are altered religion mournes because her best seruants want their wages For they neuer gaue so fast as now they take away Sublatis studiorum praemijs ipsa studiae pereunt saith Cornelius Tacitus and substraction is become a great part of patrons study The conclusiō like to follow such polling premisses is the decay of learning piety religiō the bringing in of al Atheisme error Barbarisme For they which would study diuinitie aboue all when they see that the Church hath scarce the fauour of an ordinarie ward yea when they behold the contempt the beggerlines vexatiō and miserable want of the ministery are glad to fall to phisicke or law or some other trade Gen. 48 7 What shall I say of you You are worse thē Pharao for he had a care of his priests howsoeuer the world went with the rest You are not so kind to ministers of the gospel as Iesabel that painted harlot 1. King 18.19 These shall rise in iudgement against you Iud. 17. was to the prophets of the groues for she fed foure hundred at her table you are not half so religious as Micha was superstitious for he maintained his priests You shew that you haue lesse loue to religion then they papists haue to superstition The kite is your cognisance who being greedy and rauenous yet mounteth aloft as though he would touch the gliding clouds but yet when he flieth a matchlesse pitch he hath his eies fixed below on the earth spying and prying for a carrion carcasse euen so you soare aloft in your contemplation and in a certain counterfeit sanctimony seeme to be raised and carried aboue the clouds yet so long as you can find in your harts to play the part-stake patrons to spoile the Church to seeke to enrich your selues by such robberies they are no better it is an infallible signe that you are worldlings and earthly minded seeking your owne gaine and priuate profit For Gods loue let this be reformed that we may know you by another cognisance The last and best sort of patrons are such as account them worthie of double honour which rule well The best sort of patrones 1. Tim. 5.17 that hold the labourer worthie of his hire that no man goeth to warfare on his owne charges 1. Cor 1 from the 5 verse to the 15 that husbandmen should eate of the fruit of such vineyardes as they themselues planted that sheppeheards should eat of the milke of their owne flockes that sowers of spirituall things which are the greater are well worthy to reape carnal things which are the lesser that they which serue at the altar are worthie to liue by the altar These for their cognisance may fitly giue some rare bird I had almost said the blacke Swan but it shall be the Eagle for she mounteth on hie and falleth not on the ground but to seeke her necessarie food and being satisfied straightway soareth aloft euē so the minds of these are occupied in heauen all superfluous cares being cast apart they indeed wish the prosperity of Ierusalem the happy florishing state of the Church O Lord almightie encrease the number of these and in thy mercy conuert or in iustice confound such Church-robbers as sauor nothing but their own gain as daily indeuour to take away the reward of knowledge are the death of thousand thousands of souls stir vp O Lord thy faithful seruant our dread soueraigne that with Nehemiah she may thrust out all such Eliashibs as abuse the Church in this manner Nehem. 13.14 and euerie Tobiah linked in affinity with them that thy seruants may haue their own portions and that thou maist not be mocked so we thy workmanship and sheep of thy pasture for so great a mercy shal praise thee fer euer Amen CHAPTER 12. The dutie of Christian Magistrates as well Soueraigne as others in hunting and taking the two-legged Foxes THere be two sorts of men which say that the charge of Religion belongeth not to the office of the magistrate First they which vnder pretence of their annointed cleargie and priuiledged priesthood cannot abide to haue their abuses reformed Secondly they which eyther are infected with some heresie or else are willing to dally with heretikes The first sort doe onely require of the magistrate to maintaine and defend their degrees The second sort holdeth that the magistrate ought onely to meddle with the maintenance of publike peace and not to regard what others beleeue or not beleeue But the true Church teacheth that the charge of publike religion doth not in part Charge of religion belongeth to the Magistrate but principally and most of all belong vnto the magistrate which thing the holy scripture approueth Moses the first generall magistrate of the Israelites God gaue the order of religion to Moses not to Aaron who did not represent the person of a priest which was put vnto Aaron but of the superiour power like vnto the authoritie of a king did giue the order of al religion vnto the people appointed vnto Aaron the order of the priests what they should do what they should not do Wherby it appeareth that the care of the order of religiō doth rather belong vnto the superior magistrat then vnto the degree of priesthood I know they will say that Moses did dispose all these things at Gods commaundement It is true but I will be answered againe why God gaue not the commaundement for order of religion vnto Aaron whom he had consecrated to be a priest rather then vnto Moses So then this rather sheweth that the charge of the institution and gouernance belonges vnto the magistrate but the institution charge and ministration belongs vnto the priests Againe after the death of Moses the charge of religion belonged not to Eleasar the Priest but to Iehosua the magistrate who was of the tribe of Ephraim Iosua 5 and not of Leui by whose commaundement the children of Israell were the second time circumcised the Ark of God carried by the priests the altars builded the people sanctified and the rest of the lawes fulfilled which Moses prescribed Againe Iehosua charged them to feare the Lord Iosua 8 and to serue him with an vpright and faithfull heart Iehosua charged them to rid out of the way all straunge gods Iehosua renewed the couenant betweene God and his people and compiled the words of the couenant into the booke of Gods law True it is that the office of magistracie and priesthood both were ioyned together in the person of Samuel 1. Sam. 1. but yet he being at that time the chiefe man in Israell iudged and determined as a magistrate taught and sacrificed as a priest Dauid a patterne for good magistrats The ordering of religion by Dauid and vnto whom Christian rulers ought to haue an eie for godlinesse 2. Sam. 6 had the authority of disposing setting forth true religion 1. Chro. 16 1. Cho. 22.23.24.25 he
A TOILE FOR TWO-LEGGED FOXES Wherein their noisome properties their hunting and vnkenelling with the duties of the principall hunters and guardians of the spirituall vineyard is liuelie discouered for the comfort of all her Highnes trustie and true-hearted subiects and their encouragement against all Popish practises By I. B. Preacher of the word of God CANTICLES 2.15 Take vs these Foxes and these young Cubs which destroy these vines while our vines bud forth 2. CHRON. 15.8 Asa made a law in his time that whosoeuer would not seeke the Lord God of Israel should be slaine whether he were small or great man or woman A Maxima As Poperie and treacherie goe hand in hand whilest Poperie is kept vnder so Poperie and crueltie are companions vnseparable if once Poperie get the vpper hand LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man 1600. TO ALL FIRME AND FAITHFVLL LOVERS OF TRVE RELIGION and loyaltie encrease of peace and ioy in Christ Iesus MAnifold haue been the opinions of men concerning the soueraigne good and welfare of mankinde Different opinions about mans soueraigne good Epicures The swinish Epicures sought it in sensualitie and carnall delights and to couer their shame haue bestowed great trauaile to disguise their lady pleasure and to make her goe for an honest woman Stoiks The Stoicks placed their welfare in morall vertue and in the right reigning of reason as though man were made for himselfe and not for common societie fearing least their surmised felicitie should fall to the ground they haue sought to vnderprop it with health wealth strength courage measurable pleasure c. The Peripateticks Peripateticks make two sorts of blessednes the one consisting in action which is politike or ciuill the other in contemplation which they call wisdome The Academicks Academicks or Platonists mount somewhat higher and considering that contemplation is but a continuall wrastling sometimes against the obscuritie of things and sometimes against the dimnes of our minds say that felicitie is to be ioyned vnto God and to become like vnto him who is the furthest end the highest top the vttermost bound of all blessednes Thus some of them haue groped in the darknes of this world for that which cannot be found here and others haue soared aloft but yet far too short in finding out that resting poynt whereat euery one ought to aime True religion the meanes to attaine our well fare and what true religion is How thē must we attaine vnto it surely by that which they knew not that is to wit true religiō which is the right rule of seruing God of reuniting mā vnto him that he may be saued of the which true religion there be three especiall marks so much the more worthy of deepe impression in our minds because many foolish ceremonies haue disguised themselues in the attire of true religion The first marke is The first marke of true religion to worship the onely God of Israel wherein behold how Sathan hath tyrannized ouer mankind in making mē forge as many gods as they had fancies as that people in Africke who worshipped that which they met first in the morning or the Assyrians that worshipped as many gods as they had townes or the Persians Mans vanitie being destitute of Gods word that worshipped as many gods as there be fires in the earth or stars in the skie or the Aegyptiās that worshipped as many gods as they had plants or trees or the Romans who subduing nations wan their superstitions so became the sinck-pan of Idolatries In a word the diuell by Gods permission so deluded the world that some made gods of their goods some worshipped the beasts which God gaue them for their benefite some builded Temples to their passions some made gods of themselues some deified their kings as the Aegyptians their king Apis the Babylonians their Belus the Macedonians their Cabyrus the Latines their Faunus the Sabines their Saucus the Romans their Quirinus what Christians will not shudder at the rememberance of such mysteries when Euripides could speake thus Euripides Thou Neptune and thou Iupiter likewise with other gods whom faining words disguise If that due Iustice vnto you were doone both heauē temples should be emptie soone Then the first chiefe note of the true religion is that the true immortall God be onely worshipped who founded the earth and stretched out his meat-line ouer it who shutteth vp the sea within the banks and boundeth the waters who maketh light and darknes holdeth backe the Pleiades and vnbindeth Orion who spreadeth out the heauens like a curtaine and maketh his chambers in the depths who maketh the windes his messengers and the elements his seruants This I say is the true God who in his worship admitteth no collaterall companions and as for the rest gods in name and not in nature they are like vnto dog leaches which professe but the curing of one disease onely or common craftsmen which professe but the skill of some one mysterie The second marke of true religion is The second marke of true religion that we serue this onely God aright As for the Philosophers they also were pricking at this poynt but so that they were alwaies too wide or too short for which of them euer said that God is a spirite and ought to be serued in spirite True it is they set downe many morall precepts for direction of mens manners but when they come to the matters of God they either speake of them dreamingly or deeme of them ouerthwartly yea the seruices of God inuented by man are but so many childish imaginations not onely vnbeseeming the maiestie of God but farre inferiour to the discretion of a man as gaming 's stage plaies running of horses sword playings wrastlings buffetings and such like Aristotle in his metaphysicks commendeth a certaine answere of Symonides to Hieron King of Sicilie which was that none but God ought to haue skill of things that are aboue nature much lesse then to dispose of Religion that is to shew the meanes how to surmount nature The countrie clowne should shew himselfe ridiculous if hee should take vpon him to set downe how his Prince should be serued and yet is he a man as well as his Prince differing in state and not in nature What is to be said then of man being a worme lesse then a worme in respect of the euerliuing God if he will needs prescribe him his seruice Surely as none can see the sunne but by the helpe of the sunne so none can serue God The third marke of religion but by the light of his word There is a third marke without the which religion although in it selfe the path to saluation is nothing else but a booke wherein we reade the sentence of our owne deaths Therefore religion must shew vs a meanes to satisfie Gods Iustice without the which not onely all other religions but euen that which conteineth the true seruice
of God were vnauaileable Indeed mans reason perceiued that some meanes was needful to make attonement but what it was reason was too shallow to finde out The Platonists haue busied themselues about many clensings but to small purpose others say it must bee done by abstinence good behauiour Iupiters mysteries c. Hierocles said that religion is the studie of wisdome which consisteth in perfecting and cleansing our selues that men may be at one with God which perfection also standeth in confession of sinnes as he saith but alas whereas in religion we looke for life vpon confession followeth death Then to finde a planke to saue vs from shipwrack religion sheweth three persons in vnitie of one essence coeternal and coequall in all respects the Father as the ground and wellspring the Sonne as the euerlasting word and wisdome of the Father and the holy Ghost as the bond of loue whereby the Father and the Sonne are linked together The one of these must make attonement for God himselfe must be faine to step in betwixt his Iustice and his mercie and as he created vs at the first so to create vs new againe and as he created vs in fauour so now to acquite vs from wrath and as he vttered his power and wisdome in making vs so now to vtter his wisdome and goodnes in repairing vs. But yet beholde a mysterie this infinite godhead is not to discharge our disobedience These speeches are vnderstoode by a communicating of properties as the like Acts 20.28 otherwise then with obedience nor our vndesert otherwise then with desert nor our pride otherwise then with lowlines neither is he to purchase grace but by punishment nor a crowne but by suffering neither life but by death Therfore would hee abase himselfe that hee might obey serue that he might deserue stoope downe beneath himselfe that hee might become lowly become weake that he might suffer become mortall that he might die Therefore was it behoouefull that our mediatour should be God and man man to be borne vnder the law God to performe the law man to serue God to set free man to humble himselfe to the vttermost God to exalt himselfe aboue all things man to suffer God to ouercome man to die and God to triumph ouer death And sythence it pleased him of his infinit goodnes to be humbled for vs himselfe no way bound needs must his obedience become a discharge for the disobedience his desert a discharge of the vndesert his sufferings a satisfaction for the stubburnnes of them that beleeue in him Now then if religion should but send vs to the true God what were that more then the sending of an offender to the Iudge or a laying of stubble to the fire considering that God is infinitly good and man infinitly euill Secondly and if in religion we should but reade the will of the creator what haue we yet found since mankinde is corrupt from his roote and rotten at the core but our owne enditements arraignements and condemnations Therefore this third note of religion by making satisfaction for sins by the death of Christ is the verie substance and in shape of it without the which it should be altogether vnprofitable Now all this serueth first to shew you the tyrannie of Sathan ouer mankinde and the horrible darkenes whereinto it is plunged being destitute of the aide of Gods word and his holy spirit Secondly how greatly we are bound to receiue our gracious calling and to promote Gods holy religion by which we are brought to that soueraigne good for the which wee were made and created and without the which hauing all things else yet are most miserable for proofe whereof hast thou the authoritie and soueraigntie of a Prince Let Princes say whether one rebellion of their subiects doe not more vexe them No welfare to be found in this world than all their honorable triumphs can reioyce them Art thou exalted to honour let honourable persons say whether they bee not spitefull or spited doing mischiefe or receiuing mischiefe ouermating or ouermated Honour is but vertues shadow a winde that makes many swell but cannot satisfie Art thou rich and wealthie Let Merchants say what wealth is worth since sea can drowne it fire consume it pyrates and robbers bereaue vs of it To loue riches is to doe as children doe which take their greatest delite in pins and checkstones or as fooles which should deeme the goodnes of an horse to consist in his strappings Art thou beautifull Let the daughters of vanitie say whether the sunne doth not tanne it or a starre doth not blemish it or sickenes doth not waste it or olde age doth not weare it Beautie is but a vaine thing and gladdeth more the beholders then the hauers Art thou strong and healthie Let al the world say whether mans bodie be not subiect to a thousand diseases fraught with frailties within wrapped in miseries without vncertaine of life sure of death Now what are all these and the rest but resemblances of the apples that grow about Sodome pleasant to the eye and prouoking to the appetite but vanishing into smoke being touched with the teeth Therefore it is onely true religion that leadeth Prince and people noble and vnnoble rich and poore to true felicitie and reuniteth them vnto God Happie be that day and blessed from aboue in the which God gaue vs this token of his fauour let that moneth be respected of God and let it be the head of the yeare let all such as loue their saluations blesse that day wherein they were redeemed from the darkenes of Sodom and of Aegypt and the day starre of righteousnesse appeared vpon them yea let it be made the beginning of the supputation of yeares as we reade that the Iewes reckened their yeares from the yeares of Iubilee and from the finding of the law in Iosiahs time for then commeth the true yeare of Iubilee the yeare of freedome and deliuerance from bondage when the Gospell which is the glad tidings of saluation commeth vnto vs. Furthermore Temporall blessings haue accompanied religion that nothing might bee wanting to make vs with ioye to receiue Gods holy religion beholde since the Church hath begun to flourish and to spread her boughes throughout the whole land the common wealth hath neuer been endowed with more ornaments of â—eace neuer lesse vexed with incombeâ—ances of warre neuer like adorned with â—ountifull blessings Why when our â—eighbour nations haue been infested â—ith martiall horror clattering of arâ—our thundering of shot when infants haue been drawne out of their mothers wombes By looking a broad better behold your blessings at home and dragged from their nurses breasts when their wiues and daughters haue been rauished their countries wasted their cities sacked their houses fired their temples defaced with many more such spectacles of dread and horrour yet England hath remained still victorious without contention and thou famous London her Queene citie confident without trouble so that
they want â—uthoritie or their purses be not well â—ined but be not deceiued for such litâ—le sparkes may serue the Popes turne â—y being kindled to a flame and that is wilines is a ware of The Iuie creeâ—ing along the ground beginning at â—he first to compasse the lowest part of the oke at the last by getting ground ouerpeereth the highest branch pierceth still the pith sucketh the sap to the ruine of the whole trunke so these subtill Foxes by insinuation and sugred speeches seeke first to enter into the coÌ„sciences of persons inferiour hoping by daily addition of newe addicted fooles to the fleshpots of Egypt to fortifie their faction but indeed the marke that they leuell at is to rase vp the foundation of our peace and to ouer-peare the head of her royall person Fourthly the subtiltie of the Foxe is herein discerned because perswading men vnto vertue and reuoking them from vice The Foxe is a counseller for his owne aduantage he doth it for his owne aduantage and then especially seeketh the spoile of the Church So that fitlie they may be resembled vnto theeues trauelling by the hie way and lighting into true meaning coÌ„panie can talke of simple dealing of sober liuing of the reward of the vertuous of the punishmeÌ„t of the vitious to the inteÌ„t that vnsuspected they may take their bootyat vnawares or to the craftie gamester who suffereth the simple man to winne for a while that afterward being greedy of play he may lurch him as he listeth Euen so these deceiptful workmen speake some good things but they intermeddle euill things they speak the truth but to scatter lies to root theÌ„ in mens harts as Sinen in Virgil mingled falshood with truth that he might more easily entrap the Troians they speake peace with their mouths but haue conceiued mischief in their harts they can say salue frater with Ioab aue Rabbi with Iudas when their purpose is to stab with the one and to betraie with the other To conclude they are deceiptfull merchants which vtter euill wares and set them out with lying words to make them saileable Wherefore as Paul commaunded the diuel to silence although he spoke truth least that his vttering of truth might aduantage his lying and gaine credit to his kingdome and as Iesus Christ sharpely rebuked the diuel saying vnto him we know who thou art teaching vs not to giue eare vnto the diuell although he tell the troth so let the rulers which regard the honour of the highest labour earnestly to hinder the course of these seducing spirits which are scattered in our land and to put the diuel to silence in them that his people be not beguiled and drawne away to straunge worship The Foxe craftily disswades from religion and loialtie Another of their wiles is in their manner of perswasion first against religion secondly against loialty Against religioÌ„ by whispering into the eares of the seduced Church agreement councels coÌ„sent fathers harmony teachers credit vniuersality antiquitie vnity apostolical traditioÌ„s all which an alblasted Moter hath trict trimly in colours hauing put as it were an new coat vpon an old deformed bodie as if where the asse had put vpon him the Lions skin the world could not discerne him by the length of his eares but the name of God be magnified he is discouered and his new vernished leaden dagger stabd in the intrals of his holy mother My purpose in this pamphlet is rather to discouer the wickednes of English Italionates then to dispute against the wilfull obstinacie of any Catholike champion yet because this is the dust that Master Allablaster with others more cast in the eies of our countrimen to put them quite out or at leastwise to bleare them I will briefely scatter it and so proceed in my former course Church agreement an old Motiue to the popish faith remoued and confuted BY the Church they would haue you to vnderstand the Church of Rome The Catholickes in their brags vnderstand by the Church the Romish Church for her eminencie and then when they tell you that the Church agrees the Church degrees the Church cannot erre all this in their language is to be spoken of the Romish Church Now if this proud Moter or any other of his fraternitie can bring you any prophecie or promise by which this her priuiledge may appeare that Rome is the mother Citie of the vniuersall Church Vrge this against a Romane Catholike as she was of the ancient Romane Empyre as also that this is her prerogatiue that she caÌ„not erre theÌ„ haue they done some thing but they may assoone find Paradise in hell as anie such text in the scripture Contrariwise she is poynted at 2. Thes 2.3 Apoca. 17. as by that finger to be the seat of apostasie by Saint Paul 2. Thess 2.3 vers and by Saint Iohn in the Apocalypse Rome the sea of Apostasie yea by many auncient fathers Greeke and Latine albeit they in their times saw not that was before their eyes Againe if it were lawfull for men why should Rome rather be chosen then Ierusalem the first and the auncientest of the Churches called of the prophets the citie of God Esay 2. from whence the word of God should goe fourth into all the world founded by Saint Peter and the rest of the Apostles or rather than Antioch Acts. where were named the first christians and where it is apparant that Peter and Paul liued Sirs what can you say for your selues faith sometimes florished at Rome And what then so did it at Ierusalem at Antioch at Ephesus c. But was not Ierusalem turned into Ieruskaker Was not Bethel that is the house of the Lord turned into Bethauen the house of iniquitie Is not the candlesticke remoued from those famous Churches of Asia Ephesus Pergamus Thiatira Philadelphia c. These places are altered for wickednesse and Rome for bad life and bad religion And thou Rome though sometimes faithfull art now the Queene of pride the nurse of â—dolatries the mother of whoredomes â—he shop of heresies Romes abhominations where the enteâ—ance into Gods house that is the scripâ—ures wherein he hath placed his eternall truth is forbidden vnto his people where the Church is not onely made a place of merchandise of mens soules â—ut is changed into a shop of more abâ—ominable Idolatrie than euer was amongst the pagans themselues where â—he true Iesus Christ is changed into a â—ead and sencelesse thing hauing neiâ—her head nor feete which cannot keep â—t selfe from the talents of theeues nor â—et from the teeth of mice and rattes which perisheth of it selfe if it be not â—he sooner deuoured But here some fauorit of poperie will â—ell you What if the Pope sit in Peters chaire that the Pope sits in Peters â—haire answere him that so did the Pharisees in Moyses seate Matt. 23. yet neuer â—he better no iot the holier for all that â—o that I may iustly
pestilent perswasions of craftie companions as creepe â—nto mens houses and captiuate their consciences whom I beseech by the care of their owne saluation to beware of these Foxes and woorkemen so deceiptfull Although the aduersaries would beare vs in hand that the naile they do driue at is to bring men to their Caâ—holike religion yet experience hath â—aught vs that the principal marke that â—hey aime at The leuell of popish deuices is to moue them to treason or rebellion crimes so capitall in â—hemselues and execrable as barbarous â—eeds must they be that liue to do them them kingdome prince and people lamentably miserable that liue to suffer them And hereupon it comes to passe that in stead of disputatioÌ„ to proue their faith they bring vs dispeÌ„sations to withdraw from loyaltie and in lieu of reasons to confirme their religion they bring vs treasons to entrap the Realme Prince and Nobles whereof they haue been alreadie iustly conuicted though faine they would be canonized in the popish Kalendar as martyrs in the aray of Euangelick Apostolicke reformers But howsoeuer they would faine couer disobedience vnder the cloake of freedome of conscience treason vnder the colour of religion and rebellion vnder the shadow of a Catholicke profession yet magnified be thy name O God our king and protectour who hast allotted them successe answerable to their sinister meaning taken them in the pit that they had digged for others and hanged them as Haman vpon the gallowes whereupon they thought to haue hanged Mordecay The Foxe is rauenous and greedie Another propertie of the Foxe is that he is rauenous and greedie on his prey euen so these vnsatiable sea-gulfs vnder pretence of long praier haue deuoured widowes houses The Pope like The Philistians Dagon and gotten to themselues the goods of this world through counterfeit merchandice The Philistians Dagon was said to be like a man in the vpper parts but from the â—auell downeward like a fish That Dagon of Rome is neither flesh nor fish but as he flesheth himselfe in bathing â—n the blood of innocent martyrs so â—he maketh all fish that comes to net by fashioning religion as may best serue for the inriching of his coffers And â—herefore it was wittily answered of an Abbot who being asked Papa cuius parâ—is orationis said that he was participij parâ—is and why thinke you What part of speech the Pope is quia partem caâ—it à clero partem à seculari partem ab vtroâ—ue that is this word Pope is a particiâ—le that is of the qualitie of those that â—ut forth their hands on both sides the â—ish for he pils the spiritualty and polâ—eth the temporalty without meane â—nd measure part-stakes on both sides â—o the great woe of the world The exâ—erience of this is sufficiently tried by â—he taxes and valuing of benefices whereout the old Foxe must haue his share To let slip many of the scraps which he so carefully gathereth vnder the table of the beneficed like a dog onely the first fruits which the Prelats Bishops Abbots other benefice buiers haue allowed the Pope haue amounted in Fraunce yeare by yeare as it is reported but to tenne times an hundred thousand crownes and then ponder what a monstrous masse of money all other countries vnder his vsurped tyrannie doe bring in for you must thinke they are serued with the like sauce It is well knowne how the treasure of this Realme was traÌ„sported when the ambitious Prelate Cardinall Woolsey conueied two hundred and fortie thousand pounds sterling out of the kings Exchequer at one time for the relieuing of Pope Clement whom the Duke of Bourbon after the sacking of Rome drew forth of the Castle of Saint Angelo detained him prisoner in the Emperours armie What should 〈◊〉 speake of the reuenewes that are paid him euerie yeare of the strumpets of Rome amouÌ„ting for ech paid a ducate aboue fortie thousand ducates What should I speake of that which is brought him in the chamber of penance where â—emission of sinnes is rated at reasonable reckoning What should I speake of his daily dispensations granted for â—he grossest sinnes such mercandize is daily thrist to the Romish Pilates and ghostly fathers But especially the polluters of the name of Iesus And hereby it is come â—o passe that the olde gray Foxe is beâ—ome the Lord of the whole earth and â—et not contented daily coyneth new â—eates out of Sathans forge whereby to â—ncrease his pompe and pride His Carâ—inals Bishops Abbots are become Princes and Lords of whole countries â—is Munkes Friers and Massing priests â—hat with begging what with singing â—aue raked no small heapes together What call you this Peters successor O â—uantum mutatus ab illo I will neuer beâ—eeue that Peters chaire can conteine so â—onstrous a monster Peter forsooke â—he world and followed Christ the Pope â—ath renounced Christ and followed â—he world Peter had neither gold nor siluer but he had gifts and graces the Pope hath neither gifts nor graces but he hath so much siluer as he can find in his heart to shooe his concubines palf-freies therewith Peter would not suffer captaine Cornelius to crouch vnto him the Pope is in his ruffe rides on cockhorse is caried on mens shoulders treads on Emperors neckes keeps a quoile like the Diuell in euerie kingdome of the world so that now the Diuell and the Pope are both one and agree as well as two heads in one hood The diuell promised Christ all the world if he would fal downe and worship him the Pope promiseth heauen and earth to those that will fall downe and adore him Crueltie another propertie of the Foxe Another propertie of the Foxe is crueltie wherein the two-legged Foxes doe farre exceed the other and of that Christendome once hath had most lamentable experience for this is vndeniable that as poperie and subtiltie goe hand in hand whilest poperie is kept vnder so poperie and crueltie are mates vnseparable if once poperie get the vpper hand Here my louing countrimen though former triall hath giuen you good cause not to trust an old Fox yet by gleaning a few eares out of a full sheaffe it shall not be bootlesse to giue you a warning by others Amongst the rest as not the least notorious Boniface the eight may be remembred who raigned in the time of the Emperours Adolphus and Albertus Boniface 8. beares the bel for barbarous crueltie this prouerb in those dayes passing of him intrauit vt vulpes regnauit vt leo mortuus est vt canis that is he entered as a Foxe raigned as a Lion and dyed like a dogge It came to passe on a time in the citie of Genoa that he had in hand the Archbishop Procherus vpon the day commonly called ashwednesdaie who being enflamed against him maliciously because he tooke part with the Gibellines which assisting the iust title of the emperiall maiestie withstood the swelling insolencie of the popedome did
should follow the scepter and peace should follow plentie there should be no distrust of secret treason nor feare of forraine inuasion But aboue all see that you nourish in them a strong perswasion of Spanish loue and an earnest desire of Indian gold that euen as Philip made the Athenians beleeue that he pretended enmitie against the Plotenses and Olynthians when he meant to ride vpon the backe of all Grecia so must you make them beleeue that the purpose of the Spaniard Beleeue them that list is onely to reforme religion and to passe no further And thus there being a coniunction of English plots with Spanish practise how should we but preuaile except sonnes with my elder brother Baalam we haue laboured to curse where the Lord neuer cursed and detested where the Lord neuer detested and I your olde father be constrained in the end to roare with Iulian the Apostata saying vicisti Galilaee vicisti I say no more vnto you but walke closely and keepe your selues in tenebris for your predecessors I know not whether to ascribe it to angrie stars the influence of the heauens neglect of oportunitie want of secrecie by too great securitie haue had so sinister successe that in stead of supplanting a kingdome they haue broken their neckes at Tyburne and in stead of reconciling sowles to our Romish faction Not so but iust reward of treason their heads haue been vnited to an halter This crueltie haue they sustained for my sake whom therfore I haue crowned with martyrdom as your elder brother Campion the rest the remembrance of whom in whose endeuours I haue heretofore placed my hope of effecting that whereunto I now imploy your selues doth but increase my sorrow and griefe CHAPTER 5. Certaine semblances betwixt the Foxe and the Lyon Antichrist and Mahomet in broaching their damnable doctrines and leuying nations to their lawes FOr as much as the couert enemies against the Church do most of all deceiue simple people by shrowding their deformities vnder the mantle of deuotion I haue thought it pertinent to set downe these semblances following betwixt the Pope Mahomet the which throughly pondered of euerie Christian man are sufficient to bring him to a full detestation of the Romish religion This Mahomet was an Arabian souldiour and tooke wages of the Emperour Heraclius to serue him in his wars In a mutinie he was chosen to be a commaunder of a rebellious host so base a vassall was he that the people of Mecha who worship him at this day condemned him to death for his murders and robberies Mahomets coÌ„fession of himselfe Yea he confesseth himselfe what he was namely an Idolater an adulterer giuen to leacherie subiect to women in such manner as it is a shame to report This is that prophet without prophesying The first semblance in their manners that lawmaker without miracles that irreligious former of religion that man without God which hath by his ignorance choked the truth and by his violence inforced falshood That many of the Popes haue bin as desperate and damnable varlets as euer was Mahomet Some Popes as verie varlets as euer was Mahomet the legends written by their owne secretaries doe beare witnesse Amongst whom that monster Boniface the eight carieth the bell of whom themselues giue testimonie that he entered like a Foxe ruled like a Lion and died like a dog Whosoeuer listeth to rake in the dounghil of Popes shall finde some of them to be starke Atheistes as Paul the third some blasphemers and sodomitical knaues as Iulius the third some whoremasters as Iohn the 12. who abused his fathers concubines some necromancers as Syluester who was made Pope auxilio diaboli by the aide of the diuell Yea so holy are these vnerring fathers that one being demaunded why in their suffrages they praied not for Cardinals and Bishops that saith he is to be vnderstood vbi oramus pro schismaticis haereticis where we pray for schismatickes and heretikes The meanes whereby Mahomet deceiued the world were as followeth This new Captaine many could not abide his manners were so monstrous besides he was vexed with the falling sicknes therefore to redeeme himselfe from this contempt pretended a diuinitie in his doings faining himselfe to conferre with God and so to be rauished out of himselfe and that he was no more a prince elected through fauour of souldiers but a messenger of the Almightie Hauing laid this foundation politickely he beginneth to make a mingle-mangle of all religions For to allure the Iewes he exalted Moses and retained circumcision not to estraunge the Christians he confessed Christ to be the spirit word and power of God to please the Nestorians he said that Christ was not verie God nor the sonne of God but that he had indeed the soule of God The Foxe laieth a foundation for his absurdities and blasphemies The second semblance in the ground plot of enlarging theit kingdomes much like that of the Lion for as Mahomet coosened the world in making it beleeue that he entered communication with God when he fell into his fit of the falling sickenes so the Pope whilest he maketh thousands beleeue that he is Gods vicar as the other made his beleeue that he was and is Gods messenger and that he cannot erre in giuing sentence though he may slip as a priuate person poisoneth the Church with pestilent opinions and draweth whole cart-lodes of soules after him into hell fire The groundworke once laid that the Pope cannot erre then like to Mahomet beginneth hee to make an hotch-potch of heresies as to worship Christ and other saints with the Carpocratians to worship the virgine Marie with the Collyridians to paint God like an old man with the Anthropomorphits to hold freewil and a possibilitie to fulfill the commandements with the Pelagians to restraine meats to daies and times with the Montanistes and Manichees to condemne mariage with the Tatians and Cataphrygians and in many pilgrimages praier to the dead Iustification by workes to shew himselfe a right Mahometane The third semblance is in the likelihood of their blasphemies against Christ The third semblance in broaching their blasphâ—mies for Mahomet fearing I say least that he should alienate the Christians confessed Christ to be the spirit word and power of God but not verie God nor the sonne of God and himselfe to be the seruant of Christ but yet so that in the end he preferreth himselfe before him and maketh himselfe the last refuge for mankind to flie vnto The Pope denieth not the person of the great sonne of God for then should he not be Antichrist but yet if you marke well how he degradeth him of his dignities you shall see that Christ is much alike beholden to them both and that euerie one may vnderstand what his flatterers giue him and what he chalengeth Let vs heare what is written Christopher Marcellus said to the Pope and it pleased him well Tues alter Deus in terris
Secondly hee forbids his catholikes to confer with the protestants Thirdly hee hath buried the scriptures least their light should discouer his darknes and least the common people should espie his Iugling he commands them not to meddle with the word of God There needeth no more to make men grow suspicious of the popish religion then these things well weighed CHAPTER 6. Of sundrie sortes of Foxes that are chiefly troublesome to the Church of England FOr the better auoyding of these enemies so pestilent and pernicious it is furder to be considered that sundry sortes of them are crept into the Church to supplant and vndermine it for some are heretikes either denying the person of the great sonne of God or degrading him from his offices and infecting his word with a million of errours of whom hath been intreated before and more shall be spoken hereafter Others are schismatikes who without cause depart away from the communion of the Church others are hypocrites or counterfeit christians reformed in name but more than deformed indeede who by their scandalous manners and wicked examples waste and destroy the vines especially the yong ones Which sort of Foxes are otherwise called scabd sheepe and are compared to leauen which sowreth the whole lumpe of which the Apostle giueth vs a rule in the person of the incestuous sinner that we should not companie together If any that is called a brother be a fornicatour 1 Cor. 5.11 Hereticall Foxes recusant papistes or couetous or an Idolater or a railour or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one eate not Of Foxes infected with heresie which do especially disturbe the church of England there be two sorts the one called recusants because they haue forsaken our fellowship the other churchhaunts who with false hearts frequent our assemblies temporizing for feare of a fine or furder penaltie The first sort plead Baals cause with open mouth despise the Lords temple in Ierusalem post from Dan to Bethel to please Ieroboam hate our congregations and count it damnable to tread in our assemblies If these Foxes were as sharply punished as they are easilie discouered we shuld not haue so many Masses neither so many goe to Masse and yet Masse rated at so round a reckning I need not stand to mark out these malapart merchaunts their practise betraies thē they show outwardly how they are affected inwardly old doting dames and yoong minions old foolish fathers and yoong boyes that cannot tell why they were borne speake bouldlie for Poperie in defiance of the Gospel refuse the Church and checke the reprouer make a mocke of the ministerie and scorne true religion and yet haue peace and prosperitie If a prince be misused death is thought too smal a punishment for the offender if a man be so wicked as to procure an insurrection or raise a rebellion he must loose his head for it and good reason But whereas God hath soueraigne dominion ouer all a worme of the earth shall set himselfe against him deface his maiestie rob him of his honour blaspheme his blessed name yet escapeth without seueritie of punishment and that is no good religion These are those wretched people that haue sould themselues to be vassals of iniquitie and haue receiued the stamp of the beast in their foreheads that are readie to lie in waite for the Lords annoynted and haue cursed Dauid to his face These are the sonnes of those bloudie fathers that haue murdered the prophets These are the posteritie of Amelech vnworthie to liue amongst Israell which haue serued Baal Hamon and haue runne vnto the golden calues of Dan and Bethel These are the relikes of Iebus and the remnants of the Hittites that haue bin pricks and thornes in the sides of righteous men and will be kniues to our throats if that might come which their harts faint in waiting for but the same God that hath hitherto preserued vs detected their dissembled zeale and sheathed their sworde in their owne intrals shall still continew our most gratious protectour vnlesse the ouerflowing streames of our sinnes stop the course of his mercies and eclipse the brightnes of his fauour which hitherto hath shined vpon vs. Church papists There is an other sorte of Foxes in nature not much different from the former but yet not so easilie described neither are they oftentimes reputed as they are A token sent from the old Foxe to his yoong cubs It is not many yeares agoe since there came a token from the old gray Foxe to the cubs of his kind wherein was printed the fiue wounds of Christ with this poesie fili da mihi cor tuum that is sonne giue me thy hart whereby it appeareth that either Rainard was so well disposed as to maintaine dissimulation or els his brood were in a wrong boxe for they tooke his embleme in no other meaning Therefore haue they learned to temporize and with double hearts to halt on both sides hauing one for God and another for Baal one for the prince Temporizing papists described and an other for the Pope one for the Masse and another for the communion The manner of these for the most part is to peepe into the Church once in a month but preaching their queasie stomakes cannot away with especiallie if Idolatrie and papistrie be discouered I cannot more fitly compare these than to cunning watermen who looke one way when they take their iourney an other or to Cacus that notorions robber of whom it is recorded that he was wont to drag beasts backward into his Caue by their tailes to the intent that by contrary tracke of their feete he might be freed from the suspition of felonie euen so the popular demeanour of these hollow minded votaries lookes one way when their secret plots and practises tend an other and when they come to the Church they doe but drag backward with Cacus hiding their hollow hearts vnder show of conformitie yea howsoeuer these deepe dissemblers in outward appearance show milde and gentle promising all loyaltie to their prince agreement to gouernment and consent to religion yet trust them not for a Foxe will show himselfe a Foxe when time serues his turne The poets wittily faine that when Iupiter had made man A poeticall fiction fitlie applied being delited with such a cunning peece of workemanship he demaunded of Momus finde-fault what he could spy in so fine a feature and curious frame out of square and worthie iust reproofe Momus commended the proportion and comely disposition of the lineaments but one thing saith he I like not well that thou hast forgotten to place a window in his brest through which we might behold whether his heart and his tongue did accord If a window were framed in the brests of these discontented catholikes that her maiestie and the state-guiding counsell and all the true friends of this kingdome might know their secret intentions or if their consciences were as deeply sounded as they may be iustly doubted
accusers intemperate fierce despisers of them which are good traitours headie hy minded louers of pleasures more then louers of God hauing a show of godlinesse but haue denyed the power thereof these are they which giue the Lord Iesus after a sorte the curtesie of Iudas Math. 26. These are like to Simon the sorcerer who walkt with Phillip like an Apostle Act. 8. but wrought with money like a wordling like to Achabs wife who went most demurely when the would speake with the Prophets Why hypocrits are well likened to Foxes And surely as in other respectes so in this these pargetted professours of the gospell are rightly called Foxes because as the Foxe his skin is more worth then his carcasse so their skinnes that is their outward profession is more worth than their conuersations Truth it is these after a sort haue cast off the Pope with his superstitiōs The Idolatrie of gospelling hypocrites but they haue not put vpon them Iesus Christ with his righteousnes They haue renounced the Idols of wood and stone but harbour Idols as dangerous in their hearts couetousnes theft crueltie fornication vncleannes wantonnes and such like goddesses There is a mightie generation of these kind of Foxes in this land and these late yeares of scarcitie and dearth hath laid open the hearts of many of them These deere years haue laid open many deceitfull hearts who contrarie to their holy professions and to the power of religion haue taken their aduantage of the time and made a pray of the poore without all mercie not caring to passe away their birth-rights for Esaus soup nor to sell paradise for a licorous morsell But what should I need to broach the hypocrisie of this people since they themselues without common care of their holy callings to the great shame of themselues haue cried at the market crosse But ye Gourmandisers Grubbers and grinders of the poore ye craftie priers into the needie mans extremitie to make your gaine of his paine and your commoditie of his miserie you cunning contriuers for priuate profit ye artificiall forgers of dearth and famine deuourers of mens quicke and liue flesh how long wil you presume to come into Gods house as if you were of it Ye false fingerers sellers with false sleights false measures false weights terrigenae fratres adorers of your God Māmon when wil you shake off the cloake of hypocrisie Ye tiplers tauern hunters ye epicurean cōpanions beastly belli-gods ye quarrel broachers and action threatners ye bellowes of hell fire which liue by setting others on pleading which beat your braines to lengthē the perchment as long as you can how long shall the Lord suffer you to appeare in his house in which there is nothing but peace and equitie Ye leasemongers rent-rackers ye enclosers and make-beggars neuer well at ease vntill yee haue taken possession of Naboth his vineyard ye towne-batterers ioyners of house to house and land to land vntill there be no place for the poore whē will you leaue to come to Sermons for a shew and to make religion a cloake for such horrible impietie You are bastard children and not the true generation of Iacob Therfore presume not to say that you are the sonnes of Abraham for if you thus walke the diuell is your father It is you that haue opened the mouthes of our enemies whose blind charitie layeth so hard to your lame faith you haue caused the gospell to be ill spoken of and the name of our God to be blasphemed the Lord reforme your hearts and grant you greater mercy On the other side you that by the grace of God are not guiltie of this great contempt be diligent earnest true and faithfull in your duties towards Almightie God who in the day appointed shall set you with his Angels for euer to praise him and shall cast the polluted and vncleane out of his Church This great God and righteous iudge saue vs from the temptations of Sathan that we may cleaue vnto him in faith and truth Amen CHAPTER 7. The vnkenelling of the Foxe and the dutie of the terriers HAuing before declared the conditions and manners of these Foxes which destroy the vines it followeth next in order that we speake something concerning the vnkenelling of these Romish Foxes which of all other are most daungerous to the state both of Church and Common-wealth The which we shall performe the better if we still compare a Foxe with a Foxe Now first of all it is well knowne to Foxe-hunters that the Foxe holds the strongest couerts that he flieth from the field as a beast which trusteth not in the swiftnes of his legs Properties of a Foxe when he is in chase nor the strength of his bodie that he wheeleth about the thickets and though he find none other helpe but a bush he wil flie to it for his safegard so it is with this kind of cattell for being hunted they runne abroad here and there but especially fly from the fields into the woods Whither the two-legged Foxes flie being hunted enquiring where there is one that makes no conscience of his ministerie that will be content for handfuls of barley and morsels of bread for tyth cockes and tyth sheaues to cloake a Catholickes knauerie enquiring also where there is an vntaught people fit for all religions and all princes raignes and consequently apt to swallow a bait of poisoned perswasion that is a couert for a Catholick thither flock the Foxes and feed without feare Againe another propertie of the Foxe is How the Foxes make their kenels to make his denne in the ground that is hard to dig as in galt clay or such like earth the passage into his earth being streight and going very farre in before it come to his couch hauing also many holes thorow which to vnearth himselfe Euen so it is with this kind they make their burrowes strong they haue so many streight passages so many muses so many winding corners so many turnings so many interturnings and starting holes that it is a matter full of difficultie to find the couch of a Catholicke Hard to vnkenell a Foxe-priest especially of a Priest or Iesuite In so much as I may iustly say of them as Caesar said of the Scythians difficilius est inuenire quam superare It is harder to find them than to foile them For experience hath taught vs that when it hath beene a matter vndoubted that a Foxe priest hath beene readie to say masse and therefore his denne hath beene compassed the terriers haue winded him and all his pretie trinkets haue been found prepared for so great a peece of worke yet in the ende the Foxe would not be found Perhaps he serues the hunters now and then as the fish called the Cuttle serues the fisherman which when she is like to be taken casteth forth a slimie humor like vnto ynke and so darkning the vpper part of the water and dazeling
if once it catch the heart roote it will eate out all goodnes all care all loue all zeale and indignation against sin Hence groweth nonresidencie swallowing downe of steeples as easie as the hungrie doth his crummes Loue of the world choakes care of painfull preaching Hence instead of hunting the Foxe there is hunting for promotion and preferment hunting for the profits and pleasures of this present life hunting for honour and for hundreds scratching of consciences in beating of the bushes for many benefices wheeling about the thickets to spie the couch of a prebendary or a deanrie c. and therefore hath it come to passe that some which haue had salt in them that is vnderstanding knowledge and zeale haue lost it through the perswasion of him that said All this will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship me there being now no more relish in them then there is tast in the white of an egge And what shall we say then of them that neuer had any salt at all in them neuer any loue any knowledge any zeale surely they be vnprofitable seruants worthie to be cast out of the temple of God as filth and dounge For what breedes greater contempt against God or discredit to his Gospel what more reuiues a catholikes hope to returne vnto Babilon or encourageth the traitours to the accomplishment of their practises then the blindnes ignorance and impietie of the ministerie how commeth it to passe that foolish people retain their old liking to their fathers old faith yong imps haue the like opinion powred into them and consequently as it may seeme easie to be drawne from their dutifull loyaltie to the loue of a stranger but because they haue wanted such as should rightly enforme them can the inestimable treasurie of a mightie prince be seene in the beggarlines of a base Embassadour can the aduersarie of the Gospell be drawne from falsehood and errour by him that knowes not I had almost said beleeues not the truth can a papist be reduced from his worshipping of idols by him that is no better then an idoll himselfe can the carnall gospeller the wanton libertine the prophane heart the beastly Epicure be brought to continencie modesty and sobriety by such which rather binde them in the cordes of iniquitie Lastly if to know God and according to that knowledge to serue him be the ground-worke of all true obedience how is it then possible that they whose consciences were neuer seasoned with any religion should yeelde either to God or their prince any dutifull subiection Saint Paul saith that he had begotten the Church of the Galathians Gal. 4.9 1. Cor. 4.15 and called himselfe the father of the Corinthians in regarde of the ministerie because hee had begotten them by the preaching of the Gospell Such fathers such children such as are the seedmen such seede they doe sowe Where olde wilie Foxes such as whose loue to religion may be iustly suspected are admitted into this great calling there poperie is sowne in stead of the Gospel and Foxes growe vp in steade of sound christians where blinde guides are made ministers such as haue no more knowledge then idolles of woode and stone preachers as they call them of idiots there must needes bee poore knowledge of God and suspected dutifulnes to the prince The great hurt and dishonour that these bring to the Church of God no man can with effectuall words display it nor plentie of teares lament it all sermons exhortations reprehensions doe rather aggrauate their condemnations then worke any reformation We reade that the Emperour Commodus was so cunning in darting that hauing gotten stones for the exercise of his hand many citizens did assemble to see him throw whose dexteritie was such that hee neuer cast at wilde beastes and missed his marke nor gaue any wound that was not deadly It is to be wished that euery one that rebuketh sinne should leuell so straight as did this Emperour that neuer threw but he hit neuer hit but he wounded so should the reader with the Romans neither see one monster twise galled neither any sin recouer the first wound If darters at deformities could wound as deadlie as they aime directly this monstrous monster had been vanquished long ere this day but alas it liueth ô yet it liueth liueth to nourish papisme atheisme and epicurisme If any maruaile at this how such are aduanced to houlde the helme as are scarce worthie to sit in the sincke hoysed into Moses chaire that are more meet to sit at Gamaliels feete called to feede with the dugge of the Gospell before they themselues be well weaned and sent to fight the Lords battles before they haue one stone to sling against Golias that is one scripture to resist the tempter withall let him vnderstand that this is either because the heartes of patrones are limed with the loue of this world which makes them not care whom they present or many Bishops haue such motes in their eyes that they cannot well see whom they blesse I am loth to rake in this dounghill of buying selling of benefices the which is a sufficient testimonie if there were no more that men haue as much true loue to religion as euer had Machiauell Fiue sorts of patrones of benefices There are diuers sorts that giue spirituall promotions in this land some are our great Catholickes whose care to send good ministers into the Church I durst sweare for them is as great as the Foxe euer had to feede the lambes And how can it stand with their blind religion to send good ministers into the true Christian Church but rather to dishonour and deface it by sending in the basest such as haue neither Vrim nor Thummim neither brighnesse of knowledge nor vprightnes of life It is said that Ieroboam made Israel to sinne that is to contemne religion and why because he made priestes of the basest of the people Therfore the diuell knowes well that if he can get priestes to be made of the refuse he shal bring people to condemne preachers and prophecying priests and religion Here let our Bishops be circumspect to sift narrowly when the patrone giues the Foxe for his cognisance There is a second sort of patrons open adorers of their god Mammon Mammonistes patrones described These are as good to Gods Church as the former Indeed I must confesse that when they giue their spiritual promotions all their care is to get a mā of gifts O gifts gifts nothing at all respected with these Merchants but gifts My meaning as no mystery Si nihil attuleris ibis Homere foras If you haue no gifts the passage is plain you must pack Can we find saith Pharao such a man as this meaning Ioseph for his excellencie in whom is the spirit of God Gen. 41.38 thou shalt be ouer my house And can we find such a man as this saith a sacrilegious patrone meaning a Sir Iohn lacke Latin
lacke learning lacke conscience whose friendes can pay wel or purse is wel lined or wil so friendly part the stake Pharao cruell Pharao heathnish Pharao in the gouernmēt of his Kingdom preferred Ioseph for inward grace but these christians for so they vnworthily are called in giuing spirituall promotions for the benefit of Christ his Church regarde nothing else but outward gaine For when the match is made this patrone must haue the tyth corne Gleabe land and the house peraduenture if it be fit for a gentleman with tith wooll and lambe if it be from the pastures And what shall the poore parson haue as they call him forsooth a little od money tith calues tith geese and a few egges at Easter And how then graundmercie must the seelie sheepe say to the butcher that hath cut his throat I will say to these as Simon Peter said to Simon Magus Acts 8. thou and thy guifts perish which thou receiuedst to giue so vnworthily to the great dishonour of the Church and he and his guifts perish which he gaue to make a way for himselfe to that place in the Church whereunto by the iudgment of his owne heart there was neuer any abilitie or aptnes To show that honour onely ought euer to accompanie vertue the heathens built a temple to honour and adioyned thereunto another built vnto vertue that so whosoeuer would go vp into the temple of honour should passe through the temple of vertue monstrous it is that christians in profession should be worse then heathens in practise they would enter into the temple of honour by vertue wee by bribes If you thinke this to be no sin heare the Lord complayning by the prophet Malachie in plaine tearmes Mal. 3.8 that the taking away the tithes and offerings from that end they were appoynted vnto was a robbing and spoyling of him yea euen such a spoyling as he would visit with a great and grieuous curse It is no lesse now so long as authoritie ratifieth the same to the maintenance of the ministerie and therefore vndoubtedly will haue a sharpe reuenge Balthasar escaped not the reuenging hand of God when he fell to feasting and carrusing with his princes wiues Daniel 5. and concubines in the vessells of gould taken from the temple but euen then espies the fingers of an hand writing vpon the wall before his face that his kingdome God had numbred and finished and weighed him in the balance and found him too light and therefore diuided and giuen his kingdome away to the Meedes and Persians Read your sentence rob Churches And doe you which eate the corne of the barne and drinke the bloud of christian soules that solace your selues with the spoyle of the Church thinke to escape the sentence of the almightie It is a sure thing if you could spie it that the Lord hath diuided blowne vpon it and scattered that which by such sinister means you haue gathered together neither shall it prosper but as it hath been gotten ouer the deuills backe so shall it be spent vnder his dammes belly and as it came in vpon a post rowling and tumbling on euerie side so the Lord shall open the cage and it shall away againe hauing caught winges like an eagle But if perhappes you escape the sentence writing a diuision here you shall bee sure without repentance of the sentence of confusion else where Dauid standing in great distresse for water would not drinke of the water of Bethleem because it was gotten with the daunger of some few mens temporall liues See your sinne soule murderers but you drinke and eate that which is gotten with apparant hazard of life eternall of hundreds and thousands Can you for conscience reply nay the power of hell is not able to denie it The foule cariō rauē is your cognisance which flew out of Noahes Arke and returned not againe but was detained with the filthie stench of drowned carcasses euen so do you which thus seeke the spoile of the Church Dulcis odor lucri ex re qualibet the sauour of gaine is sweet if you can sucke it out of the vilest things euerie baggage or garbage is good enough for you There is a third sort which hauing no sense nor feeling of this sinne Benummed and sencelesse patrones bestow Church-liuings not as caring for the Church or respecting the edifying of the flocke of Christ but as they are moued by kindred by fauour by affection by suits Your practise proues you Atheistes so they do bestow sufficient liuings vpon vnsufficient persons I say not caring whether the people sinke or swim stand or fall liue or die be saued or damned The Lord Iesus sets it downe as a note of the ministers loue that he feeds the flocke In like sort is it the patrones loue to cause the flocke to be fed Contrariwise it is want of loue in the minister if he do not feed and what is it in the patrone if by his carelesnes this come to passe It is a fault to giue the calling to him that is vnworthie no fault to giue the liuing vnto him In the sixth of S. Markes gospell it is said of Christ that going out seeing a great multitude of people gathered together he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepheard It is a necessary consequēce that if Christs bowels earn to see his sheep depriued of a shepherd that he will make your hearts ake that are the cause of this horrible sinne I am ashamed to rehearse how the Church of god is abused by you who in bestowing your Church-liuings giuing them not to ministers as ministers but as to your sons or your seruants or your kinsmen or to some other that by some by-desert hath gained your fauours and yet behold you would faine seeme friends to religiō and pretend many good motiōs But to be plaine with you your motions are like vnto the grashoppers that no sooner giues an hop vpward but down he comes againe your words may seeme heauenly but your practise is earthly There is a fourth sort of patrons which professe religiō These would haue you thinke they loue the Church and so they do yet many of thē smutched with this blot These go beyond the rest in this that they would be glad the people should be fed with knowledge and vnderstanding but as the mammonist before named cares not whom he presentes so he may reape the profit if he cannot compasse it to make it plainly temporall so this patronizer makes a pause you must thinke to find one sufficient to take the charge These spin hypocrisie finely but indeed that either an haruest may quite his cost he hath been at by many suters or else to get a good one as cheape as he can It was once said religio peperit diuitias sed filia deuorauit matrem that is religion brought forth riches but the daughter deuoured the mother The times
haue laboured to poyson the synceritie of our faith Worthie Whitakers Whitakers of neuer dying fame small cause hath Rome to vaunt her Bellarmine or Louan to admire her Stapleton ours had he not been enchanted by thee both wounded Profound Fulke Fulke whose truth and great trauaile the Church of God hath tried many a Foxe hast thou had in chase not able to abide thy hot pursuite Who euer gaue the dare and thou diddest not receiue the challenge Humfrey Humfrey of much reading in thy time wast thou a chiefe hunter of the Romish Foxe How oft from chaire of truth hast thou confuted their lying falsehoods Reynolds Reynolds as thou hast Rainard the olde Foxe and his cubs in chase so God according to his good will giue thee long life still to hunt and pursue them that by the fire of Gods word the chaffe of their lies may be cōsumed I might take occasion in this place to vrge soundnes and synceritie in setting this toyle of the word For it is not decrees of Popes nor determinations of Councels not Cicero his eloquence nor Aristotle his philosophy Gods word purely preached transformeth Foxes into sheepe that can cōuert a sinner or transforme a Foxe into a sheepe but it is the law of God truly taught and opened that reduceth men from their errours and deformities and bringeth them into the perfit path of health and saluation I say the preaching of the word accompanied with the assistance of the spirit For it is not in man neither in whole nor in part to draw men vnto God to open their eies to bore their eares to illumine their minds or open their hearts No no to fit the ground to receiue the seed to make it bud and blossome and bring forth fruit is the worke of the onely sonne of righteousnesse who giueth repentance and remission of sinnes vnto his Israel If the wicked and vngodly will needs be so wilfull Good lawes a needfull toile whereby to take Foxes as to refuse the ministerie of the word then the Magistrates must pitch the toiles of Gods lawes which are the verie life and soule of the Commonwealth as Tully saith in his Oration for Cluentius Neither is any commonwealth more able to vse her owne parts without the helpe of good lawes then the bodie of a man can exercise the due operations without vnderstanding And therefore is it said of Aristotle that the sunne is not more needfull to the world then good and wholesome lawes are to the preseruation of the Commonwealth For as the sunne by his heate and influence doth nourish plantes trees and hearbes comfort also and giue strength vnto them to exercise their seuerall properties so good lawes nourish and maintaine the flourishing state of kingdomes as on the other side without these there can be nothing else but disorder and vtter confusion But yet it may not be forgotten Execution the life of the law that as good lawes are the liues of Commonwealths so execution is the life of the lawe for lawes are better vnmade then vnkept and our lawes seeme like to Spiders webbes where-through the buzzing Bees Hornets or horse-flies doe breake but the poore feeble flies hang fast If this were not so you should haue fewer Gentlemen theeues fewer Gentlemen adulterers fewer Gentlemen idolaters And who knoweth not that although a Citie were defended with walles of Brasse yet if there want men and munition in time they will be beaten downe euen so though lawes were neuer so wisely made yet if they want such as shall vrge their obedience and defend them they will soone prooue nothing worth Therefore the saying of Solon is worthie remembraunce who being asked when the Commonwealth did most flourish aunswered when the people obey the Magistrate and the Magistrate obeyeth the lawe Againe for the right proceeding in iudgement against hereticall persons Two things to be reproued in an heretike you must consider that there be two things worthie to bee reprooued in an hereticke-seducer for a difference is to be made betwixt the seducer the grand Captaine or Ringleader and the poore seelie wretch seduced Now in the seducer there is first his heresie and secondly the scatteringe of his heresie whereby he goeth about to infect and poyson others These seed-men of superstition and hereticall scatterers must be better looked vnto that the multitude may be saued from seduction Seducing heretikes or else great danger will growe not onely to Christ his Church by poisoning and peruerting the puritie of religion but to the state of the land by daily addition of strength to the Romish faction It is too well knowne how fast our Papists doe encrease in many parts of this land and how daily one draweth another into the pit of perdition surely the fault is either in the minister or magistrate or else in both But this is a sure thing that as Poperie getteth ground so the Gospell looseth ground and where superstitiō swimmeth there religion sincketh Lastly whether they wish the life or the death of her Maiesties person by whose most gracious gouernment true religion is continued who are so hotly deuoted to superstition let the former reasons against all perfect papists determine Seduced people As for the seduced and poore deceiued wretches all meanes are to be practised for their conuersions but when as once it is proued that they are not onely ignorant but obstinately and wilfully ignorant and that the more they be forborne the lesse they are reformed like vnto the vine that prospereth with no pruning or the hearb that withereth with watering what can remaine else but that where milde and temperate medicines can take no effect there be vsed violent meanes as sharpe corosiues and why not cauterie incision least that greater inconuenience grow either by example which giueth encouragement or by corruption which comes by their companie Therefore the wholesome counsell of the Poet is to be hearkened vnto where he saith Cuncta prius tentanda sed immedicabile vulnus When incision is to be vsed Ense recidendum ne pars sincera trahaetur To salue the sore first trie each way If curelesse thou it see Then cauterize least sounder parts Therewith attainted be For experience plainely teacheth that the Cancer consumes the Rose the Caterpiller eates the fruite the sore eye infects the sound that pitch defileth that leauen sowreth that scabde sheepe infecte the flocke I will end this point affirming thus much that since all may in freedome doe well without feare it were lamentable that any should haue libertie to doe wickedly with fauour I will speake a little of the miserable end of traitors and so conclude The miserable end of traytors in reading either the booke of God or other histories we shall hardly find that traytors haue closed vp their eyes with honour Sellam conspired against Zacharias the King of Israel and slew him but within one moneth after he himselfe was slaine of Manahem 4. King 15 Peka conspired against Pekaiam but after was slaine of Oseas But what should I light a candle at noone day We our selues are eye-witnesses that very seldome traitors go down to the graue in peace Ambitious Richard the vsurper because he was notorious Richard the Vsurper shall here be remembred who to make the way to his hautie desire of Soueraigntie spared neither age affinitie nor degree vntill he had got the regall diademe and then thought he himselfe so surely grounded that he might bid defiance to heauen and earth but see his end he was slaine in the field and being disarmed and stripped was throwne ouerthwart an horse backe with his face downeward and daubed with dirt brought from Bosworth to Leicester and there in stead of a princely funerall had for his Herauld infamie shame for his shrouding sheete and neuer dying obloquie for his sepulcher Sir Iames Tyrrel mounted aloft Sir Iames Tyrrell Myles Forrest Iesabel sentenceth Traitours for murthering the young King was himselfe beheaded by Henry the seuenth Miles Forrest a cursed catife did rot away peece meale Iesabel although an abominable wretch yet truelie thought that a traiterous life could seldome end with an happie death Had Zimri peace that slew his master Which speech although it were grounded vpon a false coniecture because that burthen by Gods appointment was laide vpon the house of Achab and Iehu particularlie deputed to that charge whereas Zimri had no commission to goe so far yet implieth it this much that shee thought treason an odious crime and that vengeance must needes follow it at the heeles and haue we not had most manifest experience of it in this land within these few yeares How many Iesuites in profession Iscariots in practise haue visited Tyburne How many Foxe-priests haue taken their farewell at the gallowes And although Rome hath lately beautified them with the title of Martyrs whom either male-contentednes or malice caused to be treacherous to their Prince yet is it a thing euident that rebellion not religion treason not truth hath brought them to the halter The almighty God that gouerneth heauen earth stil dissipate their deuices and confound their counsels that all such as seeke by treason to supplant Englands state by sedition to sell her honour or by rebellion to scatter her peace may still receiue such iust reward for their demerits as heretofore they haue done Amen FINIS
Thou art an other god vpon earth Againe it is written of him Dominus Deus noster Papa Our Lord God the Pope In the proheme of the Clementines fol. 3. Papa id est admirabilis nec Deus nec homo quasi neuter es inter vtrumque The Pope is so named because he is wonderfull thou art neither God nor man but as it were a neuter betwixt both Againe Excepto peccato omnia potest quae Deus except sin he can doe all that God can doe He can make holy that which is vnholy pardon sins iustifie the wicked dispense against the old and new Testament Againe Omnis potestas data est mihi in terra All power is giuen to me in earth Now I report me to all them whose iudgement is not quite peruerted whether Mahomet euer did or could speake more blasphemously against the honour of God or Iesus Christ than these diuellish Doctors But we must remember here that as Mahomet hauing renounced the person of the sonne of God yet calleth himselfe his seruant So the Pope claiming supreame iurisdiction in all causes and throughout all countries yet vaileth bonnet and stoopeth his stile calling himselfe seruum seruorum Dei Of whose shamelesse hypocrisie or dissembled humilitie this Distich hath been framed worthie remembrance Roma tibi quondam suberant Domini Dominorum Seruorum serui hunc tibi sunt Domini Time was o Rome whē Lord of Lords Did yeeld thee fealtee Time 's past and seruants seruants now Thy Lords and masters be The fourth semblance is in their laws For Mahomet in his Alcoran commandeth his followers to kill the infidell The fourth semblance in the likelihood of their lawes to auenge themselues and to take no wrong and telleth them that whosoeuer killeth his enemie shall haue the greater share in paradice he permitteth the hauing of many wiues diuorcement for trifling causes by which damnable waies he hath enlarged his kingdome by his successors and partly by fraud partly by force hath brought a great part of the world vnder his tyrannicall subiection Now see whether the Foxe and the Lion agree not as wel as two heads vnder one hood For as Mahomet commaunds to kill and promiseth paradice to them that kil most so the Pope giues authoritie and power to kill the true Christians and promiseth immortalitie to them that murther their naturall princes Secondly as Mahomet commaundeth his to auenge themselues so the Popes doctrine is not farre short of it when he teacheth it to be the counsell of Christ not his commaundement to loue our enemies Thirdly as that damned wretch alloweth the hauing of many wiues and diuorcement for trifling causes so the Pope although he admitte not Polygamie yet simple fornication with him is no deadly sinne He erecteth stewes and brothell houses yea the sinne of Sodome hath been allowed by some of these maiden fathers Ioan. Rauisius Textor in his booke called officina and gelded bishops as by Sixtus the fourth who also gaue licence to all the generation of the Cardinall of Saint Lucie who was his huntsman to vse this sodomiticall filthines in the three hot monthes of the yeare namely Iune Iuly and August What should I tell you that Iohannes de Casa an Arch-prelate and grand-captaine writ a booke in commendation of it Of Catholike O shamelesse harlot to magnifie that in writing the onely thought wherof ought to wound the heart with horrour Thirdly as Mahomet permitted diuorcement for trifling causes so is it a cleare case that the Pope in this point hath also contradicted the doctrine of Christ Lastly as he promiseth paradice to the vilest creatures so the Pope granteth his pardons de paenitētijs iniungendis that is to a man before he sinne and what is this but with Mahomet to open heauen to the basest villaines in the world The which vntollerable beastlines of them God hath raised vp diuers of their owne countrie to displaie Venalia nobis Templa altaria sacra Coronae Ignes thura preces coelum est venale Deusque Thus englished Wares of all sort are here to be sold Buy what you will for money downe told Churches priestes offerings altars and crowne We passe for quicke sale all cities and townes Fire frankencense dirges and pardons from paine Hell Heauen God the Diuell we giue all for gaine Fontana di dolore albergo d'ira Schola d'errori ètempio d'heresia That is to say A gulfe of griefe a rocke of furious rage And take it in briefe a schoole or common cage Of errours most strange faire Rome to looke vpon But marke well the change now beastlie Babilon O dungeon most deepe of fraud deceite and guile O cage fit to keepe hot hate and vengeance vile Where vices preuaile and vertue lies starke dead Where sinne with full saile all states hath long misled O whirpoole of hell o foule and stinking Iakes Such as in thee dwel all goodnes quite forsakes A rare and strange world wonder thou wilt of all be thought If Sathan keepe thee vnder and Christ set thee at nought O nest of deulish treason from whence all vices issue O enemie to reason and fatall foe to vertue O drudge to drowsie drunkennes and surfetting excesse O shrowd of shifters shamelesse as whores and such like guesse I will knit it vp with this pretie Pasquil Roma quid est amor est Qualis praeposterus vnde hoc Roma mares noli dicere plura scio The first semblance is in cloaking their falsehood The first semblance in cunning cloaking of their knaueries for Mahomet notwithstanding his impietie and blasphemies saith that his doctrine is answerable to the old and new testament but yet so that no man examine his lawes vpon paine of death as if one paying money should charge the receiuer neuer to looke vpon it in the daylight and I beseech you who would not suspect such paie euen so dealeth the Pope for they count it heresie for the vulgar people to reade the scriptures in a knowne language and as for them vnto whom they must refer themselues they haue scarce seene the couerings of the bookes for the greatest part of them In deede there be some wallet brethren who are still chattering vntill their chappes be made vp but as for the scriptures they either are buried or els yelled howled censed adored clouted and patched vp in a strange language and vpon some solemne feast day sophisticated prouided that their laytie neither suspect nor sifit them but that they haue a good meaning and refer themselues to their articles The sixt semblance is in the likelihood of their bulwarkes for the fence of their kingdomes Mahomet commands first The sixt semblance in making like fences for their falsehoode to kill them which speake against his Alcoran Secondly hee forbiddeth to confer with a contrarie sect Thirdly that no credit bee giuen to any of a contrarie religion In like sort the Pope murders them that contradict his owne constitutions