there bee woorkes of superogation able to saue both themselues and others also they may so aboūd with such superfluitie of good workes Yea worse then all this they holde and teache and teach other to practise which is most horrible blasphemie that bad workes are also meritorious namely that treason in subiects and murthering of their lawfull Christian Soueraigne is not onely lawful but alowable yea commendable nay more than so meritorious in heauen which doctrine as it is moste blasphemous so the practise thereof is moste damnable and dangerous abhorring from nature which teacheth euerie subiect to feare and honour his prince as nature bindeth the sonne to feare and honour his father for princeps est patriae parens degenerating from the law of all nations for it is lawfull and meritorious for a papisticall Romanist treacherously to murder his holy father the pope yea rather more if of euils the least be to be chosen then it is for a sworne subiect to be false and traiterous to so christian a prince Meere repugnant to all Scripture yea contrary to the doctrine of Peter himselfe whose doctrine the pope must obey and teach if in succession hee will be accompted a lawfull Apostle of Christ harken O ye Papists and listen what Peter teacheth you follow his doctrine let not the popes bare name of holy father deceiue you any more nor the name of the Apostolicke Sea for they are but lying wordes to deceiue you Compare the Apostleship of Peter with the Apostleship of the Pope and then if you find him contrarie though he be Peters successour reiect him and tread hys doctrine vnder feete The wordes of Peter are thus be m 1. Pet. 2 13. subiect therefore saith he to euery humain creature whether it be to the king as to the chiefe or to relers as to them that be set in authoritie for the punishment of them that doe ill and the praise of them that doe good againe in the same chapter he saith honour all men loue brotherly charitie feare God honour the king againe he commandeth seruantes to submit themselues in all feare vnto their masters not onely saith he if they be good but also though they be froward If a froward maister be to be honoured and feared of his seruaunt much more ought the person of a kinde and vertuous Soueraigne be had in most reuerent estimation of all subiectes considering that the person of a Prince on earth is the image of God in heauen that she is a person of mightie maiestie of puissant magnificence and of most glistring princely royaltie who being placed in her throne by God by whome Reges regnant principes dominantur is impossible to be thrust out by the power or pollicie of men no not of the deuill himselfe nor all his adherentes for that must needes stand which God hath stablished but that may easily fall which men onely haue erected heauen and earth may passe but not one iote of the word of God shall perishe but shal be fulfilled They therefore may aswell thinke it as possible to pul God out of heauen as it is to remoue a lawful annoynted prince from beside the seat wherein God himself stablified her The vaine hope of the papists therefore dismayed and the false Apostleship of the pope confuted by the faithfull Apostle Peter let vs proceede further to compare them together n 1. Pet. 2.11 Beloued saith Peter I exhort you as strangers and pilgrimes abstaine from fleshly lustes which fight against the soule And againe he saith o 1. Pet. 1.15 As he which called you is holy so be ye also sanctified in all conuersation because sayth he it is written p Leuit. 11 4 4 be ye holy as I am holy So that Peter admitteth no vncleannesse nor dispenseth with anie sinne but reproueth all and onely alloweth sanctimonie of life and conuersation and hee bringeth in scriptum est also for the warrant of his doctrine I would all that pretend themselues to be his successours would doe the like and giue the like wholesome sound admonitions and preceptes then should not men eyther for loue or money haue pardons dispensations commissions with authoritie to commit most diuelish murder accompting that for meritorious which is most monstrous and meriteth in trueth a moste bloudie reuenge for the body and eternall tormentes for the soule if it should be but so much as conceaued in the imagination What the office of a true Apostle is Peter describeth in his fift Chapter q 1. Pet. 5.1 The elders that be amongest you I which am also an elder exhorte feede as muche as in yours the flocke of Christ not compelledly but willingly not couetous of filthy gaine but of a readie minde not as exercising lordship ouer the clergie but that yee may be r 2. Cor 4 24 examples of the flocke If Peter shewing himselfe that he is an elder doe clayme no Lordship in hys Apostleship how commeth it to passe then that the pope his pretended successour claymeth not onely a lordship and dominion in Rome but a litle of supremacie ouer all nations The Papistes answereth at christ said vnto Peter Thou s. Mat i6 18 art Peter and vpon this Rocke I will build my Church and the gates of hel shal not preuaile against it and I wil geue to thee the keies of the kingdom of heauen And whatsoeuer thou bindest on earth shal be boūd in heauen and whatsoeuer thou loosest on earth shall be loosed in heauē But can these words of binding loosing giue a supremacie and kingdome vnto the Pope and not to Peter whose successour he is For we heard before from Peters own mouth that he claymeth nor alloweth but disclaimeth and disswadeth such exercised lordship ouer the Cleargie So that neither did he affect such proud titles of honour Lordship and superioritie but sought rather as he wished all other to be examples of mildnesse and good conuersation How can wee thinke that Christ should giue such Lord-like authoritie when Christ telleth his disciples contending among themselues who should seeme to bee the geeatest The t Luke 22 25 Mat 20.25 Marke 15.24 Kinges of nations saith he beare Lordship but it shall not be so with you but he that will be the greatest among you let him be as the least or as a seruant Now if neither Peter had the superiority but forbiddeth it as teaching al humilitie being taught by Christ his maister the kings of nations are to beare the lordship his apostles should be so far from contending for primacy on earth that they should rather be as seruants appointed to minister to the Church of Christ to build a kingdom for God in heauen If neither Peter had it and if Christ also forbad it shewing the kingdomes belong to the kinges of the nations how can any man gather that Christs meaning was to giue that to Peter which he forbiddeth Peter al the rest of the apostles If
they cannot doo they thinke vnlesse they haue the peoples heartes and they perswade themselues that the people of the other side will neuer be reconciled to their Romish Church vnlesse their religion be easie plausible and pleasant to the outward sight and delight of the flesh Hereupon haue they graunted their Bulles their dispensations and all other their licentious doctrines which geue free leaue and authoritie to commit any sinne or sinnes for as long or as short a time as they listed so that they might take their choise of pleasant sinnes to sport themselues at their pleasure and conuenient leisure which to atchieue notwithstanding they must pay good currant coyne for Behold gentle Reader the two pillers of the church of Rome viz. The glorie and riches of their proude Pope and prelates was one and the libertie preached to the people was the other So that the pope I thinke went about to builde a kingdome for himselfe on earth rather then to build a church for God in heauen Hereupon is he magnified with so many titles Hereupon after he began to growe in ambition he vsurped the tytle of Supremacie ouer all kinges princes and Emperours of the world And when the pope had all this iurisdiction and preheminence what was it els but to say with the Whore of Babylon d Reue. 18.8 Sit as Queene I wonder that all the Papistes of the world are not ashamed of their vnholye father whose kingdome whose Church whose religion is onely to preach libertie and licentious kinde of liuing to the people seeking his owne onlie glorie and renowne and not the glorie of God This is that the Iesuits fight for that the Seminaries perswade and contend for that the papistes boast of that they dare challenge al the world in disputation for the defence thereof namely the erecting of the downfalling pride of the Pope in their subtill perswasions to reconcile sillie vnstable soules vnto their Romish Sea They can paint out the honour of Rome with most princelie building in the authoritie of their Pope with more then kinglie tytles and the glory of their splendant Church with no lesse eloquence insomuch as they haue made their tongues as sweete as musicke to enchant and their reason nothing but sophistry to deceiue of whom I wish all men to take heede as of rauening wolues and to flie them as venemous serpents For the true Church of God dooth not stande in such outward glystering pompe as these men would make beleeue but in trueth of the word of God deliuered in sacred scriptures as heretofore hath bene declared But all the pomp wherewith the Romaine Iesuits Seminaries and papistes doo so aduance their proude Pope withall and calling their Church the mother Church What dooth it els represent vnto vs but the glorious state of the Whore of Babylon which was clothed with e Reue. 17.4 purple and decked with golde with pretious stones and pearles hauing a cuppe of golde in her hand full of th'abhominations and vncleannesse of filthinesse and in her forhead was written not the mother Church but great Babylon the mother of fornications and of abhominations of the earth O but I doo the Pope great iniury for he calleth himselfe Seruus seruorum the seruant of seruants but what matter is it to cal himself so in name when in deed he sheweth himself Rex regū a king of kings and a Lord aboue all nations as his title of supremacie his vsurped authoritie of-excommunication of princes his putting downe of kinges and giuing their kingdoms away to whome he list doth manifestly bewray So that this is but a mist cast ouer mens eies to blind fold men from beholding the vsurped princelinesse of the Pope In trueth the Church of Rome sauoureth of too much earthly pompe to haue any part in the true church of God though it boast neuer so much and trust in lying words saying the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord The papistes can say that concerning Rome they haue the testimonie of Paule who in his Epistle to the Romanes writeth to al that be in Rome calleth thē f Rom. 1.7 beloued of God called saints but what profiteth it thē that in times past there was a true spouse of Christ in Rome sith now and manie yeares since it is become an adultresse and hath forsaken her first loue her first faith But al this is outcountenanced with the authority of the pope being Peters successor as he glorieth And the pope he chalengeth the Apostolike Sea so that hee will be Peters successour and yet vicarius dei what is this els but to assure vs that Antichrist shall sit in the Temple g Thess 24. of God as God boasting himselfe to be God The Pharisees in Christes dayes could say who can forgiue sinnes but God and yet the Pope hee will arrogate vnto himselfe that authoritie to wreath from kinges their crownes and scepters what is this but to sit in the temple of God as God and boasting himself to be God Now how well he dischargeth the office of an Apostle I think al men vnderstand he braggeth to be Peters successour but what glory is it to be Peters successour in place and not to retaine the doctrine and performe the office of the Apostle Peter It is the maner of papistes altogether to glorie of names persons and places and such outward titles they neuer looke to the trueth of inward puritie so that al there religion is nothing els but a painted schulchre fayre to the eye but within full of rotten bones because the pope was successour to a good Apostle It followeth not no more then an vsurper of a kingdome shal be said a lawful king because he is a successour to a lawfull king Though Peter were a true apostle yet the pope may be a false Apostle and that the Pope is a false Apostle appeareth by the notes of a true and false Apostle Peter had his calling from Christ to be an Apostle and so entred Peter into the Apostleship For Christ is the h Ioh. 10.1 dore whosoeuer entereth not in by the doore but climeth vp some other way the same is a theefe and a robber therefore let the Pope shew that he entred in by the dore or els hee is not like Peter a lawful Apostle In doctrine how the Pope and Peter agree is soone seene Peter saith if i 1. Pet. 4 1◠anie man speake let him speake as the words of God the pope hee blotteerth out his owne traditions his vnwritten verities and vomiteth out the puddle of his owne brayne yea he wil preache matter contrarie to the word of God and peruert the worde of God as when Paule sayth and the whole Scripture agreeing with hym that by the k Rom. 3.20 workes of the lawe no flesh shal be iustified before God the Pope and Papistes holde and teache that good woorkes are meritorious yea and that
liuing God whome Peter confessed If Peter then be not the head of the Church downe must fall the title of the vniuersall Bishop of all the Church which title the pope proudly hath vsurped as deriued from Peter who was content to be a member of the Churche and not the head thereof but the swelling ambition of the Pope is so monstrous that hee neither careth to commit treason against christian princes but most proudly hee will intrude himselfe into the seate and throne of God himselfe and he will be head of the Churche to dye for it but I beleeue in the end he will scarse be so much as the foot or one of the toes of the Churche his blasphemie is so monstrous and so intollerable If then sillie Pope thou wilt be head of the whole Churche shewe which way thou makest title for Peter from whome thou claymest was content to be a member of the Church And thou because thou canst not be a member of the church most proudly claymest to be the head because thou canst not be the head thou wilt be no part of the church at all I beleeue the consequent darest thou proud pope without all authoritie derogate so much from the glory and maiestie of Christ as to take from Christ his crown to set it vpon thy head most traiterously and thinkest thou that he will not trample thee vnder his feete doth not Paule to the Ephesians speake in plaine tâ—armes that God raised Christ from the dead and set him at his right hand in heaueÌ„ly places aboue all principalities powers and lordships and euery name that is named not onely in this world but in the world to come and hath submitted all thinges vnder his feete and hath made him head aboue all thinges to the Churche which is his body the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all If Christ be the head of the Church as this text doth most plainly proue then caÌ„not the pope be the head of the church in earth as hee proudly vsurpeth for there can be but one head of the Church and that head is Christ so that it is the sole appropriated title of Christ to be the head of his church on earth and euerie where for God hath giuen this title to neither man nor angell nor archangell but to Christ onely whom he raysed from the dead Looke through the whole life of Peter looke through all his Epistles and doctrine and thou shalt finde in him all the markes of a true and worthie Apostle his minde humble not eleuated with pride his doctrine sound which he had receiued from Christ his counsell good his admonitions wholesome his Epistles most deuine The pope his boasting successor cannot abide the charge of preaching sincerely the word of God but yet will hee be an Apostle as touching the place and retaine the name of an Apostle and when a man is no more an Apostle and reuera wanteth both the doctrine and sincere minde of an Apostle what is this else but to be a false Apostle and an intruder into the Church of God What his doctrine is perticularly to recite al were to tedious and almost infinit their idolatrous masse their inuented purgatorie deuised onely to purge mens pursses not their soules their bowing to idols their intercession of saintes their freewill their iustification by workes nay their workes of superogation and infinite more what doe all these but make voyd the crosse of Christ and disanull the grace of God repugnant plainely against the law of Moses and the sacred scriptures But who may speake against him in anie thing who may tell him that God commandeth we should not k Exod. 20. bow down nor worship carued Images and if he leaue out this second commaundement cleane out of the booke because it maketh agaynst him who can reproue him In his absurd doctrne of transubstantion after the wordes of consecration vttered who can perswade him but that the bread is the verie body of Christ and the wine is the verie bloud though Christ call it plainly the l fruite of the vine in plaine tearmes Who may tell him that he should onely teach the godly doctrine of Christ as a faithful Apostle and not his vnwritten verities nor curtoll the scriptures of God nor yet dispence with any thing therein contained who may tell him of his charters of pardons his dispensations to commit cruell and vnnaturall murders against Christian Princes rebellions robberies adulteries and all the villanies of the world and all this vnder a pretensed colour of the supremacie which Peter neuer had ouer the Church of God ouer all Princes and Emperours yea and I thinke aboue God himselfe for what is this els but to chop and chaunge and to vse at his pleasure the sacred word of God and to abuse it to all vngodlinesse and wickednesse Their answere is short that the Scriptures are to be expounded by generall counsels and they and the pope make the Church and the Church cannot erre And whatsoeuer therefore they shall say or decree that is the worde of God and to be reuerenced as an oracle from heauen whatsoeuer it be And hereupon is builded the implicita fides of the Roman papistes to beleeue as the Church beleeueth is fayth good inough for a papist This argument is verie pithagorium Ipse dixit ergo verum est O subtill papistes O simple and deceiued people O moste diuelishe and pestilent religion thus to bewitch mens heartes and to cast a mist before their eyes to blindfolde them in such polluted doctrine And the more to colour this their fraud and apparent deceite they haue established ignorance for the mother of deuotion and images they haue made lay mens bookes and as for the Bible that shal be read to the people in an vnknowne toong as in Latine O diuelish deuise of Sathan O hellish darkenes Not the deuill himselfe could haue inuented a more subtil yet a most pernitious religioÌ„ Is ignoraunce the mother of deuotion when Christ calleth it the mother of error saying to the Saduces you Mat. 22 29. erre not knowing the scriptures Can an vnlearned man sayth Paule say Amen to thy seruice vttered in an vnknown toonge when he knoweth not what thou saiest and he sayth plainly that there is no Rom. 14. edification in such vnknowne language howe can these men boast that they edifie the people then when the people say Amen they know not to what and their implicita fides beleeueth they knowe not what they tell them the church cannot erre and this is sufficient for them if you will goe anie further the Church must answere O silly Romanistes so much seduced by that deluding Antichrist wherevpon is your Church builded vpon the pope as the head of the church and the generall counselles Peter neuer claymed to be the head of the Church hee neuer had that authority giuen him nay it was denied him to seeke after it And Christ onely is