in heauen things that are in earth things visible things inuisible whether they be Maiestie or Lordship either rule or power al things are created by him and in him be is before all things and in him all things haue their being and he is the head of the bodie that is to wit of the congregation he is the beginning and first begotten that in all thinges he might haue the preheminence for it pleased the father that in him all fulnesse should dwell and by him to reconcile all things to him selfe and to set at peace by him through the bloud of his Crosse both things in heauen and things in earth Here is no mencion at all of hir but all of him master Stapleton for whome all things were made But euen these properties of Christ this blasphemous doctour applieth to hir and sayth your Church doth so For a little before he sayth Sed hoc loco c. But in this place is to be asked whether the blessed virgin were brought forth before all creatures For of hir sayth the Church that saying Eccle. 24. Ab initio ante secula creata sum From the beginning and before the worlde was I made and againe in the Epistle of this solemnitie the Virgine is brought in saying that sentence Prou. 8. The Lord hath possessed me from the beginning of his wayes before he made any thing euen from the beginning from euerlasting I was ordeyned and from of olde before the earth was made as yet the depthes were not and I was alreadie begotten as yet the fountaynes flowed not with water nor as yet the mountaynes in their great compasse were setled before all the hilles was I begotten VVhich wordes doe seeme so to sounde that she was brought forth before the bringing forth of any other thing Who is he that knoweth not that these wordes are spoken of the eternall sonne of God begotten before all ages and is euen one wyth that S. Iohn sayth In the beginning was the worde and yet bicause it is spoken in the feminine gender vnder the name of the eternall wisedome of God he most ignoranâ—…ly and Idolatrously transferreth it to the virgin Marie Neyther he alone but he sayth your Church doth so so that all your whole Church is a blasphentous Church And thus ye ascribe the promise of the blessed seede to the blessed virgine saying not it but shee shall tread downe the serpents heade So where Dauid sayth Non est qui se abscondat à â—…alore 〈◊〉 None can hide him from his heate ye say none can hide him from hir heate Likewise where the wisedome of God sayth In the welbeloued Citie gaue he me rest in Hierusalem was my power Iacobus de Udragine applieth it to hir saying Primo pater c. First the father hath made hir mightie to helpe Eccle. 24. in Hierusalem was my power for she is made so mightie that she can help vs in life in death and after death c. Againe where Christe sayth I am exalted like a Palme tree aboute the bankes and as a rose Palme in Hierico as a fayre Oliue tree in a pleasant fielde that ascribeth he to hir saying Sunt enim quidam c. There are some Saints who when they are prayed vnto follow the information of their conscience and therefore often tymes they will not pray to God for vs bicause they haue a conscience that they are not worthie to be heard Other Saintes there are that when they are prayed vnto they follow the streightnesse of Gods righteousnesse And therefore if they be desired and knowe that this is not fitte for Gods iustice they dare not aske but the blessed Virgin neither looketh to conscience nor to iustice but to mercie As who should say let them keepe their consciences to themselues that lust and let them that will loke to Gods iustice I will alwayes hold me to mercie and for this so excellent Modestie shee sayth of hir selfe Eccle. 24. I am as a fayre Oliue in the fieldes Yea you say shée hath such excéeding and excelling mercie that not onely it passeth all the Saints but that illud quod dicitur Eccl. 18. de Domino potest dici etiaÌ„ de Domina c. That the which is spoken Eccle. 18. of the Lorde may be spoken of the Ladie The mercie of a man is towarde his neighbour but the mercie of the Lorde is ouer all flesh Thus ye robbe God of his glory to adourne hir attributing all to hir And say that the father hath written in hir his power where Christ sayth contrarie all povver is giuen me of my father in heauen and earth c. that the sonne hath vvritten in hir his vvisedome that the holy ghost hath vvritten in hir his goodnesse and mercie Againe the father hath made hir his Treasorer vvhereby shee hath conquered the Deuill and povvreth into cur mindes diuine knovvledge The sonne hath made hir his Chamberlayne The holy ghost hath made hir his Cellerer The vvhole Trinitie hath made hir Almosiner of heauen Shee is Chauncellour to the holy ghost shee is Porter of Paradise Ipsa nanque est ostium c. For shee is the doore by the vvhich vve enter into Paradise vvhich by Eue vvas shutte and by hir is opened Ipsa enim est quae nos suis meritis in atrium principis introducit For it is shee that by hir merits bringeth vs into the porch of the Prince VVhervpoÌ„ Ioh. 18 it is sayde A Damsell that was the doore keeper the blessed virgine calleth hirselfe an handemayde or Damsell let in Peter into the Princes porche Ipsa nanque virgo For euen the virgin is the vvindovv vvherby God beholdeth vs vvith the eie of mercie Uirgo autem Maria. The Virgin Marie is the throne of mercy grace and glorie she is the Sunne to the iust the Moone to the Saints the faithful vvitnesse to sinners the aduocate of mankinde the drop that softneth all hardnesse There vvere three things that once vvere hard God that receyued none to mercie Death that svvalovved vp all to hell the Deuill that enraged vvith enmitie But the Virgin Marie so mollified God that he receiued all men to mercie She so trodde death vnder foote that novve he can not take avvay the Saints Shee ouercame the Deuill that he can novve â–ª deceyue none but him that lust to be deceyued that novv shee may say I forsake you not but as a drop I abyde vvith you bicause my odour abydeth vvith you vvherevvith I haue mollifyed God I haue troden dovvne death I haue ouercome the Deuill This is one droppe of hir grace master Stap. but what can ye ascribe more to al the droppes of the bloud of christ To conclude ye make hir all in all Shee â—…lenseth vs from our sinnes â–ª shee lightneth vs from ignorance she strengthneth vs from our infirmities Et per ipsam virg c. and by the blessed
despiâ—…e not vs that put our trust in thee VVee trust in thee and thee our aide we inuocate c. In the 4. prayer Thou with Christ possessest the imperiall honor c. Cast thy godly eies on vs and search the inwarde partes of our harts c. In the fifth prayer VVithout thee euery soule is as an vnfruitfull tree worthy to be rooted vp and to be cast into the wasting fire Our soule lusteth after thee thou noble mother of God when wilt thou visit it come lady and sometimes visite thy seruants least our vertue â—…aint c. Our soule is wiâ—…hered and made baren bicause we haue not deserued to haue thy grace Come O mother come and moysten it that it may somtimes bring forth fruit that it may be fruitful being bedewed with thy grace and bring forth pleasant fruite to thee In the. 6. prayer VVhom God and thou the inuincible mother of God wilt vouchsafe to help they shall endure O Ladie heare the sighes of thy seruants and hasten to help them that trust in thee In the 7. prayer Looke downe from thy high trone of heauen where thou raignest with thy soÌ„ne c. Of al wretches he is most wretch that neglecteth to get thy grace c. he is iust indeede and worthy the felowship of the iust that deserueth in his seruice to please thee he shall not be confounded in the last iudgement when he shall see his Lady the iudges mother and shall see thee with him iudging him He shall cast his eyes on thee and he shall not treÌ„ble for thou wilt not forget him c. In all our grieues let vs runne to the loue of thee c. In the 8. prayer Haile prayse of the continent vertue and strength of the maried mother of the fatherlesse succour of widdowes haile firme and vnmoueable hope of all the faithful hayle myrth and ioy of Christians c. behold we coÌ„mend body and soule to thee yea all the gouernance of our whole life we coÌ„mende into thy holy haÌ„ds we offer our selues to serue thee dispise not our oblations c. In the. 10. prayer Be present with vs O lady as we trust in thee that art the remedie of all euill c. that thou being our guide we may come streight to heauen Now M. St. is all this neither nothing els but Ora pro nobis well I could yet bring more more horrible stuffe thaÌ„ this Yea it were infinite to tedious to rake out those most blasphâ—…mous prayers that all your other bookes haue Your self could neuer abide the reading for shame nor the godly susteyne y hearing for horrour to see God so blasphemed spoiled of al his honor of that which he is a ielouse God wil coÌ„municate no part therof to other Only to swéeten your lips withal ye shal heare a few stories out of your legende other your holy bookes what ye ascribe to saints And first to begin euen at the intercession that ye say the Saints make for vs chiefly the virgine Marie whom ye make farre more mercifull than christ To proue this ye tell vs That a certaine wicked sinner going about his sinne by the way as his manner was to salute hir Image with an Aue beholding the Image of the virgin and hir sonne in hir armes he saw that the bloud distilled from the childe as it did from his woundes on the Crosse. VVhich when he saw being astonied thereat he said O ladie who hath done this to whome the virgin answered Thou and such sinners do Crucifie my Sonne againe And she would haue wiped and stanched the bloud but she could not To whom ê™ the sinner O mother of mercie make intercession for me She answered to him You sinners call mee the mother of mercie ye make me the mother of miserie and sorow And he said not so most godly ladie â–ª but remember that thou art the aduocate of sinners and make intercession for me And the mother said O most godly sonne for the loue of me be merciful to this sinner And hir sonne said to hir No mother nor thou oughtest to be grieued in that I heare thee not For I prayed once my father if it were possible to saue maÌ„kind some other way and take from me the cup of my passion and he would not heare me And she sayd O my son remember that I cherished thee with motherly loue and fed thee with my papps forgiue then this sinner O mother ê™ the sonne I will shew that by good right I am not bound to heare thee VVe plead not right ê™ the mother but flie to mercie and therefore for thy mercies sake be mercifull to this sinner To whom hir sonne said I prayde my father twice that if it were possible the cup should parte from me and he heard me not To whom his mother answered O my sonne remember my trauailes and paines that I haue susteyned with thee and giue me this sinner O Mother quoth the Sonne be not vexed bicause I will not heare thee but remember that I prayed thrice and was not hearde VVith that the mother set downe hir Sonne and would haue fallen downe to his feete VVhich hir Sonne seing saide vnto hir what is that ye will doe Mother I will quoth she lie before thy feete with this sinner so long till thou graunt him pardon God forbid this mother quoth the sonne for it is ordayned in the diuine lawe that the sonne ought to honour his mother and iustice concludeth that the lawgiuer fulfill himself the law Then sith I am thy sonne and thou my mother I will honour thee in this sinner and for thy sake forgiue him al his sinnes and in tokeÌ„ of peace betwene him and me let him come and kysse my wounds and so the sinner healed all the wounds of Chryst with his kisse How say you M. Stapleton was not this propre stuffe to be printed euen for information to Preachers to instruct the people with almost so manie blasphemies as there bee lines besides the ridiculousnesse of the whole tale But I tell it for your conceytes of hir intercession making hir a great deale more mercifull than Chryst. The like tale within a Sermon or two after or rather a more fonde tale he telleth of an vnthrift that hauing wasted his goods gaue himselfe to the diuell for riches Of whome the diuell required that he should renie the highest and so he did To whom the diuell aunswered that his worke was yet vnperfecte excepte he renounced the mother of the highest for it is she that doth vs most harme For looke whome the sonne by iustice destroyeth the mother by mercie and pardon doth saue VVhiche the yong man hearing he was sore adrad and troubled aboue measure and answered he woulde neuer doe it To whome the Coniurer sayde you haue denied the Creator stick not man to denie the Creature
virgin Marie Quilibet tanque per portam in coelum ascendit Euery man euen as by a gate ascendeth to heauen By these immoderate prayses or rather outragious blasphemies Master Stapleton ye stirred the people quite neglecting Christ to inuocate the Uirgine Marie And ye exemplifie it by fables to confirme the people therein Ye tell vs how an Abbot and his holy Couent sayling in a tempest one called on Saint Nicholas an other on Saint Andrewe and euerie one vppon his peculier Patrone but none called vpoÌ„ God the Abbot chod them all and bad them call on the mother of mercie Which when they did forthwith the Seas were calme Ye tell vs of many other that being vexed with spirites haue sought manye remedies nowe holy water nowe one thing nowe another yea they haue called vpon Christ vpon the Trinitie and haue had so little helpe that they haue rather bene much worse onely when they were taught to lift vp their handes and crie Saint Marie helpe me then forthwith the spirite hath fled away all afrayde as he had beene smitten with a stone and sayde the cursed deuill enter into his mouth that hath taught thee that and so being vanquished neuer came againe Ye tell vs a noble Storie of a Spanish woman called Lucie to whome for saluting the virgin Marie the virgin at the deliuerance of hir childe came and was the midwife and at the Christning the Godmother and Christ the Godfather and the childe was named after the Godmother and called Marianus And how at hir Churching Christ himselfe sang Masse and how at the offertorie Lucie was preferred to go and offer and kisse the Priestes hande before the virgine Marie and what honour the Uirgin gaue hir aboue hir selfe saying This is your day of Churching now I was churched long ago And all for saying the Aue Marie Ye tell vs of a Strumpet that all hir life did no good work saue that she would say an Aue Marie and heare a Masse on Saterday which ye call our Ladies day as Sunday is called the Lordes day and on hir death bed this harlot sayde O Ladie Queene and mother though I did neuer any good yet I trust to thy mercie and to thee I commende my spirite And when the fiends would haue taken hir soule the mother of mercie tooke hir soule from them saying do ye not knowe that shee saluted me dayly and euery Saterday heard a Masse and at hir death commended hir soule to me And when they alleaged hir sinnes I tell you quoth shée that soule was neuer damned that serued mee and commended it selfe to me and so she draue them away and caryed the soule with hir Ye tell vs of a knight that neuer did other good but at morning and Euening say an Aue Marie and by the grace of the Virgin he was saued And hereon ye conclude a rule Quod orandum sit c. That at the poynt of death we must pray mother of grace mother of mercie defende thou vs from the enimie and keepe vs in the hower of death And then we are safe Yea as Anselme sayth Impossibile est vt pereat It is impossible hee should perish syth by the vertue of the Aue Marie the worlde was renued And that Redempturus deus genus humanuâ—… vniuersum precium contulit in Mariam sine ea nihil possumuâ—… sine ea miseri sumus sine ea factum est nihil God going about to redeeme mankinde conferred al the price therof vpon Mary VVithout hir we caÌ„ do nothing without hir we are wretches without hir nothing was made To conclude ye make hir to be all in all And as Albertus Magnus in his booke of hir prayses saith Est autem opus c. The booke of the beginning of the Lordes incarnation describing the mysterie of our redemption to the prayse honour and glorie of the most glorious and alonly truly honorable aboue euery Creature the virgin mother of god By the most speciall confidence of whole helpe we take this worke in hande And in the mercie of hir euen as in the most firme anchore of our hope we looke for the ende of the perfourmance and the rewarde of the labour VVho is the moouer of the wil the cause of the worke and the beholder of the intention Thus blasphemously ascribeth Albertus all these things to hir euen in the Preface of his booke But what excéeding more blasphemies he filleth his volume withall were infinite to recite Looke your selfe M. St. if with shame ye can sustaine to reade them Neither is all this the errours of priuate men but the dooing of all your whole Church For euen in the solemnities of your Masse haue ye not in the Sequences of our Ladies Masses as ye cal them Aue terrarum domina c. Haile ladie of the earth holy queene of heaueÌ„ let the heauens and all the company of saincts bring forth melodie to thee the laÌ„ds the floudes the woods and groaues resound c. By thee mother we craue that the childrens sinnes be abolished and we be all brought to the euerlasting ioyes of Paradise Againe Seda nobis bella Appease thou warres hayle starre of the seas thou mother giue to vs the true peace giue vs help changing the name of Eue. Driue away our euils drawing vs without bitternesse forgiue vs our crimes aske al good things let the Sonne and the Father be giuen by thee O mother c. that which Eue hath taken away thou only O mother giuest Through thee the people recouer their former lost strength thou art the gate of the high King by the which gate we enter into the court c. And againe The ladie of the world c. is the cause of our saluation the gate of life Againe Pray euery man to hir in euery houre and call thou vppon hir defence Sing sing Aue Maria with the force of thy harte â–ª with thy voice with thy vow c. And in the third reason that ye giue why ye dedicate the Saterday to hir as the Sonday to the Lord ye say in redde letters Tertia ratio est c. The third reason is bicause the Saterday is the gate and entraÌ„ce to the Sonday but the Sonday is the day of rest and betokeneth eternall life VVherevpon when we be in the grace of our Ladie we are as it were in the gate of Paradise Therefore bicause euen she is to vs the gate to the kingdome of heauen which is figured by the Sonday we keepe for the solemnitie of hir the Seuenth day which goeth before the Sonday Thus doth your whole Church yea and that in your holy Masse booke ascribe to hir euen as much as any of the other What say ye now to all this M. Stap. haue ye any shifte of descant to runne vnto any distinction behinde to alleage any figge leafe to couer your shame that all this kinde of inuocation may be thought
them master Stapleton till ye set them downe I thinke they will all come in the ende to the effect of this sentence here so often by all yourside alleaged Ye cite Chrysostome as though it were at the full Where in déede ye cut off both the heade the middle and taile of his sentence whereby considering the occasion and purpose of his wordes we might sée that they shoulde not be wrested from his meaning Chrysostome vpon these wordes of the Prophet Esay Factum est anno quo mortuâ—…s est Ozias rex It came to passe in the yere that king Ozias died after a Preface made of Priestes mariage taking occasion of the Prophet Esays wife telleth of Ozias presumption Uerum hic Ozias c. but this Ozias when he was a crowned King bicause he was iust waxed hawtie in minde and conceyuing a greater courage than was for his estate entred into the temple And what sayth Esay He entred into the holy of holies and sayde I will offer incense He being a King vsurpeth the principalitie of the priesthood I will sayth he offer incense bicause I am iust But abide within thy bounds And so Chrysostome procéedeth in the sentence cited by you Alij sunt termini The boundes of a kingdome of a priesthood are not al one c. Which sentence ye truly cite til ye come to these wordes VVhen I say to me I vnderstand a priest And there ye strike of mâ—… words of Chrysostam than ye cited Which belike ye do for two purposes Partly for that ye could not abide to heare of any vices or discommendation in priests therfore ye cull out only that which soundeth to their praise dignitie Partly for that this would haue made the purpose of Chrysost playner reprouing them that disâ—…erne not betwene the office the persoÌ„ At which fault your self so late did stuÌ„ble in princes not discerning between Neroes vices a princes office As in Chrysostoms time same despised the office of a priest bicause of the faults of diuerse priests The wordes of Chrysostome folowing those you cite are these Therefore when thou seest an vnworthie priest slaunder not the priesthod For thou oughtest not to coÌ„demne the things but him that euill vseth a good thing Syth Iudas also was a traytor howbeit for this the order Apostolical is not accused but the mind of him Neither is it the fault of the priesthood but of the euill mind And thou therfore blame not the priesthod but the priest that vseth euill a good thing For if one dispute with thee and say seest thou yonder Christianâ—… answere thou but I speak not to thee of the persons but of the things or else how many phisitions haue bene made slaughtermen haue giuen poisons for remedies And yet I dispise not the arte but him that euill vseth the arte How many shipmeÌ„ haue guided euill their ships yet is not the arte of sayling euill but the mind of them If the Christian man be wicked accuse not thou the profession the priesthood but him that euill vseth a good thing These are Chrysostomes wordes which you omit and then followeth as you recite Regâ—… corpora c. The bodies are coÌ„mitted to the king and so forth as ye say til ye come to the knitting vp of the sentence with Ozias which again you omit VeruÌ„ rex c. But that king going beyond his bounds and passing the measure of the kingdom atteÌ„pted to adde somwhat more and entred into the temple willing with authoritie to offer incense VVhat therfore sayth the priest It is not lawfull for thee Ozias to offer incense Behold libertie behold a mind that knoweth not boÌ„dage behold a tong touching the heauens behold liberty that cannot be restrained behold the body of a maÌ„ the mind of an angel behold one that goeth on the grouÌ„d is coÌ„uersant in heaueÌ„ Thou sawest a king thou sawest not a diademe Tel not me it is a kingdom where is the transgression of lawes It is not lawful for thee O king to offer inceÌ„se It is not lawful for thee to come into the holy of holies Thou passest thy bouÌ„ds thou sekest things not grauÌ„ted to thee therfore shalt leese the things thou hast receiued It is not lawful for thee to offer inceÌ„se but this is giuen vnto the priests This is not thine but this is mine haue I vsurped on me thy purple vsurpe not thou my priesthod It is not lawful for thee to offer inceÌ„sâ—… but only for the sons of AaroÌ„ By this it plainly appeareth wherevpon Chrysost. speaketh to wete of the seuerall functions of the spirituall pastor and the prince and that it is not lawfull for the prince to intrude himself into the office of the diuine minister He may not more take vpoÌ„ him to administer the diuine sacraments of christ his church now although he be the prince to the which not with standing you admitted womeÌ„ thaÌ„ might Ozias sacrifice then For as then God had appoynted who should sacrifice so hath he apointed who should now minister his sacrameÌ„ts Now if ye had shewed that the supreme gouernment ouer ecclesiasticall causes the ouersight and direction of the setting forth of Gods true religion the abolishing of false religion and the deposing of Idolatrous Priestes that obsâ—…inately mainteyne errours agaynst the expresse worde of God be the like doing to this fact of Ozias if ye had proued that the Prince hath euer done or doth or claymeth to do the like fact to this of Ozias in ministring the sacrament then had you alleaged this sentence to some purpose else maketh it nothing to the purpose but maketh agaynst your popish mid wiues they rather play the part of Ozias It maketh not agaynst the Q. Maiestie but most of all against your Pope himselfe that thinketh he playth the high priests part and is so farre therfrom that none is more like than he to this vsurper entring into the holyest place and vsurping the priesthood the sacrifice the power and the honour that belongeth onely to Iesus Christe himselfe As for the office of the true minister of God which neyther your Pope nor you his shaâ—…elings arâ—… is in déede as Chrysostom sayth both a distinct function from the princes and hath other boundes and also we graunt surmounteth farre the boundes of the Princes office in respect of his spirituall ministerie of administring the sacraments of preaching the glad tydings of saluation of denouncing to the obstinate sinners the threates of Gods wrath and vengeance to the penitent the most comfortable promises of Gods mercie fauour whose sentence being rightly applyed in earth God hath promised to ratifie the same in heauen And for this cause doth Chrysost â–ª so highly extoll this priesthood referring all his prayses to the dignitie of his ministerie in respect whereof the Princes ministeris is but outwarde and earthly medling nothing with the administration of this high function but onely with the
Dauids bagge will make you M. Stap. so tottle vp your héeles that we may safely cutte off your head the Pope euen with your owne weapon for all these your cries and crakes But like a lustie champion as though ye had made a sufficient conquest ye say ye wil forbeare at this time to speake of the residue of our noble progenitours Coragiously sayde M. St. when ye haue done the worste ye can and spit out all your poyson then tell vs ye wil forbeare vs Wel then at the length thaÌ„ks be to God ye haue done with our ancestors as ye cal theÌ„ haue ben answered as ye haue heard Now let others in gods name iudge of vs both as they shal find the falshood or veritie of these matters May it nowe please you M. Sta. to giue me leaue a while to runne at randoÌ„ the same race that you haue done and to vse your owne words Good sir may it please you fauorably to heare your and your masters honorable pedegree and of their worthy feates and prowesse First what say you to the Phariseis that seuered them selues from all the people in their strange apparell in their fastings prayers and other poynts of hypocrisie described out by Christ in so much that they preferred them selues aboue al men so were counted as in whoÌ„ religion did only or most consist so like in euery poynt to your Monkes and Friers deuided froÌ„ other men by their rules profession and estéemed called onely or chiefly religious men VVhat say ye agayne to the Phariseis that kept the key of knowledge among them selues and would neither them selues enter in nor suffer other to enter but rather be blind guides and leaders of the blinde so like to your Prelates and you pretending to be the pastors of the people and kéepers of the worde of God but so to kéepe it that not only ye kept the people from it but for the most part your Priests were ignoraunt of it and blinder guides of the blinde then euer the Phariseis were VVhat say ye agayne to the Phariseis that brought traditions into the Church besides the worde of God and transgressed the worde of God for their traditions sake Wherin for one tradition of the Phariseis so brought in the Papistes haue brought in a score at the least and if I shoulde say an hundreth I spake within my bounds VVhat say ye to the same Phariseis that defended a maÌ„ might do all that the law commaundeth and obteine iustification and heauen therby But héere the Papistes go beyonde them that say we not onely may do all but more than all that euer God commaunded workes of counsel of voluntarie of supererogatioÌ„ like to the Foxe with more than a thousand wiles in coÌ„parison of the poore catte but the Phariseis herein were nothing stored like the Papists What say ye to the Saduces that sayde we haue powre frée will to do good or badde What say ye to the Esseni that liued in woods and solitary places and eate onely rootes and herbes counting all righteousnesse to consist in streight rules of life although herein you be but counterfeits to them and I do them iniuiurie in this comparison to you whose Friers Monkes Heremites and Anachores were nothing comparable but méere Pharisaicall hypocrites What say ye euen to Simon Magus your selfe with whom you charge vs that first began to mingle the Iewish and heathen ceremonies with Christianitie What say ye agayne to Simon Magus that would haue made sales of the giftes of the holy ghost as the Pope maketh sale of his Indulgences graces What say ye agayn to Simon Magus that came to Rome and there was honored as God as the Pope not like Gods viâ—…ar as he pretendeâ—… but like God him self is there honored and claimeth here in earth to haue the power of God according as Simon Magus named him selfe the power of God. What say ye once againe to Simon Magus and all his ofspring that mainteyned filthie fornication as the Pope doth stewes courteianes and Concubines What say ye to the Heretikes called Sethiani Of whome saith S. Augustine Multa de principatibuâ—… potestatibus vanâ—…ssima 〈◊〉 They faigne many moste vaine thinges of principalities and powers according as do your fabling bookes of the celestiall Hierarchies in the name of Diâ—…nisius and other like What say ye to the Carpocratians that to mainteine their wicked liues false opinions did say that Iesus taught those things to his Disciples and Apostles aparte from his written worde and deliuered them by tradition to be kept as the Pope and all the Papistes say for defence of traditions and vnwritten verities as they call them besides the written worde of Christ. What say ye to the Cainites that made inuocation vnto Angels but the Papistes made inuâ—…cation not only to Angels but to dead men and women also yea and to thinges vnsensible What say ye to the Theodotians that would take from and put to the worde of God and that they had authoritie to correct thâ—…se things that were not well and saide they were therein wiser than the holy Ghost as do the Papists adde to the worde of God their traditions and suppresse and â—…iminish the authoritie of Gods worde saying their Church is of greater authoritie by them and they haue furder knowledge of Gods spirite than is contâ—…ined in the written worde of God. What say ye to the Basilidians that to their Disciples commaunded â—…ue yéeres silence as your Monkes Friers Heremites Anaâ—…hores c. enioyned to their nouices silence at certaine times and did all by beckes and noddes and if a worde were spoken all their perfection were marde What say ye moreouer to the Basilidians that painted and carued the Image of Christ and worshipped it As I haue shewed the Papists did what kinde of worship socuer ye would excuse the matter withall What say ye to the Cerdoniaus that reiected the ensamples of the old Testament as you M. St. and M. Dorman in this controuersie of supremacie do What say you to Montanus that first appointed lawes of fasting which before were frée as is shewed already in the Article thereon That said the holy Ghost taught him more and better greater things than Christ taught in the Gospell as your Papistes say for their vnwritten verities and workes of supererogation Ascribing a greater perfection to such voluntarie workes than to the workes expressed and commaunded in the worde of God. What say ye againe to the Montanistes that abrogated the authoritie of Gods wâ—…rde as I haue shewed ye in Pigghius and Alphonsus that the Papistes do What say ye againe to the Montanistes that boasted much of mysteries but nothing so many nor so mystie as the Papists were That said to accuse and condemne themselues to be sinners was to sclaunder them selues as the Papists that can not abide
the Letanie for saying so often Lorde haue mercy vppon vs miserable sinners and for saying Amen to the curses recited against the wicked Besides that I haue shewed alreadie how they iustifie them selues with puritie of nature with fréewill with preparatiue workes meritorious more than mâ—…ritorious workes of perfectioÌ„ What say ye to the same Montanistes that vnder the pretence of offerings craftely gathered and extorted of the people great summes of monie But not the hundreth parte that the popish Priests offrings brought in What say ye againe to the Montanistes with whom the Prophicieâ—… of Priscilla and â—…aximilla were in greater honour than the holy Gospels of Iesus Christe as likewise the blinde Prophecies of the Papistes to the which they giue more credite than to the true Prophets that haue set forth Gods worde What say ye once againe to Montanus that taught the dissoluing contemning of Matrimâ—…nie for religioÌ„ sake in all which thingâ—… how nere your Papists follow Montanus steppes is very apparant to the easie conferrer What say ye to the Tessarescedecatitae which vsed and alleaged forged bookes in the Apostles names called Apocrypha as the Papistes make Canonicall the bookes so called besides that they alleage and set out their S. Thomas gospell Nichodemus gospell The actes of S. Peter The fables of Lazarnâ—… the birth life death and assumption of the blessed virgin and many such other counterfaite bookes to establishe their Masse Purgatorie Reliques Traditions and other such errours by them What say you to the Seueriani of Seuerus that saide a wench called Phâ—…lumene was enspired with the holy ghost to foretel things to come to whom declaring his dreames burnings of his minde she would warne him secretly as it were of things to come and that she should sée phantasies come vnto hir in the likenesse of a childe which childe appering would now and then say he were Christ now and then S. Paule that the spirite told hir such things as she told the people that she wrought such miracles of which this was the chiefe that she woulde put a great loafe into a glasse hauing a narrow mouth and with the tippe of hir fingars take it out againe vnbroakeÌ„ that she eate nothing els but that as sent hir from god Compare these things with the Popish practises in their visions trances and miracles of their she â—…incts S. Bridgits Reuelations the trances of the holy mayde in Kente the Pâ—…ell of Fraunce the she saint that Sir Thomas More telleth of in his booke of Pilgrimages and sée how much they differ What say you to the Taciani that would admitte none into their rules and orders were they men or women that renounced not Mariage as none may be admitted to the Popish orders or rules of their religions that haue not vowed not to marie What say you to the Alogiani that as is saide before stood vppon vnwritten verities and reiected the written worde of God What say ye to the Angelici that bowed them selues downe in the worship of Angels What say ye to the Apostolici which most arrogantly called them selues by this name as do your Popes call theÌ„ selues Apostolicall and they receiue not into their communion those that vse wiues as your Papistes will admitte no married Priests to consecrate at their Masse nor they receiued any that professe any proprietie of their goods as your Monkes and Friers do pâ—…tende of whome saith S. Augustine Quales habet Ecclesia Monachos Clericos plurimos Such as the Church hath many MoÌ„kes Clerkes No meruayle then if your Monkes and Priests do so now for the Heresie of your Apostolical as ye cal it but in déede apostaticall Church herein is of faire antiquitie What say you to the Manichaei with whom ere while ye falsely charged vs They forbid as S. Augustine saithe mariage so much as in them lieth They saide that by chastitie Prayers and Psalmes they purged their liues sent them to heauen They craked of false AbstineÌ„cie and Continencie to deceyue the simple They boasted that they forsooke all things for God and did arrogate to them selues all the blessings mencioned in the Gospell They added and tooke from the Scriptures so much as they pleased pretending they had bene or might be corrupted and preferred the bookes called Apocrypha They said the promise of Iesus Christ concerning the holy ghost the comforter was fulfilled in their Archmanichée as the Papists besides all the other aforesayde say the same promise of the holy ghost is fulfilled in their Arch prelate the Pope And as Manicheus called himselfe the Apostle of Iesu Christ so your Pope in his Bulles prefixeth the authoritie Apostolicall of Peter and Paule Moreouer they reiected flesh egges and milke which the Papists dâ—… on certaine dayes they reiected also the proprietie of goodes as due the begging Friers What say ye to the Hierachitae that likewise as these would receyue none into their societie but vnmaried men and women Such were also your Aerians whome falsly you obiect to vs being more like to them your selues admitting none but suche as were continent as renounced the worlde and would possesse nothing of their owne What say ye to the Psalliani and Euchitae that were all giuen to mumbling vp of prayers and sayde that Monkes ought not to labour to get their liuing and therefore they professed themselues to be Monkes bicause they woulde do no worke but pray Whom Erasmus in his defence against the Sorbonists being appeached onely for saying Christuâ—… in orando damnat multiloquâ—…um Christ doth condemne much babling in prayer likeneth the Papists vnto Denique Psalliani siue Euchitae c. To conclude the Psalliani or Euchitae haue augmented the beadroll of Heretikes who lyuing in idlenesse dispatched vp an heape of psalmes with a marueylous rolling of the tongue What say ye to the Pattalorinchitae which did so giue themselues to silence that at suche times as they thought they must holde their peace they would lay their fingers on their nose and lippes least they should speakâ—… a worde as I noted before of the Basilidians both whome herein your religious men resembled What say ye to the Aquarij which mingled water with wine in the Sacrament as all the Papist do What say you to the barefoote Heretikes that walked vp and downe barefoote and woulde weare no shooes like the barefoote Friers What say you to the Priscillianists that had this rule among them Iura periura secretum prodere nolâ—… Sweare and forsweare bewray not the secrete not onely like the dissembling Papistes practise among vs that will sweare and forsweare themselues to the Prince with false hollow heartes in truth â–ª and yet in falshood trustie to their confederates nor will bewray their secrete conspiracies but also like the rule of your Pope and all his perfect faythfull ones Nulla â—…ides tenenda