the same lyking better the Mosarabick and that of Isidorus then the Romane Liturgie The religious Votaries of Bangor resisted the Romane liturgie till blood and death What opposition was made against single life of Church-men in Germanie England and many other places it is notore to all that are not strangers in historie When images were received in the Kirk with a relative worship about the seven hundred year of GOD the Germanâ— and French bishops did resist the same and a Councel was holden by Charles the great in Germanie at Franksurd where images with their worship were condemned and the books yet extant called Libri Caroli magni do evidence the same A little after this there arose some disputes about the manner of Christs presence in the Sacrament when the seeds of Transubstantiation were in sowing Bertram stirred up by GOD did oppose the same The like did Scotus Erigena Rabanus and after these Beringarius till Pope Innocentius the third with his prevailing faction in the 1215. year of GOD did determine that monstrous errour of Transubstantiation A litle before this time Hildebrand bishop of Rome was not only content to liberat himself from the investure of the Emperours but also did subject the Imperiall crown to this Priestly mitre and thereby put the Christian world in a combustion which he effectuat not without great opposition even of the Cleargie for the Cleargie of Germanie did resist and many Divines did account him to be the Antichriâ—â— And in this his more then sacrilegious jurisdiction usurped over the Kirk of Christ in councels not only the Cardinall of Arles Sorbonists of Parise but the generall councel holden at Constans did oppose and condemne And in late dayes Valla Erasmuâ— Beatus Renanus with many others though they lived in the societie of the Romane Kirk did condemne many errours and abuses therein Besides these publick Opponents there were many thousand private Opponents who were as these seven thousand in the Church of Israel who bowed not their knees to Baal but if not openly yet secretly did oppose the same as Nicodemus lived amongst the Pharisees and Joseph of Arimathea amongst the Counsellours who condemned Christ and these who had not defiled themselves but followed the Lamb mentioned Revel 14. 4. There were thirdly many whose eyes GOD did illighten in the article of death who not finding any comfort in the intercession of Saints and doctrine of merits and therefore leaving these impure cisternes had their recourse to the living fountaines of waters which did spring out of the intercession and merits of Christ to the eternall refreshment of their souls If it bee replyed how the Romane Kirk being as we call an adulterous Church could beget Children to GOD as also being a false and corrupt Church how shee could bring furth Orthodoxe and true professors I answer An adulterous woman may bring surth Children to her Husband and to her Paramours as is evident Hos chap. 2. vers 2. Pleade with thy mother saith the LORD That shee put away her whoordomes from betwixt her breasts c. Here sons of GOD and yet their mother is an adulteresse Sons of GOD they are because they plead for GOD against their mother for her adulteries So an adulterous Kirk may beget children to GOD as also a false and corrupt church may beget true professors As the Jewish Church in the dayes of Christ for the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisies did infect the same and Christ commandeth his Disciples to beware of that leaven and yet to obey the Scribes and Pharisees as they sate in the chaiâ—e of Moses By their leaven Pharisees did poyson the soules of many to their destruction and sitting in the chaire of Moses teaching the Law of Moses and not their owne inventions did beget children to GOD. After this manner the voice of Christ and the voice of the Antichrist sounding in the church of Rome thereby children was begotten to Christ and the Antichrist Thevoice of Christ was heard in holy Scriptures written for our consolation the voice of the Antichrist is heard in his traditions The voice of Christ is heard in the administration of Baptisme and the Lords Supper the voice of the Antichrist in the administration of his five bastard sacraments The voice of Christ is heard in the saving doctrine of his merite and righteousnesse the voice of the Antichrist is heard in the doctrine of the merite and righteousnesse of man The voice of Christ is heard in the blood of Christ that speaketh better things then the blood of Abel the voice of the Antichrist in the forged satisfactorie blood of Martyres If it be demanded how in the Romane church the voice of Christ was known and distinguished from the voice of the Antichrist I answere That Gods children have a discretive judgement given unto them whereby they know the voice of Christ from the voice of the Antichrist My sheep hear my voice sayeth Jesus Christ and they follow me And this should not seeme strange for if the lambe amongst the bleeting of ten thousand sheep can discerne the voice of her mother much more the lambs of Christ Jesus can discerne the voice of their Father and Sheepheard Christ Jesus And since GOD hath given by a naturall instinct unto the beasts by smell and taste to discerne what hearhes are wholesome and convenient for their food and what noysome shall wee not think that GOD much more will enable by his grace and Spirit his owne children bought with no lesse price then the blood of his Son to discerne what is hurtfull what conduceable for their salvation Neither will it follow by any necessare inference that the Romane kirk is a true Kirk because by it children are begotten to God seeing this falleth out not properly but accidentally for Papacie tendeth not to beget children to Christ but to Antichrist Therefore obey this voice from Heaven and come out of Babylon The reasons to move us to come out of Babylon here mentioned are two her sinnes and her plagues for her sins Sins and plagues are copulative Who so sinneth shall bee plagued Therefore if we partake of her sins we shall partake of her plagues If it be asked what be these her sins I answere what sins do not reigne in her But passing the generall I will mention five sins in speciall for the which Babylon shall bee plagued and destroyed viz. Pride Crueltie Deceit Idolatrie Heresie Such is her pride that although there be besides her the Kirkes of Grece Syria Africa and Ethiopia which disclaime her power as Antichristian yet shee arrogantly usurpeth the title of the Catholick church as proper and due only to her when in effect shee is neither the Catholick Kirk nor a sound member of the same Pride also in a high degree possesseth all her Cleargie The meanest Priest is stiled as a Knight and the meanest Nunne as a Ladie of Honour Bishops and Archbishops are as Lords and
Princes and Cardinals above Princes and the Man of sin the Pope their head exalteth himselfe not only above Kings and Emperours but also above God himselfe John the 2. King of England by the Popes tyrannie was forced to do homage upon his knees to Pandulf his Legat and to resigne his crown Henrie the second was whipped for putting to death Thomas Becket a Traitour So also the Earle of Tulloes a Prince in eminent place was whipped for the death of a priest And the French King Henrie the fourth was whipped by a Deputie Cardinal Perron before he was accepted in favour with the Pope The Emperour Henrie the fourth was caused to stand barefooted in the cold winter three dayes and three nights at the gate of Hildebrand before hee gote accesse Frederick Barbarosso was forced to lay down his neck upon the staires of the Kirk of Saint Marke in Venice to be trode upon by that proud Man of sin and his son after the Pope had crowned him was uncrowned the Pope kicking off his crown with his foot signifying thereby that it was in his power to King and unking to crown and uncrown at his pleasure The book called the Book of 〈◊〉 onies teacheth us what are the base and servile dueties to be performed by Kings and Emperors to the Pope that they should inact the part of footgroomes in leading his bridle of supporters in holding his stirrop and mounting him upon his horse of pyoners in bearing him upon their shoulders and pages in holding water to his hands Neither doth he exalt himself above Kings and Emperours only but above the Angels commanding them to transport soules out of Purgatory Yea his pride is more then Luciferian and Divellish for the Divell when he made an offer of all the Kingdomes of the World to Christ he acknowledged that hee had received them of GOD to give to whom he pleased and in so doing would seeme to submit himself to GOD But the Pope extolleth himself above GOD for he dispenseth with the Lawes of GOD and to dispense with Lawes is a note and marke of Superioritie for no inferiour may dispense with the Lawes of a superiour but a superiour may dispense with the lawes of an inferiour This way dispensing with the lawes of God hee doeth lift himselfe up above God Yea more then this hee is daring to repeale the lawes of God tolerating and allowing incestuous marriage condemned in the Word of GOD as also lying perjuries and equivocations murthering and killing of Princes c. Joine unto this pride their crueltie for the Kirk of God may say that from my youth they have persecute mee and the plowers have plowed on my backe and drawne long furrowes Whatsoever the Kirk of God suffered by the Jewes and Herod by the ten persecuting Pagan Emperours by hereticall Emperours and Hereticks by Julian the Apostate by the Donatists Circumcellians and other Shismaticksâ— by Istigerdes and Gornoades Kings of Persia for the overthrow of their Pyrâ—um by the Gothes and Vandals in Africa by the Saracens after the dayes of Heraclius by Turks and others whatsoever I say the Church hath suffered by these former Persecutors being paraleled with these her sufferings in the last dayes shall be found not to equiponderat in crueltie the Popish and antichristian persecution Hovv many hundreth thousands of the Valdenses have beene murthered by them Hovv many Hussites and Taborites in Bohemia have suffered for the name of Christ Hovv many thousands in France Germanie Italy Pole Hungary England Scotland and low Countreyes since the reformation begun by Luther and Zuinglius have beene massacred and mutthered by them What river have they not dyed with the blood of the saints What fornace have they not made to smoake vvith their bones vvhat tovvn and citie have they not made a shambles to boutcher their bodies If the blood of one Abel cryed to heaven for a vengeance shall not the blood of so many millions whom they have martyred for the name of Iesus cry more shrill and loude in the eares of GOD for his just vengeance upon this mystick Babylon Therefore come out of Babel lest being partakers of her sins yee receive of her plagues Adde to these former the third sin of mystick Babylon which is deceit wherein they are so expert that they exceed all others mentioned in any historie The Scribes and Pharisies never did compasse sea and land to gain proselyts more craftily then they do for these fishers have baits to catch all sorts of fish these hunters have nets to insnare simple souls They delude the ignorant with lying miracles the blinde Zelotes with superstitious rites and ceremonies they spoile others with Philosophie or Sophistrie rather others with pretended antiquitie and that they may gaine what they intend O what guile and deceit have they used in falsifying the writs of the Auncients by adding changing deleting as their Trent Indices Expurgatorii do make knowne to the world And such is their policie and craft that they have found out wayes to make themselves masters of moyens lives secrets and consciences of men What bee their emunctorie and chetting arts to gain moyens and riches to themselves it is notore by their pardons purgatorie messes merits indulgences At what rate doe men buy Heaven upon the opinion of the merite of good works What will any spare to lay out for remission of his sins And what charges will any refuse to give who is demented with their superstition to relieve his own soul and the souls of his fathers friends and familiars from the parching flammes of their supposed purgatorie By these cousenages they have enriched themselves wonderfully As they this way catch the moyens of men they have brought the lives or men within the compasse of their power for such is their opinion of their Tarpeian God the Pope whom they worship that they esteeme it proper to him to canonize and make saincts whom he pleaseth whereby they are emboldned to adventure upon the killing of Princes and other such flagitious facts the promises being made to them of life everlasting by the Pope or in his name by their superiours It is therefore most probable that the monstrous parricides committed against the royall and sacred persons of Henrie the 3. and 4. Kings of France were hatched by the Pope and some other at his command For Thuâ—nus recordeth that Pope Sixtus the fifth was so rejoiced at the murther of Henrie the third that he gave thanks to God in full consistorie for that treacherous and bloudie fact and was so excessive in extolling it that hee was not affrayed to compare the same to the mysterie of the incarnation of Christ and was about to have canonized the Actor of that bloudie treason if hee had not beene disswaded for weightie respects Such was that Poulder-plot transcending in crueltie all other in former ages conceived in the Consistorie of Rome extinguished at the
houre of the birth by the mercie of God and wisdome of that Prince of blessed memorie Bee wise therefore O Kings and be not inebriat with the cup of the fornications of that whoor Neither bear they rule over the lives of men but also over their soules after this life imprisoning them in Purgatorie and inlarging them when they will and in this life the deepest thought and most inward secret of their soul must be revealed unto them that if they be sinfull or inclining to sin they upon their Confession may receive pardon and except all even their most hid sins be confessed to the priest and pardoned by him they can have no mercie from God nor hope of salvation By this fond perswasion as if they dwelt in the breasts of all men and women they are made privie to their thoughts and actions and nothing is hid from them what hath beene done thought or spoken By this their fraud also and craft they dominier and beare rule over the consciences of men ascribing to themselves a power of making lawes to binde and louse the conscience at their arbitriment And least their deceit should bee knowne they have musted up the Word of God in an unknowne tongue and leade their blinded disciples whether they will And this is their craft and policie whereby they reigne over the lives moyens secrets and consciences of men But God who catcheth the craftie in their craftinesse and delivereth the upright and sincere will catch with the nets of his justice these deceitfull workers of iniquitie in Babylon Therefore come out of Babylon least being partakers of her sins yee partake of her plagues These former three vices Pride Crueltie and Craft have ever been esteemed to be badges and marks of a false and corrupt religion The Pharisees for crueltie are called by Christ murtherers for craft serpents for pride to walk in long robes to covet the first salutations in markets and first seat at tables Of these three pride is not the least and demonstrative of a false worship because that where it is God is robbed of his glory Eusebius speaking of Samosatenus an heretick mentioneth his pride and arrogancie Augustine the Monk sent from Rome to induce England to the obedience of the Romane church not daining himself to rise being saluted For his pride was esteemed of the beholders not to be sent of God Optatus Milevitanâ—â—s a learned and godly Bishop brandeth with pride Donatus that archschismatick that he was not so much called Donat bishop of Carthage as out of pride Donat of Carthage that is stylo novo lord of Carthage With this leaven of pride the doctrine of the Romane church is heeven up by their merit of condignitie works of supererogation possibilitie of fulfilling the Law with perfection of Faith and hope in this life Notwithstanding these three former are only outward characters bewraying a counterfeit religion but idolatrie and heresie are deadly diseases destroying the soul and life of Gods true worshipâ— with both these the Romish kirk is deeply infected Her idolatrie is visible to all whose eyes are not blinded For idolatrie is an idole-worship or a false worship and worship is made up of three of the estimation of the minde subjection of the will and reverend gesture of the body When these are either given to a false God or to the true God and an idole or when the true God is not worshipped truely according to the prescript of his Word the worshippers are guiltie of idolatrie with all these sorts of idolatrie the church of Rome is stained But I in a more popular manner will discover her whooredomes and idolatries both in respect of the Creator and of the creature As to God the Creator of all they show themselves vile idolaters representing GOD the Father in the similitude of an old man GOD the Son in the similitude of a lamb GOD the holy Ghost in the similitude of a dove And in so doeing they are no better but rather worse than the idolatrous Gentiles who as the Apostle sayeth did transforme the glory of the incorruptible GOD into the similitude of corruptible things as of beasts foules and creeping things wherefore the Lord gave them up to unnaturall lusts and finally to a reprobate minde And it is just with GOD so to do with the Romane church being guiltie of the like idolatrie As to the creature they are in many respects idolatrous for they worship the images of the Trinitie and crosse with a Divine worship and although some would excuse it to be a Divire accidentall analogick or râ—ductive worship yet their prime schoolemen who are canonized as Saints and followed by many attribute to them a divine proper worship And so it appeareth to be by their prayers directed unto the Crosse for grace and parâ—on in these words O crux ave spes unica auge piis justiâ—iam râ—isque da veniam that is Haile Crosse our only hope give to the godly râ—ghteousnesse and to the guiltie pardon What greater worship would they give to God then this Do they not also honour with divine worship the blessed Virgine The Heretiques called Collyridiari did offer cakes unto her and so do the Romanists this day Hath not Bonaventura transformed the Psalterie of David to the honour of the Virgine Marie changing GOD in goddesse and Lord in Lady And where it is said by David Praise the Lord by him it is praise the Ladie and for trust in the LORD trust in the Ladie And in his 35. Psalme are these words Incline the countenance of GOD upon us and compell him to have mercie upon us Sutable unto this is the Crown composed by him where this is one of his orations that is prescribed to be said O Empresse and our most kinde Ladie by the authoritie of a mother command thy most beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ that hee would vouâ—hafe to list up our mindes from the love of all earthly things unto heavenly desires O blasphemous speaches But whose speaches are these Are they not the speaches of their doctor exalted by them to the Seraphick order of angels a place not fit for an idolater In adoring the Pope their head they are no lesse transcendent idolaters in acknowledging his power not only to dispense with the law of God but also to repeale the same as likewise in ascribing the finall and last resolution of their faith to his determination What bee their idolatrous absolute subjection to the Pope who so like to know may read it in Bellarmine his fourth book de Pont. Rom. 2. chap. where he averreth impudently That the Pope ought to bee heard with obedience whether hee erre or erre not And not only impudently but blasphemously hee affirmeth in the fifth chapter of the same book towards the end that if the Pope did erre commanding vice forbidding vertue the Church should be bound to believe vice to