A GENERALL TREATISE AGAINST POPERIE AND IN DEFENCE OF THE RELIGION BY PVBLIKE AVTHORITIE PROFESSED IN ENGLAND AND OTHER CHVRCHES REFORMED VVherein they that either want leisure to read or that haue not iudgement to conceiue or that are not able to buie the learned treatises of other concerning particular points of religion may yet euidently see poperie not to be of God and our religi on to be acceptable in his sight Very necessarie for these times for the confirmation and strengthening of men in our religion that neither by Jesuits nor by any other they may be drawne to poperie or any other heresie or sect and likewise for the winning of Papists and Atheists to an vnfained liking and true profession of our religion BY THOMAS STOVGHTON minister of the word PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1598. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND MOST TRVLY RELIGIOVS AND vertuous Lord Robert Lord Rich Thomas Stoughton wisheth increase of all true pietie and honour in this life and eternall glory in the life to come RIght Honourable your fauour hauing beene such towards me as that both either vpon my coÌ„mendation before I was by face knowne vnto your Lordship and especially my selfe sithens that time haue thereby sared the better I could not but in all dutie thinke of some way whereby to shew my selfe in some measure thankfull for the same Hauing therfore taken a litle paines in gathering these generall arguments against the whole masse lumpe of poperie as in defence likewise of the generall doctrine publikely and by publike authoritie professed in England I thought your Honourable curtesie to be such that these my labours would be accepted as some testimonie of my gratefull minde Neither am I bold to offer them vnto your Honour in respect onely of that your singular fauour towards my selfe but also because the same your Honorable fauour hath beene extended and is extended towardes all whome your Honour hath seene forward in the profession of that religion the defence whereof is the chiefe subiect matter of this treatise Yea so haue you vouchsafed to countenance such persons from time to time not disdaining the meanest that this your Christian and godly minde is much more worthie this worke then the worke it selfe any waies worthy to be presented to so great a person For by this loue towardes the professours of the truth hath euidently appeared your affection towards the truth it selfe This affection also towardes the truth it selfe euen towardes the truth which in this treatise is commended and iustified hath in like manner beene most plainely testified vnto this whole countrey of Essex by your singular care for the placing of godly and sufficient ministers in all places where the patronage of benefices by the auncient lawes of this realmes hath beene your right And both these to wit your loue vnto the persons professing this religion and your like affection towards the religion it selfe haue pleÌ„tifully declared your true zeale of God himselfe and of Christ Iesus For Christ accouÌ„teth that done to himselfe that is done to them Math. 25. 40. that belong vnto him And as the enmitie against God his truth and the professours thereof endeauouring to suppresse the one and to represse the other doth testifie the like enmitie against God himselfe and Christ Iesus so the Maâ—h 25. 43. Act. 9. 4. contrarie loue towardes both doth declare the like loue towards God himselfe and Christ Iesus Further your honourable care before mentioned for the furthering of this religion shewed by prouiding such sufficient ministers for instruction of the people in the true knowledge thereof and obedience thereunto hath also witnessed and doth daily witnesse your vnfained loue vnto men For what greater worke can there be for the benefits of their soules yea both of their soules and of their bodies of this life and of the life to come For who knoweth not but that as the Gospell is the power of God vnto saluation Rom. 1. 16. Iam. 1. 21. 2. Tim. 3. 15. Psal 19. 7. Frov. 1. 4. and the word conteined in the holy Scriptures which also containe this religion here commended is able to make men wise vnto the same saluation so also that that wisdome which the gospel and word of God teacheth hath in Prov. 3. 16. her right hand length of daies and in her left hand riches and glorie As therefore to hinder the gospel and word of God doth plainly bewray the hatred of men which cannot be saued by any other meanes without it for which cause the Apostle speaking of the Iewes saith first that they 1. Thess 2. 15 16. were contrarie or aduersaries vnto all men then immediatly addeth as a reason or confirmation of the former that they had forbidden them to preach the word vnto the Gentiles vvhereby they might be saued so to promote the same word can not but witnes the contrarie Finally this your godly care hath in like sort the better witnessed doth witnes your faithful heart both towards her most excellent Maiestie and also towardes the whole realme For it cannot be but that the more the true knowledge and feare of God aboundeth by the more plentiful preaching of the word also will abound true obedience vnto her Highnes and vnfained loue betwixt subiect and subiect by both which the barres of the gates of the whole kingdome must necessarily be the stronger against all fortaine aduersaries Sith therefore Right honourable it hath pleased God of his aboundant goodnes and rich grace besides your great earthly honour thus more highly to honour and aduance you in heauenly things as I doe in this respect the more boldly dedicate this treatise of religion to your Honour so zealous of religion so in all humilitie I desire the same to accept therof and to vouchsafe your honourable protection therunto And because your former zeale perswadeth me the same of your Honour that the like perswaded the Apostle of the Philippians namely that he Philip. 1. 6. that hath begun this good worke will also finish the same therefore that vse of this treatise which in the ende I wish generally to all great persons alreadie called to the fellowship of this true religion I doe more specially commend vnto your Honour namely that you will yet be zealous thereof as hitherto you haue beene and are Yea let not your zeale onely continue but let it be such also as Salomon describeth the loue of the Church to be strong as death cruell or hard or Cantic 8. 6 7. inuincible as the graue whose coales are fierie coales and as a vehement flame or as the flame of God and the which much water cannot quench Yea because the Lord Iesus reprehendeth the slaking of the first loue of the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2. 4 5. threatning also to come against her and to remooue her candlesticke out of her place except shee repented and did her first works therefore also your
it well beseemeth the wisdome of God sith it is altogether vnsauorie and vnpleasant vnto the naturall man sith from the breaking thereof through the Sodomiticall and Egyptiacall darknesse of poperie it hath most brightly shined in those gifts of God his spirit which were vniuersally and almost wholly eclipsed when poperie was spread ouer the face of the earth sith God hath auenged the hatred thereof vpon the heads of the Papists that especially hated it sith God hath mightily vpheld blessed and prospered such persons and places as haue most boldly and constantly professed and embraced it finally since God hath openly pleaded the cause thereof against such as haue oppugned it miraculously preseruing the professours thereof so oppugned by their aduersaries fearefully confounding the aduersaries I doe therefore againe conclude in behalfe of our religion that it is of God and acceptable vnto him The generall arguments vsed by the Papists for defence of poperie drawne from antiquitie vniuersalitie and vnitie are now stale yea battered in peeces by those that haue often substantially and plentifully confuted them Therefore I meane not to encrease this treatise and so to make further worke for the reader by setting downe any answer vnto them THE FIRST VSE CONCERning generally all of our religion both weake and strong THese things now written and whereby I haue prooued the falshood of poperie and likewise shewed the truth of our religion I wish profitable vnto all both to those that professe themselues of our religion and also to those that neither are nor professe themselues to be Of those that professe themselues to be of our religion some are faint weake and wauering others are strong and well grounded or at the least such as haue neuer doubted our religion to be of God The first sort I doe now wish to be as the second that is by these things that now I haue written so confirmed and established in the loue liking and constant profession of our religion so keeping as it were by force against all force whereby they shall be assaulted this profession of their hope Hebr. 10. 23. without wauering that hereafter they be neuer carried about with diuers and strange doctrines Hebr. 13. 9. yea both these sorts of professours of our religion I wish to be much stronger in this profession assuring themselues that so long as this religion abideth in them so long they themselues shall continue in the sonne and in the father Hebr. 2. 24. and so long as they walke according to this religion so long they walke with God as Enoch did Gen. 5. 22. But forasmuch as our religion is of God and acceptable vnto him therefore they that fall away from it doe also depart from the liuing God and fall away from the grace of the same God Hebr. 3. 12. and 12. 15. and then doth there remaine no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shall deuoure the aduersaries Heb. 10. 26 27. Let no man therefore that hath giuen his name to our religion deceiue himselfe neither suffer himselfe to be deceiued by any other either Papist or Atheist or of any other sect or heresie for surely it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God Heb. 10. 31. it had beene better for such neuer to haue knowne the way of righteousnes then after they haue knowne it to turne from the holy commaÌ„dements giuen vnto them 2. Pet. 2. 21. for the ende of such men shall be worse then the beginning 2 Neither would I haue this to be vnderstood onely of the soundnes and constancie of iudgement in our religion but also of the continuall abounding in the workes of the Lord 1. Cor. 15. 58. and the prouoking of our selues more and more to all loue and good workes Heb. 10. 24. such as our religion commendeth the despising whereof is the despising of God his commandements and the doing whereof is obedience not vnto man but vnto God himselfe Further I wish this that I haue written against poperie and for our religion may so confirme and strengthen all professours of our religion therein that if any of them haue wife or other friends yet remaining Papists they would praie more often and earnestly and euery other way by themselues and by other perhaps better able then themselues labour more diligently the conuersion of them then euer they haue done How doe all louing husbands and friends labour the health of their wiues or other friends beeing but bodily sicke the daunger whereof is nothing but this present death O then howe much more ought such husbands and friends to labour the recouerie of their wiues or other friends out of poperie a most grieuous sicknes of the soule the daunger whereof is eternall condemnation both of bodie and soule The like may be said touching those that are sicke of any errours or heresies contrarie or not agreeing to our religion as likewise of Atheists and such as are of no religion THE SECOND VSE CONCERning all great persons of our religion AS I wish this good generally to all of our religion so more especially such as are in any speciall place of honour and authoritie in church or common weale by such special place are able to doe some speciall good for the aduancemeÌ„t of our religion and the helping and countenancing the professours thereof as also for the weakning and repressing of poperie atheisme and such like such I say as are in any such special place I wish yea as it were vpoÌ„ my knees most humbly beseech and yet also boldly exhort in the name of this God whose religion I haue iustified vnto them all such I say againe I doe beseech and exhort to be of all Christian courage and boldnes for speaking and doing whatsoeuer lieth in them whereby to promote this religion and comfort and countenance the professours thereof To omit the famous and most worthie examples of many most zealous kings of Iuda of Ester a Queene by marriage yet as touching authoritie but as it were a ladie of honour of Iehoida likewise and Iâ—hoshua high priests of Ezra a scribe or inferiour priest to omit I say these and many other the like examples of zeale let them onely consider how boldly Ioseph an honourable counseller of Arimathea went vnto Pilate but an heathen deputie of an heathen Emperour and begged the bodie of Christ beeing dead that he might honourably burie the same Mark 15. 43. If he were so bold for the honouring of Christ as to goe to an heathen man how much more boldly ought men to goe to Christian Princes in causes wherby Christ Iesus and his gospel may haue any honour If he feared nothing wherein all likelihoode much was to be feared what shal be said of them that feare where there is no feare If he made no bones to speake for Christ to one that had before condemned Christ why should any sticke at speaking likewise for Christ to such
things Right Honourable so much for the enlarging of your zeale towards the religion in this treatise following commended as for the better prouoking also and quickning of this zeale in all other the like noble persons The rather also and the more plentifully haue I beene bold to deale herein in this my epistle Dedicatorie because I thought it might be that some would read this epistle which would read but little else of this booke and that othersome would hereby be the more excited to the reading of the whole treatise Now what shall I say more The same God that hath begun this noble worke of zeale in your noble heart towards this religion make the same perfect The same God that hath so highly aduanced you vpon the earth that sometime you sit with most noble Queene Elizabeth cloathed with Parliament roabes in great dignitie so also exalt you that you may walke with his sonne Christ Iesus in heart clothed in white yea and that you may Rev. 3. 4. ad 2◠sit with him in his throne for euer as himselfe sitteth in the throne of his Father Thus most humblie crauing pardon of my boldnesse I doe also humbly take my leaue of your Honor. At Billerim in Essex the 7. of March in the yeare of our Lord according to the computation of the Church of England 1597. almost expired Your Honours most humble to command in the Lord Thomas Stoughton To the Christian readers especially to my VVorshipfull and other lo uing friends in Kent London Essex Suffolke and elswhere BEloved I am not ignorant howe dangerous a thing it is to write bookes in these daies partly in respect of the greate varietie of all learning in many vvhich thereby are able more easilie to finde a fault in any man his vvritings then the author for the most part himselfe and partly of the great curiosity of other vvhich are readie to reprehend the best and to finde a knot in a rush yea not onely to carpe at that vvhich deserueth no blame but oftentimes to condemne that vvhich they ought rather to commend or vvhich at the least they cannot amende The consideration of this did at the first make me for a long time to vvish this labour that I haue novve taken to haue beene set vpon by some other more able to haue gone as we say through-stitch therewith then my selfe before I durst once beginne to set my penne to paper for the writing my meditations thereof After also that I had begun ana finished this treatise in such sort as novv it commeth forth some smale things onely excepted I staied the publishing thereof to see if any other vvould haue preuented me in this argument that so I might not haue laide my selfe open to those reprehensions and censures vvhich nowe perhaps I may incurre and sustaine At the last seeing none other to deale therein and thinking it to be a thing very profitable yea beeing persvvaded of the profit thereof by some other whome I desired to read the same written as vvhose iudgements I did much better trust vnto then to my ovvne I laid aside all such feare and respecting the cōmon good of many more then mine owne priuate credit and estimation vvith a few I haue boldly committed it as ye see vnto the print and doe novve exhibite it vnto your reading Although therefore it may be that it shall passe through the fierie and sharpe purgatorie of many such quicke heads nimble tongues as to vvhich almost nothing will be welcome yet I hope that it shall also finde courteous and fauurable entertainment with many which will make such profitable vse thereof as I haue commended in the ende and in regard whereof I regard not all the obloquie of the other I craue also yea and trust that what faultes soeuer haue escaped me herein they may be the more fauourably interpteted and the more esilie pardoned because this treatise is not onely the first fruites of my labours thus published but also such an argument as wherein I doe not remember any other professedly to haue taken the like paines If hereafter any man of great learning generally and particularly of much reading and deepe iudgement in diuinitie shall thinke this worke to be insufficient in this kinde and shall therefore take the same theame in hand and handle it more substantially and sufficiently I shall not onely not enuy the same or be grieued therevvith but I will also vvillingly accept it reuerently esteemē it and be hartely glad of it In the meane time I entreat all Christian readers of this booke thankfully to looke and charitably to peruse the same euen as they would haue others to accept the like trauell of themselues Neither let them be offended vvith my plaine manner of handling these arguments but rather let them seriously vvaie the matter and substance it selfe For it is not finenesse of vvordes but pith of matter that must edifie to the vvorking confirming or increasing of true faith and godlines Good and whole some meate is not the vvorse to be liked for beeing serued to the table in a earthen or wodden vessell If also one argument please not yet let no man be discouraged but let him proceede to the next and so to them that followe Where there is varietie of dishes there men not liking of one vvill tast of an other The like fauour I entreat in the reading of these arguments hoping that the further men proceede in reading this treatise the better sauour they will finde therein Nowe as I entreat all Christian readers generally to accept courteously of my paines in this booke so more specially I pray the same of such as are my friends dwelling in the places before mentioned or elswhere For beeing specially bound vnto them either by kindnes or by kinred and beeing not able to doe that good to these that nature it selfe requireth I was the more willing to publish this treatise as a testimonie of my thankefulnes to the one and of my welwishing mind vnto the other As therefore in this speciall respect I doe offer this generall treatise vnto them both that they may make the more speciall vse thereof vnto themselues so I doe desire them especially to accept it Touching the addition of the dainties of poperie annexed to the treatise partly to shew the vnlearned learning of their popish great clarks in diuinitie when poperie it selfe was at her top and top gallant and partly to discouer the abominable blasphemies and blasphemous abominations of their religion vvhich to many perhaps were before secret and altogether vnknowne touching this addition I say of the se things I doe also desire that it may find the like courteous entertainment And least any man should thinke that these things thus added were gathered out of such authors as were of no account in their church as likewise many slender things might be collected out of the bookes of some simple writers amongst vs that are of no reputation in our
church least also touching those things that I haue gathered out of their seruice bookes any should imagine them to be such as they themselues should now disclaime I haue sufficiently preuented these obiections in the addition it selfe shewing that the authors by me here traâ—uced had great allowance from the Popes owne vnholines and were of high estimation in their churches and likewise proouing their ancient seruice books in the things here expressed not to differ froÌ„ their new books newly reformed by the couÌ„cil of TreÌ„t neither yet to be any whit in a manner now reuoked Much other the like popish trash I might haue noted out of other the like popish bookes but to avoid tediousnes vnto other I did the more willingly spare my owne paines Thus committing your selues with the successe of these my labours vnto the Lord who worke both in you and in me more perfect hatred of popery and all other errours and more vnfained loue of his truth that we may the better continue therein and be the more plentiful in all the fruits thereof I do louingly take my leaue of you froÌ„ Billerim in Essex the seuenth of March in the yeere of our Lord according to the coÌ„putation of the church of England 1597. almost nowe ended Yours in the Lord vnfainedly Thomas Stoughton The generall summe of all all things comprehended in this treatise following The reasons why this worke was taken in hand and the state of this cause beeing first breefly declared then followe these generall arguments against popery and for our religion 1 All true religion and acceptable to God is wrought in the hearts of men by the ministerie of God his word conteiued in holy scripture Popery is not wrought by the ministerie of that worde in as much as where that word is most plentifully sincerely taught there popery most falleth and where that word is wanting there popery most abounde as also because papists will neither voluntarily come nor by authority be drawne either to the preaching or reading thereof in our Churches neither doe delight in the priuate reading thereof at home ergo Popery is not true religion c. 2 All true religion is vpheld and maintained by good and lawefull meanes needing no euill vnlavvefull meanes to vphold it But popery is vpheld and maintained by all vnlawfull meanes as by force and violence by fire and fagot corrupting adding vnto and diminishing the text of scriptures by false alleadging the authorities of men by clipping and mangling the works of the auncient fathers both in citing their testimonies and also in printing of the bookes themselues by authority of the popish church by lying miracles and such other indirect meanes ergo c. 3 The subiect matter of true religion is contained in the written word of God The subiect mat of poperie is not comprised in that written worde of God but is directly contrarie therevnto in all the principall points thereof ergo c. 4 The forme of true religion is also comprehended in the canonicall Scripture The forme of poperis is not there comprehended but is altogether diuers from the forme of God his worship in that word prescribed yea rather poperie hath in a manner no worship of God at all ergo 5 All true religion referreth all things to God his glorie Poperie referreth not all things to God his glorie but so aduanceth the Pope saints and man himselfe that it spoileth God of all his glorie ergo 6 True religion bringeth forth obedience to the â—orall law of God contained in the tenne commandements Poperie and not Papists onely baingeth forth no such obedience but transgresseth euery one of these commaundements and that in the highest degree ergo 7 True religion worketh true ioy and sound comfort in euery heart where it taketh true place as certifying she same both of the present fauour of God and also of the continuance thereof Poperie worketh no such ioy and comfort as the which depriueth men of the Scriptures whereby their eyes are to be opened and their mindes instructed in true wisdome as the which teacheth likewise that it is presumption for a man to say that he is perswaded of God his fauour and of his owne saluation and wherein no man euer knoweth whither he receiueth the true sacrament or not ergo 8 All true religion is wise as he that is the author thereof Poperie is not wise but most foolish and ridiculous grossely worshipping many homely relikes absurdly baptizing bells and Churches c. and without all wit and reason much more without diuinitie citing condemning and excommunicating them that are dead ergo 9 All true religion is vnsauorie and vnpleasant to the nature of man But poperie is most pleasant thereunto because it teacheth men not to take any paines in the scriptures yea forbiddeth all such paines because it affirmeth that the worke done is sufficient howsoeuer it be done and that therefore men neede not to be carefull about their hearts because also it commendeth especially the commandements of men giuing all libertie vnto men from the commaundements of God and teaching that what good soeuer is neglected or what euill soeuer is by any committed yet by confession of all this with the mouth by a little voluntarie afflicting of the bodie and especially by a peece of money a man may haue forgiuenes of all ergo The contrarie of all the former arguments is prooued of our religion from whence it follovveth that it is true and acceptable vnto God 10 Both the former conclusions the one against poperie the other for our religion are prooued by actuall testimonies of God These are shewed to be 1 The gifts of God promised to the latter times for the commendation of the Gospel 2 The works of God The gifts of God are shewed to haue beene 1 Excedingly decaied and almost dead and buried in the chiefe times of poperie 2 Repaired reuiued raised vp and greatly to haue flourished c. at the breaking forth of our religion out of the darknes of poperie The works of Godare either single against poperie against our religion or mixt both against poperie and for our religion All these former arguments beeing plentifully handled then followeth the conclusion wherein are exemplified the manifold vse of the whole treatise Concerning them which are of our religion all generally vveake and strong more particularly great persons and those also either generally all or specially Dauids Worthies not ofour religion Atheists and all of no religion Papists 1 weake erring onely of ignorance 2 obstinate and wilfull A GENERAL TREATISE AGAINST POPERIE AND IN DEFENCE OF the religion by publike authoritie professed in England and in other Churches reformed THE PREFACE IT cannot be denied but that many excellent learned and godly men haue both plentifully and soundly and also profitably and fruitfully written most worthie treatises for confutation of all particular points of poperie and like wise for confirmation of all particular points of our religion In this
Massacre in France of the Spanish inquisition of the dispensations graunted by the Pope for the murthering of her Maiestie and of the villanous killing of the French king For further proofe also of the crueltie of the Catholike Prince the king of Spayne in all those places where he raigneth by right or wrong by inheritance or violence and vsurpation I referre the reader to the late booke of the intertainment of English fugitiues by the Spanyard In this booke the Spanish crueltie is both largely described and also exactly penned Therefore this booke beeing so lately come forth and handling this matter so well I doe onely referre the reader hereunto Yea the Papists haue not onely beene cruell to the liuing but also to the deade For doe not all men know that they digged vp the bones of Bucer and Paulus Phagius sommoned them beeing dead long before to appeare in their Court and condemned them and at last buried their bones solemnely at Cambridge Did they not also digge vp the bodie of one Margaret Elyot that had died in prison did they not I saie digge vp her bodie after that it was buried three or foure daies and so burnt the same Is such crueltie a note of that religion that is acceptable to him that hath commaunded his children to be mercifull as himselfe is mercifull Touching the seauenth commandement not to speake of the filthie adulteries fornications incests and such like abominations of particular persons euen of their Cardinalls Bishops whereof some haue beene taken in adulterie the next night after they haue much inueighed against the marriage of ministers others haue beene taken in ginnes as they haue climed windowes to defile other mens wiues yea not to speake of the like filthines of the Pope his owne holines that hath beene taken in the very acte of adulterie and slaine at that very instant Not I saie to speake of these and other the like things all the world knoweth that their whole Church doth allowe Stewes and houses of bawdrie where any man may haue his whore according to his abilitie to giue for them some for twentie shillings some for tenne shillings some for tenne groates yea for sixe pence Any olde men that knew the Stewes here in our owne lande at London and all trauellers into other countreies can witnesse these thinges I feate also that many trauellers knowe the trueth of these things too much The Apostles condemne all fornication and wantonnesse yea they commaund the Church not to suffer one such filthie person amongst them least by one many be defiled and made to fall from the grace of God 1. Cor. 5. 4 c. Hebr. 12. 16. How much lesse then should the Church suffer whole houses and great companies of many harlots Hither also appertaine the abhominable dispensations that the Pope hath graunted for vnlawefull incestuous marriages contrarie to the written worde of God yea and to very nature it selfe the which also he might as well haue graunted for the marriage of a man with a beast Can all these things so contrarie to the expresse Scriptures be saide to be done by that spirit by inspiration whereof the Scriptures were giuen 9 To come to the eight commandement against theft all iniustice against our neighbour in his goods they offend as much herein as in the former For by what authoritie or right doth the Pope himselfe his Cardinalls Bishops Abbots Pryors Monks Fryers Priests Canons Peticanons and other of his generation gather such great masses and infinite summes of money of all sorts of people as they doe For what doe they either for soule or bodie worthy any thank much lesse worthie so great and ample reward The King of Spayne also the Pope his eldest sonne yet not his heyre though his fellow heyre of the blacke and darke kingdome by what authoritie or right or colour of either or of both hath he by his force and violence gotten all those forraigne kingdomes which he hath gotten and which he holdeth as vniustly as he hath got them But what neede I thus to accuse the persons of the Pope and papists of the transgression of this commaundement their religion it selfe especially at the wel-spring thereof is altogether couetousnes It is an olde saying that Omnia venalia Romae and this saying though it be old yet is it not moldie or cast away by them but fresh and as it were new baked and therfore as much set by and as much fedde vpon by the daintiest mouthes amongst them as euer it was yea many of them that thinke scorne of much other good and daintie meate doe feede of this as sauourly and hungerly as if they had not had a good meales meat an whole yeare before But I forget my selfe to speake of their persons whē I charged their religion of couetousnes I saie therefore that couetousnes is the foode and the very life of poperie For in poperie what is not to be bought for money To omit the common sale of all their preferments euen of the popedome it selfe who knoweth not that masses dirges trentalls forgiuenes of sinnes release from Purgatorie and heauen it selfe as poperie maketh men beleeue may be had for money Hence it is that the former generall prouerbe All things are to be sold at Rome hath brought forth another in wordes more particular but in sense and meaning as large and generall No penie no pater noster whereby is signified that in poperie the very least thing is not to be had graiis that is freely and without money and no maruaile for sith they teach that God himselfe giueth not heauen freely and without merits why should their religion giue the commodity it hath without siluer Neither in poperie may a man haue onely pardon for any sinne committed but also a dispensation and license for the committing and doing of any thing how wicked and vniust soeuer it be as hath bin touched before How contrarie is this manner of dealing as well to the practise of holy men in the scriptures as to the other doctrine of the scriptures Elisha refused the gift of Naaman offered and vrged vpon him though Naaman had first recouered his health by the meanes of Elisha The Pope taketh where nothing is offered and for which nothing is performed S. Peter also beeing offered money by Simon the sorcerer for power that on whome soeuer he did laie his hand he might receiue the holy Ghost answered with great indignation Thy money perish with thee c. Act. 8. 20. The Pope is not onely readie to sell greater matters for money then those gifts of the holy Ghost or at the least to take money for words onely of greater matters but also is so greedie to sell them that he will rage and roare like a lyon if money be not offered vnasked or not presently paide as soone as it is demanded Can we therefore thinke that the Pope taketh all such things by the same spirit wherby Elisha and Peter refused that
Lord gaue such gifts of his spirit in such extraordinarie measure and manner yet he will neuer leaue his gospel without such a traine of the graces of the graces of his spirit as shall be somewhat answerable to the flourishing thereof and meete likewise to commend the same the better vnto the world 5 Sith this is so I demaund whether this promise were performed to the church of Rome holding the same doctrine that now it hath held for the space of seauen or eight hundred yeares and enioying that outward glorie and magnificence the which also these yeares it hath enioyed Certenly to this my demaund it cannot be affirmatiuely answered with any truth For all men know or may know the contrarie yea the Papists themselues if they be not past all shame and grace will acknowledge the contrasie For when the Pope beganne to set his foote vpon the staires and to ascende towardes that dignitie whereunto he is now mounted then began the holy Ghost also as it were to take the wings of an Eagle or doue and to flie awaie and returne againe towardes the heauens from whence before he came Euer since that time also as the Pope hath climed the ladder of his magnificences so the spirit of God hath mounted more and more towards heauen and hath gone further and further out of the sight of men The more that the Pope and popetie haue growne and flourished the more haue all the gifts and graces of God his spirit decaied and â—ithered At the last when the Pope was reuealed to be the man of sinne the sonne of perdition c. and the verie Antichrist that is when he was come to the toppe and perfection of his pride then also did the holy Ghost in a manner take his leaue and bidde all the world almost farewell at the least touching his visible presence When all Kings and Princes had receiued and drunken the cup of his fornications whereby beeing intoxicated and depriued of all true knowledge of God and common sense they abiected themselues vnto him and put their necks vnder his girdle yea abased themselues in most slauish manner to hold his stiroop and kisse his filthie feete when also they had receiued his marke in their foreheads that is themselues had embraced his damnable doctrines and stooped vnto his abominable idols and commanded also their people to doe the like when I say the Pope and poperie vvere thus aduanced and had iustled both the true religion of God and also all authoritie of Princes out of the throne and most proudly did sit in it themselues as it were booted and spurred when I say againe the Pope with all his abominations did thus sit in the chaire of estate both of Princes and also of God himselfe then what true knowledge was there I wil not say of God but euen of arts of tongues and almost of any good humanitie 6 For triall of these things if any thinke I slaunder them let the rolles and Chronicles of those times be searched let the bookes of those ages be perused let their matter their phrase and style be examined Was not the knowledge of the Greeke so rare that it was a common prouerb Graecum est legi non potest It is Greeke it cannot be read And could the Hebrew tongue be more plentifull No verily but much rarer What also shall I say of the Latin tongue was the knowledge of that in those times any better very little Euery boie indeede learned their primmer and to say his praiers and to helpe the Priest to saie Masse in latin yet could he not tell whether he praied to God or the deuill whether he asked bread or a stone fish or a scorpion yea not one Priest of an hundreth did vnderstand the Mattins that he continually said or the masses that he daily sung Rome was wont to be the mother of this tongue and the Vniuersitie and house of the eloquent oratours but hauing once entertained the deepe mysterie of transubstantiation of bread into the bodie of Christ all the former eloquence of this place was also transubstantiated into barbarisme This tongue indeede was the common tongue of their religion at Rome and elswhere yet when their religion was at the full then also was the knowledge of this tongue in the wane yea in the very last quarter halfe spent For it would make any man of knowledge to laugh to reade or heare the words phrase style of those books that were then written In their praiers indeede in which is least neede of eloquence especially in their praiers to the Saints and chiefly to the virgine Marie by two or three figures they affected a kinde of eloquence to please the eares of men and to make the praiers goe the more roundly that â—o men might take the more delight in saying or singing of them but in most of their other writings there is nothing but plaine dunstable latin yea nothing for the most part but barbarisme 7 If any man yet desire further proofe of this ignorance wherewith I charge the chiefe times of Poperie let them read what M. Lambert reporteth touching the same in his perambulation of Kent writing of the place called Cliffe what I saie he reporteth in that place of that matter out of William Malmesburie de rebus gestis pontificum Anglorum namely that Curbert the eleuenth Archbishop of Canterburie in a great Synode of all or most of the Bishops of his Prouince assembled by himselfe to the foresaide Cliffe then called Cloueshoo did there decree that the Priests themselues should first learne and then teach their parishioners the Lord his praier and the articles of his beleefe in the English tongue In the same place also he noteth that king Alfred in his preface vpon the pastoral of Gregorie which he translated saith that when he came first to his kingdome he knew not one priest of the south side of Humber that vnderstood his seruice in latin or that could translate an epistle into English Further he addeth that Alfric in his proeme to the grammer saith that a little before the time of Dunstan the Archbishop there was neuer an English priest that could either indite or vnderstande a latine epistle and lastly that William Malmesburie himselfe saith that at the time of the Conquest almost all the Bishops of England were vnlearned 8 This is not to be vnderstood of the knowledge of the latin tongue onely but also of the very matter it selfe and that not onely of books of diumitie but also of bookes of philosophie and humanitie Their absurd and grosse definitions their infinite intricate foolish and vnlearned distinctions wherein notwithstanding consisteth all their learning and deepenes as they of Thyatira saide Revel 2. 24 will not onely wearie and tyre any young scholler but also make a learned man sicke at the very heart Euery man that is any thing acquainted with Peter Lombard Gratian Scotus Durandus Thomas Aquinas Occam Gerson Haymo and such like
loue abound more and more as the Apostle writeth vnto the Philippians and as our Sauiour himselfe Phil. 1. 9. commendeth the loue of the Church of Thyatira saying that her workes were more at the Rev. 2. 19. last then at the first This the Lord requireth of all but especially of such as himselfe hath most highly aduanced and made the sonnes of the Psal 29. 1. mightie yea this is the ende for which he doth thus aduance them and make them so mightie Ester 4. 14. Neither neede any man to feare any disgrace or dishonour by such forwardnes in zeale yea rather euery man is to hope the contrarie For God himselfe hath expressely promised to 1. Sam. 2. 3◠honour them that shall honour him Therefore the Apostle hoped and fully assured himselfe that in Phil. 1. 40. nothing he should be ashamed but that Christ should be magnified in his bodie where by opposing his owne shame to the magnifying of Christ and the magnifying likewise of Christ to his owne shame he plainely teacheth that they that studie and bend their endeauours most to magnifie and exalt Christ neede not to feare any shame and disgrace of themselues Moreouer they that continue the honouring of him with that honour and according to that honour whereunto he hath exalted them shall build vp the surer house to their owne posteritie For as the Prophet speaking generally of the man that feareth the Lord and delighteth greatly in his commandements Psal 112. 1. 2. that his seede shall be mightie vpon the earth so more particularly the Lord promised to Dauid to set vp his seede after him which 2. Sam. 7. 12. should proceede out of his bodie and to establish his kingdome And this promise all men knowe to haue beene most amply performed Yea to Iehu a man not so according to God his owne heart as Dauid was did the Lord promise that because he had diligently executed that which was right in 1. King 10. 30. God his eyes c. though not with a perfect heart therfore his sonnes vnto the fourth generation should sit vpon the throne of Israel This promise also was performed vnto the full For Iehu himselfe beeing reckoned for one Zecharia the sonne of Ieroboam king of Israel was the fifth discent from Iehu And this honour was more then the honour of any other king of Israel after the diuision of the kingdome For no other king of Israel besides Iehu had aboue one or two at the most as seuerall generà tions of their owne stocke and line to succeede them in the kingdome Three indeede are said to haue succeeded Homri to wit Ahab Ahazia and Iehoram but this last was not the sonne of the middle but both Ahazia and Iehoram were brethren and the sonnes of Ahab and Iezabel Now to returne to the fruit of beeing zealous in honouring 2. King 3. ◠and 9. 22. the Lord when the threede of all earthly honour shall be drawne to an ende so as that it can not possibly be lengthened one inch more then shall beginne the honour that is without ende Then shall Christ confesse them before the Mat. 10. 22. cōpared with Luke 12. 8. Father and before his Angels in heaeuen that haue confessed him before men in the earth He will not commit the proclaiming of their praise to any other as Ahashuerosh did the praise Ester 6. 11. of Mordecai vnto Haman but euen himselfe will be as it were the Herauld thereof Neither will he whisper the praise of such in secret but he will publish and proclaime it in the greatest and most honourable assemblie that euer was Yea this Iesus the king of glorie shall Math. 23. 35. Dan. 12. 3. Math. 22. 30. Philip. 3. 21. 1. Ioh. 3. 2. place them at his right hande and shall make them like to the starres yea to the sonne in firmament yea to the angels yea euen vnto himselfe Verily Right honourable this glorie though it should continue but one daie is more then all earthly glorie though it should continue a thousand yeares If Dauid saide the like of the courts of God vpon earth what may be Psal 84. 10. saide of the highest court of God in the highest heauen what heart therefore would not be enflamed and set on fire with the knowledge and certen assurance of these things when Peter Iames and Iohn did see Christ Iesus in the mountaine with Moses and Elias in that glorious apparell for a while which one day they should put on for euer how were they affected there with Truly so that although they themselues were not one whit transfigured with Christ yet they could haue bin cōtent for euer to haue dwelt in that mountaine onely to haue enioyed this glorious sight of Christ Moses and Elias For what said they Peter speaketh for the rest as oftentimes he did for all not as beeing the head of all but as hauing the boldest spirit and said Master it is good for vs to be heare if thou wilt let vs make three tabernacles one for thee one for Moses and one for Elias Were these thus rauished with the bodily sight of the glorie onely of Christ and of two other and that vpon the earth and but for a time How then should the heart of euery Christian be rauished with the spiritual sight by faith of the euerlasting glorie of Christ Iesus of all the Saints generally and of himselfe particularly which one day they and himselfe shall haue for euer in the heauens and whereof in the meane time by the same faith they and he are as certenly assured as if they were alreadie in possession thereof How zealous also should euery the like Christian heart be of this our religion whereto onely this glorie is promised and whereby onely it is to be attained So great was the glorie of Moses hauing talked but a while with the Lord in the mountaine at the receiuing of the law that without a vaile the Israelites could not looke vpon him Exod. 34. 33. Was glorie so great at the giuing of the law vnto Moses How great then shall it be at the finall rewarding of the perfect obseruation and full satisfaction of the law by Christ Iesus was glorie so great after a while talking with the Lord how great then shall it be when we shall haue our whole conuersation and liue with God for euer was glorie so great in an earthly mountaine how great then shall it be in the high heauens was glorie so great vpon corruption how great then shall it be when that that is sowen in dishonour shall be raised altogether in glorie was glorie so great vpon weaknes how great then shall it be when that that is sowen in weaknes shall be applied in power Finally was glorie so great vpon a naturall bodie how great then shall it be when that that is sowen a naturall bodie shall be raised in a spirituall bodie I write not these