against them First for Sybils Oracles they do euidently describe the Pope of Rome calling him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that should haue a manifold that is a triple crowne and his name should come neere to Ponti so is he called Pontifex that all the world should visit his foote that he should gather together huge heapes of gold and siluer be skilfull in Magick arte And afterward in the same booke Sybill speaketh of the vtter ruine and desolation of Rome Concerning the Rabbines neither do they witnes for the Romanes but did rather by the scriptures gather that they should be enemies to the Church for so they vnderstand that prophesie of Balaam that Cittim shall afflict Heber of the power of Italy and Rome so Onkelos Iarchi Ezra Sadaiah Isaac Bochai as they are cited by that learned man in his Concent whose name as I haue heard this opponent beareth but neither his wit nor learning Is not this now a braue lad that would make vs belieue that these speake for him that are vtterlie against him But whereas he challengeth beside that Mahometanes Iewes Paganes Infidels Heretikes Schismatikes Deuils damned soules soules in Purgatorie do witnesse with them We willinglie yeeld them all these they are fit Iurie men to bring in such a verdite onely I take exception against two of this empanelled enquest the soules in Purgatorie which is no where and therfore it is a vaine proofe and the damned soules who if they might vtter their complaint from hell they would cry out against their popish instructors which by their idolatrie doctrine of freewill merits pilgrimages inuocation of Saints blind traditions and by many other grosse errors and blind ignorance condemned them to hell 8 He saith further That the Queene by her new taken prerogatiue proceedeth in spirituall causes without Parliament Here are two vntruths couched together 1 Her Maiestie did while she liued exercise no authoritie in those causes which the statutes of this realme haue not yeelded vnto her and therefore without Parliament she proceeded not that authoritie in spirituall matters being restored to the Crowne by acte of Parliament 2 False also it is that this prerogatiue is new taken vp that the Prince should be the supreme gouernor ouer all persons and in all causes as well ecclesiasticall as temporall for her Maiestie did not challenge any authoritie and power of ministerie of deuine offices in the Church as the Papists do falsely slaunder the state but only she was acknowledged during her princely life and raigne to be supreame gouernor of the Church in her realme to prescribe lawes for the same by the word of God and to see them executed and no otherwise This prerogatiue is auncient neuer denied to Christian Princes Dauid Solomon Iehosaphat Hezekiah Iosias reformed religion deposed idolatrous priests made ecclesiasticall orders and lawes Eleutherius calleth King Lucius Gods vicar in his kingdome and saith it is his dutie to call his people to the faith and law of Christ. Pope Leo thus decreed Res humanae c. Humane matters can not otherwise be safe nisi quae ad diuinam confessionē pertinent regia sacerdotalis defendat dignitas vnlesse those things which belong to the deuine profession both the kinglie and priestlie authoritie defend And among other offices of the Kings of England this is one Vt regat ecclesiam That he gouerne the Church Yea the popish Clergie were the first that recognized King Henry the 8. to be the supreame head of the Church of England 9 Where he saith The definition of the Pope in such cases is impossible to be false by all morall iudgement You should haue said moriall or a fooles iudgement for it is notoriouslie knowne that diuers Popes haue been heretikes Marcellinus was a Montanist Liberius an Arrian Honorius was condemned for an Heretike Anastasius and Celestinus were Nestorians Yea it is also manifest that the Bishops of Rome haue erred in their definitions and decrees Nicolaus 1. alloweth baptisme made onely in the name of Christ Decret 1. de baptis Platina saith Post Stephanum c. After Stephen this custome was obserued Vt acta priorū pontificum sequentes aut infringerent aut omnino tollerent That the Popes which succeeded did infringe the acts of their predecessors or cleane take them away The former then or the latter must needs erre in their decrees Erasmus saith Ioannes 22. Nicolaus totis decretis intra se pugnant idque in his quae videntur ad fidei negotium pertinere Iohn 22. and Nicolas in all their decrees do fight one with another and in such things as belong vnto faith But if you waigh not the credit of this testimonie heare one of your Popes confession Quid si criminosus papa contraria fidei praedicet haereticisque dogmatib imbuat subditos What if a bad Pope do preach contrarie to the faith and corrupt his subiects with hereticall opinions It is possible then for a Pope not only to erre himselfe but to preach publish and enioyne it to others What an heape of lyes hath this fabulous Frier told vs and all within the compasse of one page I may say to him as Diogenes to Plato who requesting of him three rootes out of his garden sent him a bushell euen so saith he when you are asked you answere many things But this vnskilfull gardener vnasked hath cast vs out of his garden stinking weeds by lumps serued vs with a bushell of lyes Cyprianes saying may very well be applied to such ouer-reaching Romanists Romani cum sua mendaciorum merce nauigant quasi veritas post eos nauigare non posset The Romanists hoise vp saile to carrie their merchandise of lyes as though the truth could not saile after them so this nimble Cursitor trips away with his false footing as though no man could trace his wide footsteps and ouertake him The fourth Perswasion 1 I Defend a religion which hath confuted all aduersaries Atheists Epicures Iewes Paganes Mahumetanes Magicians Philosophers 2 Which hath conquered aboue 400. sects of internall and domesticall heretikes subdued all nations 3 Not a religion builded vpon vaine coniecture c. wherein so many heads so many religions deniers of scriptures deceitfull false translators corrupters and forgers of holie euidence deuisers of doctrines for pleasure sake c. 4 But a religion founded vpon the most certaine and infallible word of God c. The Disswasion 1 HOw well popish religion confuteth Atheists Epicures Iewes Pagans Mahometanes I haue shewed before that poperie boroweth from all these that diuers of their Popes haue been Atheists Gregor 7. Siluester 2. Paulus 3. Benedict 9. Ioann 13. Leo. 10. Alexander 6. with other Iewes and Turkes are tolerated vnder the Popes nose onely the Protestants are persecuted vnto death And for Magicians Platina sheweth that
diuers of those auncient Kings became Monks yet neither was the Monasticall life so farre out of square as now it is they made it not a cloake of idlenes and filthie liuing a nurserie of idolatrie and grosse superstitions but they desired that life as fittest for contemplation and free frō the encumbrances of the world Diuers of the heathen Emperors left the Imperiall administration and betooke thēselues to priuate contemplation as Dioclesian Maximinian Lanquet ann Christ. 307. Neither doth this one opinion of the excellencie of Monasticall life shew them to be resolute Papists for it followeth not because they were Monks that consequentlie they held transubstantiation worship of images and the more grosse points of the Romish Catechisme 3 He shall not be able to proue the tenth part of that great number of 180. Kings either to haue themselues professed the now Romane religion or by lawes to haue prescribed the same to others some instances I will produce In King Lucius dayes not the Pope but the King was Gods vicar in his kingdome and it was his part to gather the people together to the law of Christ as Eleutherius Bishop of Rome testifieth in his epistle Cedde and Colman dissented from the Church of Rome about the celebration of Easter Wilfride about the same time confesseth that Images were inuented of the Deuill which all men that beleeue in Christ sayth he ought of necessitie to forsake and detest King Alfred or Alured translated the Psalter into English and he was instructed by Ioannes Scotus who writ a booke de corpore sanguine Christi which was condemned by the Pope in the Synod Vercellens being of Bertrams opinion against the corporall presence which fansie was not as yet receiued in the Church as is apparant by the sermon of Elfricus against transubstantiation In King Edward Athelstane and King Edmunds time the Prince had power to constitute ecclesiasticall lawes and to prescribe rules and orders for ecclesiasticall persons as may appeare by diuers of their lawes In King Edgars time Priests mariage was lawfull which began then to be restrayned Many lawes and acts haue passed since in open Parliament to restraine the iurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome to inhibite the purchasing of prouisoes frō thence arrests processes excommunications vnder paine of exile imprisonment forfeiture of goods and that not without expresse consent of the Clergie See Richard 2. ann 16. cap. 5. These then which allowed not the worship of images beleeued not transubstantiation gaue the Prince authoritie in spirituall causes approued the mariage of Ministers and the translation of the scriptures into the vulgar tongue restrayned the authoritie of the Romane Bishop may worthilie doubted of whether they were Papists 4 King Henry was so farre from repenting his proceedings against the vsurped Romane iurisdiction that if God had spared him life he intended a thorough reformation of Religion as was easilie to be seene both by his resolution for religion vttered not long before his death to Monsieur de Annebault the French Embassador and his answere made nearer to his death to Bruno Embassador to the Duke of Saxonie that he would take his part against the Emperour if the quarell were for religion 5 More vntrue it is that our late Soueraigne in the late dayes of persecution professed that religion with such deuotion The cruell and vnnaturall dealing toward her highnes then is a sufficient argument to conuince this large reporter of a great vntruth how she was sent for by commission in great extremitie of sicknes to be brought aliue or dead committed without cause to the Tower her seruants remoued from her straitlie examined her owne seruants restrayned to bring her diet denied the libertie of the Tower a strait watch kept round about her in danger to be murdered in continuall feare of her life her death by Winchesters platforme intended which by Gods prouidence she escaped Adde hereunto Stories desperate speech vttered in the Parliament house that he was not a little grieued with his fellow Papists for that they laboured onely about the young and little sprigs and twigs while they should haue striken at the roote c. All this euidentlie bewrayeth what opinion they had of her Maiesties resolution in religion and what she had of theirs In the meane time their cruell proceedings are laid open who if it were as this Coniecturer sayth would so persecute an innocent Ladie whom they commend for her deuotion 6.1 That euidence which he alleadgeth from M. Fox his mouth out of the Register booke of the Guildhall in London conteineth not the precise forme of the Princes oath to be taken at the Coronation which before I haue recited out of Magna charta but certaine monitions and instructions concerning the dutie of the King 2. He vseth great fraud in setting downe the words both inuerting the order and leauing out what he thinketh good as that the King ought to loue and obserue Gods commaundements then must he be an enemie to idolatrie and to the doctrines and commaundements of men such as many be obserued in the Romane Church Beside he sayth to maintaine holie Church whereas the words are to maintaine and gouerne the holie Church c. but they can not endure that Kings should rule and gouerne the Church 3. For the King to take his oath vpon the Euangelists and blessed reliques of Saints it sheweth not that the King did worship those reliques or sweare by them though he lay his hand vpon them no more then he doth sweare by the booke that putteth his hand vpon it or Abrahams seruant by his maisters thigh when he sware vnto him or Iacob by the heape of stones ouer the which he tooke his oath But as Ambrose well sayth Christianus imperator aram solius Christi didicit honorare A Christian Emperour hath onely learned to honor Christs altare And so Christian Princes haue learned to giue all religious honor to Christ and not to impart it to his seruants to make them sharers with their Maister Thus hath this sophisticall dialogist fayled as well in the probation of the assumption as in his enlarging of the proposition But whatsoeuer her Maiesties predecessors were she was not bound where they wandred out of the way to erre in their steps Iosias of idolatrous parents both father and grandfather was himselfe a religious Prince and a true worshipper of God Heathen stories will tell vs that noble Pericles came of an euill race Pompeius the great of despised Strabo Vlysses Aesculapius famous men of lewd parents The graue Poet also doth insinuate as much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sonne excels in vertues fame the parent euill of whome he came As of euill parents vertuous children may descend so out of superstitious antiquitie religious posteritie may issue and florish And as Ambrose well answered the obiection of Symmachus the Pagane Maiorum ritus
sent the helue after the head and found both so I hope this simple present added to the former may make a way for me vnto your Maiestie not to speake for my selfe but in the behalfe of the Church of Christ. Now because I know not whether in this kind I may euer hereafter haue occasion to speake to your Maiestie let me be bold in the feare of God to vtter my mind to your Highnesse not onely with reuerence as to a King but plainely in singlenesse of hart as to a Christian a good man and louer of Gods Church Hierome of Sicile was wont to say That none that spake freely to him did importune him or was vnseasonable much more to your Christian Maiestie free and plaine speech deliuered in dutie I trust shall not be vnpleasing First then as we all do praise God for your happie succession in the kingdome by whom we are vndoubtedly perswaded religion and peace shall be coÌ„tinued and maintained that we haue all cause to say with Israell The Lord hath done great things for vs whereof we reioyce the times fall out much better and the change more happie then was of some feared of others expected It hath not happened vnto vs as aged Leontines foretold to the Antiochians who pointing to his gray and white haires said When this snow is melted much mire will follow that is sedition and trouble But after the dissolution of the white snowie haires of our last aged Soueraigne no such trouble God be thanked hath followed the Lord hath not left vs as sheepe without a shepheard We are the same sheepe to be led foorth still to the waters of life though another sheepheard As the Church of England acknowledgeth Gods great goodnesse herein so your Christian Maiestie shall do wel to recogitate with your selfe as you do the Lords great mercies toward you who in your infancie from many perils most prouidently preserued you and in your former raigne from many dangers miraculously deliuered you and now to a most flourishing kingdome most honourably aduaunced you I doubt not but as your Highnesse hath the like occasion so with the Prophet you will vtter the same affection My soule praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefites as well appeareth to the great comfort of vs all by that religious weekely erected exercise in your Highnesse Court Your Maiestie well remembreth Moses counsell to the king that he should reade in the law of God all the dayes of his life that his heart be not lifted vp aboue his brethren Princes are set in slipperie places if God stay them not abundance of honor pleasure wealth may soone intangle theÌ„ This appeared in Salomon who strangely fell and declined from his integritie Alexanders example in forraine stories is notable who in iustice temperance chastitie was a mirror to all Princes before he tasted of the pleasures of Asia Dionysius for a while delighted in Plato and seemed to be studious of Philosophie but he quickely fell away therein well resembled to a booke wherein that which was before written was soone blotted out But in Christians the mutabilitie of nature is corrected by the stabilitie of grace and God with whom there is no variablenesse nor shadowing by turning shall so strengthen your royall heart as that it be neither ouer-cast with shadow nor turned by change There are two enemies to Christian constancie enuie and flatterie the one practiseth the other perswadeth that pulleth backe this letteth to go forward the last is the worst the first least to be feared Enuie followeth vertue flatterie nourisheth vice the first Themistocles well perceiued who being yet young said he had done no excellent thing because he was not enuied the other Phocion was not ignorant of to whom when the people gaue applause for his oration What saith he to his friends haue I spoken any thing amisse vnawares shewing that popular applause and flatterie doth often worke vpoÌ„ some infirmitie Many haue preuented trecherie that could not take heed of flatterie Dauid whom neither Abner and Amasaes valour nor Achitophels wit could subdue Ziba his false tale seduced and smiling ease and prosperitie corrupted Nehemiah could wel beware of Tobiah and Sanballat that were threatning aduersaries but he was most in daunger by Shemaiah and Noadiah dissembling Prophets The way for Princes to auoide such flatterers is to haue faithfull seruants and followers as Dauid saith The faithfull in the land shall dwell with me the vpright in heart shall serue me Lysippus the Caruer did worthily reproue Apelles the Painter because he had made Alexanders picture with a thunderbolt in his hand as a God the other with a speare honouring him as a valiant Prince I doubt not but they are more pleasing to your Highnesse that giue you that is due then which ascribe that you will not take Against enuie and trechery your Maiestie must oppose your Christian innocencie and carefull circumspection against flatterie your Princely humilitie As Ambrose well describeth the penitent king of Niniuie that humbled himselfe in sackcloth He forgetteth himselfe to be a king while he feareth God the king of al a straunge thing while he casteth away his purple robes and remembreth not that he is a king he beginneth to be a king of Iustice he did not lose his kingdome but chaunged it to the better God graunt that to your Princely humilitie and Christian pietie may be added diuine constancie that although archers shoot at you some with darts of enuy trechery some with the bolts of flatterie yet with Ioseph your bow may abide strong and the hands of your armes strengthened to the end Agesilaus well said I do so vse my selfe that in no chaunge I be chaunged We all trust that this speech will be more truly verified in your Christian Maiestie then in that heathen Prince which your firme and we hope vnchaungeable constancie hath manifested it selfe in your stedfast resolution for the continuance of religion in sinceritie without mixture Some haue preasâ—ed alreadie if not presumed to make request for toleration of their Masse or rather Misse-seruice for all is amisse in it but they might know that the Arke and Dagon cannot dwell together that Hezechiah will not suffer the brasen serpent to stand nor Iosias permit the Chemarims to execute their idolatrous seruice They wold seeme to condition with your Maiestie whose lands and persons are at your courtesie much like the Athenians who being forced to giue vp their citie to the Spartans desired that Samos might be left to whom one wittily answered When you are not your owne you would haue others to be yours Whereupon grew this Prouerbe He that hath not himselfe would haue Samos We haue an English by-word Beggers must be no choosers so neither must petitioners be prescribers Your Maiestie can answer such importunate vnreasonable suiters as Zerubabel answered the aduersaries of Iudah that offered
pag. 11. lin 16. his meaning is that he is halfe a subiect as he is English to the Prince as he is Catholike to the Pope for if hee be a Iesuite that thus writeth how can they bee faithfull subiects which call these positions wicked pernicious erronious hereticall trayterous that the Pope hath no authoritie to restraine punish or force by way of armes either by himselfe or others any temporall prince for heresie Apostasie c. that if the Pope attempt any such matter he may bee resisted by Catholike subiects that if they should know of any designement or treatise of the Pope by way of force in England they would reueale the same Thus these popish Iudasites count those heretikes and traytors that are not traytors to their Prince From this ground haue proceeded these diabolicall not theologicall conclusions resolued vpon at Salamanca 7. of March 1602. concerning the inuading of Ireland 1. That the Catholikes in Ireland may fauour the Earle of Tyrone in his warres and that with great merite and hope of euerlasting reward 2. All Catholikes sinne mortallie that take part with the English against Tyrone 3. They are in the same case that helpe the English with any victuals 4. The Catholikes of Ireland that fight against the Queene are by no construction Rebels To these Articles subscribed the Popish Diuines and preachers Iohn de Sequenza Emmanuel de Royas Iasper de Mena Peter Osorio Loe these are the Iesuited Catholike subiects of England If he be a secular Priest that thus professeth himselfe a Catholike subiect he shall giue vs leaue also to doubt of his obedience and loyaltie for what profession soeuer they make of their faithfull seruice and subiection to the Princes Maiestie I feare me their hearts are not sound For whereas the Priests are charged by Parsons to say that the Pope hath no authoritie by way of force or armes immediatly or by others to restraine punish or represse any temporall prince for heresie c. they vtterly renounce this position and call it a spitefull collection They say further that the Popes indirect authoritie in temporalibus in temporall things is not called in question neither is the power of deposing of princes examined And whereas Parsons laboureth to proue that although the Pope directly haue no temporall dominion or iurisdiction ouer Christian temporall princes c. yet indirectly for conseruation and defence of religion c. he may also vse the sword or helpe of temporall forces either immediatly from himselfe or by other princes at his direction c. The Priests to this answere that they labour about a matter not in controuersie So then it is their opinion that although the Pope not as a Bishop or Ecclesiasticall person yet as a temporall Prince may depose Kings and inuade kingdomes Then it is to be vehemently feared least that this should be their euasion that if the Pope should make an inuasion they would obey him though not as a spirituall Prelate yet as a temporall Prince I may therefore here say with Hierome Non bonae suspicionis est cum in eodem sensu verba dissentiunt It is no good suspition when as in the same sense the words differ For this cunning circumlocution of words bewrayeth a diuers sense May we not now thinke that these Catholike subiects are like vnto the Popish Bishops in King Henry the 8. his time that professed themselues good subiects to the king and yet were obliged by oath to the Pope swearing in this manner Their counsell to me credited by them their messengers or letters I shall not willingly discouer to any person the Popedome of Rome the regalities of S. Peter I shall helpe and retaine and defend against all men the rights honours priuiledges authorities of the Church of Rome of the Pope and his successors I shall cause to be conserued c. I shall not be in councell treatie or any act in the which any thing shall be imagined against him or the Church of Rome their rites states honours c. if I know any such to be moued I shall resist it to my power c. Let any man now iudge whether any taking this oath to the Pope could be good subiects to their Prince no more can they that stand for the regalities priuiledges and iurisdiction of the Church of Rome as both Priests and Iesuites doe for ought I can see 2. He calleth this the decaying and withering age of the Protestants pag. 11. lin 18. It is strange to see how bold and confident these vaine people are that notwithstanding God hath hitherto subuerted all their trayterous deuices and made frustrate their vaine hope yet they doe flatter themselues in their purposes and doe expect an encrease of their kingdome and a decay and extirpation of the Gospell The Priest he dreameth that Priests may be raised vp out of our owne Vniuersities and from among the Ministers themselues But Parsons himselfe saith that this is a reason to be laughed at But the Iesuite is yet more bold God will at his time appointed most certainly restore the realme of England to the Catholike he meaneth Popish faith And againe We shall not finde that difficultie and resistance by the grace of God in England which good men doe finde in other countries for bringing in of any reformation that is attempted Yea he taketh vpon him to prescribe what his Catholike Prince shall doe when he hath him and how he shall demeane himselfe toward his Nobilitie Indeede we will goe thus farre with Frier Robert that God at the time appointed may restore c. But wee verely trust that no such time is appointed or shall euer come and by the grace of God as they haue found I thinke more difficultie hitherto to plant Popish religion in England then in any other countrie so shall they finde still And concerning his Catholike Prince whom Parsons stil meaneth to be the Catholike King of Spaine or some to bee brought in by him I will answere him with their owne Priests words God forbid that time should euer come neither doe I trust in God it euer shall And that it may yet further appeare what a vaine hope is hatched in their breasts first during her Maiesties daies they had small reason to looke for reiuing of superstition whose constant resolution and setled iudgement against al mixture or toleration of contrarie religion we al were perswaded of while she liued they needed not to doubt her Maiestie her selfe had professed in the late Proclamation not long before her peaceable departure to the comfort of all her subiects And the Iesuite himselfe further confesseth that there is no hope that the King of Scotland now our Soueraigne Lord King of England Scotland France and Ireland will be a Catholike which the whole Church of England beleeued before and now to their great comfort seeth and with thankes to Iesus Christ acknowledgeth
Christs natiuitie death and resurrection he knoweth and confesseth But the right Christian faith beside the illumination of the vnderstanding maketh an assured confidence of the heart and setleth the conscience and maketh vs at peace with God and by this faith euery one that vnfainedly seeketh God beleeueth that he will reward them as the Apostle saith He that commeth vnto God must beleeue that he is and that he will reward those that seeke him Here are two parts of faith expressed a knowledge that God is and a beleefe or assurance that God will reward his seekers and followers 4. The argument proposed concludeth well against Papists that he which is doubtfull of faith is much more doubtful to obtaine heauē for a man may haue their speculatiue faith yet be no whit neerer to heauen nor sure thereof But the right faith which Protestants professe doth put them euen while they liue in assurance and in some sort in possession of the kingdome of heauen as our Sauiour saith He that beleeueth in him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is escaped from death to life Wherefore it is an hard and difficult matter with Papists to obtaine heauen or to be assured thereof though they haue the Popish faith But with Protestants after they be endued with a liuely iustifying faith there is no doubt or difficultie in obtaining the reward for we are kept by the power of God through faith to saluation and the end of our faith is the saluation of our soules He therefore that is in the way of faith is sure to come vnto the end which is saluation I may therefore vse against this Romanist the words of Basile You are guiltie of that which you accuse in another It is an hard matter for your followers to obtaine or be sure of heauen and therfore you iudge so of the Protestants But as Augustine saith Quisquis adhuc malus non putet neminem bonum esse Let not him that is euill thinke no man good Because Popish religion is desperate and comfortlesse thinke not euery religion to be so The fourth Probation THe argument here vrged may be framed thus He whom all or most denie to haue title or interest to a kingdome will faintly take it in hand The Protestants make the kingdom of God vncertaine improbable impossible to be obtained and so denie men to haue interest to it Ergo they are the cause that few aduenture so certaine and painfull a worke for so vncertaine and doubtfull recompence The Solution 1. TO the proposition this may bee answered that although in terrene kingdoms where a title is denied of all there is small hope to obtaine because to a temporall inheritance admittance is by temporall meanes and entrance to kingdomes is made by the fauour and assistance of vnited friends yet moued by the iustnes of the title as the Wiseman saith In the multitude of the people is the honour of the King and for the want of people commeth the destruction of a Prince yet in the obtaining of the kingdome of heauen the case is farre diuers for the children of God haue good title vnto it and great interest in it and will earnestly contend and striue for it though all the world say nay as Elias was not dismaied in his course though he thought himselfe to be left alone and to be forsaken of all men 2. It is an impudent slaunder that the Protestants make the kingdome of God vncertaine improbable or impossible to be obtained these are the proper badges of the Popish Church For how doe not they make the kingdome of God vncertaine when they teach that the certitude of remission of sinnes is a vaine confidence and void of all godlines and others call it a faithlesse perswasion of saluation for a man to be assured by faith that hee shall be saued How is it not also improbable seeing if any among thē are likely to goe to heauen their Popes whom they call holy Fathers Christs Vicars hauing S. Peters keyes to whom the spirituall treasure of the Church is committed to whom it belongeth to canonize Saints who are priuiledged not to erre they in all reason and probabilitie should be most sure to goe to heauen Is it probable that they can open heauen to others and commaund the Angels to carrie other mens soules to heauen that they can canonize others and bee excluded heauen themselues And yet they dare pronounce of some of their Popes and those not the worst that they are damned as Bellarmine is reported to haue said to an English Doctor of Sixtus the last that descendit ad infernum that hee was gone to hell as farre as he could conceiue or vnderstand Yea by their doctrine the kingdome of heauen is impossible to bee had seeing they doe ascribe it to mens workes and merits for this I dare by warrant of the Scriptures affirme that he which maketh account to purchase heauen by his workes and not to obtaine it by faith is not like to come thither For by the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified This obiection then might well haue bin spared which reboundeth back vpō their own face Thus are they snared in their owne words and so it falleth out vnto this brabler as it is in Iob He that speaketh many words shall be answered againe If hee be loth to haue the nakednes of his mother discouered he should haue followed Hieromes saying Vis me tacere ne accuses depone gladium ego scutum abijciam Would you haue vs quiet you should not haue accused vs if you had laid downe your sword I should not haue needed to take vp a shield Clitarchus could haue told you Vtter not those things which you are loth to heare your selfe The fift Probation THe Mahometanes were neuer more wicked then after the Persian schisme and diuision amongst them Likewise the Iewes were diuided into many sects and religions at the comming of Christ Samaritanes Pharisies Sadduces Essenes c. whereby that nation c. was drowned and ouerwhelmed in such monstrous and erronious iniquities The conclusion must be Ergo Protestants being so diuided are most wicked c. The Solution FIrst this argument is denied for though among the Infidels and misbeleeuers such as the Turkes are and the Iewes were at the comming of Christ where none hold the truth but al are in error diuisions and sects make them worse yet is it not so among those which professe the trueth 1. For there the diuersitie of sects and the springing and publishing of heresies doth make the defence of the truth more glorious and the defenders therof more faithfull and constant as the Apostle saith There must be heresies euen among you that they which are approoued among you may be knowne 2. And yet in the meane time the authors of schisme
you say you haue not gained much by it For neither our Prince then nor Church did ascribe any vertue to the signe it selfe or adore and worship it as Papists do The signe of the crosse may be vsed in banners and streamers and set into the Diademe of Princes as a ciuill signe of honour as Ambrose if that oration be his writeth of Helena Sapienter Helena egit quae crucem in capite regum leuauit Helena did wisely in rearing vp the crosse in the head of Kings And though this signe is not any waies to be adored neither yet doe we thinke it ought to be contemned As that law of Honorius was commendable wherein the Iewes are prohibited speciem crucis incendere to burne the fashion of the crosse And that of Theodosius which decreeth a great punishment to him qui in solo vel scilice crucem depinxerit which painteth the crosse in the ground or pauement to trample and tread vpon it Or if any should vse the signe of the crosse which notwithstanding wee allow not as in Basils time not with a superstitious opinion of it or confidence in it but as an outward testimonie of their inward faith as Basile saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That they which trusted in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ were marked with the signe of the crosse Whosoeuer shall vse the signe of the crosse in any of these manners is yet farre off from Popish superstition And I am verily perswaded that if his Maiestie or the Church of England did thinke that the ciuill reuerent significant vsing of the crosse without a superstitious opinion of it were in deede or could iustly be taken as a badge or cognisance of Poperie as it hath bin an offence to many good Christians it should bee more sparingly vsed and may in time if it seeme so good to his Maiestie without preiudice of the truâ—h or religion be wholy remoued that there might not be the least exception taken against our Church But this quarrell picker according to the saying will play at small game before he will sit out and so doth he here by fastning his hold of so small an occasion Her Highnes then and his Maiestie now and the Church of England holdeth a reall and true presence of Christs bodie to the faith of the worthy receiuer in the Sacrament but her Highnes was not perswaded of any grosse carnall presence as is euident by her royall assent to the articles of religion therefore herein her Maiestie was much abused and slaundered 4. Lastly whereas the Romane profession is altogether repugnant to Princes prerogatiues as in that it alloweth the Pope to excommunicate Princes to depose them to transferre their Crownes appeales to bee made to the Pope from the Prince that the Pope may absolue subiects from their oath of fealtie that the Pope not the Prince in his owne kingdome is supreame in all Ecclesiasticall causes that the Pope inuading a kingdome by force vnder pretence to reforme religion is to be assisted against the Prince all which positions the Iesuites the Popes parasites doe hold as it may appeare in their seditious bookes and answeres to the Secular Masse-priests And these all being directly repugnant to the prerogatiue royall of the Crowne as it hath been adiudged by by publike acts of Parliament not of late onely since the reuiuing of the Gospell but euen while Poperie raigned and that by the expresse consent of the Popish Clergie How is not this man to be thought to be past all shame that perswading to Poperie saith hee will teach nothing contrarie to the Princely dignitie c. Wee may say truly to him which Petilian the Donatist vntruly obiected to Augustine that he had ingenium Carneadis Academici Carneades the Academikes wit who disputed Nigras niues esse cum albae sint nigrum argentum c. That snow was blacke and siluer blacke whereas they are both white so he goeth about to perswade things that are quite contrarie We need not here follow the counsell of Seneca Quaedam falsa veri speciem ferunt dandum semper est tempus veritatem dies aperit Some false things make a shew of true wee must giue some space for time trieth the truth But the falsenes of these improbable speeches appeareth at the first we neede no time to descrie them The second Apologie FRom pag. 55. to pag. 66. the Apologist runneth as it were in a maze now in and now out as though he had lost himselfe in a wood I will doe my best to trace him and finde him out I shall not neede to follow him in all his wandrings and turnings nor to answere all his tautologies and vaine repetitions but I will gainecope him and crosse him the next way and reduce his idle and superfluous speeches into some order and forme All these leaues containe but one argument which may be collected thus Her Maiestie and the state are bound to maintaine the religion of her famous noble Christian progenitors Kings and Queenes of this land But they were all knowne to be of the Romane religion and as he himselfe saith Papists pag. 59. lin 7. Ergo. First let vs see how he proueth the proposition or first part of this argument and then how the second 1. Many of them were holy Saints and miraculously witnessed of God to be in heauen euen by Protestants testimonie c. whom the Protestant Ministers must needes condemne to hell and damnation if they will leaue any little hope for themselues to be saued for one heauen cannot possesse them both The Antilogie 1. IF this were a good argument then Christians borne at their first conuersion of idolatrous parents in many ages succeeding together should neuer haue changed their religion but continued in Pagane idolatrie still for feare of condemning all their progenitors to hell neither Constantine the great in the Romane Empire nor Lucius in England should haue become Christened Kings If Idolatrous parents be in state of damnation shall the children tread in their steps to goe the same way The scripture teacheth otherwise that though the father dye in his iniquitie yet if he beget a sonne that seeth all his fathers sinnes which he hath done c. he hath not lift vp his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel nor defiled his neighbors wife c. he shall not dye in the iniquitie of his father but shall surely liue 2 If the sonne be bound to his fathers false religion as idolatrie superstition wherein he erred least he should thinke him to be condemned he were likewise obliged to imitate his auncesters vices and corruptions of life as adulterie oppression violence whereby they were polluted should a man certainely condemne himselfe to belieue that his predecessors are vncertainely saued Their sinnes being of ignorance might be pardoned whereas the sonnes seeing his fathers sinnes and not amending are more surely sealed 3 That
Albons gaue the Peter-pence to Rome and was a great benefactor to that See Sigebert King of West Saxons was a most cruell tyrant who caused the Earle Combranus to be most cruellie put to death because he admonished him to change his manners and was himselfe by the iust iudgement of God slaine by the Swineheard of the same Earle and yet this man is numbred among the Catholike Kings that wrought miracles Another Sigebert there was King of East Saxons who became a Christian but it is not like that this Legender meaneth him who was welnie 150. yeares before this Sigebert who is named after Offa in whose time he liued ann 748. he then putting these two together Offa Sigebertus may be thought rather to insinuate that Sigebert which liued in the time of Offa then the other who was almost 150. yeares before Thus verie skilfullie as we see he hath martialed and mustred his Mirabilists together 4 Concerning the cure of the Kings euill first obtained by King Edward 1. it is not to be imputed to the holines of his person but the efficacie of his prayers to the which that vertuous Prince was much giuen as Dauid by his godlie songs rather then his musicall instrument allayed Saules maladie 2. King Edward did not cure the woman brought vnto him so much by miracle as by ordinarie meanes as suppling and cleansing of the soare pressing out the corruption and bathing the flesh 3. He did not onely cure the woman of her disease but she became fruitfull being barren before He also healed a man that had been blind 19. yeares and caused him to see as the storie reporteth the credit whereof I referre to the Reader how commeth it to passe that these cures also are not hereditarie as well as the other 4. If this miraculous cure of this disease is to be ascribed to the Popish religion how coÌ„meth it to passe that a Protestant Prince our late Soueraigne Qu. Elizabeth therein was comparable to any of her predecessors who yet did not ascribe it to any desert in her self or holines of her person or vertue of her crown but to Gods mercy inuocated by her prayers 5. It is not yet proued that the beginning of this strange cure was founded vpon any point of Popish profession but vpoÌ„ the confidence which that good Prince had in God whom the Protestants more trulie worship then Papists 6. Whatsoeuer is here alleaged for countenancing of the religion of these Christian Kings the Paganes also can produce the like for theirs Traianus the Emperour made a blind man see and a lame man go Among the Argiues the posteritie of Alexida Amphiraus daughter are thought to cure the falling sicknes and are called Elasiae from driuing away of that disease Therefore this is no sound argument to grace that religion though all the rest were euident which yet wanteth proofe that this gift was first bestowed for the merit and desert of the popish beliefe which is thought rather to remayne as a grace from God of that sacred calling and a signe of his speciall assistance and protection of Princes though in his strange cure the conceit and opinion of the diseased may somewhat help some other meanes medicine and diet more but godlie prayers most of all that we neede not altogether pretend a miraculous worke Ambrose sayth Moses non imperabat sed impetrabat Moses precabatur Christus operabatur Moses intreated not commanded he was the prayer Christ the worker Another sayth Elizeus cum spiritu magistri haereditario scindere tamen aquas nisi sub Dei inuocatione non potuit Helizaeus though heyring his maisters spirit could not deuide the water without calling vpon God so this gift howsoeuer to Princes hereditarie pretended can not be without prayer and works of pietie effectuallie practised The Apologie THe proposition of the argument proposed that Princes are bound to the religion of their predecessors hath been thus handsomely proued as we see now it followeth that I examine his proofes of the assumption that all these Catholike Kings were Papists 1 They builded Monasteries and graunted diuers priuiledges for praying to God and Saints for the soules of them and their posteritie pag. 58. lin penultim 2 They voluntarily forsooke their Kingdomes and professed Monasticall life Kingylsus Iue Câ—lulsus c. pag. 59. lin 17. 3 Thirdly Christian Kings of the Britons from Lucius to Cadwallader ann 150. Kings of the English or Saxon Danish and Norman nation embraced it with all zeale themselues and promulged the same by all lawes c. to their posteritie pag. 60. lin 12. c. 4 Her Maiesties father obserued it all his life and of denying the Romane iurisdiction repented at his death pag. 60. lin 24. c. 5 My Soueraigne that is in the time of her Sister Queene Mary professed it with much deuotion pag. 6. lin 29. 6 The King ought to take his oath vpon the Euangelists and blessed relicks of Saints c. to maintaine holie Church with all integritie and libertie according to the constitution of his auncestors pag. 64. lin 30. Vpon these euidences he inferreth thus So that no man can doubt of what faith they were except it be a question whether he that prayeth to Saints prayeth for the dead offereth sacrifice of the Masse graunteth Church liberties honoreth the Sea of Rome buildeth Altars Monasteries Nunries c. be a Papist or Protestant pag. 59. lin 1.2 The Antilogie ALthough I might safely insist in the proposition that a Christian Prince ought not absolutely to be addicted to the religion of his forefathers yet that the weakenes of the Apologists defense may appeare I will discouer his nakednes in this behalfe that he hath not gayned by his slender reasons that those Christian auncient Kings were of the now Romaine religion 1 Though some Monasteries were built by the founders for the remedie of their soule yet all were not speciallie those which were erected at the beginning betweene ann 600. and ann 700. when as yet superstition had not got such deepe footing afterward they which had committed any murther or grieuous sinne that troubled their conscience they were perswaded to found some Monasterie for the remission of their sinnes as Offa builded S. Albones for the murther of King Ethelbert Ethelstane the Abbey of Midleton for consenting to his brother Edwines death Queene Alfrith the Nunrie of Amesburie because of the death of King Edward the Martyr which she had procured Yea in processe of time as religion decayed they had a conceit by such works to redeeme their soules as King Henry 3. built the Monasterie of Conuerts pro redemptione animae suae Iohannis patris sui c. for the redemption of his soule and the soule of Iohn his father Is not this good geare thinke you and sound Catholike doctrine that men should play Christs part and by their owne works redeeme their soules 2 Though
censured first this is the condition of warre it spareth none Secondly this notwithstanding the Citie after his death was taken Thirdly the Pope was forced afterward to absolue and release whom before he had cursed 8. The reason why so many Kings and Regents of the world preuailed not in their attempts and endeuours against the Sea of Rome is euident because they had before giuen their power and authoritie vnto the beast with one consent Reuel 17.13 and therefore Gods iustice required that they should be beaten with their owne rod and suffer vnder that power which another by their authoritie first vsurped But the time shall come that the same Kings and Nations which before gaue their kingdome to the beast shall hate the whore and make her desolate and naked Reuel 17.17 But concerning the Indians if the Spanish tyranny had not preuailed more then Popish subtiltie and cruell violence obtained more then Monkish conscience they were like to haue had a cold suite of it and a simple haruest 9. Iulian was punished for Apostasie from the faith not for denying fealtie to the Pope and Valens iudged for his Arrian heresie not for gainsaying the Papall hierarchie The Grecians and Armenians were subdued to the Turkes not for resisting the iurisdiction of the Pope but for other graue and waightie causes which may be alleaged first because the Empire being diuided anno 101. when Leo the 3. proclaimed Charles the great Emperour of Rome was thereby weakened and so by little and little decayed till at the last it became a pray to the Turke The Pope then himselfe was the first occasion of this iudgement which befell them Secondly in that the Greekes began to haue small respect to the Romane Bishop the Pope himself was the cause for that he first forsooke the Greek Empire erecting another in the West as the author of the tripartite worke saith Schisma hoc fecit partitio imperij c. The partition of the Empire made this schisme because the Empire that was but one was made two Et hinc probabile est quod Graeci cum suo domino coeperunt rebellare ecclesiae Romanae And hence it was that the Greekes with their Lord began to rebell against the Romane Church The Pope therefore may for this thanke himselfe Thirdly but the greatest cause of all this diuision of the Empire and so consequently the confusion thereof was the idolatrie of the Greekes who in a generall Councel held at Nice confirmed and allowed the adoration of images about the time of Adrian the 1. by whose counsell Irene the Empresse tooke vp the bodie of Constantine her husband and burned it and cast the ashes into the sea because they disanulled images Immediatly vpon this inhumane fact of Irene and for their idolatrie followed the diuision of the Empire by Leo the 3. the next successor of this Adrian And for the same cause namely their idolatrie was the Citie of Constantinople surprized and sacked of the Turkes for after the Citie was taken the great Turke caused the image of the Crucifixe which was set vp in the great Church of Sophia to be taken downe and writing this superscription ouer the head Hic est Christianorum Deus This is the God of the Christians made it with sound of Trumpet to bee caried round about the Campe and euery man to spit at it ex Ioann Ram. lib. 2. rerum Turcicar This is more like to be the cause of the destruction of that citie Fourthly and as God hath punished the East Churches for their backsliding so must idolatrous Rome looke to haue her part which both in manners and doctrine is as corrupt as euer was the Greeke Church Many yeeres since it was said Latini licet ad ea quae sunt fidei verius adhaereant deo quam Graeci tamen quoad mores multo pluribus sceleribus implicati sunt The Latines although in matters of faith they cleaue more truly to God yet are in manners more corrupt But now the church of Rome is notoriously knowne both in faith and manners to bee much worse If the Greekes were iudged of God for failing in one the Latines cannot escape that come short in both 10. Lastly he telleth vs that in the Primitiue Church before Constantine almost an hundred Pagane Emperours either truly elected or reputed persecuted it and all them excepting tenne or eleuen died miserably when the persecuted Popes put to death by them came not to the third part of that number pag. 69. lin 3 4. c. 1. Vntrue it is that there were before Constantine almost 100. Pagane Emperours there were not many aboue halfe that number 2. Neither were then the Bishops of Rome called Popes by a peculiar stile as now they are 3. This maketh nothing for the present Papall Hierarchie for the Bishops of Rome are declined and fallen away from the faith doctrine of those first persecuted Bishops Martyrs 4. Whereas I confesse there was then great difference between the imperiall ecclesiasticall state both in the short raigne miserable end of the one the long continuance glorious death of the other the case is now altered for since the time of Gregorie the 1. when the Bishops of Rome began to fall away from the true faith the Popes both for their wretched end and short raigne may cōpare with either the Imperiall or any Episcopall seate and farre exceed them For the first Anastasius voided his entrals into the draught Siluerius died in banishment Vigilius drawne vp and downe by the neck in the streetes at Constantinople Sabinianus died being frighted in the night Agathon that condemned Ministers mariage died of the plague Constantin 2. condemned to prison and his eyes put out Leo. 3. cast from his horse and beaten to death Stephanus 8. wounded in a tumult and so battered that he neuer would shew himselfe afterward abroade Iohn 13. slaine in adulterie Bonifacius 7. died of an apoplexie his bodie was drawne through the streetes with ropes and striken through with speares Siluester 2. slaine of the Deuill being a Necromancer Benedictus 9. suffocated by the Deuill Lucius 2. beaten with stones to death Adrianus 4. choaked with a flie Innocentius 4 sodainely died in his bed Nicholaus 3. died sodainely and speechlesse Clement 6. died sodainely of an aposteme Iohn 15. had his eyes put out and died of the stinch of the prison Now sir what haue you gained by obiecting the miserable end of the Pagane Emperours I thinke your Popes may therein compare with them more wretched and desperate ends shall we not finde of any Princes or Prelates then of prophane Popes For shortnes of raigne Popes goe beyond all regents either temporall or ecclesiasticall that euer were in the world not to speake of the regiment of two or three yeares and not aboue of which sort many Popes may be numbred how many of them attayned not to a yeare how many not
to many moneths yea not to many dayes Leo 2. Benedict 2. did not pope it aboue tenne moneths Benedict 10. nine moneths as many Benedict 11. Alexander 5. eight moneths Christophor 1. Lando 1. seauen moneths Leo 6. as many Celestinus 2. sixe moneths Ioannes 19. fiue moneths Romanus 1. three moneths Benedict 5. Gregor 8.2 moneths Some of their Popedomes are reckoned by dayes as Siluester 3 was Pope but 49. dayes Adrianus 5. fortie dayes Pius 3.27 dayes Bonifacius 6.25 dayes Damasus 2.23 dayes likewise Marcellus 2. Sosimus 2. twentie dayes Celestinus 4. eighteene dayes Stephanus the successor of Zacharias three daies And is not now this bragger ashamed to obiect the breuitie of the Imperiall dominion Concerning the number of Popes since the declining time of that Sea from Gregory 1. you shall finde for one Emperour two or three Popes There haue beene vnder Queene Elizabeths raigne not fewer then 8. or 9. Popes And because it may be answered that Princes do raigne by succession and so many come very young to the Crowne Popes enter by election and are aged when they are chosen let comparison be made betweene the Papacie and other Episcopal seas to the which also men of grauitie and yeares are elected you shall finde three Popes to one Bishop As to giue one instance for many in the Archiepiscopall Sea of Canterburie There haue been since Augustines time who was sent into England by Gregory 1. about ann 600. and odd onely 73. Archbishops But Popes since Gregory 1. there are numbred almost 200. for he was the 64. Bishop of Rome and there haue beene in the whole number 240 Bishops of that Sea or thereabout Wherefore as Ambrose well answered Symmachus who thus obiected Vnde rectius quam documentis rerum secundarum cognitio venit numinis Whence better may the presence of the Gods be knowne then by prosperitie saith Ambrose Odi bimestres Imperatores terminos regum cum exordijs coniunctos I like not two-moneth Emperours and raignes ending and beginning together Many such two-moneth Popes may be produced and popping aside as soone as they are pooping Such infelicitie of the head doth giue no great cause to those Popes-creatures to brag of their prosperitie So that as Leosthenes said of Alexanders armie their Captaine being dead that it was like to blind Cyclops that groped with his hands hauing lost his ere so may the papall Hierarchie be resembled so often changing their head and as one said to Dionysius that a tyrannie was a faire sepulcher such is the Popedome as a pompous and garnished sepulcher wherein the Popes take their ease tyrannizing ouer the Church for their owne aduantage but in respect of any profitable worke in Christs Church they are as mued and closed vp in a sepulcher The third Demonstration THis Popes Chronicler goeth forward and telleth vs of diuers Kings and Emperours that haue been punished and some of them deposed from their Kingdomes for resisting the Sea of Rome as the two Frecards of Scotland Sanetius King of Portugall Bolislaus King of Polonia King Phillip of Fraunce the Empire translated for disobedience from the French to Otho the 3. Henry the 4. Frederike the 2. Otho the 4. Lodouike the 4. deposed The East Empire taken of the Turke Alibrettus King of Nauarre the two Henries of Burbon deposed and depriued pag. 69.70 I will examine these examples in order The Remonstration 1 FRequard the younger was striken of God with a painefull disease whereof he dyed not for his disobedience to the Pope but for his wicked life for he killed his wife and defloured his daughters and was therefore excluded from the communion of Christians his nobles were purposed to haue taken punishment of him but were stayed by Colmannus who told them that Gods vengeance was at hand and not long after he was wounded by a Wolfe in hunting and thereby fell into a strange disease and so died Thus Bucanane reporteth who is falsified to say that all this fell vpon him for his disobedience to Rome which beside that there is no such mention in the historie was not like seeing Colman himselfe dissented from the Church of Rome about the celebration of Easter as hath been before shewed and so might be touched himselfe for his disobedience to that Sea 2 Frequard the fiâ—st was indeede disgraded of his Lords and cast into prison and for sorrow slew himselfe yet this hapned not for any attempts against the Pope but as Bucanane sayth because he maintained factions amongst the nobilitie and the Pelagian heresie and the contempt of baptisme were obiected against him and as others write this iudgement befell him for his crueltie and negligence in the affaires of the common-wealth 3 If it be Sanctius the first whom he meaneth for diuers Kings of Portugall were of that name he was with the consent of Honorius the third deposed and the gouernment committed to one Alphonsus not for disobedience to the Pope sed propter ignauiam for his slothfulnes in the administration of the kingdome 4 Bolislaus being rebuked for adulterie of Stanislaus Bishop of Graccouia slue him and was depriued therefore of the Crowne by the Pope and fell into madnes Munster sheweth this to be the cause not his resisting of the Pope He might as well say that Pompilius a King also of Polonia who was deuoured of Mice with his wife and children which came from the bodies of those whom he had commaunded vniustlie to be slaine was iudged thus of God for his resistance to the Pope 5 Whatsoeuer befell Phillip of France is not to be imputed to any offence committed against the Pope but to his adulterous life who repudiating his first wife Bertha by whom he had children coupled to him Bertradam the wife of Iulio but howsoeuer it fared with him in the meane time Vrbane for his disloyaltie to Princes escaped not vnpunished who for feare of his enemies hid himselfe two yeares in the house of Peter Leo and so dyed But why omitted he to make mention of an other Phillip of France in the time of Boniface the 8. who more resisted the Popes authoritie then euer any King of France did he defeated the Pope of bestowing ecclesiastical dignities forbad any gold or siluer to be exported out of the land to the Pope who also thus wrote vnto the Pope To Boniface bearing himselfe for chiefe pastor little health or none Let thy foolishnes know that in no temporall things we are subiect to no man Was Phillip punished for being thus bold with the Pope No but Boniface himselfe smarted for his contempt of Kings for he was taken prisoner by King Phillips souldiers robbed of all his treasure forced to ride vpon an vnbroken colt with his face to the horse taile almost famished for meate if he had not been relieued by the almes of the towne of Anragum where he was and returning
to Rome for sorrow he dyed 6 Neither was the Empire translated from the French to the Saxons for disobedience to the Sea of Rome but the line of Charles ending in Chunrade the Emperour he appointed Henry the first Duke of Saxonie to succeede him in the Empire who yet was neuer crowned of the Romane Bishop his sonne Otho the first not Otho the third as this blind historian shuffleth at it was after his father admitted to the Empire which Otho to whom he supposeth the Empire to be translated did curb the Romane Bishops as much as any before him for he reproued Iohn the 11. for his adulterous life condemned him in a Councell and deposed him This instance then which he hath produced sheweth rather the euill successe of the Romane Bishops then of the Christian Emperours 7 This Otho the third to whom he saith the Empire was transferred was not such an obedient child as he thinketh to the Sea of Rome for he caused one Crescentius that had set vp Iohn the 17. to be Bishop of Rome to be put to death and the Bishop to be deposed and bereft of his sight and elected in his place Gregory the 5. 8 Henry the fourth was a most couragious Prince and of happie successe he raigned 50. yeares and in 62. battailes encountred his enemies Gregory the 7. assoyled most treacherouslie his subiects of their oath and set vp Rodolphus against Henry the fourth whom he ouercame in foure battailes and in the last Rodolphus was slaine Paschalis the 2. incited Henry the 5. against his owne father and mooued him most vnnaturallie to make warre against him during which warre the aged Emperour for sorrow died He might then haue spared this example which sheweth more the Popes pride and tyrannie then the Emperours miserie for about this time when the Popes thus ruffled with the Emperour a certaine Bishop of Fluentine taught that Antichrist was come 9 True it is that Frederike the 2. was strangled to death by his bastard sonne Manfredus set a worke as is supposed by Innocentius 4. who also poisoned Conradus the next Emperour Frederikes sonne being vnder the Popes curse and this treacherous parricide Manfredus was afterward for his good seruice rewarded by Alexander the 4. with the Kingdome of Sicily this example bewrayeth the Popes treacherie more then the Emperours infelicitie 10 Concerning the excommunicating and deposing of Otho the 4. Lewes the 4. King Alibret the Henries of Burbon c. the Pope was an agent in all these affaires and a iudge in his owne cause shewing himselfe the right Antichrist taking vpon him to depose Emperours and Kings at his pleasure Thus did Pope Zacharie depose Childerick King of France and set vp Pipinus in his stead Thus Innocentius the 3. serued King Iohn interdicting his whole realme causing him to surrender his Crowne Vrbanus 2. put downe Hugo Earle of Italy discharging his subiects of their oath Innocentius the 2. tooke the Dukedome of Sicily from the Emperour and made Roger King thereof Adrianus the 4. did excommunicate William King of Sicily and would haue deposed him of his kingdome if he had not been superior in battaile The same Adrian did excommunicate Frederike the first for setting his name before the Popes in writing This insolencie of the Popes and their tyrannizing against Kings and Emperours was iustlie suffered of God because they had giuen their power to the beast and helped to aduance his proud throne and are iustlie recompenced not for their disobedience to that Sea but for their disobedience to God in submitting their princely estate which is Gods ordinance to Antichrists coÌ„maund These calamities then not brought vpoÌ„ these Emperors by Gods handie worke but wrought by the Popes malice in his owne cause do conuince him of Antichristian tyrannie not them of disloyal obstinacie They may as well condemne Gedeons sonnes that were wickedly murdered and iustifie Abimelech that cruellie put them to death and magnifie Zimri that preuailed against the King his master and slue him And as well may the theefe that robbeth by the high way killeth boast of his good successe as these treacherous Popes that rebelled against the Emperours and Kings their Lords and Masters 11. In that Constantinople was taken in the festiuitie of Pentecost and of the holie Ghost concerning whose proceeding the Greekes are in error as he saith this sheweth that not for denying of the Romane iurisdiction but their corruptions in the Christian religion and for their idolatrous superstition as hath been before shewed that famous citie new Rome was surprised Let old Rome in time take heede least being partaker of new Romes corruption it taste not eare long also of their destruction for the Scripture saith Be not partaker in her sinnes that ye receiue not of her plagues Reuelat. 18.4 And I say vnto them with Hierome Maledictionem quam vrbi saluator in Apocalypsi comminatus est potes effugere per poenitentiam habens exemplum Niniuitarum Thou maist escape O Rome the curse threatned in the Apocalypse by repentance hauing the example of the Niniuites Seneca said well Fulmina paucorum periculo cadunt omnium metu Thunderbolts fall to the hurt of few to the feare of all So it were good for old Rome to feare that punishment which is fallen vpon new Rome for the same sinnes The fourth Demonstration HE telleth vs further of the miserable ends of Luther Oecolampadius Zuinglius Caluine Cranmer of the Duke of Saxonie and the Lantgraue taken prisoners of the pitifull deaths of the Prince of Condie and the Admirall like â—ezabel cast downe at a window of the Prince of Orange miserably slaine in Flaunders of Iames the bastard in Scotland dishonourably put to death of Christierne King of Denmarke deposed from his kingdome c. pag. 71. The Remonstration 1. LVther Oecolampadius Caluine as they were men of vertuous life so was their end not miserable but comfortable what railing Cocleus saith it skilleth not Sleidane Beza with others that had better cause to know them doe report no otherwise of them This blind Censor had forgotten the pitifull ends of some Popish champions of that time as of Hofmeister Eckius Iacobus Latomus which all three died roaring and raging in desperation 2. Zuinglius was slaine in the field dying in defence of the truth so was good Iosias wounded in battaile and thereof died Cranmer was put to death for the Gospell as Stephen was stoned for the faith of Christ you may as well vrge the examples of the one as iudged and punished of God as of the other 3. Much better was the Duke of Saxonies and the Lantgraues case that were persecuted of the Emperour and taken prisoners then he whose captiues they were for they would rather die then forsake their faith but the Emperour that great Charles the 5. the Popes stout
champion died in contempt and ignominie being in his old age become ridiculous vnto children 3. The P. of Condie Oranges death are monuments of Popish treacherie not argumēts of Gods seueritie he might be ashamed thus to blaze and boast of the perfidious conspiracies of Papists against Protestant Princes and it is not farre from blasphemie to make that Gods act which the diuell wrought by his wicked ministers As though Iudas also betrayed not his master and brought him to his end note this also I pray you as a iudgement of God vpon Christ. 4. As for that godly Admirall of France he was as innocent Naboth suspecting nothing cruelly murdered but as Naboths blood was reuenged in Ahab and Iezabels blood so all the wicked instruments of this horrible and almost inexpiable massacre were iudged of God the bloodie end of Charles the 9. then King of Henrie the 3. then Duke of Aniow and of the Guises great doers in that bloodie enterprise are well knowne to the world I neede make no rehearsall of them Who seeth not how this blind fencer is beaten with his owne weapon and confounded with his owne examples 5. Whatsoeuer happened to Iames the bastard was not for any resistance against Rome but his owne misdemeanour was his ruine This Iames Hamelton the bastard if it be he whō he meaneth was condemned and beheaded and his bodie quartered for treason Quod certo die cubiculo effracto regem trucidare constituisset Because he had appointed vpon a certaine day to breake into the Kings chamber and kill him This was his offence But otherwise he was no enemie but a friend to the Church of Rome for in the same storie it followeth that few grieued at his death but his kinred and the Popish priests Qui in eius incolumitate omnium suarum prope fortunarum spem collocarunt Who in his safetie placed the hope of all their happie state But I marueile that this great trauailer making mention of the affaires of Scotland could forget the notable example of Gods iudgement shewed vpon Dauid Beaton Cardinall of S. Andrewes a cruell persecutor who was slaine in his bed and lay vnburied 7. moneths being at last raked vp in a dunghill this happened not I thinke for any disloyaltie to the triple crowned beast 6. Christierne King of Denmarke was deposed not for his gainesaying of the Papall iurisdiction but for his crueltie and misgouernment and in open Parliament was for his tyrannie depriued of his kingdome and his vncle Fredericke Duke of Holsatia chosen in his place 7. Penda Redwaldus Osricus Eaufridus were not punished for resisting the iurisdiction of Rome but for impugning the faith of Christ being Pagane Idolaters of the two latter Beda thus writeth Vterque sacramenta regni coelestis quibus initiatus erat anathematizando perdidit c. Both of them standing accursed lost the sacraments of the heauenly kingdome which they had receiued and yeelded themselues againe to be defiled idololatriae sordibus with the filth of Idols and they were both slaine of Cedualla King of Britons First then they were punished for their apostasie from the faith of Christ not from the fealtie of Rome Secondly they were rather iudged for holding the faith of the now Church of Rome in worshipping of Idols Thirdly yet if it were directly proued which he intendeth these arguments drawne from outward calamities which are cōmon both to good bad are but vncertaine for the same Beda also maketh mention of Edwine Oswaldus Sigebertus Egericus all Christian Kings the first slaine of Carduella King of Britons the other three by Penda a Pagan Prince 8. He saith further that eleuen thousand Monkes of Bangor were slaine of the Pagane souldiers for their disobedience in dissenting from the Sea of Rome only in the paschall obseruation and manner of shauing pag. 72. 1. Who seeth not this Popelings vncharitable iudgement who would haue them slaine as rebels which were in trueth put to death as Martyrs for preaching and praying for good successe against Ethelbertus a Pagane King of Northumberland 2. And is he not ashamed to sit in Gods place of iudgement to award so heauie a punishmēt for so smal a matter as dissenting about shauing of crownes c 3. But God suffered not this pitifull slaughter to go vnreuenged for cruel Ethelbert was slaine in the field by Christian Edwine ◠succeeded him 4. And because he talketh of shauing of crownes we reade also that Suanus the Dane tooke the citie of Canterburie and put to death 900. Monkes by tithing of them that is sauing euery tenth man aliue and 8000. of other persons were put to the sword likewise We may as well say that these religious persons had their crownes thus pared because they were shauen after the Romane fashion as that the other were slaine for not being so shaued 9. King Edwine was not deposed from his kingdome and Edgar substituted in his place for banishing of Dunstane as this Dunstanist supposeth but for his licentious life who in the same day of his coronation vsed the vnlawfull companie of a certaine woman whose husband he had slaine before Thus this trifler maketh euery thing serue his turne and would make vs beleeue that all iudgements and calamities which befell those Princes were inflicted for the Popes cause He is herein much like Colotes the Epicure who in a certaine booke taketh vpon him to proue that a man could not liue according to other Philosophers rules that there was no life but among the Epicures and so this Romane Epicure thinketh that there is no life nor safetie without the Epicurean fellowship of Rome But the law telleth vs In re propria nemo idoneus iudex No man is a fit iudge in his owne cause no more is he in this And so I proceede The fift Demonstration WIlliam the Conquerour William Rufus Henrie the 2. King Iohn Henrie the 3. Edward the 2. Richard the 2. are brought in as impugners of the Papall iurisdiction and for the same strangely punished of God from pag. 73. to pag. 79. These examples shall be examined in order The Remonstration 1. IT appeareth not in storie that William Conquerour did oppose himselfe to the Popes seignorie for hee caused Stigandus Archbishop of Canturburie to be depriued and Lanfranke a great champion for the Pope to be set in his place Indeede at his first conquest he dealt hardly with some Monasteries spoyling them of their gold and siluer but for that hee made amends For hee founded Battaile Abbey in Sussex and Selbie Abbey in Yorkshire the Priorie of S. Nicholas at Excester the Abbey of S. Stephen at Cane in Normandie He caused the Ladie Church at Meux in France to be burnt and two Anachoretes but the first was repayred againe at his charge the other were wilfully burnt because they perswaded themselues they ought not to leaue their Cell
and caue in that extremitie This victorious Prince greatly repented with teares at his death of all his outragious deedes commaunding all his treasure to be distributed vnto Churches poore folks and Ministers of God and made a large confession of his sinnes before his death with an eloquent exhortation to his sonnes and Nobles forgiuing all men and opening all prison doores to them which were there detained what reason then had this Popish pickthanke so ill to requite this Prince so great a benefactor to the Papall professors Concerning the punishments noted to haue befallen this Prince as the great famine in his daies and of the breaking of his entrailes and the deniall of buriall the first was a iudgement rather vpon the whole land being by conquest made desolate then vpon him that did conquer it the second is no rare thing for a man by the leaping of his horse ouer a ditch to breake the rimme of his bellie as this Prince did for the third true it is that a gentleman forbad his buriall because it was taken by violence from his father where the Duke had founded the house of S. Stephen This wrong was done not for any priuate gaine but for the erection of that Church which the Papists count a meritorious work and yet the gentleman was compounded with and the bodie peaceably interred These were neither such extraordinarie iudgements and whatsoeuer they were might be laid vpon him for his transgressions not for his disobedience to the Sea of Rome But hath not this Popes hireling shewed great thankfulnes to such a liberall benefactor and principall founder who augmented enlarged nine Abbeys of Monks and one of Nunnes in Normandie and in whose time 17. Monasteries and 6. Nunries were builded as he himselfe confessed vpon his death-bed whom the Bishop of Ebroike commended in his funerall sermon for his magnificence valour peace and iustice Among many other this brabler had least cause to take exception against this valiant Duke 2. Concerning William Rufus 1. his resisting against the Pope was iust and vpon good ground because of his vnsatiable exactions alleaging this reason Quod Petri non inhaerent vestigijs praemijs inhiantes c. That the Popes follow not Peters steps gaping for bribes neither haue they his authoritie not imitating his sanctitie 2. Whereas he would not suffer Anselme without his licence to goe or appeale to Rome but for his stubborne behauiour banished him the King therein alleageth the custome of the land from his fathers time and all the Bishops tooke part with the King against Anselme 3. The death of William Rufus being slaine by the glaunsing of an arrow shot by one Tyrell as the King was hunting in the new forrest is noted by historians as a iudgement of God vpon him for his oppression As Richard an other sonne of William the father was slaine in the same forrest which he had made plucking downe Churches and dis-peopling towneships 30. miles about It was not then the Kings restrayning of the Popes vsurping but his own vsurping vpon other mens possessions that might be thought to incense the diuine wrath against him 3. It is also vntrue as this dreamer surmiseth that Henry the first could not be quiet in conscience till he had restored the Ecclesiasticall he meaneth Papall libertie for he reformed the too great libertie and licentiousnes of the Clergie and seemed little to fauour the vsurped power of the Bishop of Rome neither would suffer any Legate to come from the Pope vnlesse by himselfe required Beside he obtained of Calixtus the 2. that he might vse all the customes vsed before of his forefathers in England 4. Whereas this fabler affirmeth That neuer any Gouernor before King Henry the 8. challenged any such prerogatiue of supremacie except in the inuestiture of Bishops pag. 74. lin 20. This is a notable fiction as may appeare by the words of William Rufus to Anselme The custome sayth he from my fathers time hath been in England that no person should appeale to the Pope without the Kings licence He that breaketh the customes of the realme violateth the Crowne and power of the Kingdome 5. Neither is it true that such troubles befell Henry the 2. for his disobedience to the Bishop of Rome as forreine warres and busines abroad and the rebellion of his owne children at home But these troubles are by the best historians imputed to other causes as some make the originall thereof to be his refusall to take the protection of Hierusalem against the infidels being humblie sued vnto by Heraclius the Patriarke who in his Oration to the King foretold of the plagues like to ensue Others affirme that the King was punished for his licentious life for he was a great wedlocke breaker keeping a famous concubine called Rosamond after whose death he deteyned the daughter of Lewes King of France married to his sonne Richard and kept Ellanor the Queene in prison twelue yeares Neither is it true that after 〈…〉 reconciled to the Church of Rome that 〈…〉 but they rather then began for the 〈…〉 vpon his oath of the death of Thomas 〈…〉 certaine conditions from the Pope 〈…〉 of his raigne and immediately after followed 〈…〉 with his sonne Henry ann 1173. and with the Flemings and Scots ann 1174. of his raigne ann 20. or after others ann 22. It is therefore vntrue that the same day of his reconciliation the Earle of Fâ—anders retyred and the next day after the King of Scots was taken prisoner Neither immediatly vpon this reconciliation of the King were his sonnes reconciled and he himselfe restored to his pristine tranquillitie of mind and bodie for his sonnes Henry and Geffrey raised warre against their father againe ann 30. of his raigne and shot at him pearcing his vppermost armour though some semblance there had been before of their submission to the King And afterward in the 35. yeare of Henries raigne his sonnes Richard and Iohn leuied an armie against their father who for sorrow thereof dyed whose dead corps at the comming of Richard bled abundantlie at the nose thereby strangely accusing his vnnaturall proceedings against his father 6. Neither was King Iohn punished because he had controuersie with the Sea of Rome as is pretended for after he was released of his excommunication and absolued which was in the 15. yeare of his raigne and the land released of the interdiction which had continued 6. yeares then began his cruell warres with the Barons and Lewes the French kings sonne ann 17. 18. notwithstanding that the Pope tooke part with the King and excommunicated the Nobles and last of all he was poisoned by a Monke of Swinsted The cause of this strife betweene the King and the Barons is alleadged for that he would not vse the lawes of S. Edward And some part of his trouble may well be imputed to his stubborne
behauiour against King Henry his father who finding his sonne Iohn to be numbred amongst his enemies in a certaine schedule exhibited to him thereupon sickned with griefe and gaue his sonnes Gods curse and his which he would neuer release till his dying day 7. King Henry the third was not punished with ciuill warres for opposing himselfe against the Pope but rather for being too much ruled by him for after that in a Parliament held at Oxford in the 42. yeare of his raigne he had condescended to certaine auncient lawes and ordinances whereunto he had before refused to yeeld and for conseruation whereof those douzen peeres which hee speaketh of were ordained the King Ann. 44. procured an absolution of his oath from Rome whereby he had before obliged himselfe to maintaine the said auncient lawes whereupon followed those intestine warres betweene the King and his Nobles in the which the King and his sonnes were taken This contention then was caused not for the Kings disobedience to the Pope but his too great confidence in the Popes authoritie to absolue him from his oath to abrogate the lawes enacted 8. True it is that many miseries and calamities as ciuill warre famine strange diseases happened vnder the raigne of Edward the second and he himselfe at the last lost first his Crowne and then his life but as vntrue it is that these troubles fell vpon him for medling too farre against the See of Rome It is most euident in histories that he was deposed for misgouernment following the counsell of couetous cruell and wicked persons Pierce Gaueston and the two Spencers in whose quarell he in a short space put to death 22. of the greatest men in the realme 9. The like cause is shewed in histories of the great troubles that happened betweene Richard the second and his Nobles and of the great miserie he fell into namely his negligent administration of the commonwealth the intolerable exactions of his officers his crueltie in causing his owne Vncle Thomas of Woodstock and other Nobles to be cruellie put to death for these and the like causes he was deposed and depriued of his Crowne and regall dignitie It was not then his medling in ecclesiasticall iurisdiction as this wisard calculateth but his loose vniust and carelesse gouernment that wrought him this wo. And if it were enacted in this Kings time that Vrbane the Pope should be acknowledged for head of the Church as is here affirmed small reason there was in this discourser to exemplifie this King for his disobedience to the See of Rome which is the scope of all this senselesse section 10. King Henry prospered well in all his affaires after he tooke vpon him to be the supreme gouernor in Ecclesiasticall matters so did his sonne vertuous King Edward the 6. so did not Queene Mary nothing had good successe almost that she enterprised whose raigne was shortest of all her predecessors vnlesse it were vsurping Richard He therefore speaketh vntrulie and vncharitablie that King Edward was not vniustlie punished in his fathers fault for neither had his father of famous memorie faulted herein nor himselfe punished for the same but blessed of God with a godlie raigne and an happie end And thus hath this fabulous chronicler held vs with a long tale feeding the reader with his owne fansies for among all these examples by him produced he hath not verified his coniecture in any one of them that they were punished of God for resisting the papall iurisdiction But the contrarie may easily be shewed that no Kings had worse successe then they which were deuoted to the papall vsurped authoritie and none better then they which impugned the same and for the proofe hereof I will not go farre from home And first concerning the euill hap of Princes made slaues to the Pope other countries yeeld plentifull choice of examples as of Ladislaus King of Bohemia a great enemie to the doctrine of Iohn Husse who died sodainely of the Pestilence Another Ladislaus much about that time King of Polonia at the incitement of Eugenius the 4 brake truce made with Amurathes the great Turke was miserablie slaine Rodolphus rebelled against the Emperour Henry the 4 being set vp against him by Gregory the seauenth and was slaine in battaile The strange ends and bloudie deaths of Henry the second Charles the ninth Henry the third Kings of Fraunce great patrones of popish religion are very well known the first slaine with a shiuer of a speare as he iusted against Montgomery the second dyed of bleeding at the eares and nose and diuers other parts the third was murdered by a Frier But leauing to make mention of forraine stories this one Island of Britannie doth afford sufficient supplie who was more deuoted vnto the Pope and Popes religion before the Conquest then Offa and Edgar and yet none were more punished in their posteritie King Offa first gaue the Peter-pence to Rome he founded the Abbey of Bath and of S. Albons and was himselfe at the length shorne a Monke he most vniustly caused Ethelbert King of East-Angles who gentlie came vnto him mistrusting nothing to be beheaded But what befell the posteritie of this Offa not one of them prospered Eg fredus raigned but foure moneths the rest that succeeded were either slaine or expulsed Kenulphus Kenelmus Ceolwulphus Bernulphus Ludecanus Withlacus of the which Ceolwolfus was banished all the rest were slaine the last two Kings of Offa his race were Berthulfus and Burdredus which were expulsed of the Danes and so the Kingdome of Mercia was extinguished This Offa had a daughter called Ethelburga which was maried to Brithicus King of West-Saxons which first poisoned her husband then she fled into France and became Abbesse of a certaine Monasterie from whence for committing adulterie with a Monke she was expelled and ended her dayes in pouertie and miserie And such successe had Offa his posteritie Edgar was a great friend to the Pope and one of the greatest Patrones of Monkerie he restored and new founded 47. Monasteries but it fared full euill with his posteritie his base sonne Edward was slaine by the counsaile of his step-mother Queene Alfrede his other sonne Ethelred was expelled his Kingdome by Swanus the Dane and constrained to liue in exile in Normandie his sonne Edmund surnamed Ironside was forced to deuide his Kingdome with Canutus the Dane Since the Conquest Richard the first was much addicted to the Church of Rome and the Ministers thereof he tooke his scrip and staffe at Canturburie to go in pilgrimage to Ierusalem to recouer the holie land as they called it from the Infidels and he betooke the regiment of his Kingdome to William Longshamp Bishop of Ely the Popes Legate In Palestina he fought many battailes prosperouslie yet returning home he was taken captiue by the Duke of Austria and sent to the Emperour paying for his raunsome an hundred thousand
done by the Magistrate and not by force vpon euery priuate mans head without order and authoritie 5. But they are the Papists not Protestants that incourage the people to rebellion as Innocent the 3. did discharge the subiects of their oath and fealtie to King Iohn So did Pius 5. and Gregory the 13. incite the subiects against Queene Elizabeth proclayming in their wicked Buls that all Catholikes might lawfullie withdraw their obedience from her They were your popish Diuines of Salamanca no Protestants that hatched these traiterous conclusions as Cockatrice egs that it was a meritorious worke to assist Tyrone against the Queene that the Catholikes of Ireland that did fight against the Queene were by no construction Rebels c. This shamelesse Iudasite might haue blushed to obiect this vntruly against Luther that which his owne faithlesse crue and generation of vipers is guiltie of 6. Lastly if Luther had so said or writ we defend him not neither take vpon vs to iustifie all his hastie sentences and rash speeches We are no Lutheranes neither haue we receiued our faith from Luther or yet depend vpon him Why may not Protestants take the like libertie against their writers which Papists vse against theirs When Harding was pressed with the absurd sayings of Syluester Prierias and Pighius he maketh this answere We bind our selues neither to the words of Syluester nor of Pighius if they erre what is that to vs let them beare their owne burthen 2 Secondly it is a most vncharitable sclaunder of Caluine and Beza and other Protestants that they should conspire the death of Princes It is vsuall with Papists not Protestants so to do as witnesseth the treasons of Morton Saunders Allen Ballard Hall Gifford Reynolds Parsons Walpole with others who all haue been detected to be practisers against the life of our late Soueraigne and the state of this land The Taylor and Cobler at Frankfort were Anabaptists as was Iohn Leyden the begger at Munster who came neerer Papists then Protestants for they said of the two namely the Pope and Luther Luther was the worse Against these Anabaptists did write Melancthon Vrbanus Rhegius with other Protestants while the Papists let them alone 3 Tyndals opinions are sound and good doctrine as he propounded them and Maister Fox maintaineth them not as the Papists wrested them 1. He saith that it is impossible for a man to fulfill the law of his owne strength and of our selues to consent to the will of God saith not the Apostle as much That which was impossible to the law in as much as it was weake c. the wisedome of the flesh is not subiect to the law of God neither indeede can be Rom. 8. 2 7. 2. He saith not that the law maketh vs to hate God but in the law we are proued to be enemies to God and that we hate him so the Apostle saith I knew not sinne but by the law Rom. 77. and the wisedome of the flesh is enmitie against God Rom. 8.7 3. When he saith euery man is Lord of an others goods he speaketh not of a communitie in possession but of the Christian and charitable vse which in pitie is to be extended to our poore brethren If thou shewest not mercie to the poore c. thou robbest him of his owne Doth not the wise man say as much Withhold not the good from the owners thereof Pro. 4.27 meaning the poore who before God are owners in respect of their necessitie of that which the rich haue in abundance and superfluitie 4. Where he saith the children of faith are not vnder the law he expoundeth himselfe that they are not compelled for feare of the law to doe their dutie but for the loue of Christ for the spirit of God worketh in them a willing obedience which proceedeth of loue He saith herein none other thing then S. Paul before him Against such there is no law Galath 5.23 The law is not giuen to a righteous man 1. Timoth. 1.9 which places are not to be vnderstood of the precept and substance of the law but of the effect and terror of the law which worketh not vpon the faithfull Tyndals doctrine is herein all one with Saint Pauls and this cauiller doth but bewray his ignorance herein mixed with malice 4. Fourthly what if some one Protestant haue of a singular opinion prouoked by the cruell gouernment in Queene Maries time written against the regiment of women let the author answere it himselfe Protestants are not to bee charged with mens priuate conceits We doe blesse God for the gouernment of Infants and women God hath vsed these weake meanes for the good of his Church in the happie raignes of King Edward and Queene Elizabeth yet we hold it a greater blessing when Kings not Queenes men not children are left to succeed in the kingdome as to the praise of God wee see this day 5. Whether the Lord Cromwell were guiltie of treason howsoeuer the Parliament being misinformed and misled by the malice of his enemies might iudge of him by this it is cleered because the King not long after wished that his Cromwell were aliue againe The Duke of Northumberland did suffer worthily for treason against the Crowne and died a Papist whatsoeuer shew he made before of the contrarie therefore the Church of Rome hath best right to him he is no disparagement to the Gospell It is vtterly false that Cranmer was put to death for treason for he was thereof acquited at his arraignement in the Guildhall at London neither are traytors in England adiudged to the fire as Cranmer was but otherwise punished 6. He sheweth not wherein King Henries testament was presently violated and therefore we may suspect the reporter of vntruth His bodie was interred at Winsore his legacies to the poore of 1000. markes and of the gift of twelue pence by the day to twelue poore Knights were performed his sonne succeeded in the Crowne and all this was done according to the Kings last will and testament But if it had been in some point violated as it is not like that the Chauncellor who had racked most cruelly Anne Askew an innocent woman with his owne hands was a man of such conscience onely to refuse so there were diuers of the Kings executors resolued Papists as Cutbert Tonstal Southwell Peckam with others so that the blame hereof wil be vpon the Papists shoulders especially seeing most of them then counted Protestants afterward in Queene Maries time turned Papists 7. That ambitious practise of the Duke of Northumberland to disinherite both the Queenes Mary and Elizabeth as it is confessed by vs so it toucheth not the credit of the Gospell seeing as is before shewed the contriuer of this disinheriting of the right heire ended his daies in the profession of the Popish faith to the which he exhorted the people to returne Thus this agent for the Pope goeth on still to
factious crue and adulterous seede of that strumpet may in good time also bee dispatched thither to sucke their owne mothers breasts that both the bondwoman and her sonnes may be cast foorth and not be heires with Isaac And if they will with Iudas depart from the Ministers of Christ to the Pharisies we may wish vnto them Iudas end as one saith Iudas iuit ad Pharisaeos non iuit ad Apostolos iuit ad diâ—isoâ— diuisus perijt Iudas went to the Pharisies not to the Apostles he went to those which were diuided and being diuided in the midst perished And happie were it with the Church of England if it were honestly rid of such make bate companions that wee might dwell by none but good neighbours as it is said of Themistocles when hee offered his ground to sell caused it to be proclaimed that he had a good neighbour Now this aduersarie breaking off here his vncharitable accusations returneth to his former defence which how sillie and weake it is shall in the discouerie thereof appeare The fift Defence 1. WHat disloyaltie of behauiour to Commonwealths can be noted in Catholike religion doe wee not teach all dutie vnto Princes and superiours pag. 94. 2. What is there in that sacred function of Priesthood now treason by the proceedings of England that can be guiltie of so great a crime in the statute of treason in Edward 3. nothing is remembred but that which tendeth either to the betraying of King or countrie pag. 95. 3. What is in Priesthood now that was not in former times which euer in Parliament hath been reputed the most honourable calling c. the same Priesthood which was giuen to S. Peter and his Apostles the same which S. Augustine and his associates had that conuerted England pag. 96. 4. There is in that sacrament of Priesthood no renouncing or deniall of any authoritie in England no conspiracie to Prince no betraying of kingdome c. pag. 96. 5. That Priests do absolue from sinnes c. the cause is no temporall thing and yet it cannot be the cause of this treason for Deacons which haue no such authoritie are traytors by the same statute pag. 96. 6. That our Priests are consecrated in forraine countries is not the cause for in former times it hath been the greatest honour to our Clergie to be consecrated in those forraine countries and to be ordered in France to which we be friends and in England is equally treason pag. 97. 7. The Grecians and Germanes diuers in doctrine to the Church of Rome haue their Seminaries of Priests maintained by the Pope and yet they condemne not their Priests for traytors and it is as improbable that the Pope hath an intent to bring England vnder his temporall gouernment as it is vnprobable in those countries 8. How can those religious Schooles be such aduersaries c. where there is no Reader no professor no Lecture no doctrine against our English gouernment where prayer is continually made for her Maiestie The rules and gouernment there consent with the ancient foundations of Cambridge and Oxford pag. 98. 9. What disobedience can it be to denie to any temporall Prince supremacie in causes Ecclesiasticall a preeminence distinct c. which our Kings themselues euer approued in the Roman See which neuer any Turke or Goth or Vandale or Infidell challenged c. nor any temporall Prince vnlesse it be in England pag. 98. 10. The enemies to this See do not condemne it as a disobedience to appeale to Rome in spirituall cases to goe on pilgrimage to Rome to fetch any Crucifixe or picture from thence all Catholikes and Christians of the world without prohibition of their Princes haue accesse thither pag. 99. 11. Our most triumphant Kings haue performed those offices in visiting of Rome in their owne persons pag. 99. The Answere 1. DOe ye aske what disloyaltie there is in your Cacolike religion when by Popish doctrine Princes are not chiefe in their owne kingdoms ouer Ecclesiasticall causes and persons and the Pope hath authoritie by the same to excommunicate and depose Princes and absolue subiects from their oth of obedience And doe ye teach all dutie to Princes when the pestilent vipers the Iudasites doe hold that subiects ought to assist the Pope inuading a countrie by force for religion against their Prince and that they are bound to keepe secret the Popes designements to that end that they were no rebels which aided the Popes Cacolikes in Ireland against the Queene I would not so often alleage these matters but that this brablers confused tautologies can not otherwise be answered 2. There be other points in that statute beside betraying of King or countrie that are made treason as to violate the Kings wife or his eldest daughter or the wife of his eldest sonne but these matters are impertinent they serue only to shew the vntruth of his speech And euen by this statute popish Priests and Iudasites that maintaine a forren Potentate a knowne enemie to Prince and countrie are found to be traytors for they which are adherent to the Kings enemies in his realme giuing them ayde and comfort within the realme or elsewhere are by that statute iudged traytors 3. In popish Priesthood there are many things now which were not in former times as to haue power to make Christs bodie that it is a sacrament and hath an indeleble character their shauing greazing to haue dependance vpon the Bishop of Rome the vow of single life annexed to orders these things in the honorable calling of the Ministers of the Church the auncient and pure age of the Church did not acknowledge And though the popish priesthood for some hundred yeares past hath beene in great credite yet was it another manner of Ministerie which was honoured of the auncient Christian Emperors As the Bishops of the Nicene Councell whom Constantine so reuerenced that he would not sit downe till they had beckoned to him Meletius whose eyes lips and breast Theodosius kissed embraced Chrysostome whom Goinas the Goth did reuerence and caused his children to fall downe at his knees all these were Bishops of another order then the Popes creatures now are It is also a vaine boast that S. Peter had the same priesthood S. Peters presbyters were not Lords ouer Christs flocke as the Popes Clergie is 1. Pet. 5.3 Peter doth make himselfe a sympresbyter with the rest not lord ouer theÌ„ nor they to depend of him and confesseth Christ to be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chiefe shepheard 1. Pet. 5.4 he dare not arrogate that title to himselfe as the Pope doth In some respects they may haue the same priesthoode which Augustine the Monke had though as yet the sacrifice of Christs bodie was not annexed to the priesthood nor many yeares after for he came from Rome and sought the preeminence of that See
Poole in Rome only for his reliefe But to make appeales to Rome as to a higher Court and to the Pope as to a superior Iudge is a great derogation to the imperiall dignitie and no well reformed common-wealth can endure it Neyther is England here alone as he vntruely saith but other reformed Churches of Scotland Geneua the Heluetians haue cut off such vnnecessarie and vnnaturall appeales 11. What Kings and Princes haue done in times past in visiting Rome and going in Pilgrimage in their owne persons when they were led with blind deuotion it maketh nothing to vs Of auncient time Princes were wiser and I trust God will open their eyes at the last to acknowledge their error and shake off the yoake of Antichrist according to the prophesie of the Reuelation that they shall hate the whore and make her desolate and naked c. Reuel 18.16 Thus with all his subtilties and shifts of descant this Masse-priests proctor hath endeuoured to free that order from suspicion of treason But as the Prophet Ezechiel sayth He hath daubed vp a wall with vntempered morter Ezech. 13.10 with like workemanship hath he made a bulwarke for his order But as it is in the lawe Particeps criminis non idoneus testis He that is partner in the crime is no sufficient witnes So is he an vnfit aduocate for the Ignatian order being himselfe of that treacherous brotherhoode I could aduise them if they had grace to receiue good counsell that they would not suffer themselues to be any longer abused by their vnholie father to runne vpon the pikes at his pleasure and hazard both their bodilie life and the saluation of their soules not to be so desperate as Scipio his souldiers of whom he boasted that at his bidding they would cast themselues headlong into the Sea What though you would reduce your countrie to your opinion and the obedience of the Pope your purpose is not good your counsels prosper not you are deceiued in the disease which you would cure at the least with perill of bodie and soule you vse too costlie a remedie as Marius to the Phisician that came to cut him of a certaine disease made this answere that the remedie was not worthie of so much griefe The sixt defense 1. FIrst he standeth vpon the glorie of the popish kingdome Consider sayth he the glorie of King Henry the 8. and this kingdome before his fall and their infamie after the short or turbulent season of King Edward and for this present what it is and what like to be c. I leaue to the lamentable consideration of all men now and the pitifull experience of those which shall proue it afterward France Spaine Italy may be named the floures of the world the power and iurisdiction of the Pope more glorious then was euer any Regiment of any spiritual superior the kingdome riches reuenues of the K. Catholike are the greatest of any Monarch p. 100.101 2. Their religion consisteth of all affirmatiue positions teaching dutie to God honor to Magistrates equalitie to all oppression to none c. pag. 101. 3. Quarels and contentions betweene King and subiects Nobles and Nobles as in the time of Henry the 2. haue beene comprimitted by the spirituall Romane authoritie c. rigorous onerations imposed by Princes eased vnappeasable wars with France and other nations brought to an end pag. 101. 4. The Protestants deniall of restitution and confession what wrongs and abuses hath it wrought c. who can now keepe subiects from deuising against Soueraignes c. for want whereof so many suites and actions of law such a multitude of Lawyers what dilatorie pleas non suites c. practised and vncontrolled by Protestants doctrine c. pag. 102.103 5. The Religious Clergie enioyed the third part of the substance of our nation c. which was employed toward the necessaries of their poore chast and single life they did furnish armies more then all the Ministers and Abbey gentlemen the poore were relieued c. were they not better bestowed then in hunting hawking carding courting c. pag. 103.104 6. Catholike Religion left and kept England in amitie and league with the Popedome Empire Spaine c. whereas no historie maketh relation of so chargeable and prolonged wars of this kingdome with other nations as our late and now present Spanish Irish Flemish pag. 104. 7. Lastly he sheweth that by separation from the Roman religion Noblemen and Gentlemen haue lost much learning and knowledge in seeing other Princes Courts and countries Souldiers the skill and honor in armes Schollers the benefite of studie in other Vniuersities Merchants their trade and traffique c. and so he concludeth to this effect that these things considered it were better to be in such condition as England was in in the 22. yeare of Henry the 8. when this reformation began then euer it was by Protestancie since now is or by probabilitie will grow to be in time to come pag. 106. The Answere 1. KIng Henrie his gouernment was as glorious his battailes as victorious his successe as prosperous after the reformation of religion as before if not much more As in appeasing the commotions in Yorkshire and Lincolneshire anno 28. Againe another in Yorkshire suppressed anno 3â— Notable victories obtained against the Scots anno 34. And againe anno 36. And in the same yeere he preuailed against the French when Boloigne was yeelded to him King Edwards raigne was neither so short nor troublesome as Queene Maries was which both at home was plagued with mortalitie and famine and abroad dishonoured with the losse of Calice that had been English well neere 300. yeeres This is too vnshamefast dealing to obiect the one and conceale the other Queene Elizabeths raigne hath been most flourishing with loue of subiects at home and honour of other nations abroad and as his Maiestie truly witnesseth She did so long with such wisedome and felicitie gouerne her kingdomes as I must in true sinceritie confesse the like hath not been read nor heard of either in our time or since the daies of the Romane Emperour Augustus As for your lamentable consideration and pitifull experience what England is like to be you shew your selfe herein but one of Baals false Prophets that prophecied good successe to Ahab as you promised to your selues at the next chaunge of the kingdome a glorious day in England and an vtter subuersion of the Gospell As his brother Frier or father Parsons vttereth with the like boldnes God will most certainly at his time appointed restore the realme of England to the Catholike faith againe But the Lord be blessed that hath disappointed their vaine hope and frustrate their wicked desires I trust thorough Gods mercie that England still vnder the Gospell shall see as flourishing daies as euer before As for those flowers of the world c. some of those haue brought foorth but simple flowers