minde and be buried with that honour that fewe of his ranke and sorte was euer before Who could euer haue thought that after such a straunge and a most cruell massacre in France about the yeare 1572. there should haue beene remaining so much as any one Protestant aliue and yet notwithstanding all that crueltie though fewe in number forsaken and destitute of all worldly assurances being brought as it were to nothing haue yet strangely and indeed miraculously lifted vp their heads againe to the terrour and confusion of their proudest enemies Againe how can we conceiue it possible that the citie of Geneua should euer be able to hold out so long against so many intended inuasions and plottes by the Duke of Sauoie entending their vtter ruine and desolation but that the hands of their armies were strengthened by the hand of the mightie God of Iacob their strong redeemer who maintaining their cause against the rage of their enemies compassed them about with many ioyfull deliuerances hiding them as it were a shaft in the quiuer of his most carefull and mercifull prouidence What was purposed and intended by that inuincible Nauie of the Spaniards in 88. the Christiā world can witnesse that it was nothing else but to bring this noble Realme of England into slauish bondage And did not almightie God the sonne stand vpon our gard by getting himselfe honour vpon Pharao and vpon all the Egyptians euen vpon that great Armado which had beene so long in preparing so that their Altar-God their Crucifix God their Capitolian God were not as our God our enemies being iudges sundrie of the souldiours of Spaine confessing that during all the time of the fight at sea Christ had shewed himselfe a plaine Lutherane But let vs looke a litle further into the exceeding fauour of God shewed in particular to the late Queene Elizabeth how many and sundrie times was her dearest blood sought and how neere the bloudie traitours haue beene to the very execution of their diuelish designements some of them and more then once or twice in neerest and priuate places with their murderous weapons in their hands and yet behold how still they were preuented the Lord striking them with such a suddaine trembling of heart and astonishment of minde that they had neuer the power once to lay violent hands vpon her If all this doe not suffice for proofe of the truth on our side and not with the Papists let goddes speciall fauour miraculously shewed to the Kings maiestie that now is and his exceeding blessings vpon this our countrie by his most happie entrance vnto this crowne and successe to this kingdome be to vs as it is indeed an argument that the religion professed this day is the true religion acceptable to God conformable to his word but as God in all ages hath shewed his power in the miraculous and gracious deliuerance of his Church and protection of his holie and eternall truth so did it neuer more cleerely shewe it selfe then in the wonderfull and mighty deliuerāce of our gracious K. Iames the Queene the Prince and the rest of the royall braunches together with the Nobilitie Clergie and the Commons of this Realme by the pouder-Traytors the papists appointed as sheepe for the slaughter And let thus much be sufficient to haue spoken touching the strange and wonderful things which almighty God hath shewed in these last daies for the honour of his Gospell for the better satisfaction of them which as yet stand in doubt whether the Gospel we preach be the onely true Catholike faith of Christ But besides those men which stand at a stay and are not yet resolued which religion I meane ours or the papists is truest ther is risen another generation of men that are of opinion that there is no reall difference between the doctrine of the present Romane church the religion of the protestāts so make a fauorable compromission that the questions of religion betweene vs might easily be accorded which I take to be a thing altogether impossible the Papists standing in such termes of opposition against vs as they doe I remember my selfe preaching at a certaine countrey parish some three yeeres agoe a simple countrey man commeth vnto me and thus beginneth to question with me Syr your preachers make vs simple men of the countrey belieue that there is a wonderfull great difference betweene the new old Religion Pray Sir saith he what oddes is there betweene Our Father and Pater noster None at all said I but onely this that the one is in Latine and the other in English You haue answered right saith he and so I am perswaded that there is no other difference at all betweene the Masse our English Communion but onely that the one is in Latin the other in English And of this opinion it seemeth ther be manie which thinke and are perswaded that our religion and the religion of Rome are all one for substance For satisfaction therefore of them which thinke our English Communion and the popish Masse all one for substance I will set downe certaine reall differences whereby it may euidently appeare that the doctrine of the popish Masse neither hath nor can haue any agreemēt at all with the Lordes supper I speake at this time to men of great vnderstanding knowledge iudge yee what I say First whereas all the seruice and sacraments in S. Pauls time were done in the congregation in a knowne language the whole seruice of the Masse is saide either in the Greeke or Latine tongues not vnderstood of the common vulgar people Christ both gaue bread and likewise commanded them saying Drinke yee all of this the Church of Rome will at no hand suffer and permit the Lay-people to drinke of the Cup calling them Heretikes and Calixtions that desire to receiue the Cup together with the bread in the celebration of the Lords Supper By Christs institution the Priest and the people should both communicate together but in their Popish Masse the Priest is suffered to eate and drinke all alone the people standing by and not partaking the Lords supper with him Christ at his Maundie instituted a Sacrament of thanksgiuing and commaunded vs by eating and drinking to be partakers of his bodie that was wounded and of his blood which was shed the next day for the remitting and pardoning of our sinnes But the Church of Rome hath turned this Sacrament into a Sacrifice And whereas the Sonne of God saide Take this and eate it in remembrance of mee the Church of Rome saith take and offer this to bee a propitiatorie sacrifice for the quicke and the dead Christ tooke the bread in his hands blessed it and gaue it to his Disciples but hee did not say looke vpon it kneele and knock vnto it and worship it with diuine honour all which the church of Rome commandeth to be done in their popish Masse but as Christ took the bread so he left it bread whereas the popish
liue that we may truly and iustly say applying the words of our Sauiour Christ to ourselues blessed are the eyes which haue seene those things which we haue seene there hauing beene many millions and thousands of our forefathers which detesting the Antichristian pride other loose behauiour of the Romane Clergie endeuouring to serue the Lord after the prescript of his owne word desired to haue seene but one of the daies which we haue seene and could not who although with Lot they vexed their righteous soules in the middes of a spirituall Sodome yet like Sea-fish which is alwaies most fresh in salt-water they kept themselues vnspotted of the world and would not spot their soules with such horrible cōtaminations wherwith the whole world almost was defiled in those times of great darknesse and superstition The conclusion is this that seeing ouer all the Christian world where the Gospell hath had free passage all those places wheresoeuer the sound thereof is heard are full of the knowledge of the Lord and that on the other side where poperie preuaileth there is nothing but ignorance and superstition the truth with tyrannie crueltie being kept vnder by reason of the Spanish inquisition that this is a verie strong motiue to perswade that the Gospell this day preached in the reformed Churches of Christendome is the infallible and vndoubted word of God Fourthlie it was euer reputed and accounted for a speciall fruite of the Gospel to teach people obedience to their Gouernours to vpholde the State and Maiestie of Kings and Princes into whose hands God hath committed the sword of publike authoritie Now our aduersaries cannot chuse but see and all the Christian world can witnesse with vs this day that in all these places where at this present through Gods goodnes and mercy the truth of the gospel is taught all such places are become more obedient to superior powers then euer they were before That there is greater maiestie to be found lesse arrogancie and tyrannie the Prince more honoured the Common-wealth and Church in far greater quiet then in former time of corruption when neither the Prince knewe what belonged to him nor the subiects knewe what properly belonged either to Caesar or vnto God And verilie one reason to perswade anie mans conscience that poperie is not of God may be this that whereas the doctrine of the Gospel is a doctrine of obedience which Christ both taught and acted his Apostles both by precept and practise confirmed whereas the whole current and streame of antiquitie runneth the same way that all manner of persons yea the BB. of Rome themselues for many hundred yeares together did acknowledge the Emperour for their Lord liege Lord and Maister the doctrine of the present Church of Rome perswadeth flatly to disobedience and plaine rebellion It teacheth that the people vpon the Popes warrant may lawfully beare armes against their soueraigne that by dispensation from the Pope they may lawfully renounce their allegiance yea further vpon the Popes iubet they may lay violent hands vpon him And so the Iesuites haue deliuered it for the resolute and vndoubted iudgement of the Church of Rome that it is a thing both lawfull and meritorious to kill and to murther Christian Princes professing a contrarie religion to the doctrine and faith of that Church poperie therfore that professeth not a lawfulnes onely but a merite in such desperate attempts contrarie to the manifest voyce of God Thou shalt not kill doth clearely conuince it selfe and shew it selfe to be a religion of the diuell and not of God Let this then suffice for a conclusion of my fourth motiue to shew that this is the alone propertie of the Gospel wheresoeuer true religion flourisheth to season the hearts both of young and old with true subiection and Christian obsequiousnesse to the higher and superiour powers Fiftly if long peace wealth and prosperitie to the outward blessings of God as vndoubtedly they be whereby he declareth his speciall fauour vnto that Prince and kingdome which feare him and worship him sincerely and with whom he is well pleased according to his word and promises in the scriptures that this must be an argument both of the singular fauour of god to all protestant Princes that haue imbraced the Gospel and of the sincere religion professed by them wherewith he is well pleased For of all the Kings of Iuda who euer more abounded with all peace and worldly felicitie then those who were most religiously addicted and affected to the seruice of God as Iosias Ezechias Iehosaphat Dauid Salomon Thus the Lord spake to king Iehoiaekim by his Prophet Ieremie Iere. 22.15 Did not thy father Iosias eate and drinke and prosper when he executed iudgement and iustice and was not all this because he knew me saith the Lord What Prince was there euer in the world either more honoured or feared then Constantine the great was after he had once receiued the Christian religion all the kingdomes this day possessed with protestant Princes all the free cities and Common-wealths of Heleutia neuer were in more riches or setled tranquilitie neuer so potent nor so orderly gouerned as they be at this day religion there hauing so free a passage and course among them as it hath and to come neerer home to our owne daies if we doe but consider with our owne selues the long peaceable and prosperous raigne of our late dread soueraigne Queene Elizabeth the very ioy of Christendome whose land in her daies was a sanctuarie to all the world groning for the libertie of true religion we shall perceiue that from the beginning of her most happie raigne vntill the day of her dissolution by gods singular goodnesse this kingdome of great Britaine hath enioyed more vniuersall peace the people of the land encreased in greater numbers in more strength with greater riches and lesse sicknesse the earth hath yeelded more fruits and generally al kind of worldly felicitie hath more abounded since and during the time of the Popes thunders bulles curses and maledictions then in any other long time before when the Popes pardons and blessings came yearely into the Realme as they did in Queene Maries daies And thus much for proofe that the outward blessings of God which he hath bestowed vpon such Kings and Princes and states as haue embraced the Gospel of his sonne Christ Iesus are vndoubted arguments and demonstrations of the true and sincere religion professed by them The last motiue to perswade any Christian man not wilfully blinde to embrace the religion this day professed in the reformed Churches is with an vnpartiall eye to consider the great strange and maruelous things which the Lord hath done for the honour and aduancement of the Gospel in such places where it hath bene receiued Is it not strange that Martine Luther hauing his enemies so many so malicious so mightie should notwithstanding after nine and twentie yeares preaching die quietly in his bed in peace both of body and
Priest takes bread and coniureth it away by breathing vpon it Lastly Christ ordained his last Supper and instituted this Sacrament of his bodie and bloud to this ende that we should continually remember his death vntill his second comming and for that cause it is called Eucharistia And whereas Eusebius saith that Christ commaunded vs to offer vp a remembrance of his death in steed of a Sacrifice the popish church not contēting themselues with this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing wherein we celebrate the remembrance and as Nazianzene calleth it A figure of that great mysterie of the death of Christ they hold that their Masse which they call The daily Sacrifice of the Church is not a commemoratiue but a reall sacrifice not a figure and remembrance of that which is past but the thing it selfe that the sacrifice Christ offered vpon the Crosse and theirs in the Masse is all one that the same bodie of Christ which was borne of the Virgin Marie and which was offered vp vpon the Crosse for our Redemption is the very same euen idem numero with that which is offered vp by the Priest to God the Father in the Masse for the remission of sinnes By these materiall differences which here I haue set downe it is plainely manifest that the popish Masse doth in manie things varie swarue from the institution of Christ as most plainly is to be seene in the 11. cha of 1. Corint vers 23. where the Apostle at large doth describe the whole order and institution of the Lords Supper And thus it is euidently to be perceiued that the Masse as now it is vsed is nothing else but an heape of sinfull deuises and abuses inuented by Sathan and broached by Antichrist to deface frustrate the Lords supper where besides their fruitelesse praiers and superstitious ceremonies their priuate and halfe communion subuerteth the Lordes institution their sacrifice derogateth from his death and bloud-sheading their adoration of bread and wine conuinceth them of hainous Idolatrie But to proue that Protestancy and poperie cannot be reconciled First the Papists themselues bold the differences betweene vs to bee such that it is impossible for any Protestant to be saued Againe all the grounded diuines of the Protestants religion insist vpon the same differēce That sundry points of poperie doe quite raze the verie foundation of Christian religion Marke saith Bishop Iewell to D. Harding What yee were lately and what yee would now seeme to bee what way yee trode then and what way yee treade now the difference is no lesse then betweene light and darkenesse life and death heauen and hell so great a change saith hee would require some good time of deliberation Which asseueration of that worthy Bishop how agreeable it is to the truth and consonant to the practise of the ancient Catholike church and Doctors thereof who would neuer yeeld I will not say in an opinion but not so much as in a forme of speech or in the chāge of a letter sounding against the orthodoxall faith and whether there bee not in sundry fundamentall points of faith great and many differences betweene Rome and vs let it be duely considered by these instances following The first maine point of Catholike doctrine which the Papists goe directly against is the doctrine of free iustification by faith alone which doctrine D. Bishop in his Epistle dedicatory to the K. Maiestie setteth down as a maine heresie that Luther layed for the ground of his religion namely that a man is iustified by faith alone But I demaund of any sober Papist not too much wedded to the preiudice of his own opinion what other or what better foundation could any man lay then that which is already laid which is Iesus Christ which doctrine is the very life and soule of the Church For this was the Catholike faith of the church of Rome when S. Paule wrote his Epistle vnto them that a man is iustified gratis Rom. 3.24 for God a mercie for nothing and that by the grace of God without the workes of the law Quite contrarie to which doctrine of the Apostle the Papists hold iustification by workes of grace auouching that we are not iustified before God onely by the merites of Christ but also by our owne doings affirming that good workes are truely and properly meritorious and the causes of our saluation and that heauen is as truely the reward of good workes as hell is the stipend of euill workes that good workes doe fully satisfie the law of God and worthily deserue eternall life and that good workes wrought and done in the state of grace are so farre meritorious as that God should be vniust if he rendred not heauen for the same charging the iustice of God not in respect of his promise as the Apostle doth but in respect of merite and desert of workes Where we clearely perceiue and see that there is a great difference betweene the Church of Rome and vs euen in the principall Article of our faith touching the Saluation of our soules we beleeuing stedfastly that it is to be ascribed to the merites of Christ they expecting it for the merit of their workes Another substantiall point of the Catholike faith the Papists directly impugne in maintaining a daily reall sacrifice of the body of Christ in their Masse for the sins of the quicke and dead which they hold to be a very soueraigne true and propitiatorie sacrifice in all respects of power and vertue as auailable and as effectuall as was the sacrifice on the crosse for the remission of sinnes For the disproofe of which most wicked and blasphemous assertion there be sundrie arguments and proofes to be produced out of the word of God First if Christ could haue bene offered more then once then must he likewise after haue suffered Heb. 9.25.26 But now in the end of the world he hath appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe Heb. 9.26 Therefore he cannot now any more be offered in the Masse Againe that thing is in vaine and to none effect where there is no necessitie it should be done but to offer vp any more sacrifice propitiatorie for the quicke and the dead there is no necessitie the reason whereof the Apostle giueth to be this because Christ hath offered one sacrifice and with that one sacrifice and offering vp of himselfe hath consecrated for euer them that are sanctified Heb. 10 12.14 This must then be the conclusion that there is no necessitie why we should offer vp Christ any more for remission of sinnes Thirdly the reason why the Priests of the old law did yearely repeate their sacrifices was this because those sacrifices yearely offered could neuer take away sinnes Heb. 10.11 But the sacrifice of Christ once offered hath sanctified the commers thereunto for wee are sanctified euen by the offering of the bodie of Iesus Christ once made Heb. 10.10 Therefore seeing that Christ by that one oblation of himselfe hath
purchased for vs eternall redemption Heb. 9.12 there needeth no more propitiatorie sacrifice to be made for sinne Where there is remission of sinnes alreadie obtained there is no more offering for sinne there needeth no more sacrifice to be offered Heb. 14.18 But Christ hath beene offered once to take away the sinnes of many Heb. 9.28 and by his owne blood he hath entred once to the holy place to obtaine eternal redēption for vs Heb. 9.12 Therefore the Masse cannot be a propitiatorie sacrifice for sinnes seeing alreadie by the death of Christ we haue remission of sinnes Lastly without blood and shedding of blood there is no forgiuenesse of sinnes Heb. 9.22 But in the daily sacrifice of the Masse there is no shedding of blood for they call their Masse an vnbloodie sacrifice Therefore in the sacrifice of the Masse there is no remission of sinnes and so by consequent the Masse can be no true propitiatorie sacrifice Thus we see how the doctrine of the popish Masse is ex diametro repugnant to the doctrine of the Apostle and to the whole order and institution of the Lords Supper A third very materiall and substantiall point of the Christian Catholike faith impugned this day by the present Romane Church is this that contrarie to the expresse words of our Sauiour Christ thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely thou shalt serue Math. 4.10 contrarie to the commandement which the Angel gaue to Iohn when he fell at his feete to worship him See thou doe it not Reue. 19.10 I am thy fellow seruant and of thy bretheren which haue the testimonie of Iesus worship God contrarie to the examples of Peter and Paul and Barnabas Act. 14.15 Which vtterly refused all manner of adoration Paul and Barnabas renting their clothes crying out to the people of Lycaonia O men why doe ye these things We are euen men subiect to the like passions ye be and preach vnto you that ye should turne from these vaine idolles vnto the liuing God which made heauen and earth and the sea and all things that in them are Act. 10.25 and Peter speaking to Cornelius Who at his first meeting of him fell downe at his feete and worshipped him said thus vnto him taking him vp stand vp for euen I my selfe am a man contrarie to the continuall and constant practise of the ancient Catholike primitiue Church of Christ which as S. Hierō witnesseth did neither worship Sunne nor Moone nor Angell nor Archangell nor Cherubin nor Seraphin nor any other name that is named either in this world or in the world to come least they should serue the creature in steed of the creator who is God blessed for euer contrarie to the determination of Gregorie the great and first of that name who also himselfe was Bishop of Rome and therefore his voice to be accounted as an oracle of God who albeit hee did well like the hauing of images in the Church yet he vtterly condemneth the idolatrous worshipping of them alleaging for proofe thereof the place of scripture before named Lib. 7. episto cap. 109. thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue All this I say notwithstanding the Church of Rome this day euen in this cleare light of the Gospel maintaines and defends the worship and adoration of Angels the worship of Saints departed the worship of the images of the trinitie the worship of the crosse and crucifixe the worship of images which they set vp in their Churches to the intent the people may attribute diuine honour vnto them and lastly the worship of their breaden-God their sacrament of the Altar as they terme it whom they call their Lord and their God crying out to a peece of bread O Lord O God O Lambe of God that takest away the sins of the world haue mercie vpon vs and receiue our praiers And verily were there no other cause to induce all good Christians to depart from the fellowship and communion of the Church of Rome this one doctrine of adoration wherein they teach the common people to call the sacrament their Lord and God and so by giuing the honour of God to a creature that is no God to commit grosse and manifest Idolatrie this point alone were cause sufficient for them to detest both them and their religion for euer Iere. 2.27 For what oddes I beseech you is there betweene those blind Iewes which said to a stocke thou art my father to a stone thou hast begotten me and those wilfull and blind Papists which cry vpon the Sacrament of the Altar in substance a base and corruptible creature Lord I am not worthie Lord be mercifull to me a sinner O Lord O God O Lambe of God receiue our praiers The one sort the H. Ghost hath traduced for a memorable and detestable crew of idolaters and so may we by the like reason and vpon as good ground and warrant condemne all the Papists liuing this day for most vile and shameful idolaters for adoring and worshipping a peece of bread O most horrible idolatrie Tully himselfe being an heathen man could say Who was euer so very a foole De natu deorum as to beleeue the thing he eateth to be his God The very children in Grammer Schoole can tell vs that the heathens that adored Bacchus and Ceres which first found out and taught the vse of breade and wine whereas before they had fed on achornes and dranke water yet notwithstanding they were neuer so foolish or so besotted as to giue godly honour to bread and wine By this then which hath bene alreadie spoken it is clearely proued that there is no compatibilitie betweene Protestancie Poperie and that the diuersitie betweene vs is of so materiall and needfull points that if they be right wee are wrong if wee be right they are wrong both they and wee cannot be both together Catholike members of the true Church The reason why wee cannot account Papists for members of the true Church is because they maintain sundry points which go directly against the Christian faith they doe not content themselues onely with Christ nor with his Sacraments but set vp other mediatours in heauen other doctrines and sacraments on earth Besides that as I haue alreadie proued they adore the creatures of bread and wine in steede of Christ They bow their knees to painted carued images they ioyne nature with grace mans merites with Gods mercies vnwritten verities with holie scriptures their owne satisfactions with the blood of Christ and so directly impugne sundrie fundamentall points of the Christian faith which generally otherwise they will seeme to hold Obiect But I heare some man saying vnto mee if the case be such the differences so great betweene the religion of the Papists and our religion how is it possible that any Recusant papist now liuing can be saued Solut I answer that as in the rebellion which Absolom made against his Father