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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	bless_a	zeal_n	zealous_a	21	3	8.3290	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01006	The ouerthrovv of the Protestants pulpit-Babels conuincing their preachers of lying & rayling, to make the Church of Rome seeme mysticall Babell. Particularly confuting VV. Crashawes Sermon at the Crosse, printed as the patterne to iustify the rest. VVith a preface to the gentlemen of the Innes of Court, shewing what vse may be made of this treatise. Togeather with a discouery of M. Crashawes spirit: and an answere to his Iesuites ghospell. By I.R. student in diuinity.	Floyd, John, 1572-1649.; Jenison, Robert, 1584?-1652, attributed name.; Rhodes, John, minister of Enborne.	1612 (1612)	STC 11111; ESTC S102371	261,823	332

Machiauel a witnesse of their * Catalogus testium veritatis l. 19. col 1916. edit ann 1608. ex officina Iacobi Stoeret Chouet Ghospell haue long since learned that Machiauelian Principle of the treacherous Theban Children are deceyued with Apples and men with Oathes 16. VVhich protestations of truth and shewes of Godlynesse haue bene so strong to deceiue that not only flyes and seely people but also some other in their owne conceipt neither flyes nor small fooles haue byn caught in this cobweb Nay euen that (m) Syr Edward Hobby Knight whose pen is more famous then his sword and whose wit were it answerable to his name or his learning so high as his owne cōceipt therof might be well thought a soaring bird doth commend this Sermon (n) In his letter to T.H. pag. 54. 55. specially to proue that we do degenerate from the doctrine of ancient Fathers in twenty particulers insulting ouer vs that we haue not hitherto made answere vnto them But if it may please him to peruse this Treatise he will perchance both be ashamed of his boast his fluttering in a web of so weake slaunders neuer trust his trencher-schoolmaisters or Ministers herafter that cast flyes and follyes vpon his trencher wherwith he hath stuffed his vnlearned Letter as he may see an exāple or two which we haue examined in (o) In the first Part chap. 4. this Treatise 17. Now the reason that hath moued me to dedicate this Treatise vnto You HONOVRABLE COVNTREYMEN you may easily imagine to wit a carefull respect of your saluation and of your honour both which this Minister who still styleth himselfe Preacher in one of your Innes of Court doth bring into eminent danger your saluation by preaching false and execrable slaunders your honour by publishing in print many ridiculous follyes The care of your saluation did moue me to present this coūter-poyson specially vnto them into whose breasts the Spyder may be thought to haue more plētifully infused his venyme to offer You this fan of truth to cleanse your Temples which more then any other place haue bene filled with these cobwebs where the deceyuer hath hid himselfe these many yeares in a fayre shew of feygned Godlynesse to intangle his credulous Auditours in wicked dānable hatred of that faith which our Forefathers did most gloriously professe Did you well vnderstand and seriously consider what horrible hatred against Catholike Religion he doth breath out in his Sermon and seeke to inspire into your harts I cannot thinke but that your Wisdome Conscience Christianity is such as you would detest it 18. For though we had euer iust cause to suspect secret Atheisme and small Christianity in many Ministers that they do hate Catholikes more thē Atheists that they desire rather the ouerthrow of all Religion then the bringing in of the Roman yet none before Your Preacher that I know of durst make such open profession therof who doth and dareth giue vs many cleare signs of this his holy hatred What shall we think was the reason that making lawes for Virginia in his new yeares-gift vnto (p) In the latter end of that Sermon her against them he most hated or would seeme to hate nameth first Papists then Atheists and lastly Brownists And of Papists he saith that the Pope for Popery be not so much as heard of in Virginia but for Atheists he will let them be named Nay the Virginian Church shal be honoured by hauing their names in her first Law And good reason seeing the first men sent and intended as her Apostles were for the most part Atheists and prophane fellowes as himselfe doth partly confesse But you see this wise Law-maker out of his hatred vnto Papists will haue them first excluded from the Common-Wealth of his owne head and hart before Atheists though he will not vouchsafe to name them as Solon out of extreme hatred of Parricides left them out in his Athenian lawes But will you heare him yet more clearly professe togeather at once his little loue vnto God and huge hatred against the Pope in this very Sermon Hauing found a worme-eaten saying of an old Glosse left out in all later Editions as he cannot deny which he thought did sound of blasphemy he doth openly confesse that (q) pag. 73. he will not conceale the same but discharge his duty to the truth though he may giue vantage to the Atheists and Libertines The truth is he doth discharge his duty not to God but to the Diuell not to truth but falshood by falsifying the meaning of the Glosser as I haue proued in that place But suppose it had been a true errour was that blasphemy of such importance thinke you to be knowne that Atheisme must be set forward and aduaunced rather then that errour of the Glosse concealed God throwne downe rather then the Pope spared Can any religion be in him that will ioyne with the Atheist against God rather then I doe not say become a Papist or speake a good word for the Pope for he will perchance rather be a Diuell then do it but so much as forbeare speaking a thing that may seeme to disgrace the Pope the vttering of which did not import the worth of a rush I am content any Christian or any man that doth feelingly belieue there is a God be iudg in this case For that your Christianity and Cōscience doth detest such hatred of any religion whatsoeuer I cannot without doing you wrong mistrust 19. Doe you desire yet another and a more cleare argument of your preachers Atheisme that secretly harboureth in his hart You may find one very notorious in his (1) pag. 26. Iesuits Ghospell which ioyned with the former by cōparing the two different shewes of zeale togeather will make his impiety apparent through the veyle of hypocrisy though he double the same with neuer so many fouldes and fayre shewes of zeale against the Pope You haue heard how dutifull the man is to the truth how scrupulous to conceale the same though by vtterance thereof he may giue aduantage to the Atheist to deny God But what if a seeming zeale of Gods honour may giue him a colourable occasion in his fond conceipt to conceale the truth of the dignity of Gods Mother will he thinke it a sinne not to discharge his duty to the truth Will he thinke it reason to condemne them that in shew of zeale to Gods honour shall speake vntruth and giuing passage to their passions breake the Mother of God in peeces with lyes and slaunders Marke his doctrine about this matter and then admire the scrupulous conscience of the man Whereas Catholikes obiect vnto Protestants that diuers principall writers of their sect haue spoken irreuerently and blasphemously of Gods blessed Mother your preacher not denying the fact but iustifying the same as done in laudable zeale shapeth vs this answere if any shape can be in such a monster If any of our religion saith he

hath giuen any words of her that may giue the least blemish to her blessed state it was not done in any the least contempt of her but in the zeale they bare to the honour of their Sauiour whom they held dishonoured by the vnequall comparing of her with him For what will not a Christian mans zeale cause him to doe (2) Not to slander any man nor to blasphem any Saynt though hypocryticall zeale will giue aduantage to Atheists against God when he seeth his God dishonored Who would haue thought that Moyses would haue cast so carelesly out of his handes so precious a Iewel as were the two tables written with the finger of God And yet when he heard the name of the Lord blasphemed he forgot himself and them and as though he remembred none but God he threw them away and brake them in peeces If Moyses zeale makes his hastines excusable no reason to condemne them whose zeale gaue passage to their passions and caused them for the honour of their Creatour to forget the priuiledge of a creature Thus he In which words few Readers I thinke can be so simple or blind not to espy a wolfe whose teeth water with desire to teare in pieces the immaculate mother of the lamb of God though he would faigne couer himselfe and do it in a sheeps skin of zeale which wil not serue his turne the example of Moyses the meekest of men being too short little by much to hyde the least particle of such monstrous fury as is giuing passage to passions against Gods Mother specially so full of blaphemy and falshood as theirs are 20. And first to discouer his faygned zeale marke as I touched before how it is hoat or cold as he pleaseth sometimes dutifull to truth against Gods honour somtymes zealous of Gods honour against truth as the taking vpon him a shew of eyther of these zeales may best serue his turne to giue vnder pretence of piety a passage to his passions against the Pope Somtimes his zeale to Gods honour is so calme that he is content God be euen denyed not caring though his discourse may giue aduantage therunto At other times so hoat in the spirit and zealous of Gods honour that the least sound of a blasphemy though but in a poeme will put him into a traunce where forgetting the true priuiledge of a creature to honour the Creatour he will thinke it no sinne to speake vildely and irreuerently of his Mother vttering slaunders that may giue blemishes to her blessed state Is any man so blind that doth not see this zeale to be coūterfayt true neither towards truth nor God which he can make hoat and cold sweet and sower carefull carelesse of the same thing as he pleaseth Can any thing be in that hart sincere from which both hatred and neglect of blasphemy both reuerence and contempt of truth both zeale and carelesnesse of Gods honour doth flow Secondly heere you may discouer the impiety of Ministers and the true cause why they so curiously search into our writings to find some speaches concerning the Blessed Virgin that may seeme blasphemy which when they haue found wrapping their woluish intentiōs in a sheeps skin of zeale against it they straight fal into a traunce forgetting thēselues and giuing passage to their passions against her whom they hate the more because the Church of God doth highly honour her 21. In this zeale we cannot deny but Iohn Caluin the Moyses of their new Law did forget himselfe and the Virgin how he remembred God her Sonne let the Reader iudge whē he wrote that in the birth of Christ she was so broken and weakened that the fourty daies before her Purification were not sufficient for her to recouer her forces but God did yet spare her donec ex (3) Caluin Harmon in cap. 2. Matth. v. 3. puerperio conualesceret that she might gather vp her strength lost in the labour of child-birth In this zeale doe diuers Protestants giue passage to their passions accusing her to haue committed as great sinnes as Eue (4) Cētur l. 1. cēt 1. the Mother of mischiefe vnto all mankind making her the very type of Heretikes and Infidels carnall (5) Sarcerius in Euāgel de festo annunciat apud Canisium l. 4. de Deipar c. 7. and prophane men In which passion a Lutheran preaching vpon her answere to the Angell How can this be done called her Zuinglian and (6) Georg. Muller apud Hospin 2. p. fol. 390. Caluinist whom they hate no lesse if not more then (7) Insatanized supersatanized persatanized Luther apud Tigur in tract 3. cōt suprē confess Lutheri Diuels But no man more like Moyses in forgetting himselfe and breaking in pieces the tables of the Law then our English Minister (8) In his booke of Christian exercise p. 669. M. Buney who dareth to write that when that innocent sorrowfull LADY stood at the foot of the Crosse she brake foure commaundements of God at one clap the first the fifth the sixt the ninth by this blasphemous slaūder breaking into pieces both the tables of the Law in her Virginall hart where Christian antiquity did euer belieue they were (9) De Sācta Maria Virgine nullam habere volo cùm de peccatis agitur mentionē quae gratiā habuit ad vincendū omni ex parte peccatum Aug. de nat grat c. 36. inuiolably kept In this pretēded zeale M. Crashaw practising himselfe what he doth patronize in others thinking or making a shew to thinke that we compare her breasts and milke with the wounds and bloud of Christ doth likewise forget himselfe saying that no extraordinary (10) In his Iesuits Ghospell pag. 44. blessednesse doth belong to the wombe of the Virgin none to her breasts in this regard only that they did breed and feed the Sonne of God that she whome we do so exalt is no more then another (11) pag. 91. holy woman but a belieuing (12) pag. 36. Iew. And giuing further passage to his passions he doth not only beate her sacred wombe and breasts into dust wormes by scoffing at her assumption into heauen (13) pag 95. but also carelessely casteth them out of his hart into a lower place then wormes magots by a foule comparison of them her milke with other (14) pag. 92 womens not excepting the most impurest Strumpet What Seneca (15) L. 3. de ira c. 14. said of the arrowes which a barbarous (†) Cambyses Tyrant did fasten in the hart of a child making the same his marke praysed by the flattering (¶) Praexaspes Father of the child that stood by we may say of these blasphemies that do so deeply penetrate into the hart and honour of Christs Mother iustified by M. Crashaw that they are sceleratiùs laudata tela quàm missa not so barbarously discharged as commended that the tongue is more blasphemous that doth prayse such passions

off toes or fingers but also with big bookes beat out ech others braynes ●lamning themselues as Heretikes vnto hell mutually not cursing as we may charitably expound but prophesiyng ●ather what wil be their seuerall ends and I feare though in other thinges they be false yet in this they will proue but too true Prophets Which war betwixt them doth appeare both by the Catalogue of their bookes which they haue written one against another set downe by (f) Histo Sacram. part 2 Hospinian a Protestant and (g) Iodocus Coccius in his Thesaurꝰ c. Tom. 2. Prot. Apo. in the end others as also by the yearely Marts of Franckford in which store of such bookes wherewith they wound ech other mortally neuer want disagreeing in points most essentiall and not in sleight matters only as about Scriptures whether the Epistles of Iames of Iude the second of Peter the second and third of Iohn the Epistle to the Hebrewes the Apocalyps be authenticall or no which not some few but whole Churches and the chiefest (h) Luther Illyricus Chem nitiꝰ and others See Chem. enchirid p. 63. exam Cōc Trid. part 1 p. 55. pillers of Protestancy deny about Christs Incarnation about the blessed Trinity and such like (i) See Edkandus his enchiridion of Contro betwene Protestant Churches points in which errours and heresies must needes passe to the hart of any Religion 7. As for their practises read the second part of Hospinians Sacramētary Story which I haue of late perused with great admiration to see how their Churches doe wound teare ech other in peeces for religion who to poore people that know not these things dare auouch their iarres to be tryfles There you may behould how they banish ech other by publike (k) Hospin p. 2. Sacr. Histor fol. 127. p. 2. fol. 227. fol. 389. Proclamation prohibiting the sale reading of ech others (l) 383. books cast ech other into (m) Hospin 393. prison not permitting common hospitality to those of the aduerse part passing by their (n) Hospin fol. 399. Cōrad Schlusselb in his Catal. Haeret. l. 13. pag. 828. Townes rise in armes fight one against another for (o) Hospin fol. 395. Osiād epit centur 16. p. 735. Religion finally mangling the very dead (p) Hospin fol 395. corses of the contrary faction not graunting (q) Hosp ibid. sepulture as vnto Christians in their Churches Now M. Crashaw are these woundes in the heele and not in the hart in the finger and not in the head Are these sister-Churches that do thus not onely byte and scratch which might be pardoned vnto their weake sexe and would perchance hurt but face finger but also cruelly cut ech other in pieces for Religion damning ech other to hell in words and sending themselues thither mutually with their swords Are not these deadly wounds euen those wounds wherof all heresies in former times haue euer bled vnto the death If you know not this point of spirituall surgery your Father Luther can teach you it who saith that (*) Neque n●vlli vmquam haeretici vi aut astu victi sūt sed mutua dissentiōe c. Tom. 3. VVittēberg in ps 106 in fine Heretikes neuer at any tyme haue bene ouercome by force or subtilty but by mutuall dissention neyther doth Christ fight with them otherwise then with a spirit of gyddines and disagreement Thus Luther Now M. Crashaw either heale this deadly desperate woūd in your Church if you be able or else if you be wise neuer brag of your Surgeons and salues hereafter 8. But let vs see whether there be any vertue in the second salue or meanes to h●ale vs which M. Crashaw and his Church as he saith hath layd to our woundes This is their deuout Prayers for our conuersion whereof the Minister braggeth in very good earnest pag. 43 45. though most ridiculously as you shall see saying that they haue the testimony of a good conscience that they pray for vs dayly yea continually publikely and priuately euery where ouer the world all of their Church that vse to pray for themselues Which last parenthesis warily put in by him I feare will depriue vs of a great deale of good prayers that exception reaching far and wyde in their Church not only to the swearers swaggerers and swas-bucklers therof but also vnto their purest Preachers and good men of God For to omit others of Iacobus Andreas a man of great credit in their Church as much honoured and famous in Germany as euer was Caluin or Beza in Geneua Chauncellour of the Vniuersitie of (r) Hospin p. 2. Histor Sacrā fol 198. Tubinga of whose zeale against the Pope they giue this testimony that (s) Osi●nd in Epitom Histor cēt 16. p. 1044. concionibus suis grauiter in Antichristum Romanū est inuectus multas Ecclesias piè reformauit In his sermons he did bitterly inueigh against the Roman Antichrist and piously reforme many Churches Of this great Preacher of the Ghospell reformer of Churches a (t) Nicolas Seluecer Protestant that liued very much with him doth affirme that he could neuer see nor heare nor by any probable coniecture gather quòd vel cubitum iturus ●el de lecto surrecturus autorationem Dominicam recitauerit aut vllam Dei mentionem secerit (u) Hospinian p. 2. Histor Sacram. fol. 389. that going to bed or rising from thence he did euer so much as say the Lords prayer or had any remembrance at all of God What may we thinke of the reformed Churches whose Reformer was so deuout How piously did he teach them to pray for the Pope that was so slack and slouthfull to pray for himselfe And yet did he preach against the Roman Antichrist as zealously as M. Crashaw spake of godlynes no lesse hypocritically reformed Churches more successiuely then euer he is like to do which example may giue vs iust cause to doubt whether such earnest declaymers against the Pope and busy searchers into wounds euer pray for themselues or no. So that this continuall praying for vs by Protestants euery where ouer the world seemeth a very incredible paradoxe and I do thinke most Protestants that should practise the same were it true doe somwhat wonder to see it in print 9. The Bachelour goeth forward to set out the pompe of his praying Church with more magnificent words This our diligence saith he so shamed them Catholikes for their negligence in the same pag. 41. that foure yeares agoe they published at Rome a forme of Letany and publike prayer for the peruerting of the Realmes of England and Scotland to Popery Thus he But if you aske me what valiant exployts I euer heard the Protestant Church to haue performed by praying that may iustly make the Church of Rome so much ashamed or vpon what shew or colour of truth the Bachelour speaketh such strange thinges in so confident manner I plainly confesse I

or small constancy in so soone changing 20. But seeing this Queene is now gathered vnto her Father I cannot say Fathers seeing not one of her noble Ancestors besides him were of her faith nor he but in part I will say no more only to her I dare oppose two Catholike Queenes of the same age much more worthy of eternall memory for their constant zeale to the truth two Maryes who chose indeed the best part the one of England the other of Scotland The first was constantly zealous to her religion not only in the dayes of her raigne when Puritans neither by their brags nor treasons nor bloudy bookes frō Geneua especially those of that Minister whose deeds made him vnworthy of his (k) Goodman name could cause her once to feare the● but before also in the dayes of her brother when Protestant ruled and ouerswayed all ventured her Princely life many tymes by the constant practise and profession of her Religion in their sight 21. The second no lesse zealous then the former stood most constantly in the truth euen vnto the death washing her Princely robes in the bloud of the lambe where Protestant Bishops and Ministers fearing to be sent againe as in the dayes of the former Mary into Iury to sing songs of Sion and not be permitted to chaunt Geneua Psalmes on English land had this Catholike Princesse come to the Crowne inciting the Queene in Court the people in pulpit with bloudy slaunders against her made a lamentable proofe what a (l) The executioners name Bull against an annoynted Princesse they can indite when they feare though but a farre off that in tyme they may come to touch their free-hold such a Bull as all their clamours can ●euer proue to haue euer come from Rome Of the bloudines ●f which fact and constancy worthy of eternall memory ●f the Princesse that the Reader may more detest the one ●nd admire the other I will here set downe a few verses of ●hat subiect taken out of an excellent Poeme to requite by ●he way the liberality of M. Crashaw who bestoweth some ●able verses vpon the Lateran Sea Ecce Caledonij commissa piacula Regni Infandumque nefas en Regia colla securis Et (m) Q. Dowager of France and Q. of Scotland geminum diadema ferit quo nulla vetustas Funere maius habet seris nec proseret annis Posteritas magnique necem mirabitur instar Prodigij Regina tuam sed gloria maior Quo tibiculpa minor tantoque celebrius orbe Nomen erit quanto fidei constantia maior Dum iugulum petit intrepidum scelarata securis Quae tibi mens tum lictor erat cum verbere crudo Colla secas quae nec (n) Nolite tangere Christos meos Psal 104.15 manibus contingere fas est Si Marium post Teutonicos morsipsa triumphos Pauit attonito percussor constitit ore Tu Mariam vita priuas nec torpuit ictus Maiestate sacri capitis ferrúmue repressit Dextra nec Augustos acies defecit in artus Heu quantus Regina iacet ter maxima truncus Quae (o) Mother to our dread Soueraigne matres regumque nurus supereminet omnes And this may suffice to lay open to the eye of euery man the ●ntolerable vanity of this bragger of his Churches examples and professing religion in our sight 22. The fourth salue of wholsome lawes Now remayneth that I adde a word or two of the ●ourth sort of meanes or salues that M. Crashaw saith their Church hath applyed to our soares by which were we not ●ncurable we might be healed to wit wholesome lawes which saith he we haue deuised and enacted against their errours superstitions impietyes seditious courses sometymes in iustice executing ●hem sometymes in great mercy suspending them pag. 44. I cannot deny but ●hese haue beene strong salues which flesh and bloud could neuer so long tyme haue endured persisting constantly in the faith without speciall assistance from heauen salues that haue drawne not only goods and lands but also much noble bloud from diuers Catholikes who heires more vnto the vertue of their Ancestors then vnto their liuings haue chosen rather to part with the best bloud from their Noble Progenitors they receiued then from their faith and religion and the hope of eternall saluation and blissefull enioying their desired company euerlastingly in glory Some o● them I confesse may perchaunce haue byn executed in iustice that is permitted to hang till they were iust half dead Suspensiō in mercy no more nor lesse as the law requireth yet other haue bene executed short of iustice cut downe and bu●cherly vnbowelled being full aliue though I willingly graunt that many also haue bene suspended with great mercy as a fellow cryed out at Oxford at the execution of a Priest Let him hang till he be dead for the Queene is mercifull● But how may these lawes be thought salues to heale ou● woundes First M. Crashaw graunteth that they were de●●sed and enacted by themselues an euident signe that they Religion also for which these lawes are made was deuised and enacted by themselues otherwise Christian Princes Bishop in former ages would haue made lawes for it had they by● of it So that the very salue doth strongly sauour and thei● lawes clearly sound the nouelty of the religion that the● would force vs to imbrace as Ancient 23. Moreouer that the penall lawes in the late Queen tyme were executed vpon vs any wayes for conscience sake the grauest and greatest of their side doe constantly deny though the euidence of the truth wrung a confession of th● contrary from (q) In his Iesuites Ghospell he saith Priestes Iesuites in England dye for the Primary of the Roman Bishop som excepted that died for treasō pag. 79. M. Crashaw which may seeme a wonde● in so great a Statist who did publish his Sermon to iustifie th● State much more then honour truth How can their penall lawe● heale the wounds of our conscience vnto which they do● not apply them as plaisters not punishing vs they say for conscience sake Can the Maister iustly wonder if the Scholler amend not his fault when he will not tell him why he is beaten Catholiks are charged with fines cast into prisons put vnto shamefull deathes for their errours superstitions impieties as M. Crashaw saith yet they must not say nor so much as thinke that Religion is the cause This manner of ●uring vs or proceeding against vs may iustly strengthen ●nd confirme vs in our Religion seeing the maiesty therof ●o be such that euen those that do mortally hate it would ●ot be thought persecutors of it The very instinct of nature ●et downe in the law of Nations doth teach that it is cruelty ●o force any from the faith and beliefe of their ancestors wherin they haue continued time out of mind euen Iewes and Turkes cannot be drawne to be Christians by rigour of ●enall (r) C. Maiores

10. lib. 2. de Cōcil c. 12. l. 1. de sacr matr c. 5. Authors Definitions and Decrees of Popes and this is one new trick of falshood Secondly he chargeth vpon the Canon-law that doctrine which euen in that place the new reformed booke of Gratian denyeth in expresse termes putting a maine difference betwixt diuine Canonicall Scriptures Popes Decretall Epistles declaring that the saying of S. Augustine cyted out of a corrupt copy of that Fathers workes (p) Bellar. l. 2. de Concil c. 12. by Gratian that might seem to magnify the Canonicall Epistles of Popes was not referred to the Decretalls but to the Canonicall holy (r) Quae quidē sententia B. Augustini nō ad decretales Romanorum Pontificū sed ad Canonicas sacras Scripturas referēda est Decr. dist 19. c. 6. In canonicis Scripture Which note the Bachelour doth acknowledge and no meruaile saith he though they confesse it For the name of Decretall Epistles of the Popes was to get and to beare many a fayre yeare after his dayes where his ignorance of Histories might be shewed by many Decretal (s) See their Epistles tom 1. Concil Epistles of Popes as of Anacletus Alexand. Victor Anicetus Marcellus others that liued many a fayre yeare before S. Augustine The Decretall Epistles of S. Leo Pope Protestants themselues do not doubt of who liued in S Augustines tyme and was made Pope not long after his (t) S. Augustine died 430. S. Leo chosen Pope 440. death Likewise the Decretall Epistles of Innocentius the first are no lesse certaine and vndoubtedly his who liued in S. Augustines tyme and dyed some yeares before (u) Innocentius anno 417. him as all that haue any acquaintance with antiquity do know So that this cauill is eyther foule ignorance or a faire lye But that which is most to our purpose the Bachelour cannot deny but that a distinction betwixt the authority of diuine Scriptures and Popes Decretalls is expressely taught euen in this place whence he would inforce the contrary doctrine which is not ignorance only but impudency also 2. Thirdly he doth peruert the playn and cleare meaning of Gratian in that place which I will shew out of that very distinction the more largely to stop the mouth of this Minister and his Mates who still come forth with this trish-trash triuiall slaunder For I demaund of him seeing his Conscience speaketh that he hath perused the whole scope of this place whether he doth not know that Canonicall Scriptures or writinges doe not there signify holy and diuine Scriptures but Codicem Canonum the Booke of Canons or Decrees of Generall Councells to which and not vnto diuine Scriptures Gratian intendeth to proue in that distinction that the Popes Decretalls are equall as appeareth both in the beginning ending body thereof The beginning is De (x) See the beginning of the 19. distinctiō 1. part Decreti Epistolis Decretalibus quaeritur an vim authoritatis obtineant cùm incorpore Canonum non inueniantur The question is whether the Decretall Epistles be of authority seeing they are not found in the body or booke of Canons This is the question which Gratian handleth in that distinction and maketh answere in the wordes cited by the Bachelour that the Decretall Epistles are reckoned among Canonicall writings concluding in the end with these words (y) Titulus cap. 6. Decretales itaque Epistolae Canonibus Conciliorum pari iure exequantur The Decretall Epistles haue right to be equalled to the Canons of Councells (z) in fine distinctiōis 19. It is then playn that a distinction is made by Gratian betwixt Canonicall writings and holy Canonicall Scriptures and that the Popes Decretalls are said to be of equall authority with the first not with the second Which is yet more playnly set downe in the body of the distinction in the words of Nicolaus Pope about this matter bringing many arguments that the Decretall Epistles of Popes that are not in the Booke of the Canons of Councells are to be reckoned Canonicall and of authority to bynd If (a) cap. Si Romanorum saith he the Decretall Epistles of ancient Roman Bishops were not to be admitted because they are not inserted into the Codex Canonum the Code of the Canons then neither the constitutions of holy Gregory nor of any other Pope are to be receiued because they are not written in the booke of Canons Itaque nihil refert saith he vtrum fint omnia necne Decretalia Sedis Apostolicae cōstituta inter Canones Conciliorum immista cùm omnia in vno corpore compaginari non possint That is It imports not though all the Decretall Epistles of the Apostolicall Sea be not ioyned with the Councells seeing that all could not be compacted into one corps or booke Thus writeth the Pope cited by Gratian. By which it is euident and by the whole scope of that distinction that Canonicall writings signify in that place the Code of Canons and not holy and diuine Scripture What shall we think then of the cōscience of this Bachelour which speaketh that he hath diligently perused the whole scope of this place and yet so notoriously falsifyeth the meaning thereof The fifth slaunder That the Popes Decretals are of more authority then diuine Scriptures ● THE second Babel about holy Scriptures and his fifth wound is that we not only equall but also prefer the Popes Decretalls before the holy Scripture for this ambitious Bachelour will needs proceed to higher degrees of slaunder not ceasing to clymbe till out of hatred to the Pope he become graduate in Atheisme a plaine Atheist as you shall heare in his next wound This Babel ●he seeketh to rayse vpon the words of S. Boniface our Countreyman famous for sanctity and learning who conuerted a great part of the Germayne Nation vnto the Christian fayth (b) See Baron tom 9. ann 722. 723. 724. seq and was therfore called the Apostle of Germany where he endured a glorious martyrdome for that cause (c) Vide Baron an 755. This blessed Saint and Martyr sayth That (d) Decret d. 40. in appendice ad cap. 6. all men do so much reuerence and respect the Primacy of the Apostolicall Roman Sea that they seeke some part of the disciplyne of holy Canons (e) Nōnullam Sāctorum Canonum disciplinam which the Bachlour trāslateth much of the discipline of holy Canons putting in to the text much of his owne and of the ancient Institutions of Christian Religion rather from the mouth of the Bishops thereof then eyther from holy Scriptures or the Traditions of Ancestors and that therefore if the Bishop of Rome be zealous of Gods glory carefull in his office irreprehensible in his life he is able by his doctrine and example to draw great multitudes of all sorts of professions vnto to Christ to the great increase of his reward But if on the contrary side he be carelesse of