposition of the creed pa. 400. we say that before the dayes of Luther for the space of many hundred yeares an vniuersall Apostasy ouerspred the whole face of the earth and that our Church was not then visible to the World Caelius Secundus Curio a Protestant of extraordinary Note acknowledgeth no lesse thus writing De amplitud regnî Dei pag. 12. Factum est vt per multos iam annos Ecclesia latuerit c. It is fallen out that the Church for many yeares hath beene latent and that the Cittizens of this Kingdome could scarcely ac ne vix quidem and indeed not at all be knowne of others D. Fulke setteth downe in his iudgment the tyme of the Inuisibility of the Protestant Church he thus saying In his answer to a Counterfeit catholike p. 16. The Church in