of Catholikes and Catholike Church Although many sound and learned diuines haue of late yeeres fully laid open all points of Popery and throughly confuted the same yet the vulgar sort eyther for want of money to buy their bookes or leysure to reade them being for the most part verie large or else for want of knowledge to iudge of them being learnedly written know not so much as what Popery is but thinke yea and sometimes speake it that the Papists differ not much from vs and that wee might bee easily reconciled For the good therefore of the simple and vnlearned I haue briefly plainely and familiarly set downe such speciall points as they doe hold contrary to the very grounds of Religion that so such as yet stand may be confirmed the weake ones kept from embracing Popery and such as are of late falne from vs may if Gods will bee such bee reclaimed By Papists I vnderstand such as cleaue to the Pope in religion and are obedient vnto him And I thinke they will not be offended with the name no more then wee are with the name of Protestants And in setting downe their opinions I deale not with them as they deale with vs namely charging vs with such things as wee teach not but rather vtterly disclaime As for example There was not long since in a certaine Citie of this kingdome apprehended a Iesuite and among other things found about him hee had a certaine paper wherein were 44 positions set downe as doctrines maintained by Protestants and of these 44. almost 20 of them were grosse lies As for example First that wee hold and teach that children are saued onely by the faith of their parents without baptisme Secondly that one must not baptize but at a Sermon Thirdly that God doth not onely permit but doth cause sinne Fourthly that there is no Cup of consecration Fiftly that one may preach without being sent with such like things which are most notorious lies for Protestants teach no such things but rather the contrary If any haue broached such doctrine if they bee knowne they are punished by our Church And this hath bin their practice from time to time in charging vs with such points of doctrine as were neuer allow'd of but condemned by vs. In setting downe therefore of their opinions I alleadge eyther their very words or the summe therof and quote the places where the same are to bee found And I doe not set downe the words of some priuate man or of such as are of no account in the Church of Rome but of their Councell of Trent the Rhemists Bellarmine and such as whose words and writings are approued and allowed of by the Church of Rome And then at the end of euery particular point of Popery I quote also diuers of our owne late Writers where the points are handled more at large so that if any be disposed to see what they hold and how they are confuted hee may turne to the Authors and finde the same And because the Papists stand so much vpon antiquitie I haue also set downe the time when the most substantiall points of Popery came first into the Church See Doctor Abbot in defence of the reformed Catholike page 109. to 121. There is one thing which it may be some will not like of and that is the vsing of some homely comparisons and pleasant conceites but I would haue such to know that a Pill is a very bitter thing and therefore men many times before they come to swallow it will roll it in hony or some other sweet thing that it may goe down the more pleasantly and therefore I haue done the like with this my Pill that so it may be taken with the more delight And heerein I haue done but as Elias did with Baals Priests 1. Kings 18.27 and no more then Esay did with idolaters in his time Esay 44.16 My request then to you is that you will accept these foure small mites and employ them for your owne direction and the good of your families Teach your little ones the first and then as they growe in yeeres let them learne the rest And heerein you are to haue a respect to the nature and condition of your children If they be but of weake capacitie and haue but weake memories you are to require the lesse of them If that you would allow them some small time in euery weeke to learne the same and euery Lords day after the publike exercises in the Church you would spend but one hour or halfe in examining them you shall finde that in a few yeeres they would euen learn them all And further this you shal finde that by teaching your families you shall much profit your selues so that when you shall heare the Catechisme expounded in the Church as Ministers are now cōmanded to do it you shall by this meanes vnderstand the better what is taught and profit a great deale the more by it You shall doe well also to reade ouer oftentimes the Texts of Scriptures as they are set downe in order and so you shall see how euery point of doctrine deliuerd by the Minister in Catechizing is confirmed And concerning the Catechisme for Catholikes you shall doe well also sometimes to reade it or cause your children to doe it that so you may see what Poperie is and accordingly take heede of it These things if you be carefull to performe I doubt not but in a short time you shall finde great good to come heereof to your children much comfort to your selues and God hereby shall be glorified to whose most blessed and holy direction I commend you now and for euer Yours to his vttermost I. M. A CATECHISME for little Children Q. WHo made you A. God Q. What is God A. God is a Spirit Q. How many persons be there A. Three persons but one God Q. Whereof did God make man A. Of the dust of the ground Q. Whereunto did God make man like A. To himselfe Q. Wherein was that A. In righteousnes and holines principally Q. Wherefore did God make you A. To serue him Q. How will God be serued A. As he himselfe hath commanded in his Word Q. How is that A. In spirit and truth Q. Are we such now as God did make vs A. No we are all sinners Q. What is sinne A. The transgression of the Law Q. By whome came sinne into the world A. By man euen Adam Q. What is the reward of sinne A. Eternall death and damnation Q. How shall wee escape this death and damnation A. Onely by Iesus Christ Q. What is Iesus Christ A. The onely begotten Sonne of God Q. Is he God or man A. Both God and man Q. What did he to redeeme thee A. Hée suffered the torments of death for me Q. Christ was God how could he then die A. Christ was also man and so he suffered and died Q. Did Christ suffer in bodie or in soule A. Both in body and in soule Q. Did Christ
doth who many times hath in his net a true and liuing Larke indéede but it is onely to deceiue the Larkes and the more easily to catch them in his net So they professe Christ haue his Word and Sacraments among them but it is onely to deceiue simple people and to make a prey of them DIALOGVE 4. C. Doe they teach any other thing conâ—arie to any other Article of the Creed M. Yes diuers things In the Article we professe to beléeue that Christ was conceiued by the holy Ghost and so he and he onely was conceiued without originall sinne They teach that the Virgin Mary was also conceiued without originall sinne and that by this meanes it came to passe that Christ was frée from all spot Concil Trid. Sess 5. cap. 1. de peccato originali And so héerein they doe altogether ouerthrowe this Article of Christs conception by the holy Ghost to whose onely power the Scripture doth impute Christs holines not to the Virgin Mary which was no lesse then all others conceiued and borne in sinne and did néede Christ to be her Mediatour aswell as the rest of mankinde There was a long time a foule stirre in the Church of Rome betwéene the Dominicans and the Franciscans about this point Acts and Monuments page 732. It was the common opinion of Fathers and Writers vntill Lumbards time which was about the yéere 1150 that shée was conceiued in Originall sinne Perkins 2. Vol. 596. In the 4. Article we professe that Christ suffered c. by which he hath made a full and perfect satisfaction for the sinnes of his elect and for the whole punishment thereof both eternall and temporall The Popists teach that Christ hath satisfied for sinnes going before Baptisme but concerning sinnes following Baptisme the fault is remitted by the passion of Christ and the punishment which of infinite is made finite is to bee satisfied for by men themselues eyther heere or in Purgatorie that is men themselues must satisfie the iustice of God for the temporall punishment of their offences eyther on earth or in Purgatorie There is say they a certaine infernall place in the earth called Purgatorie in the which as in a prison-house the soules which were not fully purged in this life are there clensed and purged by fire before they can be receiued into heauen Bellar. de Purgat lib. 1. cap. 1. and cap. 3. lib. 2. cap. 6. Rhem. on 1 Cor 3. Sect. 4. They say also that it is an Article of faith to beléeue that there is a Purgatorie and that he which beliues it not is sure to go to Hell Bellarm. ibid. lib. 1. cap. 15. But this is so farre from béeing an Article of faith as that it is a méere fable and contrary to an Article of faith The bloud of Christ is the Purgatorie of our sinnes 1. Iohn 1.7 Afflictions are called the fiery triall 1 Pet. 1.7 4.12 whereby we are clensed from our corruption as gold is from the drosse by fire No other Purgatorie is to bee found in the Scriptures The Scriptures mention but two sorts of men beléeuers and vnbeléeuers and but two places after this for them heauen for the one and hell for the other Luke 16.25 26. Iohn 3.36 Reuel 20.14 15.21.7 8. They that die in the Lord rest from their labours which cannot bee true if any of them goe to Purgatorie Their workes follow them that is the reward of their workes Reuel 14.13 If any man should haue gone to Purgatorie then the thiefe vpon the Crosse had gone thither who repenting at his end wanted time to make satisfaction for the temporall punishment of his sinnes but Christ said to him To day shalt thou be with mée in Paradise The doctrine of Purgatorie came into the Church out of the heathen writers for the Philosophers and Poets were the first that euer wrote of it Popish Purgatorie was vnknowne to the Fathers many hundred yéeres after Christ Perkins 2. Vol. 568.569 C. If Purgatorie be but a fable contrary to an Article of faith then what is the cause that the Church of Rome so stifly maintaines it M. There is great cause why they should so do for it kéepes in the fire in the Popes Kitchin for if the fire of Purgatorie were not great the fire in the Popes Kitchin would bee but small for by this meanes they haue store of money for Pardons Masses Diriges and other such like trumperies DIALOGVE 5. C. Doe they teach any thing else contrary to the Creed M. Yes The sirth Article saith that Christ ascended into heauen c. and the Scriptures say that the heauens must containe him c. Acts. 1.11.3.21 They teach contrary héereunto namely that Christ is corporally present in the Sacrament and that in many places at once The which is contrary to the nature of a true body and contrary to the nature of the Sacrament which is a remembrance of Christ Vigilius against Eutyches lib. 4. saith thus When it that is the flesh of Christ was on earth it was not in heauen and because it is now in heauen it is not on earth This is the Catholike faith and confession It is an Article of faith to beléeue the Catholike Church and faith is the euidence of things not séene Heb. 11 1. Therfore the Catholike Church is alwaies vnto the world inuisible and not to be espied but by the eyes of faith because things seene are not beléeued The Papists teach that the Catholike Church is and hath but alwaies visible Rhem. on Mat. 5. Sect. 3. The Church is said to be Catholike that is vniuersall because it is not tyed to any one speciall place but is spred abroad ouer the face of the earth They tie it to Rome alone which can be but a particular Church and not vniuersall In the Church there is a Communion of Saints and these are they that are sanctified by the blond and Spirit of Christ hauing the perfect holines of Christ put vpon them by imputation of faith and the quality of imperfect holines powred into their heart by the Spirit of sanctification And such are the faithfull heere on earth 1. Cor. 1.2 Psal 16.2 The Papists acknowledge none to be Saints but such as are in heauen They teach that the Pope can canonize Saints whereas to make one a Saint is onely the work of God 1. Cor. 11. The Pope hath canonized many that indéede were neuer true Saints of God but wicked men and rank Traitors to their Princes as Becket with many others This canonizing of Saints was neuer heard of with the Fathers vntill the yéere 880. and then Adrian took vp this authority And Alexâder the Third after him confirmed it in his decrées In the Créed we professe to beléeue the forgiuenes of sinnes that is I beléeue that God for Christs sake doth fréely forgiue the sinnes of his elect and my sinnes also And héerein consisteth our iustification namely in the frée forgiuenes of our sinnes and the
see it Againe there may be some that for want of knowledge and the meanes thereof are intangled with some points of Popery but yet they hold the foundation which is CHRIST IESVS and looke to be saued by his merits and not by their owne or any others Such we account not Papists our the true Church and children of God But by Papists we meane such as cleaue fast to the Pope in religion are in all things obedient to him will not be reclaimed from their errours refuse to heare the Word of God to read the Scriptures or any other good books ' Of such wée may boldly say that if they thus continue to the end they cannot bee saued DIALOGVE 15. C. I do now plainely see that Papists are no good Catholikes because they are neither of sound faith nor good life but tell me I pray you who indeed are the true Church and true Catholikes M. All that doe truly and sincerely embrace professe and practise the aforesaid grounds of Religion in what Countrey soeuer they liue C. Is the Church of England the true Church M. Yes for it hath the speciall markes of the true Church namely the Word of God sincerely and soundly preached and the Sacraments rightly administred C. The Papists say that there are diuersities of opinions amongst vs that we cannot agree among our selues and that therefore wee are not the true Church M. In all substantiall points of Religion wée agree both amongst our selues and also with all other sound Protestants in Christendome In other things there haue bin are and will bee diuersities of opinions differences to the worlds end They should first pluck out the beame of their owne eyes for we can truly charge them with greater differences As namely with that sharpe and bloudy contention betweene the Franciscans and Dominicans and with the late bitter contention between the Iesuites the secular Priests wherein the Priests did write as bitterly against the Iesuites and namely against Parsons as euer did any Protestant nay there was neuer any Protestant Writer that did lay such foule and odious crimes to their charge as the Priests did And heerein they verified the old prouerb When théeues fall by the eares true men come to haue their goods For one dissention that is among vs they haue at least ten among themselues Doctor Willet in his fourth Piller of Papistry hath set downe at large First the contradictions and diuerse opinions of old Papists and new Secondly the contradictions of the Iesuites among themselues Thirdly that their stoutest Champion Bellarmine is at variance with himselfe shamefully forgetting himselfe saying and vnsaying now of one opinion by and by of another And no maruaile Oportet enim mendacem esse memorem A liar had néed to haue a good memory Fourthly hee sheweth the repugnances inconueniences and inconsequent opinions which Popish Religion hath in it selse And thus you see how they charge vs with that wherein themselues are most faulty DIALOGVE 16. C. Are there none among vs that maintaine any strange and new opinions contrary to the grounds of Religion M. If there be any such our Church doth not approue of them but rather censure and punish them C. There be some that professe the former grounds of Religion as wee doe and yet say that there is no true Church among vs and therefore will not ioyne with vs in prayer hearing the Word and in the vse of the Sacraments but separate themselues from vs what say you of such M. I say that they are possessed with the spirit of pride and singularity and that in so doing they doe euen deny these Articles of faith the Catholike Church and the Communion of Saints and are such as the Apostle speakes of Rom. 16.17 Heb. 10.25 39. Master Perkins in his first volume page 409. calles them a schismaticall and vndiscreet company and saith that they are full of pride thinking themselues to be full when they are empty to haue all knowledge when they are ignorant and haue need to be catechized Another saith thus of them The errour of those men is full of euill yea of blasphemie who doe in such manner make a departure from this Church as if Christ were quitbanished from hence and that there could bee no hope of saluation to those that abide heere And further he saith that if they cannot finde Christ heere they shall find him no where The errors of these men you may see in a little Treatise set forth by Master Bernard called The Separatists Schisme C. I pray shew me by some example that they ought not to separate themselues from vs and that they doe sinne in so doing M. In the Church of Corinth the incestuous man was not punished fornication was lightly regarded yea there were some that euen denied the Resurrection yet S. Paul doth account and call them the Church and Saints hee doth not perswade any to make a separation but doth plainely rebuke them and sheweth how they should punish the euill doer I speake not this to excuse any grosse sin that raigneth amongst vs for I wish that the same might be seuerely punished but to shew that where the Word is truly preached and the Sacraments rightly administred as in our Church they are none ought for any cause to separate themselues And that such as doe it do sinne grieuously I will shew you by a familiar example A mother conceiuesh and bringeth forth a sonne and that with great trauaile paine Shee traineth him vp to mans estate and that not without great care and labour This sonne at length espying some spot and blemish or some infirmity in his mother forsaketh her and will not acknowledge her to be his mother what would you now thinke of him C. Surely I should thinke such a one to bee a very wicked and vnnaturall sonne M. Euen such are they who for some seeming faults in our Church deny it to bee a true Church and doe separate themselues from it whereas this Church hath conceiued them brought them forth and nourished them For if euer they were truly begotten vnto Christ and borne anew it hath hin by our Church and our Ministerie by which likewise they haue bin trained vp and brought to that knowledge which they haue C. There are many amongst vs that make great profession of Religion but I can see no good workes come from them nay they are not onely barren in good workes but also liue in some one grosse sinne or other Are these the true Church and true Catholikes M. Though they liue in the Church yet they are not of the Church they are but Hypocrites and shall if they repent not haue the reward of Hypocrites yea it shall be easier in the day of iudgement for many Papists then for them because by their barren and fruitlesse yea wicked life they haue caused the name of God his Gospell and the true professours thereof to bee euill spoken of Let all therefore that will bee