dominioÌ„s read the holy bibles in their vulgar tongues and cause their subiectes to doe the like a thing neuer heard of by any writers of approoued antiquitie A doubt S. Peter saith that certaine places of S. Paules epistles be hard to be vnderstood and S. Hierome in his Commentaries vpon Ezechiel saith that amongst the Iewes none could be permitted to reade the beginning of Genesis the Canticles the beginning and ending of Ezechiel vntill he were 36. yeres of age The answer I answere with S. Austen that whatsoeuer is necessary for mans saluation is plainly set downe in holy scripture and that which is obscure in one place is made manifest by another his words I haue alledged in my book of Motiues in the tenth chapter and second conclusion The fourth section of the Prophet Daniel Daniel was a prophet of the tribe of Iuda descended of noble parentage and being a childe was carried from Iurie to Babilon Epiphanius de vit interrit Prophet Of Daniel hee was called Balthazar Which name was giuen him either as Iosephus saith of king Nabuchodonozor or as Lud. Viues saith of the kinges Eunuche who had charge of the kinges children This is certaine that hee was called Balthasar in Babylon Orig. in Num. cap. 31. hom 25. Daniel preached in Babylon in the very time of the captiuitie Dan. 1. ver 7. Daniel departed out of this life in Babylon and was buried with great honour his sepulchre is this day to be seene in Babylon renowmed throughout the world Epiphanius vbi supra CHAP. XI Of the Prophets called the lesser The first section why some were called the greater and other some the lesser FOure to wit Esay Ieremie Ezechiel and Daniel were called the greater Prophets because they wrote greater and larger volumes Twelue to wit Osee Ioel Amos Abdias Ionas Micheas Nahum Abacuc Sophonias Aggeus Zacharias Malachias were called y e lesser because they wrote smaller lesser volumes Aug. de ciuit lib. 18. c. 29. in princ Of these Prophetes as the latter were neerer the time of Christ so had they clearer reuelations of Christ then the former Gloss. in 1. Reg. 3. The second Section of Osee. Asarias who was also called Ozias of the stocke of Dauid reigned in Ierusalem ouer the two tribes which were called Iuda 52. yeares After him Ioatham his sonne reigned 16. yeares after Ioatham Achab his sonne reigned in like maner 16. yeares in the eleuenth yeare of whose reigne the ten tribes which were called Israel were taken of Salmanasar the king of the Caldees and placed in the mountaines of the Medes After Achas reigned his sonne Ezechias 28 yeres whereby it is cleere that when Osee Esay Ioel Amos Abdias Ionas and Micheas prophesied who were all at one time then was the kingdome of the ten tribes ended Which continued from Ieroboam the first king vntill Osee the last the space of 250. yeares The same time that Osias began to reigne ouer Iuda Ieroboam king Iehu his Nephewes sonne reigned the 12. yeare ouer Israel because God had promised that his seede should reigne vntill the fourth generation for smiting two wicked kinges of Iuda and Israel this I write 〈◊〉 S. Hierome to shew that Osee wrote both before and 〈◊〉 the captiuitie of Israel Hier. in 1. cap Osee. see the eight â—â—â—pter and sixt section per tot sect Osee prophesied that the Iewes should be conuerted at the latter end of the worlde He preached against the tenne tribes of their fornication and of the destruction of Samaria he spake something also of the other two tribes Gloss in princ 1. ca. Osee. Osee foretolde the comming of the Messias and that this should be the signe of his comming To wit if that oake in Selom be clouen of it selfe into twelue partes and be made so many oake trees and it came so to passe Epiphan de Prophet vit eter The third section of Ioel. The Prophet Iohel the sonne of Phatuel was borne in the territorie of Bethor descended of the tribe of Ruben He prophesied much of Ierusalem and of the consummation of the Gentiles He died in peace and was buried with honour in his owne countrey Epiphan vbi supr Like as in Osee vnder the name of Ephraim the prophesie is extended to the tenne tribes who are often called Samaria or Israel euen so whatsoeuer Ioel saith pertaineth to Iuda and Ierusalem Hier. in 1 cap. Ioel. Ioel prophesied in the daies of king Ioatham who succeeded king Ozias Aug. de ciuit lib 18. cap 27. but S. Hierome extendeth the time further euen to the reignes of Ozias Ioatham Achas and Ezechias Hier. in Ioel. The fourth section of Amos. Amos was borne in Thecue descended of the tribe of Zabulon he was father to Esay the Prophet so saith Epiphan de prophet vit inter but saint Austen and saint Hierome think otherwise as I haue shewed Amos was of Thecue six miles South from holy Bethlehem where our Sauiour Christ was borne Hier. in comment Amos. S. Basill saith that Amos was a shepheard but God instructed him with his holy spirite and so aduaunced him to the dignitie of a prophet Basilius Epist. 55. Amos prophesied in the daies of Ozias when Esaias began his prophesie Hier. in Esaiam lib. 3 cap. 7. Aug. de ciuit lib. 18 cap. 27 He prophesied also in the time of Ieroboam the sonne of Ioas king of Israel Hier. in 1. cap. Amos. The fift section of Abdias Abdias or Obadiah was the steward of king Achabs house the king of Israel 3. King 18. verse 3. he hid Gods prophets in caues and fed them with bread and water ver 4. he gaue ouer the kings court ioyned himselfe to the prophet Elias and became his disciple Epiphanius Hieronymus Abdias is briefe in wordes but pithie in matter because he hid the 100. prophets in caues he was aduaunced to the dignitie of a prophet and where before hee was the captaine of an armie he now became the captaine of Gods Church then hee fed a little flocke in Samaria nowe he feedeth Christes churches in the whole world Hier. in Abdiam yet saint Hierome vpon Osee maketh Abdias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Esaias which seemeth verie probable The sixt section of the Prophet Ionas The prophet Ionas was appointed of God to preach to the Niniuites that the citie after three daies shoulde be destroied but he being afraid to preach to that great city of the Assyrians fled from the presence of the Lord and went downe into a ship that went to Tarshishe but when a great tempest arose the marriners cast Ionas into the Sea and hee was in the belly of a great fishe three daies and three nightes and after that he was deliuered out of the Whales bellie and brought to the dry land TheÌ„ the word of the Lord came to Ionas the second time he preached to the Niniuites and they by repentance appeased the wrath of God Ionas cap. 1. 3 Athanas.
with all popish recusants neuer to pay their debts to loyall christian subiects This assertion because it is strange to good christian eares cannot but bee obscure and hardly vnderstood for explication sake wee must note two principles of lately coyned romish religion First that our most gratious soueraigne Queene Elizabeth and al her faithfull subiects are flatte heretiques Secondly that all her maiesties dominions with all the landes and goods of her loyall obedient and christian subiects are the Popes due vnto him from the first day of the profession of their loyall obeysance and of the true ancient christian romain catholike and apostolike faith That these be their principles their best writers doe testifie their Iesuite Bellarminus their Canonists Nauarrus and Couarrunias their Diuines Syluester and Medina their religious friers Fumus and Alphonsus with many others Vppon these rotten principles of their newe no religion they grounde their most execrable dispensation to witte that it is lawfull for all popish recusants by reason of such dispensations to withholde what landes and goods soeuer from all such as wil not yeelde themselues captiues to the brutish bondage of poperie Hereof it commeth first that so many this daie make conscience to bee absent from diuine seruice in the church who haue no conscience at all to pay their debts Hereuppon it commeth secondlie that manie repute it deadlie sinne once to heare a godlie sermon who thinke it no sinne at all to owe great summes of money and neuer to pay the same Heereuppon it commeth thirdlie that sundrie recusants haue so intayled their landes and so fraudulently away their goods and that of late yeares as no law enforceth them to pay their debts to their poore creditors Hereupon it commeth fourthly that her maiesty is defrauded her faithfull subiects impouerished the Popes vassals enriched the lawes of the realme contemned and domestical rebellion fostered It therefore behooueth good Magistrates to haue speciall regarde hereof Good lawes are established but slowly in many places executed God of his mercie either conuert dissembling hypocrites soundly or else for the common good of his church confound them euerlastingly for a greater and more pestilent plague cannot come vnto the Church then to haue such magistrates as pretend publiquely to fauour it and yet are secret enemies to the same qui potest capere capiat this kind of popish pardoning my selfe though then a papist could neuer brooke but so soone as I vnderstood it did sharplie impugne the same The mediate externall sabboth is that which God appointeth mediately by his church in the new Testament to wit the sunday which is our christian sabboth And here obserue that when I say by the church I specially vnderstand the supreme gouernour of the Church much lesse doe I exclude the same which obseruation shall be made manifest before the end of my discourse And because no veritie doth clearely appeare vntill the difficulties and doubts be plainely vnfolded I will propound in order the greatest obiections that can be made against the same framing briefe pithie and euident solutions thereunto The first obiection The Sabbatharies contend with tothe and naile that christians are no lesse bound this day to keepe the legall sabboth then were the Israelites in time of Moses law and they proue it because God blessed the seuenth day and sanctified it which sanctification was nothing else but a commaundement to keep it holy as appeareth by the declaration made by Moses Againe bicause this sanctification was forthwith after the creation and therefore as all nations are bound to make a memoriall of the creation as well as the Israelites so must all nations as well as the Israelites keepe holy the seauenth day that is the day of rest after the creation which is our saturday and vpon which day the Iewes still keepe their sabboth The answere I say first that there is no precept in the olde or new Testament by which either the Gentiles then or christians now are bound to keepe the legall sabboth I say secondly that albeit it could be proued that the fathers before the law had kept it yet would it not follow that wee were bound by their ensample this day to keepe the same for otherwise we shoulde be bound to offer vp bloudy sacrifices as they did both before and after the deluge The second obiection God speaking of the sabboth saide it should be a signe betweene him and the children of Israel for euer and hee added for in sixe dayes the Lorde made heauen and earth and in the seauenth day rested therefore all nations are bound to keepe the sabboth of the seauenth day The answere I say first that the word euer is not taken there simpliciter but secundum quid as the schooles tearme it that is not for eternitie or for the duration of this life but for all the time from Moses vnto Christ which was 1495. yeares I say secondly that though the sabboth be not eternall as it is ceremoniall which I shall prooue by and by yet is it eternall in the thing signified that is ceasing from sin and rest in God which shall be accomplished in heauen for euermore The third obiection The decalogue was before Moses and this day is of force for the Gentiles were bound before the promulgation of the law written in the tables of stone and we christians after the translation of the law to abstaine from blasphemie periurie theft murder whoredome couetousnesse fraudulent dealing and the like as were the Iewes in time of the law The answere I answere that whereas the law of Moses was partly iudiciall partly ceremonial and partly morall the morall part being the verie lawe of nature engrauen in mens hearts in the hour of their natiuities as it was before Moses so shall it endure to the worlds end but all ceremonies which were types and figures of the promises made in Christ Iesus were accomplished and abolished in his sacred aduent such was the circumcision giuen to Abraham the sacrifices commanded to our first fathers and the sabboth in respect of the determination vpon the seauenth day for it was not Gods will to continue shadowes after the things indeede were exhibited The fourth obiection A perpetuall cause requireth a perpetuall lawe and consequentlie since the memorie of the creation and meditation of Gods works is a perpetuall cause of the law of the seauenth day it followeth necessarily that the law of the seauenth day must still abide in force The answere I answer that the memorie of the creation is indeed a perpetuall cause of a perpetuall sabboth but not of a perpetual precise and determinate sabboth the reason hereof is euident because the memorie of our creation may be done as conueniently vpon another day as vpon the seauenth day thus my answere is confirmed because the sabboth which wee now keepe is not the seauenth day but the eight for our sunday is the first day of the weeke
which they termed Turkia And thus they continued till Zelimus the great Turke conquered Egypt and destroied the gouernment of the Mamaluchies which were christians that had denied their faith so it remaineth vntil this day vnder the Turke holding the new no religion of Mahomet as do all of the east for the greater part This kingdome or empire of the Turkes began about the yere of our Lord 1300. in the dayes of Othomannus the rich and mighty Turke for before it was of no reputation though it had some being The church of God flourished before this tyranny one ful thousand yeeres euen from the dayes of Constantine the great From this time the kingdome of Mahomet was called the empire of the Turkes THE THIRD PART of the originall of Poperie with the successiue Increments thereof and an euident confutation of the same The first Chapter containing certaine Preludes no lesse necessarie for the intelligence of the Chapters folowing then for the exact discouerie of long hidden Poperie The first Prelude POpery was not hatched al on one day moneth or yeere but crept into the church by little and little and that bicause the late bishops of Rome were not Lines Clements and Syluesters but naughtie and most wicked men For so saieth their owne deare frier and great schooleman Franciscus a Victoria Yea some of them beganne as foxes continued as wolues and ended as dogges This to bee so will witnesse with me Bartholomaeus Carranza their learned dominican doctor Yea Irenaeus who liued within 200. yeres of Christ auoucheth that before his time ignorance and negligence had brought many abuses into the Church And what may wee thinke then of abuses in our dayes Reade his wordes apud Eusebium histor lib. 5 cap. 24. The second Prelude MAny things may euidently be proued to haue beene done whereof for all that wee can yeeld no sound reason when where by whom they were done For first we know which the Papists can not denie that in the primitiue church infants receiued the holy communion yet neither we nor they can tel when where and by whom that vndiscreet custom first began was abolished it was usually practised in S. Austines time Secondly we know they know that the Lords supper in the Romish church is ministred vnder one kind contrary to Christs institution yet neither we nor they can tel when where and by whom that execrable custom first began Thirdly we know they know y t priuat masse hath bin long practised in the church of Rome yet can we neither tell when where nor by whom it first began But this we are assured of that it is repugnant to Christs institution wholy dissonant from apostolicall doctrine and vtterly condemned by all approued antiquitie Fourthly we know they know that their reformed Franciscans now commonly called Capuchens can tell right perfectly that their other dissolute Franciscans haue swarued fro their ancient order albeit they can neither tell when where nor by whom that dissolution first began but they proue it à posteriori by their ancient rules manifestly And euen so doe we proue by the holy scriptures the true touchstone of all veritie that the papists haue swarued from apostolicall doctrine albeit we could not as yet we can assigne the time place and persons when where by whom such antichristian alteration began The third Prelude THe vsual practise of papists in their commentaries bookse and glosses hath bin such so intollerable in wresting the holy scriptures as their owne deare brethren and great doctours cannot denie or conceale the same And because this may seeme strange vnto the reader their owne words shall beare me witnesse for besides this that Victoria confesseth their beggerly and vnlearned Canonists to haue wrested the scriptures in the behalfe and fauour of their Pope these are the expresse words of Polidorus Virgilius their owne professed sworne brother Non secus isti iurisconsulti aliquoties detorquent sacras literas quó volunt ac sutores sordidas solent dentibus extendere pelles These popish Legists Canonists do now and then so wrest and writhe the holy scripturs euen as coblers do gnaw with their teeth and stretch out their filthie skinnes Out of which words I note first that this Polidore was a great Papist himselfe and so his testimony must needes be forceable against the papists I note secondly that he speaketh not of the meanest and worst sort of Papists but euen of the best and of their renowmed doctors because he meaneth Hostiensis their grand famous doctor Thirdly that their mangling wresting of the holy scriptures is most intolerable that without the same they cannot possibly maintaine their wicked doctrine CHAP. II. Of the vsurped primacie in the Church of Rome About the yere 590. Iohn bishop of Constantinople sought by al means possible to haue y t primacy of al other bishops for that end termed himself vniuersal bishop This proud appellation to be called vniuersal bishop was so strange a thing in Christs church in those daies that S. Gregorie surnamed y e great the holy learned bishop of Rome stoutly withstood I. of Constātinople calling him antichrist the name antichristian And because his owne assertion plainly recited is most able to perswade the Reader I wil alleadge his words which are these Ego autem fidentèr dico quia quisquis se vniuersalem sacerdotem vocat vel vocari desiderat in elatione sua antichristum praecurrit and I speake boldly that whosoeuer either calleth himselfe vniuersall priest or desireth so to be called is for his intolerable pride becom y e precursor of antichrist that bicause in his proud conceit he preferres himself before al other This notwithstanding Bonifacius the bishop of Rome and third of that name obtained of the emperor Phocas to be called the chief of al bishops and that Rome should be the head of all Churches for so soone as Boniface had inuaded Peters seate which was about 607. yeares after Christ and had with much adoe obtained of the bloudy and cruell tyrant Phocas who rauished many vertuous matrones and murdered the good Emperour Mauritius with his wife and children that Rome shoulde bee called the head of all churches euen then euen then doubles the beast of the reuelation began to prepare the way for Antichrist This point is so euident as their owne zealous papists renowmed chronographers Sigebertus Palmerius Platina Bergomensis Polydorus and others are enforced to confesse the same And for the better satisfaction of the reader I will alledge their owne wordes Thus therfore writeth their owne learned and beloued monke Marianus Scotus Hic impetrauit à Phoca Caesare vt sedes apostolica Romanae caput esset ecclesiae quum antea Constantinopolis primum omnium se scribebat This Bonifacius obtained of Phocas the emperour that the apostolike sea of Rome should be the head of the church
Egypt This age of Ioseph is thus made manifest he was 17. yeres of age when he was sold Gen. 37. verse 2. he was 30. yeeres olde when hee became gouernour of Egypt Genes 41. vers 40 41 46. to which adde the seuen yeeres of plentie and three yeeres of famine Genes 41.42 and 45. at which time Leui came into Egypt with his father and the number of 40. yeeres will be compleate I note secondly that if we graunt Leui to haue beene 100. yeeres olde before hee begate Caath and affirme the same of Caath and Amram which thing surpasseth the course of nature Ge. 17. v. 17. and therefore neede it not be granted we must for al that come short and neither find the abode of the Israelites in Egypt to be 430. neither yet 400. yeeres in all I note thirdly that if we grant Caath Amram and Moses to haue beene begotten in a competent age we shall easily finde the number of 215. yeres which Eusebius and Marianus Scotus haue put downe An other probation of this difficultie Iochebed was the owne daughter of Leui and the naturall mother of Moses for so we reade in the 26. chapter of the booke of Numbers and in the sixt chapter of the booke of Exodus and yet if we grant Leui to haue bin 120. yeres old when he begat Iochebed and Iochebed to haue bin 100. yeres old at the birth of Moses both which are impossible by the course of nature and if we adde thereunto eightie yeares the full age of Moses at the departure out of Egypt yet will all this be no more but bare 300. yeres so then we are short of the supputation mentioned in Genesis by one ful hundred yeres and of the reckoning specified in Exodus by an hundred and thirtie yeares Therefore the vndoubted meaning of those scriptures must needes be as I haue already shewed The corollarie First therefore since Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt secondly since he was the sonne of Iochebed thirdly since Iochebed was the daughter of Leui fourthly since Leui was with Iacob at his going into Egypt we must perforce deduce the time of their abode from Leui Iochebed and Moses Let vs therefore assigne 85. yeeres to Leui when hee begate Iochebed 50. yeeres to Iochebed when she bare Moses and 80. yeres to Moses when he brought them out of Egypt which is as much as can be granted by the course of nature and wee shall find the iust number of 215. yeeres and so the supputation of this third age is consonant The obiection Eusebius and Marianus Scotus say plainely that the Israelites abode in Egypt no more but 144 yeeres The answer I grant that some otherwise very learned haue so written but I thinke their meaning is according to the wordes of the authors plainely vttered For albeit they both say that they abode but 144. yeres there yet do they affirme alitle after that that their whole abode was 215. yeeres So then when they terme their abode but 144. yeres they meane of their greuous seruitude after the death of Ioseph for Eusebius whom Scotus doth imitate hath these expresse words Postcuias interritum Hebraei Aegyptijs seruierunt annis 144. fiunt autem omnes anni quos Hebraei in Aegypto fecerunt 215. qui ab eodem tempore computantur quo Iacob cum filijs suis descendit in Aegyptum After the death of Ioseph the Hebrewes or Israelites were in bondage to the Egyptians 144. yeeres but all the yeeres that the Hebrewes were in Egypt make 215. which we must reckon from that time when Iacob with his children went into Egypt The fourth age The fourth age from the comming out of Egypt vntil king Salomon beganne to build the temple containeth 480. yeres hereof this is an euident demonstration Moses gouerned the Israelites in the wildernesse the space of 40. yeeres after they came out of Egypt Deute 1. verse 3. and Deut. 29. verse 5. Iosue and Othoniel iudged Israel 40. yeres Iud. 3. v. 11 for Iosue was ouer them 32. yeeres and Othoniel 8. some giue but 18. yeres to Ioshua and the rest to Othoniel but that skilleth not much because it is certaine that from the death of Moses till the death of Othoniel were 40. yeeres compleate which no writer doth or can deny for holy writ hath so reuealed Ehud or Shamgar the son of Anath iudged the Israelites fourescore yeres Iud. 3. verse 30 31. but of these 80. we must ascribe 18. to the inter-raigne in which time Israel was in bondage to Eglon king of Moab Iud. 3. verse 14. Deborah and Barak iudged Israel 40. yeres Iud. 5. v. 31 Gedeon iudged the Israelites 40. yeres Iud. 8. ve 28. but in this time the Midianites oppressed them 7. yeres Iud. 6. v. 1 for feare of which ennemies the Israelites made them dennes in the mountains and caues strong holds Iud. 6. ve 2. This Gedeon is termed also Ierubbal Iud. 7. vers 1. Iud. 8. ve 35 Abimelek iudged 3. yeeres Iud. 9. verse 22. Thola the sonne of Puah iudged 23. yeres Iud. 10. verse 2 Iair iudged 22. yeres Iud. 10. verse 3. from this time the Israelites were afflicted with the Ammonites and the Philistines for the space of 18. yeres together Iud. 10. verse 7 8. Iephtee iudged sixe yeeres Iud. 12. verse 7. Abesan or Ibzan iudged 7. yeeres Iud. 12. verse 8 9. Elon iudged Israel 10. yeeres Iud. 12. verse 11. Abdon iudged the Hebrewes 8. yeres iudg 12. vers 13 14 Samson iudged 20. yeres Iudg. 16. ver 31. his wife Delilah betrayed him and deliuered him into the hands of the Philistines who put out his eies bound him with fetters and made him to grinde in the prison house but in the end when they called him out to make them pastime and to be a laughing stocke to them he pulled downe the two pillers of the house and so with the fall of the house killed more Philistines at his death then he had slaine in all his life before Iudg. 16. ve 18 21 29 30 31. Eli the priest iudged Israel fortie yeares 1. Sam. 4. ve 18. Samuel and Saul reigned fortie yeeres Act. 13. verse 21. Dauid raigned ouer Israel fortie yeeres 1. King 2. ve 11. The whole summe of yeeres is 477. 40 40 80 40 40 3 23 22 18 6 7 10 8 20 40 40 40 477 Make addition and this will be the summe 477. To these we must adde three yeares of king Salomon because in the fourth yeere of his raigne hee beganne to build the temple and so the whole number will be 480. to which must be added one moneth and one day This summe is confirmed by the testimonie of holy Writ in thefe expresse termes in the 480. yeere after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt and in the fourth yeere of the raigne of Salomon ouer Israel he built the house of the Lord 1. King 6. ve 1. Againe it is thus written so Salomon began
were the heads of the twelue Tribes Rachel Ioseph Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Beniamin Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Bala Dan Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes Nephtali Ge. 35.22 these were the heads of the twelue Tribes he liued 147. yeres Gen. 47. ve 28. hee was 70. yeeres in Egypt Ioseph was ruler of Egypt 80. yeeres he died when he was one hundred and tenne yeres old Gen. 50. verse 26. After these Patriarks the Hebrews liued in bondage to the Egyptians but 144. yeeres albeit as is already prooued their whole abode in Egypt was 215. yeares See the third age and the probation thereof CHAP. V. Containing a Table of the Princes and Iudges of the Hebrewes The princes of the Hebrewes were these two Moses he ruled 40. yeares Iosue he ruled 27. yeres or 40 together w t Othoniel Moses and Iosue are not reckoned among the Iudges because they did not onely iudge but also rule the people Lyranus There were 13. Iudges ouer the Hebrewes amoÌ„g whom Othoniel A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 40 Aioth A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 80 Barach A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 40 Gedeon A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 40 Abimelech A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 3 Thola A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 23 Iair A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 22 Iephthe A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 6 Abesan A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 7 Ahialon A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 10 Abdon A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 8 Samson A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 20 Heli y e priest A. M. 2572 ruled yeres A. M. 2852 40 All this is prooued in the second chapter aforegoing in the fourth age Here is to be obserued that from Iair to Iepthe there was no iudge which was for the space of eighteene yeeres together Iud. 10. verse 4 5 8 seq The prophet Elias was Gods messenger in Samaria in the dayes of Asa and Iosaphat the good kings of Iuda 3. Ki. 15.24 and in the time of Achab the bad king of Israel 3. Ki. 18. the heart of king Asa was perfit all his dayes 2. Paralip 15.17 and king Iosaphat sought the Lord and walked in the wayes of his father Dauid 2. Paral. 17. about the age of the world 3088. CHAP. VI. Containing a Table of the kings of Iuda and of Israel The kingdome of the Hebrewes vnited vnder king Saul with whom was Samuel Acts 13 Dauid Salomon deuided into the kingdom of Iuda or the two tribes of Iuda and Beniamin whose kings were Roboam Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 17 yeeres Abias Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 3 Asa Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 41 Iosaphat Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 25 Ioram Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 8 Ochozias Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 1 Athalia Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 7 Ioas Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 40 Amazias Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 29 Ozias Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 52 Ioathan Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 16 Achaz Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 16 Ezechias Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 29 Manasses Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 55 Amon Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 2 Iosias Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 31 Ioachas Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 3 moneths Eliachim or Ioachim Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 11 yeeres Iechonias or Ioachim or Coniah Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 3 moneths Sedechias Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3410 11 yeeres Israel or Samaria whose kings were Ieroboam Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 21 yeeres Nadab Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 2 Baasa Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 24 Hela Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 2 Amri or Omri Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 12 Achab Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 22 Ochozias Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 2â— Ioram Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 12 Iehu Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 28 Ioachas Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 17 Ioas Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 16 Hieroboam Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 41 Zacharias Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 6 moneths Sellum Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 1 moneth Manahen Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 10 yeeres Phacêas or Pekahiah Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 2 Phacêe or Pekah Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 20 Oseâ—or Hosheah Anno mundi 3030 and raigned Anno mundi 3283 9 yeeres Peruse the second chapter aforegoing where these things are prooued sufficiently CHAP. VII Of the captiuitie and circumstances thereto pertaining The first Section Of the time of the Captiuitie THe Babylonians besieged the citie of Hierusalem and tooke it in the eleuenth yeare of the raigne of Sedechias in the ninth day of the 4. month to whom Nabuchodonozor had giuen commission for the siege while himselfe was at Reblatha The city being taken king Sedechias with his wiues children nobles and friendes fled away by night into the wildernesse But the Babylonians pursued after them and Sedechias with his wiues children and friendes were brought before the king Nabuchodonozor whom after the king had sharply reprooued for the breach of promise he caused his children and friendes to be slaine before his eies That done he caused Sedechias to be bound in chaines his eies to be pulled out and so to be carried to Babylon In the first day of the first moneth he commanded to burne the citie to bring away all the vessels of gold and siluer out of the temple and to leade all the people captiue vnto Babylon Ioseph 10. lib. antiq cap. 11. The temple was burnt after the building thereof 470. yeares monethes sixe dayes ten after the departure out of Egypt 1062. yeares moneths sixe dayes ten after the deluge 1950. yeares moneths sixe dayes ten after the creation of Adam 3513. yeres monethes sixe daies ten so writeth Iosephus who was himselfe a Iew a Priest otherwise of good credite and wrote the thinges that were done in his time neuerthelesse I haue prooued in the second chapter where the fift age is handled that the temple could not stand
Ioatham Amos prophesied against the nations adiacent to them in the time of Ozias Esaias prophesied against Iuda and Iurasalem in the time of Ioatham Ioel prophesied to Iuda and Ierusalem in the time of Ozias Michaeas prophesied against Ierusalem and Samaria in the time of Ioatham Nahum prophesied to the Assyrians and Niniuites in the time of Ioatham Abacuc prophesied against Babylon and Nabuchodonosor in the time of Manasses Ieremias prophesied to the citie of Ierusalem in the time of Iosias and Zedechias Sophonias prophesied against Iurusalem and Iuda in the time of Iosias Ezechiel prophesied to the captiues in Babylon in the time of Ioachim Daniel prophesied to his countrey men in Babylon in the time of Ioachim Haggaeus prophesied to all the people in Ierusalem and Iuda in the time of Zorobabel Zacharias prophesied to the people of Ierusalem and Iuda in the time of Zorobabel Malachias prophesied to the people of Ierusalem Iuda in the time of in the end of the captiuitie 〈…〉 CHAP. X. Containing a particular description of the time of the Prophets called the greater The first section of the Prophet Esay THe Prophet Esay was the sonne of Amos not of that Amos who was the third of the 12. lesser Prophetes but of another Amos hauing different characters with the Hebrews Aug de ciuit libr. 18. cap. 27. Hier. in 1. cap Esaiae Esay prophesied to Ierusalem and Iuda that is to the two tribes of Beniamin and Iuda Hier. in 1. cap Esaiae Esay who was also called Azarias Osee Ioel Amos prophesied at the selfe same time in the daies of Osias Ioatham Achas and Ezechias kings of Iuda Hier. in princ Esaiae The wicked king Manasses caused the prophet Esay to be sawed in peeces with a wodden saw Wherefore that which the Epistle to the Ebrewes saith of the tortures of Gods Saintes that they were hewen in sunder is very fitly referred to the prophet Esay Hier. lib. 15. cap. 57. in Esaiam The second section of the prophet Ieremie Ieremie prophesied to y e two tribes of Iuda Beniamin he foretold their captiuitie in Babylon hee began his prophesie in the daies of Iosias he continued the same in the daies of Ioachim and vntill the eleuenth yeare of Sedechias in the time of the captiuitie Orig. hom 1. in Hier. Aug. de ciu lib. 18. c. 33. Betweene the time of Ieremias and Esaias were one hundred and fiftie yeares Hier. lib. 9. cap. 30. in Esaiam He was the sonne of Helkias the priest cap. 1. Iere. v. 1. the tradition of the Hebrewes is that whensoeuer the father or graundfather of any prophet is put in the title such a one was also a prophet himselfe Gloss. ordinar Sophonias prophesied at the same time with Ieremias Athanas in synop Aug. de ciu lib. 18. cap. 33. Iehoiakim king of Iuda burnt the book which Baruc wrote wrote at the mouth of Ieremias in which booke the prophet shewed what punishment God had determined to bring vpon Iuda and Israel if they would not returne euery man from his euill way and bring forth worthy fruites of repentance But Ieremie at Gods appointment wrote another book which contained the afflictions of Iuda and Israel in a farre larger maner Ierem. cap. 36. Where we may note by the way that the wicked do euer kicke against the preachers of Gods word especially when their sinnes are reprooued But at length they tast of the cup of Gods wrath for their great contempt and disobedience And our papistes are now become Iehoiakims as who both burne the writers of all bookes that reprooue their superstitions and idolatry and also cast the bookes into the fire Yea euen the holy bibles if they be once translated into the vulgar tongue Ieremie began to prophesie when he was a childe in the 13. yeere of Iosias king of Iuda hee continued his prophesie during the reigne of Iosias the sonne of Amon. 19. yeares and after that vnder Ioachim 11. yeres and vnder Sedechias 11. yeares who was the last king of Iuda The three moneths of Ioachaz and Iechonias are reckoned in the yeares afore named So that from the beginning of his prophesie vntill the captiuitie of Ierusalem in which himselfe was taken he prophesied 41. yeres ouer and besides that time in which he was carried away into Egypt and prophesied in Taphins Hier. in cap. 2. Ierem. at which Taphins in Egypt as some write hee was stoned to death But before that time he was put in a deep dungeon of myre Iere. 38. The third section of the prophet Ezechiel Ezechiel followed Ieremie and began to prophesie in the fift yeare of the transmigration of Iechonias which was the same yeare of the reigne of Sedechias Hier. lib. 5. cap. 29. in Ieremiam in the 30. yere after some of his age Ezechias c. 1. but as S. Hierome writeth the 30. yeares whereof the Prophet speaketh are not the yeares of the age of Ezechiel himself but the yeares from the 18. of king Iosias at what time the booke of the law was found vntill the fift yeare of the captiuity of Iechonias Hier. in cap. 1. Exech 2. Ezechiel was carried away captiue into Babilon togither with Iechonias Daniel and the three children Hier. in princ Ezech. Aug. de ciu lib. 18. cap. 34. This holy prophet foretold the destruction of Hierusalem and the captiuitie of the Iewes for their manifold sinnes and wickednesse earnestly exhorting them to repentance For which cause the Iewes were so exasperated against him as the wicked are this day against the preachers of Gods word that they trailed him on the ground amongst the stones till his braines went out Author oper imperf in Matt. cap. 23. hom 46. prop. finem A golden obseruation In the dayes of Iosias king of Iuda Helkiah the Priest found the booke of the lawe of the Lord giuen by the hand of Moses Which when the good king vnderstood hee gathered togither all the inhabitantes of Ierusalem and of Iuda and the Priests and the Leuites and all the people from the greatest to the smallest and he read in their eares all the words of the booke of the couenant that was found in the house of the Lord and the king caused all that were found in Ierusalem and Beniamin to stand to it and hee compelled all the people of Israel to serue the Lord their God 2. Par. 34.4 Kin. 22. Thus saith the holy scripture By which we see euidently that the ouersight of all persons in all causes aswell ecclesiastical as ciuill pertaineth to the king and that the king hath the charge of religion committed into his handes and also that he may compel priests and Leuites to doe their dueties in that behalfe On the other side we may note the intollerable impietie of our disholy fathers the late bishops of Rome Who most irreligiously and very impudently excommunicate christian kings and monarches because they appoint the word of God to be preached in their
wringed with these superstitious fastes that by reason of their excessiue hunger they reioyce aboue measure when the fasting is at an end Yea they keepe a better reckoning howe Lent passeth and when they may fall to flesh againe then euer they did of and for their sinnes so that on Easter day hee seemeth the best sped that first in the morning can get an egge saue that adulti must that day first receiue and then followeth as is said And on the Sundaies in Lent they are so glad because they be but daies of abstinence as if they were at Rome in time of Carniuâle transformed vnder visards Thirdly because Lent fast is not proportionable to mans body or to the season of the yeare Which I will prooue by the lawes and receiued rules in the noble Art of phisicke As there be foure distinct times of the yeare the Spring time Summer Autumne and winter so be there foure different diets correspondent to the same Whosoeuer will eat temperately and in measure must eate according to the force and equabilitie of his digestion and consequently he ought to moderate and rule his diet after the qualification of his body and season of the yeare Natiue heate is the proper workman of digestion as graunteth euery good phisition and consequently because our bodies are most hote in Winter as recordeth the auncient graue phisition Hippocrates at that time they stand in need of most meate And because our bodies be then colde and moist hote and dry meates be conuenient In Summer because natiue heate is dispersed by exhalations concoction is weakened and so lesse meat required And because our bodies then be hote and dry cold moist meats are proportional In autumne because the extrinsecall heate is more remisse then in Summer and the naturall heat thereby more vnited meate more largely ought to be vsed The spring time keepeth a meane betweene winter and Summer and taketh part of them both and therefore our diet then must neither bee altogither of hote and drie meates as in winter neither yet altogither of colde and moist meates as in Summer and consequently popish institution of Lent was not onelie superstitious and vngodly but altogither preiudiciall to the health of the body I prooue it first because as Hippocrates writeth all sodaine mutations are dangerous and so after aboundant eating of fleshe all the winter season sodainly to absteine wholly from the same cannot but be euill This is confirmed by their owne vsuall popishe practise for to suche as haue been vsed to drinke onely wine they at Rhemes giue not at the first beare onely but they giue them wine also This notwithstanding after all their pleasant belly cheere during the whole time of their Carniuâle at Rome they must sodainly euen the next morning both with alteration of diet and parsimonie beginne their Lent fast solemnly It is yet further confirmed first because there is like proportion in eating fish sodainly after fleshe as there is in eating fleshe after fishe Which alteration how dangerous it is the vsuall infirmities in Easter weeke doe witnesse Secondly because the nourishment of fishe is colde and moist and so verie disproportionable to the Spring time Thirdly because concoction is then verie strong as well for the ambient restraint termed Antiperistasis as by reason of long sleepe and therefore since much meate is necessary our popish Lent fast must perforce be preiudiciall But some will say your selues this day command to eate fish in Lent I say first that our lawes commaund that abstinence for the common-wealth sake and not for merite or religion I say secondly that our lawes doe tollerate euery one to eate flesh in such measure as is expedient for the health of his body I say thirdly that our lawes prohibite onely flesh but popishe lawes charge all men vnder paine of mortall sinne euen the poorest soules of all that neither haue fish nor money to prouide fish to forbeare egges cheese butter milke Which how wicked and tyrannicall a law it is who seeth not for the seely soules must either eate such meates or starue for want of food Such popishe hypocritical fastes Gods prophet reprooueth most bitterly Is this the fast saith the Prophet that I haue chosen that a man shoulde afflict his soule for a day and bow downe his head as a bull rush and lie downe in sackcloth and ashes Wilt thou call this a fasting or an acceptable day to the Lord it is no fast saith the Prophet It is a fast saith the Pope it is abhominable saith the prophet it is meritorious saith the Pope To fast truely saith God by his Prophet is to deale thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poore that wander into thy house when thou seest the naked that thou couer him and hide not thy selfe from thine owne flesh Esaiae cap. 58. ver 5.7 The seuenth proposition Popish fastes are not fit meanes for their pretended end to wit mortification I proue it because not onely sundry kindes of fishes as both learned men and experience teacheth but wine especially which in popish fasting is euer approoued is altogither against mortification For as Salomon saith in their approoued Latine Edition Luxuriosa res vinum Wine maketh a man wanton Pro. 20. verse 1. And againe Nolite inebriari vino in quo inest luxuria Be not drunken with wine which maketh the body too lusty Ephes. 5. verse 18. Yea our religious English moonkes were so giuen to mortification as they could not bee content to liue one day without good store thereof For this is true as I wil answere vpon the charge of my soule Sir Thomas Bedell the moonke with whom I was sometime fellow prisoner in Yorke vpon Owse-bridge vsed ordinarily to send euery day for a quart or pint of wine For quoth he I was vsed to such store of wine in our Monastery that I cannot refraine it now O mortified popish moonkes O religious professed Romish Friers O men of holy perfection O hypocriticall painted pouertie To this may be added the diet of his brother Comberforth the secular Priest For he made a vow neuer to eate fleshe neither to drinke wine during his abode in prison By meanes of which hypocriticall fast as it seemed he got great credite amongest popishly affected persons Yet did the said Comberforth continually drinke very strong finely brewed ale alwayes so compounded with varietie of spices as it was more pleasant then pure wine if happily not so costly as the wine Such hath been and is the mortification of popish fastes Iohn Trew and the other Sergeantes at that time can giue reasonable testimonie heereof if they list The eight proposition The councill of Chalcedon one of the first foure famous generall Synodes which pope Gregorie reuerenced as the foure Gospels auoucheth popish fastes to be no fastes at all These are the expresse wordes of the council as they are
alledged by Gratianus in the popes owne Decrees Solent plures qui se ieiunare putant in quadragesima mox vt signum audierint ad horam nonam comedere qui nullatenus ieiunare credendi sunt fi ante manducauerint quam vespertinum celebretur offâ—cium Many who thinke they fast in Lent vse to eate so soone as they heare the bell at the ninth houre who by no meanes can be thought to fast if they eate before the euening praier Out of which wordes of the auncient holy councill I note this constant decree to wit that whosoeuer eate before the ninth houre cannot truely fast And consequently that no papists fast in their holy Lent howsoeuer they bragge or boast thereof The reason hereof is euident because all papistes vsually dine at noone that is three houres at the least before the time appointed by the councill I say at the least because they vse to anticipate noone some more some lesse For better explication whereof wee must obserue two thinges the one concerning noone the other concerning the euening praier I say therefore that by the ninth houre the councell with all antiquitie vnderstandeth three of the clocke at afternoone for in the time of the Apostles and long after them the day was deuided into twelue houres which day was againe distributed into foure Vigils whereof euery Vigil contained three houres so that their ninth houre was with vs three of the clocke in the after noone Now for the obscuring of this euident confutation of the popish supposed fasting the papistes of latter dayes haue deuised this miserable shift a fit inuention of their newly hatched Romishe religion The Pope forsooth hath dispenced with his greedy religious godlesse people who will needes be thought deuout fathers albeit they fast not one day in the whole yeare that they may huddle vp their vespertine houres or euening praier at anie time before twelue of the clocke and then at their pleasures to eate drinke and make good cheere And if it please your worships this done with full panches to beginne their discontinued disholy fast againe The ninth proposition Of fastinges some are priuate and some publicke Priuate fastes may be vsed of ones owne accord when and so often as shall seeme conuenient so they be referred to the glory of God and true mortification of the bodie or bee vsed for the good of our neighbour Thus fasted king Dauid all the time his childe was sicke After the death whereof hee surceased from praier and fasting and ate meate 2. King 12. Thus fasted Nehemiah when he vnderstood the affliction of the Iewes he sate downe wept and mourned certaine dayes hee fasted and prayed before the Lord of heauen Nehem. 1.4 Thus fasted Daniel when hee perceiued the captiuitie of his countriemen spoken of by the prophet Ieremie He confessed his owne sinnes and the sinnes of the people and turned to the Lord in fasting heartie prayer Dan. 9. vers 2 3 4 5. Publique fasts are appointed either by God in his holy word or by the magistrate hauing his authoritie Thus did Samuel appoint the Israelites to fast at such time as the Philistims did greeuously afflict them 1. Kin. 7. ver 3 6. Thus king Iosaphat proclamed a fast throughout all Iuda when the Ammonites Moabites and Idumeans oppressed them 2. Par. 20.3 10 22. Thus did queene Hester appoint a publique fast to all the Iewes by the mouth of Mardocheus Hest. 4. v. 16. Thus did the king of Niniueh command a publike fast after he vnderstood Gods wrath by his prophet Ionas 3. verse 7. Here endeth the first Booke containing yeeres 3426. The second book containeth the description of the first Monarchie that is of the Assyrians or Babylonians The first chapter of the originall and continuance of the monarchie The first Section of the reason of the inscription ALbeit this first Monarchie was either wholy or in effect expired before the accomplishment of the captiuitie of the two tribes Iuda and Beniamin yet haue I thought good to had le it in a seuerall tract after the saide captiuitie so to auoide confusion and for perspicuitie sake The second section of the originall of the monarchie King Ninus the sonne of Belus was the first king of Asia except the Indians whome the Assyrians named their god he reigned 52. yeeres and in the 43. yeere of his raigne was Abraham borne He builded the citie Ninum in Assyria nowe called Niniueh Euseb. in chronico When Ninus was dead Semiramis his wife raigned she feared lest for the tender yeres of her sonne Nunas and for hir feminine sex the people should reuolt from their due loyaltie For which cause she clad her selfe in mans apparel and fained her selfe to be the kings sonne She excelled in heroicall feats and raigned 42. yeeres in great felicitie She fortified the citie of Babylon which Ninus had conquered from the Chaldeans with rampires ditches and walles After her death Zameis aliâs Ninias reigned 30. yeres in all peace and tranquilitie Euseb. Carion The kings of the Assyrians Ninus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 52 Kings 36 Semiramis Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 42 Kings 36 Ninias Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 â—8 Kings 36 Arius Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 30 Kings 36 Arelius Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 40 Kings 36 Xerxes Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 30 Kings 36 Armametres Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 38 Kings 36 Belochus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 35 Kings 36 Baleus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 52 Kings 36 Altadas Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 32 Kings 36 Mamitus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 30 Kings 36 Mancaleus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 30 Kings 36 Ipheréus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 20 Kings 36 Mamylas Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 30 Kings 36 Spaâ—êtus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 40 Kings 36 Ascades Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 40 Kings 36 Amyntas Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 45 Kings 36 Belothus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 25 Kings 36 Bellepares Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 30 Kings 36 Lamprides Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 32 Kings 36 Sosares Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 20 Kings 36 Lampares Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 30 Kings 36 Pannias Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 45 Kings 36 Sosarmus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 19 Kings 36 Mitreus Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres Anno mundi 3197 27 Kings 36 Tantanes Anno mundi 1948 reigned yeres
sucuus Anno Dom. 333 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 743 15 88 Fridericus 1. Anno Dom. 333 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 743 37 89 Henricus 5. aliâs 6. Anno Dom. 333 The raigne of the Caesars Anno. Dom. 743 10 yeares 90 Otho 5. aliâs 4. Anno Dom. 333 The raigne of the Caesars Anno. Dom. 743 13 91 Fridericus 2. Anno Dom. 333 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 743 33 92 Rodulphus Anno Dom. 333 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 743 19 93 Aldulphus Anno Dom. 333 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 743 1 yeare 3. monethes 94 Albertus Anno Dom. 333 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 743 9 yeares The names of the Caesars 95 Henricus 6. Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 5 yeares 96 Ludouicus 4. Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 33 97 Carolus 4. Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 32 98 Venceslaus Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 22 99 Robertus Bat. Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 10 100 Sigismundus Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 27 101 Albertus 2. Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 2 102 Fridericus 3. Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 53 103 Maximilianus Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 26 104 Carolus 5. Flandr Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 30 yeares 105 Ferdinandus Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 6 yeres 4. 〈◊〉 106 Maximilianus Anno Dom. 752 The raigne of the Caesars Anno Dom. 998 11 yeares Of these Emperours more shalbe said in peculiar 〈◊〉 when I come to the second part and first booke thereof The third booke containeth the description of the second Monarchie that is of the Persians CHAP. I. Of the originall of the monarchie and succession in the same GOd most mightie and most faithfull for his power doth whatsoeuer pleaseth him and for his promise sake hee vndoubtedly accomplisheth whatsoeuer he hath said He suffered the Iews his peculiar people to be long afflicted by the Babilonians but after that 70. yeares were fully complete and expired according to his promise Isai. 45 1.48.20 He with great ioy wrought their deliuerance He appointed king Cyrus to set them at libertie whom for that purpose he called his annointed Es. 45.1 Which Cyrus hauing conquered the kingdome of the Medes against Astyages left the said kingdome to Darius his vncle by whose aide he tooke Babylon and so transported the Monarchie of Babylon to the Persians Cyrus deliuered the Iewes from captiuitie the very same yeare that he took Babylon He also gaue them great treasures to build the temple of Hierusalem and sent them home againe vnder the conduct of Zorobabel Esd. cap. 1. cap. 2. 2. Par. 36. ver 23. Esd. 7. v. 15. He commaunded to giue them of his own reuenewes day by day so much as should be necessary Esd. 6. verse 8.9 Cyrus king of Persia brought forth by the hand of Mithridates the treasurer all the vessels of the house of the Lord which Nabuchodonosor had taken out of Hierusalem and placed in the house of his false God Cyrus numbred them vnto Sesbazer the Prince of Iuda To wit 30. Chargers of gold a thousand chargers of siluer 29. kniues thirtie basons of gold 410. basons of siluer and of other vessels 1000. all which with other rich gifts the king bestowed on the Iewes to build vp againe their Temple Esd. 1. 2. Par. 36. The building of the Temple was hindered by the aduersaries of Iuda and Beniamin that is the inhabitants of Samaria whom the king of Assyria had placed in the stead of the ten tribes which ten tribes he had carried away vnto Ashur and put them in Halah and in Habor by the riuer of Gozan and in the citie of the Medes for at that time the Medes and Persians were subiect to the Assyrians which vexation hindering of the Iewes in building their Temple continued about the space of thirtie yeeres that is vntill the sixt yeare of Darius the sonne of Histaspis surnamed Assuerus and Artaxerxes indifferently Esdr. cap. 4. The difficultie The Prophet Daniel who liued euen in the time of the captiuitie of Babylon affirmeth constantlie that the same night in which Balthasar the king of the Chaldees was slain Darius King of the Medes tooke the kingdome being 62. yeares of age Dan. cap. 5. vers 31. and the said Daniel saith that he vnderstoode the time of the captiuitie by the bookes of Ieremy in the first yeare of Darius sonne of Assuerus who was of the seede of the Medes Dan. 9. vers 1. but Esdras writeth plainely that Cyrus was king of Babylon and gaue the Iewes leaue to build their temple to whom also he gaue great treasure as is alreadie saide Esdr. 1. Esdr. chap. 6. vers 3. The answere I say first with Saint Hierome vppon Daniel that Cyrus gaue the title of honour to Darius as well in respect of his olde age as for kinred sake I say secondly that Cyrus went about warres in other Countreyes and so had not the title though he were king indeed I say thirdly that Darius died the same yeare that he and Cyrus wan Babylon so as the Monarchie of the Medes Persians and Babylonians descended wholly vnto Cyrus The names of the kings of the Persian Monarchie Darius A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 9 monethes Cyrus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 30 yeares Cambyses A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 8 yeares Smerdes magus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 7 moneths Darius Histaspis aliàs Artaxerxes alias Assuerus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 36 yeares Xerxes A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 20 yeares Artabanus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 7 monethes Darius Artaxerxes Longimanus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 40 yeares Zerxes A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 2 monethes Sogdianus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 7 monethes Darius Nothus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 19 yeares Artaxerxes Mnemon aliàs Memnon A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 40 yeares Darius Ochus aliàs vagosus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 26 yeares Arsames sonne of Ochus A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 4 yeares Darius Arsami filius aliàs Arbelas or Melas A. M. 3426 the time of their reigne A. M. 3655 6 yeares The first obseruation It is to be obserued that Artaxerxes was the commō name of all
multiplier 11  475  475 The summe amounting 5225 Againe if ye diuide the 5225. dayes by 30. you shall finde 174. moneths and fiue dayes thus The number to be diuided 5225 5 daies 174 moneths The diuisor 30 To these you must adde 87. daies because the moone hath not aboue 29. daies and the halfe of one day Thirdly if ye will diuide the 174. moneths by 12. ye shal finde 14. yeeres and 6. moneths thus The number to be diuided 174 6. moneths 14 yeeres The diuisor 12 Now these 6. moneths remaining togither with the 92. dayes od houres and minutes wil suffice to make vp the 15. yeere that is wanting in the last diuision So then this supputation is consonant to the yeeres of the monarkes and to the iust record of the Olympiades of the Greekes which by vniforme consent of all learned writers are most certaine as also answerable to euery thing in Daniel which no other supputation is able by any possibilitie to affoord For it is without all controuersie that the weekes of Daniel were ended in the 4. yeere of Tiberius Cesar at which time Christ was crucified from which yeere vntill the fourth yere of the 83. Olympiade which was the twentieth yeere of Artaxerxes Longimanus where I holde the 70. weekes of Daniel to beginne be iust 475. yeeres after the course of the sunne which make as is already prooued 490. yeeres after the course of the moone CHAP. V. Of the sabbaoth and festiuall dayes of the Iewes WHen the children of Israel were come againe out of captiuitie they and all such as had forsaken heathenish idolatry and ioyned themselues vnto them kept the feast of vnleauened bread seauen dayes with ioy And after the temple was finished in the sixt yeere of Darius the Priests Leuites and residue of the children of the captiuitie kept the dedication thereof Esdr. 6.16 22. Concerning which festiuall dayes and the like because many are superstitious and some very ignorant it shall not be impertinent in this place to set downe a briefe discourse thereof The first Section Of sabbaoths one is legall an other spirituall the third celestiall The spirituall sabbaoth is a ceasing from sinne and is peculiar to the godly and regenerate for with it dissolute liuers and carnally affected persons such as Sardanapalus was can haue no fellowship at all albeit they professe a certaine externall obseruance of the ceremoniall sabbaoth and glorie no little therein For as the apostle saith Rom. 8.13 they that liue after the flesh must die but they that mortifie the deeds of the bodie by the spirit shal liue This sabbaoth is not tied to any certain time or daies but ought to be kept euery day without anie intermission for we must euer beleeue euer hope euer loue euer bring foorth the fruites of the spirit Otherwise there should be no proportion betweene the spirituall sabaoth and the spirituall man The second Section The celestiall sabbaoth is it in which wee shall rest both in body and soule from the labours and vexations of this present mortalitie Yet in this life we may labor in the body although the mind regenerate do sabbatize vnto the Lord. For the spirituall sabaoth doth not so prohibite the regenerate from corporall labours but that they may in due season exercise the same for their own honest sustentation and of others Yea the minds euen of the godly albeit they sabbatize in the Lord yet are they oft afflicted now w t tentations now with errours with tribulations now with anguishes with charitable cōpassions ouer their brethren These are the imperfections of this present life which the spirituall sabaoth cannot take away but the celestiall sabbath in the heauenly Ierusalem will vtterly make an ende thereof For in that sabbath there shall be no place to anie labours errours tentations or miseries whatsoeuer For the vision beatificall will wipe away all teares from our face This is the pure and perfect sabbath not of the bodie onely as the legall whereof I am to speake by and by nor of the mind only as the spirituall but of soule and body both together which sabbaoth was shadowed in the olde law begunne in the new lawe and shall be accomplished in the kingdome of heauen where we shall celebrate the sabbaoth of all sabbaoths world without end The third section The legall ceremoniall and externall sabboth is a certaine set time appointed in the church for the ministerie of the worde and administration of the sacraments And it is of two sorts immediate and mediate the immediate is that which was instituted immediately in the old Testament and this kind was manifold because there was the sabboth of dayes as the seauenth day of the weeke which was tearmed by the peculiar and proper name of sabboth as well in respect of the diuine rest which God had from creating new creatures as of the rest which Gods people must keepe that day There were also other sabbothes of dayes though not properly so tearmed but by the names of feasts to wit the feast of the Passeouer the feast of Pentecost the feast of Tabernacles the feast of expiacion the feast of blowing trumpets the feast of vnleauened bread the feast of the first fruites Againe there was the sabboth of moneths called neomeniae 2. Paralipomenon the second chapter and the fourth verse Thirdly there was a sabbaoth of yeares as euerie seuenth yeare Leuiticus chapter 25. vers 4. in which yere the Israelites were prohibited to till the ground to sow their seede and to cut their vineyardes Fourthly there was also the sabboth of Iubilee which came euerie fiftieth yeare Leuit. 25. vers 12. in the which yeare libertie was proclaimed to all that were in bondage in which yeare none might sowe none might reape none might gather grapes in which yeare euerie one returned to his owne possession in which yeare all land that had beene sold returned to the familie which yeare when it was farre off they might sell dearer but the nearer it was the better cheap ought they to sel their land An apishimitation of this Iubilee the late Bishops of Rome pretend vnto the worlde But alas who seeth not what a diabolical illusion it is In this Iubilee none did or could pardon their neighbours sinnes but the Pope pardoneth al as well great as small in this Iubilee all bond men were set at libertie but in the Popes Iubilee the Turks stil row in galies in bondage they stil remaine both in Italie in Spain in this Iubilee all sold lands had an end and returned againe to the seller but in the Popes Iubilee not onely sold landes do not returne againe but landes bought with other mens goods do stil remain Note wel gentle reader what I say for of late yeares since the Pope by diabolicall perswasions of ambitious and seditious Iesuites intended the inuasion of this land he hath promised facultie to his Iesuites and seminaries that they may dispense
and the day on which God began the creation of euerie thing The first obiection We christians obseruing the first day after the sabboth which we call sunday are charged odiously with superstition by the wicked Anabaptists and they proue it by S. Paul who forbiddeth the difference of dayes in the Christian Church vppon which prohibition it followeth that it is as vnlawfull to keepe the first day as the seauenth The answere I answere that the Apostle exclaimeth not against euerie difference of dayes simply but against that sole and onely difference which is obserued with opinion of necessitie or worship After which manner our christian sabboth or sunday is not obserued For first in the old testament the old sabboth was a figure of things to be accomplished by Christ yet in the new testament the new sabboth hath not that signification but is onely obserued for decencie and comely order sake without which the ministerie of the word either cannot be at all or at least not so conueniently Secondly the Iewes obserued their sabboth of the seauenth day as a part of Gods diuine worship neither was it lawfull for them to change and alter the same but we christians who abhorre Iudaisme indeede keepe our sabboth day not as a part of Gods worship but for ciuill order sake not with opinion of necessitie but with such christian freedome as we confesse it may be changed into another day And because this libertie granted to the Christian church is not sufficiently vnderstood of many whereof some be otherwise well learned I purpose in God to proue the same effectually First by the holy scriptures secondly by the iudgement of antiquitie thirdly by the latter writers Touching the scriptures my first reason shall be affirmatiue my second shall bee negatiue the affirmatiue is this whatsoeuer is abolished doth not binde vs christians but the lawe of Moses is abolished therefore it doth not bind vs. The argument is in forme The proposition is euident because an obligation cancelled is not of force And the assumption wherein resteth the difficultie if there be any at all is proued by S. Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews where he auoucheth expressely y t the law must perforce be changed with the priesthood Neither wil it help to say that we keepe a day different from the Iewes marke well my words gentl reader bicause if we keep our day with necessitie of the day so as it may not be altered into another day then such our obseruation of dayes is reproued to the Colossians and is become a flat ceremony of the Iewish law For this strict point tempori obligari to be tied to determined time is that only circumstance or ceremonie wherein the Iewish sabbaoth differeth from ours Which point I hope wil shortly be more euident My negatiue reson is this No text of holy scripture either in the olde or new testament can be alledged which commandeth to keep our christian sabbaoth eyther vpon the first day or vpon any other determinate day therfore it remaineth in the libertie of the church to change that day as the circumstances of times places persons shal require The consequence is good and so the consequent ought not to be denied for whatsoeuer is not commanded by the holy scriptures but appointed by the law of man all that may be altered euen by the law of man The antecedent I prooue sundry wayes first because the places of scripture cited for this purpose neyther do nor can prooue any such thing For the Apostle to the Corinthians willes only that collections be made for the poore when the congregation is assembled on some sabboth day But he neither commandeth christians to obserue the first day after the sabbaoth neyther yet doth he affirme that christians then kept their assemblies vpon that day Yea the learned and zealous writer maister Caluin denieth flatly that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth either signifie the first day of the sabaoths or the sunday He opposeth himselfe against the patrones of that opinion and saith flatly that the apostles did at that time keepe the Iewish sabbaoth And that of the Reuelation prooueth nothing else but that S. Iohn had his reuelation vpon the day of our Lords resurrection But saint Iohn neither saith that christians must obserue that day for their sabbaoth neyther yet that the Apostles kept the same Which thing both Petrus Martir and Erasmus doe willingly grant Yea Erasmus auoucheth that the christian Penticost was not yet ordayned And therefore doeth he by Penticost in that place vnderstand saint Paules abode at Ephesus to be 50 dayes Caluine and Martir vnderstand the Iewish penticost properly bicause the christian penticost was not yet appointed I proue it secondly bicause if the determination of the christian sabaoth had bin set downe in the scripturs and appointed by the apostles then would there not haue beene such controuersie about that matter as was in the est and west Churches long after the Apostles time which thing I haue shewed at large in my booke of Motiues Thirdly if it were granted which can neuer be proued that the Apostles then kept the sabboth vpon the first day yet would it not follow that christians must of necessitie this day obserue the same which I will make good by sundry important reasons First because our sauiour Christ in the verie institution of the sacrament of his body and bloud did minister the same after supper and yet are not wee tied to that practise but do it before dinner Now since the practise of Christ himselfe doth not make a law to be kept of necessity much lesse can the practise of his disciples impose such a law vppon vs. Therefore if it be graunted that the Apostles kept their sabboth vpon the first of the weeke as this day wee obserue and that very laudably yet may wee for our christian liberty alter the day and keep it vpon another Secondly because Christ celebrated the holy communion of his body and bloud in sweete and vnleauened bread and yet notwithstanding that practise the Greeke church did euer and wee our selues in these dayes vse leauened bread euen so may we keepe our sabaoth vpon Tuesday or vpon some other day if it so seeme good to the church albeit the Apostles kept it vpon the munday Thirdly because the Apostles and the whole church in their time decreed to absteine from eating of bloud and yet doe we this day without scruple of conscience eate the same If answere be made that this decree was not a perpetuall law I replie directly that much lesse doeth their practise binde the church for euer to a strict ceremonie of the Iewes Fourthly because wee may iustly bee accused of that superstition wherewith the Apostle charged the Colossians and Galatians and so the Anabaptists shall haue their intended purpose My second proofe is this Socrates a famous writer who liued aboue 1150. yeares sithence hath
these expresse words Mens namque fuit Apostolorum non de diebus sancire festiuitatum sed conuersationem rectam dei praedicare culturam mihi ergo videtur quod sicut multa alia per prouincias ad consuetudinem venerunt sic Paschae festiuitas tradita sit eó quod nullus Apostolorum aliquid huic sanxisset For the meaning of the Apostles was not to make lawes for keeping holidaies but to preach the word of God and holy conuersation I therefore thinke that as many other things grew to a custome in diuerse countries so did also the keeping of Easter because none of the apostles made any lawe for the same Out of whose wordes I do note first that the scope of Christs apostles was this to preach the word of God not to appoint holidays Secondly that the keeping of Easter which is our sabbaoth was after the custome of the countrey Thirdly that the apostles made no lawe for the same Yea the first man in the world that made any positiue lawe for the christian sabbaoth was Constantine surnamed the Great who within three hundred and thirtie yeres after Christ about the 20. yere of his reigne to take away all contention in the church made a flatte Edict for the keeping of Friday and Sunday throughout the yeere Of this none can stand in doubt that shall pervse that fine Oration which Eusebius made de Laudibus Constantini the three and thirtieth yeere of his happy raigne This controuersie by the Emperours appointment was handled in the councill of Nice and immediatly after his decree which thing is euident by the saide Eusebius in his third booke de vitae Constantini and in his fourth booke hee affirmeth plainely that all subiect to the Romane empire were commaunded to abstaine from all bodily labour vppon the sundayes and fridayes Cassiodorus doeth prooue the same out of Sozomenus in these expresse wordes Die verò qui Dominicus vocatur quem Hebraei primam vocant Graeci autem soli distribuunt qui ante septimum est sanctuit à iudicijs aliÃsque causis vniuersis habere vacationem in eo tantum orationibus occupari The Emperour Constantine decreed that all people should cease from al sutes and other ciuil causes and consecrate themselues wholy vnto prayer vppon the Lordes day which the Iewes doe call the first day of the weeke and the Greekes doe terme Sunday as also vpon the friday The learned diuines in Germanie affirme directly that the Sunday may be altered These are their words Nam qui iudicant ecclesiae authoritate pro sabbato institutam esse diei Dominici obseruationem tanquam necessariam longè errant for they that thinke the church appointed the sunday to be kept for the sabbaoth of necessitie are deceiued grossely My third proofe is this Philippus Melancton Erasmus Roterodamus Iohannes Caluinus Petrus Martir Bullingerus and Vrsinus do all with vniforme consent yeelde so manifest testimonie to mine assertion as none doubtlesse that reade them attentiuely can without blushing deny the same Petrus Martir hath these words Quòd vnus dies certus in hebdomada cultui diuino mancipetur stabile firmum est an vero hic vel alius constituatur temporarium est ac mutabile That one day in the weeke must be assigned for diuine seruice it is constant firme and perpetuall but whether this or that day ought to be appointed for that purpose it is a thing that respects the time and may be changed Caluin in his Institutions after he hath commended the alteration of the saboth in the primitiue church affirmeth flatly that the day may yet be changed these be his wordes Neque sic tamen septenarium numerum morâ—r vt eius seruituti ecclesiam astringam neque enim ecclesias damnauero quae alios conuentibus suis solemnes dies habeant modò à superstitione absint Quod erit si ad solam obseruationem disciplinae ordinis bene compositi referantur Neyther do I for all that make such accompt of the seuenth day that I will haue the church tyed to keepe the same for I will not condemne churches which appoint other solemne dayes for their meetings so they be voide of superstition Which shal bee done if they appoint such tdayes onely for discipline and for comely order sake Vrsinus hath these words Summa est alligati sumus sabbato moraliter ceremonialiter in genere sed non in specie Hoc est ad aliquod ministerii publicè exercendi tempus sed non ad septimum vel aliquem alium certum diem This is the effect we are tied to the saboth morally and ceremonially in generall but not in speciall that is to say we are bound sometime to exercise the publike ministerie but wee are neither tied to the seauenth nor to any other certaine day And againe hee saith that all ceremonies appointed by the church may be altred againe by the counsell of the church Againe in another place he hath these expresse words Ecclesia christiana primum vel aliumdiem tribuit ministerio salua sua libertate the church of Christ hath libertie to appoint either the first day or some other day for Gods seruice To what end shoulde I alleage moe authorities for nothing can be more plainely spoken And as the church hath authoritie to alter the sabboth day so hath it power also which Bâ—llinger hath well obserued to appoint for the seruice of God certaine other festiuall dayes as the feast of the birth of our Lord of his incarnation circumcision passion resurrecâ—ion ascension and such like All which is this day verie prudently and laudably practised in the church of England An obiection If this your doctrine were true as you beare the world in hand it is then would it follow necessarily that there shoulde be no difference betweene the ordinance of God and man the reason seemeth euident because they both should be of like authoritie The answere I answere that they are not of like authoritie and I yeeld a double disparitie thereof for first the sabboth day is de iure diuino in generall albeit the determination thereof to this or that day in speciall be de iure humano but the other holidayes are both in generall and in speciall de iure humano Secondly because other holydaies are as well generally as specially appointed by man and therefore may be wholly abolished by the power of man But the sabboth day is generally appointed by God although the limitation thereof be reserued to his church and therefore notwithstanding that the church can limit the obseruation to this or that day yet can no power vpon earth wholly abolishe the same The fourth booke conteineth the description of the third Monarchie that is of the Greekes from Alexander vntill the Machabees CHAP. I. Of the originall of the monarchie and the circumstances of the same ALexander king of the Macedonians for his martiall
impotencie of nature nor by the gift of continencie but the pope chargeth them that are eunuches no way to abstaine from marriage solemnely therefore the popes commaundement is against Gods holy ordinance Theodoretus confirmeth this point in these words Rectè autem posuit illud prohibentium contrahere matrimonium Neque enim celibatum ac continentiam vituperat sed eos accusat qui lege lata ea sequi coÌ„pellunt He put that rightly forbidding to marry he blameth not single life continencie but accuseth them that by positiue lawes compel to put such things in execution This lawe therefore of the pope is intollerable For which cause saint Clemens auoucheth them to do iniury to nature that will not vse wedlocke for procreation of children The latter parte of this proposition the apostle setteth downe so plainely as it is needelesse to say any more in that behalfe These are Saint Paules owne wordes But the spirit speaketh euidently that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith and shall giue heede vnto spirites of errour and doctrines of deuilles which speake lies through hypocrisie and haue their consciences burned with an hote yron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats In these wordes it is very cleere that saint Paul termeth the prohibition of marriage and of meates the flat doctrine of the deuill For after hee had declared wherein the mysterie of true religion consisteth which is taught in the true church of Christ hee foorthwith giueth euident markes of the mysterie of iniquitie which is maintained in the false church of Antichrist in whose synagogue the highest points of religion are the prohibition of marriage and of meates And who seeth not this day this to bee the state of the church of Rome as in which church they are specially and in a manner onely reputed religious who obey the prohibition of marriage and also of meates And it will not helpe the Papistes to say as their woonted manner is that they neither prohibite marriage generally nor as an vnlawfull thing For first saint Paul speaketh not generally of marriage but of the precise marriage of Bishoppes Priests and Deacons This doe I prooue because so soone as hee had declared the duetie of Bishoppes Priestes and Deacons with their wiues and children by and by in the beginning of the next chapter hee addeth that in the latter dayes marriage shall bee prohibited by the doctrine of the deuill Where the worde But doeth effectually insinuate that he speaketh precisely of the marriage of ecclesiasticall persons by him aboue named Againe the words Forbidding and Commanding argue authoritie in them that restraine marriage and so it partaineth not onely to the old heretikes the Manichees the Tatians the Eucratites the Marcionists the Patritians and the Apostolickes but much more to the late Popes of Rome who strictly commaunde the whole world to abstaine from that whereof God himselfe hath granted the lawfull vse For what is to bee extolled aboue God if not to alter and chang his holie words Bishops Priests and Deacons haue alwaies beene married in the East church euen from our Sauiour Christ vntill these our dayes This I proue by the testimonie of the sixt generall councell of Constantinople where 289. Bishoppes were assembled in the yeare of our Lorde 677. In the thirteenth canon of this famous councill three speciall things are decreed First that Priests Deacons and subdeacons may haue the lawfull vse of wedlocke at such times as they do not execute the ministerie Secondly this councell excommunicateth all those Priests and Deacons that after their orders put away their former wiues vnder pretence of religion Thirdly it excommunicateth all such as labour to separate Priests and Deacons from the vse and companie of their wiues And after all this this great synode addeth this worthie and memorable obseruation to witte that they haue thus decreed albeit the lawes of Rome be otherwise Where I note by the way that so many learned bishoppes contemned the vsurped primacie of the church of Rome I proue it secondly by the verdict of their owne canon law which is the flatte opinion of Pope Vrban as their owne Gratian telleth vs his expresse words are these Cum ergo ex sacerdotibus nati in summos pontifices supra legantur esse proâ—oti non sunt intelligendi de fornicatione sed de legitimis coniugiis nati quae sacerdotibus ante prohibitionem vbique licita erant in orientali ecclesia vsque hodie eis licere probantur When therefore wee reade that the sonnes of Priests are made Popes wee must not vnderstand bastardes but sonnes borne in honest marriage which marriage was euery where lawfull for Priests before the late prohibition and is also lawfull this day in the East Church for which cause the late councell of Florence left the marriage of Priests to the free election of the Greekes Yea their owne deare Fryer and graue archbishoppe Antoninus confirmeth the same in these words Quia Graci etiam in sacerdotio coniugio vtuntur For the Greekes ioyne the vse of matrimonie euen with the priesthood Bishops Priests and Deacons were likewise married in the West and Latin church for the space almost of foure hundred yeares without any prohibition at all And afterward in some places for many hundreth yeeres This is the probation After that Christ hadde granted marriage for all men appointing such to vse it for an wholsome medicine as wanted the gift of continencie after that Saint Paul had pronounced freely marriage to bee honourable in all sorts of men after that the Apostles had decreed that neither Bishops Priests nor deacons shoulde leaue the companie of their wiues vnder pretence of religion after that many holy Bishops priests and deacons had liued laudably in the Church and had vsed the honest helâ— of holy wedlocke aboue three hundreth eightie and fiue yeares al which I haue alreadie proued then one Syricius aduaunced to the popedome in the yeare of Christ 385. seduced by Satan published wicked doctrine and prohibited marriage as an vnlawfull thing Which matter because it is verie imporâ—ant and the wordes of our holy father the pope so blasphemous as hardly anie will beleeue him to haue so written but hee that readeth the same I will alleage his wordes at large Thus therefore doth hee write in expresse tearmes Quod dignum pudicum honestum est suademus vt sacerdotes Leuitae cum suis vxoribus non coeant quia in ministerio diuino quotidianis necessitatibus occupantur ad Corinthios namque sic Paulus scribit Abstinete vos vt vacetis orationi si ergo Laicis abstinentia imperatur vt possint deprecantes audiri quanto magis sacerdos vtisque omni momento paratus esse debet munditiae puritate securus ne aut sacrificium offerat aut baptizare cogatur quisi contaminatus est carnali concupiscentia quid faciet excusabitur qua
without consent of the patient which neuerthelesse the best learned papistes will haue to be no sinne at all I say fiftly that Abimelech inquired of cleannesse from women not in respect of the coniugall act but for many other contaminations which might haue happened by comming neere to any woman in her monethly course For not only the woman her self was thereby vncleane in lawe and legall ceremonie but also all such as touched her clothes her bed her seate or whatsoeuer els Which inquisition Abimilech made least hee shoulde seeme to contemne the law that so Dauid if perhaps he had been any way polluted legallie might haue had saltem desiderio purification accordingly I say sixtly that the high priest in the olde lawe was married and begate children and that euen in those daies when he ministred to the Lord for he was bound to offer vp incense on the altar of sweete perfume that was neere the arke of testimonie before the mercy seate not this day or that day onely but euery morning and euery euening throughout their generations for euer Since therefore the high priestes marriage and coniugall acts were nothing preiudiciall to his holy function it followeth consequently that neither can holy wedlocke be now preiudiciall to the ministerie of the newe Testament The fift obiection The councels of Carthage Toledo Agatha and some others haue flatly prohibited the marriage of priestes which doubtlesse they would neuer haue done if it had been a lawfull thing The answere I say first that mans authoritie cannot abridge take away from man that libertie which God himselfe hath graunted vnto man For the inferior cannot alter the law of his superior as is already prooued I say secondly that though the pope and his late councels doe roundly impose lawes against holy wedlocke yet doth S. Paule plainly confesse that hee hath no authoritie so to doe Praeceptum inquit domini non habeo consiliū autem do I haue no commandement of the Lord but I giue mine aduise I say thirdly that the councell of Agatha doth euidently insinuate that the prohibition of priestes marriages was but of late yeares These are the wordes of the councell Presbyteri diaconi subdiaconi vel deinceps quibus ducendi vxores licentia modo non est etiam aliarum nuptiarum euitent conuiuia Priests deacons subdeacons and the rest who this day haue not licence to marry must not be present at the feasts of other marriages This councell was holden in Narbon about 439. yeares after Christ which was 51. yeares after Pope Syricius who first abandoned the mariage of priestes as I haue prooued To which time this councell of Agatha alludeth when it saith who are now debarred from marriage as if it had said Before they might haue married but now it is forbidden them I say fourthly that their owne deere Gratian in his glosse vpon pope Martins wordes confesseth matrimonie to be of so great force euen in deacons that marry after their orders that neither the popes decree nor the vow by him annexed to orders is able to dissolue the same These are his expresse wordes Si vero diaconus a ministerio cessare voluerit contracto matrimonio licitè potest vti nam etsi in ordinatione sua castitatis votū obtulerit tamen tanta est vis in sacramento coniugij quod nec ex violatione voti potest dissolui ipsum coniugium But if a deacon will cease from the ministerie hee may lawfully haue the vse of wedlocke contracted in time of his deaconship for although he offered the vow of chastitie when he tooke orders yet so great is the force of matrimonie that it cannot be dissolued by breaking the vow Out of which words I note two things the one that Gratian speaketh of that matrimonie which deacons contract after they be made deacons the other that such matrimonie is perfect of force notwithstāding y e vow annexed by popish law To which I adde other two thinges first that Gratian auoucheth S. Austen to be of his opinion whose wordes he alledgeth in the next canon Secondly that since marriage is of force after orders in a deacon it is so also in subdeacons priestes and the rest The reason is euident because the vow is of the same force in all neither can or will any learned papist say the contrary I say fiftly that it skilleth not much what many councels say as I haue prooued at large in my booke of Motiues yet here I adde one decree out of one of their councels which maketh the controuersie manifest Thus therefore appointeth the first councel holden at Toledo or Toletanum Si quis habens vxorem fidelis concubinam habeat non communicet Caeterum is qui non habet vxorem pro vxore concubinam habet a communione nō repellatur tantum vt vnius mulieris aut vxoris aut concubinae vt ei placuerit sit coniunctione contentus If anie of the faithfull hauing a wife haue also a Concubine let him not receiue the holy communion but hee that hath no wife and keepeth a concubine in steed of his wife let him be admitted to the communion yet so as hee be content with one onely either woman wife or concubine as pleaseth him Loe this councell giueth a man free libertie to keepe woman wife or concubine at his pleasure so he be content with one at once Neither doth it forbid such an one to receiue the holie communion Yet it prohibiteth euery priest from the communion that keepeth his lawfull wife but the famous councels of Nice and Constantinople were of another minde as I haue prooued The 6. obiection Vow saith the prophet and performe vnto the Lord your God all ye that be round about Therefore priestes and religious men and women which haue vowed cannot marrie at all The answere I say first that this obiection can at the most prooue onely this euen by popish doctrine to wit that such as vow chastitie cannot marry without sinne but not that their marriages bee not of force or not true marriages indeed I prooue it euidently because marriages after simple or single vowes be of force with them and reputed as they are for true marriages indeed And this obiection speaketh of such vowes because the scripture is nothing acquainted with popish solemne vowes I say secondly that they are not only true marriages and of force but also contracted lawfully and without sinne I prooue it because as it is sin to make ill vowes so is it lawful to break the same and double sinne to performe them This is euident in Iephthe who to accomplish his vow became the murderer of his own only daughter In wicked king Herode the Tetrarch who for sake of his vow beheaded S. Iohn the baptist In the fourtie Iewes who to performe their bloudie vow say in wait to destroy S. Paule These wicked votaries as they sinned most greeuously in making their vowes so did
deteriores non remisit nobis supplicium sed vidit hoc manifeste quod peccatis ipsis non mâ—nus damnosum sit non puniri propter hoc imponit poenam non exigens supplicium de peccatis sed ad futura nos corrigens For lest we our selues should be made worse if wee should not be punished when we offend God forgaue vs not the punishment for that he saw euidently that it was no lesse hurtfull to sinne it selfe if it should not be punished For which cause he imposeth paine vpon vs not requiring satisfaction for the sinnes but correcting vs for that which is to come Out of these wordes I note first that if we should escape vnpunished when we sin we would be more prone to sin again I note secondly that the punishment which God laâ—eth on vs is not any part of satisfaction for our sinne committed but a fatherly correction to keepe vs from sinning so againe I note thirdly that saint Chrysostome was not acquainted with popish pardons wherewith the world is this day so pestered I note fourthly that whosoeuer disliketh this my answer must reprooue saint Chrysostome for the same as from whom I receiued it And yet indeede hee saith nothing which holy writ hath not taught vs long before For as wise Salomon saith He that spareth the rodde hateth the childe but he that loueth him chasteneth him betime I blesse thee saith Tobie O Lord God of Israel because thou hast scourged me Thou hast corrected me saith Ephraim and I was chastised as an vntamed heiffer Whom the Lord loueth saith saint Paul him he chasteneth and he scourgeth euery sonne that he receiueth As many as I loue saith God I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and amend Marke these wordes well gentle Reader God correcteth vs not in way of satisfaction which we are neuer able to performe as I haue prooued more at large in my booke of Motiues but that we may repent turne to him and amend our sinfull liues For this cause saieth the Psalmograph Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest O Lord and teachest him in thy lawe that thou mayest giue him rest from the dayes of euill while the pit is digged for the wicked For as saint Paul saieth If we would iudge our selues by true faith and repentance wee should not be iudged But when we are iudged we are chastened of the Lord that wee should not be condemned with the world which Christ himselfe confirmed when he willed the adultresse to goe and to sinne no more The sixt obiection S. Paul exhorted the Corinthians who abounded in goods but wanted merites to bestow money largely on the saints at Ierusalem that so they might be partakers of their merites Therefore it is very lawful to procure pardon with our mony by the application of godly mens merites vnto vs. The answere S. Paul meaneth nothing lesse then that the Hierosolymitains should sell spirituall things for money For when Symon the sorcerer euen after his baptisme would haue bought the distribution of holy things with money then saide saint Peter to him Thy money perish with thee because thou thinkest that the gift of God may be gotten with money But the apostle exhorteth the richer sort at Corinth to minister competently to the faithfull at Ierusalem for their necessarie releefe and sustentation and this to do the rather for that heretofore they receiued the gospel from thence so that there may bee an analogicall or proportionable equalitie betweene them For liberalitie ought to be mutuall among christians and as the apostle saith in another place It is no great thing for them that haue sowen to vs spirituall things to reape part of our carnall things Thus seemeth Chrysostome to vnderstand this place whose wordes are these Haec autem dicebat etiam diuitum superbiam deprimens ostendens quod post hanc vitam in maiori dignitate spirituales futuri sint He spake these things to abate the pride of rich men shewing that after this life the godly shal be in greater dignitie as if he had saide esteeme not better of your selues because ye haue more worldly wealth but distribute such things liberally and seeke to abound in spirituall things that so there may be an equalitie The seuenth obiection The article of our creed I beleeue the communioÌ„ of saints doth plainely shew that ones satisfaction may be applied to an other which is that application that the pope maketh when he giues pardons The answer I answer that the duties of charitie are ought to be common among the faithfull in that they are the mysticall members of one mysticall body which saint Paul proueth to be so by the example of the members in mans body And this is that communion of saints whereof mention is made in the Creede apostolike But of popish pardons and merits of supererrogation this article maketh no relation at all Yea as the apostle saith al righteousnes remission of sins and eternall life is ministred to the members of the church by Christ the head Of whose fulnes we haue all receiued euen grace for grace CHAP. VI. Of Popish purgatorie OF popish purgatorie I haue spoken sufficiently in the seuenth chapter of the second booke of my Motiues It will therefore here be sufficient to declare the originall thereof and to solue the obiections against the same The superstitious fond fantasies of purgatorie came from the old heathen Romanes for as saint Austen recordeth they had a purgatorie sacrifice these are his words Ideo terminalia eodem mense Februario celebrari dicunt cum fit sacrum purgatorium quod vocant Februm vnde mensis nomen accepit Therfore men say that the ends of things are celebrated in the same moneth of Februarie when the purgatorie sacrifice is made which they call Februs whereupon the month tooke the name Afterward Origen being too much addicted to his allegoricall speculation fained many odde things touching purgatorie as the ethnicke Plato whom he much imitateth had done before him After Origen others began to cal the matter into question others rashly to beleeue it others to adde many things to Origens conceit Thus by little and little it encreased till the late bishops of Rome made it an article of popish faith But of what credite Origen ought to be in this point his owne opinion will declare sufficiently as who held that the diuels should all be purged at the latter day For of Origen thus writeth S. Austen Qua in re misericordior profecto fuit Origenes qui ipsum diabolum atque angelos eius post grauiora pro meritis diuturniora supplicia ex illis cruciatibus eruendos atque sociandos sanctis angelis credidit Wherein Origen doubtles was more compassionable who beleeued that the deuill himselfe his angels after great long punishment for their demerites should be deliuered from their torments and placed with the
Surplesse and the stole about his necke sang a collect of martyrs so after his maner canonising a rebellious subiect for a saint Such is the seditious impudencie of newly hatched Romish Iesuites And least any other Iesuite or papist shall denie that they ascribe their saluation to saintes for they vse to say that they make them but mediatours of intercession and not of saluation and redemption I will prooue it flatly out of their owne bookes and church seruice which I wish the reader to marke attentiuely In the praier which the church of Rome readeth publickly vpon Thomas Beckets day sometime the Bishop of Canturburie I finde these wordes Deus pro cuius ecclesia gloriosus poÌ„tifex Thomas gladiis impiorum occubuit praesia quaesumus vt omnes qui eius implorant auxilium petitionis suae salutarem consequantur effectum O God for whose church the glorious bishop Thomas was put to death by the swordes of the wicked graunt wee beseech thee that all which desire his helpe may attaine the effect of their petition to saluation Out of these wordes I note first that Thomas Becket is pronounced a glorious martyr albeit the disobedience of his lawfull prince was the cause of his death I note secondly that the Romish church seeketh for saluation euen through his merites I note thirdly that the papistes make him a Sauiour yea such a Sauiour as is equall with Christ and consequently that they make him another Christ. For as S. Paule truely recordeth Christ redeemed the church with his owne bloud And yet doth the Romish church teache as yee see that Thomas Becket shed his bloud for the church of God Since therefore the proper and onely badge of Christes mediatorship is giuen to Thomas Becket what remaineth for him to be if not another Christ And least we should not fully vnderstand how our redemption is wrought in the bloud of Thomas they deliuer this mysterie more cleerely in another place in these wordes Tuper Tho. sanguineÌ„ queÌ„ pro te impendit fac nos Christe scandere quò Thomas ascendit Thou O Christ cause vs to come thither where Thomas is euen by the bloud which hee shedde for thy sake Loe Thomas Becket died for vs and shed his bloud to bring vs to heaueÌ„ as the papists teach vs therfore by their doctrine hee is our redeemer and mediatour not only of intercession but also of redemption In their praier bookes deliuered to the vulgar people which God wote they vnderstoode not they teache the people thus to inuocate their proper Aungels Angele Dei quicustos es mei pietate superna me tibi commissum salua defende guberna O Aungell of God who art my keeper by supernall pietie defend mee gouerne mee and saue my soule To S. Paule they teache vs to pray in this maner O beate Paule apostole te deprecor vt ab angelo Sathanae me eripias à ventura ira liberes in coelum introducas O blessed Apostle Paul I pray thee that thou wilt take me from the angel of Satan and deliuer me from wrathe to come and bring me into heauen To Saint Iames in this maner O foelix Apostole magne martyr Iacobe te colentes adiuua peregrinos vndique tuos clemens protege ducens ad coelestia O happy Apostle and mightie martyr Iames helpe thy worshippers defend courteously thy pilgrimes on euery side and bring them to heauenly ioyes To Saint Martin thus Caecis das viam mutisque loquelam tu nos adiuua mundans immunda qui fugas daemâ—nia nos hic libera O Martin thou causest the blinde to see and the dumbe to speake Helpe vs and purge the vncleane thou that castest out diuels deliuer vs here But for breuitis sake I wil wittingly and willingly superseade many particular praiers made to meaner saintes and come to the blessed Virgine The Papistes teache vs to inuocate the holy virgine Mary thus O Maria gloriosa in delitiis delitiosa praepara nobis gloriam O Mary glorious in dainties delicious prepare thou glory for vs. Againe in another place thus Maria mater Domini aeterni patris filij fer opem nobis omnibus ad teconfugientibus O Mary the mother of our Lord the sonne of the eternall God helpe vs all that flie for helpe vnto thee Againe in another place thus Maria mater gratiae mater misericordiae tu nos ab hoste protege hora mortis suscipe O Mary the mother of grace the mother of mercie defend thou vs from our ghostly enemie and receiue vs at the houre of death Againe in another place thus Solue vincla reis profer lumen caecis mala nostra pelle bona cunctae posce Monstra te esse matrem sumat per te preces qui pro nobis natus tulit esse tuus Loose the bandes of the guiltie bring light to the blinde driue away our euils require all good thinges for vs shew thy selfe to be a mother let him receiue thy praiers that was borne for vs and suffered to be thine Againe in another place thus Veni regina gentium dele flammas reatuum dele quod cunque deuium da vitam innocentium Come O Queene of the Gentiles extinguishe the firie heate of our sinnes blot out whatsoeuer is amisse and cause vs to leade an innocent life Againe in their olde Latine primers the people are thus taught to pray In extremis diebus meis esto mihi auxiliatrix saluatrix animam meam animam patris mei matris meae fratrum sororum parentum amicorum benefactorum meorum omnium fidelium defunctorum ac viuorum ab aeterna mortis caligine libera ipso auxiliante quem portasti Domino nostro Iesu Christo filio tuo O glorious Virgine Mary bee thou my helper and Sauiour in my last dayes and deliuer from the mist of eternall death both mine owne soule and my fathers soule and the soules of my mother brethren sisters parents friends benefactors and of all the faithfull liuing and dead by his help whom thou didst beare our Lord Iesus Christ thy sonne Againe after two or three leaues in this maner Vt in tuo sancto tremendo ac terribili iudicio in conspectu vnigeniti filii tui cui pater dedit omne iudicium me liberes protegas a paenis inferni participem me facias coelestium gaudiorum I beseech thee most mercifull and chaste virgine Mary that in thine holy fearefull and terrible iudgement in the sight of thine only sonne thou wilt deliuer and defend me from the paines of hell and make me partaker of heauenly ioyes These praiers if they be well marked will prooue my conclusion effectually as which conteine euery iote of power right maiestie glorie and soueraignty whatsoeuer is or ought to be yeelded vnto our Lord Iesus Christ. Yea these two last praiers make the virgine Mary not onely equall with Christ but farre
humanitate foeliciter sancti quiescunt in quam nimirum desiderant etiam sancti angeli prospicere donec veniat tempus quando iam non sub altare collocentur sed exaltentur super altare In the meane season the saints rest happily vnder Christs humanitie which doubtlesse the holy angels desire to behold vntil the time come wheÌ„ they shalbe no longer hid vnder the altar but exalted aboue the altar So then not only the ancient fathers but holy and deuout Bernard with others of late yeres were and continued in this grosse error to wit that y e souls of the faithful dying in the Lord shal not be admitted to the vision and fruition of God to the sight of his diuine essence clearely to behold his deity vntil the general resurrection of our bodies Further theÌ„ this which is a scourge to the papists Pope Iohn the 22. of that name professed this heretical doctrine and commanded al the diuines in Paris to teach the same His wordes with all the due circumstances thereof are cited at large in my booke of Motiues These two Canons well marked will serue for many good purposes and especially at this time to prooue that the opinion of the fathers are of no more force for the inuocation of saints theÌ„ for these other important matters already in these Canons named For as we ouerrule them in these pointes by Gods sacred word so must we still ouerrule them by the same word if at any time they swarue from it either for the inuocation of saints or for praying for the dead or for marriage of priestes or for whatsoeuer els And so to ouerrule them is consonant to their owne doctrine as is already prooued The third Canon The primitiue church for the space of two hundreth thirty yeares after Christ liued vtterly destitute and vnacquainted with the merites suffrages intercession and inuocation of the saintes in heauen after which time this cacozeale by degrees proceeded till it became perfect and consummate idolatry as this day is seene in the church of Rome For before this time the papistes cannot alledge any one authenticall writer for the inuocation of saintes in heauen The first obiection Irenaeus who liued within one hundreth and nintie yeares after Christ affirmeth expressely that the virgin Mary was the aduocate of the virgin Eue. The answere I answere that S. Irenaeus had a farre other meaning then such popish friuolous collection would enforce vpon him which I prooue first indirectly because the virgin Mary was not born or conceiued much lesse a saint in heauen for the space almost of foure thousand yeares after the virginitie of Eue and so doubtlesse Eue neither did nor possibly could inuocate the holy virgin Mary Neither will it helpe to say that though Eue could not then inuocate the holy virgin Mary yet did the holie virgin pray for her and so became her aduocate For besides that the virgin Marie is there said to be Eues aduocate when she was a virgin at which time Marie the virgin was not born the same Eue was either a Saint in heauen as soone as the virgin Mary or a damned soule in hell Againe I prooue it directly because Irenaeus compareth the virgin Mary with the virgin Eue to insinuate vnto vs that we receiue no lesse good by the virgin Mary in that she bare Christ then euill by the virgin Eue in that she transgressed Gods holy lawes For thus doth Irenaeus interpret himselfe in another place in these words Sicut Eua inobaudiens facta et sibi vniuerso generi humano causa facta est mortis sic Maria habens praedestinatum virum tameÌ„ virgo obaudiens sibi vniuerso generi humano causa facta est salutis As Eue being disobedient was the cause of deathed her selfe and to all mankinde so Mary hauing a predestinate husband and withal an obedient virgin was the cause of saluation both to her selfe and to all mankinde in that shee bare Christ the true and only sauiour of the world The second obiection S. Iames in his Masse which the sixt general councel holden at Constantinople admitteth teacheth vs to inuocate the virgin Mary and all Saintes and to hope for mercie by their praiers and intercessions The answere I say first that that councell of Constantinople saith indeed that S. Iames did deâ—iuer a certain form of the masse in which hee shewed the custome of mingling water with the wine but of praying to Peter or to Paule it hath not one worde at all I say secondly that pope Gregorie who liued well neere an hundred yeares before that councell either knewe no such masse deliuered by S. Iames or at least reputed it for a counterfait and forged thing For the same Gregory auoucheth as shalbe prooued when I come to speake of the Masse that the Apostles did celebrate the holy communion onely with the Lordes praier and their owne deere frier Carranza witnesseth the same while he confesseth that there is no such tradition extant as that whereof the councell speaketh Whereby it well appeareth with what intolerable burdens and counterfaite bookes the papistes doe this day oppresse and seduce the simple people For this disholy Masse is currant euery where and my selfe haue one of the bookes The fourth Canon In the daies of Origen who liued about the yeare of our Lord 233. the first seede of the inuocation of Saintes began to be sowen Which seed so sowen by Origen was but a step or degree to popish inuocation For besides that Origen onely taught this that saintes in heauen doe pray for vs and not that we on earth should pray to them this his doctrine was not definitiue and resolute but doubtfull opinatiue and disputable This Canon Origen himselfe hath deliuered to vs whose expresse words are these Sed requiris qui sunt isti qui pugnant quae est illa pugna quam illi gerunt Ego sic arbitror quod omnes illi qui dormierunt ante nos patres pugnent nobiscum adiuuent nos orationibus suis. Ita namque etiam quendam de senioribus magistris audiui dicentem But thou requirest who they are that fight and what that battaile is which they fight I am of this opinion that all the fathers which are before vs and are dead doe fight with vs and doe helpe vs with their praiers for so I heard one of our old maisters say Againe in another place thus Sed omnes sancti qui de hac vita decesserunt habentes adhuc charitatem erga eos qui in hoc mundo sunt si dicantur curaÌ„ gerere salutis eorum iuuare eos precibus suis atque interuentu suo apud deum non erit inconueniens But also all saints which are departed hence and haue still charitie towards them which are in this world if wee say they haue care of their saluation and help them with their praiers and
omnes sumere oportet For the oblation offered belongeth to the whole people because all are signified in one bread For in that we are all one we must al receiue of one bread Durand though he fauour the papistes all that hee may yet could he finde no place for priuate masse Thus doth he write In primitiuâ ecclesiâ omnes qui celebrationi missarum intererāt singulis diebus communicare solebant eò quòd apostoli omnes de calice biberunt Dom dicente bibite ex hoc omnes In the primitiue church all that were present at the masse did euery day receiue the communion because all the apostles drank of the cup according to our Lordes commandement Out of whose words I note first that in the primitiue Church none could be permitted to be at masse but such as woulde receiue the communion I note secondly that Christes commandement tied all the people thereunto A plainer testimonie doubtlesse cannot be giuen Their angelical doctor Aquinas hath these expresse wordes Nam in primitiuâ ecclesiâ quando magna vigebat deuotio fidei Christianae statutum fuit vt quotidie fideles communicarent Vnde Anacletus papa dicit peractâ consecratione omnes cōmunicent qui noluerint ecclesiasticis carere liminibus sic enim apostoli statuerunt sancta Rom. tenet ecclesia In the primitiue church when the faithfull were feruent in deuotion it was decreed that the people should receiue the communion daily Wherupon the pope Anacletus saith when the consecration is ended let all communicate that will not be driuen out of the church doores for so both the apostles ordained and the holy Romaine Church obserueth Out of these wordes I note first that all were driuen out of the church that would not receiue I note secondly that it was the ordinaunce of the Apostles so to doe I note thirdly that as the same Aquinas saith a little after want of charitie and aboundance of iniquitie made this holy ordinance to cease Whereby it appeareth euidently that christian zeale is decaied in the Romish church The 3. conclusion The popishe oblation of Christes naturall bodie in their masse by which they ascribe remission of sins to the quicke and the dead is blasphemous and iniurious to Christes holy passion I prooue it first because the apostle saith that we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Iesus Christ once For if it be true that S. Paule saith that it is but once offered it must needes bee false that the papistes say that it is offered in their masses ten thousand times in one houre I proue it secondly because the apostle saith that Christ hath with one oblatiō made perfect for euer them that are sanctified For doubtlesse where one oblation doth make vs perfite and consummate there need neither mo oblations nor often iteration of the same Therefore the popish oblation of Christ to his father in their masse is blasphemous against Christ as which maketh his oblation vpon the crosse vnperfect and insuffcicient for our sinnes I prooue it thirdly because the apostle prooueth Christes priesthood to excell the priesthood of the old lawe for that Christ did take away sinnes by one onely oblation which the priestes of the law could not doe with many But doubtles this reason of S. Paul is friuolous and to no purpose if Christ must stil be offered in the masse to put away sinne I prooue it fourthly because the apostle saith that as it is appointed to men that they shall once die and after that commeth the iudgement euen so Christ was once offered to take away the sins of many and vnto them that looke for him shall he appeare the second time without sinne vnto saluation Loe Christ is no more offered before his second aduent then men die before the iudgment and yet euery child knoweth that men die but once by ordinary course I prooue it fiftly because S. Paul saith that if he should often offer himselfe as the high priest entred into the holy place euery yeare then must hee haue often suffered since the foundation of the world as if he had said hee can but suffer once and therefore he is but once onely offred Note this reason well for doubtlesse it doth conuince I proue it sixtly because there is nowe no other thing in the holy Eucharist then that which Christ gaue to his apostles at his last supper Marke well my words gentle Reader and thou shalt with facilitie espie the blasphemous trecherie of the papists For if that which Christ gaue to his apostles in his supper were his natural body sacrificed for the sinnes of mankind then was mans redemption twise accomplished then was Christ sacrificed before he died then was mans redemption really done before it really began then was hee dead before his passion then was his body in one place and his bloud in another then was hee both liuing and dead at once then was his death in vaine for al these absurdities do follow perforce vpon the forged propitiatorie sacrifice in the popish masse I proue it seauenthly because Christ himself said of his holy and bitter passion that it was the consummation of euery thing needefull for mans saluation But doubtlesse where one oblation once made maketh mans saluation perfit and consummate there not only moe oblations but also the iteration of the same oblation is meere frustrate and needelesse I prooue it eightly because the Apostle saieth flattely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is not henceforth any oblatiō for sin For if Saint Paul say truely that there is no oblation for sinne after Christs death on the crosse then doubtlesse the papists must needs say falsely that they haue a daily propitiatorie sacrifice in their masse I proue it ninthly because if the sacrifice of the masse were the self same sacrifice of the crosse but vnbloudy as the papists dreame then shoulde their masse sacrifice be of infinite valure which yet no papist dareth auouch This reason doth confound the papists therfore I wil proue effectually euerie part therof First that it is the same sacrifice which Christ offered on the crosse all papists grant being enforced with S. Paules words when he saith With one oblation he made perfit for euer those that are sanctified Secondly that it is not of infinite valure our Iesuite graunteth in these wordes Valor sacrificii missae finitus est The valure of the sacrifice of the masse is finite Now I prooue the consequution of my proposition which is the third thing remaining wherein resteth all the difficultie if there be any at all First therefore the sacrifice supposed to be in the masse is the naturall body and bloud of the son of God For otherwise it could not be the same that was offered vpon the crosse Againe he that is supposed to offer the sacrifice daily in the masse is Christ himselfe the sonne of God Who as the papistes teach blasphemously held
that by writing which he doth approue at least so farre forth as mans iudgement can haue place The fyft Paragraph That the holy Eucharist is a figure and signe of Christes body and bloud not the thing it selfe that is thereby signified corporally but in a diuine and spirituall sort FOr the perspicuous explication of this Paragraph I will vse certaine effectuall and distinct proofes and that done I will succinctly aunswere to such obiections as may be made against the same My first proofe is grounded in the analogie of our christian faith for first Christ tooke our nature vpon him and that so really and truly as it was like vnto ours in euery thing sinne only excepted The former part saint Paul prooueth in these wordes who being in the forme of God thought it no robberie to be equall with God but he made himselfe of no reputation and tooke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a man The latter part S. Peter proueth in these words for Christ suffered for you leauing you an ensample that ye should follow his steps who did no sinne neither was there guile found in his mouth And S. Paule sayth for he hath made him to be sinne for vs who knew no sinne that we should be made the righteousnes of God in him Now our bodies are such as they can not with one act be made to be in two places at one time ergo the priests words can not make Christs body in a thousand places at once for if he could so do Christs body should be of an other nature then ours contrary to the holy scripture Secondly Christ sayth Ye worship that which ye know not God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth Thus doth our faith tel vs but the Papists say that we must worship God in a round cake that we must worship for God that which neither we nor they know to be God for if the priest either want intention to consecrate which often chaunceth by reason of wandring imaginations or of purpose meaneth not to consecrate or of negligence omitteth any one word of consecration then by popish religion the thing adored is but pure bread and yet do they worship it for the euerliuing God It is therefore truely said to them that they worship they know not what Thirdly Christ must so be eaten of vs as he abideth in vs for to that end do we eate him that he may dwell in vs and yet is it certaine that he dwelleth not in vs corporally but spiritualy by faith The former part is not only euident in it selfe but verified by Christ himselfe in these words he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him the latter part S. Paule proueth in these words that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith Fourthly Christ ascended vp visibly into heauen and there must remaine til the day of generall doome as our faith telleth vs therefore we must feede on him in heauen by faith and not on earth with our teeth For which cause the auncient Church exhorted y e people before the communion to lift vp their hearts vnto the Lord as if it had beene said ye must not affixe your mindes to these visible creatures but meditate on heauenly things which are promised by y e reuereÌ„t faithfull vse thereof Fiftly S. Paul saith plainly that the faithfull in the old testament did all eate drinke Christs body bloud which they could not do but by faith because Christ was not then incarnate and euen so do we eate Christ spiritually by faith not corporally with our teeth To which effect grauely said S. Austen vt quid paras ventrem dentem crede manducasti Credere enim in eum hoc est panem vinum manducare qui credit in eum manducat eum Wherefore preparest thou a belly and a tooth beleeue thou hast eaten for to beleeue in him is to eate bread wine he that beleeueth in him eateth him Thus saith S Austen euen as their owne Gratian hath alledged him Sixtly S. Paule saith that so often as we eate and drinke of Christs cup so often do we shew his death till he come but doubtles if he be corporally present vnder the accidents of bread and wine then is he already come nay more truely is it said that he was neuer gone For as S. Austen saith donec seculum finiatur sursum est dominus sed tamen etiam hic nobiscuÌ„ est veritas domini corpus enim in quo resurrexit in vno loco esse oportet veritas autem eius vbique diffâ—sa est Our Lord is aboue vntill the worlds end but yet his truth is with vs heere for the body of our Lord wherein he rose againe must needes be in one place but his truth is diffused euery where Againe the same S. Austen writing against Faustus the Manichee hath these expresse words Secundum praesentiam quippe spiritualem nullo modo illa pati posset secundum praesentiam vero corporalem simul in sole in luna in cruce esse non posset For his flesh could no way suffer according to his spirituall presence and according to his corporall presence it was not possible for him to be both in the sunne and in the moone and on the crosse at one and the same time Againe he saith in another place after this manner Videte ascendentem credite in absentem sperate venientem sed tamen per misericordiam occultam etiam sentite praesentem Ille enim qui ascendit in coelum vt tolleretur ab oculis vestris promisit vobis dicens ecce ego vovestris promisit vobis dicens ecce ego vobiscum sum vsque in consummationem seculi Beholde Christ ascending beleeue in him absent trust in him that is comming and for all that feele him also present by his secret mercie Thus ye see the flat opinion of this graue writer of this ancient father of this holy learned doctour his resolution is so euident and so free from all obscuritie as none can pretend ignorance that once read his words For first he telleth vs that Christs naturall body must needes be in one onely place at one time Secondly hee telleth vs that Christs naturall body can not bee at one and the same time both in the Sunne and in the Moone and on the crosse Thirdly he maketh the same assertion plain by comparing his corporall presence with his spirituall For he saith that the one may be in many places but the other cannot as if he had saide Christs body may be spiritually in the sacrament but corporally it cannot be there Fourthly he proueth Christs corporal absence by the veritie of his ascension exhorting vs to beleeue in him that is corporally absent and withal to feele
and then vttered the wordes of drinking the fruit of the vine For the papists would gladly haue Saint Luke to tell the storie out of order and that Christ spoke these wordes before the deliuerie of the sacrament that is before the consecration of the cuppe which Saint Crysostome and other fathers doe denie Saint Cyprian hath these words Dico vobis non bibam amodò ex ista creatura vitis vsque in diem illum quo vobiscum bibam nouum vinum in regno patris mei Qua in parte inuenimus calicem mixtum fuisse quem Dominus obtulit vinum fuisse quod sanguinem suum dixit I say to you I will not drinke henceforth of this creature of the vine vntill that day in which I wil drinke new wine with you in the kingdome of my father Wherein we find that the cup was mingled with our Lord offered and that it was wine which he called his body Out of these words I note first that Saint Luke spoke of the consecrate cup when hee tearmed it the fruit of the vine as is proued already out of Saint Clement and S. Chrysostome I note secondly that the consecrate cup contained naturall wine and not Christs corporall bloud indeed This testimonie doth conuince and so effectually confuteth transubstantiation and the popish reall presence as if S. Cyprian were this day liuing and knew the blasphemous doctrine of the papists yet coulde hee not decide more plainely the controuersie betweene them and vs. Yea this testimonie of saint Cyprian may bee a generall rule for vs as well to expounde himselfe in other places as also the rest of the holy fathers For when they tearme the holy communion or Eucharist Christs bodie and blood the bloud that issued out of his side the body that was nayled on the crosse the flesh that was borne of the virgin the price of our redemption all this is truely saide in their godly meaning that is to say all this is truely verified sacramentally mystically spiritually but not corporally as the Papistes teach For all the Fathers admitte this doctrine of Saint Cyprian that euen after consecration remayneth still the true nature of bread and wine Sixtly Tertullian being consonant to the other fathers hath these wordes Acceptum panem distributum discipulis corpus suum illum fecit hoc est corpus meum dicendo id est figura corporis mei Figura autem non fuisset nisi veritatis esset corpus Caeterum vacua res quod est phantasma figuram capere non potest Hee made that bread which hee tooke and gaue to his disciples to bee his bodie saying this is my body that is to say the figure of my bodie and there shoulde not haue beene a figure vnlesse there had been a true body indeed for a vain thing which is but a falâ—â— imagination cannot receiue a figure Out of these wordes I note first that y â— which Christ gaue to his disciples was bread I note secondly that it was the figure of his body I note thirdly that to be Christes body as Christ himselfe and the fathers speake is nothing els but to be the figure or signe of his body For so doth this learned father declare the very phrase I note fourthly that the thing figured is much different from the figure and consequently that Christes body cannot be the figure of it selfe Seuenthly S. Theodoret hath these words Neque enim signa mystica post sanctificationeÌ„ recedunt à sua natura Manent enim in priore substantia figura forma videri tangi possunt sicut prius The mysticall signes after the sanctification depart not froÌ„ their nature but they abide in their former substance and figure and forme and may be seen and touched euen as before Out of these most golden wordes of this auncient and learned father I note first that hee writeth against certaine heretickes who held that Christes body was chaunged into his deitie after his ascension And they prooued it because as the bread and wine after consecration were changed into the body and bloud of Christ euen so was his body changed into his deitie after his ascension This note is plainly set downe in the wordes aforegoing I note secondly that S. Theodoret confuteth the heretickes euen by their own reason For the mysticall signes saith hee remaine still in their former substance and nature euen after the sanctification therof As if he had said ye lay not a good foundation your supposall is false ye take that as graunted which is flatly denied For although the creatures of bread and wine be sanctified by Gods word and accidentally changed into the mysticall signes of his body and bloud yet doe they still retaine their former nature and substance yet doe they still remaine truely bread and truely wine I note thirdly that though the bread and wine haue gotten by sanctification a new diuine qualitie yet haue they lost nothing that they had before for they haue the same nature the same substance the same figure the same forme they may be seene tasted and touched euen as they might before All the papistes in Europe cannot answere this reason For Theodoret prooueth against the heretickes that as bread and wine are as truly bread and truely wine after consecration as they were before consecration euen so is Christes body as truely a body now after his ascension as it was afore heere on earth So as the papistes cannot now say that the bread and wine haue lost their true natures in y e eucharist vnlesse they wil also say y t Christ hath lost y e nature of a true body now in heaueÌ„ Eightly S. Austen a worthy pillar of Christes Church as the papistes themselues doe graunt hath these wordes Nisi manducaueritis inquit carnem filij hominis sanguinem biberitis non habebitis vitam in vobis Facinus vel flagitium videtur iubere Figura est ergo praecipiens passioni domini esse communicandum suauiter atque vtiliter recondendum in memoria quod pro nobis caro eius crucifixa vulnerata sit Vnlesse saith Christ ye shall eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye shall haue no life in you Hee seemeth by these wordes to commaund to doe an heinous offence It is therefore a figure commanding vs to be partakers of Christes passion and sweetly and profitably to lay vp in our mindes that his flesh was crucified and wounded for our sakes In another place hee hath these words Cum videritis filium hominis ascendentem vbi erat prius certe vel tunc videbitis quia non eo modo quo putatis erogat corpus suum certe vel tunc intelligetis quia gratia eius non consumitur morsibus When yee shall see the sonne of man ascending thither where hee was before then doubtlesse shall ye see that hee giueth not his body in such sorte as ye imagine then
amongst the holy popes of Rome This was done in the yeare 900. Pope Sergius the 3. caused Formosus who now had bin dead almost ten yeares to be taken out of his tombe to be set in a chaire with pontifical attire vpon his backe that done he commāded his head to be cut off to be cast into Tyber And what offence trow ye had this Formosus done doubtlesse because Formosus had kept him from the Popedom This was done in the yeare of our Lord 907. Iohn the 10. the sonne of Sergius the third sometime bishop of Rauennas came to the popedome by violent meanes and for that respect the people shortly after deposed him Ann. 917. Pope Iohn the 12. was made pope by violent means for his father Albericus being a man of great power might enforced the nobles to take an oth that after the death of pope Agapitus they would promote his son Octauianus to the popedome Which othe was accomplished and he was named Iohn He was a great hunter and a man of licentious life He kept women openly to the notorious scandall of the church Insomuch that some of the cardinals wrote to Otto king of the Saxons to come and besiege Rome Which the pope perceiuing commāded that Cardinals nose to be cut off that gaue the counsell and his hand that wrote the letters This pope being often admonished by the Emperor and clergie and neuer giuing any signe of amendement was deposed in the presence of the Emperor and pope Leo chosen in his stead in the yere of our Lord 968. The Romains chose another pope in the time of this Leo who named himselfe Benedictus the fift for which cause when the Emperour Otto besieged Rome Benedictus was deliuered to him whom hee banished and restored Leo to the popedome This Benedictus died in Saxony the place of his exile and was buried in Hamburge But Pope Iohn delighted still with adulterie died without repentance sodainely Pope Iohn the 13. was apprehended by Peter the Prefect of the city imprisoned in Pont-Angelo and after that driuen into exile into Campania 10. monethes and eighteene dayes being expired he returned to Rome by the assistance of the emperour and auenged himself of his persecuters wherof he slew some hanged other some and banished the rest into the confines of Saxonie in the yeare of our Lord 970. Pope Benedictus the sixt after he had been pope one yere 6. monthes was strangled with wormwood in Pont-angelo in the yere of our Lord 978. Pope Bonifacius the 7. was made pope by the Romanes after they had thratled Benedictus the sixt Who afterward not able to tarry in the citie robbed S. Peters church of al the treasure in it and fled to Constantinople At length he returned to Rome with a great summe of money and when hee coulde not preuaile he pluckt out a Cardinal-deacons eies in the yeare of our Lord 980. And here note by the way that some Cardinals are deacons some priestes some bishops neuerthelesse he that is but a deacon is of greater authoritie then any bishop or archbishop whosoeuer in the popish sect Pope Syluester the second was first a monke a Frenchman borne Gilbertus by name He promised homage to the deuill so long as he did accomplish his desires Who being very ambitious did so often expresse his desire to the deuill as he made homage vnto him He was first made archbishop of Rhemes then at Rauennas at the last pope of Rome For the diuel knowing his ambitious minde brought him to honour by degrees Being made pope hee must needes know of the diuell howe long he should liue in his pontificall glory The diuell answered him so long as he did not say masse in Hierusalem The pope receiuing that answere was verie ioyfull within himself hoping to be so farre from dying as he was farre in mind from going to say masse in Hierusalem beyond the sea It chaunced that in Lent the pope said masse in the church Sanctae crucis which they call in Hierusalem my self know the place It seemeth that the pope infatuated with pride and honour had quite forgot the name While he was at masse O holy sacrifice he heard a great noise of diuels and so both remembred the place and his death to be at hand Wherefore he wept although before most wicked disclosing his offence to all the companie and nothing doubting of Gods mercie Withal he commanded to cut away from his bodie all the members with which he had done sacrifice to the diuell He was buried in Lateran church in the yeare of our Lord 1007. Pope Benedictus the 8. was seene after his death as it were corporally riding vpon a blacke horse The bishop that saw him spake thus vnto him Art not thou pope Benedict whom wee know to be lately dead I am saith hee that vnfortunate Benedict But how is it with thee father saith the bishop I am now in great torment saith the pope and therefore woulde I haue some money to be giuen to the poore because all that I gaue the poore aforetime was gotten by robbery and extortion This was done in the yeare of our Lord 1032. Pope Benedictus the 9. was depriued of his popedome one Syluester placed in his roome This Syluester was deposed and Benedictus recouered the popedome againe Yet this Benedict was cast out again and another put in his place Which other was so ignorant that he could not say masse but as one did instruct him For which cause he was put out and another placed in his roome in the yeare of our Lord 1042. Pope Clemens the second came to his popedome by violent meanes in the yeare of our Lord 1058. Pope Damasus the second inuaded the popedome and had a sodaine death in the yeare of our Lord 1060. About the yeare of our Lord 1072. one Mathildis a moste mightie and rich countesse gaue all her landes goods and possessions to S. Peter which is by interpretatiō to the pope and it is this day called S. Peters patrimonie Such oblations as these made the pope so mightie as he is Pope Anastasius the 4. made a new pallace in Sancta Maria rotunda and gaue to the Lateran church a chalice of curious works abbut the weight of twentie markes in the yeare 1162. Thus popes wickednesse mischiefe and tyrannie I finde euery where but that any one pope since Bonifacius claimed the primacie which is more then 900. yeares since made any one sermon in all his life I cannot reade I might here speake of the vanitie of Romish cardinals as that one cardinall bestoweth yerely 4000. crownes for the keeping and vpbolding of his most curious garden at Tyuola It is foureteene English miles from Rome my selfe haue seene the same Free accesse is granted to all sortes of people such is his glory to