righteous or right His rectitude consisted in this that his reason was subiect to God his inferiour powers to his superiour his body to his soule There was no rebellion to be found in any part of the whole man For otherwise it would follow hereupon y t God were vniust which yet to auouch were y e greatest blasphemie in the world The reason is euident because if it had not been in Adams power to haue auoided al sin God should haue charged him with an impossibilitie and withall haue condemned him for not performing the same But our Lord is a iust iudge as witnesseth his apostle This whole processe S. Austen sheweth both pithily briefly in these right golden wordes Posteaquam praecepti facta est transgressio confestim gratia deserente diuina de corporum suorum nuditate confusi sunt Senserunt enim nouum motâ—m inobedientis carnis suae tanquam reciprocam poenam inobedientiae suae quia superiorem Dominum suo arbitrio deseruerat inferiorem famulum ad suum arbitrium non tenebat non omnino habebat subditam carnem sicut semper habere potuisset si Deo subdita ipsa mansisset After that Gods lawe was transgressed Gods grace did incontinently forsake them and they beholding their owne nakednesse were confounded For they felt a new motion in their disobedient flesh a punishment correspondent to their disobedient heartes And because he voluntarily disobeied his superiour Lord hee coulde not haue his inferiour seruaunt subiect to his word Neither was his flesh in subiection as he might haue had it for euer if it had remained obedient to Gods lawes The condition of mans free will from the creation of the protoplaste Adam vntil our regeneration Christ himselfe seemeth to set down most liuely in that parable which he propounded to the lawyer A certaine man saith Christ went downe from Hierusalem to Iericho and fell among theeues who robbed him of his raiment and wounded him and departed leauing him halfe dead Which is to say allegorically as y e fathers write that mankinde went out from the paradise of peace to the mutabilitie of misery fell among the powers of darknes who robbed him of his supernatural gifts of innocency and immortalitie wounded him in his naturall giftes of will and reason and departed leauing him halfe dead that is dead in respect of Gods fauour though liuing to the eyes of the world Semiuiuus inquit Augustinus habet vitalem motum id est liberum arbitrium vulneratuÌ„ quod ad aeternam quam perdiderat vitam non sufficiebat Et ideo iacebat quia vires ei propriae ad surgendum non sufficiebant vt ad sanandum medicum .i. deum requireret In that he was halfe aliue saith S. Austen he had vitall motion that is free will so wounded as it could not returne to eternall life which it had lost And therefore did he lie because he wanted proper strength to seeke God the phisition that could cure his maladie Ludolphus alluding to mans creation setteth downe this matter verie finely in these wordes Fecerat Deus hominem ad imaginem suam secundum rationem ad similitudinem secundum dilectioneÌ„ vt per vtrumque Deo adhaereret in haerendo beatus esset Sed diabolus humanae beatitudini inuidens contra duo bona praedicta duo homini in originali intulit praecipua mala In eo namque quod factus erat ad imaginem Dei secundum rationem vulnerauit eum per ignorantiam boni in eo verò quod factus est ad similitudinem Dei secundum dilectionem vulnerauit eum per concupiscentiam mali God made man after his own image according to reason after his owne similitude according to loue that by them both hee might adhere to God and by adhering to him attaine eternall beatitude But the deuill enuying mans felicitie bestowed on him in steede of these two blessings the double mischiefe of originall sinne For in that man was made after Gods image in reason he wounded him with the ignorance of good and in that he was made after his similitude in loue he wounded him with the concupiscence of euill Al this is liuely comprehended in the essence nature and definition of free will which after Saint Austen is this Liberum arbitrium est facultas rationis voluntatis qua bonum eligitur gratia assistente malum eâ desistente Free will is the facultie of reason and will by which good is chosen when grace is present and euill when grace is wanting For this cause saith the apostle that we are not able to think any good thought of our selues as of our selues neither yet to say that Iesus is the Lord but in the holy ghost For it is God saith he that worketh in vs both to do wel and to wil wel This verity was defined aboue a thousand and one hundred yeers ago by the ancient holy and learned councel of Aransica in these words Haeretico fallitur spiritu non intelligens vocem Dei dicentis in Euangelio Sine me nihil potestis facere whosoeuer saieth the holy synode thinketh he can do any act which pleaseth god or perteineth to eternal life by force of his free will that man is deceiued with an heretical spirit not vnderstanding the voice of god wheÌ„ he saith in his gospel Without me ye can do nothing that is good Out of this discourse two things are cleare euideÌ„t the one that our first parent Adam before his fal might by force of his free-wil holpen with supernaturall grace make free election aswel of good as of euil withal put that his free choise in execution thother that y e posterity of Adam hath free wil to nothing saue to sin only vntill the time of regeneration The first obiection There is no consultation as saith the Philosopher but of things which are in our owne power and yet doth euery one vse consultations in those things which he goeth about Againe there must be some immediate cause of euery act and that can not be God because God is not the cause of any euill Neither can the cause thereof be ascribed either to nature or to destinie or to fortune because humane actions are variable and with the intention of the doer Therefore the best course that can be taken with him that denieth mans freewill after the fall of Adam is this to wit to beate him like a stockfish vntill he confesse those that beate him to haue free will either still to beate him or to cease from beating For if one should deny the fire to be hote the best reason against him were to cast him into an hot ouen or burning furnace Thus reasoneth Veguerius The answere I say first that I willingly graunt both Papists and other reasonable creatures to haue free will in morall or ciuill acts neither do I thinke him vnworthy of strokes that will obstinately deny
to build the house of the Lord in Ierusalem in the second moneth and the second day in the fourth yeere of his reigne 2. Para. 3. verse 1. and 2. The fift age The fift age from the building of the temple to the captiuitie of the Iewes in Babylon containeth 432. yeres whereof this is the demonstration King Salomon raigned after that hee beganne to builde the temple 37. yeeres 1. King 11. verse 42.2 Para. 9. verse 30. but hereof we must abate one moneth and one day because hee beganne to build the temple in the second day of the second moneth of the fourth yeere as is already prooued Roboam or Rehoboam reigned 17. yeres 2. Par. 12. v. 13. Abias raigned 3. yeeres 1. King 15. verse 2. Asa raigned 41. yeeres 1. King 15. verse 9 and 10. this Asa was a vertuous and zealous prince he sought the Lord with a perfect heart he deposed Maachah his mother from her regencie because she had made an idoll in a groue hee brake downe the idoll and stamped it and burned it at the brooke Kidron He gathered all Iudah and Beniamin and the strangers and made them sweare vnto true religion vnder the paine of death 2. Par. 15. per totum Iehosaphat or Iosaphat raigned 25. yeres 2. Par. 20. ve 31 Iehoram raigned 8. yeres 2. Par. 21. v. 5. 2. Kin. 8. ve 26 Ochozias or Ahaziah raigned 1. yeere 2. Kin. 8. verse 26. Athaliah the mother of Ochozias raigned 7. yeeres 2. King 11. verse 1. and 21. for king Ioas or Iehoash was 7. yeres old when he beganne to raigne This Athaliah destroyed the kings blood and was sister to wicked Achab. Ioas or Iehoash raigned 40. yeeres 2. King 12. verse 1. Amaziah raigned 29. yeeres 2. King 14. verse 2 Azariah or Ozias raigned 52. yeeres 2. King 15. verse 2. Ioatham or Iotham raigned 16. yeeres 2. King 15. ver 33 Achas or Ahaz raigned 16. yeeres 2. King 16. verse 2. Ezechias reigned 29. yeeres 2. King 18. verse 2. Manasses reigned 55. yeeres 2. King 21. verse 1. Amon raigned two yeeres 2. King 21. verse 19. Iosias reigned 31. yeeres 2. King 22. verse 1. Ioachaz or Iehoahaz reigned three months 2. Ki. 23. v. 31. Ioachim or Iehoiachim or Eliachim reigned 11. yeeres 2. King 23. verse 36. This Eliachim was a very wicked man he was made king by Pharao Nechoh who turned his name to Eliachim 2. Ki. 23. verse 34. and 37. in the dayes of this Ioachim beganne the first captiuitie of the three whereof see more at large in the seuenth chapter next following Iehoiachim or Iechonias or Coniah the sonne of Iehoiachim raigned three moneths and tenne dayes 2. Par. 36. verse 9. 2. King 24. verse 8. Ierem. 37. verse 1. In the time of this Iechonias beganne the second captiuitie which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath simply the name of captiuitie and therefore do I followe the same in this my supputation of the first age See the second booke and first chapter in the fourth section Sedechias or Zedechias reigned 11. yeeres 2. King 24. ve 18. he rebelled against the king of Babel ibid. ver 20. wherfore after the siege of two yeeres Nebuchad-nezar carried him captiue to Babel in the eleuenth yeare of his reigne his owne eies were put out his sonnes were first slaine in his sight and then hee was bound in chaines and so led away to captiuity 2. King 25. ve 1 2 7. he was vncle to Iechonias and his name was Mattanias but the king of Babel changed it to Sedechias 2. Kin. 25. verse 17. The first addition We must first adde to this supputation for the complement of the first age eleuen yeeres of the inter-reigne which are found wanting betweene the death of Amaziah and the reigne of Azariah for so long was the kingdome of Iuda voide as holy Writ heareth record I proue it thus Amaziah reigned 29. yeares 2. King 14. verse 2. and he beganne his reigne in the second yeare of Ioash king of Israel and liued 15. yeares after him 2. King 14. verse 1. and 17. Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash was made king ouer Israel in the fifteenth yere of Amaziah and he reigned 41. yeres 2. Kin. 14. verse 23. Let vs adioyne hereunto that Azariah beganne his raigne in the seauen and twentieth yeare of Ieroboam 2. Ki. 15. verse 1. and then perforce shall we finde 11 yeres wanting from the death of Amaziah til the first yere of the raigne of Azariah These things I grant be very intricate yet if my wordes he well marked the Reader may conceiue the matter with al facilitie the cause of the inter-reigne was the traiterous conspiracie against Amaziah 2. King 14. verse 19. The second addition Although Iechonias in whome I beginne my supputation of the captiuitie be said in some place of the scripture to haue reigned but three moneths and ten dayes yet do I ascribe one whole yeare to his reigne my reason is this because he was not carried away to Babel vntill the whole yeere was expired 2. Par. 36. verse 10. these are the wordes and when the yeere was out king Nebuchad-nezzar sent and brought him to Babel with the pretious vessels of the house of the Lorde and hee made Zedechiah king ouer Iudah and Ierusalem The first obiection The scripture saith in one place that Iechonias reigned but three moneths 2. King 24. verse 8. in an other place that hee reigned three moneths and tenne dayes 2. Par. 36. verse 9. in another place that he was eighteene yeeres old when he began to reigne 2. King 24.8 in an other place that he beganne to raigne in the eight yeare of his age 2. Par. 36. ve 9. all which can neither agree with three moneths nor yet with one onelie yeare The answer I answere that hee beganne to reigne when hee was eight yeares old and reigned tenne yeares with his father and after the death of his father he raigned three moneths and ten daies which was in the nineteenth yeare of his age and so euery text of holy Writ is cleare This my answer is confirmed by the expresse wordes of holie scripture 2. King 25. verse 8. where it is saide that Nebuzaradan chiefe steward to the king of Babel came in the nineteenth yeare of the kings raigne to make hauocke of the citie and to carry Sedechias into captiuitie for Iechonias was carried away in the eight yeere of the king of Babel 2. King 24. verse 12. and Sedechias reigned eleuen yeeres 2. King 24.18 this case is so euident as euery childe may perceiue the same The replie The scripture telleth vs that the king of Babel caried Iehoiachim into captiuitie in the third yeere of his raigne and yet do you ascribe eleuen yeeres to his raigne The answer I answer that Iehoiakim was carried away in the eleuenth yere if we reckon from the time in which Pharao Necho made him king but in the third yeare if we reckon from that time in which
people neither answere the minister nor yet vnderstand what is said Saint Ambrose hath these words In oratione totius plebis tanquam vndis refluentibus stridet tum responsoriis psalmorum cantu virorum mulierum virginum paruulorum consonus vndarum fragor resultat When al the people pray together there is a noyse as if the waues of the sea should beate one against another then with the answering of Psalmes with the sâ—â—ging together of men women maids and little children the consonant sound reboundeth as it were an eccho with the surges of the sea By this testimonie we see euidently that the practise of the ancieÌ„t church agreeth with ours and vtterly confoundeth the antichristian popish mumbling Pope Gregorie himselfe confirmeth this doctrine in these wordes Sed dominica oratio apud Graecos ab omni populo dicitur apud nos autem à solo sacerdote Furthermore among the Greekes all the people say the Lords prayer but with vs the priest alone saith it Behold this Gregory liued 590. yeres after Christs sacred incarnation yet in his daies y â— people of Rome vsed to pray with the minister eueÌ„ in time of the masse Philo a very ancient and learned writer sheweth this olde practise of our christian church in these words Et vt vnus ex omnibus consurgens in medio psalmum honestis modulis concinat vtque praecinenti ei vnum versiculum omnis multitudo respondeat And that one among all shall rise vp in the middest and sing a Psalme with tuneable voice and that so soone as he hath sung one verse all the people answere him Sozomenus sheweth plainely in his historie that in his time which was more then 400. yeares after Christ the people and the ministers did sing psalms in the church together These are the words as Cassiodôrus in his Tripartite historie reporteth them Apud Antiochiam non concordabant in professione sua clerus populus sed per choros vt est consuetudo ad hymnos dicendos Deo in fine psalmorum monstrabant propriam voluntatem At Antioch there was variance in a certaine point of religion betweene the people the clergie but singing spalmes to God in companies as the maner was they declared their mindes in the end of the Psalmes S. Chrysostome speaketh so plainely of the peoples praying together with the priest and that euen in the time of masse as none that heare his words can stand any longer in doubt therof These are his expresse words In ijsdem iterum horrendis mysterijs bene precatur sacerdos populo bene precatur populus sacerdoti Nam cum spiritu tuo nihil aliud est quam hoc Ea quae sunt eucharistiae id est gratiarum actionis coÌ„munia sunt omnia neque enim ille solus gratias agit sed etiam omnis populus Prius enim acceptâ illorum voce deinde congregatis illis vt digne iuste hoc faciat incipit Eucharistiam Et quid miraris si populus cum sacerdote loquitur Againe in these reuerend mysteries the priest wisheth grace to the people the people desire grace for the priest For these words with thy spirite haue no other meaning The things that pertaine to the Eucharist that is to the giuing of thanks are common to them all for he onely giueth not thanks but all the people also with him For hee first receiueth their voice after that they being gathered together that he may doe this reuerently and well he beginneth the communion And what maruell is it to thee if thou see the people speaking with the priest S. Hierome giueth a constant testimony of the practise of the church of Rome in his time affirming that the people were heard sounding out Amen with an Eccho as if it had beene with an heauenly thunder And Saint Basill saith that in his time all the people sang psalmes together in the church Yea hee addeth that it was the custome of all churches so to doe Saint Cyprian witnesseth the same thing to haue beene the practise of the church in his time alleaging the very words that the commoÌ„ people answered to the priest Thus doth he write Ideo sacerdos ante orationem praefatione praemissa parat fratrum mentes dicendo sursum corda vt dum respondet plebs habemus ad Dom admoneatur nihil aliud se quam dominuÌ„ cogitare debere Therfore the priest after y e preface before the praier prepareth the minds of the brethren saying Lift vppe your hearts that while the common people answer we lift them vp vnto the Lord they may be instructed to thinke vpon no other thing but the Lord. S. Augustine confirmeth that which the other fathers haue said in these golden words Quid hoc sit intelligere debemus vt humana ratione non quasi autum voce cantemus Nam meruli psittaci corui picae huiusmodi volucres sâ—pe ab hominibus docentur sonare quod nescâ—unt Scienter autem cantare non aui sed homini diuina voluntate concessum est Infra Nos autem qui in ecclesia diuina eloquia cantare didicimus simul etiam instare debemus esse quod scriptum est beatus populus qui intelligit iubilationem Proinde charissimi quod consona voce cantauimus sereno etiam corde nosse ac videre debemus Wee must vnderstand what this is that wee may sing with reason as men and not chirpe in voice like birds For Owsels and Parrets and crowes and Pies and other birds are often taught by men to sounde they knowe not what but to sing with knowledge God hath granted to man not to birds Wee therefore that haue learned to sing in the church gods heauenly words must also endeuour to be that that is written Blessed are the people that vnderstand what they sing Therefore my dearest we ought to know and see with a pure hart that which we haue sung with tuneable voice In fine S. Paul doth bitterly exclaime against this detestable practise in celebrating the holy mysteries in a strange and vnknowen tongue Hee commaundeth straitely that euerie thing in the churche be done to edification and consequently that the communion be not ministred in an vnknowne tongue because no man can be edified thereby These thinges being so it may be demaunded what mooued our disholy father the pope to commaund the church-seruice of late yeares to be done in the Latine tongue To which question the auncient and learned writer Lactantius seemeth to answere pithily in these wordes Hinc fida silentia sacris instituta sunt ab hominibus callidis vt nesciat populus quid colat Heereupon trustie silence was appointed to the mysteries by subtle and crafty men that the people stil remaining in ignorance should neuer know what they worshipped The 3. Section Of the canon of the Masse THe papistes of late daies ascribe such sanctimonie to
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
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.
in synop Ionas liued in the daies of Elias who reprooued Achab the king of Samaria He was the sonne of the widow of Sarepta whom Elias restored to life for her hospitalitie towardes him So writeth Epiphanius but others thinke otherwise Let the Reader vse his owne iudgement herein Ionas did prophesie Christes death and resurrection more significantly by his passion then by his worde or preaching For to what end was he swallowed vp of the Whale and restored againe the third day but to signifie Christes rising from the dead the third day Aug. de ciuit lib. 18. cap. 30. Yea Christ himselfe interpreted the prophesie of Ionas euen as S. Austen doth For he obiected against the Iewes for their incredulitie Ionas his comming out of the Whales belly as a most vndoubted signe of his resurrection Mat. 12. ver 40. Luc. 11. verse 30. The Hebrewes say that Ionas was the sonne of the widow of Sarepta whom the prophet Elias restored from death They also write that Osee and Amos Esay and Ionas prophesied at the selfe same time Hier. hic in prooem The seuenth Section of the Prophet Micheas Micheas the Moralist which is by interpretation humble and fellow heire with Christ was a prophet of the tribe of Ephraim Epiphanius He was so charitably affectced towards the Israelites his brethren that he wished himselfe to haue bin destitute of the spirite of Prophesie to haue been reckoned amongst the false Prophets to haue preached an vntrueth and himselfe to haue perished alone so that such a multitude should beleeue in Christ and not be deliuered to captiuitie euerlasting Hier. in cap. 2. Mich. Albeit Micheas was of the same time with Osee Amos and Esay who prophesied in the time of Osias king of Iuda yet did not Micheas preach in the daies of Ozias but in the time of Ioatham his sonne after whom Achas reigned Ezechias succeeding in the empire of his father Achas in whose daies the ten tribes felt their captiuitie amongst the Assyrians Hier. hic in cap. 1. Aug. de ciu lib. 18. cap 27. Micheas prophesied against Ierusalem and Samaria and against Achab. Mich cap. 1.3 Reg. 22. Athanas in Synopsi The eight Section of Nahum Nahum euen as Ionas did directeth his prophesie to Niniuie the great citie of the Assyrians which is now called Ninus And because y e Niniuites after God had mercifully released the punishment foretold by Ionas committed greater offences then before this Prophet Nahum doth denounce vnto the said Niniuites to al y e persecuters of Israel Gods iudgment and euerlasting captiuitie And withall hee comforteth the faithfull shewing that the destruction of their enemies shall be for their consolation Nah. cap 1.2.3 Hier. in proaem Nahum was the sonne of Helkeseus who after the tradition of the Hebrewes was also himselfe a prophet He prophesied in the time of Ezechias Hier Gloss. After Iosephus he prophesied in the time of Ioatham king of Iuda Ioseph antiq lib 9 cap. 11. All thinges foretold of Niniuie were fulfilled in the hundred and fiteenth yeare Iosephus Ibidem The 9. Section of Abacuc Like as Nahum whome Abacuc followeth prophecieth against Niniue and the Assyrians who destroyed the ten tribes called Israel euen so Abacuc prophecieth against Babylon and king Nabuchedonosor by whom the two tribes called Iuda as also the temple were ouerthrowen Hier hic in proaemio Abacuc prophecied many things of the aduent of our Sauior 2. yeres before the Iews returned from Babylon he died and was honorably buried in his owne house Epiphanius The 10. Section of Sophonias Sophonie was of the tribe of Simeon borne in the mount Sarabatha Epiphanius Sophonias the prophet descended of noble progenitours Chusa was his father Godolias his grandfather Amarias his great grandfather Ezechias father to his great grandfather who all by the tradition of the Hebrewes were also prophets Hier. in 1. cap. Sophon Sophonias prophecied in Hierusalem and in all Iewrie he foretold the day in which all their idolles should be ouerthrowen and affliction come vpon them He also prophecied of our Sauiour and of his resurrection After that hee preached against Gaza Ascalon Azoto Accaron Moab Ammō Damascus Niniuie against the Aethiopians Athanas. in synopsi Sophonias prophecied in the dayes of Iosias the sonne of Amon the king of Iuda and so it is euident that he prophecied before the captiuitie of Babylon cap. 1. Sophon Lyranus ibidem The 11. Section of the prophet Aggaeus Aggeus directed his prophesie specially to Zorobabel and Iesus the sonne of Iosedech and then to all the people in Iuda and Hierusalem commaunding them to build vp againe the temple of the Lord. Lyranus in princ S. Austen saith that these three prophets Aggeus Zacharias and Malachias prophecied in the end of the captiuitie Aug. de ciuit lib. 18. cap. 35. which yet must be vnderstood after the returne from the captiuitie whereof saint Austen could not be ignorant since it is plainely said in the first of Haggai that in the sixt month of the second yeare of the raigne of king Darius he receiued the gift of prophecie This case shall appeare more clearely in the second booke in the discourse of the first monarchie In which place marke this point attentiuely Haggeus so soone as he saw the temple of Ierusalem builded with his corporall eies for he saw it before in vision so soone did hee sing praises to the Lorde and that doone ended his life in the same place where he was very honourably buried Epiphanius The 12. Section of the prophet Zacharias Zacharias sonne of Barachias the sonne of Addo the prophet beganne to prophesie two moneths after Aggeus that is in the eight moneth of the second yeere of Darius chap. 1. Zachar. There were sundry Zacharies one the sonne of Ioiada another the sonne of Barachias an other the father of saint Iohn the Baptist. Whereupon ariseth a great controuersie amongest the learned which of all these was that Zacharie whom the Iewes as Christ chargeth them in the 23. of Mathew murdered betweene the temple and the altar Hier. in Matt. lib. 4. cap. 23. prope finem Zacharias after hee had prophecied many things of Ierusalem and animated the people to builde the temple and had also reprooued the sluggishnesse of the prophets and priests hee died in his decrepite age and was buried with Aggeus Epiphanius The 13. Section of the prophet Malachie The prophet Malachie was of the tribe of Zabulon borne after the returne of the Iewes from Babylon in Sopha the land of Zabulon Epiphanius Malachias was the last of all the prophets who after the returne from the captiuitie and building againe of the temple foretold the desolation therof and the ceasing of their sacrifice Hier. apud Eder Malachie prophecied of the day of iudgement and of the incarnation of our Sauiour he foretold that Elias to wit Iohn the Baptist shoulde be sent before his aduent Athanas. in synopsi CHAP. XII Of the diuerse names
10. section of Iosue Iosue or Iesus the sonne of Nun was a zealous seruaunt of God and a valiant gouernour Hee brought the Israelites by Iordan into the land of promise they serued the Lord all the daies of his life He liued 110. yeares and then died Ios. 24. verse 29.31 He was buried in the borders of his owne inheritance which is in mount Ephraim Ios. 24. verse 30. Iosue slewe fiue kinges the king of Ierusalem the king of Hebron the king of Ierimoth the king of Lachis and the king of Eglon and hee hanged them on fiue trees Ios. 10. verse 26. Iosue his faith was so strong in the Lord that when hee fought against the Amorites hee praied that the sunne might stand vntill he were auenged of his enemies and not onely the sunne stood still in Gibeon but the Moone also in the valley of Aialon Ios. 10. ver 12.13 Iosue subdued all townes and cities saue Gibeon hee slew much people killed 31. kinges and gaue the whole land for an inheritance to Israel according to their portions through their tribes Ios. cap. 11. cap. 12. The 11. section of the Rechabites The Rechabites would drinke no wine all the dayes of their liues because Ionadab the sonne of Rechab their father had so commanded them Iere. 35. verse 8. The obseruation Vpon the Rechabites abstinence from wine the papistes of latter daies haue falsly grounded their superstitious fastes I say superstitious fastes because I reuerence and highly commend fasting when it is done christianly according to the word of God I therefore say first that the whole scope of the Prophet is nothing else in the storie of the Rechabites but by their example to confound the disobedient Iewes For the Rechabites kept strictly the commandementes of Ionadab euen many yeares after he was dead but the Iewes would not obey the euerliuing God Iere. 35. v. 14. I say secondly that Ionadab is not commended for his strict charge but his children for their ready obedience I say thirdly y e children are cōmanded to obey their parentes but onely in the Lord that is so farre forth as their commandementes are agreeable to Gods holy lawes So saith the Apostle Ephes. 6. verse 1. I say fourthly that their abstinence from wine was a ciuill obseruance not any religious worship And I prooue it by two reasons first because they were not onely prohibited to drinke wine but also to till the ground to plant Vineyardes and to build or haue houses Secondly because not only themselues but their wiues also their sonnes and their daughters had the selfe same charge who yet liued almost three hundred yeares after the charge was giuen Who all by popish collection should haue bin Monkes and Nunnes which to affirme is very absurd euen in their own maner of proceeding I say fiftly that Ionadabs charge was not giuen for merite or religion but for a meere ciuill respect to wit to acquaint his posteritie with an austere kinde of life that after when God should punishe the world for their sinnes they might beare it more patiently with more facility wander from place to place And because the vulgar sort is wonderfully seduced aswell by the doctrine as by the practise of popish fasting it will happily be nothing out of season heere to speake a little thereof The first proposition All mortall liuing creatures of God man excepted may lawfully be eaten with giuing of thanks I say first mortal by reason of the incorporall angels I say secondly liuing in respect of things inanimate not apt to yeeld nourishment I say thirdly except man because God made the other thinges for man but not one man for another Gen. 9. verse 3.5 The proposition is thus proued Christ reproouing the Pharisies for their fond opinions in superstitious obseruance of externall ceremonies which he termed the traditions of men willed al the multitude to hearken vnto him and to vnderstand that whatsoeuer was without man could not defile him when it entered into him Matt. 15. verse 11. Mar. 7. ver 15. I knowe and am perswaded through the Lord Iesus saith the Apostle that there is nothing vncleane of it selfe or by nature but to him that iudgeth it to be vncleane Rom. 14. verse 14. Saint Peter was long in doubt concerning this proposition His reason was because some meates were made vncleane by the olde law For which cause he in a vision saw heauen opened and a certaine vessell come downe to him wherein were all maner of foure footed beastes of the earth and wild beastes and creeping thinges and foules of the heauen And there came a voice to him bidding him kill and eate Yet Peter durst not eate but answered that hee neuer ate any polluted thing And the voice spake the second time willing him not to repute the thinges polluted which God had purified Thus Peter did and thus he erred at that time And euen so doe many silly soules this day who make lesse scruple to rap out great othes horrible blasphemies and slaunderous speeches against their neighbours then they doe in eating a peece of cheese or an egge in Lent and yet is the one directly against the law of God the other onely against the tyrannicall constitution of the pope The second proposition There are sundrie kindes of fastes To wit naturall ciuill christian miraculous coactiue religious Naturall fasting is when we fast for phisicke sake either to recouer our health lost or to preserue vs from diseases to come Of which kind of fast who list may reade at large in Hippocrates his Aphorismes and in Galens Commentaries vpon the same Ciuill fasting is when men are so seriously bent to their ciuill affaires that they will vse no intermission at all either for meate or drinke This kinde of fast vsed king Saul when hauing the victorie in his handes hee pursued the Philistines For euen then commanded he all his armie that none should eate or drink till night 1. Sam. 14. verse 24. So did the wicked Hebrewes who vowed that they would neither eate nor drinke vntill they had slaine S. Paule Acts. 23. verse 21. This fast practised Iosue when he charged the Sunne and Moone to stand still till hee was auenged of his enemies Ios. 10. verse 12. The christian fast is to keep sobrietie in our diet That is neither to eate too often neither immoderately Which kinde of fasting ought to bee more familiar then it is to many a one for want whereof the countrey aboundeth with drunkardes gluttons and idle belly-gods Miraculous fasting was practised by the apostles when our Sauiour did thereby confirme the preaching of his gospel Moses Elias and Christ himselfe vsed the same kinde of fast Coactiue fasting is when by reason of famine or want of foode we are enforced to abstaine With this fast souldiours are afflicted in warres poore folkes in their owne houses rich seldom or neuer Wherefore wisely saide the Philosopher touching the houre of dining
the euerliuing God and not to blaspheme him as I did for which cause I made this miserable end being murthered by mine owne children Note heere that after Eusebius Senacherib was also called Salmanasar which I thinke consonant to the holy scriptures Assar-addon succeeded Senacherib his father but was not fortunate for the strength of the Assyrians began to decay euen while his father was yet liuing Besides this the mighty prince Merodach-baladan the Chaldee made wars both with him his father before him forthwith after the death of Senacherib hee wanne Babylon and enioyed it with other territories in Assyria vntill the death of Assar-addon from whose death hee possessed the whole Empire Hee raigned tenne yeares Merodach-baladan the first king of the Babylonians for the fame and memorie of the ancient kingdome of Assyria was called king of the Assyrians also as were likewise other kings that followed him He first transported the maiestie of the Assyrians to the Chaldees or Babylonians for the glorie of Niniue where the kings pallace was of olde was nowe translated to Babylon for which benefit Merodach after his death was honoured for a God of the Babylonians Ier. 50 ver 2. he raigned 40. yeares Ben-merodach the second king of the Babylonians was a milde and mightie Prince he raigned 21. yeares Nabuchodonosor the first or the old the third king of the BabyloniaÌ„s after Merodach was father to that Nabuchodonosor who subdued Hierusalem and erected the Babylonian monarchy he made two great battailes the one against Phaortes aliâs Arphaxad king of the Medes the other against Nechao the mightie king of the Egyptians Hee slew king Arphaxad in the mountaines of Ragau as the storie of Iudith maketh mention But Nechao ouercame him and enioyed all Syria he raigned 35. yeeres Nabuchodonosor the great sonne of Nabuchodonosor the first shortly after his fathers death wanne againe all Syria He was the mightiest king of all the kings of Babylon much spoken of in holy Writ Hee subdued the citie of Ierusalem and led away the inhabitants thereof captiues to Babylon This Nabuchodonosor as he was mightie in power so was he prowd in heart He made an image of golde and set it vp in the plaine of Dura in the prouince of Babylon Which done he commaunded all his princes nobles dukes iudges receiuers counsellers officers and all gouernors of his prouinces to come to the dedication of the image Hee appointed an herald to crie aloude that when they heard the sound of the cornet trumpet harpe sackebut psalterie dulcimer and other instruments of musicke then they should fall downe and worship the image And because the three holy Iewes Sidrach Misach and Abednego would not adore the image hee caused them to be cast into a very hote burning ouen from which fiery furnace God deliuered them myraculously In regarde whereof Nabuchodonosor magnified the liuing God made a decree that al people and nations which spake against the God of Sidrach Misach and Abednego shoulde bee drawen in peeces and their houses made a iakes Dan. 3.29 After this the king still swelled in pride so that he was cast out from his kingdome driuen from men ate grasse as oxen and his bodie was wet with the dew of heauen till his haires were growen as Eagles feathers and his nailes like birdes clawes Dan. 4. verse 30. After Nabuchodonosor magnus succeeded Euil-merodach after him Balthazar of which two see the first chapter in the fourth section CHAP. II. Of the destruction of Troy THe kingdome of Troy was of great antiquitie it began as sundrie Chronographers write a little before the death of Moses about the 32. yeare after the departure of Israel out of Egypt They write that Dardanus was the first king of the Troians and Priamus the last Alexander the sonne of Priamus surnamed Paris tooke away violently Helena wife to Menelaus king of the Lacedemonians which fact was the occasion of the most bitter and bloody battell of the Troyans This battel was fought of the most valiant people in Asia and Europe with mortall enmitie and inestimable losse on both sides with the bloud and destruction of many most flourishing regions Troy was taken burnt and vtterly destroyed 340. yeares before Rome was built in the age of the world 2935. From the captiuitie of Troy vntill the first Olimpias were complete 340. yeares albeit Liuiâ—s and some other haue their different supputations CHAP. III. Of the supputation of the Greeks THe olde Greekes did account as wee doe nowe by the yeres of our Lord the first Olimpias the second the third the fourth and so forth Some holde that Olimpias is the space of fiue yeeres but if thou wilt not be deceiued therin gentle reader reckon it but for the space of foure yeares The supputation of the Greeks by the Olimpiads is of all writers deemed true and therefore albeit before their Olympiads euerie one wrote as pleased himselfe yet after their Olympiads wee ought greatly to respect their account Africanus writeth that the first Olimpias was in the first yere of Ioatham king of Iuda and so it should be in the age of the world 3251. others dissent fro that computation affirme it to bee in the time of Ioas and then it chanced in the age of the world 3130. which supputation seemeth not so probable and therefore with Affricanus Eusebius and others I imitate the former but in reckoning the time of Iotham and Ioas I dissent from them both as is alreadie shewed CHAP. IIII. Of the citie of Rome ROme was builded in the end of the sixt Olympias in the age of the world 3218. after the destruction of Troy 340. before the incarnation of our sauior Iesus Christ about 729. yeares Romulus and Rhemus were brothers twinnes both of one age Contention and controuersie fell betweene them after whether of them the citie which they had newly built should be named The contention grew from words to tumults from tumults to strokes from strokes to bloudy battel insomuch as in the bickering Rhemus was slaine after his death Romulus enioyed the Empire alone of whome the City was called Rome Rome hath beene sundrie times sacked and ouerthrowne by the Gothes and Vandals first by Alaricus the Gothe in the yeare of our Lord God 412. This king besieged Rome and after burned it during which siege such famine was in the city that the mothers were constrained with hunger to eate their owne children It was besieged taken and sacked the second time by Gensericus the Vandal in the yeare of our Lord 456. It was besieged sacked and subuerted the third time by Totilas king of the Gothes in the yeare of our Lord 548. in the yeare after the citie was built 1300 in which siege as in the first the famine was exceeding great mothers were enforced contrarie to nature and kinde to kill and eate the flesh of their owne children Procopius Palmerius The same
worship them And in Mathew Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely thou shalt serue For which cause S. Iohn could not be permitted to adore the Angel but was bidden to worship God For which cause Moses cast the Tables out of his hands brake them in peeces beneath the mountaine burned the calfe in the fire and grounded it vnto pouder For which cause the holy ghost commendeth Ezechias for breaking in peeces the brasen serpent For which cause Marcellina was condemned as an hereticke who worshipped as S. Augustine recordeth the Images of Iesus of Paul of Homere of Pythagoras For which cause S. Epiphanius seeing the image of a saint hanging in the Church tare the same in sunder and aduised the wardens to bury some poore body with the vaile and that no more any such vailes should be hanged vp in the Church Yea the same Epiphanius will not haue the blessed virgine Mary to be adored much lesse her image And if her image must be excluded what image I pray you can be approued for which cause the councill of Elibertine decreed grauely that nothing should be painted on the church walles which is adored of the people For which cause Lactantius pronounced freely that where images are there is no religion Neither will it help the papists to answer after their woonted manner that Lactantius speaketh of such images as are adored for gods For Lactantius maketh the selfe same obiection in the person of the Gentiles and inueyeth against it bitterly as a vaine friuolous and ridiculous thing And because I wil proceed sincerely in this point as in all other matters I thinke it conuenient heere to alleadge his expresse words which are these Non ipsa inquiunt timemus sed eos ad quorum imaginem ficta quorum nominibus consecrata sunt nempe ideo timetis quod eos in caelo esse arbitramini neque enim si dij sunt aliter fieri potest curigitur oculos in caelum non tollitis â—â—ur ad parietes ligna lapides potissimum quam illò spectatis vbi eos esse creditis We feare not say they the pictures or pourtraies but them after whose images they be made to whose names they are consecrated Doubtlesse ye therefore feare them because ye thinke they are in heauen For if they be gods it cannot otherwise come to passe Why therfore do ye not lift vp your eyes to heauen why doe ye rather looke vpon the walles vpon stockes and stonâ—s then thither where ye think they are In which words I note first that the Gentiles did not adore the images but the persons represented by the same for of fearing and adoring Lactan. speaketh indifferently throughout the whole chapter yet are they sharply reproued for their fact I note secondly that we must not adhere and fix our minds vpon stocks stones and the images of saints but lift vp our hearts to heauen where the saints now are Worthily therefore doe we condemne the Papists who do not only make images but also adore the same and that with the selfe same worship which is due and proper to God alone for so much auoucheth their owne deare doctor and canonized saint Aquinas of the image of our Sauiour Christ. For which respect Gregorie surnamed the Great who himself was a bishop of Rome sharply reproued the adoration worship of images albeit he admitted wel liked y e ciuil vse therof The second Booke of Christs birth baptisme preaching passion resurrection and ascension into Heauen with other things coincident CHAP. I. Of Christs birth ABout the time that Elias the Cabbalist foretolde in the age of the worlde 3969. the eight calends of Ianuary in the third yeere of the 194. Olympiade the 32. yeere of king Herode and the 42. yere of Augustus Cesar was our Lorde and Sauiour Christ Iesus borne into this world For albeit the 4000. yeres were not complete fully ended yet was his prediction true as some report it because he added that God would shorten the time for his elect Our Lord and Sauiour was conceiued by the holighost taking flesh blood bone of the blessed virgin Mary made like vnto vs in all things sinne onely excepted true man and true God hauing two perfect natures subsisting in one diuine person by reason of which hypostaticall vnion his holie mother was truely called deipara and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well the mother of God as of man Christ assuming the perfect nature of man lost no part of his nature diuine and consequently he must haue two willes diuine and humane of God and of man Christ assuming the perfect nature of man must needs haue euery thing pertaining to the perfection thereof among which the sensitiue appetite is one which wee call sensualitie yet in Christ Iesus there was no motion of sensualitie which was not ordered by reason and wholy obedient to the same For the sensitiue appetite to be moued according to the course of it owne nature was nothing repugnant to the diuine and reasonable humane wil of Christ. The blessed virgin being 14 yeres of age conceiued Christ her son by the power of the holie ghost the 25. day of March He was before all worlds and by him al things were made yet was he incarnat in the end of the world borne after a new and miraculous maner of the virgin Marie who was Saint Iosephs lawfull wife Christ the sonne of the euerliuing God tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant was poorely borne in a stall and made him selfe of no reputation and all this he did for the loue of man to teach man humilitie and to abase himselfe as Christ his Lorde and master gaue him ensample In those dayes Cyrenius being gouernour of Syria Augustus Cesar sent out an edict to taxe all that were subiect to the Roman empire Then Ioseph being of the house and linage of Dauid went vp from Galile to be taxed in Bethlehem with Mary his wife being then big with childe where she brought forth Christ and wrapping him in swadling clothes laide him in a cratch bicause there was no roome for them in the Inne So soone as Christ was borne the angels of God nothing regarding the pride of mightie men declared to the poore shepheards the godhead and office of the childe lying in the cribbe how that he was borne to be the sauiour of the world After the departure of the angels the shepheards went to Bethlehem where they found Marie Ioseph and the sweete babe lying in the cribbe at their returne they published abroad that which was tolde them of that childe CHAP. II. Of the infancie of our Sauiour Christ. WHen Christ Iesus was but eight dayes olde he was circumcised euen then beginning to spend his blood for the loue of man for albeit he was the head of the church yet was he subiect to the law to
be slaughtered and as a theefe to be hanged yet neither did he shew any impatience nor sought any reuenge albeit hee could haue caused a legion of Angels to haue attended him at his only word he was bound as a theefe accused as a theefe condemned as a theefe he was crowned with a crowne of thornes among theeues as if hee had beene the master theefe of all theeues the iudge was iudged the King was derided the Lord of all lords was turmoyled And yet behold the wisedome of our heauenly Salomon for as Adam trespassed on Fryday so did he suffer on Fryday as mans saluation seemed to require Where we haue to consider his patience who was led as a lambe to be slaine his humilitie who was condemned with theeues his charitie who died for his enemies his pouertie who was borne in a manger and this done wee may worthily exclaime O captaine where is thine ensigne O prince where is thy palace O bishop where is thy myâ—er O king where is thy diademe After the consideration hereof we must acknowledge that Iesus Christ our sweete redeemer suffered all these pangs tortures torments and villanies for the sinnes and loue of man and therfore that mans part and dutie is to abhorre detest and eschew sinne and that for his sake and loue who hath first so tenderly beloued vs. CHAP. V. Of the houre of Christs death and the circumstances of the same CHrist was led out of the walles of the earthly Ierusalem into Golgotha a foule place of dead mens carkases so to declare vncleannesse indeede not of himselfe who was most holy most pure most innocent but of vs most wretched sinners whose sins he willingly tooke vpon him to the ende that we by faith in him being made cleane through his bloud and passion might bee brought into the heauenly Ierusalem the ioy of all ioyes the kingdome of heauen Christ suffered his bitter and healthfull passion without the walles of the citie a little before the sixt houre and gaue vppe his blessed ghost at the ninth houre so as hee was about three houres in most cruell torments vpon the crosse In which time from the sixt houre to the ninth darknesse arose ouer al the land Whereby wee may sensibly perceiue how angrie God was against our sinnes which hee so seuerely punished in his onely sonne For euen at the feast of the Passeouer and in the full Moone when the sunne shined ouer all the rest of the world and at midday that corner of the world wherein so wicked an act was committed was couered with extreame darknesse three houres together Christ hanged naked vpon the crosse and was vilainously reproued as if he had beene the most wicked caitife that euer was in the world to the ende that we being clothed with his righteousnesse and blessed with his curses and sanctified by his onely oblation may be clensed from our sinnes and exalted vppe to heauen But here it is expedent that I answere to an important doubt The doubt Saint Iohn saith that Christ suffered about the sixt houre but Saint Marke affirmeth expressely that he was crucified the third houre The answere For the exact explication of this graue obiection wee must diligently obserue three things First that the Iewes deuided as well the night as the day into foure equall parts Secondly that they tearmed the foure parts of the night vigils and the foure parts of the day houres Thirdly that the names of y e foure houres were these the first the third the sixt and the ninth so that all the morning to nine of the clocke with vs was called the first houre with them from nine to twelue the third houre from twelue to three the sixt houre from three to night the ninth houre I therefore answere to the obiection that S. Iohn and saint Marke do well agree neither is the one dissonant to the other for when S. Marke saith that Christ was crucified the third houre he meaneth in the end thereof which was about noone or almost the sixt houre as S. Iohn declareth it for euerie one of their houres contained three of our houres as is alreadie said And euery day with them both began and ended at sixe of the clocke with vs. Where I note by the way that these houres are sometimes dilated made foure threes like to our houres for so we reade in S. Mathew at the hyring of the labourers into the vineyard But howsoeuer the supputation was made the midday euer iumped with the sixt houre either in the ende or in the beginning thereof Which obseruations anâ— distinction well remembred many obscure places in the scriptures will be euident CHAP. VI. Of Christs resurrection and the adiuncts thereof AT such time as Christ the sonne of the euerliuing God suffered his passion wonderfull and strange sights happened The Sunne was darkened the Moone being in the full gaue no light a thing so repugnant to nature that Dionysius Areopagita pronounced boldely though then an Ethnicke that either the sonne of God was tormented or else the worlde woulde bee dissolued the vaile of the Temple was rent in twaine earthquakes were seene the rockes were clouen asunder the graues were opened and such as slept arose with Christ to life againe Christ after his resurrection appeared sundry times first to Marie Magdalen when she taried still at the sepulchre to see Christ after his disciples were gone away to their owne home Christ appeared the second time the selfe same day to two of his disciples as they went to a towne called Emaus which was distant from Ierusalem about three score furlongs The cause of the second apparition was this because the saide disciples would not beleeue that which Mary Magdalen and Ioanna and Mary the mother of Iames and other women told them of Christs resurrection Christ appeared the third time to all the Disciples Thomas onely excepted who was then absent which apparition was done the first day of the weeke and when the doores were shut where the Disciples were assembled for feare of the Iewes and then Iesus stoode in the middes of them and bestowed his peace vpon them Christ after eight dayes appeared the fourth time to his disciples comming into the middest of them euen when the doores were shut and bidding Thomas to see his hands and to put forth his hand into his side and to be no longer incredulous but faithful Christ appeared the fift time to his Disciples at the sea of Tiberias where they were fishing at whose word they casting out their net were not able to draw it at all for the multitude of fishes By these and other his apparitions he made his resurrection manifest vnto the world Sixtly hee appeared to the eleuen Disciples in the mount of Galile But from hence arise doubts very worthie the examination The first doubt Christ saith in Iohn that hee appeared but thrise after his resurrection To this I answere
same day at Rome and S. Philip that blessed disciple of Christ was about the same time crucified at Hierapolis a citie in Asia Of Andrew and Bartholomew S. Andrew preached the gospel in Scythia Thracia Macedonia Thessalia and Achaia At the length the proconsul Aegaeas caused him to be crucified because he perswaded Maximilla his wife and Stantocles his brother to detest his vnchristian impietie and to embrace the faith of Christ Iesus Hee was buried in Achaia with his auncestors S. Bartholomew after he had preached the gospel to the Indians was at length rewarded with the cruell torture of the crosse and buried in Armenia the great Of Iames the sonne of Zebedee S. Iames the sonne of Zebedeus preached the gospel to the twelue tribes which were in dispersion and for his paines was at the length beheaded of Herod the Tetrarch who was also called Agrippa He was buried in the citie Marmarica and king Herod who beheaded him was eaten vp with wormes Of Iohn S. Iohn his brother preached the gospel in Asia and being driuen into exile in the Ile Pathmos by Domitian the emperour he there both wrote the gospel and had his reuelation He died at Ephesus in the time of Traianus the Emperour Where note by the way to auoid the varietie which seemeth in some of the auncient fathers and historiographers that albeit Domitian banished S. Iohn into Pathmos yet did S. Iohn suruiue Domitian and died in the daies and reigne of Traian Of Thomas S. Thomas called also Didymus after he had preached to the Parthians Medes Persians and Indians was wounded with dartes in his sides and so being buried in Calamina a citie in India came to him whose sides he before had felt Christ Iesus Of Mathew S. Mathew of a publican became an Apostle preached the gospel of Christ zealously and conuerted many to the christian faith Hee wrote the gospel in the Hebrew tongue and was buried in Hierapolis Where note by the way that although many of the old writers affirme S. Mathew to haue written in Hebrew yet some learned do think that he wrote in greeke which opinion I preferre as more probable but how soeuer that be it skilleth not much for the Greeke which now is only exstant is admitted of all as authenticall Yea as Theophilactus recordeth they that holde saint Mathew to haue written in hebrew do not denie but Saint Iohn translated it into greeke and consequently since S. Iohn was no lesse inspired with the holy ghost then Saint Mathew it must needes follow that the greeke copie is as authenticall as the Hebrew if any such could be found Of Iames the sonne of Alphee Saint Iames the son of Alpheus the brother of our Lord surnamed Iustus after he had preached at Gaza Eleutheropolis and other countreyes adiacent was made the Bishop of Hierusalem where he was stoned to death of the Iewes and buried in the temple Of Iudas Thaddaeus Saint Iudas Thaddeus called also Lebbeus preached in Iudea Galilea Samaria Idumea Arabia Syria and Mesopotamia at the length he came to Edessa where preaching the gospel of peace he died in peace Of Symon Zelotes Saint Symon surnamed Zelotes for his great zeale towards his master Christ Iesus called also Cananeus bicause he was borne in Cana Galilea after he had preached the gospell in Egypt Africa Mauritania Lybia and in the occidentall parts and had confirmed the same with many myracles he was crucified vnder Traianus being 120. yeares of age Of Matthias Saint Matthias one of the 70. disciples was reckoned with the eleuen in stead of Iudas Iscarioth He preached in Ethiopia where he suffered many tortures was almost stoned to death and then beheaded An addition for the complement of this chapter Saint Iames the Great and Saint Iohn the Euangelist were the sonnes of Zebedeus the husband of Salome Saint Iames the lesse surnamed Iustus and the brother of our Lord Saint Iudas Thaddeus and Symon Zelotes were the sons of Cleophas the husband of Mary who was sister to the blessed virgin Mary CHAP. IX Of the three sonnes of Constantine COnstantine when he had raigned 38. yeares appointed by his last will and testament that his three sonnes Constantinus Constantius and Constans should rule the Empire in seuerall parts seuerally to wit Constantinus in France Spaine and Germanie Constantius in the East Constans in Italie and Illyricum Constantinus was not content with partiall assigned gouernment but desired to haue the sole and onely administration of the Empire for which cause hauing too much confidence in the power of man specially in an euil cause he made warres against his brother Constans in Italie but by that occasion he was slaine and so his brother Constans possessed al the West Empire CHAP. X Of Iulianus apostata IVlianus Apostata was nephew to Constantius and brother to Gallus he was so excellent wel learned that in his youth he read the scriptures publikely in the church of Nicomedia afterwards he went to the famous vniuersitie of Athens and studied there but after the death of his brother Gallus Constantius sent him into France and Germanie Not farre from Argentoratum hee put to flight 30 thousand Almains for which cause by the fauour of the souldiers he was sodainely at Argentoratum designed Emperour At such time as great dissention arose among christians through diuersitie of opinions in Religion in so much that some dispaired and other some fell to Idolatrie then the new Emperour Iulianus preferring his owne sonne before the true worship of God and thinking that to abandon the christian religion was to aduance his royall and imperiall estate forsooke the Christian faith denied Christ openly and became an Apostata He inhibited christians to serue in warres amongst the Romaines he ouerthrew the schooles of learning and spoyled the churches of their treasures Which thing hee did in derision telling the Christians that hee fauoured them in so doing because through pouertie they might sooner come to heauen CHAP. XI Of the Manichees THe Manichees began their heresie in the dayes of Aurelianus Emperor of Rome whose grand-master was Manes a Persian borne This Manes dispersed his poyson in very large circuits First in Arabia after that in Africa This heresie increased so mightily as it coulde not be quenched by the space of two hundred yeares this was the fundamentall ground of their false and hereticall doctrine that there are two Gods the one good and the other bad and yet both to be eternall This doctrine seemed plausible to mans reason at the first publishing thereof for since God is good of his owne nature and yet euill aboundeth in the worlde it seemeth to followe necessarily that as there is a good God so there must also bee a peculiar euill God equall to the good God in power and eternitie The Manichees will neither eate flesh neither egges neither milke neither doe they drinke wine albeit they will
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
and the people was of no force at all in those dayes vnlesse the Emperours or their lieutenants had confirmed the same This was done 637. yeares after Christs incarnation Concerning the creation of Benedicte Platina hath these words Ad hunc Constantinus imperator sanctionem misit vt deinceps quem clerus populus exercitús que Romanus in pontificem delegisset eundem statim verum Christi vicarium esse omnes crederent nulla aut Constantinopolitani principis aut Italiae exarchi expectata auctoritate vt anteà fieri consueuerat id enim ratum erat in creando pontifice quod princeps confirmasset vel qui eius vices in Italia gerebat The emperour Constantine sent a decree to this Pope that whomsoeuer the clergy people and Romane souldiers should hencefoorth chuse for their bishop all people should by and by beleeue him to be the vicar of Christ scilicet if they would Bartholomeus Carranza a dominican Frier hath the verie same assertion ad verbum Anastasius and Onuphrius haue these expresse words pontifices qui deinde fuerant creati consecrati sunt sine Constantinopolitani imperatoris iussione The Popes that liued afterwards were made and consecrated without the Emperour of Constantinople his commaundement as if they had saide in the olde time and in the auncient Churche no Bishoppe of Rome coulde haue beene admitted at anie time vnlesse hee hadde brought letters patents from the Emperour though now the practise bee farre otherwise Out of which doctrine I gather these three euident and most necessarie corollaries First that the vulgar and common sort of people are grossely deceiued when they terme papistrie the olde religion and repute them for the Catholikes For wee indeede are the true and auncient Catholikes and the Papistes are nothing else but flatte Heretikes For this Benedict coulde not bee made Bishoppe of Rome without the Emperours Letters Patents This primacie of the Emperour ouer the Bishoppe of Rome was sixe hundred foure score and foure yeeres after the incarnation of Christ. For at that time was this Benedict made the Pope So then the Bishop of Rome for the space almost of seuen hundred yeres after the incarnation of Christ Iesus acknowledged the Emperour for his superiour and Lorde as wythout whose Letters Patentes hee coulde haue no Iurisdiction For as in ciuill causes many are debarred from their lawfull inheritance and that by the violent dealing of mightie men euen so we catholikes haue beene many yeares excluded from our own churches our ancient and lawfull possessions and that by the force violence and tyrannie of the bloudy Romish antichrists And as temporall men are in time restored vnto their auncient right by iust and godly magistrates euen so were we and are we by the goodnes of God and most christian princes king Henry the eight and king Edward the sixt of famous memory our most gratious soueraigne Elizabeth restored to the old christian catholike and apostolike religion and placed againe in our owne churches the spirituall birthright of vs and our ancestours I gather secondly that our Bishops in England are made and consecrated according to the ancient christian catholike and Romaine manner that is by the Letters patents of the Prince I gather thirdly that Christian Emperours vppon a certaine zeale not grounded vppon knowledge yeelding vppe their soueraigne rights to the Bishops of Rome opened the window to all antichristian tyrannie For in short time after the Romish Bishops became so arrogant and lordly that they tooke vpon them to depose the Emperours to translate their Empires and to dispose at their pleasures of their royall scepters and regalities The third replie The church of God cannot bee without Bishoppes and priests as you haue already granâ—ed and as I haue proued out of Saint Paul but so it is that when yee first reformed the church as you tearme it yee neither had any Byshoppes nor any priests of your owne neither coulde you find any but with vs and in our church when Martin Luther went out from vs. Our church therefore and none but ours is the true church of god This reason is so strong as it can neuer be truly answered The answere I saie first that this reason seemeth to carrie a maiestie with it and a verie plausible shewe of truth and therefore did it a long time fascinate and seduce my selfe yet I trust by Gods holy assistance so to solue it as no papist shall haue cause any longer to glorie therein I say secondly that if our bishops or our lay-brethren had gone at any time to the greeke and East churches they shoulde haue found as good a materiall succession at the least as that of yours at Rome but there was no neede to take so long and so painefull a iourney in hand I say thirdly that our bishops and priests of late yeares were indeede consecrated by such as were sometimes in your church But thereupon will it not follow I assure you that the true church of God was with you and not with vs for no more can be inferred vpon your reason but that there remained a certaine externall face of the visible church still with you that is to say a mingled materiall succession of place and persons without the formall Euangelicall succession of trueth and doctrine The fourth replie How can the pastors of the church be without the doctrine of the church for the church cannot bee without the pastors as I haue proued and you also admitted this is it that I desire to learne The answere The reason hereof is this because God promised to giue alwaies pastors to his visible church but he neuer promised this to put the truth alwaies in their mouthes For this cause saith Saint Paule that God hath giuen pastors and teachers to his church vntil the end but he neuer said that he gaue them his holy spirit alwaies to preach and teach the truth no no he neuer promised any such thing You brag of your succession you say you are the church representatiue that your pope cannot erre but whatsoeuer he defineth iudicially that must be as true as the holy gospel Euen so did the wicked Iewes boast when the Prophet of God reproued them come said they let vs imagine some deuice against Ieremy for the law shall not perish from the priest nor counsell from the wise nor the worde from the prophet Thus did the Iewes boast then and thus doe the papistes boast now But what saith God by his Prophet to these your arrogant and Pharisaical conceites doubtlesse cleane contrary to wit but the law shall perish from the priest and counsell from the elder as if hee had said notwithstanding your great bragges of your priuiledges yet shall ye be infatuated and spoiled of all counsel trueth and doctrine The fift replie The Apostle saith that God gaue pastors and teachers to his church for this end that they shuld not
be caried away with false doctrine But if the pastors all haue erred as you would haue vs to beleeue then in vaine did God giue pastors to his Church to preserue vs in the trueth For they that should haue taught the trueth did euen themselues swarue from the trueth and so they became vnfit instrumentes to doe the will of God The answere I say first that albeit Gods wil be one as himselfe is one willing by his owne essence and by one eternall and immutable act whatsoeuer he willeth yet is his will said to be manifold aswel of the holy fathers as of the schooledoctors And this is done for two special considerations The former is for the varietie of the thinges which God willeth The latter is for the varietie of the maner by which God seemeth to will thinges Hereupon arise many diuisions of Gods will assigned by learned writers for explication sake Some deuide Gods will into antecedent and consequent Some others diuide it into the will of signe and will of good pleasure Others into the will reuealed and will not reuealed Others into the will absolute anâ— will conditionate and the like I say secondly that though Gods will consequent and will of good pleasure bee euer accomplished vndoubtedly yet is his will antecedent and will of signe oftentimes neglected and left vndone Of the former wil the prophet speaketh in these words whatsoeuer pleased y e Lord that did he in heauen and in earth and in the Sea and in all the depthes And the Apostle saith for who hath resisted his will Of the latter we haue many examples in the holie Scriptures First God commanded Pharao by Moses to let his people go but Pharao would not obey Secondly God would haue gathered the Iewes togither euen as the hen gathereth her chickens vnder her wings but they would not haue it so Thirdly God would haue all men to be saued as Paul beareth witnesse and yet we know by the holy gospel that the greater part shalbe damned I say thirdly that Gods will mentioned in S. Paule and now obiected against my resolution is only voluntas signi his will of signe and not voluntas beneplaciti his will of good pleasure and therefore it can neuer be effectually concluded out of this text which hitherto hath euer been reputed the strong bulwarke of poperie and either dissembled or lightly passed ouer by the grauest writers that the pastors of the visible church alwaies teach the trueth and neuer swarue from the same Thus more plainly for the simple and ignorant sort When the apostle saith that God placed pastors and doctors in the church that the people be not carried away with false doctrine he neither meaneth that the pastors shall alwaies infallibly teach the trueth nor that the people shall alwaies constantly embrace the truth I proue it because the apostle speaketh indefinitely and indifferently of all teachers and of al hearers of al shepheardes and of all sheepe neither excepting one nor other and yet both ye know and we know that many preachers preach false doctrine and that many hearers embrace the same Whereupon it followeth necessarily that if the Apostle meant as ye woulde haue him to meane then Christes intent and purpose shoulde be frustrate indeede which yet is it that your selues impugne The apostle therfore meaneth only this to declare voluntate signi what he would haue his shepheards and sheepe to doe albeit voluntate beneplaciti the same be not euer accomplished This my explication of S. Paules meaning is confirmed not only by the holy Scripture but also by the expresse testimonies of renowmed popish writers Touching the holy Scripture First it is euident that God would haue al men saued for so saith the apostle Deus vult omnes homines saluos fieri Gods wil is that all men shalbe saued and come to the acknowledging of the trueth Whereby we see that Gods wil and intent is to saue all and yet doe we know assuredly that al shal not be saued For the gospel saith plainly Multi vocati pauci verò electi Manie are called but few are chosen Secondly it is cleere that God appointed good workes to this end that men should walke in them for so saith holy writ Ipsius enim sumuâ— factura creati in Christo Iesu in bonis operibus quae praeparauit deus vt in illis ambulemus For wee are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in them And yet we see by daily experience that it is farre otherwise Thirdly God gaue vs his holie lawe to the intent that wee shoulde accomplish it for so the scripture telleth vs and no papist doth or can denie the same and yet haue we infallible knowledge out of the same scripture that none liuing can keep fulfil the law in al points For if we could haue kept the lawe in al pointes wee shoulde haue been iustified by the obseruation thereof and so Chrâ—stes passion and his satisfaction had been needlesse In all these places therefore and the like Voluntas signi must be vnderstood but not voluntas beneplaciti Touching the popish Doctors the Iesuite Bellarmine hath these words At fine dubio singuli episcopi errare possunt aliquando errant inter se quandoque dissentiunt vt nesciamus quisnam eorum sequendus sit But without doubt all bishops may erre seuerally and doe erre sometime and sometime dissent one from another insomuch that we cannot tel whom we should follow Out of which wordes I note first that God who caused Balaams asse to speake hath enforced our Iesuite to confesse the trueth I note secondly that there is no Bishop in the worlde but hee both may erre and sometime doth erre and consequently that the pope of Rome is either no bishop at all by his owne Iesuites graunt or els that he both may erre and doth erre indeed Which point I haue prooued copiously in my booke of Motiues I note thirdly that by our Iesuites confession euery bishop hath so many errours that the people cannot tel whom to follow and consequently that S. Paul meant nothing lesse then that the pastors and doctors of the churche shoulde alwaies teach the trueth I note fourthly that since euery auncient father both may erre and doth erre and that by popish graunt there is no reason why the papistes should vrge vs as they doe to stand to the censure of the fathers in euery thing Their owne Cardinall Panormitanus hath these wordes Nam in concernentibus fidem etiam dictum vnius priuati esset praeferendum dicto papae si ille moueretur melâ—oribus rationibus noui veteris testamenti quam papa Nec obstat si dicatur quod concilium non potest errare quia Christus orauit pro ecclesia sua vt non deficeret quia dico quod licet concilium generale
plaine and pithie as no papist is able to wrest and writhe them to serue his turne For first S. Chrysostome prooueth marriage to be honourable and holy against the heretickes that condemned it and that because a Bishoppes function is honourable and holie who for all that may bee a married man Which argument were vaine and friuolous if Saint Chrysostome should speake of a Bishops marriage while he was a meere lay man For hereupon would it follow necessarily that tyrannie persecution adultery and murder should be honourable aswell as honest wedlocke I prooue it because no disparitie can be giuen betweene S. Chrysostomes reason and this of mine For first as the function of a bishop is honourable so is the function of an Apostle so is the function of a prophet Againe as a married man may be a bishop so may a persecutor of Christes church be an apostle for S. Paul was both so may an adulterer so may a murderer be an holy prophet for good king Dauid was all three Thirdly as tyrannie is a great sin â—lbeit once a tyrant may afterward become an apostle and as adultery and murder be greeuous crimes although once an adulterer and once a murderer may afterward bee an holy prophet euen so doubtlesse marriage may be an vnlawfull thing albeit once a married man may afterward be an holy bishop And so S. Chrysostome coulde not well conclude marriage to be lawful because once a married man may be a Bishop S. Chrysostome saith yet further that euen with it eumeâ with holie wedlocke one may be made a bishop euen while hee is a married man For as the father and the sonne so also the husband and the wife be relatiues and correlatiues whose nature is as all Logicians graunt to place and displace be and not be liue and die all at once For so soone as a man beginneth to be a father so soone hath he a childe and so soone as hee ceaseth to haue a childe so soone ceaseth he to be a father although he still remaine a man And euen so is it with the husband and the wife Adde hereunto that S. Chrysostome should not say with wedlocke but after it if he meant as the papistes woulde haue him to doe I therefore conclude that if S. Chrysostome meane not of a Bishoppes marriage during the very time hee is a bishop his argument is vaine and friuolous And in this argument Theophilactus subscribeth to S. Chrysostome The second place is that reason which S. Paule maketh to the Corinthians and is conteined in these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haue we not power to leade about a sister a wife aswel as the rest of the apostles and as the brethren of the Lorde and Cephas By this it appeareth manifestly if it be well marked that S. Peter and other of the apostles were married and that they did leade their wiues about with them when they went abroad preaching the holy gospel For first the Greeke worde in the originall signifieth a wife as well as a woman Secondly the word carrying about argueth a certaine interest and right in the partie that is carried about Thirdly it had been a very scandalous thing that the apostles being single men shoulde carry strange women about with them Fourthly this place cannot be vnderstoode of riche matrones because such women would haue relieued the apostles and not haue suffered them to be chargeable to their auditors and yet doth the apostle here speake of such women as were relieued by the preaching of the Gospel Fiftly if the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be not here taken for a wife but for a woman it must needes be a vain and childish addition because euery sister is a woman Sixtly because S. Clâ—ment and Eusebius Caesariensis expound this place of S. Paules wife and not of any other woman Iohannes Christophorsonus a great papist alledgeth S. Clements wordes out of Eusebius in this maner Clemens deinceps apostolos qui matrimonium contraxisse reperiuntur enâ—merat Ãdque contra eorum sententiam qui nuptias tollere abrogareque instituerent Numinquit sunt apostolos improbaturi Petrus enim Philippus liberos procrearunt Philippus filias viri collocauit in matrimonium Paulus etiam non veretur in quadam epistola contugis suae mentionem facere quam eò minime secum circumduxit quò facilius liberiusque suo fungeretur ministerio Clement afterward reckoneth the apostles who are knowne to haue been married men and that against their opinion who endeuoured to abrogate and take away marriage Will they saith he condemne the apostles for both Peter and Philip begat children and Philip bestowed his daughters vpon husbandes in marriage Paul also blusheth not in one of his Epistles to make mention of his wife whom he woulde not carrie about with him to the end hee might preach the gospel more freely See the first proposition following The first obiection It is cleere that S. Paul would not marry his owne sister and therefore the woman he speaketh of could not be his wife The answere I answere that the names of brother and sister in the primitiue church were proper to the faithfull and true beleeuers Sundrie wiues also in those daies were of a dissonant religion from their husbands S. Paule therefore to shew his wife to be a christian and a true beleeuer calleth her a sister As if he had said the woman I speake of is not only my wife but withall a christian and a true beleeuer The 2. obiection These women that S. Paul speaketh of were not the wiues of the apostles but cerâ—aine deuout women that followed the Apostles for zeale of the gospel as we reade of many women that followed Christ and did not thereby commit any scandall at all The answere I say first that the women S. Paule speaketh of were the wiues of the apostles as I haue proued I say secondly y t it is one thing to follow voluntarily as the women did our sauiour Christ and another thing to be led about as were the women of whom the apostle speaketh I say thirdly that it was an vsual and ordinary thing aswell for women as for men to resort to Hierusalem whither these women followed Christ. I say fourthly that these womâ—n were many togither and went in the company of their husbandes and neighbours and so they could not be subiect to any scandal at al. But if the Apostles were single men and went into seuerall partes of the worlde and led single women about with them so must they then needes be subiect vnto scandall vnlesse they were as is said their lawfull wiues indeed I say fiftly that if they were old women they could not endure the labours of so painfull and long iournies And if they were yong women or vnder threescore they ought to marry according to Paules doctrine The 4. proposition Marriage was deemed lawful for all sortes of people aswel
for ecclesiasticall persons as others that for many hundreth yeares togither after Christes glorious ascension into heauen This proposition I prooue many waies First because Peter Iames Paul Philip and the rest of the apostles were all married as is already prooued Secondly because sundrie of the holy fathers had wiues and children S. Gregory Nazianzene was a bishops sonne and admitted to the pastorall charge by his father in his life time S. Cheremon the bishop of Nicopolis in Egypt was a married man and a stout confessor For both he and his wife being wel stricken in yearâ—s fled from persecution to a mountaine in Arabia from whence they neither returned neither were after that seene of any man S. Philogonius so highly commended by S. Chrysostome was a married bishop and had a daughter S. Spiridion who wrought wonderfull myracles in his life time was the bishop of Cyprus and a married man he had a daughter Irene by name who being full of pietie and sanctimonie of life died a virgine This married bishop liued about 350. yeares after Christ. Eupsychius the bishop of Caesaria was a married man and soone after his marriage martyred for Christ Iesus For as Nicephorus and Cassiodorus report in their ecclesiasticall histories he was put to death being as yet in manner a new married man Thirdly because the Popes owne canon lawe telleth vs that many Popes were the sons of priests to wit Bonifacius Agapitus Theodorus Syluerius Foelix Hosius Gelasius Deusdedit and many others But perhaps our papists will say that all these were bastards and answer with their glosse that vitium tollitur per successionem the fault is taken away by succession Oh what will not poperie doe But yet wee may put them in mind of another canon which telleth them that al these Popes aforenamed were legitimate children because in those dayes Popes and Bishops might marrie lawfully Which assertion proueth exactly my proposition Fourthly because many councels haue decreed this veritie and the Apostles themselues in their canons haue set down this decree Episcopus aut presbyter aut diaconus vxorem suam praetextu religionis non abiicito si abiicit segregator à communione si perseuerat deponator Let neither Bishop nor Priest nor Deacon put away his wife vnder pretence of religion if hee so doe let him be excommunicate if he contâ—â—ue let him be deposed Out of these words I note first that in the dayes of the Apostles it was lawfull for Bishoppes Priests and Deacons to haue wiues I note secondly that if either Bishop priest or Deacon shoulde put away his wife vnder pretence of holynesse or religion for that his offence hee ought to bee excommunicated I note thirdly that if the Bishoppe priest or Deacon would not receiue his wife againe whome he had put away vnder pretence of holinesse which the Pope this day so straitly commaundeth then such Priest Bishoppe and Deacon ought to bee depriued of his liuing I note fourthly that these Canons how soeuer they be indeede are highly magnified of the papists and therefore must they of necessitie be a forceable testimonie against them In the councell of Ancyra it was decreed that the deacons who in the time of their orders saide they woulde marrie shoulde continue still in the ministerie euen after the celebration of their marriage Where note that this councell was holden about three hundred and eight yeeres after Christs incarnation The councel of Gangra accursed him that thought a married priest might not minister the holy communion The third councell of Constantinople the sixt generall synode so called decreed that Priests Deacons and subdeacons should continue with their lawfull wiues and begeâ—te children at al such time times as they were not in actual execution of the ministerie albeit they knew the church of Rome to haue another custome This famous generall councel was holden about the yere of our Lord 681. where were present two hundred eightie and nine bishops al which though so many in number and liuing so manie yeeres after Christ confessed neuerthelesse that the marriage of Priests was a lawfull thing The fift Proposition The prohibition of marriage in ecclesiastical persons is not onely against Gods holy ordinance but withall the flat doctrine of the deuill The former part of this proposition I proue sundrie waies First Saint Paul willeth euerie man to haue his wife and euery woman to haue her husband and that for this end and purpose to auoid fornication Out of which words I note first that where euerie man is named there doubtlesse no man is excepted I note secondly that marriage is a soueraigne medicine against fornication and therefore ought to be vsed of all such as finde themselues grieued with that disease And consequently since that disease is as well incident to persons ecclesiasticall as secular the medicine is as necessarie and as lawful for the one sort as it is for the other For which cause Paphnutius spake openly in the councel of Nice that it was vnlawfull to debarre Bishops and Priests from their wiues but hereof more at large heereafter Secondly S. Paule hauing commended the estate of the vnmarried and widowes as more conuenient and profitable doth forthwith wish those that cannot abstaine to vse the remedie of marriage And hee yeeldeth this reason because it is better to marrie then to burne Thirdly marriage is honourable among all and the vndefiled bed but whoremongers and adulterers God wil iudge Out of which words I note first that since marriage is honourable in all sorts of men it ought not to be blamed in persons ecclesiasticall vnlesse happily which the Apostle perceiued not their function taketh from them the nature of men I note secondly the antithesis which the Apostle here maketh for as adulterie shal be punished in all sorts of people none at all excepted euen so must marriage bee honourable in all sorts no one or other exempted from the same And where the wound is common to all there the medicine must not be applied onely to some few For as Haymo gathereth learnedly adulterers are therefore iustly punished because the remedie of wedlocke is granted to them nowe if this learned writer who liued aboue 700 yeeres agoe conclude effectually out of S. Paul as euerie indifferent reader will say hee doth then doubtlesse must it folow necessarily that either ecclesiastical persons may as lawfully marrie as others or else that they cannot bee so iustly punished for fornication as other men ought to be This illation is so euident as none with right reason will denie the same Fourthly Saint Paul confesseth plainely that hee hath no authoritie to command single life or verginitie therefore the Pope chalengeth greater authoritie then the Apostle when he commandeth to abstaine from marriage Fiftly Christ appointeth marriage for all such as are neyther eunuches made by men nor by the
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
they iterate their sinne in performing the same Who neuerthelesse shoulde haue sinned but once if after the making of their vngodly vowes they had ceased from the performance thereof For which cause holy Bernard aduiseth his sister grauely not to keepe and performe any ill vow Thus doth he write Rescinde fidem in malis promissis In turpi voto muta decretum Malum quod promisisti non facias Quod incautè vouisti nō impleas Impia est promissio quae scelere adimpletur Breake thy faith in euill promises chaunge thy purpose in vnhonest vowes doe not that euill which thou hast promised performe not that which thou hast rashly vowed That promise is wicked which is performed with wickednesse S. Isidorus hath the selfe same resolution concerning ill vowes as hee is alledged by Gratian. S. Bede after he had largely discoursed vpon euil promises and withall shewed that it is better euen to be periured then to performe naughtie and wicked promises alledged for the confirmation of his opinion the fact of holy Dauid in the death of Nabal These are his wordes Denique iurauit Dauid per Deum occidere Nabal virum stultum impium atque omnia quae ad eum pertinebant demoliri sed ad primam intercessionem Abigail foeminae prudentis mox remisit minas reuocauit ensemin vaginam neque aliquid culpae se pro taliperiurio contraxisse doluit Finally Dauid sware by God that he would kill Nabal a foolish wicked man that he would destroy all his both smal great yet so soon as Abigail Nabals wife a wife woman made her petition to him he abated his anger put vp his sword and nothing lamented the breach of his othe S. Ambrose hauing at large prooued by many golden testimonies that it was sinne to breake ill vows then to performe the same at length alleageth the ensample of Christ himselfe for that only purpose these are his words Non semper igitur promissa soluenda omnia sunt denique ipse dominus frequenter suam mutat sententiam sicut scriptura indicat Therefore all promises ought not to be kept at all times for euen our Lord God himselfe doeth oftentimes change his purpose as holie Writ beareth record S. Austen reputeth it a great point of wisedome not to do that which a man hath rashly spoken thus doth he write Magnae sapientiae est reuocare hominem quod male locutus est It is great wisedome for a man to call backe and not performe that which he hath spoken vnaduisedly Soter who himselfe was the bishop of Rome teacheth expresly that rash promises ought not to be kept these are his words Si aliquid incautius aliquem iurasse contigerit quod obseruatum in peiorem vergat exitum illud salubri consilio mutandum nouerimus magis instante necessitate periurandum nobis quam pro facto iuramento in aliud crimen maius diuertendum If any man shall sweare vnaduisedly which if it be performed bringeth greater harme that ought to be changed by prudent aduise for we must rather be periured if neede so require then for performance of our othe to commit a greater sinne so then it is euident that vngodly and vnlawfull vowes ought not to be kept But such is not the vow of single life say the papists This therefore must be examined The vow of single life is a godly vow and so liked of Saint Paul as he reputed them damned that kept not the same I answer that it is a wicked and vngodly vow to tie our selues from marriage al the daies of our life and I wil proue the same by the best approued popish doctours and by the doctrine established in the Romish church and that because the replie containeth such matters as is no lesse intricate then important I therefore say first that it is a verie wicked and vngodly act for a man to expose himselfe to sinne Thus much is granted by the vniforme consent of all learned Papists insomuch as all the Summists agree in this that those arts which can seldome or neuer be vsed without sin are altogether vnlawfull Gregorie surnamed the Great as hee was vertuous and learned so was he the bishop of Rome and for that respect of great account among the Papists though he were no papist in deede as now a daies papists are so knowne and called thus doth he write Sunt enim pleraque negotia quae sine peccatis exhiberi aut vix aut nullatenus possunt quae ergo ad peccatum implicant ad haec necesse est vt post conuersionem animus non recurrat For there be sundrie arts which can hardly or not at all bee practised without sinne therefore after our conuersion wee may not haue recourse to such as anie way draw vs to sinne Nowe let vs applie this to the matter in hand for it is most certaine that he exposeth himselfe to sinne that bindeth himselfe neuer to vse the remedie against sinne for example if a man should vow that hee would neuer vse the helpe of surgerie or phisicke that man shoulde doubtlesse expose himselfe to the perill of death none but senselesse bodies will or can this denie So in our case of single life because God hath appointed matrimonie for a remedie against sinne so saith the Apostle to auoide fornication let euerie one haue his wife and let euerie woman haue her husband For which respect Saint Gregorie Nazianzene saith that marriage is not so subiect to perill as single life I say secondly that it is a great sinne to debarre and stop the course of naturall propension yea this is a thing so certaine as their angelicall doctour Aquinas proueth thereby the murdering of ones selfe to be sinne bicause it is against the inclination of nature Nowe let vs make application heereof for the propension to beget children is naturall as which was before sinne in the state of innocencie and so hee that maketh a perpetuall vow of chastitie feeling in himselfe this propension committeth a greeuous sinne I say thirdly that it is a damnable sinne to tempt God for it is written in Gods booke yee shall not tempt the Lorde your God Vppon which words the glosse receiued of all papists saith thus Deum tentat qui habens quid faciat sine ratione committit se periculo hee tempteth God who hauing ordinarie meanes committeth himselfe to daunger without cause This exposition is so agreeable to the text as Aquinas willingly admitteth the same Nowe let vs applie it to the matter in hande He that refuseth ordinarie meanes and so committeth himselfe to perill tempts God grieuously as both the popish glosse and Aquinas grant but the ordinarie meanes to auoide fornication is marriage saith the Apostle therefore he that voweth neuer to marrie exposeth himselfe to the danger of fornication thereby tempteth god grieuously and consequently his vow is wicked and damnable I say fourthly
rash impious and most execrable in Gods sight The perioch of the chapter Priestes were married in the olde lawe and in time of the new testament in the East church and in the West Many popes of Rome were the sonnes of priests neither were they bastardes but legitimate children Many holy and learned bishops were married men S. Gregory S. Spiridion S. Cheremon S. Philogonius S. Eupsichius S. Paphnutius defended the marriage of priestes publickly in the councell of Nice and auouched in the spirite of God that the vse of holy wedlocke was honourable in them euen in time of their priesthood S. Cheremon and his wife fled togither from persecution euen at that time when he was Bishop of Nicopolis Eupsichius was the bishop of Cesarea and forthwith after his marriage martyred for Christ Iesus The apostles themselues were married begate children and carried their wiues about with them while they preached the gospel abroad in the countrey Clergie men vsed the benefite of marriage aswell as secular persons vntill the vntimely birth of wicked pope Syritius Bishops priests and all religious persons so termed may most lawfully marry by the lawes of God and are onely debarred thereof by the odible lawes of man or rather to vse the apostles wordes by the detestable doctrine of Satan All this I haue proued effectually in this present chapter Yea the marriage of priestes was vsed without restraint in Germanie for the space of a thousand seuentie and foure yeares after Christes sacred incarnation That is vntill the daies of the vngratious pope Hildebrand who termed himselfe Gregorie the seuenth who crept into the popedome by naughty meanes in the yeare of Christ 1074. And because I wil charge the Papistes with nothing but that which they shall neuer be able to denie their own deare moonk Lambertus Schafnaburgensis a man whom their trusty friend Ar. Pontacus Burdegalensis affirmeth to haue handled the histories of his time very exactly shalbe my witnesse against the pope and popishly prohibited marriages This writer so authenticall as ye heare writeth in this maner Hildebrandus papa cum episcopis Italiae conueniens iam frequentibus synodis decreuerat vt secundum instituta antiquorum canonum presbyteri vxores non habeant habentes aut dimittant aut deponantur nec quispam omnino ad sacerdotium admittatur qui non in perpetuum continentiam vitamque caelibemprofiteatur Sequitur aduersus hoc decretum protinus vehementer infremuit tota factio clericorum hominem plane haereticum vesani dogmatis esse clamitans qui oblitus sermonis domini quo ait non omnes capiunt verbum hoc qui potest capere capiat Apostolus qui se non continet nubat melius est enim nubere quam vri violenta exactione homines viuere cogeret ritu angelorum dum consuetum cursum naturae negaret fornicationi immunditiei fraena laxaret Pope Hildebrand togither with the Bishoppes of Italie decreed in frequent Synodes that after the ordinaunces of olde canons priestes shoulde not haue wiues and that suche as had wiues shoulde either put them awaie or bee depriued of their liuinges and that none shoulde be admitted to the order of priesthoode but hee that woulde professe the perpetual vow of single life Against this decree the whole faction of the clergy stormed wonderfully exclaming that Hildebrand was mad a flat heretike as who had forgotten the words of the Lord who saith that all cannot liue continent and the Apostle saith hee that cannot abstaine let him marrie for it is better to marrie then to be burnt and would violently compel men to liue like angels and while hee denied the accustomed course of nature gaue libertie to fornication and vncleannesse Out of which wordes I note first that this Lambertus was a Monke and a great patron of poperie which I proue by two reasons first for that hee tearmed it a faction to withstand Pope Hildebrands wicked decree Again because he affirmeth the late prohibition of priests marriage to bee according to the old canons which canons for al that were not before the daies of the late Pope Syricius as I haue proued I note secondly that since this Lambert was a great and zealous papist all must needs be of good credit that he saith against the papists and popish doctrine I note thirdly that priests were married in Germanie aboue one thousand seuentie yeeres after Christ that is till the time of this wicked Hildebrand I note fourthly that it was so strange a thing in those dayes to speake against the mariage of priests in Germanie that they reputed Pope Hildebrand a madde man and an heretique for withstanding the same And yet such is the fondnesse and madnesse of the common sorte this daye that they deeme them mad men and heretikes who speake in defence thereof I note fiftly that all the learned in Germanie proued the Pope an heretike by the flatte testimonie of Christ and his Apostle I note sixtly that by the verdict of all the learned in Germanie that great and goodly country Pope Hildebrand did not only enforce them violently against their auncient custome but withall did open the window to al filthie liuing Priests were also married in our owne countrey of England till the late dayes of the saide Pope Hildebrand if wee will beleeue our owne English Chronicles Polidorus another deare friend of the papists shall tell them what he thinks of the Popes proceeding touching the marriage of priests thus doth he write Illud tamen dixerim tantum abfuisse vt ista coacta castitas illam coniugalem vicerit vt etiam nullius delicti crimen maius ordini dedecus plus malireligioni plus doloris omnib bonis impresserit inusserit attulerit quam sacerdotum libidinis labes proinde forsitan tam è republica christiana quam ex ordinis vsu esset vt tandem aliquando ius publici matrimoni◠sacerdotibus restitueretur quod illi sine infamia sanctè potius colerent quam se spurcissimè eiuscemodi naturae vitio turpificarent Yet this I wil say that this compelled chastitie of priests was so far frō excelling chastity in wedlock as no crime whatsoeuer hath brought greater shame to priesthood more harme to religion more griefe to all good men then the vnchast life of priests Therefore perhaps it were no lesse necessarie for the publike weale of christendome then for the order of priesthood that once againe priests might marrie publikely that so they might liue honestly without shame not pollute themselues so filthily This is the iudgemēt of their own popish Polidore who being an Italian knewe best the Romish fashion He confesseth plainly as you see that priests were maried in old time wishing for great causes that it were so againe Their great Cardinall Panormitanus giueth so worthie a testimony of this controuersie as which being well marked will confoūd al papists in the world these be his words Continentia nō est
and Aquinas saw the force of this reason and grauely vrged the same Yea the holy virgin renounceth flatly their hereticall and hypocriticall doctrine in her humble thankes to God for her saluation My soule saith she doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit reioyceth in God my sauiour For this cause Bernard cryeth out in these words Non est hoc virginem honorare sed honori detrahere The virgin is not this way honored but greatly dishonored Secondly because as Bernard saieth Where lust is there must needs be sinne and therefore since the virgin was conceiued with lust or else as they dare not say by the holy ghost it followeth that she was conceiued in sinne Other reasons the same Bernard hath but these may suffice The second reply But saint Austen saith that hee will alway except the holy virgine Mary when he disputeth or reasoneth of sinners or sinne The answer I say first that saint Austen confesseth flatly as you haue heard that the blessed virgin was vndoubtedly conceiued in original sin I say secondly that originall sin is of infinite deformitie as is already proued and consequently that the blessed virgin being polluted therewith was neuer able to yeeld condigne compensation for the same howe great soeuer her holinesse was afterward the reason is afore yeelded for that the infinit malice of sin surmounteth the value of the finite actions of all creatures And if she were not able to satisfie for her own sinnes much lesse had shee any surplussage of satisfaction left which may serue to binde vp the popes pardons for the sins of others I say thirdly that albeit S. Austen would not for the honor of our Sauior as he saith call the blessed virgin into question touching sin yet doth he not affirm her to haue bin void of all actual sinne but seemeth rather to hold the contrary For he addeth these words Vnde enim scimus quod ei plus gratiae colla tum fuerit ad vincendum omni ex parte peccatum quae concipere ac parere meruit quem constat nullum habuisse peccatum For how know we that she had more grace giuen her to ouercome all sinne who did conceiue and beare him that certainely was free from al sin In which words S. Austen sheweth plainly that he can not tell whether the blessed virgin was voide of all actuall sinne or no yet is he vnwilling to call her into question for the honour of our Lord Iesus whose mother she was according to the flesh Yea Saint Austen in his questions vpon the new testament if it be his worke confesseth freely that she sinned for want of faith These are his expresse words Hoc vtique significauit quia etiam Maria per quam gestum est mysterium incarnationis saluatoris in morte domini dubitaret ita tamen vt in resurrectione firmaretur This verily is signified that Marie by whome was accomplished the misterie of the incarnation of our Sauiour doubted in the death of our Lord yet so as she was confirmed in his resurrection Thus hee writeth and yet knoweth euerie child that to doubt in matters of faith is no little sinne S. Basil dissenteth nothing from Saint Augustine when hee telleth vs that the blessed virgin standing by the crosse wauered and was doubtfull in her minde while shee behelde on one side what miserie hee suffered on the other side what wonders he had done Saint Chrysostome affirmeth so expressely that the blessed virgin sinned that their angelicall doctour Aquinas is enforced to vse this sillie shift for a colorable answere to his words to wit that hee was excessiue in his words But who wil not rather thinke that hee was presumptuous in his answere These are S. Chrysostomes expresse words Quae estmater mea fratres mei aiebat siquidem nō adhuc debitam de ipso opinionem habebant sed more matrum Maria iure omnia filio se praecepturam censebat cum tanquam dominum colere reuereri licebat ideo in hunc modum respondit who is my mother my brethren said Christ for they had not yet a right opiniō of him but Mary after the maner of mothers thought she might command her sonne to do all things albeit she might well haue honored him as her Lord therfore did he answer in this maner Againe he saith thus Optabat enim vt tam hominum gratiam conciliaret ipsa clarior filij gratia efficeretur fortasse aliquo humano afficiebatur affectu For she wished that now he would win the fauor of men that she might be more famous for his sake and perhappes she was touched with some humane affection Againe in another place he saith thus Ambitione quadam ac ostentatione commoti foris eum in praesentia omnium euocarunt vt viderentur facile ac magna cum potestate Christo imperare Infra vnde patet inani quadam gloria illos commotos fuisse nihil adhuc magni de ipso cogitantes quod apertius Ioannes significauit dicens quia neque fratres eius credebant in eum They being tickled with ambition and vaine glorie called him out in the presence of all that they might seeme to command Christ at their pleasure and with authoritie Whervpon it is cleare that they were tickled with vaine glorie hauing no great opinion on him as yet which Iohn signified euidently when he saide For neither did his brethren beleeue in him Saint Hierome shall conclude this point which I haue handled more at large because many stumble at it and fewe seeme to vnderstand it well these are his expresse words Conclusit Deus omnes sub peccato vt omnium misereatur absque eo solo qui peccatum non fecit nec inuentus est dolus in ore eius God hath shut vp all vnder sinne that he may shew mercie vnto all him onely excepting that sinned not neither was there guile found in his mouth The third replie She was Christs mother and therefore was more blessed then al other women The answere I confesse willingly that shee was blessed aboue all women and yet that shee was a sinner and had Christ not onely for her sonne but euen for her Lorde and Sauiour neither was it so great a grace simplie and barely to beare Christ as the Papists faine it to be but the holy fathers S. Austen and S. Chrysostome shal tel vs what they thinke therof S. Austen hath these expresse words Hoc in ea magnificauit dominus quia fecit voluntatem patris non quia caro genuit carnē Propterea cum dominus in turba admirabilis videretur faciens signa prodigia ostendens quid lateret in carne admiratae quaedam animae dixerunt foelix venter qui te portauit ille imò foelices qui audiunt verbum Dei custodiūt illud hoc est dicere mater mea quam appellatis foelicem inde foelix quia verbum
damned in hell blaspheme Christ ergo there be some vnder the earth that is in purgatorie which worship and adore Christ. The answer I answere that the bowing of the knee whereof the apostle speaketh doth not signify worship or adoration but that subiection which shalbe shewed openlie in the last iudgement when and where the deuilles as well as men and the good angels shall yeeld homage and dominion vnto Christ. For so S. Paul expoundeth S. Paul in his epistle to the Romaines and S. Luke recordeth that the deuill falleth prostrate before Christ and acknowledgeth his power ouer him which is that bowing of the knee whereof S. Paul speaketh Other expositions whatsoeuer are repugnant to the text The replie S. Iohn saith that hee heard all the creatures which are in heauen and on earth and vnder the earth and in the sea and al that are in them saying in this maner praise and honor and glorie and power be vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the Lambe for euermore Therefore they be vnder the earth which truely worship Christ and consequently since the deuils as yee grant do rather blaspheme then worship Christ they that worship Christ vnder the earth must needes bee the soules in purgatory The answere I answere that S. Iohn meaneth nothing els then that which S. Paul hath vttered he vseth the figure Prosopopeia after the vsuall course of the scriptures causeth things senselesse and voide of reason to sounde out the praise of God so saith the Psalmograph Dauid All thy workes praise thee O Lord and thy saints blesse thee and in another place thus The heauens declare the glorie of God and the firmament sheweth the worke of his hands yea as the prophet saith and as the three holy Hebrewes sang fire heate winter summer frost snow light darkenesse the starres the sunne the moone and creatures blesse the Lord. The tenth obiection S. Iohn saith that no vncleane thing shall enter into heauen but many depart out of this life which are not pure ergo such must be purged in purgatorie before they come in heauen The answere I say first that faith in Christ Iesus can as well purge a man in this life as the Popes pardons and yet as your selues teach vs a plenarie indulgence will salue this impuritie I say secondly that it is a needelesse thing to establish popish purgatorie because popish pardons supplie the want thereof This is proued copiously in my booke of Motiues I say thirdly that the faithfull and elect children of God haue their cleanenesse before him in Christ his sonne with which they may enter into heauen For as S. Iohn saith they haue washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lambe who as S. Paul saith when hee knew no sinne was yet made the sacrifice for sin that we might be the righteousnes of God in him And as S. Peter saith their hearts are purified by faith yea as Christ himself saith his sacred word hath made them cleane In fine holy Writ pronounceth them blessed that die in the Lord that they rest from their labors Which being so they neither haue any impurity nor suffer any purgatorie paine The replie You all confesse that your inherent iustice is vnperfect and impure and so your vncleanenes must be taken away after this life be fore yee come into heauen ergo there is a purgatorie The answere I answere that original concupiscence is an inseperable accidēt during this life aswel in you as in vs but as it is proper to this state so is it taken away in that very instant in which our state is altered The 11. obiection S. Peter saith that God raised vp Christ after he had loosed the sorrows of hel This place saith our Iesuite must needs be vnderstood of purgatory for first it cānot be meant of the damned because their paines shal neuer end Secondly it cannot be meant of the sorrowes of Christ because they were finished on the crosse Thirdly it cannot be meant of the fathers in Limbo because they had no paine at all it therefore remaineth that it be meant of the sorrowes which soules abide in purgatorie The answere I say first that if their Latin text were sound this obiection would solue it selfe for the originall and Greeke text is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hauing loosed the sorrowes of death Out of which words nothing can be gathered that fauoreth purgatory any thing at al. I say secondly that if it were as y e papists do reade the sorrowes of hel being loosed their soules should alwayes feele paine but neuer haue an end Which cannot be truely verified of their purgatorie fire I say thirdly that the fathers whō the papists hold to haue bin in Limbo at that time did according to their owne doctrine suffer poenam damni because they were not as yet partakers of the cleare vision beatificall which Bellarmine granteth in another place and so is repugnant to himselfe But let that be deemed a small fault in a Iesuite which is thought a great crime in another man Adde hereunto that poena damni is a greater pain then poena sensus by their best popish diuinitie I say fourthly that by the sorrows of death is meant nothing els but the bitter paines which Christ suffered vpon the crosse to accomplish mans redemption For then did he properly perfectly triumph ouer death when he rose againe from death who was deliuered to death for our sins saith Saint Paul and is risen againe for our iustification And the verie words of the text next following in the Actes doe confirme this exposition for there it is thus written whome God raised vp and loosed the sorrowes of death because it was vnpossible that he should be holden of it as if S. Peter had said although the passion of Christ was so bitter exceeding great as implying the curse and malediction due for our sinnes insomuch that the remembrance therof caused him to sweate out drops of blood yet could not death possiblie preuaile against him but that he should rise againe and conquer both hel and it The replie Although the greek word in the 24. verse signifieth death yet in the 27 verse it signifieth hel and so the sense is against you The answere I answer that the hebrew word in the psalme from whence this sentence is taken is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth a sepulchre or graue and so doth your owne great linguiste Arias Montanus interpret it as if the Prophet hadde saide thou wilt not leaue my soule or life in the graue For the course of holy scripture doth comprehende our life vnder the name of the Soule so saith the Prophet Ionas therefore now O Lord take I beseech thee my soule from me for it is better for me to die then to liue So is it in the Hebrew and original and yet by
the word soule must we vnderstād life for so the words following doe require of necessitie so saith Paul trouble not your selues anima enim ipsius in ipso est for his soule that is his life is in him And a litle after he saith thus neither is my soule deare to me so I may fulfil my course where by y e word soule life must needs be vnderstood So Ioseph was bidden to take the babe and his mother to go into the land of Israel because they were dead that sought the babes soule that is his life so Christ saith that a good shepheard giueth his soule for the sheepe that is his life These and other like places doe proue euidently that our soule in the scriptures is taken for our life so that when the scripture saith God wil not suffer Christs soule to tarrie in the graue it meaneth Christs life as if it shoulde say Christ shal not be long dead death shall not swallow him vp or preuaile against him The 12. obiection Saint Austen and other of the fathers haue taught flatly that there is a purgatorie and therefore whosoeuer denieth purgatory opposeth himselfe against the fathers The answere I say first that I haue said sufficiently for the authoritie of the fathers in my booke of Motiues in the ninth chap. of credit due vnto writers I say secondly that the fathers as they were men so had they their imperfections and errors are no lesse reiected of the papists when they make against them then of vs. Yea no man reiecteth the fathers with such temeritie as doth the Iesuite Bellar. when he dislikes them This is proued in my book of Motiues I say thirdly that thogh sundry of the fathers seeme to grant that there is a purgatorie yet do they it so doubtfully so vnconstantly so coldly as none of thē do or can make it an article of our belief And for proofe hereof one only S. Austin may suffice for the rest In one place he writes in this manner Tale aliquid etiam post hanc vitam fieri incredibile non est vtrum ita sit quaeri potest It is not incredible but that some such thing may be after this life and it is a question whether there be anie such thing or no. Again in another place after he hath discoursed largely of purgatory in y e end he cōcludeth doubtfully thus Non redarguo quia forsitan verum est I doe not reprooue it because perhaps it is true Again in another place he hath these expresse words Siue ergo in hac vita tantum homines ista patiuntur siue etiam post hanc vitam talia quaedam iudicia subsequūtur non abhorret quantum arbitror a ratione veritatis iste intellectus huius sententiae Whether therfore men suffer these things onely in this life or also after this life some such iudgementes follow this interpretation as I thinke is not repugnant to reason Thus we see cleerely howe vnconstant and how cold S. Austens doctrine is concerning popish purgatorie The 13. obiection The ancient fathers both praied and offered vp sacrifice for the dead which they would neuer haue done if there had not been a purgatorie The answere I say first that sundry of the fathers praied for the dead who neuer once dreamed of popish purgatory Which thing is so fully proued in my Motiues as may be sufficient for this obiection I say secondly that in the hote persecutions of the primitiue church when martyrs were daily put to death for confessing Christ Iesus then the church did offer the sacrifice of laud and thankesgiuing did celebrate anniuersaries or annuall memories of her faithful children in which memories were publickly named al such persons as died constantly for the christian faith Not by that meanes to procure any merite remission or satisfaction to those blessed martyrs for as y e papists graunt martyrs need no such thing but so to excite the liuing after their godly example boldly to confesse the name of Christ and therin to be ready to yeeld vp their liues when time and place should so require I say thirdly that they praied for y e dead to insinuate their hope in the resurrection to mitigate their own sorrow and to declare their affection towards the dead But neuer did anie of the approoued antiquitie pray in such sort for the dead as the papists this day doe I say fourthly that the praiers which the old fathers vsed ministred great occasiō to that superstitiō which is now an high point of Romish religion For the ignorant posteritie wrested euery thing to serue their turne I say fiftly that as the fathers were excited to pray for the dead of a certaine natural affection towards them so were they doubtful what effect their praiers shuld haue and whether they did profite the dead or no. Yea some of the fathers praied onely for the resurrection of the body as I haue prooued in my Motiues The vncertaintie doubts which the other fathers had shal appeare euidently by S. Austens testimony First therfore S. Austen praied for his mother that she might haue remission of her sins for I will conceale nothing y t seemeth to make for the papists yet did S. Austen thus pray only to shew his louing ardent affection towards his mother not to procure any remittall for her sins as whose sins he constantly beleeued were already pardoned For these are his expresse wordes Et credo iam feceris quod te rogo sed voluntaria oris mei approba Domine And I verily beleue y t thou hast already done as I desire yet Lord accept my inward affection vttered by my lippes Out of which words I note that Austen beleeued his mothers sins to be forgiuen before he praied for her and that the end and intent of his praier was only this to shew that he was naturally and dutifully affected to his mother Vpon which kinde of vndiscreet zeale great superstition and flat idolatry followed in his posteritie as I said before Secondly S. Austen hauing distinguished three sortes of dead to wit very good very euill and neither very good nor very euill affirmeth y t praiers made for the very bad damned soules do make their dānation more tollerable These are his expresse wordes Pro valde malis etsi nulla sunt adiumenta mortuorū qualescunque viuorū consolationes sunt Quibus autem prosunt aut ad hoc prosunt vt sit plena remissio aut certe vt tolerabilior fiat ipsa damnatio For the very bad although they be no helpes to the dead yet are they some solace to the liuing And whom they profite they profite for this that either they may haue full remission or that their dānation be more tolerable Out of which words I note that Saint Austen holdeth in this point of praying for the dead that which neither is sound neither yet allowed by
needlesse which God appointeth to be done The replie Like as nobles and magistrates bring vs to the presence of an earthly king euen so doe saintes by their holy praiers bring vs to the presence and fauour of God the king of heauen The answere Saint Ambrose shall answere as who precisely and fully resolueth this question These are his wordes Ideo ad regem pertribunos aut comites itur quia homo vtique est rex nescit quibus debeat remp credere ad dominū autem quem vtique nihil latet omnium enim merita nouit promerendum suffragatore non opus est sed mente deuota Vbicunque enim talis locutus fuerit ei respondebit illi We are therefore brought to the presence of kinges by Lords and officers because the king is a man and knoweth not to whom he may commit his realme But to win Gods fauour from whō nothing is hid for he knoweth what euery man is meet to haue we need no spokesman but a deuout minde For wheresoeuer such a one speaketh to God God will answere him And this answere of S. Ambrose is consonant to the holy scripture For Christ himselfe saith Come vnto me all ye that are weary and laden and I will ease you Againe we must not iudge what is the wil of God by the similitudes of earthly thinges departed through sinne but by his sacred word reuealed from heauen The 2. obiection God saith by his prophet that though Moses and Samuel stood before him and praied for the people yet woulde not hee heare them Whereupon we may gather that saintes vse to pray for vs and that God heareth their praiers though neither at all times nor for all persons The answere I say first that conditionall propositions proue nothing but when the condition is put I say secondly that by popish doctrine Moses and Samuel did not then stand before God and consequently they did not then pray for the people For as the papists hold they were in Limbo vntill Christes ascension I say thirdly that the meaning of the text is no other then this to wit that if there were any man liuing so zealous as Moses and Samuel who shuld pray for that people yet would not God graunt his request This interpretation is most certaine as may most euidently be gathered out of these wordes of Ezechiel Though these three men Noah Daniel and Iob were among them they should deliuer but their owne soules by their righteousnesse As if he had said thus though most godly men Noah Iob and Daniel were now liuing togither and shoulde pray for this wicked people yet woulde not I heare them By which wordes it is manifest that God both before in Ieremie and now in Ezechiel speaketh of the praiers of the liuing for Daniel was now with Ezechiel aliue in captiuity and yet doth the scripture speake of them all indifferently The third conclusion To pray to be holpen for the merites of Saints departed is very superstitious and plaine diabolicall I prooue it because Christ is the lambe that taketh away the sins of the world because Christ is our aduocate the reconciliation for our sins because Christ only Christ is the mediatour between God vs Because Christ is our high priest the author of our saluatiō because Christ hath offered himself a sacrifice for our sins hath therewith sanctified vs for euer because Christ and onely Christ is hee in whose name wee must be saued Because Christ is hee in whose name we shall receiue whatsoeuer wee aske Because Christ is he through whose merites wee haue peace in God Because Christ is he that suffered for vs that we might be the righteousnesse of God in him Finally because the spirite of God enforceth the papistes themselues to conclude their publique praiers in this maner per dominum nostrum Iesum Christum through the merites of our Lord Iesus Christ. The obiection The fathers of the olde testament did often alledge and oppose against Gods wrath the names and merites of the holie patriarches Remember thy seruantes Abraham Isaac and Iacob For thy seruaunt Dauids sake refuse not the face of thine annointed Why may not wee therefore stand vpon the merites of Christes deere mother and of others his holy saintes The answere I answere that these and like inuocations very frequent in the scriptures do not depend vpon the merites of Gods saints but vpon his couenant and promise made to them and their posteritie So saith holy Moses Remember Abraham Isaac and Iacob thy seruantes to whom thou swarest by thine own selfe and saidst vnto them I will multiply your seed in which wordes he opposeth not their merites but Gods othe and promise So saith Salomon O Lord God of Israel thou hast kept with thy seruaunt Dauid my father that thou hast promised to him for thou spakest with thy mouth and hast fulfilled it with thine hand In which wordes holy Salomon vrgeth Gods promise not the merites of his father Dauid So saith God himselfe to Isaac dwell in this land and I will be with thee and will blesse thee and I will performe the othe which I sware to Abraham thy father Loe hee remembreth and respecteth his owne othe but not Abrahams merites No no for as I haue prooued alreadie copiously the most holy saintes in heauen are rewarded farre aboue their deserts and merites It is I say not for the merites of the godly but for Gods holy couenant made with them that God dealeth mercifully with their posterity For thus is it written in Gods own book howbeit the Lord will not destroie the house of Dauid because of the couenant that he made with Dauid because he had promised to giue a light to him and to his sonnes for euer The fourth conclusion The honor due to saints in heauen and which they require is not religious inuocation or adoration but holy imitation here on earth I proue it because God will not giue his honor to any other I am the Lord saith he this is my name and my glorie will I not giue to another And that inuocation is the peculiar worship and honour due to God S. Paul declareth euidently in these words for whosoeuer shall cal vpon the name of the Lord shall bee saued but howe shall they call on him in whome they haue not beleeued Austen prooueth this conclusion effectually in sundrie places of his works Non sit nobis religio inquit cultus hominum mortuorum Infra honorandi sunt propter imitationem non adorandi propter religionem Let not saith S. Austen the worship of dead men be our religion they are to be worshipped for imitation but not to bee adored for religion Againe in another place Nos autem martyribus nostris non templa sicut Diis sed memorias sicut hominibus mortuis quorū apud deum viuunt spiritus fabricamus nec ibi erigimus
altaria in quibus sacrificemus martyribus sed vni Deo martyrum nostro sacrificium immolamus ad quod sacrificium sicut homines Dei qui mundum in eius confessione vicerunt suo loco ordine nominantur non tamen à sacerdote qui sacrificat inuocantur We build not churches to our Martirs as to gods but we make memories as to dead men whose soules liue with God neither doe we reare vp altars there in which we may offer sacrifice of laud to the martyres but we offer sacrifice of thanksgiuing to one God the God of martyres and ours at which sacrifice they are named in their place and order as the men of God that haue ouercome the world in their confession neuerthelesse they are not inuocated or prayed vnto by the priest that offereth the sacrifice Of honour and reuerence due to Saints Eusebius Caesariensis maketh sufficient relation in these words Neque ChristuÌ„ aliquando possumus derelinquere qui mortem pro totius mundi salute sustinuit neque alium quenquam colere quoniam verum Deum qui solus colendus sit nouerimus martyres vero tanquam discipulos domini dâ—ligamus veneremur quasi integrè fidem magistro seruantes domino quorum nos quoque in fide perseuerantia charitatis optamus esse participes We can neither forsake Christ at any time who suffred death for y e saluatioÌ„ of the whole world neither can we worship any other but him because wee knowe him to be the tru God him that only is to be worshipped yet let vs loue and honor martires as the disciples of our Lord as those that keep their faith vndefiled to their master lord with whom also our selues desire to be partakers in faith and perseuerance of charitie What need more Christ himselfe saith Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God him onely shalt thou serue And saint Iohn was forbidden to worship the angell The first obiection God honoureth his saints and reputeth them for his deare friends Ergo it is our duetie also to honour them The answer We honour them with that honor which God hath appointed we acknowledge their faith their humilitie their patience their constancie and all their gratious gifts and wee desire to imitate the same and this is al the honor that saint Austen wil affoord them as you haue heard The second obiection The saints in heauen pray for vs and therefore it is meete that we inuocate and call vpon them For the angell saide O Lord of hostes how long wilt thou be vnmercifull to Ierusalem and to the cities of Iudah with whom thou hast bin displeased now these threescore and ten yeeres Baruch witnesseth that the dead pray for vs when he saith O Lord almightie heare now the prayer of the dead Israelites and of their children which haue sinned before thee Iudas Machabeus had a vision in which he saw Onias holding vp his handes toward heauen and praying for the whole people of the Iewes And saint Iohn saw 24. Elders fall downe before the lambe hauing euery one of them harpes and golden vialles full of odours which are the prayers of saints The answere I say first that although we grant both angels and saints in heauen to pray for the liuing on earth as they doe indeede in some cases for some respects yet doth it not follow that wee must inuocate and pray to them as shortly shall bee proued I say secondly that there is not the same reason in the saints and angels for the charge and defence of the church in this life is committed vnto the angels Besides this the angell in Zacharie praieth onely for the particular calamities of Iuda which were apparant aswell to men as to angels I say thirdly that Baruch speaketh of the prayers of the Israelites that were yet liuing but as dead for their manifold sins I say fourthly that the booke of Machabees is not canonical as I haue proued in my Motiues at large I adde that albeit Onâ—as prayed for the liuing yet must not the liuing inuocate or call vpon him as is alreadie said I say fiftly that the 24. Elders wherof S. Iohn speaketh do represent the church militant heere on earth and consequently the prayers there mentioned are of the liuing on earth not of the Saints raigning in heauen which interpretation must needes be sound and authenticall because the holy ghost doth confirme the same in the tenth verse following For among other thanks to God one is this that he hath made the elders to raigne on earth S. Irenaeus agreeth hereunto neither is any ancient approued writer of the contrarie opinion The third obiection Yee bewray your ignorance not knowing the difference betwene Latria and Dulia and so wrest the scriptures against the lawful worshipping of saints for the worship prohibited in the gospel and in the Reuelation is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that worship which is proper to God alone The answere I say first that though Saint Augustine made difference betweene Latria and Dulia in ecclesiasticall signification which was the cause of great superstition afterwarde in the Romish church yet did hee ascribe and giue all religious worship to God alone no other then ciuil worship to any creature whatsoeuer Which thing I haue proued out of Saint Austen already and shall more at large hereafter I say secondly that though saint Austen say that Latria is alway or almost alway taken in the scripture for diuine worship yet doeth Lodouicus Viues a learned papist oppose himselfe against saint Austen therein alledging sundry texts of the olde testament for his probation Yet the same Viues addeth that he is coÌ„tent with the distinctioÌ„s inuented by the popish schoole men so they will likewise allow him and others to vse wordes in their proper and natiue significations But heere I can not omit the taunt which hee by the way giueth to his scholasticall masters these are his wordes Obiter tamen admonebo eos duliam latriam penultimam habere longam ne breuem faciant sed has leges ipsi conteÌ„nere se dicunt quia nesciunt Yet must I saith he admonish them by the way that Latria and Dulia haue the last syllable saue one long lest they make it short But they say they care not for these rules because they know not what they meane Which checke doubtlesse were a bloodie word if any but a papist had giuen the same I say thirdly that Valla Suidas and Zenophon all three very skilfull in the greeke tongue affirme Latria and Dulia to haue one and the selfe same signification and that Latria is taken for that common seruice which one creature doth to another Thus writeth Zenophon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I O Cyrus would redeeme euen with my life that she should not serue Suidas also affirmes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Latria is seruice for hire I say fourthly that if this
distinction could serue the papists to prooue their superstitious worship it might also haue serued the deuill against Christ and so Christs reason had bin of no force for the deuill might haue said to Christ albeit it be true as thou saiest that Latria is onely to be giuen to God yet mayest thou giue me Dulia and not offend his law I say fiftly that the worship which S. Iohn was prohibited to do in the Reuelation was not Latria but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for these are the words of the angel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adore thou God as if he had said religious worship can be giuen to none but to the euerliuing God alone I say sixtly that the hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed in the old testament from whence this scripture is alledged by Christ signifieth seruice or seruitude in common without the difference of God or creatures I say seauenthly that as Latria is giuen to creatures so is Dulia applied to God and that is verie frequent not onely in prophane writers but euen in the new testament for S. Luke saith ye cannot serue God and riches or mammon where the greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Paul writing to the Rom. saith for they that are such serue not y e Lord Iesus Christ but their owne bellies In which place the Greeke word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the same apostle writing to the Thessalonians saith howe they turned to God from idols to serue the liuing true God in which place the greeke is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Paul though in many places he call himself the seruant of God yet vseth he euer the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now then since Latria and Dulia be in greek as ensis and gladius in latin and since aswell y e one as the other is applied indifferently to God his creatures the gentle reader may clearely behold how vaine and ridiculous is popish dealing in this behalfe The first replie Yee protestants abuse the angels prohibition when he had S. Iohn to adore God for the angel neuer meant to denie religious worship to be due to angels but to signifie that Saint Iohn did mistake him and that hee was not God and consequently that he was not worthie of that diuine honour which Iohn thinking him to be God did then giue vnto him The answere I say first that if any religious worship had bin due to anie creature the angel would not haue saide absolutely and simply adore or worship God but thus Worship not me but God with this kind of worship I say secondly that S. Iohn knew wel inough that this angell was not God For first he knewe that this angell was one of the seauen angels that shewed him these things as appeareth by the 17 chap. Secondly he willed S. Iohn immediatly before to write thus Blessed are they that are called to the supper of the Lamb whoÌ„ S. Iohn knew right wel to be Christ by the vision which himselfe reported in the fift chap. Thirdly this was not him that said in the 1. chapter I am alpha omega for it was Christ himself that then appeared to S. Iohn I say thirdly that this angell professed himselfe in expresse tearmes not to bee God but the messenger of God for he said vnto S. Iohn these words of God are true not these words of mine are true and yet S. Iohn forthwith adored him and the angel forthwith controled him for the same The second replie S. Iohn being an holy and worthie apostle endued largely with the spirit of god could not be ignorant what worship was vnlawful and to be reprehended and so hee erred materially in knowledge of the person not formally in the kind of adoration The answere I answere that if any religious worship could haue bin giuen to any creature the angel should haue induced S. Iohn into an error bidding him worship God and yeelding the reason why he should not worship him to wit because hee was a seruant not the Lord a creature not God as if hee had taught that all religious worshippe ought to be giuen to God alone S. Iohn therefore stricken into an extasie of minde through the maiestie of the angel that told these things fell sodainely downe before his feete to adore him which yet he did not of ignorance for the resons aleaged but of forgetfulnes as the iteration of the worship declared For though he was forbidden before to adore any beside god yet did he y e second time adore the angel forgetting himselfe sodainely and what the angel had said vnto him Austen maketh so plaine a recitall of this adoration as more needeth not to a reasonable mind These are his words Quare honoramus eos charitate non seruitute nec eis teÌ„pla construimus noluÌ„â— enim se sic honorari à nobis quia nosipsos cum boni sumus templa summi Dei esse nouerunt recte itaque scribitur hominem ab angelo prohibitum ne se adoraret sed vnum Deum sub quo ei esset ille coÌ„seruus qui autem nos inuitant vt sibi seruiamus tanquam deos colamus similes sunt superbis hominibus quibus si liceat similiter coli volunt Sed istos homines perpeti minus illos vero colere magis periculosuÌ„ est Infra religet ergo nos religio vni omnipotenti Deo quia inter mentem nostraÌ„ qua illuÌ„ intelligimus patrem veritatem id est lucem inâ—eriorem per quam illum intelligimus nulla interposita creatura est We honor angels with charitie not with seruice neither do we build temples vnto them for they will not be so honoured of vs because they know that we our selues when we are good are the temples of the higest God rightly therfore is it written that a man was forbidden by the angell that hee should not worship him but one God onely vnder whom he was a fellow seruant with him But they that inuite vs to serue them and to worship them as gods are like to proud men who if they might would be likewise worshipped but to suffer these meÌ„ is lesse perilous and to worship the angell is more daungerous Let religion therefore bind vs to one God almightie because betweene our mind by which we vnderstand him to be the father the truth that is the inward light through which we vnderstand him no creature is interposed The replie The angel prophesied that the Iewes shuld fal down before the bishop of Philadelphia adore him Iacob adored the top of his rod. Abraham adored the angels that appeared to him Balaam adored the angel that stood before him with a drawen sword Iosue adored the angel falling flat downe before his feete and calling him Lord and the angel refused not that worship but required yet more of him Nabuchodonosor adored Daniel and did great offices of
aboue him For first the virgine Mary is desired to defend vs from the tortures of hell Secondly to bring vs to the ioyes of heauen Thirdly the last iudgement is called her iudgement Fourthly she is called our sauiour Fiftly she is requested to saue father mother brother sister friendes benefactors the quicke and the dead by the help of Christ her sonne Now by the first foure she is made equall with Christ and by the last farre aboue him For she is the sauiour and hee the intercessor which I gather out of these wordes ipso auxiliante c. By the helpe of our Lord Iesus Christ. For by these wordes and the rest afore going the virgine Mary doth saue vs Christ is but the instrument that helpeth her in the worke of our saluation which howe intollerable blasphemie it is let the reader iudge I haue said The sixt conclusion To inuocate Saintes as the papistes doe and to beleeue that they heare their praiers is to make a pluralitie of Gods I say as the papistes doe because to inuocate saintes at certaine times in certaine places and for certaine respectes doth not make them gods I proue this conclusion because to heare all prayers at all times in all places for al things is a thing so proper to God as it can not possibly agree to anie but to God alone For his knowledge is infinite and so not communicable to any creature marke well gentle reader what I say for this reson is such as few seem to haue cōceiued y e same But certs no learned papist can indeed denie it to be tru For which cause their great learned D. Aquinas telles vs two truths the one that God can not communicate the power of creation to any creature liuing either on earth or in heauen and he proueth it out of Saint Augustine who saith that neither the good nor the bad angels can be the creators of any thing And why so because that kind of worke requireth power infinite whereof no creature is or can be capable The other that none but God is or can be infinite and his reason is euident because to be infinite is against the nature of that which is made The first obiection The Saints in heauen may heare vnderstand our praiers on earth and yet haue limited not infinit knowledge ergo the proofe of your conclusion is not good The answere I say first that God hath reuealed to his seruants on earth the secret cogitations and externall facts of others farre distant from them For hee reuealed to Ahias that Ieroboams wife would come disguised to him and told him what he should say vnto her He reuealed to Elizeus all the secret dealing of Giezi which he had with Naaman the Syrian he disclosed to Peter the falshoode of Ananias and Saphyra his wife and so may he at his holy pleasure reueale to his saints in heauen the prayers that on earth are made in some places at sometimes vnto them Euerie thing is proportionable no contradiction is implied therein I say secondly that there be sundrie things which God cannot do as I haue proued in my booke of Motiues not for that there is any want in God but because there is defect in the thing that shoulde bee doone and so is it in this present case of popish inuocation I say thirdly that Gods apostles and prophets knewe but some special things which seemed good in Gods wisedome to be so reuealed Neither did they know such things by any inherent qualitie but by signification from aboue and that onely at such time as the necessitie of the church did require Which I proue by these words of Elyzeus to Gihezi Let her alone for her soule is vexed within her and the Lord hath hid it from me and hath not told it me as if the prophet had said God reuealeth not al things to his deare and faithfull seruants at all times but some things at some times as seemeth best in his diuine wisedome I say fourthly that popish inuocation requireth infinite knowledge because they pray for all matters at al times in al places so that y e saints must perforce be somtime ignorant what they pray for vnles their knowledge be infinit The first replie As the saints cannot haue infinite knowledge because it is not communicable to any creature so neither can anie liuing of limited power make any infinite request vnto them The answere I say first that there is exceeding great disparitie betweene the persons that pray the things praied for and the saints praied vnto for the things prayed for are without end and measure They that pray are innumerable multiplicable into infinit in potentia and yet must euery saint seuerally for himself haue the distinct notice of al them that pray and of all things that are prayed for for otherwise many shall pray at manie times and not be heard which is the thing that I contend to proue For example al papists in al countries pray to the virgin Mary at al times for all things and so hir knowledge must extend to al persons al places and al desires at al times and so be infinite or certes she must be sometime deceiued not knowing what is required of her I say secondly that it is proper to God alone to know our hearts and cogitations and consequently our prayers Therefore is it saide in the Acts thou Lord which knowest the hearts of all men shewe whether of these two thou hast chosen God saith S. Peter which knoweth the harts beare them witnes Salomon saith thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men He saith S. Paul that searcheth the harts knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit Thou O Lord of hosts saith Ieremy iudgest righteously triest the reines and the hart And yet must the saints know our hearts and thoughts if they heare and know our prayers for doubtlesse the sound of our words can not reach vp to heauen The second replie Both Angels saints are present here on earth and knowe our affaires and therefore it is a vaine cauill to say that the sounde of our wordes cannot be heard to heauen The answere I say first that neither angels nor saints can be in many places at once but are definitiuely in one onely place at one time And this their owne angelical doctor Aquinas doth witnesse with me in these words Nam corpus est in loco circumscriptiuè quia commensuratur loco angelus autem non circumscriptiuè cum non commensuretur loco sed definitiuè quia ita est in vno loco quòd nō alio Deus autem neque circumscriptiuè neque definitiuè quia est vbique for a body is in a place circumscriptiuely because it is measured with the place but an angel is not in place by circumscription for that hee is not measured with the place but definitiuely because he is so in one place that he
iustos facit To conclude the onely formal cause is the iustice of God not that with which himself is iust but with which he maketh vs iust This decree is quite contrarie to my conclusion they learned it of Aquinas their angelicall doctour whose direction they followe in all theologicall questions Thus doth Aquinas write Gratia non dicitur facere gratum effectiuè sed formaliter quia per hanc homo iustificatur dignus efficitur vocari Deo gratus secundum illud Colos. 1. vers 12. dignos nos fecit in partem sortis fanctorum in lumine Grace doth not make one acceptable effectiuely but formally because man is iustified by grace and is made worthie to be accepted of god according to that which the apâ—stle saith He hath made vs worthie of the fellowship of saints in light Thus writeth Aquinas whose opinion being once confuted al other papists shalbe confuted in him I therfore say first that Aquinas was deceiued with the popish vulgar latin translation called vulgata editio which for al that the late disholy synode of Trent hath wonderfully magnified extolled aboue the starrie skies For where their vulgata editio hath worthie there the greeke and original hath meete or fit these are the very words of the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Giuing thanks to god euen the father who hath made vs meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light I say secondly that since his foundation was a false translation his conclusion inferred thereupon must of necessitie bee false also And therefore wee may not reade as Aquinas did who hath made vs worthie but who hath made vs meete or fitte for the fellowshippe of Saintes and so their owne linquist Arias Montanus doth interpret it to their confusion And because the verie life of this question standeth wholly in this if there be any forme or qualitie inherent in man by which hee is worthy of glory and eternall life I will prooue pithily and succinctly that man neither hath in him nor can haue any such qualitie at all but that the formall cause of mans iustification is in Christ Iesus not in himselfe The first argument No infinite accident can be in any finite subiect but the grace of iustification is infinite Ergo it cannot be in man a finite subiect The argument is in forme the proposition is graunted of all as well Philosophers as Diuines and the assumtion is manifest because the transgression was infinite as is prooued in the third conclusion The second argument Being iustified freely by his grace saith the Apostle thorough redemption which is in Christ Iesus Where we must obserue first y t when the apostle saith freely hee doth exclude all workes and all qualities in man We must obserue secondly that when he saith by his grace he giueth vs to vnderstand that the grace of iustification is in Christ and not in our selues For otherwise he would haue termed it our grace and not his grace because that which is inherent in our selues is properly ours We must obserue thirdly that when hee concludeth the period thus which is in Christ Iesus the word which hath no lesse relation to grace then to redemption and so thone must be in Christ aswel as the other The 3. argument Being therfore iustified by faith we haue peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ through whom we haue accesse by faith into this grace in which wee stand In which wordes of the Apostle wee are taught three thinges First that our iustification is by faith Secondly that our iustification giueth vs peace with God Thirdly that by faith we haue accesse to the grace of iustification and consequently that this grace of iustification is not in our selues For vnproperly are wee saide to haue accesse to a thing inherent in our selues The 4. argument Not hauing mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ euen the righteousnesse which is of God through faith In which wordes the Apostle teacheth vs two thinges First that the formal cause of our iustification is not our owne in these wordes not hauing mine owne righteousnesse for if our iustice or righteousnesse were inherent in our selues it should be our owne Secondly that our iustice is through faith and in faith and consequently that the formall iustice of the papists is not that true christian iustice whereof Saint Paul speaketh for they say that charitie which is the chiefest part of their formall inherent iustice is neither through faith nor in faith but aboue faith and the forme of faith The fift argument He that knewe no sinne suffered the paine due for sinne for our sakes that wee might be made the iustice of God in him In which wordes the apostle teacheth vs two thinges First that Christ died for our iustification Secondly that this iustification is the application of the iustice of God in Christ. But doubtlesse the iustice of God cannot be our inherent iustice For first Gods iustice is infinite but ours is finite Secondly Gods iustice is perfite but ours is vnperfit Thirdly Gods iustice is absolute but ours is relatiue The 6. argument For they being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God and going about to stablishe their owne righteousnesse haue not submitted themselues to the righteousnesse of God For Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse vnto euery one that beleeueth In these wordes of the apostle wee are taught two thinges First that to ascribe anie righteousnesse to our selues is flatly to fall from the iustice of God Which certes could not be so if y t iustice by which we are iustified were inherent in our selues Againe that Christes righteousnesse is applied to euery one by faith Which thing shalbe yet more plaine by the next conclusion The 5. conclusion Man is iustified by sole and only faith that is to say faith onely is the instrument by which man applieth to himselfe the righteousnesse of God in Christ Iesus This conclusion containeth three thinges First that Gods righteousnesse is that iustice which we present for our iustification Secondly that it is ours for the merites of Christ Iesus Thirdly that we apprehend and take hold vpon it by faith only and so we haue the explication howe sole faith doth iustifie Which because the papistes so bitterly impugne I will prooue it both by y e scriptures and the fathers If Abraham saith S. Paule were iustified by works he hath wherin to reioyce but not with God For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Thus saith the Apostle Out of which wordes I note first that workes did not iustifie Abraham before God I note secondly that that iustice by which man standeth cleere before God is only imputatiue and not really inherent in himselfe Which imputatiue iustice the Apostle doth often inculcate
The cause without which the latter shall not haue effect For as vocation iustification regeneration and glorification are the effectes of predestination euen so by Gods holy ordinance being predestinate wee are called by the hearing of his word vnto â—aith which faith is the cause of our iustification by apprehending the righteousnesse of Christ Iesus after wee be iustified of our iustification proceedes regeneration as who hauing remission of our sinnes and being ingraffed in Christ by faith are indued with more aboundant grace of his holy spirite thorough which we are dayly more and more regenerate and made new creatures after we be regenerate out of our regeneration spring good workes aswel internall as externall as who being made good trees begin to bring forth good fruits and so continuing are brought at the length of Gods free mercie to the possession of eternall life For as y e apostle saith we are created vnto good workes which God hath ordained that wee shoulde walke in them and continuing in them we shall at the dreadful day of doome heare this ioyfull sentence pronounced to our vnspeakable comfort Come yee blessed of my father take the inheritance of the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was an hungred and ye gaue me meate I was thirsty and ye gaue me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in vnto you I was naked and ye clothed me I I was sicke and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came to me And with this it is true yet y t the apostle saith Not by the workes of righteousnesse which we had done but according to his mercie he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and by renuing of the holy Ghost which hee shed on vs aboundantly through Iesus Christ our sauiour that wee being iustified by his grace should be made heires according to the hope of eternall life This is a true saying and these thinges I will thou shouldest affirme that they which haue beleeued God might be carefull to shew forth good workes These things are good and profitable vnto men Thus saith S. Paule and therefore I thinke this a profitable conclusion By it rightly vnderstood many places of holy Scripture may easily be answered which seeme to ascribe iustification or glorification to good workes The 10. conclusion This popish assertion that workes doe iustifie and merite eternall life de condigno was for the space of a thousand and eightie yeares vnknowne to the church of God About which time Petrus Lombardus and his fellowes began their scholasticall theologie and disputed such matters doubtfully About the yeare of our Lord 1545. the late councell of Trent defined the same for an article of christian beliefe solemnely accursing al such as hold the contrary opinion This is the originall and antiquitie of this impudently defended heresie It is sufficiently confuted throughout the whole chapter CHAP. X. Of the popish idololatricall masse The 1. conclusion TO withhold from the vulgar and laycall sort of people the one part of the holy communion is a diabolical hereticall and sacrilegious fact I prooue it sundry waies First because it is flatly against the expresse scripture and Christes holy institution For Christ himselfe instituted and ministred the Sacrament in both kindes saying drinke yee all of it as Saint Mathew recordeth and they all dranke of it as witnesseth Saint Marke Saint Paule also taught all the Corinthians to communicate in both kindes protesting that hee deliuered the forme and maner of the holy communion euen as he had in spirite receiued it from the Lord. Secondly because the auncient fathers shew euidently that in their time it was the generall practise of the church to deliuer the holy communion to the lay people vnder both kindes Neither was the cup taken from the vulgar sort by any setled law vntill the late councell of Constance which was in the yere of our Lord God 1414. Origen hath these words Quis est iste populus qui in vsu habet sanguinem bibere haec erant quae in euangelio audientes ij qui ex Iudaeis dominum sequebantur scandalizati sunt dixerunt Quis potest manducare carnem sanguinem bibere sed populus Christianus populus fidelis audit haec amplectitur sequitur eum qui dicit nisi manducaueritis carnem meam biberitis sanguinem meum non habebitis vitam in vobis ipsis quia caro mea verè est cibus sanguis meus verè potus est Who is that people that hath in custome to drinke bloud these were the thinges which the Iewes that followed Christ heard in the gospel and were scandalized and said Who can eate flesh and drinke bloud but the christian people the faithfull people heare these thinges and embrace them and follow him that sayth vnlesse ye shall eate my flesh drink my bloud ye shall haue no life in your selues because my fleshe is meate indeed and my bloud drinke indeed S. Hierome hath these words Sacerdotes quoque qui eucharistiae seruiunt sanguinem domini populis eius diuidunt impiè agunt in legem Christi The Priestes also that administer the eucharist and diuide the Lordes bloud to his people transgresse the law of Christ heynously Saint Cyprian with fourtie learned bishops in their ioynt Epistle to Cornelius write in this expresse maner Quo modo docemus aut prouocamus eos in confessione nominis sanguinem suum fundere si eis militaturis Christi sanguinem denegamus aut quo modo ad martyrij poculum idoâ—â—os facimus si non eis priùs ad bibendum in ecclesia poculum domini iure communicationis admittimus Howe doe we teache 〈◊〉 them to shed their bloud for the name of Christ if wee denie them the bloud of Christ when they go to warre or how doe we make them fit for the cuppe of martyrdome if wee doe not first admit them to drinke the Lordes cuppe in the Churche and that by the right of communion where I wishe the reader to note well that the lay people haue right to both kindes and consequently that the Romish church is become the whore of Babylon in that shee robbeth vs of our christian right which wee haue de iure diuino Saint Chrysostome hath these wordes Est vbi nihil differt sacerdos à subdito vt quando fruendum est honorandis mysteriis Similiter enim omnes vt illa percipiamus digni habemur Non sicut in veteri lege partem quidem sacerdos comedebat partem autem populus non licebat populo participem esse eorum quorum particeps erat sacerdos Sed nunc non sic verum omnibus vnum corpus proponitur poculum vnum There is a place where there is no difference betweene the priest the lay person as when we are to communicate in the holy mysteries for we are all in
first that howsoeuer sundry of you admire your Iesuites whom I willingly confesse to be learned wishing they would vse their learning to Gods glorie yet cannot wise men be carried away with ipse dixit as if they were become disciples of Pythagoras I say secoÌ„dly that S. Pauls own words confute your Iesuite sufficiently For first he saith that he deliuered euen that which he receiued Againe he reciteth the precept aswel after the cup as after the bread which must bee wel obserued For hereupon doth it follow that both kinds be of like force the one not more commanded then y e other Thirdly he applieth aswel the drinking of the cup as the eating of y e bread to al the faithful in generall Fourthly he applieth the examination to euery one of the faithful Fiftly he willeth the examination to be made aswel in drinking of the cup as in eating of the bread Sixtly he wrote spake aswel to the lay people as to the priests as the beginning of the epistle declareth And in this sense doth their owne Haymo so reputed expound S. Paul for these are his words Ego nâ— accepi à domino quod et tradidi vobis .i. mysterâ—uÌ„ corporis sanguinis Dom. quomodo debeatis sumere Sicut mihi reuelauit ita tradidi vobis For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I deliuered to you that is the mysterie of our Lords body and bloud in what manner ye ought to receiue it Euen as he reuealed it to me so haue I deliuered it to you The reply S. Marke maketh it plaine that it was onely spoken to the apostles Drinke ye all of it For he addeth And they all dranke of it For it is cleare that al they dranke thereof who were commaunded to drinke The answere I say first that it was spoken to al the faithfull aswell as to the apostles For Paul exhorted the whole church at Corinth to vse both the kinds saying that God had so appointed As if he had said not I but the Lord coÌ„mandeth you thus to do for he reuealed to me euen as I haue deliuered vnto you Therefore if ye do it not you transgresse his holy commaundement Yea S. Paul declared expressely in the very beginning of his epistle that commandement of receiuing the holy Eucharist in both kindes concerned all the faithfull in the world as well to come as theÌ„ liuing For these words Ye shal shew the Lords death till he come doe euidently prooue that the forme prescribed by the apostle must continue after the death of the Corinthians euen till the day of doome I say secondly that since Christ himselfe instituted both kinds since the apostle deliuered both kinds euen to the lay people since the church communicated to the faithful laycall people in both kinds euerie where for many hundred yeres together as the papists themselues cannot denie since they confesse that both kinds may lawfully be vsed since no scripture teacheth vs that one kind is sufficient since no father did euer exhort to vse one only kind since no councell till the late synode of Constance did euer commaund one only kind in fine since the church for more then a thousand yeeres together did euer vse both kinds how impudent howe vnchristian nay how tyrannicall and bloud-thirstie is the Pope of Rome and his Iesuits that incense and excite him thereunto who labor this day with fire and fagot to enforce the faithful to the contrary I say thirdly that this obiection maketh against the papists for in that they al dranke therof it cannot folow that none else may drinke thereof otherwise the practise of the church hitherto should haue beene wicked and the apostles themselues haue sinned grieuously but that all present ought to drinke thereof For which cause their owne canon-law commaundeth all to bee putte out of the church that will not communicate when the consecration is ended Yea their own Pope Iulius doth condemne their grosse illation as who vnderstoode Christes wordes of all the faithfull Thus doth he write Illud vero quod pro complemento communionis intinctam tradunt eucharistiam populis nec hoc prolatum ex euangelio testimonium receperunt vbi apostolis corpus suum commendauit sanguinem seorsum enim panis seorsum calicit coÌ„mendatio memoratur Nam intinctum panem alijs ChristuÌ„ praebuisse non legimus excepto illo discipulo tantuÌ„ queÌ„ intincta buccella magistri proditorem ostenderet But where they giue y e dipped eucharist to the people for the complement of the communion they found not this witnessed in the gospel where Christ coÌ„mended his bodie and blood to his disciples For the bread is commended apart and the cuppe also apart For we reade not that Christ gaue dipped bread to any others saue onelie to the disciple whom the dipped morsell declared to be the betrayer of his maister The replie The councill of Constance commaunded no new thing but onelie made a law for the continual performance of that which the church had practised long before The answer I say first that thogh it were so practised before in some places yet was that practise neither generall nor approued by anie setled lawe vntil the late councill of Constance I say secondly that the great pillar of the popish church Thomas Aquinas honestly confesseth so much in this behalf as is enough for the euerlasting confusion of all Romish hypocrites And because I couet to deale faithfully in this point as in al other I will alleage the expresse wordes of Aquinas as himselfe hath deliuered them thus doth he write Ex parte quidem ipsius sacramenti conuenit quòd vtrumque sumatur scilicet corpus sanguis quia in vtroque consistit perfectio sacramenti Et ideo quia ad sacerdotem pertinet hoc sacramentum consecrare perficere nullo modo debet corpus Christi sumere sine sanguine ex parte autem sumentium requiritur summa reuerentia cautela ne aliquid accidat quod vergat ad iniuriam tanti mysterij quod praecipuè posset accidere in sanguinis sumptione qui quidem si incautè sumeretur de facili posset effundi Et quia creuit multitudo populi christiani in quâ continentur senes iuuenes paruuli quorum quidâ—m non sunt tantae discretionis vt cautelam debitam circa vsum huius sacramenti adhibeant ideo prouidè in quibusdam ecclesiis obseruatur vt populo sanguis sumendus non detur sed solûm à sacerdote sumatur In the behalfe of the sacrament it is meete that both be receiued to wit both the bodie and the blood bicause in both consisteth the perfection of the sacrament and therefore because it belongeth to the priest to consecrate and to perfite this sacrament he may in no case receiue the bodie of Christ without the blood In the behalfe of the receiuers great reuerence and circumspection is required left any thing
his vertue as he is spiritually present How can he tel vs more plainely that Christs body is spiritually in the Eucharist but not corporally It is not possible for any man to yeelde a more sensible declaration which if the gentle reader wil obserue attentiuely it will minister to him a great light for the perfect vnderstanding of the whole mysterie My second proofe is grounded in the figures of the old testament for first circumcision was called Gods couenant and yet was it not the couenant indeede but a signe and signification thereof For it is common to all sacraments to haue the name of the thing that they signifie That it was called the couenant it is cleere in these wordes This is my couenant which yee shall keepe betweene me and you and thy seede after thee Let euerie man child among you bee circumcised And neuerthelesse that it was not the couenant but the signe of the couenant it is euident by these words Ye shal circumcise the foreskinne of your flesh and it shal be a signe of the couenant betweene mee and you The couenant indeede was this To be Abrahams God and the God of his seede after him so saith the text Secondly the Lambe was called the Lords passeouer and yet was it not the passeouer indeede but the signe and representation thereof That it was called the passeouer it is cleare by these words of Moses For it is the Lords passeouer And also by these words of the Euangelist Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eate the passeouer that is the Lambe which was the signe of the passeouer Againe in these wordes I wil keep y e passeouer at thine house Again in these words And they made readie the passeouer In all which places the scripture speaketh onely of the signe that is of the lambe and giueth it the name of the thing that is of the passing ouer Now that it was not the passeouer indeede but the signe or figure thereof it is euident by these words of holy Writ And the bloud shal bee a token for you vpon the houses where yee are so when I see the blood I will passe ouer you and the plague shal not be vppon you to destruction when I smite the land of Egypt Lo the lambe was but a token and signe of y e angels passing ouer them And this lambe was a figure of our passeouer Iesus Christ as he was really sacrificed vpon the crosse so saith the holy apostle For Christ our passeouer is sacrificed for vs. This S. Iohn confirmed when hee willed the Pharisees to behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world And in the Reuelation this lambe is saide to be slaine from the beginning of the world Since therefore the scripture telleth vs so plainly that the paschall Lamb was the type and figure of the true Messias who was sacrificed to his father for the sins of the world it shall not bee vnprofitable to the Reader to consider the allegorie of the rites which God appointed to be obserued therein The Type Exod. 12 Â The thing signified 1 The lambe was a memoriall of the deliuerance out of Egypt That is to say 1 Christ deliuered vs from hell sin death and satan Gal. 3.13 2 The lambe was a sacrifice distinguishing the Israelites from other nations 2 Christ is the eternall sacrifice who being eaten spiritually by faith distinguâ—sheth gods faith full people from infidels Ioh. 6.56 3 The lambe was a true lambe of the flocke 3 Christ was a true man borne of the blessed virgin Ioh. 1.14 4 The lambe was truely slaine 4 Christ was truely crucified 1. Corinth 5.7 Iohn 19.30 5 The lambe was not boyled in water but rosted drie 5 Christs body was inclosed in a new tombe that had no water in it Matth. 27.60 6 The lambe was killed at euen 6 Christ was killed in the ende of the world Hebr. 1.2 7 The Angell beholding the doores sprinckled with the lambes bloud passed ouer the Israelites 7 God beholding our soules sprinckeled with the bloud of Christ doeth not impute our sinnes to vs Rom. 3.34 8 The lambs bloud saued the Israelites from common death 8 The bloud of Christ deliuered vs from eternal death He. 2.9 9 All the Israelites did eate of the lambe 9 All the faithfull shall eate of Christ spiritually Iohn 6. 10 Euery part of the lambe was eaten 10 Euery mysterie of Christes incarnation must be beleeued 2. Timoth. 3. 11 The lambe was eaten without leauen 11 Christ is eaten by faith with out hypocrisie 1. Corint 5.8 12 The lambe was eaten wyth sowre hearbes 12 We must eate Christ in bearing his crosse Matth. 10.38 13 The lambe was appointed to be eaten with speede 13 Wee must embrace Christes Gospell with all expedition Matth. 6.33 14 The lambe was eaten of the circumcised onely 14 Christ is onely eaten by faith of the regenerat 1. Cor. 11.29 15 The lambe was without blemish 15 Christ was free from sinne 1. Pet. 2.22 THis passeouer of the olde law with other sacrifices and figures which were but shadows of y e Messias to come are al wholy abolished by Christs sacred aduent For Christ now readie to die and to offer vp himselfe as the true passeouer and veritie of all figures made an end of the olde passeouer with a solemne banket and instituting the Eucharist in stead therof commanded the faithfull to obserue the same for a memorie of his death and passion vntil his second aduent which shall be in maiestie and glorie My third proofe is grounded in the phrases of the new testament For Christ himselfe saide that he would not henceforth drinke of the fruit of the vine vntill he rose againe S. Paul in like manner calleth it bread verie often euen after the consecration But if it had beene Christs natural bloud and his naturall body neither would he haue called it the fruit of the vine nor Saint Paul haue tearmed it bread Which Saint Paule maketh plaine in another place where hee hath these words The bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ for we that are many are one bread and one body because we all are partakers of one bread Out of which words I note first that Saint Paule tearmeth it bread after the consecration or Christs blessing or after the wordes of Christes institution which is all one in a right and godly sense I note secondly that he calleth it not Christs body but the participation of his body I note thirdly that the bread he speaketh of is broken I note fourthly that wee are all one bread and one body which annotations beeing ioyned together I inferre first that the bread is Christs body spiritually and by faith but not corporally as the papists say For Christs naturall body cannot be broken as their own learned Canus granteth and as verie
reason teacheth I inferre secondly that we are no otherwise partakers of Christs bodie then we are all one bodie and one bread And yet is it certaine yea no Papist can denie it that we are but one bodye and one bread mystically and sacramentally Ergo wee are no otherwise partakers of Christes bodie then mystically and sacramentally that is to say while we eate the sacrament of Christes body wee are vnited spiritually to Christ by faith and mystically one to another My fourth proofe is grounded in the vniforme consent of the ancient doctours of the church For first S. Clemens Alexandrinus hath these words Nam ipse quoque homo vinum benedixit cum dixit accipite bibite hoc est sanguis meus sanguis vitis verbum quod pro multis effunditur in remissionem peccatorum sanctum laetitiae fluentum allegorice significat Sequitur quod autem vinum esset quod benedictum est ostendit rursus dicens discipulis non bibam ex fructu vitis huius donec bibero ipsum vobiscum in regno patris mei For our Lord being also man blessed wine when he saide Take drinke this is my blood the blood of the vine the word which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes doth signifie allegorically the holie riuer of gladnesse And that it was wine which is blessed he sheweth againe when he saith thus to his disciples I wil not drinke of the fruit of this vine vntil I drinke it with you in the kingdome of my father Out of these words of this holy and ancient father who liued aboue one thousand three hundred and eightie yeeres ago I note first that that which Christ called his bloud at his supper was naturally wine though his bloud sacramentally for it was sanguis vitis such bloud as the vine doth affoord I note secondly that these words which is shed for many are allegoricall that is they sound one thing in bare wordes and signifie another thing indeede as if hee had saide The wine or liquor in the cup is not shed indeede for many but is a sacrament or figure of Christs naturall bloud which is indeede shed for our sinnes I note thirdly that these words of Christ I wil not drinke of the fruite of the vine were spoken after the consecration of the wine and are to be vnderstoode litterally and consequently that that which the Apostles dranke was naturall wine not naturall bloud Although I admit willingly that it was bloud in a sacrament and mysterie or to vse S. Clements phrase allegorically which I wish the reader euer to obserue as a generall rule Secondly S. Hilarie writeth thus Nos verè sub mysterio carnem corporis sui sumimus per hoc vnuÌ„ erimus quia pater in eo est ille in nobis We truely receiue the flesh of Christs body in a mysterie and by it we shall be one because the Father is in him and he in vs. Out of these words I note first that to receiue Christs body in a sacrament or mysterie is to receiue it truely which I wish the reader to obserue carefully for we do not terme the holy Eucharist or Lords Supper bare bakers bread as the Papists slaunder vs but we affirme it to be sanctified bread to be sacramentall bread to be diuine bread yea to be Christs true body in deede but sacramentally but spiritually but mystically as S. Hilarie truely sayth And this answere will solue a thousand captious cauilles which the Papists vse to make I note secondly that such as is our vnion by eating this bread such is the eating thereof And consequently since euery child knoweth that we are but mystically vnited as we are the mysticall members of one body it followeth that we do but mystically eate Christs bodie And S. Hilaries reason maketh it plaine when hee addeth because the father is in him and he in vs for neither doth the father dwell in him corporally who is corpslesse neither corporally in vs. Thirdly S. Irenaeus hath these words Qui est è terra panis percipiâ—ns vocationem Dei iam non communis panis est sed eucharistia ex duabus rebus constans terrena coelesti The bread which is of the earth after it hath receiued gods blessing is no longer common bread but the eucharist And it consisteth of two things the one earthly the other heauenly Out of which words I note first that our communion bread is still bread after consecration though it be not common bread but sacramentall and heauenly bread for otherwise he would haue saide it is not bread but the eucharist He would I say haue reiected the name of bread and not haue kept it still I note secondly that Christ is not present corporally in the Eucharist because his naturall bodie is but one thing which yet should be the whole eucharist if it were present as the Papists grossely dreame Besides this his bodie hencefoorth is not terrestriall but celestiall glorious immortall spirituall yet withall it still reteineth all essentiall properties of a true body euen as our bodies shall do after the resurrection It is still circumscriptible sensible visible tangible quantitatiue dimensiue locall none of which can possibly be found in popish carnall reall presence Fourthly Saint Chrysostome hath these words Nam quando dicunt vnde patet immolatum Christum fuisse alia multa mysteria haec afferentes ora ipsorum consuimus Si enim mortuus Iesus non est cuius symbolum ac signum hoc sacrificium est Infra ita per sacratissimam istam mensam saluat docet hoc enim caput bonorum omnium est quare hoc Paulus voluit ac repetit sed tradito iam mysterio non bibam ait de hoc genimine vitis vsque in illam diem cum illud bibam nouum vobiscum in regno patris mei Sequitur ex genimine autem ait vitis quae certe vinum non aquam producit For when they say how do we know that Christ suffered and many other mysteries wee bringing these things â—owe vp their mouthes For if Iesus were not dead of whome is this sacrifice a marke and signe So hee both saueth and teacheth by this most sacred table for this is the head of al good things wherefore Saint Paul meant this and hee repeateth it But after hee had deliuered the mysterie I will not drinke saith hee of this fruite of the vine vntill that day when I shall drinke it newe with you in the kingdome of my father And hee saith of the fruit of the vine which doubtlesse bringeth forth wine and not water Out of these words I note first that the Eucharist is but a symbole signe or figure of Christs body I note secondly that that which Christ gaue to his disciples and which he called his bloud was true wine the naturall fruit of the vine I note thirdly that Christ first had deliuered the mysterie
and that it is truely receiued by faith and spirite according to this doctrine of our maister Christ. The wordes that I spake vnto you are spirite and life Seuenthly he telleth vs that as Christ is on earth still according to his deitie so is he in heauen til the daie of doome according to his humanitie And that as he is present in his god-head till that time so is hee absent in his manhood For saith S. Austen touching the presence of his fleshe hee was but a fewe daies on earth Yea say the papistes S. Austen lieth and when he thus wrote he was a sleepe and so were the rest of the fathers that hold as he doth We affirme without scriptures fathers rime and reason that hee is carnally present at the priestes appointment in ten thousand pixes at once More absurdly then this we say that a mouse can catch Christes carnall body carry it away into an hole and there deuoure it with her teeth Of which blasphemous doctrine the great papist Petrus Lombard surnamed their master of sentences knoweth not what to say or thinke but being at his wits end what answere to make thus answereth the question without answere for his answere is answerelesse in these wordes Quid ergo sumit mus vel quid manducat Deus nouit hoc What therefore doth a mouse take when shee catcheth the reserued hoast or what doth she eate God knoweth this Lo is not this a graue answere of the grauest father amongst our popish doctors He is tearmed the master of sentences and his bookes are publikely read in their schooles of diuinitie and so of the next authoritie to the holy scriptures And for al this so doubtfull and vncertaine is their faith that when a mouse catcheth their accidents without subiects he knoweth not in the world what is become of their carnall reall presence Eeightly he telleth vs that the sacrament of Christs body is not his body properly but after a sort and that sort he affirmeth to be this to wit as the sacrament of faith is faith Now euerie childe knoweth that baptisme or the sacrament of faith is not faith properly but improperly figuratiuely and by way of signification onely Ninthly Saint Ambrose whom â—he papists thinke to make wholy for their side hath these expresse words Si tanta vis est in sermone Domini Iesu vt inciperent esse quae non erant quanto magis operatorius est vt sint quae erant in aliud commutentur If there be so great power in the word of our Lord Iesus that things beganne to be which were not how much more is it workefull that things bee which were and bee changed into another thing In these words Saint Ambrose declareth the creatures of bread and wine to remaine still in their proper nature and substaunce and withall to bee changed into another thing that is to say into the sacraments of Christs true body and bloud To this our Iesuite Bellarmine answereth in these words Non dixit vt sint id quod erant tunc enim panis manere deberet sed vt sint quae erant id est nâ—n annihilentur sed maneant quamuis mutata Hee saide not that they may bee that which they were for then the bread ought to remaine indeede but that they may stil be which were before that is that they bee not annihilated but abide still though changed To this answere of our Iesuite I say first that Saint Ambrose meaneth no other thing then did Saint Austâ—n when he called baptisme the sacrament of faith For the omnipotencie of Christs word is required of them both in both sacraments And as the water is changed into another thing that is to be a sacrament and â—eaâ—e of Gods fauor which before was but common water euen so bread is chaunged into another thing that is to be the sacrament of Christs body which was before but common bread I say secondly that as a married man is by matrimonie chaâ—ged into another thing and yet keepeth still the nature of a man and as a Bishop by orders is altered into another thing and yet keepeth still his former substance euen so the bread in the Eucharist is changed mystically and still remaineth true bread This is a good argument against the papists who defend matrimonie and orders to be two holy sacraments I say thirdly that if aliud must needes signifie an essentiall change as master Harding our Iesuite and the rest will haue it to doe then either married men haue gotten nothing by their matrimoniall contractes nor Bishoppes by their consecrations or at least all married men and Bishops haue lost the natures of men and are changed into another substance But as the Logicians tel vs these three transcendents ens res aliquid may bee affirmed of whatsoeuer is and for the order of Bishops the papists tell vs that it imprinteth an indeleble character touching matrimonie Christ himselfe telleth vs that it is an indissoluble band Touching the persons themselues experience telleth vs that they are still as truâ—ly men as they were before and consequently the word aliud may as well signifie an accidentall alteration as an essentiall transmutation I say fourthly that euerie thing is truely denominate of it essentiall forme and therefore if the substance and essentiall partes of bread and wine bee cleane gone and the externall accidents thereof onely remaine as Bellarmine woulde gladly glosse Saint Ambrose then doubtlesse may wee truely say that they are gone which were before not that they still remaine vnlesse perhappes the papists will say that the horse remaineth when nothing is left but his skin and that a man liueth after he be dead For in both more remaineth then of their wine and bread I say fiftly that by Bellarmines answere if himselfe were changed into the essentiall nature of an asse and kept still the externall figure of a man yet shoulde hee still be as truely Bellarmine as he was before and so Iesuits may be both Asses and men at once a priuiledge granted to all others of their crew The first obiection S. Austen alluding to the facts and wordes of Dauid by which Christ was prefigured writeth in this maner Manibus aliorum potest portarâ— homo manibus suis nemo portatur quomodo intelligatur in ipso Dauid secundum literam non inuenimus in Christo autem inuenimus Ferebatur enim Christus in manibâ—suâ—s quando coÌ„mendans ipsum corpus suum ait Hoc est corpus meum Ferebat enim illud corpus in manibus suis ipsa est humilitas Dom. nostri Iesu Christi A man may bee carried in the hands of others but no man is carried in his own hands How this may be vnderstoode in Dauid literally we doe not finde but in Christ wee doe it finde For Christ was borne in his owne hands when he commended his owne bodie and saide This is my body For he helde
the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. Who is truely holy but the Sonne of God who properly opened the wombe but he that opened it when it was shut but marriages open it to all therfore it was more opened because it was more shut When the Apostle saith not that Christ was borne of a virgin but of a woman he acknowledged the nuptiall passion of an opened wombe Thirdly Saint Hierome hath these words Soluâ— enim Christus clausas portas vuluae virginalis aperuit quae tamen clausae iugiter permanserunt Haec est porta orientalis clausa per quam solus pontifex ingreditur egreditur nihilominus semper clausa est For Christ only opened the gates of the virgins wombe that were shut which for all that were shutte continually This is the east gate which is shut vp through which the Bishoppe goeth in and out and for al that it is euer shut Fourthly Origen hath these words Quemcunque enim de vtero effusum marem dixeris non sic aperit vuluam matris suae vt Dominus Iesus quia omnium mulierum non partus infantis sed vâ—ri coitus vuluam reserat matris vero dominico tempore vulua reserata est quo partus editus For what man childe soeuer thou shalt name that is borne of a wombe he doeth not so open the matrice of his mother as doeth our Lorde Iesus For in all women not the birth of the child but the copulation of the man openeth the wombe Yet the wombe of the mother of our Lord was opened euen then when the childe was borne Fiftly S. Ambrose hath these expresse and plaine wordes Non enim virilis coitus vuluae virginalis secreta reserauit sed immaculatum semen inuiolabili vtero spiritus sanctus infudit Sequitur Hic ergo solus aperuit sibi vuluam Nec mirum hic enim dixerat ad prophetam priusquam te formarem in vtero noui te in vulua matris sanctificaui te qui ergo vuluam sanctificauit alienam vt nasceretur propheta hic est qui aperuit matris suae vuluam vt immaculatus exiret For the copulation of man opened not the secrets of the virgins wombe but the holy ghost poured the immaculate seede into the inuiolable wombe He therfore opened the wombe to himselfe alone And it is no maruell for he said to the prophet before I formed thee in the wombe I knew thee and in thy mothers womb I sanctified thee He therefore that sanctified the wombe of another for the birth of his prophet is the very same that opened the wombe of his mother that he might come forth immaculate The second replie Holy Writ telleth vs that Christ was borne of a virgin to which all the â—ncient fathers accord yet should she haue beene corrupted and no virgin if her wombe had beene opened in the birth of Christ. For as the learned Phisition Fernelius writeth the losse of virginall integritie consisteth in the sole dilatation of the coniunct parts The answere I say first that not onely the holy scriptures but the ancient fathers also and other learned diuines are to be heard before all phisicions in the mysteries of our faith I say secondly that Fernelius maketh nothing for the papists as who speaketh only of the dilatation of the matrice and that after the natural and ordinary course I say thirdly that though Christs holy mother were a virgin both before his birth in his birth and after his birth as all the ancient fathers with vniforme consent doe witnesse yet was her wombe opened in his birth as is alreadie prooued For as their owne angelicall Doctour Aquinas saith whose doctrine sundrie Popes one after another haue confirmed virginitie is not lost by fraction of the signacle but by corruption of the mind and purpose of the will Saint Austen hath a learned and large discourse concerning this only point of doctrine wherein he sheweth grauely that the apertion of the matrice may be done sundrie waies to wit either by arte in the way of medicine or by violence of the corrupter or by other accidentall meanes and that virginitie this notwithstanding may be free from all corruption Much more might Christs owne mothers wombe be opened by his diuine power and neuerthelesse her most holy wombe still remaine inuiolable The fift conclusion The popish idololatricall masse is like vnto a clowted beggers cloake This conclusion will be manifest so soone as I shall proue sundrie Popes to haue ioyned piece vnto piece as if it were clowt vpon clowt The first Section Of consecration with the Lords prayer IN the primitiue and apostolicall church the masse or holy communion was administred with the Lordes prayer onely al superstitious ceremonies set apart This to be so doth witnesse Gregorie surnamed the Great sometime bishop of Rome himselfe whose testimonie no papist in the worlde can or will reiect These are his words Orationem autem dominicam idcirco mox post precem dicimus quia mos apostolorum fuit vt ad ipsam soluâ—modò orationem oblationis hostiam consecrarent And after other prayers we adde the Lords prayer for this end and purpose because the maner of the apostles was this to consecrate the oblation with that onely prayer The second Section Of the Masse said in the vulgar tongue IN the ancient church after the apostles time the holy coÌ„munioÌ„ was celebrated in the vulgar tongue which was known to all the people Iustinus Martyr hath these words Die solis omnium qui vel in oppidis vel ruri degunt in eundem locum conuentus fit commentaria apostolorum aut scripta prophetarum quoad tempus fert leguntur Deinde lectore quiescente praesidens orationem qua populum instruit ad imitationem tam pulchrarum rerum cohortatur habet Sub haec consurgimus communiter omnes precationes profundimus sicuti retulimus precibus peractis panis offertur vinum aquaâ— praepositus itideÌ„ quantuÌ„ pro virili sua potest preces grâ—tiarum actiones fundit populus fausté acclamat dicens Amen On the Sunday all that liue either in towne or countrey meete together in one place and then the epistles of the Apostles or writings of the Prophets are read according as the time requireth Afterward the reader ceaseth and the cheefe minister maketh an oration in which hee instructeth the people and exhorteth them to imitate that which is read vnto them These things being done we all arise togither and make our prayers and after our prayers the bread is offered with wine and water and the pastour as he is able prayeth and giueth thanks and the people with ioyfull acclamation say Amen Lo in the olde time the priest or minister said the communion together with the people and consequently they vnderstoode one another as also what was said whereas this day in the popish church the
time in which the Nouatians seuered thēselues from the church and refused to communicate with them that were fallen during the persecution of the Emperour Decius the bishops of the churches added to the canō that in euery church a priest shoud be ouer the penitents to the end that whosoeuer were fallen after baptisme might confes their sins before the priest designed for that purpose Thus writeth Socrates by whose words it is cleare that to confesse our sins committed after baptisme was the appendice to the canons yet cannot the Iesuite Bellarmine denie that Nectarius abolished that appendice or addition and consequently wil he nill he he must likewise grant that Nectarius disanulled the law for confessing sins after baptisme These are the expresse words of our Iesuite Non sustulit Nectarius nisi appendicem ad veteres canones quae accesserat initio haeresis Nouatianae Nectarius tooke away nothing saue onely that appendice which was added to the olde canons which was made in the beginning of the Nouatian heresie And thus me thinke the stornie of Nectarius though somewhat intricate is discussed sufficiently CHAP. XIII Of the authoritie of summoning councels OF the force validitie of late popish councils I haue spoken sufficiently in my booke of Motiues Now where the papists chalenge to their Pope a great prerogatiue aboue the Emperour because as they say he euer commanded generall councels to be holden euery where this doctrine in this place I purpose briefly to disproue The first conclusion The first general councel of Nice in which Arrius denying the consubstantialitie of the son of God was condemned was not celebrated by the Popes appointment who in those daies was reputed but as other bishops but by the flat and expresse commandement of the Emperor Constantinus surnamed the Great in the yere 327. This I do not barely say but I will prooue the same after my wonted manner by the expresse testimonies of approued Historiographers Al the fathers assembled in the sacred councel of Nice wrote to the church of Alexandria and to the inhabitants of Egypt Lybia and Pentapolis in this expresse maner Quoniam dei gratia mandato sanctissimi Imperatoris Constantini qui nos ex varijs ciuitatibus prouincijs in vnum congregauit magnum sanctum concilium Nicaenum coactum est necessariū videtur c. Because through the grace of God and by the commandement of the most holy Emperor Constantine who hath gathered vs together out of diuerse cities and prouinces the great and holy councel of Nice is assembled it seemeth necessary that the whole councell send letters to you by which ye may vnderstād aswel those things that were called into questiō as the things that are decided decreed in the same Thus writeth Socrates Out of these words I note first that this testimonie is of greatest credit without al exception as which was not published by one or two but by more then three hundred bishops as writeth Nicephorus who were the most vertuous learned priests in the christian worlde I note secondly these holy fathers of this famous councel doe not once name the Pope in their letters so far were they in these daies frō ascribing the chiefe prerogatiue in councels to the B. of Rome I note thirdly that al the councel confesseth in their ioynt letters as we see that the councel was called by the emperor and that they all were assembled together by his commandement Where I wish the reader to obserue diligently the word Cōmandement for if the emperor did not cal coūcels together by his own authority but by the popes as the papists prate then could not this holy councel truely say as al the fathers thereof constantly do say to wit that they came thither by the Emperours commandement I note fourthly that none in the world can better tell how the councell was called then the fathers of the councel who were the persons called and yet do they ioyne the emperors commandement with the grace of God and exclude the Pope altogether Theodoret hath these words Verum vbi spes eum fefellerat celebre illud Nicaenum concilium cogit publicos asinos mulas mulos quinetiam equos episcopis comitibus suis ad iter faciendum vtendos dat Sozom. hath these words Verū vbi contra quà m expectabat res succederet contentio reconciliationem concordiae c. But after the matter succeeded otherwise then he expected reconciliation was hindered with contention and Hosius also sent to make peace returned leauing y e thing vndone y e emperor appointeth a councel at Nice a city in Bythinia writeth to the presidents of al churches to be presēt at a day appointed Niceph. hath these words Infectis reb ad imperatorē rediit qui ad pacem componendam missus fuerat Hosius Itaque imperator c. Hosius that was sent to make peace returned to the Emperour not hauing accomplished the matter Therfore the Emperour perceiuing the mischife to grow to a head doth proclame the famous councel of Nice in Bythinia and by his letters calleth al bishops thither at the day appointed Thus wee see euidently by the vniforme testimonie of foure graue Historiographers whereof three liued more then a 1100. yeares ago that the bishop of Rome had no more to do in general councels then other bishops had First they tel vs that the Emperour sent Hosius the bishop of Corduba to bring the contentious to vnitie Secondly when that would not take place that hee proclaimed a councell to bee holden at Nice in Bythinia Thirdly that he cōmanded al bishops to come thither at a certain day apointed But of the B. of Rome neuer a word at al. The second Conclusion The second generall councell of Constantinople holden against Macedonius and his complices for denying the diuinity of the holy ghost was called by the commandement of the emperour Theodosius the first about the yeare of our Lord 389. Socrates hath these words Imperator nulla mora interposita concilium episcoporum ipsius fidem amplectentium conuocat quo tum fides concilii Nicaeni corroboraretur c The emperor Theodosius with al expedition calleth a councel of bishops embracing the right faith that aswel the faith of the Nicene councell might be confirmed as that a bishop might be appointed at Constantinople because he was in hope to make the Macedonians to agree with the bishops that held the right faith he sent forthe bishops that were of the Macedonian sect Sozomenus hath these words Breui deinde concilium episcoporum sibi consententium cōuocauit partim vt Nicaeni concilii decreta confirmarentur patrim vt ordinaretur aliquis qui Constantinopolitanae sedis episcopatum administraret Then shortly after Theodosius called a councel of Bishoppes that agreed with him partly that the decrees of the Nicene councell might be confirmed partly that one might be appointed B. at
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
haue it seene Pope Bonifacius the 8. made a constitution in which he called himself Lord spirituall and temporall of the whole world Whereupon he required Philip the French king to acknowledge that he held his kingdome of him which when the king refused to doe hee gaue his kingdome to another This was done Anno. 1302. This pope entred as a foxe reigned as a Wolfe and died as a dog so doe they write of him CHAP. XV. Of certaine popish sects which they terme the orders of religious men WHatsoeuer I shal set down of these sects or religious orders as the papistes must needs haue them termed shal be truely and sincerely collected out of these popishe historiographers to wit Martinus Polonus Philippus Bergomensis Polyd. Virgilius Palmerius Platina and Ar. Pontacus Burdegalensis Which I here for once admonish least the often repetition thereof should be tedious Benedictus an Italian the father of all monkes erected an Abbay in the mount Cassinum and instituted the sect of the Benedictines about the yeare 527. These monkes in a short time began to be dissolute and were deuided into many new sectes whereof same were called Cluniacenses some Camalduenses some Vallisumbrenses some Montoliuotenses some GrandimonteÌ„ses some Cistertienses some Syluestrenses Al which being most variable in life maners obseruations wil for al that be right Benedictines EueÌ„ forsooth as our late popes must needs be S. Peters successors thogh they be as like as York foul SuttoÌ„ This sect of the Benedictines far altered from the first institutioÌ„ was reformed in y e yere 1335. For as Polydore grauely reporteth monks do not loÌ„g obserue their monastical institutioÌ„ The sect of the Carthusians was ordained by one Bruno in y e yere 1084. How this sect had the first originall it is worthy of due attention This is the story While Bruno was the reader of philosophy at Paris in France it chanced that a friend of his being a man of good external life died who lying dead vpoÌ„ the coffin in the church soundeth out these words in the eares of the said Bruno I am damned by the iust iudgment of God By which miracle Bruno was so terrified y t hee knew no way how to be saued but by inuenting the sect of the Carthusians Behold here the subtletie of the deuil who wanteth no means how to set vp superstition idolatry For if the story be true as I think it was in deed then doubtlesse the voice came from the diuel as which brought forth y e spirit of pride not of humility I proue it because this Bruno could not be coÌ„tent to be a monk amongst the Benedictines but he must be Lord Abbot of a new sect For since the order of the Benedictines was the ready way to heaueÌ„ as popery taught him either he condemned his own religion consequently his own institutioÌ„ or my consecution must be admitted Let what papist as list reply my reason can not be coÌ„uinced And here I note by the way the formal deformitie of al the sects or orders in poperie to wit that the papistes ascribe merite and saluation to the same Let therefore this story of our holy father Bruno neuer be forgotten The order called â—raemonstratensis began the yeare 1119. The first authour thereof was one Norbertus by name Who doubtles either conâ—emned the former orders at the least of imperfection or els was puffed vp with the spirit of pride as were his predecessors his fraterculi before him The sect of the Carmelites began in y â— yere 1170. was instituted by one Almericus y e bishop of Antioch This sect though it had the original in the time mentioned yet was it not in full perfection for the space of 40. yeres to come The sect of Dominicans whereof Tho. Aquinas surnamed Angelicus was one began in the yere 1198. The authour of this sect was one Dominicus Calaguritanus a Spaniard borne The sect it selfe was termed Ordo fratrum praedicatorum The sect of the Franciscans began in y e yere 1206. Of which sect was Io. Scotus surnamed D. Subtilis The author of this sect was one Franciscuss Asisiates an Italian born The sect it self was termed Ordo fratrum minorum Thus we see y t these Romish sects were multiplied as if it were swarmes of Bees The sect of the Iesuates began in the yeare of our Lord 1371. the author of this sect was one Ioannes Columbinus Senensis the sect it selfe was termed ordo Iesuatorum The sect of the Iesuites began in the yeare of our Lord 1540. The author thereof was one Ignatius Loyola a souldier and a Spaniard borne The moonkes of this sect as they were hatched after al others so doe they in pontificall pride exceed al the rest This sect is termed ordo societatis Iesu the verie name expressing their proud and hauty mindes For no name of so many sectes before them nor any other appellation could content them vnlesse they be termed fellowes and companions with Iesus Christ. They are indeede so proud and stately that where euery other Romish sect hath some cardinall to be their protector they only to die for it wil haue none at al. And why because forsooth they will depend vpon none neither submit themselues to any saue to the pope alone to whom I weene they wil be subiect because they can no other doe They are not only proud but very factious people They are hated generally of all sortes of men they cherish themselues and seek to ouerrule all others They employ some of their sect to no other end but only to looke into matters of state that so by parasiticall informations made to the pope they may leade all the world in a string The Perioch First therfore since popish primacie began in the yere 607. Secondly since priests marriage was neuer prohibited til the yere 385. Thirdly since popes pardoÌ„s were neuer heard of til the yere 1300. Fourthly since popish purgatory tooke no root in the Romish church til the yere 250. Fiftly since inuocation of saints adoration was not known til the yere 370. Sixtly since popish pilgrimage began in the yeere 420. Seuenthly since the merite of works de condigno was disputable about the yere 1081. Eightly since the communion vnder both kindes was neuer thought vnlawful til the yere 1414. Ninthly since the popes buls were not authenticall til the yere 772. Tenthly since auricular confession was not established till the yeere 254. Eleuenthly since general councels were euer summoned by the emperours many like matters of importance as may appeare by this smal volume I may reasonably conclude that al men careful of their saluation wil detest from their hearts al popish faction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Table containing the texts of holy scripture which are handled in this Volume Necessary at the least for the simple Reader
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