my Text were not true that Antichristians shall lye if they wronged us not by their reports then were the reformed Church but our English Church in a superlative degree not onely like their Romish Pope Alexander 6. Spongia sanguinis a Sponge of blood But like the Romane Emperour Nero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clay not mingled but macerated with blood Yea Cosroes Totilas and Domitian were but Grashoppers compared to us Anakins and Giants in Cruelty If their writings were not incredible Lyers concerning their incredible Martyrs here in England I meane to insist especially in the infinite impudent aspersions wherewith they charge our Church of England Only I will give you a Frar Or. habita Lovanij 1565. taste out of one Authour onely Frarinus of their usage of their beyond sea Protestants whom I could wish to have beene tyed to his owne conditions he relateth this history Amongst the Locrenses there was this statute if any should attempt to bring in any innovation hee should motion it to the people out of a high Roome ea lege ac conditione that hee did speake unto them with a Rope about his necke so that if his advice did appeare to bee profitable to the Common-wealth he was to bee dismissed with Honour but if it were a vaine fancy of his owne braine for his owne ends the Rope should be the reward of his rashnesse So for himselfe if his accusations be true let him ride on with honour and let the Honour of the Protestants be buried in perpetuall ignominy and everlasting shame But if this inditement be false and forged as full of malice as empty of truth His owne Rope had beene a condigne reward for so false a witnesse These are his Articles That the French Protestants in Paris ranne up and downe the streets thereof with drawne swords crying Frar Or. Lov. 1565. Evangelium Evangelium the Gospell the Gospell Answerably saith hee they proceeded Pag. 12. unto execution A Priest stealing away in the Frar p. 46. Habit of a Beggar they examining and discovering him led him backe bound into the towne where they set him to sale for money but the Inhabitants abhorring such Merchandize they tooke the Priest beate him with Cudgels Plucked out his eyes cut off his two forefingers fleyed away his skinne of his shaven crowne and so led him through the towne to bee laughed at by the Potestants And when they had glutted themselves with scorning him they bound him to a tree and shot him to death with Harquubuses At Paris a Protestant being hanged for such bloody villanies on the Gallowes told it with great delight that hee had made him a Chaine which he wore about his necke ex Auriculis Sacerdotum of the Eares of Priests exhorting all his Brethren of the religion therein to follow his religious example Which it seemeth by him they did for they said hee Fraâ— pâ— 50. pag. 49. did hang two innocent Priests one on the right another on the left side of the Crosse of Christ in contempt thereof A holy Priest passing betwixt Paris and Orleance the Hugonots dragged him into their Inne where they shamefully cut off his Privities plucked out his Guts whilest he was yet alive and slung them about the house And saith he that ye should not suspect mee to feigne this barberous cruelty I was told it by an honest Canon of Saint Crosses in Orleance quem honoris causa nominarem si nomen occurrerit and I would name the reverend Clerke but indeed I have forgot it who good man all this while lay himselfe in a chest through a crany whereof hee was an eye witnesse of this woefull action They familiarly did bury the Papists when they were alive and did dig them up againe when they were dead and buried Nay quoth hee like the Anthropophagi the Protestants did usually eate the Papists Pretty bold assertions but that which beareth away the Bell hee thus relateth Certaine Frar â— 50. Roman Veronensij l. 2. p. 70. Protestants caught a poore Papist him they compelled to cut off his owne privities and to eate them broyled on a Gridiron and then ripped up his belly to see whether his stomack had put over that sweet Morsell with a faire concoction Wee may conclude with a compendium of all his Calumnies and our cruelties from his Preface In our age saith he those Sectaries have ravished Vigines cut children Frar ep Dedic p. 7. in sunder with their swords tryed their strength by hewing the bodies of men cleaved the heads of Priests in pieces fleyed off the skins and worne the eares of Priests for bracelets Thus frantikly farre the French Protestants if there be any faith in Frarinus that flemish Papist But why boastest thou thy tongue imagineth mischiefe Ps 52. and with lyes thou cuttest like a sharpe Rasor Thou lovest unrighteousnesse more then goodnesse and to talke of lyes more then righteousnesse Thou hast loved to speake all words that may doe hurt O thou false tongue Therefore God shall pluck thee up and root thee out and destroy thee for ever But as for these slandered innocents They shall bee like a greene Olive tree in the house of God Their trust shall bee in the tender mercy of God for ever and ever All the intolerable infamies against the French are very tolerable compared to the Cruelties wherewith they charge the Church of England 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cle. Alex. Protr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To make the Church a Stage and Religion a feigned Tragedy sure this cannot bee commendable let it bee acted never so handsomely Attend to Baronius pronouncing the Prologue out of the mouth of Suarez Macte animo macte virtute Anglicanorum Suar. Apol. l. 6. c. 11. nu 5. nobilissime ac gloriosissime caetus qui tam illustri malitiae I acknowledge this is misprinted but the Printer hath not wronged them so much as they have done us by the misprinted acclamation qui tum illustri malitiae nomen dedisti ac sacramento sanguineÌ„ spospondisti Nobilissime caetus a noble army of English Martyrs What English man ever saw those English Martyrs I would not willingly that wee should answere them as they answere us Persecutio Les de Ant. part 2. Deut. 9. in haereticos nâ—â— turbat pacem mundi sed tollit faces seditionum tranquilitatem mundi conservat unde nemo sentit persecutioneÌ„ illud esse nisi eo modo quo punitio Furum Latronum Proditorum ac Seditiosorum It is no more persecution to kill a Protestant than to hang a Theefe or a murtherer saith that charitable Iesuite Lessius I will not retort that phrase no Let their Church have the honor of cruelty But this I say where is that Army of English Martyrs Indeed I have heard of Story Sherwine Campian Watson Garnet Vaux Catesby the cause of their ignominious death is knowne to have bin their ignominious actions Treason But that ever any
none could read it But Oedipo non opus est wee need no Daniel to expound it every childe can spell it It is plaine The Pope is the adversary But the Papists say we doe him open wrong because he is no open adversary but a professed servant of Christ I answer even Mahomet doth speake excellently of Christ not onely as â—â—nicer Toâ— 1. of a Prophet but also as of the Saviour of his people The Devill also professed Christ to bee the Sonne of God Mark 1. 24. Therefore a professour may be a secret though no professed adversary unto Christ We may say of the Pope what Mountague said of one Pope Boniface 8 he can cary himselfe both like a Foxe and like a Lyon a Foxe by publike sophistry and a Lion by private Tyranny I say the man of Rome is that woman of Babylon which maketh the world dâ—mâ—e with a world of impiety Rev. 17. 4. as one acutely descanteth on his name Papa That is The Pope doth poyson all Princes with abominable Heresies P Poculum A Aureum P Plenum A Abominationum Or to confirme the Pope according to his Election Sacrâ—â— Caerem lib. 1. sect 1. by his owne Cardinalls Electus induâ—tur Papali habitu toga scilicet lanca albi coloris caligis rubeâ—s sandalijs rubeis cingulo rubeo birreto etiam rubeo that is when the Pope is elected hee is arrayed in his Papall apparell to wit a White Gowne but red shooes red stockins c. emblematically notwithstanding their white outside they have a red bloody inside And their openprofession is no argument but that the Pope may be a secret adversary To say this and shew it too First the Pope doth oppose Christ fundamentally hee is an adversary to the foundation of Chrâ—stianity and very groundworke of the Gospel which is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eternall life is the gift of God through Christ Rom. 6. 23. But the Pope saith Good workes can be no other than the valew desert price worth and merit of Heaven Rhemists in 1 Cor. 3. 8. Good workes are meritorious and the very cause of salvation so farre forth that God should be injust if he did not render heaven for the same say the same Rhemists Bellarmine Rhemists in Heb. 6. 10. doth amplifie all the particulars paraphrasing on the 2 Tim. 4. 8. namely that the papists Bell. de justif lib. 5. cap. 16. expect Coronam justitiae a Crowne of Iustice meritis operum for the merits of their workes pro qualitate ac disquisitione factorum according Bellarm. Apolog. pag 163. to the exact quality of their actions à judice justo non à patre misericorde from a just judge Concil Trident. sub Paulo 3. Sess â— cap. 24. not from a mercifull Father And if any shall say that opera are onely signa fructus and not causa justificationis anathema sit the councill of Trent damneth that man to Hell who shall say good workes are not the cause of justification But whilest the thundereth out against us that Anathema injuriously he magnifying merits incurreth the Anathema of Saint Paul Gal. 1. 8. meritoriously Whosoever doth oppose the workes of Man unto the grace of God Noâ— sit Anathema sed est Anathema He is that cursed adversary which doth raze the very â—oundatâ—on of the blessed Gospell which is not my particular opinion onely but the judgement of the Church of England These are the Hom. Par. 1 â—â—e Sermon of salvation words thereof Wholly to ascribe our justification unto Chrâ—st onely this is the rocke and foundation of Christian Religion This whosoever denyeth is not to be accepted for a Christâ—an man It is the greatest presumption and arrogance which Antichrist can set â—p against God to affirme that a man might by his owne workes take away and purge his owne sinne and so â—ustifie himselfe Thus doth the Pope opposâ— Chrâ—st fundamentally that he doth also oppose him universally Dounam Dereâ—â— part 1. lib. 3 cap. 6. it is made manifest by that excellently learned religious Bishop of Dâ—ry from whom I professe that I draw the most part of this excellent Antiparallell the Catholike opposition which that Româ—sh Catholike maketh unto Christ may be reduced unto three particulars It is quoad mores officia beneficia in regard of his conversation offices and benefits First for his conversatâ—on three things were eminent in the manners of Christ Innocence Humilitie and Charitie And the Pope doth practise the direct contrary Christ was innocent as a Lambe behold the Lambe of God saith Saint Iohn Ioh. 1. 39. and againe Ioh. 8. 46. which of you convinceth me of sinne the Popes personall infirmities yea enormities I passe by onely I will use the phrase of the fellow in Carion if you aske of mee the lives of the Carion Chron. lib. 3. Popes I say since Gregory the first there have beene so many vertuous Popes that all their images may be graven in one Ring Humility a vertue second to none was the second vertue in our Sauiour Christ came riding on an Asse Ioh. 12. 15. the Pope is caried on the shoulders of Noblemen Christ did wash his Disciples feet Ioh. 13. 14. but even Princes kisse the feet of the Popes Holinesse Christ would not arrogate Bulla Alex. 6. so farre to himselfe as to divide a small Inheritance betwixt two brethren Luke 12. 14. But the Pope is so arrogant that hee hath taken upon him to divide the new world betwixt two great Kings Finally Christ is Charity it selfe and sharply rebuked his disciples for desiring fire from heaven to avenge them on the inhospitable Samaritans Luke 9. 56. But the Pope like the sonne of Hecuba is a Firebrand setting all Christendome in a combustion And thus farre for the first opposition Secondly the offices of Christ are three Propheticall whereby hee doth instruct his Church Sacerdotall whereby he doth sacrifice for his Church and regall whereby hee doth Rule the Church Now the Pope by fortifying his usurped primacy doth trench upon all these prerogatives First Christ doth as he is a Prophet instruct his Church by his holy Word and his holinesse doth oppose his owne word and maketh it Equall to Christs word To omit those monstrous sayings of Eckius Hosius c. who nickname Lessius de Antich part 1. Dem. 15. the Scripture to be a Leaden Rule a nose of waxe of no better authority if not authorised by the Church of Rome than Esops Fables To omit also the like phrase of Costerus Vagina quae Coster Enâ—h cap. 1. quâ—mlibet gladium admittit a scabbard fit for every sword Omitting these scurrilous similies or rather plaine blaspemies In sober sadnesse these are their solemne conclusions Verba pontificis Suarez Apol. lib. 7. c. 22. nu 8. è Cathedrae in veritatis certitudine aequalia sunt Scriptura that is the words of the Pope pronounced out of his Chaire are equally true
worke true miracles I will goe no further for the proofe of this Bell de P. Rom. 3. 15. latter point than to Bellarmine himselfe Vera miracula dicuntur illa sola quae à solo Deo fieri possunt Those are true miracles onely which can be wrought by God onely that is such works as have no naturall causes neither knowne nor unknowne And therefore they are wonderfull not onely in conspectu hominum but Daemonum Angelorum not onely in the sight of Men but of Devills and Angells also But the miracles of Antichrist have naturall causes but occultas although they be unknowne to us I instance Ab Exorcistis rarò videmus ut exigatur spiritus It is a rare thing to see the Devill dispossest as Erasmus observed long since Nihilominus adhibent Erasmus in â—â—â— 4. 75. ceremonias Magicis non dissimiles although those Popish Exorcists conjure them almost after the manner of Magicians Wee may conceive that either they cast out none or by compact cum Daemone aut Daemoniacis either with the Devill possessing or with the person pretending to be possessed I say the Papists doe mira not miracula some wonders no true wonders many many lying wonders But admit the Proposition and assume the Supposition Suppose the Papists could doe what they pretend miracles yet ought not those to be sufficient arguments to draw us unto Popery If our eyes could see Bellarmines Mare or S. Francis his Sheepe kneeling before the Host or according to that childish fiction a little Childe in the hands of the Priest after the words of consecration Yet all this should not make us beleeve Transubstantiation For consider the end of those wonders and Gods command in the Scripture The end of miracles which shall be performed or vaunted in the end of the world S. Paul doth here foretell shall bee to deceive men Christ doth say the same Matth. 24. 24. and Saint Iohn Revel 13. 13. saith those miracles shall be wrought in conspectu hominum as it were casting a mist before mens eyes They are 〈◊〉 meere â—ugglers doing their fears mirabiliter quidem sed mendaciter as S. Augustine speaketh indeed wonderful-ly but a Aug. de civ lib. 10 cap. 19. lye is the end of those wonders Such an one was Marcus mentioned by Irenaeus that Arch-Hereticke by his Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 9. prayers caused the Wine in the Chalice to seeme converted into blood Eusebius the Soâ—rat lib. 1. cap. 9. Arian under the reigne of Constantius had the gift of working miracles saith Socrates Platina maketh mention of miracles wrought Platina in vita Ioh. 4. at the Sepulcher of Rhotaris King of Lombardie an Arian Prince Finally Simon Magus saith Baronius Baronius an 68. sect 22. made Images to walke rolling himselfe in fire flew in the ayre turned stones into bread caused shadowes to walke before him which hee said were the soules of men and if any durst terme him an Impostor he either smote them with diseases or tormented them with spirits Nay all the Miracles which the Papists say they have wrought are no more than what the Pagan Idolaters have done before as our accurate Doctor hath prooved by a punctuall parallell Crokenthâ—rp in Spal cap. 66. and therefore they are no sound arguments Moreover such a phrase hath fallen from Corn. Agrippa de Vanit Scient cap. 97. the Papists themselves as this Piae fraudes that is godly deceits a caveat sufficient to the godly that they bee not deceived by them Next consider what God doth command in this case affirmatively negatively exclusively Affirmatively Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to have eternall life and they are they which testifie of me Ioh. 5. 39. The Scriptures make a man wise to salvation and are profitable for doctrine for reproofe for correction for instruction that the man of God may be perfect 2 Tim. 3 15 16 17. What is there concerning our soule which commeth not within the compasse of this distribution Doctrine Reproofe Correction Instruction Perfection Wisdome our salvation our Saviour all are taught us by the Scriptures Therefore demonstrations by Miracles are superfluous Consider againe what God doth command in this case negatively Deut. 13. 1 2 3. If there arise amongst you a Prophet or dreamer of dreames and giveth thee a signe or wonder and the signâ— wonder come to passe whereof he spake unto thee saying let us goe after other Gods thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet for the Lord God proveth thee And exclusivelie Christ saith plainly those who will not heare Moses and the Prophets neither will bee perswaded though one rise from the dead Luke 16. 31. If a Papist can convince us by Scripture God forbid but that wee should yeeld unto them But if our conscience and understanding doe tell us that the plaine Scriptures are plainely on our side Then though a Papist could move mountaines wee will say Hee is nothing Though he could call downe Fire from Heaven yea though hee could command an Angell to come downe from Heaven to perswade us to Popery we should answer in the words of Saint Paul Gal. 1. 8 9. let him be accursed Let them that love the truth have a care they bee not seduced from the truth by no Miracles by no Signes nor lying wonders I have dispatched this discourse of Lying wonders in the words of truth and sobernesse Whereby wee may see the Papists intangled in their owne nets It is their owne grant Antichrist shall come with many Miracles They themselves assume also in the phrase of Eudaemon Eudaemon in Abbot lib. 3. apud nos unos miracula siunt that none in the world worke Miracles but they Wee may therefore Conclude out of their owne mouthes None in the world can have Antichrist but they And I thinke they cannot greatly bragge of this Conclusion But if they should deny the Assumption as indeed Sanders seemeth Sanders de Antich Dem. 24. to doe we appeale to their Practice a perpetuall boasting of Miracles can evict them by an Induction There are but three great Religions in the world the Iewish Turkish and Christian The Iewes and Turkes utterly disclaime Miracles as doe also the Reformed Christians Onely the Papists lay claime to them branding their Church with this marke of Antichrist Hence also ye may conceive if ye have any pronenesse either to adhere to the false religion or to apostate from the true Hence I say you may conceive what meanes they will use to draw you to Popery Even signes and wonders but lying wonders All acted and inabled by the power of the Devill But the God of truth blesse us all from the Devill and from all his devillâ—sh lying wonders SERMON XVII 2 THESS 2. 9 10. And with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse Of the Antiquity Vniversality Vnity and Infallibility of the Church of Rome Of disputations with Papists The care of the Popish
Church for Controversie writers Of Popish Perswasions Devotions Prayers and Discipline IN these two verses Antichrist is confirmed by two meanes by the meanes principall and instrumentall In the means principall I have observed two things his person and his potency The meanes instrumentall is twofold miracles and oracles For the Kingdome of Antichrist being both the corruption and the imitation of the Kingdome of Christ as therefore Christ did send forth his Apostles to publish the truth inabled two wayes both to doe miracles and to speak Oracles Lu. 9. 1 2. so Antichrist doth send forth his Apostles to propagate errour both by Miracles and Oracles Of the miracles ye have heard the last day that Antichrist shall confirme his false doctrine by miracles by signes and lying wonders Now I proceed to the next his Oracles that he shall perswade with men and prevaile on men with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse And with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse â— Consider briefly foure words in this short sentence First the connective particle And the sense runneth thus Antichrist shall perswade both by affecting the eye of the body with miracles also by infecting the eye of the soule the understanding w th stroÌ„g perswasioÌ„s even as the Oracles of God 2 Sam. 16. 23. His comming shall bee saith Paul with signes and lying wonders And with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse Secondly with deceiveablenesse Eudaemoâ— in Abbot lib. 2. sect 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which commeth from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to their owne Etymologists that is the Way because Qui seducit à via deducit the deceiver doth draw the deceived out of the way that is Antichrist shall imploy many ringleaders wrongleaders who shall deceive and draw many out of the way of truth For the third word unrighteousnesse wee have opposed to another word v. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truth and unrighteousnesse Vnrighteousnesse is therefore here taken for untruth or falshood and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deceiveablenesse for the strong strange and cunning perswasion of that untruth to bee the very truth Fourthly because a particular enumeration of every severall fraud and fallacie would be tedious Saint Paul doth close up all with this terme of Vniversalitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Omni deceptione iniquitatis his comming shall be with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse As in Logicke we have the Topickes and Elenchs the first containing arguments drawne from right heads to confirme the truth the last fallacies to make falshood have the appearance of truth So in Theologicke in Divinitie wee have our faire arguments drawne from the evidence of plaine Scripture to convince and content the conscience of all learned and illiterate But the erroneous have fallacies and sophistrie to make their errour probable yea to appeare to be the very truth Of this this text doth speake that Antichrist doth prefer his Mystery of Iniquity with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse Of this I must speake that the Pope doth confirme his Errours with strong arguments but potent sophistrie A strong argument that Poperie is the Mystery of Iniquity I must beginne this Sermon as I did end the last In the Revel 13. 13. Antichrist shall cause fire to come from heaven in the sight of men that is he shall confirme men in his errours as effectually as if like Elias hee could cause fire to come down from heaven for the confirmation 1 Kings 18 38. thereof This powerfull perswasion is here termed the deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse whereby men are so deceived by Sophistry that they imbrace unrighteousnesse and untruth as confidently as if it were truth it selfe Now that the Pope doth this I make this appeare foure wayes Foure wayes doth Popery spread it selfe by perswasion and by practice They perswade both publikely and privately Their practice is the pretence either of Devotion or of Discipline which is a maine helpe if not a part thereof By these to use the words of Augusâ—od nensis tantis viribus laborant ne soli Dialog Honorij Augusâ—odiâ—ensis ad câ—lâ—em 2 Toâ—â— Biblioth Patrum ad Tartara venâ—ant their Learned labour not to goe alone to the Devill studying to accomplish that Prophecie of Saint Paul 2 Tim. 3. 13. there shall be deceivers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iugglers Imposters Inchanters who shall waxe worse and worse deceiving and being deceived These are foure mightie motives to the ignorant unstable and unregenerate especially to draw them to Popery and to sement them to the deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse Concerning the Papists power in perswading publikely we must consider three things the matter the manner and the men concurring in that point of perswasion The matter of their perswasion indeed the very materialls of their Babel consisteth in these foure particulars which are the corner foundations of Poperie They plead the Antiquity Vniversalitie Vnitie and Infallibility of their Romane Religion They pretend that it is from the beginning through the world and without either division or errour No meane motives to allure Proselytes First our Religion say our adversaries is perpetuated by an undivided line of a long succession Even from Peter the first unto Paul the last for many scores of Bishops and hundreds of yeares Where as yours say the Papists unto us is but an hundred yeâ—res old Luther was the Father of Reformers and therefore the Reformed must be a new upstart bastard Religion They say secondly our Religion is universall and Oecumenicall Beside Italy and whole Spaine besides France Germany England Polonia Bohemia Hungarie Graecia Syria Aethiopia and Egypt in all which many Catholickes doe abound Besides all these in the new world there are a world of Papists Eastward in India Westward in America Northward in Iapan and Southward in Brasil sine intermisâ—ione Haereticorum intire Papists not one Protestant Miratur orbis se factum Arianum the whole world is now under the Romane Bishop as in times past it was under the Romane Emperor The Romane ReligioÌ„ is spread through the world the Reformed Religion is couped up in a Corner onely in England and those Ilands in some few Cantons as it were Cantles of Christendome in Geneva and some part of Germany Hence they urge Are these Millions of Christians Hereticall and onely those few Heretikes Orthodoxall and of the true Religion Thirdly Omnes Catholici idem sentiunt nec Bellar. de Notis Ecclesiae lib. 4. cap. 10. aliter sentire possum saith Bellarmine cum omnes submittunt sensum suum sensui Vnius Summi Pontisicis that is All the Papists are of one opinion neither can they be of divers opinioÌ„s because they submit all their opinions unto one man his opinion unto the Pope But saith he Bellarm Ibid. the Lutherans are divided and subdivided into insinite factions fractions Now say they let the world judge whether Vnity be not the sister of Verity And therefore the Romish Religion must be the onely
religion or so mad as to incurre a Praemunire for such a Consecration and the truth is they were all Consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury at his Pallace at Lambeth Mr Nowell and Mr Pearson preaching at their severall consecrations But I will not adde a Candle to the Sunne This foule lye is unmasked to the full by the Patterne of Ministers and Patron of our Ministry Master Mason Mason de Min. Angl. l. 3. c. 8. in Append. Bell. de Amiss Grat. l. 3. c. 8. in his most learned Treatise on that theame Onely I will adde out of him Bellarmine might well maintaine officious lyes to be but veniall sinnes otherwise I cannot see how any can spie out not so much as a shadow no not of a Stasse of Reed to support their officious yea pernicious Calumnies In all which against whom doe you sport your selves against Jsay 57. 4. whom make you a wide mouth and draw out your tongue are yee not the Children of transgression a seed of falshood and at length they shall know lying lips are an abomination to the Prov. 12. 22. Lord. Concerning the holy Scriptures they would beare the world in hand that we so trample Eud. de Ant. l. 3. them under our feet as that wee stick not to preferre Luther before all the Apostles Saint Paul onely accepted And our conscionable countryman shameth not to avouch it to our Dut Consid Consid 2. c. 1. Sect. 28. Frar Or. Lov. 1565. King that the Protestants use the Scriptures as a Visard Both being as probable as that prodigious calumnie fastened by the Papists on the Protestants in France that they poysoned all the wels about Lyons to bring innumerable innocents to an inevitable destruction 5. In regard of our obedience to our King their lyes would make us seeme to bee what truth hath showne them to bee very Rebels The Protestants teach saith Campian Christiani liberi Camp Rat. 8. a statut is hominum that Christians are free from the lawes of men And it is the drift of the Calvinist Ministers by their bookes Less de Ant. ep Dedic Frâ—r Or. Lâ—v. 1565. de Antichristo to cause warre and kindle rebellion saith Lessius And Frarinus fathers it upon the French Protestants that they poysoned King Frances 2. and digging up his heart which was buryed in the Church of Saint Crosse at Orleance that they put it on a Gridiroâ— and broyled it to ashes A Popish pamphlet printed at Turnay Monarch part 2 Tit. 3. 1623. termeth our English Ministers Bouteseus that is sowers of sedition because they they say that the Romish Catholikes hold Pag. 410. Protestants as heretikes and Excommunicated But he is told of this loud lye by Doctor Boucher Approbatio calce libeâ—â—i Chancellour of Turnay who licensed this Libell for this cause because he did herein dexterously discover quam perniciosa fuerit Angliae professio Haeresis what a pernicious Heresie was professed in England Accordingly that Author frameth a double Title to that Book terming the first part Babel or Monarchomachia meaning the Protestants and the other Hierusalem order or obedience to wit the Romish Religion Blood and Murther farre be it from our thoughts Happy were we if it were so farre from theirs also 6. Lastly for our obedience to God they report vs meere Libertines and Epicures Nil nisi fidem requirunt Lessius saith that the Protestants Less de Ant. part 2. Comp. 10. Suar. Ap. â— 10. require nothing but faith Suarez more fully and foully too Quocunque modo vivant per solam fidem gloriam sibi promittunt neque mandatorum observationem neque panitentiam esse necessariam praedicant the Protestants preach saith the Iesuite that it is no matter how men live promising glory by faith alone accounting both the keeping of the Commandements and repentance to be unncessary Legem ad salutem nequaquam esse necessariam impiè dicere non veriti sunt their Trent Cat. Trid. de Decalog Catechisme saith that wee are not afraid to say impiously that the law of God is not necssary to salvation Our owne Countreymen are as confident in this shamelesse calumnie Decalogus nil ad Christianos Campian doth charge Camp Rat. 8. us with this prophane paradoxe who may aptly be translated by George Dowly They Dowlie cap. 8. have saith he no other scope of their whole life and religion but meere liberty and sensualitie Against which loud lewde lye wee appeale to our GOD to our Conscience to our Bookes to our Sermons to our Hearers to our very Children in their Catechismes who never were taught one sylable of such damnable Doctrine Lord let their lying lips bee put to silence which cruelly disdainfully dispightfully speak against Psal 31. 20. the righteous Heare all these slanders falling in one breath from the mouth of Malvenda Omnes Malv l. 2. c. 6. fidei articulos omnia capita Christianae religionis sacramenta omnem ordinem usum ac sensum communem ecclesiae loco movit concussit miscuit convulsâ—â—t evertit destruit Nil denique est in republica Christiana seu sacrum seu politicum quod Lutherus per se aut per suas proles non distorserit corruperit ac depravaverit that is All the Articles of the saith all the grounds of Christian Religion the Sacraments all order custome and common sence of the Church is removed shaken confounded plucked downe plucked up plucked in pieces and destroyed In a word there is nothing in the Christian common-wealth neither Ecclesiasticall nor Politicall which Luther hath not either by himselfe or his followers wronged corrupted or depraved I say therefore The Papists like Plinies Camels Plin. 8. 18. which troubled the water with their feet that they might not see their owne ougly shape so they raise mudde by slandering our religion lest in our integrity they should behold their owne deformed impietie and Apostasie But I Nehem. 6. 8. will answere our Adversaries as Nehemiah did Sanballat There are no such things done as thou sayest but thou fainest them of thine owne heart If their foule tongues have thus forced our reputation publishing unto the world that both our persons in particular and our profession in generall are thus impious Defamed England may take up the complaint of defiled 2 Sam. 13. 13. Thamar and I whether shall I cause my shame to goe Neverthelesse they desist not here In regard of our Persons and profession their tongues have wipped us with scourges but with Scorpions in regard of our practice The practice of the Church of England they proclame Gen. 34. 25. to be like Simeon and Levi that the instruments of cruelty are in our habitation that wee have murthered the Papists as they did the Shechemites even under the pretence of religion And they doe this to make England like Israell to make our land stinke among the Cananites For if the phrase of
494 Prayers 494 Discipline 495 SERMON 18. Of Satan 497 Papists refuse all Communion with Protestants 498 Why so many learned be Papists 501 No Reconciliation with Rome 506 SERMON 19. The Doctrine of Devills 521 The Church of Rome teacheth the doctrine of Devills 522 Popish forbidding mariage 531 Popish forbidding meats 537 SERMON 20. All who are deceived by Antichrist are damned 542 Whether all Papists be damned 545 Of Apostates to Poperie 558 SERMON 21. Antichrist not a Iew. 560 The Church of Rome doth use the Scripture for owne turne 567 The ambition of the Church of Rome 570 Consolation against Antichrist 574 Five notes of such as love the truth 575 SERMON 22. The Papists surpasse the Pagan Idolatry 579 Angells made Idolls 584 Saints 585 The V. Marie 587 Images 589 The Crosse 592 The Sacrament 594 Every Creature made an Idol 597 SERMON 23. Precedents of obstinatenesse 601 The Papists obstinate and deluded 607 No Reconciliatâ—on 441 The Papâ—sts are deluders 607 Want of pâ—ovâ—sion for Converts an hindrance to Reformation 617 Pronenesse of People to be deluded by Popery 447 God doth send delusion 623 A Caveat to the Church of England against obstinatenesse 625 SERMON 24. Popery supported by lying 631 The Primacie 636 The Crosse 638 Popish lies against the persons of Protestants 640 Against Calvin 642 Beza ibid. Luther ibid. Bishop King 643 Queene Elizabeth 644 Popish lies against the Profession of Protestants 646 Concerning the Sacraments 647 Our Government ibid. Our Preachers ibid. The Scripture 650 Our obedience to our King 651 Our obedience to our God 653 Popish lyes concerning their persecution 654 SERMON 25. The Pope may Erre 677 Hath â—rred 687 In his Translations ibid. Canon Lawes 688 Papacredens docens that distinction examined 680 Of implicite faith 698 SERMON 26. Popish points that are damnable 702 Inhibition of the Scriptures 706 Latine Prayers 707 Merits 711 The Communion in one kind 712 Worshipping of Images 715 SERMON 27. Six opinions of Antichrist 721 The Devill shall be Antichrist 722 Nero. 724 The Turke 726 The Turke and Pope 732 Antichrist shall be a Iew. 737 The Papists Trienniall Antichrist 740 SERMON 28. The Summe of the whole Treatise 746 The Paraphrase of the whole Text. 754 The Parallel to the Pope 757 The Conclusion 764 A Dehortation from Poperie 766 A Plaine Exposition upon the first part of the second Chapter of St. PAVL his second EPISTLE to the THESSALONIANS SERMON I. 2 THESS 2. 1. Now we beseech you Brethren by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ and by our assembling unto him That obstinacy in error is dangerous to salvation And that it is dangerous to breake the peace of the Church Ministers should win their people by Leuity Of the Resurrection Blessings bind us to bee constant in Religion Of Vnion WHen first I cast mine eye on this Chapter it reflected my mind on the first Chapter of the first Epistle and I undertooke that Epistle because of this Chapter that so I might discusse the Point of Antichrist here so plentifully proposed A point none more difficult none more necessary to be knowne This also did call into my memory my Text at my first Sermon entring upon that Epistle to the Thessalonians which was the nineteenth and twentieth verses of the sixt Chapter to the Ephesians That ye should pray for me that vtterance might be giuen unto me that I might open my mouth boldly to make knowne this Mystery that therein I might speak boldly as I ought to speake I hope that your Christian prayers have beene like the Leviticall fire that they have beene ever fervent in my behalfe But now I beseech you to blow them up with an extraordinary affection to beg an extraordinary blessing upon my poore Labours I expect Argus and Midas and Momus and Magus to be my Hearers I looke that broad eyes long eares wide mouths and false hearts shall observe every syllable in these Sermons I am resolved to haue my reputation torne for my paines But let Malice speake truth and spare neither my life nor my learning For the End of my Labours in this point I know the Sunne cannot give light nor sight to the Blind or Blind-folded I know Truth it selfe cannot satisfie Prejudice and Obstinacy But to the seeker of the Truth I promise thus much in the presence of God before whom I stand I will endeavour to discusse this point with all Humility Industry and Impartiality Which that I may doe againe and againe I beseech you for that for which St. Paul besought Ephes 6. 19 20. the Ephesians in those verses of that Chapter before cited Brethren I beseech you to pray for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth holdly to make knowne This Mysterie and that therein I may speake boldly as I ought to speake I beseech you to pray for me For it I will be your Debtor and yet will I pay you in your owne Coine Pray you for me and I will pray for you Pray you for me in Speaking and I will pray for you in Hearing Let us promise and performe this as a Preface to this great worke Let us heartily pray for one another and thou Lord let the words of our mouthes and the prayers of our hearts be alwayes acceptable in thy sight both now and ever O Lord our strength and our Redeemer This second Epistle consisteth of three Chapters wherein the argument of the first is gratulatory for what they had beene of the second Expository of what they must bee and the contents of the third are Hortatorie what they should bee The Expository argument of this Chapter is twofold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praedicit praedicat Information of Antichrist is delivered to the thirteenth verse and Consolation against Antichrist from thence to the end of the Chapter The information or first generall part of this Chapter doth branch it selfe into two particulars concerning this Discourse on this cause consider the Occasion thereof related in the two first verses and part of the third and the question it selfe debated from the third verse unto the thirteenth The occasion why St. Paul did dispute of Antichrist was an Errour among the Thessalonians concerning the Comming of Christ This being premised in the three first verses the Apostle sheweth them the thing by which he doth disswade them in the first and the thing from which hee doth disswade them in the second and third The debating of the question it selfe may be drawne into these five particulars First we have Antichrist described in the third and fourth verses secondly revealed in the fift sixt seventh and part of the eighth verse Thirdly destroyed in the remnant of the eight Fourthly confirmed in the ninth and part of the tenth verse and finally we have Antichrist embraced in the tenth eleventh and twelfth verses The summe of this Text is the thing by which St. Paul did disswade the
into one Church triumphant is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an aggregation or a Congregation of Congregations The second the affection to this gathering together in the word our appeareth to bee an allusion in that Proverbe Matt. 24. 28. Wheresoever the carkeise is there will the Eagles be gathered together For Nature doth not make the Eagle so to sent out and to hunt out the carkeise as Grace doth make the Faithfull to hunger and thirst after that comming The sense then thus I set down in more and more plain termes As Christ will joine you to him effectually and as you long after that conjunction affectionately even so by the gathering together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by our gathering together unto him wee beseech you brethren not to bee moved from the truth by any false seducers From these premises let us conclude this Doctr. doctrine Gods blessings doe binde Gods children to be constant in the truth Thus wee see in this Text that Christs comming is urged as an argument to confirm the Thessalonians in Christs doctrine Rom. 9. 31. and 32. the grievous fault and punishment of Israel was this God gave them righteousnesse by faith but they fell to their workes and therefore lost all Luke 12. 32. God giveth his servants a kingdome therefore they should not feare to serve him And indeed this is the maine end wherefore God giveth us his blessings to incourage us in his truth The man who hath his head held up by a skilfull swimmer meriteth drowning if in a fond feare he forsake him to lay hold on some floating staffe So let him sinke in errour that will bee affrighted even with an Ocean of temptations if Gods blessings support him Alexander the great Iust hist l. 11. saith Iustine made choice of the stipendiary his Pensioners for his prime souldiers in his Persian expedition So such as are Gods Pensioners that is inriched with his continuall favours ought to be his Triarij that is his most courageous souldiers and most constant professors in the Church militant And finally as in 2 Sam. 12. 7 8. Nathan said unto David Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I have anointed thee King over Israel and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul and I gave thee thy masters house and thy masters wives into thy bosome and gave thee the house of Israel and of Iudah and if that had been too little I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things As I say David was here argued from Gods benefits because he fell into carnall adultery so shall wee bee condemned also from Gods benefits if we fall into Spirituall adultery We shall finde the Lord a jealous God if his mercies move us not to keepe his Commandements Hence therefore it may appeare that the Vse assurance of Gods blessings that is the certainty of salvation is not the naturall mother of Presumption No that Bastard is filius populi presumption proceedeth from mans corruption accidentally and not necessarily from that sweet Consolation But if Blessings doe binde then are we bound to God in infinite bonds Remember that blessed uniting of the two Roses the white and the red Yorke and Lancaster Remember the uniting of the two Lyons in gold and gules England and Scotland By the first dissention the two Houses might have ruinated this Kingdome by the second the two Kingdomes might have ruinated this Iland had they not beene united Yet can wee not bee haled to Vnion in the Church but still we nourish a fatall dissention Remember moreover Gods blessings of protection in 88 God delivered us from water and in 1605 from fire And yet some of us love that Religion which hatched those hatefull machinations Consider his present blessings such a plenty for three yeares and such a peace for three score yeares as this Land enioyed not in three hundred before And yet remaine we unmindfull unthankfull Now that we may be sensible of this sin God withdraweth some of them This City doth see and the Country doth feele the abundance of unseasonable raine so that some cannot end their harvest and others cannot beginne their seed-time May not this be a prologue to a Famine Againe is it a small thing that we are almost universally smitten with the small poxe May not this be a Rabshekah the Fore-runner of Senacherib May not God tell vs by the small poxe that he hath a greater plague to smite us with To what end is all this Even to urge the same argument upon us which St. Paul here doth upon the Thessalonians that we be constant in our Religion Therefore by all those blessings ye have or hope for by those judgements yee doe deserve and may stand in feare of by the liberty of our Conscience and plentifull preaching of the Gospell by the famine of bread and famine of the word but above all By the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ I beseech you brethren Brethren I beseech you bee constant in the Truth of God And the God of truth make vs carefull cheerfull and joyfull to performe it SERMON II. 2 THESS 2. 2 3. That you be not soone shaken in minde or bee troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by Letter as from us as that the day of Christ were at hand Let no man deceive you by any meanes The comming of Christ may not be defined The errours of the understanding cause terrours to the conscience Meanes to avoid errour Three fountaines of errour Of Enthusiasine Of the use and abuse of Eloquence Of false quotations and corrupting Authors Ten meanes of seducing to Popery THis Text and the former verse containe the short preface premised to the great point of Antichrist In that you heard by what St. Paul did disswade the Thessalonians by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ In this you shall heare from what he disswaded them from an error concerning the comming of Christ In the text there are two generalls the Heresie and the Fallacy The heresie to which and the fallacy through which they were in danger to be seduced In each generall there are two particulars In the heresie their errour and their terrour The errour in the last words of the first verse as that the day of the Lord were at hand and their terrour in the first words of this verse that yee be not soone shaken in minde or troubled In the Fallacy observe it related in particular in the remnant of the second verse neither by spirit nor by word nor by Letter as from us and finally observe the fallacy repeated in generall in the third verse Let no man deceive you by any meanes The first of the five particulars is their Errour They thought the day of Christ to be at hand But say some those erre who call this an errour For St. Iames saith Iam. 5. 8. The day of the Lord draweth nigh◠and St. Peter 1 Pet. 4. 7. The end of all things is at hand If therefore
things now plainly whereat the holy Fathers did but guesse in the Primitive time Bellarmine also did reject twelve of the Fathers in this very point of Antichrist De Rom. Pont. lib. 3. cap. 12. Therefore without any wrong to be imputed to us by our adversaries to those reverend Fathers we may refuse them in this cause we have the Fathers the Scriptures and Bellarmine himselfe to avouch it The Time is the first point and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is metator Antichristi as Lucianus termed Decius that is the falling away is the forerunner of Antichrist When a Fort doth see some Troupes sit downe before their walls they conclude that the Generall of their enemies is at hand to besiege them So S. Paul giveth the Church this signe When the falling away is come Then that man of sinne is at the doores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Apostasie is the falling of a man from his Lord to whom he oweth his fealty A Renegado or to turne Turke It is taken three wayes by the Expositors First Politically to fall from the Romane Empire by Rebellion Secondly Ecclesiastically to fall from the Church in Religion And thirdly Figuratively the subject for the adjunct the Apostate for the Apostasie By the falling away understanding the head instrument or person causing that falling away The second signification of these three is most sutable to the Text because it is used in the Scriptures as Luke 8. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they fall from the word 1 Tim. 4. x. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some shall fall away or depart from the faith and Luke 18. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when the Sonne of man commeth shall he finde faith on the earth meaning that all will fall from faith at that season Next the Fathers use it in the same signification This Apostasie saith S. Cyril it shall bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the orthodoxall Faith And S. Augustine calleth the Aposlate Refugam à Domino Aug. de Civ 2â— 19. a runnagate froÌ„ the Lord. And that many of the Fathers did take this word in this sense in this place Bellarmine himselfe confesseth â—â—ll de Rom. â—oâ—â—iâ— 3. 2. that S. Augustine doth witnesse it Again Apostasie in the Scriptures and in the Ecclesiasticall Writers is never used politically for the falling away from a temporall Prince Moreover Discedit imperium non disceditur ab imperio Apâ—lâ—gâ— in Bell. cap. 9. said our English Gamaliel there must be a nullity of the Empire not an apostasie from the Empire to make way for Antichrist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the sixt verse and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the seventh both the thing and the person which letteth both the Empire and the Emperour must be absolutely removed And finally Antichrist is termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 16. 13. a False prophet which must imply an Ecclesiasticall apostasie or falling away in Religion Neither can the third sense conveniently be applyed to the Text to take the word Apostafie siguratively for the Apostate himselfe This misprision arose from a false translation Refuga being read for Apostasia Aug. de Civitate Dei 20. 19. which is acknowledged also by Suarez who also saith Graeca vox Apostasia Suarez Apolog. lib. â— c. 10. Sect. 5. significat discessionem à side in suâ syncer â proprietate that is Apostasie doth properly signifie a falling away from the Church in Religion Thus properly S. Paul doth speake of the Eâ—clesiasticall falling away Yet I will follow all three both because the other two are true also though not proper For the first the Romane Empire it selfe must fall which must imply a falling from it by rebellion before Antichrist doth come And for the third if the great falling from the faith shall be absolutely before the comming of Antichrist then Antichrist when he commeth as Bellarmine speaketh Bell. Apolog. cap. 9. well Non inveniret quos seduceret shall have few or none to seduce by his strong delusions Therefore it is true also Antichrist shall be the maine causer of this falling from the faith Againe I retaine all the members of this distribution because as neare as I can I will tread in the very footsteps of the Papists themselves and inferre my conclusions from their premises It is their distinction The Rhemists Rhemists â—â— 2 Thess 2. sect 5. 6. on this Text acknowledge the two first branches though in the fift Section they deny that there can bee any revolt from the Church yet in the sixt Section they seeme to revolt from that resolution saying It is very likely that this great revolt shall be not onely from the Romane Empire but also from the Romane Church and withall from most points of the Christian faith Suarez also doth acknowledge spiritualem Suarez Apolog. lib. 5. c. 10 nu 18 stragem a spirituall defection and destruction Dr. Steuartius professor of Ingolstade Steuartius in 2 Thess 2. on this place doth thus describe this falling away Insignis defectio à Romano Imperio memorabilis Apostasia à side Christianâ Vnde non immerito Patres vocaverunt Antichristum ipsam Apostasiam quod multis author sit ut à Deo discedant That is There shall bee such an admirable falling away both from the Romane Empire and from the Christian Faith that thence the Fathers have justly called Antichrist the Apostasie it selfe Finally this intire distinction is borrowed from Bellarmine himselfe Suarez also hath the Bell. de Rom. Pontif. 3. 12. Suarez lib. 5. cap. 10. â—u 13 14 16. very same in his Apology I take it therefore for granted that the word in my text is taken three wayes Politically Ecclesiastically and Figuratively And I will make it appeare that every way it doth most properly occurre with the Church of Rome For the first The Church of Rome from the Empire of Rome hath falne away and so falne away as no part of the Empire beside It is true The Romane Empire lost Asia and other places but this was by the open invasion of the Turke and of other forraine Princes But that he should be thrust out of Rome his Imperiall seat whence his Empire is named Romane by the rebellion of his Subjects I suppose there never was falling from the Empire like this and this was atchieved by the Pope Somewhat after six hundred yeares of our Saviors Incarnation Bonifacius the third obtained of Phocas the title of Vniversall Bishop here that Pope was hatching his Apostasie this was but the infancy of his Insurrection After that the Longobards invaded and conquered part of Italy yet so that the remnant thereof remained intire under the Emperours Dominion But the Emperour himselfe residing wholly in the East Italy as it is in most Kingdomes governed by Viceroyes was oppressed by his Exarchs Thereupon the Italians became wonderfully averse from the Emperours inclinable to the Bishops of Rome And the Bishops of Rome incouraged by this
Matth. 28 20. From a Promise The Gates of Hell shall never Matth. 16. 18. prevaile against the Church And from an instance in Particulars The Administration of the Sacrament which must be done to shew the 1 Cor. 11. 26. Lords death till he come And the worke of the Ministery which must be continued Till we all Ephes 4. 12 13. come in the unity of the Faith Finally Homo sum humani à me nil alienum puto Humane Testimony is prest to doe service to this Divine Verity That the Truth hath at all times in some place and in some sort subsisted it is the Record and Concord of all Hâ—story If any desire a more full satisfaction in this cause I referre him to the solid Treatise of our learned Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield Wherefore seeing The Grand imposture cap. 5. we are compassed about with such a cloud of witnesses we say the Visible Church made a revolt but the Church of the Elect God miraculously preserved even under the cruell persecution of Antichrist Here then wee cleare our Church from Bell. de notis Eccl cap. 9. Suarez Apol. lib. 5. c. 10. nu 17 Rich. Smith Protestanâ—ia Eccl. c. 4. nu 13. Aug. in Psal 101. Conc. 2. that popish calumny who charge us to avouch an Vniversall Apostasie of the whole Church from all the Christian faith Here also we condemne the pride of the Donatists who held that the Church was extinguished throughout the whole world that Angle of Africa wherein they lived onely excepted Yet farre more insolent is the assertion of our owne English Anabaptists who hold that The Church hath beene utterly extinguished out of the Helwis Myst of Juiq p. 7. whole world This is the doctrine of their Apostle Helwis in his Treatise termed the Mystery of Iniquity But condemning both those old Anabaptists and these new Donatists Hence I say to the moderate Papists ye see the fearfull falling away of all Africa and Asia To the indifferent Protestants ye see the fall of the famous Church of Rome I say to us all we see that this very Church of the noble Thessalonians is falne and gone Therefore the Apostasie is past Open then your eyes to behold Antichrist who cannot be farre off And who it is with Gods assistance I shall shew you in my succeeding Sermons In the meane time I suppose it will be no great transgression if I make one small digression and sweepe downe one Copweb on which the Church of Rome doth rest her hand with strong confidence If our Church say they be Less de Ant. Dem. 4 p. 16. thus fallen shew the time of this falling away what Popes reigning and what Divines opposing this miraculous Apostasie was performed This brave weapon is brandished by eloquent Campian their elegant Champion but this sword Campian Rot. 7. shineth better than it cutteth Quando igitur hanc sidem tantopere celebratam Roma perdidit Quando esse desiâ—t quod ante fuit Quo tempore Quo Pontifice Qua viâ Qua vi Quibus incrementis urbem orbem religio pervasit aliena If we be Apostates shew then saith he When did the famous Church of Rome fall from that Religion for which they were so famous In what time Vnder what Pope By what men By what meanes By what Decrees or Degrees did this Apostasie surprise their Region and Religion I answer The present Italian tongue is the old Latine tongue corrupted Because none can shew what Emperour reigning and what Grammarians opposing this corruption was induced will any inferre hereupon Therefore the Italian is not corrupted Concerning the Italian Tongue and the Italian Church any indifferent ingenuous and impartiall person will frame the same illation Yet to proceed I say this very Quaere is a politike point of the Popish Mystery of their Antichristian Iniquity As Herod the Edomite first burned all the Registers of the Israelitish Genealogies and then demanded who could shew any Record whereby it might appeare that he was not an Israelite So the Romanists require of us Chronologicall testimonies of the Time of their Apostasie when as they themselves have suppressed those Chronicles and conceale those Antiquities Againe wee answer in the words of Christ Matth. 13. 25. Vnde Zizania Whence are the Tares The enemy sowed them when the men were asleepe In the words of S. Paul 1 Tim. 4. 2. They speake these lyes in Hypocrisie and in the words of S. Peter 2 Pet. 2. 1. They brought in these damnable heresies privily as Tertullian Tertul. adv Valent cap. 1. speaketh Nil magis curant quam uâ— occultent quod praedicant their maine care was to conceale their errors when they did preach them and broach them And as Lyrinensis speaketh Vinc. Lyrin cap. 15. Latenter superinducunt errores they infused their errours secretly Yea to shape them an answer in the language of their owne Authors Saepissime constat de re non constat de modo Bell. de P. R. lib. 2. c. 5. saith Bellarmine The Matter may be apparent when the manner may be questionable Of one point Minime constat saith Gregorius de Valentia Gr. Val de legit usu Euch. c. 10. we cannot tell the originall thereof Of another pedetentim it entred by Little and little Ross Assert Lutheran Confut. said Bishop Fisher And of a third their magnificent and so much magnified Councill of Concil Trid. Sess 22. ca. 9 Trent concludeth with our very phrase which we use concerning all their errours Multa irrepsisse videantur many things seeme to have crept into the Church without observation or opposition Since therefore the Romane errours did enter into the Church of Rome secretly and unseene it is an unequall demand to require us to name the very time of their entrance Notwithstanding if any desire more fully to be satisfied even in the Historicall part of those points of Apostasie they stand charged with I referre them to the lustre of Ireland The Archbishop of Armach in his answer to the Irish Champian From whom in the most controversies of maine consequence they may receive most full satisfaction Six particulars I will insist in which I suppose to be the sinewes of their Apostasie and the supporters of Antichristianisme The first concerning the Communion the Communion was instituted of Christ in both kindes Matth. 26. 27. It was administred by the Apostles in both kindes 1 Cor. 11. 28. It was received in the Primitive Church in both kindes as it is Concil Const Sâ—ss 12. Concil Trid Sess 21. c. 1. confessed by their owne Councill of Constance and that of Trent also The with-holding of the wine from the Laity became a custome in the Latine Church not long before the Councill of Constance their Gregory of Valence is our witnesse Greg. de Val. de legitimo usu Eucharist c. 10. Trent Hist lib. 1 pag. 3. And it was imposed as a
is in effect to bee Traitors Wherefore then should we be dainty to give the title which is so meritoriously atchieved Homo peccati The Pope is the man of sinne But all these instances fall short of that instar omnium of that one authority with which I promised to conclude and have reserved it to bee the complement of the whole cause Suarez ex cujus ore locutos omnes conspirasse affirmare audeam all the hearts of all the Papists speake out of his mouth saith Alphonsus a Castello Branco in his censure of his Apologie Now let us heare his and their united language Suarez Apolog. lib. 6. cap 4. First therefore in his 6 booke and 4. chapter of his Apology he proveth this proposition Papa potest Reges deponere ac occidere that is The Pope hath power to depose and to kill Kings But with five cautions 1. Se inconsulto Suarez Apolog. lib 6. cap. 4. num 17. nemo contra regem suum insurgat None may dare to rebell against his King Se incoÌ„sulto unlesse the Pope be acquainted with it 2. Ab Suarez Apolog. lib. 6. cap. 4. num 18. illis tantum potuit expelli interfici quibus ipse id commiserit None may expell nor kill their King but onely those to whom the Pope himselfe doth commit this designe 3. What pâ—rticular Suarez Ibib. person may principally performe this feat Successor his next Heire to the Crowne si sit Catholicus if he be of the Romish Religion 4. Illo negligentiâ— what if the successour doth Suarez Apolog. Ibid. make some scruple to executo the Popes pious injunction and to touch the Lords anointed Then communitas regni all the Commons may take up â—rmes Dummodo sit Catholica provided Suarez Apolog. lib. 6. cap. 4. num 19. they be Papists Finally if all â—aile Alter Rex a Forraigne Prince may invade his kingdome alwayes provided si Pontifex potestatem ei tribuaâ— invadendi â—egâ—â—m that the Pope permitteth â—â—is â—â—â—â—sioâ— So 〈◊〉 there must be no deposing nor killing of Kings but with the knowledge approbation instruction of the Pope himselfe Therefore the Pope himselfe is the root of all Treason And in this point also he is Ille homopeccati The man of sinne Disciples have not beene wanting to this Doctrine Even tlle author of the Monarchomachia himselfe I doubt not but is an excellent proficient in this Schoole though hee pretendeth that he never learned this lesson In his Monarch part 1. tit 6 pag. 272. first part and sixt title these words fall from him Who in his Realme is to judge him who in his Realme Indeed the Pope is not in the Kings Realme If he would speake out in plain English wee should find that hee that hath Hierusalem Hierusalem so much in his mouth that he hath Babel Babel as much in his heart and that with Suarez hee holdeth the Pope to bee Iudge unto the King But to winde up all in one example never to bee paralleld the Powder Treason occasioned by the Tort. Torti pag. 86. popish Religion Attempted by popish Catholikes incouraged by popish Doctors as Faux himselfe freely confessed Nay to speake in the phrase of Suarez They did not they durst not attempt it se inconsulto without the knowledge of the Pope nisi catholici unlesse they had beene Romish Catholikes et quibus ipse commiserit they had never undertaken it haâ— not the Pope himselfe given them commission 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Pope is The man of sinne But let us heare Babel plead for Rome Monarchomachia maketh this excuse That Monarchâ—m part 1. tit 1. pag. 14. Horrible project of the Gunpowder Treason was attempted by a few private Hot-spurres which in justice is rather to bee buried with the offendors then to be objected and imputed to innocent men who generally with great sorrow abhorre the Memory thereof I will answer in Monarchomâ—â— part 1. tit 1. pag. 52. his owne words touching that objection that the papists and this Author himselfe doe they doe say that the Gunpowder Treason was an horrible project and they doe say that they abhorre the memory thereof with great sorrow and this man doth preach obedience and hath printed a pamphlet which he termeth Hierusalem to that purpose But this is onely a fallacy to avoid the scandall for now they see that those Traitors did not stand nor maintaine their quarrell now they leave them in the Bryars cry out against their project pretend that they abhorre that very Memorie of them Nay would God they did so much in truth For this and all their cunning pamphlets cannot coape the lips of all their Catholikes but some of them at some time will shew their teeth As M. More censured in the Starre-Chamber anno 1623. Article 15. said That it was pitty that he who undertooke the blowing up of the Parliament that he was not hanged presently not because he did attempt it but because hee did not effect it Now that our King and Kingdome our Peeres and People our Church and Common-wealth that our Nation and very Name of England should have beene buried in one graue torne in peeces with one blast of Gunpowder And yet by no meanes se inconsulto without the approbation of the Pope This may iustly cause us to say Ecce homo peccati The Pope is the man of sinne In the year 1554 Queen Mary ordained that Trent Hist lib. 5. 385. that prayer instituted by King Henry the eight To deliver the kingdome from the Sedition Conspiracy and Tyranny of the Pope should bee razed out of the Communion Booke I thinke we may take up some such forme of prayer again and pray From Ignorance Whoredome and Treason From the killing of our King and confusion of our Common-wealth From the Man of sinne and that Pope of Rome Good Lord deliuer us SERMON V. 2 THESS 2. 3 4. The Sonne of perdition Antichrist the sonne of perdition Antichrist Iudas and the Pope paralleld Popish persecutions surpasse those of the Emperours Of the Inquisition I Have discussed the first point in this Description the time a falling away Which being taken three wayes every way it is punctally fitted to the Pope either politically for a falling from the Empire by rebellion or Ecclesiastically for a falling from the Church in Religion or Figuratively the falling away being put for the faller away the cause thereof all which are proper to the Popish Apostasie I am entred into the second point the three titles of Antichrist In the first I have observed foure particulars the Subject Antichrist is termed a man to shew that hee prevaileth in the Church by humane meanes Perswasion not improper to the Pope Secondly the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Man not one man but many a succession peculiar to them which lay such claime to succession the Popedome Thirdly the Adjunct the man of sinne that is a most sinfull wretch
one kinde of Popish persecution remaining which I may compare to the fourth Beast in that vision vers 7. It is fearfull and terrible and very strong and it hath great iron teeth and it devoureth and breaketh in pieces and stampeth all under his feet and is unlike all that were before This Monster is that monstrous cruelty of the Inquisition which indeed is an uncomparable unsufferable and an unutterable persecution The Inquisitours and supporters whereof to the utmost of the power and policy of man have endeavored to make it sacrum Eleusinum a secret mystery that none might know it For their tortures are executed in a vault which men may discover when they have the Eyes of Lynceus to looke through stone walls And those perplexed prisoners may pray to Christ in that primitive phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By thy unknowne torments deliver us from our unknowne torments Moreover if they be released they binde them with an oath not to reveale any one point how the Inquisition did proceed against them to which they annex menaces and they inhibit them from writing any letters interdicting them also from conversing or conferring with such or such to whom they may be suspected that they will reveale any thing But if ever they be found to discover any thing they are condemned as relapsed and they dye without redemption Notwithstanding this cunning cariage and contriving of their concealed cruelties yet he that maketh inquisition for blood hath given the world light of their bloody inquisition A taste whereof I will tender unto you as I have contracted and abstracted it out of Gonsalvius I will tell you out of him with my best brevity sixe particulars concerning these miserable protestants which come within the compasse of their Holy House First How they catch them secondly Where they keepe them thirdly How they use them fourthly their Examination fiftly their Torture and sixtly their Execution Three incomparable instruments do they â— use to catch and keepe any person whom they â—onsalvius de Inquisition c. 1. suspect to favour the Protestants their Familiar Fly and Priest To some sometimes they will give leave to play on the line that they may strike them the more surely They will winke at a suspected Lutheran for divers moneths and yeares also But in that time they will imploy one of those Familiars or promoters to insinuate himselfe into this suspected and suspectlesse persons acquaintance who shall every day visit him observing to what house and company hee doth resort till hee doth discover and disclose him and so the poore man is betrayed to the Inquisitours Though he be thus caught yet peradventure Gâ—â—sal de Inqu cap 9. hee will confesse but a little and therefore a new engine must be imployed To him and to his fellow prisoners they send a Fly a villaine that for money indureth that prison fetters chaines filth and stench for many months faining himselfe to bee imprisoned also for Religion and at their conferences which the politike Inquisitours then onely permit unto them He is the forwardest to instruct or to be instructed in the reformed religion And when this sonne of Sathan hath sufficiently sifted these innocents he rendreth them to the Inquisitours as fewell for their fire If miraculously Cap. 9. any doe escape these Flyes the third is set on worke They are called or commanded to confession the Priest heareth them that day but breaketh off abruptly willing the prisoner to repaire to him the next day when he would satisfie him more fully with this mischievous intent to informe the Inquisitors of all that he shall confesse pretending that it is not sub sigillo out of the time of shrift And thus are these sheepe prepared for the slaughter The poore Birds being caught these Fowlers as they had Ginnes so now they have Gonsalvius de Inquisit cap. 2. 10. Cages for them They are put into Prison each severall person into a severall place which is so bigge that they may lye downe and a foot besides where their stoole of easement standeth If it be below it may be resembled to a grave if aloft to a furnace where they have no more light than commeth out of a little long rift no bigger than a mans finger There are they kept alone eight or fifteene dayes or whole moneths or yeares as it pleaseth the Lords Inquisitours Yet so that if any bee brought in he seldome commeth out againe till he bee halfe rotten till hee have the foule disease or fall franticke or be in a consumption Being imprisoned the Inquisitours use to visit them and in faire fatherly termes Demand Gonsalvius de Inquisit cap. 9. what they want what language the Keeper doth give them and how hee doth use them concerning their Diet and Apparell If any complaine though they see them halfe naked and halfe starven yet the mercifull Fathers answer them in milde termes Well say they the weather is warme and you may full well lye without a couch or cloathes And for Winter T is true indeed say they there hath beene lately a sharpe frost but it beginneth to thaw Howsoever take care say they for the Garments of your Soule to confesse the truth we question you for As for apparell it mattereth not Their Diet the Officers fees deducted is Goâ—salâ—ius de Jnquisit cap. 10. like their lodging very lamentable And if any charitable person shall send the smallest almes to those poore prisoners if ever it be knowne vâ—rily he shall have a reward but it shall bee in the Holy House Moreover they are locked up in their little lodgings so that the Father and the Sonne may be many yeares in the same Prison and yet the one shall not know of the others imprisonment Hence Petro à Herrera keeper of the Inquision prison in the Castle of Triara at Sivil because he did permit the mother and her two daughters to meet but for one quarter of an houre hee himselfe was put in prison till the prison put him out of his wits and that he fell starke mad because of the usage of the Inquisition Nay this Holy House denyeth that unto Christians what the very Pagan prison permitted to their prisoners Act. 16. 25. they interdict them from singing Psalmes Which they put in practice for many politike ends three wee may conjecture at First because they will bereave these miserable soules of all solace for themselves Secondly because their cheerfulnesse shall not incourage other weake prisoners Thirdly lest by their voice the friend or father might know his sonne or acquaintance to bee in prison which they labour utterly â—o conceale The day before the Execution they are Cap. 12. all severally examined with threatnings and menaces concerning their lands and goods that they conceale not one jote And if any doe escape death yet carry they the Inquisitours Cap. 4. markes unto the grave which usually are four confiscation of their goods long imprisonment the
Curia Romana Ecclesia Romana the part ruled and the part ruling The part ruled are those particular Churches which professe the Romish Relâ—gion as Spaine France Polonâ—â— c. The part ruling is the City or Court of Rome I say therefore that Antichrist doth sit in all the Romish Church but to speake in the phrase of Suarez collocavit Thronum suum regalem Curiam imperij Suarez Apolog. lib. 5. cap. 15. nu 1. 2. sui in urbe he hath seated his Throne and setled his royall Court in that City This will I prove by three arguments drawne from the scituation and domination of Rome and thirdly from the Assimulation betwixt Rome and Babylon The Velites shall give the onset I will propound their owne argument as a preamble to our more solide proofes Dan. 11. 45. He shall plant the Tabernacle of his royall Palace betweene the Seas Now although we know that this Prophecie speaketh literally of Antiochus and of Antichrist onely Anagogically of whom Antiochus was a Type Yet because the Papists doe expound it literally of Antichrist against them wee retort it as a true propertie and strong probability that Rome is the seate of Antichrist because it is seated betweene two seas the Tyrrhene and the Adriatike according to this Prophecy of Dan. 11. 45. I proceed to our owne proofes First from the situation Babylon is seated on seven hills Rev. 17. 9. and so is Rome situated also no City under the cope to be compared to it in that kinde So is it termed by Tertullian and Tertul. Apol. cap. 35. Dionys Halicar lib. 4. Plin. lib. 3. ca. 5. Sibylla lib. 2. so was it founded by Servius Tullius the last King of the Romanes Hence also the Latines gave it the sirname of Septicollis that is the seven hilled City and the Graecians called it in the same signification 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The common epithite of the Poets and almost the burden of their Poems Dumque suis victrix septem de montibus orbem Ovid. de Trist lib. 1. Eclog. 4. Propert. Eclog. 10. Virgil. Gâ—oâ—â— 2. Prospiciet domitum Martia Roma legar Septem urbs alta jugis toti quae praesidet orbi Scilicet rerum facta est pulcherrima Roma Septem quae una sibi muro circumdedit arces Varro mentioneth a Feast called septimontium Varro de Ling. Latin lib. 5. as it were dedicated to celebrate a City seated on seven hills and their Names are famously knowne throughout the world Calius Exquilinus Palatinus Viminalis Quirinalis Aventinus Capitolinus All Dounam Der. Epis de Antich part 1. lib. 1. c. 2. these at this day are within the Walles of the City though decayed in the number of houses yet still beautified with many Churches Monasteries and other goodly buildings Moreover on the first the hill Coelius at this day standeth the Laterane Palace and Church Which divers Popes have consumed to be Constitut Rom. Pont. pag. 11. 454. 618. the Head church of all the churches in the world as Gregory 11. Pius 4. and Pius 5. If any except that these Hills are to bee taken metaphorically I answer here can be no metaphor because it is an interpretation of an Angell expouÌ„ding the seven heads to signifie seven mountaines Now interpretatâ—â—â—s must be plaine not metaphoricall Plaine therefore it is that Rome is seated on seven hills the very situation of the very seat of Antichrist Secondly that City which in S. Iohns time did reigne over the kingdomes of the earth is Babylon the seat of Antichrist Revel 17. 18. But Rome is that City which in S. Iohns time did reigne over the Kingdomes of the earth Toti quae praesidet orbi Therefore Rome is Babylon the seat of Antichrist And aptly may it be termed Babylon because it is the manner of Kingdomes to title themselves from the first notable persons which did erect their State as the Romane Emperours were called Caesars from the first Iulius Caesar And Rome was so named from Romulus So let the Romanes reflect a little further backward because they have atchieved the Babylonian Monarchy from the first this last Monarch Rome may bee termed Babylon Lastly Rome and Babylon concurre in many resemblances without any constrained comparison Babylon in the Scriptures is taken 3 wayes First Literally for Babylon in Chaldea the Metropolis of the Assyrian Empire 2 Reg. 24. 10. Secondly Literally for Babylon in Aegypt since called Babylis or Caire of which some understand 1 Pet. 5. 13. Thirdly Mystically for the City of Antichrist Revel 17. 5. of which the first was a type and this is our assertion that Rome is mysticall Babylon Rome resembleth the old Babylon in foure particulars First the old Babylon was a worke begunne by seventy Families which schismed from Shem but God was in Shems Tents So Babylon mysticall the Romane Church hath made a schisme from the pure Church of the primitive times And we hope that God doth dwell in our Tents who retaine the Apostolicall truth Secondly Nimrod by interpretation an Apostate or a Rebell was the Head of old Babylon so the Pope the Apostate it the Head of Rome Thirdly as Rome was given by the Emperours Otho Frigensis Chro. 7. 3. Pâ—â—kins Probl. pag. 581. of Christendome to the Pope our chiefe Christian Bishop so the Persian Kings granted Babylon unto their High Priest And the Persian translating the seat of his Kingdome from Babylon to Ecbatan held nothing at Babylon but the bare name of an Empire So our Emperour removing from Rome to Aquisgrave hath nothing remaining but the title onely that he is called the Romane Emperour Fourthly Babylon was a City where the Church of the Iewes were captive And a great part of the Christian Church is and a greater was captive in Rome also To these foure I may adde a fift parallell out of Bellarmine One thousand one hundred threescore and foure Bell. de Pont. Rom. lib. 3. c. 5. yeares after the building of Babylon it was sacked so in the same number 1164 yeares after the building thereof was Rome taken by the Gothes This Parallell like Pharaohs dreame to shew the certainty thereof shall be doubled To those five I will adde five other issuing out of the bowels of my text Which will accord Rome Babylon in an evident naturall congruity Arrogance Violence Improbity Idolatry Hiâ—gons Myst Bebyl Serm. 1. Inquis 2. Cruelty non ovum ovo similius are so sutable to both Rome and Babylon that they seeme to be a brace of Menechmies It must be a sharp eye which can be able to distinguish them First in this verse Antichrist is termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee that doth exalt himselfe behold his pride and arrogance Secondly the object is named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above all that is called God or worshipped that is Kings or Emperours a violent intrusion upon Authority and Majesty Thirdly for his Improbity and wicked conditions
provided that they did not deny the Principles that is the Primacy of the Apostolike See c. Pius 4 did offer the Cambd. Annal. anno 1 560. p. 59 same to England by Parpalias Abbot of St. Saviours And Pope Paul 4 did tender unto Tort. Torti pag. 142. Queene Elizabeth leave and liberty to use all the points of Religion as wee then did and now doe enjoy them Modo in Primatum ipsius consentire velletâ—â— onely if shee would give place to his Primacy Consonant to which is Trent Hist lib. 2. pag. 164. that Caveat which Paul 3 gave to his Legates at the Councill of Trent that they should by no meanes permit the Popes authority to be disputed of Thus the maine drift of the Pope is to advance the Papacy I may therefore advance him to one Title more He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that advanceth himselfe more than all the world beside The Act we finde apparent that the Pope doth exalt himselfe The object followeth to be inquired after over whom doth hee exalt himselfe Over all but first over Kings in the phrase of my Text above all that is called God Concerning which consider we their Positions and their Practice Their Positions I thinke none can deliver more truly than their most learned Cardinall Bellarmine Who doth plainly professe both what authority the Pope doth take from Princes and also what authority hee doth exercise upon Princes Which is exaltation enough above Kings and all that is worshipped We say Bell. de Pont. Rom. lib 2. c. 26. saith Bellarmine that the Pope cannot be judged by any Prince or Prelate on the earth â— neque ab omnibus simul in concilio congregatis no not by all the Princes Prelates in the world though in a Councill Asserimus it is our position saith Bell. lib. 5. cap. 6. initio he againe that although the Pope hath no meere temporall power yet in ordine ad bonum spirituale for a spirituall purpose hee hath Power disponendi de temporalibus omnium ChristianoruÌ„ to dispose of the temporalls of all Christian persons And that wee may not mistake him let Bellarmine expresse his owne meaning Potest mutare regna uni auferre ac alteri conferre the Pope saith he hath power to dispose Bell. de Pont. Ro. lib 5. cap. 6. versiâ—a sinem of Kingdomes to give them to some and to take them away from others Or let a Pope confirme the position of their Cardinall Nos Dominus inter Principes imo supra Principes sedere voluit judicare de Principibus saith Pope Innocent Innocent 3 lib. 2. epâ—st 188 3 that is It is Gods will that the Popes should sit among Princes yea above Princes and to bee Trent Hist lib. 4. 314. Trent Hist lib. 5. 395. Iudges of Princes Anno 1551 Iulius 3 told the Embassadour of Henry 2 if the King tooke Parma from him that he would take France from the King Paul 4 at his Table publikely said Hee would not have any Prince for his Companion but all subject under his feet So hee sayd striking his foot against the ground Which is as nobly seconded by Becanus in his Treatise Novus Homo pag. 133. termed Anglicana Controversia the Pope saith he is universall Shepheard of the Church according Ioh. 21. 16. to the Scripture Pasce â—ves feed my sheepe Per Canes intelligantur Reges and the Kings are the Dogges of that Shepheard Therfore so long as those Dogges or Kings are watchfull Pastori ad maâ—â—me esse debent they must waite upon the Pope or Shepheard But if they become idle the Shepheard But if they become idle the Shepheard may turne theÌ„ away ab officio submovendi sunt Againe which is lesse materiall but more authenticall a Taxa Caâ—era Apostolicae part 2. cap. 9. Queene may not adopt a child nor a King exact contributions from his Cleargy without a Licence from the great Clearke of Rome and their Synode of Trent 1563 returned this answer to Trent Hist lib. 8. the French Embassadours saying that Kings are given by God that his was Hereticall and condemned by a Pope Bonifacius 8 in this Extravagant unam sanctam If he did not distinguish that they were from God but by the mediation of his Vicar Finally Carerius concludeth all these premises Carer de Potest Rom. Pont. lib. 1. cap. 3. with an egregious Comment upon Ieremy 1. 10. Behold I have set thee over Nations c. This saith he doth the Prophet speake in the person of Christ unto the Bishop of Rome that if Kings be wicked he may punish and correct them Of whom I may truly say Plus quam regnare videtur cui it a liceat censuram agere regnantium Monarchomach part 1. Tit. 2. pag. 89. Certainly the Pope is more than a Prince who taketh upon him so to censure Princes The text doth frame him a fit title it is the Pope who doth exalt himselfe above all that is called God All which premises are come to a complement The Quarrels of Paul 5 lib. 4. pag. 206. and complete conclusion in our age Anno 1606. in the contentions betwixt Pope Paul 5 and the State of Venice the current doctrine and consent of the Romane writers concurred in this That the Temporall power of Princes is subordinate to the power Ecclesiasticall and subject to it Consequently that the Pope hath authority to deprive Princes of their estates for their faults and errours which they commit in their government Yea though they have not committed any fault when the Pope shall judge it fit for the good of the Church This is related and avouched by a Venetian who was no ProtestaÌ„t but lived and dyed in the outward communion with the Church of Rome Their Practice doth make good these Positions Hist Albing lib. 1. cap. 3. About 1209 the Legate under Pope Innocent 3 commanded Remond the Earle of Toulouze to performe a penance for the Murther of Frier Peter de Chateancuf whom hee neither killed nor caused to bee killed in forme following He commanded the same Earle to strippe himselfe starke naked onely having linnen breeches without the Church of St. Giles Then he put a stole about his necke by which he led him nine times about the grave of the said Fryer Afterward he scourged him in the presence of many Earles Barons and Prelates And finally having forced him to abâ—ure the Relâ—gâ—on of the Albingenses he constrained the miserable man to goe Captaine over the Souldiers of the Crosse against those poore persecured Protestants in Beziers The vsage of a more noble man than this Dr. Beard de Antich pag 76. was yet more ignoble Francis Dandalus Duke of Venice was chained like a Dogge and did eate meat with the Dogges under the Popes Table Anno 1563 Pius 4 cited Ioane Queene of Hist Trent lib. 8 Navarre to appeare within sixe moneths to
humilitatem he is called the Servant of Servants in regard of his meeknesse Finally their owne Archbishop of Granada assistant in the Synode of Trent did Trent Hist lib. 6. confesse that it was an absolute Dominion to make use of the quality of a servant and of a Lord also To conclude others mince the matter by Suarez Apol. lib. 5. c. 17. nu 12 termes of Qualification Est â—us suum à Deo da tum propter bonum Ecclesiae saith Suarez this superiority and authority is in the Pope for the advancement of the Church Bellarmine Bell. Apolog. cap. 9. saith Quà Vicarius Dei that the Pope requireth no such honour for himselfe but onely as he is the Vicar of Christ Wee cannot but remember the case of Fredericke Barbarossa when his necke was under the foot of Pope Alexander the third the Emperour said to him Non tibi sed Petro that is I doe this submission not to thee but to Peter But the Pope answered the Emperour Et mihi Petro that is Now thou shalt be subject to Peter and to me also So will the Pope say to any Prince when he hath got his necke under his foot yea but his head under his girdle Et propter bonum Ecclesiae propter honorem Pontificis that is he shall be a Vassall not onely to the Vicar of Christ which is the Pope of Rome but also to the Pope of Rome though he were No Vicar of Christ But to make all manifest in their holy book Sacrar Cerem lib. 1. sect 1. of Ceremonies dedicated by a Romish Archbishop to a Pope of Rome to Leo the tenth The phrase of the Cardinalls Election runneth thus Ego investio te Papatu ut praesis Vrbi Orbi that is I chuse thee to be Pope who must governe this City and the whole World And that wee should not suppose this superiority to be claimed Sacrar Cer. lib. 1. sect 2. in things Ecclesiasticall onely it followeth in the foresaid booke that when the Pope doth mount his horse the Emperor must hold his stirrup and a King his bridle And if any should except that this is but a Sacrar Cerem lib. 1. sect 7. c. 6. ceremony and therefore no substantial argument I instance againe Pope Sixtus Quartus did solemnly pronounce this sentence of absolute and successive soveraignty Figurat hic Gladius Pontificialis potestatem summam Temporalem à Christo Pontifici collatam juxta Psalmum 72. 8. Dominabitur à Mari c. that is This Pontificall Sword doth signifie the supreme Temporall power which Christ hath conferred on the Pope according to that saying Psalm 72. 8. His Dominion shall be from one sea to the other and from the flood unto the worlds end What tongue can so exalt it selfe against the Truth as to say The Pope doth not exalt himselfe above Kings and Emperours that is Above all that is called God or that is worshipped It is a popiâ—h brag that they have made many Proselytes and that many more Protestants are wavering Would God these few words might touch the eares and hearts of every honest Papist This is plaine The Pope doth exalt himselfe above all Kings and Emperours Now it is avouched by a learned Convert Dr Sheldon Motive 4. who doth know them better by their living than wee can by their writings that some Papists make it an article of their Faith that the Pope hath power to depose Kings I may adde the most Papists for I am sure this is the drift of Bellarmine Suarez and of the most and most learned of their Writers On this ground I build this Dilemma which no evasion I thinke can escape Therefore Every Papist is either an Hereticke or a Traitour If he beleeve that the Pope hath power to depose Princes then is he a true Papist but a Traitour to his King If he beleeve it not then is hee a true Subject but an Hereticke to his Church Now what a wretched Religion is this which doth so inthrall a poore soule that either thy Church shall hate thee as an Hereticke or thy King feare thee as a Traitour And canst thou yet follow nay favour that profession whose very Religion is Rebellion Now whatsoever thou art I intirely beseech thee by thy obedience to thy King by thy honour to thy God and by thy compassion on thine owne soule consider those things which I object seriously and impartially Conclude as God shall encline thee Bee it so as they boast that wee are weake and they wise yet there is a God in heaven who can make his power strong in our weaknesse 2 Cor 12. 9. 1 Cor. 1. 19. There is a God in heaven who can confound the wisedome of the wise Now That God even that God exalt his Truth above that adversarie who doth exalt himselfe above all that is called God or that is worshipped SERMON IX 2 THESS 2. 3 4. So that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God Antichrist shall not sit corporally in the Temple The Pope usurpeth the same power with Christ The same titles That hee is above Councills Can make a Creed The Pope is not the King is Head of the Church The Pope countermands all the Commandements IN this fourth verse Antichrist is expressed by three properties First that He exalteth himselfe above all that is called God or that is worshipped Secondly So that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God This second doth succeed and exceed the former There Antichrist did exalt himselfe above Kings and Emperours here above all Christians There over the Common wealth here over the Church There in things Temporall here in things Spirituall There he doth usurp upon the Estates and persons of Kings and Princes here he doth dominiere over the Consciences of Princes and Subjects of Lay and Clergy of Rich and Poore of All. The Text doth say He doth sit as God in the Temple of God The Papists expound this sentence in this manner He as God sitteth in the Temple of God that is Antichrist in an horrible insolence shall sit in the Temple and command the same adoration to be given to himselfe which is given to God To take it literally is to erre grossely and wittingly every word doth gainsay it First in the Temple Baronius and the best of the Romists avouch that the Temple cannot possibly be built againe Antichrist therefore cannot possibly sit in the Temple Secondly he shall sit the Papists understand this phrase as if a Protestant should demand how long hath Gregory the fifteenth sate in the Church of Rome If he should meane a locall sitting in a materiall Church they would hisse at such an absurd question The sitting then of Antichrist in their own formall phrase cannot be locall or corporall Thirdly He sitteth as God now God hath no bodily position unlesse their pennes shall second their pictures and incline to the Anthropomorphites God hath no body therefore
he was removed out of the way Antichrist then had opportunity to come there was none to let him And finally this present Emperour is Germane Germanus in truth the Germane Empire not the Romane whereof he is onely the image Having neither the seat not the Tribute nor the Territories nor hardly one Towne of the old Romane Empire in derision Knowles Hist of the Turkes whereof the Turke termeth this Emperour the King of Vienna And I suppose that that title is not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which did or could let and with-hold the Man of sinne to be revealed Therefore the Romane Empire quà 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so farre forth as it did or ever could hinder the comming of Antichrist is utterly abolished and absolutely extinguished and nothing now but the meere Name and bare Title thereof remaining To confirme our conclusion by a cloud of their owne witnesses with all reverence I acknowledg the author of this catalogue to be the same famous man from whoÌ„ I have borrowed many of my materialls for these Sermons D. Downame of Dery The falling Dounam Episc Derensis de Antichrist part 2. Dem. 8. Anselmus in 2 Thess 2. Thomas in 2 Thess 2. away of the Nations from the Romane Empire is already accomplished saith Anselmus Thomas secondeth him Iam diuâ—gentes à Romano Imperio recesserunt that is those nations have long since revolted from the Romane Empire Imperium quod sâ—orebat tempore Pauli caruit Imperatore plurimis Lyranus in 2 Thess 2. annis saith Lyranus The Empire in which S. Paul did live and of which S. Paul did speake did want an Emperour many yeares Everhardus said The majestie of the Romane Empire Aventinus Annal. 7. by which the world was once governed Sublata est è terris is taken out of the earth The present Emperour vana appellatâ—o is a vaine name sola umbra the onely very shadow thereof Stapulensis propoundeth it by way Stapulensis l. b 9. in 2 Thess of interrogation which is the strongest assertion Vbi nunc quaeso Romana Monarchia I Viegas in Apoc. Com. 2. sect 17. nu 2. pray you where is now the Romane Empire Dominicus à Soto said Temporale Romanae urbis imperium jam cessavit that the Temporall Empire of the Romane City is gone long agoe Iustinianus Vix tenuem quandam umbram Imperij retineat Benedict lust in 2 Thess 2. This Empire is scarcely a poore shadow of that old Empire of Rome Salmeron Totidem syllabis concludeth our cause in our verie words Imperium Romanum jam diu eversum est The Romane Empire saith he is destroyed long since All addition is superfluous to so plaine an assertion Though this be plaine enough yet peradventure some will require an Historicall relation of the particulars of this point and thus I render it Concerning the removing of the Emperour who letted the Papacy the paire of Popes who finished this feat were Constantine and Gregory the second It is the observation of that noble Knight who is the Champion of our Calling and thereby Sr Hâ—nâ—y Spelman aâ— non temerandis Ecclesâ—is page 83. the Honor of his owne that there were two speciall Persecutors of the Church Dioclesian Iulian but the last was most pestilent Dioclesian occidebat Presbyteros did kill the Ministers but Iulian occidebat Presbyterium did kill the Ministery For he spoiled their Revennues whereby Ignorance issued and Religion decreased Semblably the hinderer of Antichrist had two notable Adversaries Pope Constantine and Gregory the second but the last was most notorious Constantine occidebat Imperatorem did kill the Emperour but Gregory occidebat Imperium did as it were kill extinguish the Empire that it never revived againe in the West So that removing both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 è medio both the hinderer and the thing hindering out of the way Antichrist did march in the Popes High way to the Temple without any impeachment About seven hundred yeeres after Christ Mornaeus Myst Iniq. Progr 27. Philippicus the Emperour coÌ„manded all Images to be taken out of the Churches On this pretence Pope Constantine pronounced him an Heretike and commanded that neither his Picture should be placed in their Churches nor his Name mentioned in their Prayers Which administred Platin. in vit Constant occasion and audaciousnesse to one Arthemius to rebell This rebell did beate his Master také him put out his eyes and put him from the Empire But though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Emperor was removed yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Empire remained and so there remained one rubbe that removed the way were wholly cleared Therefore about the yeare 717 the Emperour Leo 3 surnamed Mornae Myst Proâ—â—es 27. â—â— ar 10. 3. 〈◊〉 â—3 〈◊〉 pag. 373. Isauricus publishing an Edict against Images Pope Gregory 2 excited the Venetians the people of Ravenna and of Rome it selfe to Rebellion arming those Rebells with an Absolution from the oath of Allegiance and an inhibition to pay any more Tribute to the Emperour The Bridle being taken from their necks these beasts fell with a brutish fury on their Emperours Lieutenants They invaded Paul Exarch of Ravenna plucked out the eyes of Peter Duke of Rome murthered Exhileratus the Duke of Campania and filled all Italy with blood and robberies And to bolt the doore when they Baâ—on te 9. Anno 726. Artic. 34. had shut their Master out they tooke a solemne oath of Fealty to the Pope And thus anno 729 by the Holy meanes of the Popes Holinesse was the Emperour taken è medio wholly Removed from the Westerne Empire The Hinderer being thus removed out of the way the prudent Popes put this politike project in practice to keepe him out Least the Emperour should returne to renew the old or to be a new hinderance in his way To this purpose about the yeare 750 Zachary Steven Mornae Myst Imâ—u Progr 27. and Gregory strake in with Pipin Charles and Charlemaine that Mulus Mulum the Pope should annoint him and them Kings of France and that he and they should gratifie the Pope with the Donatives of Rome and Ravenna In pursuit of which purchase they prosecuted â—â—stuphus Desiderius Kings of the Longobardi then possessing those provinces of Italy with 〈◊〉 hostility But in the performance thereof the Emperour of Constantinople interposed his intreaty by Embassadours that there might be Restitution made of those provinces to him the right Owner and Heire of them To whom Ripin returned a ready and resolute reply That for his soules sake he had promised them as a Patrimony to Saint Peter and for Saint Peters sake he must and would performe it which he did indeed And so about 757 was the Emperour and his Exarchs utterly excluded out of Italy He who letteth being thus removed what now letted that That wicked one was not even Then revealed To summe up all these
obedience to God and in unfained innocence to Man Such an heart is murus ahene us a coat of maile against all the hands of Rome yea and their tongues also Now he that hath given us all our hearts give such an heart such a true heart to every one of us Amen Amen SERMON XII 2 THESS 2. 5 6 7 8. He shall be revealed The Time of the Revelation of Antichrist Where our Church was before Luther Affected Ignorance of Antichrist I Have discoursed on the Digression in the fift verse and on the first point in the Progression what hindered that the man of sinne could not be revealed I proceed unto the second point in the 8 verse when he shall be revealed The third 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mystery of iniquitie in the seventh I must reserve to another exercise it is a point of much moment and more materiall then any that hath yet or shall be hereafter handled in this controversie Neverthelesse this also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suarez Apolog. lib. 5. cap. 5. Bell. de P. Rom. 3. 3. He shall be revealed is very necessary Suarez maketh it an argument Bellarmine a demonstration and Lessius argueth in the same manner Lessius de Antichr Dem. 8. that The Pope is not Antichrist because Antichrist is not yet revealed Againe to know Antichrist is the end of all Controversies to know Antichrist revealed is the end of this controversie Matth. 3. 10. Psal 90. 17. Here I lay the Axe to the roote of the Tree In the performance whereof Prosper the workes of our hands O Lord prosper thou our handie worke In the eight verse we have it He shall be revealed That we doe not shut our eyes we may take notice that the Ancients did alwayes open their eyes to observe this thing The Revelation of Antichrist Even within 200 yeeres after Christ the Christians had even then an expectation of the revealing of Antichrist saith Nicephorus in the time of Al Severus About Nicephorus lib. 4. cap 39. Baron 10. 2. pag. 533. 250 Gallus being Emperour the same expectation was revived saith Baronius After 300 sprang Arrius by the common voice of the Christians in those dayes called Christomachus Principium Antichristi the Adversary of Christ and of spring of Antichrist this being as it were a watch-word to expect the grand Antichrist After three hundred fifty yeares under Valens and Valentinianus the militant Baronius tom 4. 296. Church was rouzed by the same Alarum as if Antichrist had beene approaching About 400 Hieron epist ad Geront de Morogamia Epist Episc Gallâ—â— Germ. ad Anast 2. Saint Hierome did put it beyond peradventure that Antichrist was at hand About 500 diverse French and Germane Bishops did imply unto Pope Anastasius the second that Antichrists throne was expected to bee erected in Goldastum in Constitut Imperialium Rationali part 1. fol. 48. Greg. lib. 4. epist 38. Hilar. adversus Arianos pag. 311 Baronius Anno 900 sect 1 2 3. Italy About 600 Gregory wrote Rex superbiae prope est that Antichrist followed at his heeles And Hilary mentioned imminentis Antichristi praevios the Harbingers of Antichrist who come immediately before him But in the yeare 900 even Baronius professeth visurum se abominationem desolationis in Templo tum a Daniele tum a Domino ipso praedictum that in that age of those wicked Popes hee saw the Abomination of Desolation in the Temple mentioned by Daniel and by Christ himselfe After Epist Episcopo Germaniae Belg. ad Nicholaum 2. apud Goldastum in Constitutionum Imperalium part 1. fol. 50. Author vitae Henrici 4. Aventinus lib. 5. a thousand yeeres after our Saviour the Bishops of Germanie wrote to Pope Nicholas the second that Rome was Babylon and the Romish Bishop the person who made himselfe as if he were God subject to no errour Fiftie yeeres after this Henry 4 Emperour complained of the tyranny of the Pope Gregory 7 calling him Antichrist The same Henry 4 according to some Henry 3 published the same thing to all the Princes of Christendome concerning Pope Pascall the second that he laboured to sit more Antichristi in templo Dei as Antichrist in the Temple of God Towards 1150 the Bishop Magdeburg Cent. 12. cap. 9. of Florence did preach publikely that Antichrist was come against whom Pope Paschal 2 called the Councill of Florence Yea in that Bernard â—p 125 Serm. 33. in Cant. Serm. 6 7. in Psalm 91. Baronius Anno 1130. Artis 6. age no phrase was more familiar to Bernard than Bestiam Apocalyp 13 S ti Petri Cathedram occupare that that Beast Revel 13. did sit in the Chaire of Peter Where Baronius his answer is not solide that Bernard spake this against schismaticall Antipopes for hereby Bernard acknowledgeth that Antichrist may sit at Rome which is enough for this present although Bernardus non vidit omnia About 1200 yeeres after our Saviour Everard Archbishop of Saltzburgh made an oration in the presence of Otho Duke of Bavaria at the synode of Ratisbone wherein he avouched Pope Gregory 9 to be Antichrist In the same age the Emperour Petr. de Viâ—cis lib. 1. â—p 31. Fredericke 2 in an Epistle directed to all the Prelates of Christendome called the same Pope the Father of distord the Dragon the 2 Balaam and Antichrist So did their Ioachim Roger Hovend Annal part post Bell. de P. R. lib. 3. cap. â— Avent lib. 6 of Calabria saith our Hovenden So did our Wickliffe saith their Bellarmine Gerochus Bishop of Richemburg put forth a pamphlet to that purpose and called it De Antichristo Hellen queene mother to Richard the second Petrus â—â—esâ—â—s epist 14â— of England spared not Pope Caelestine 3 but stiled him The sonne of Perdition and his City Babylon Anno 1300 arose Marsilius Patavinus Franciscus Pless myst Oppos 53. Petrarcha the Prophecies of Hildegarde Petrus Cassiodorus and principally Iohannes Bitterensis a Franciscane Fryer who composed Postills on the Apocalypse calling the Pope the mysticall Antichrist who being dead hee was digged out of his Grave for his labour Anno 1350 our William of Ockame accused Clemens 6 to be Antichrist and Nicholas Orem said as much of and to Pope Vrbane 5. Towards Avent lib. 7. 1400 many Bulls were set forth by the Popes and Antipopes whereby each denounced other Biblia Pâ—uperuÌ„ Anno 1363. Pless Progr 58. to bee Antichrist If it bee an infallible truth which the Pope pronounceth è Cathedra it may goe for a probability that an Antipope at the least may be the Antichrist for so their owne Bulls have defined it Finally in the 1500 arose Hieronimus Savanarola Mantuanus and many other who spaâ—e more boldly and broadly that the Pope was Antichrist till Luther and the Lutherans did fully accomplish the revelation of the Church Antichristian and happily begin the Relation of the Religion in the West reformation
given the whole world Matth. 4. 9. the Pope I say did give one quarter of the world and divided the two Indias betwixt the two Kings of Spain and Portugal Yet halfe an hundred yeares since more peremptorily Pope Pius the fifth è Cathedra pronounced his power in a solemne Bull that he was Princeps super omnes gentes super omnia regna Prince over all Nations Cambd. Annal. Anno 70. and over all Kingdomes that he had Plenitudinem potestatis fulnesse of power Vt evellat destruat dissipet disperdat To plucke up and Ier. 1. 10. to root up to destroy and cast downe Which he theÌ„ indevored to have exercised upoÌ„ the person of an indeed a Woman but such a Queen as did blow in pieces that swelling bubble And his Bulla did breake like a squib without frighting so much as children Since him and before him since Leo the tenth the Papacy hath Paulus Quintus hiâ— Quarrells with Venice pag. 1. 3. beene in a reciprocall increasing and waining One Pope impairing another Pope repairing the magnificence thereof as the judicious Italians themselves have observed it in the persons of Clemens the eight and Paul the fifth Thus may we see the two hornes of him that is like the Lambe and the two swords of him that speaketh like the Dragon the two Monarchies of the Man of sinne And surely such want their two eyes who doe not see the Sunne at Noone who doe not see Antichrist to be fully revealed and that The Pope is that Antichrist Thus have I discovered the time of Antichrists discovery If you desire moreover testimonies of his Revelation some particulars I have premised in this Sermon But a Catalogue a Cloud of Witnesses almost an hundred Dr. Featlies Appendix to the Conference 1624 names are registred by our ingenious and ingenuous Champion Yet for the full declaration of this point know that the Pope hath beene revealed to be the great Antichrist according to the publike testimony of foure great Nations The French English Bohemians and the Germanes have long since revealed to the world what the word revealed unto them the revelation of Antichrist That Rome is the place and the Pope the person The French claime the precedence Their Pless Myster Opposit 46. Kings are called Christian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they first received the plantation of Christianity Wee adde because they first received the reformation of Christianity Anno 1126 some 500 yeares before Luther Peter Bruis Priest beganne and anno 1147 his Scholler Henry a Monke seconded him and both of them were succeeded by the Waldenses and Albingenses anno 1164. And their doctrine was spred throughout the Diocesses of Orleance imbrum and Gap through the whole Provinces of Languedoc Anvergne and Guienne the professours whereof were called Tolosant condemning Transubstantiation the Masse Praying to or for the Dead worshipping of Saints or Images Inhibition of Mariage c. stiling Popish Prelates the Princes of Sodome and Rome Pless myst Oppos 46. Babell the Mother of fornication These Lights that prudent Church have politikely endeavoured to put under a bushell extinguishing their writings So that we have nothing but what is collected out of their adversaries books who confuted them who testifie what we do that the French so long agoe did renounce the Pope and Popery To the French our English are next in situation Matth. Paris Compend hist Angl. an 1250. and in reformation also Anno 1250 our learned Bishop of Lincolne assayed first to light this Candle by inveighing against the Pope and Popish usurpations for which invections he was excommunicated and dyed under that excommunication Vnder halfe a hundred years after him some sparkes fell from the hand of Paess Myst Opposit 57. our William Ockam by the collâ—sion betwixt Pope Iohn the 22 and the Emperour Lewis the 4 of whom hee was so undaunted an assistant that he durst call Clemens the sixt Antichrist The tinder almost tooke fire when our King Edward the third inhibited our English Pel. Virgil. l. 19. Bishops from running to Rome for their Creation But 1360 the fire was kindled and the Tho. Waldensis Ep. ad Mart. 5. Tho Walsingham in Rich. 2. Candle put in a Candlestick when Iohn Wickliffe of Oxenford maintained that the Pope was an Arch-hereticke and Antichrist and he was maintained by the Vice-chancellor and Proctors of that Vniversity by the Maior and chiefe Citizens of our chiefe City of London by some of our Prelates and prime Clergy and by the Duke of Lancaster and some of the principall Courtiers and Peeres of the Realme Although Pless Myst Opposit 59. being dead he was by the command of Pope Martin the fift digged out of his grave at Lutterworth in Leicester-shire 1428. Yet could not the Pope nor any popish power put out this Candle The Candlesticke indeed was removed his person was exiled and so his doctrine translated into Bohemiah where it gave increase to the profession of the Waldenses and a beginning to the Hussites From these two the French Waldenses and our English Wickliffists sprang the third the Hussites of Bohemia Whose praecursor I conceive to have beene Militz a Preacher of Pless Myst Opposit 59. Prague about 1350 who professed that hee was constrained by the Spirit to goe to Rome there publikely to preach in the presence of the very Inquisitours that The Pope was the verie Antichrist But after 1400 Iohn and Hierome Husse Aeneas Silvius Hist Bohem. and the Hussites did more openly and undoubtedly professe the Pope to be Antichrist Such a number of opposers and in such a nature of opposition as the Pope never felt before till the Sword in the hand of Zisca and the word in the mouth of Iohn Husse and Hierome of Prague durst tell the Pope to his face that he was the Antichrist To extinguish which staine the Councill of Constance was called where they sawed the log but could not cut the Sun-beames they killed the Preachers but their Preaching still survived The Faggots with which they did cruelly and perfidiously overwhelme Poggius in Epist ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aretinum Iohn and Hierome did indeed dampe but not put out the fire of the Gospell For out of the ashes of the Goose so some say signifieth Husse in the Bohemian language arose a Swan such is the signification of Luther in the Germane or a Phoenix rather who gave a complement to the reformation of Religion and to the Revelation of Antichrist The Papists then may reserve their Crambe or their owne Tooth Ordinary judgements â—annot digest their ordinary Quaere Where was the Reformed Religion before Luther These premises may tell them that there was a Visible Reformation and separation from the Romish Church full foure hundred yeares before Luther was borne The Hussites being an hundred years before him our Wicklissists halfe an hundred yeares before them the Waldenses more than an hundred yeares before them
2 Thess 2. 7. saith the same English Author on the same place as an House is long a squaring and preparing in private but at length it is joyned and reared in publike The sense of the text the mystery of iniquity doth already worke is this There is a Diabolicall stratagem under the show of Religion secretly and cunningly to undermine and overthrow Christs true Religion which hath beene working even from the Apostles time to our time That Poperie is this mystery this is the point which by Gods assistance I undertake to make plaine at this season That your understandings and memories may follow my discourse the more easily I will chalke out the way by which I meane to lead your attention First I will shew you their quaerere and then how they did parta tueri the meanes of their gaining and of their retaining the Papall greatnesse Which two stratagems are two great mysteries In their retaining it which for our time involveth the inlarging of the Papacy also they use one mystery to inveagle men and another to intangle men they have their baits to catch them and their hookes to hold them Both which they practise by a secret undermining and by a subtle countermining of their opposites Each of those exploits is like the woman Revel 17. 5. the word Mystery is written in the very forehead thereof For the first how Saint Peter poore Peter rich indeed in spiritualls but poore in temporalls so poore that he was imprisoned by a Romane Magistrate Act. 12. 3. Crucified by a Romane Emperour and certainly the basest Romane subject would have spit in his face and trod on his necke if hee should have dared to have lift up his finger against the Romane Empire Eusebius lib. â—â— 25. Moreover that the Bishops of Rome his successors did succeed and exceed him in povertie they had more ordinary frailties but farre fewer extraordinarie abilities than Peter the whole succession was so poore that they were persecuted aboue 300 yeeres and so persecuted above 200 yeares that they met in cryptis in caves corners conventicles and had not so much as one Church for their religion Calixtus about the yeere 222. did build the first Church Platina in Calixto Discours des temps depuis les Apotres anno 222. for publike Christianity Now according to the parable propounded to the triumphant Tyrant how the Naile which was in the bottome of the Wheele should sensim sine sensu by a motion insensible and incomprehensible climbe to the top and bring the loftie Naile to the Counterpoint How the Romane Church which was vnder foot should rise up and bring down the loftie Lordly Lording Romane Empire to be her underling and the whole Church of Christ together with it This is a wonder and this is the secret and the Mysterie which Saint Paul saith did worke even in his time For the framing of this plot which they have so admirably effected at this day it is generally said that the Heresies which were sowne in the Apostles times were the seed thereof And indeed so they are in generall but I suppose that the more particular prosecuting of their plot was by the publishing of those two doctrines of Devills mentioned Read the 19 Sermon 1 Tim. 4. 3. forbidding of meates and mariage which we see at this day to be the two pillars of Popery in truth the Iachin and Boaz the very strength and establishing of the Romane Monarchie 1 Reg. 7. 21. Notwithstanding I conceive the maine engine for this stratagem to bee another point the point of the Primacie which was an hammering in the Apostles times Not onely that of Diotrephes who loved preheminence in the Church as Saint Iohn taxeth him in his third Epistle Nor that of the Corinthians 1 Cor. 1. 12. where some were for Paul and some for Peter there called Cephas But principally the Primacy attempted by the Church of Rome Rom. 11. 10. Be not high minded and in the 22 verse otherwise thou shalt be cut off For this instruction against Pride though it bee generall to the Gentiles yet is it more speciall to the Romanes And Saint Paul in the same place seemeth to me to Prophecie in two fashions first by way of instruction telling what they should then eschew secondly by way of prediction foretelling what afterwards would be their ruine Now let us briefly ponder how this project of Primacy hath beene prosequuted to this present age Wee see that the seeds of ambition were sowne in S. Pauls time But the power and persecution of the Romane Empire cut downe the blades thereof that their aspiring was fruitlesse for many centuries But at length the harvest of their pride became ripe and they have reaped their Primacy or rather supremacy by these degrees and devices The first which I finde to appeare in promoting Hist Popatus cap. 4. Euseb lib. 5. cap. 22 23 24. the Romane Primacy was Victor Bishop of Rome about the yeare 194 who ordained that Easter should be celebrated by all on the Lords day but therein he was instantly opposed by Polycrates Bishop of Ephesus and by Narcissus Bishop of Hierusalem and others Victor notwithstanding confirmed his decree by a Councill held at Rome anno 196 yet so Bardus Pavin in Chronico anno 196. Histor Papatus cap. 4. as that it was received onely within the Romane Diocesse About 240 yeares after Christ Fabius Bishop of Rome called a Councill at Rome and condemned Novatiane herein hee did somewhat goe beyond the bounds of his Bishopricke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 4. 15. Novatus and Novatiane being both Africans but the piety of the Bishops and the persecution of the Emperours of that age cut off all jealousie suspition or scruple that any Primacy was affected And the godly Christians were glad that Schisme might be composed by any men or meanes Two hundred and fifty yeares after Christ Steven Bishop of Rome incroched a little more Pless Myster progress 2. and more plainly upon Spaine where Basilides Bishop of Asturia and Martial of Melida being deposed because they had sacrificed to Idolls for feare of persecution Steven writ to the Churches of Spaine peremptorily for their restitution Three hundred and fourteene yeares after our Saviour Silvester obtained from the Emperour Constantine to build Churches and many other priviledges Whence his Successors plead also the donation of Constantine that hee gave unto the Pope Rome and a great part of Italy under the name of S. Peters patrimony Although Iohannes Diaconus in the Charter of D. Collins in Eudam part 3. cap. 46. Otho the third is discovered to have beene the father of that memorable fiction Anno 336 Athanasius being condemned by a Baronius anno 34â— sect 5 6. Councill of the Arrians at Antiochia sought for succour from Iulius then Bishop of Rome who intertaining a good cause under the pretence to advance the authority of the Church of Rome
Protestants fiered and faggotted by the Papists with more than Pagan cruelty and inhumanitie Hereupon the Papists not to be behind Tortura Torti pag. 152. hand with them have printed and painted Legends and Legions of their Martyrs To wit that even here in England their men have been sowen in Beare skins and baited by Bandogs that their women have beene bared in their breasts for starven Mice to eate into their entralls And that the Romish Catholikes of both sexes have been haltered to eate hay with horses These are Lyes to us who know them but they make our Persons our Religion our Countrey a loathing and a detestation to those who know us not This then is a mischievous point in their mystery of iniquitie The last Countermining craft of our undermining Adversaries I meane to instance in is the Councill A Councill because it was so confidently called for by the Reformed Churches in Germany that gave great credit and countenance to their Cause It perswaded the people that certainly the Protestants were the Honest men that called for judgement and the Papists the Malefactors who trembled at the triall There by also the Duke of Saxony and the Lantsgrave of Hassia were confirmed the King of Bohemia and the Duke of Bavaria were staggered and the heat of Charles the Emperour much abated in persecuting the Protestants Yea the Popes themselves eight in number for 40 yeres together were as hardly haled to call and continue a Councill at Trent as ever old bitten Beare was dragged to a stake But when necessitie compelled them to appeare they so contrived the cariage of that Councill that whereas the world expected that by it the Pope would have been Reformed if not ruined it was inverted to the Confirmation and Exaltation of the Papacy For now the Pope who before dreaded a Councill as much as ever thiefe did a candle knowing by experience that hee can coine Decades of Italian Bishops and Centuries of Titular Bishops to extort the suffrages from all Christendome Now hee calleth for a Councill as for his Servant and Handmaid The wresting of this weapon out of our hand or rather the turning of it into our Bosome I esteeme the prime policie they ever put in practise to support the Papacie And thus have I discovered our Enemies in their Trenches how by undermining and Countermining they would ruine our Religion by their politike popish Mysterie of Iniquity Ye see the baite by which they attaine now will I shew you the Hooke by which they retaine the Papall magnificence I must obey the time and omit many particulars Concerning their undermining cunning to keepe their Greatness that is an Hooke ore trisulco with three teeth three wayes they hold it The Priests hold the people the Pope holdeth the Priests the politike Cardinalls hold the Pope 〈◊〉 and all of them hold together to hold up the Papacy Like the hooke with the three teeth 1 Sam. 2. 13. to be sure to hold whatsoever they touch for the High Priests 1. First the Priests hold the People by Auricular Confession I say not that Confession is the mint of Treason their Absolution injoyning a Resolution to undertake any thing against any man who is an Enemie to the Catholikes Nor doe I tell you it is a Discloser of State-secrets by it the Pope sitting at Rome as Elisha did at Dotham 2 Reg. 6. 12. he is informed of the verie words which the King speaketh in his Bed-chamber But by this the persons which confesse their secret sinnes are made Slaves to their Confessors For whatsoever they talke of that secret sacred Sacrament I doubt not but they will print that Sigillum Confessionis in the forehead of the Penitent and have trickes at least threats to publish his crime and shame if he dare to fall from them This is an hooke to hold thousands of their Proselytes this is no small mysterie of their popish Iniquity 2. And the Priests doe not hold the people so fast by auricular Confession but the Pope doth hold the Priests as fast by inhibiting to mary For the full streames of the Church Treasure would feele a shrewd Ebbe if they should runne out into those little branches Wives and Children And which is of more moment the dis-inheriting of the Children is a dis-heartning of the Parents to prove Traitours But where there are and can be no such Pledges of loyaltie to the Country the Church of Rome may possibly command some good Catholike to stake his life for to stabbe his King Thus single life doth hold in the Priests unto the Pope against their Prince against their lives yea against their soules This is another Hooke another rare mystery in their popish Iniquity 3. Yet this is most memorable that the Hooke is put into the nostrills of the Fisherman himselfe for the Pope is held by the Cardinall to hold up his Greatnesse I cannot imagine but some Popes have had some motions to regulate some heteroclite abuses in the Papacie But the politike Cardinalls whose pompe dependeth on his papall magnisicence to prevent any reformation forestall all information as the third Chapter of our New booke called the New man maketh it plaine that Cardinall Burghesius opened and concealed all the letters from Pope Paul 5 which should have informed him of any abuse in the Romane Church And thus abyssus abyssum invocat one instance doth occasion another to discover this mysterie of popish Iniquity To conclude with their mysteries in Countermining us In this also there are 8 things multa paucis which our Church doth approve and use These the Papists doe pervert to the ruine of our Church if Christ did not mightilie and mercifully support it 1. Obedience Is it not the perswasion of our lippes the meditation of our hearts and the Theame of our Sermons Cry we not out against refractary faction as against the Viper which will eate out the bowels of our Church Yet the strange practise of this in the Church of Rome they make their Engine to subvert the Church reformed The Iesuites leave the vowes of Poverty and Chastity unto other orders and bind themselves chiefly to the Vow of Obedience whereby they sweare to obey the Pope in omnibus per omnia caecâ obedientiâ that is to Moulins Accompl pag. 145. execute the command of their superiour without asking why This obedience prostrateth theÌ„ to practise any thing against any person Is not this a Mystery a dreadfull damned mystery of Iniquitie 2. The Scriptures Doth not every Christian Church yea every Christian man trumpet out that command of Christ Iohn 5. 39. Scrutamini Scripturas Search the Scriptures yet is not the very reading of them contrived to be a Lime-twigge of Popery They may read them but they must sweare unto the second article of their second Creed composed by the Councill of Trent coÌ„manded by Pope Pius 4 1564. Sacras Scripturas secundum sensum queÌ„ Ecclesia tenet recipâ—o that is I
Law and without God At 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will not cast such durt in their faces although I may rake much with much Meleâ— Canus lib. 11. cap. 6. facility from their owne Dunghills Wee produce their owne miracles against their owne persons and their owne propositions There remaineth one maine miracle a maine argument wherin some Papists doe triumph and whereat some Protestants doe stumble From Revelation 13. 13. thus they dispute Antichrist doth cause fire to come from Heaven The Pope doth not cause fire to come from Heaven Therefore the Pope is not Antichrist I answer this cannot bee taken literally because the whole Chapter is mysticall None can be so grosse as to thinke that a Beast indeed shall rise out of the very Sea having seven heads and ten hornes as it is in the first nor that the people shall worship a very Dragon as it is in the fourth nor that there shall bee another beast like a Lambe and a Dragon as in the tweâ—th neither shall it be a very sire as it followeth in this thirteenth I say therefore is an Allusion unto 1 King 18. 24. This exposition though it be singular good yet is it not singular besides our owne learned Expositors it is so expounded also by Paulus Bernriedensis Paul Bernried in vita Greg. 7. who mentioning divers wonders of fire wrought by Pope Gregory the seventh doth sundry times resemble him to Elias According to that resemblance and not literally I say Antichrist shall cause sire to come from heaven In 1 King 18. 24. there being a difference in Israel betwixt Baals Priests and the Prophet which was the true Religion Elias testisieth his to be the truth by causing sire to come from heaven So here there being a difference in the Church whether the Religion of Christ or of Antichrist was the truth the text saith Antichrist shall cause sire to come from heaven in conspectu hominum that is he shall make his salse Religion to appeare to men to bee the truth as effectually as if like Elias hee should cause sire to come from heaven for a confirmation of his doctrine Which is most agreeable to the Pope The caeca obedientia blinde obedience of the Clergy and the implicite saith of the Laity the one beleeving whatsoever the Pope teacheth and the other obeying whatsoever the Pope commandeth without examination or disputation and both as consident in what the Pope teacheth as if they saw sire come from heaven to confirme his doctrine Here I professe that argument which once did most stagger me doth now most strengthen me in this point I take this to be an insoluble syllogisme Whosoever maketh his followers as confident in their errours as if they saw fire come from heaven to confirme them is That Antichrist But the Pope maketh his followers as confident in their errours as if they saw fire come from heaven to confirme them Therefore the Pope is that Antichrist I desire that every honest and understanding Papist may take this argument into their conscionable and serious consideration I will but touch upon two points and so conclude First Whether the Papists doe worke any miracles Secondly If they doe Whether those miracles should perswade us to be of their Religion a Proposition and a Supposition To the first the phrase of Arnobius will Arnob. adveâ—s Gentes lib. 1. frame a fit resolution by a most apt application Saepe sciamus scierimus Full often have we knowne and as often shall we know say the Papists many cured by miracles Inquiro Quis Quo loco Cui auxiliatus fuerit By what person In what place and of what disease have those miraculous cures healed them Againe An sine ullius adjunctione materiae have they beene healed without application If any thing hath beene applyed to those Creples Clinikes c. benesicia ista rerum non sunt curantium potestates they were then healed by the secret vertue of the things not by the miraculous manifest power of the Agents Finally Quod millia debillium how many millions of miserable creatures can we shew you who Cum per omnia supplices irent Templa after they have gone Pilgrimes to all the Saints Shrines in Christendome Cum deorum ante or a prostrati after they have prostrated themselves before all the holy Images Cum limina ipsa convererent osculis after they have swept the very pavement of their Churches with their lips Nullam omnino retâ—lisse medicinam and yet to have receiued no Benefit to their diseased carkeises These are the words of Arnobius but mine owne interrogations I request any sober papist to render a solid resolution Some ioyne issue and say that at this day they can instance in Miracles wrought beyond the Seas and in England also Beyond the Sea and beyond our Beliefe also Lipsius his chronicles are Lipsius de Virg. Hallens cap. 12. Acosta de salut Indorum lib. 6. cap. 4. 12. 17. Melchior Canus lib. 11. cap. 6. fraught with miracles of the Lady of Halls as giving sight to the blinde c. We answer For such miracles in generall Acosta who hath travelled as farre and Melchior Canus who read as much as did Lipsius dare not venture their credit in countenancing those Popish miracles And for the Popish restoring of the blinde in particular a French impostor was discovered at our Ladies of Renand in Paris â—â—â— Sâ—â—v Apology Fox Monum to 1. vita Henr. 6. and an English counterfeit at S. Albons in Hartfordshire both by the selfe same impudent ignorance and ignorant impudence a brace of borne-blinde Bayards would take upon them at the first moment of their miraculous sight to judge of colours Also here at home Eudaemon cryeth us downe with an instar Eudamon advers Abbot lib. 3. sect 4. omnium with one amazing miracle Quantum vobis Quantum vestris Magistratibus Quantum Regio Consilio admirationis attulit Quantum terroris incussit Garnetiana illa palea Oh quoth he what wonderment and astonishment overwhelmed you your Magistrates yea and your Kings privy Counsell because of Garnets straw We answer we value it as it was it was a miracle of straw Our boyes deride it because none of our men beleeve it As one speaketh it was done artificio by Art and by no wonderfull Art neither If any lust to spend Abbott Antilog cap. 14. time to know toyes reverend Abbots Antilogy to Eudaemon his ridiculous Apology will give him a superabundant information To unty the first knot we say The Papists doe no miracles here especially This I make good on two grounds First consider what God will doe not confirme an errour by his suffrage Which he should doe if an errour were countenanced by a true miracle Secondly what the devill can doe no true miracle Therefore his assistance availeth not Therefore neither digitus Dei nor digitus Diaboli neither can the devill nor will God inable the Papists to
and the true Religion Finally Ecclesia non errat The Church cannot erre this is the Principle of Popery And they build this position on that promise of Christ Matth. 16. 18. Vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it Hereon triumphing Suarez doth insult in Romana Petra fundatos frigida Suarez Apolog. pâ—aes Aquilonis procella dimovere non potest the cold northerne blast cannot move nor remove such as are built upon that Romane Rocke Vpon that Romane Rocke prove that and we submit to the Roman Religion He doth prove it Suarez Apolog. lib. 6. ca. 5. nu 2. froÌ„ an axiome amongst Expositers Consuetudo est optima interpres Custome is the best Interpreter But the Church hath perpetually interpreted this of Peter and therefore of Rome Therefore Rome must bee the Rocke of our faith and the Romish Religion the onely true Religion On these premises thus they conclude Our Religion is the old Yours the new Religion Ours little lesse then Oecumenicall Yours little more than Provinciall Ours united under one head Yours divided into many schismaticall members Ours the Rocke of Truth Yours therfore which is fallen from vs must bee Erroneous Schismaticall Hereticall and Diabolicall These are the seeming arguments to perswade unto Popery in the phrase of my text the deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse This is the History of Iustine the Historian Iustin lib. 24. Strangers arriving at Delphi as they spake amongst themselves by them was heard Sonus multiplex ampliorque more lowder speeches than they uttered At this they stood amazed till intelligence and experience taught them that this sound did proceed personantibus resonantibus inter se rupâ—bus from Empty caves which did not returne their reall voyces but imperfect and inarticulate resemblances So when our owne speeches acknowledge the worth of those worthy graces Antiquity Vniversalitie Vnity and Infallibility the Papists redoubling these words as if they were their owne may make us amazed at the first but intelligence and experience will assure us that these are the reports onely of emptie mouths and that they speake no true realities but very Echoes onely the inarticulate imperfect resemblaÌ„ces of those excellent words Antiquity Vniversalitie Vnity and Infallibility Let us therefore unmaske these reasons and looke upon the face of these Fallacies First they argue their religion was the first and therefore it is the best They plead Antiquity We ioyne issue with them Antiquitie is the badge of verity Herein even Apollo spake Oracles who being demanded of the Athenians which Religion was the best answered the Ancâ—entest the demand being seconded which was the Ancientest hee answered the second time that which was the best To 〈◊〉 Logicke phrase wee acknowledge that the true Religion and the old Religion are convertible termes Id verum est quod antiquum est Tertull. Concil Nicen. saith a Latine Father and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was the consent and conclusion of that Greek Councill that is the old Religion is the true religion But we adde of the Papists they pretend but they have not antiquitie for their Religion Iustly therefore may their Vaineglorie ebbe from those swelling words of vanity the Romish Religion that Ancient Romish Religion whereby they presume that they must sweepe all away before them as did Kishon that Ancient river Kishon Iudg. 5. 21. If pretence of antiquity might prevaile those very Magicians would perswade us that their Treatises have beene made by and received from Athanasius Cyprian Moses Adam yea even from Raphael Iuel Apolog. pag. 141. the Archangell and the Divell himselfe can plead Age an Old Serpent and a Lyer from the beginning To come to the point if the Popish bee truely the old Religion wee will confesse it and imbrace it as the true religion But what is old Quod ab Apostolis that which hath beene taught by the Apostles saith Tertullian Tertul. And Saint Augustine giveth the right rule to Vincentius Audi dicit Dominus non dicit Donatus August â—p 48. aut Rogat us We may English it to our purpose we must say that ReligioÌ„ is old not that which Rome calleth old nor that which England calleth old but what the Scripture sheweth to be so Now for the Scriptures we call to the People to read them they command the people not to read them Whether wee or they are afraid to try the Antiquity of our Religion by the Scripture the onely true triall of true Antiquity Let any impartiall man give the Verdict 2 Vniversalitie Wee say it is no note of the true Church and yet we say the Papists have it not Arianisme was and Mahometisme is more universall than Popery is at this day The Mahometans doe as farre exceed the Papists in multitude as the Papists doe the Reformed Nay to speake properly there are full as many of the reformed as are of the Romish Religion Let us estimate either Church by the number of Professors and not of Persons and this will appeare to be no paradoxe Professors are such as doe beleeve what they Professe explicitely and can render a reason of their Profession herein our number is no way inferiour unto others We say therefore for Vniversality We equall them and the Turkes goe farre before them And howsoever that doth Bellarmine and Bell. de notis Eccle. lib. 4. ca. 7. Suarez Apolog. lib. 1. cap. 15. num 6. Suarez doe acknowledge that Vniversality properly taken is not the proper note of the Church Vnitie I confesse the want of it the blemish of the Reformed Church and bewaile the want thereof in our owne English Church yet I adde False Churches haue had it and the Romish Church hath not it The Turkes are termed Islami that is men of one mind they are Pius 2 Epist ad Moâ—hisanum pag. 68. so farre from differing that they doe not so much as dispute of any points in their profession I hope the Papists will not conclude therefore the Turkish is the true Religion And for the Papists they have beene at as good unitie amongst themselves as the Midianites were Iudg. 7. 22. When the sword of every man was against his fellow I will not rehearse the discords Vsserius de Christ Eccles Succes cap. 9. betwixt the Thomists the Franciscans and the Dominicans the Sorbonists and the Mendicans or the Priests and Iesuites I will instance in their dissentions of an higher nature There have beene three Popes at one time one in France another in Spaine and a Wats Quodl 7. Artic. 9. pag. 200. third in Italy Two Antipopes Vrban the sixt and Clement in France had many battles and many were slaine even thousands There have beene 23 Schismes in the very seat of Rome sometimes 2 and sometimes 3 Popes at once and so continuing in schisme sometimes 3 7 20 30 40 and 50 yeares together This is no Protestants imputation it is a Papist who
Machline spend seven houres every day in solemne prayers And in Italy at the sound of a Bell at one instant three times a day sunne setting sunne rising and at noon Relation of the Religion in the West sect 4. all people in every place street market house fields c. kneele downe and send up their united prayers unto heaven Admirable devotion if it were as it seemeth I argue but foure small frailties in the performance thereof nothing but Ignorance Superstition Pride and Hypocrisie They pray in Latine whereby he that occupyeth the roome of the unlearned cannot say Amen a custome coÌ„demned long since by S. Paul in the Corinthians and yet some 1 Cor. 14 16. will have him at this day to approve it in the Romanes Next they imploy their devotion in Ave Maries to the blessed Virgin and prayers to a creature cannot bee cleared from sacrilegious superstition Thirdly the Devotion of those Hypocrites is as the house of the Spider they place affiance in their Orisons and depend upon their prayers as meritorious Finally they draw neere to God with their mouth and with their lips they honour him but they have removed their hearts farre from him Isay 29. 13. Qui caret devotione non peccat He that hath no devotion in his prayers sinneth not saith a learned Papist This doubling in their devotion Iacob de Gra. Dâ—cis Aâ—r. part 1. lib. 2. cap. 53. nu 16. doth double our detestation of their dissembling Religion Neverthelesse to the simple and the credulous it is perswasive attractive indeed the deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse The last device which they practise to draw men to Popery and to confirme men in Popery is a shew of Discipline Discipline indeed discharged is indeed necessary As necessary to a man as it is to an Army It is to the body of the one as it is to the Souldiers of the other it keepeth it from rebellion Of Discipline the Papists vaunt much to the humble simple and sorrowfull sinner They tell them of their penance and poverty of their sacke-cloth and ashes and of their Lent and fasting And that in our Religion there is nothing but loosenesse and liberty I answer for us the defect of discipline is the fault of our persons not of our Church What person may not give as much to the poore and take as much from his delights as his conscience shall perswade him Nay more we know our Church doth injoyne Fasting Lent Penance and other points of Discipline For them I say it is better not to use Discipline absolutely which wee doe not than to abuse it superstitiously which they doe And againe there is no greater liberty in any Religion under heaven than in the Romish I appeale to their magnificent indulgences and indulgent penances But by this you may conceive what arguments and instruments they use to confirme and inlarge the Dominions of Antichrist They will perswade you publikely by their writings and privately in your houses They will blind you with the pretence of sincere devotion and austere discipline The Agents which use these are infinite industrious and learned men but such as the text speaketh of who are set on worke by Satan to draw men to a false Religion But the God of heaven make us all constant and conscionable in the practice and profession of the true Religion SERMON XVIII 2 THEâ—S 2. 9 10. After the working of Satan in all power Of Satan Papists refuse all communion with Protestants Why so many learned turne Papists No reconciliation with Rome I Have shewed you the meanes instrumentall whereby the comming of Antichrist is confirmed Miracles and Oracles I proceed to the principall meanes his person Satan of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adversarius qui obsistit an enemy who doth resist saith Erasmus Or Satanas quasi Satanachas that is a Serpent or an Impostor as Aretius delivereth it out of Iustine Martyr so both force and fraud shall concurre in the confirming of Antichrist As Christ doth worke mightily in his Ministers Coloss 1. 29. so doth the Devill work mightily in his ministers both in eis per eos in them and by them making them both to teach and beleeve his devillish errors As 1 King 22. 22. the Devill was a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahabs Prophets and the text saith they did perswade and prevaile So according to this text the Devill shall stirre up and inable learned men to confirme the comming of Antichrist and they shall perswade and prevaile And that in an admirable manner as it followeth in the next point his potency 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when wee cannot expresse the power of an Agent wee terme it in Latine energeticum and energeticall in English here translated the working of Satan The meaning is The Devill shall inable men to spread and perswade the doctrine of Antichrist in a mighty powerfull manner beyond admiration To proceed this mighty power we may perceive exercised on and by the Papists to support Antichrist I insist in one instance The Powerfull agents of Antichrist have so powerfully prevailed with inferiour Papists that they refuse all community with all Protestants in all the exercises of Religion Concerning Religion in generall and Prayer in particular these ought to be the rules of true Christians First to separate in the exercises of the contrary Religion onely in those things wherein they dissent Secondly to refuse to pray with the contrary onely if there bee scandall Thus may they refuse to communicate with us and wee with them because of Transubstantiation a point of difference and scandall to either part But when there is no difference nor scandall there should be no refusall of communion With the Papists it is farre otherwise they with us abhorre all community They reject our Bookes before they reade them our Sermons before they heare them our persons before they see them and our positions before they know them They will not doe us that Christian right which the Bereans did Saint Paul Act. 17. 11. to examine our doctrine by the Scriptures but they wrong us as Demetrius did him Act. 13. 32. making the multitude to cry out against us and yet the most of them know no cause for it For Prayers Our Châ—rches they enter not though our Leiturgy hath nothing offensive to them If by chance they hap into an house where the houshold settle to pray out ruuneth the Romist from a Protestant as Saint Iohn did from Cerynthus as Iren lib. 3. cap. 3. if our very prayers were abominable enough to make the house fall on them or sinke with them At our meales if we thanke God a Papist must not say Amen At their owne meales they will rather eate their meat without Gods blessing than aske it in the presence of a Protestant though for this later some few in England have lately a little refined this fancy I
which they did beleeve sor their pride did withhold them So in the Church of Rome doubtlesse there are many who seare the Pope to be Antichrist and know themselves to be erroneous but the pride of themselves and praise of others withhold them to confesse it As S. Iohn speaketh 5. 44. They receive honour of one another and therefore they receive not the truth and reforme not their errour In Italy their Cardinalls Churchmen equall to Princes they could not subsist if the Pope or his pompe should fall and therefore they must uphold him In France if the Clergie should turne they should turne admirable immunities and dignities to undoubted poverty peradventure necessity and therefore they will never reforme but nourish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implacable hatred against the Protestants Some even Protestants can tell how an argument will sway with men which is drawne ab utili from praise profit and promotion And therefore it is no paradoxe to conclude Many learned Papists are obstinate in their errours for pride doth detaine them Fourthly the Iudgement of God is the cause that so many learned men are so ignorant that they doe not or will not know Antichrist though plainely discovered to the whole world Thus Deut. 29. 4. the Israelites fell from God though miracles were ever before their eyes the reason is there rendred The Lord gave them not eyes to see nor an heart to conceive Againe as it is in Isa 44. 16 17. that Idolaters should be so grossely gracelesse as to take a blocke to burne one piece and to adore another is it not a wonder but that we are there told by God himselfe that God himselfe did shut their eyes that they could not see and their hearts that they could not understand At the comming of Christ his own City Ierusalem did reject their Messias they bragd of Doth not Christ give the cause it was hid from their eyes Luk. 19. 42 In like manner at the comming of Antichrist the most glorious part of the Church of Christ doth serve the enemy of Christ the reason whereof is evident out of the verse following this Text God doth send them strong delusions Thus their Study Pride Prejudice and the just Iudgement of God I conceive to be the soure great causes that so many great learned men are the slaves of that great Antichrist These are the meanes that according to the working of Satan in all power he so admirably prevaileth upon them But that he may never in like manner prevaile upon any of us the Lord of heaven prevent for Iesus Christ his sake There remaineth the principall the person supporting Antichrist The mystery of Iniquity is vpheld by the working of Satan 1 Tim. 4. 1. the working of Satan is called the doctrine of devills and that doctrine of Devills is there named vers 5. to be forbidding of meats and mariage But the Church of Rome doth forbid meats and mariage Therefore the Church of Rome doth teach the doctrine of devills Therefore the Church of Rome is supported by the working of Satan Therefore the Church of Rome is the Church of Antichrist I will exercise them a little to untwine these plaine connexions Here appeareth the erroâ—â— to say no more of our Reconcilers of those who undertake to reconcile the Protestants to the Papists That worke is a Chimaera in their intention and will be abortive in the execution When there can bee no atonement betwixt God and Satan Christ and Belial the Christians and Antichristians In a word when truth may bee reconciled unto falshood which is supported by all power after the working of Satan then will I imagine that there may be atchieved a reconciliation betwixt the Church of Rome and the Church Reformed Till then I must susspect all pretence of reconciliation to bee an errour in them if not a trap for us Psal 120. 6. The best that I ever heard or read any speaking Relat. of the Religion in the West sect 48. to this point is that learned Gentleman who proposeth his project of Vnion by the distribution of Vnity Whether poore Christendome may hope for Vnity of Verity or Vnity of Charity or Vnity of Perswasion or Vnity of Authority or Vnity of Necessity Yet nunquam magis dubit at am de finibus quà m quum legebam Ciceronem de sinibus his discourse hath confirmed me more that Reconciliation is impossible For he himselfe confesseth that it is a thing to be wished not to bee effected To which I adde that sentence of our divine Seneca Sooner may God create a new Rome than reforme Dr. Hall No Peace with Rome sect 22. the old Grant that which all the world is never able to prove Suppose the Pope be not Antichrist Notwithstanding we must suppose reconciliation unto Popery to be impossible First these Reconcilers have beene alwayes fruitlesse in their indeavours and sometime fatall unto Christendome As the learned insist in the Trent Hist lib. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Zeno the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Heraclius the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Constance and the Interim of Charles the fift all which did not reunite but rend the division wider And what effect produced the laborious treatise of that learned Papist set on worke by two severall Emperours Ferdinand and Maximilian to compose the Quarrells of the Church Onely of Cassander hee became Cassandra although hee spake as a Prophet yet no body would beleeve him Hereupon politike Pope Paul the third did laugh at Charles the fift who attempted a reconciliation betwixt the Papists and the Protestants anno 1548. and it standeth with great reason For the most cautelous phrases of the most câ—riâ— us Reconcilers when they come to the scanning will bee ambiguous Superficially considered they may receive good sense but seriously sifted they containe the old errours And the effect was as the Pope presaged the Emperor indevoring to reconcile two contrary opinions he made them both agree to impugne his and each more obstinately to defend his own Then consider the parties and Reconciliation will appeare on our side to be improbable on their side impossible God knoweth some of our side are intractable and obstinate enough For mine owne part I professe I love peace next to truth and for the injoying thereof I would submit my selfe to any thing that doth not evidently infringe a good conscience I could bee contented First that the Pope should injoy those Temporall dominions which the skill of his Ancestours hath left unto him Secondly with our King with God I would be content to acknowledge him the Patriark of the West and Prime Bishop of the World so that he keepe him within the compasse of his owne Dioces Thirdly that in deepe disputes of Election Freewill Reall not Carnall Presence and such like Vnusquisquis abundet sensu suo that every man might enjoy the freedome of his owne judgement without any bitter invections or uncharitable censuring Fourthly I could
permit them their Discipline even Penance and Confession prouided that they impose it not upon others Finally I could yeeld for Peace to any thing which can admit any Conscionable or Charitable interpretation For I thank God I have learned to hate Opinions not because they are Popish but because they are Erronious This professe I for my selfe I dare not promise so much for all We know there are some who onely for the Cap the Knee though we come with the Cap with the Knee yet will they neuer be intreated to be Reconciled toâ—â—â—s What hope then can there be to draw them to a Reconciliation in those great points which indeed are a great deale more difficult Thus Reconciliation on our side is improbable but on their side plainly impossible The most moderate learned and most sanctified of the Protestants speake and seeke to the Papists in the words of St. Paul If it be possible we will have Peace Rom. 12. 18. But long and lamentable experience returneth the attaining of such Peace to be impossible in the phrase of Zacharie 7. 1 and 12. They refused to harken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their eares yea they haue made their hearts as hard as an Adamant Which impossibility of Peace or of any Peaceable Reconciliation wee may conceive it we consider their Positions Dispositions and the Composition or the very Beeing of the Papacie Their Positions or Paradoxes are intolerable and such as contradict if not Ruine the Foundations of Christianitie The Lords Prayer is as good as annihilated to the Common People because praying in Latine they cannot say Amen to that they vnderstand not In the Creed the tenth Article is plainly gainsaid by that arrogant opinion of merits In the Decalogue the second Commandement is grosly transgressed by the worshipping of Images And in the Sacrament the Adoring the Bread and the withholding of the Cup the one against the apparent Trueth and the other against the Confessed institution of Christ In all these there can be no amity with Rome without enmity with God Though Israell play the Harlot yet let not Iudah offend Hosea 4. 15. Add to this the interdiction of the Scripture against the expresse precept of Christ Iohn 5. 39. and the Popes Power to Depose Hookâ—r in Hab. 14. Sect. 27. Princes accounting himselfe Lord Paramont over Kings and Kings his Seruants Paravaile the very Character of Antichrist 2 Thes 2. 4. As also his Divorces in mariages and Dispensations in Oathes Moreover all their errours are imposed as Crakenth De â—â—â—s Eccles Aug. cap. 83. matters of faith and no faith is to bee kept with Heretikes this is a decree of Pope Vrbanus the sixt which you may read in Dr. Crakenthorp against Spalato For us to yeeld to these is no lesse than the losse of our lives peradventure salvation For them to reforme it is no more than to perswade the Pope to yeeld up his keyes and Crowne which I thinke those Reconcilers have no great hope to performe Howsoever wee may say in the words and judgement of judicious Hooker Let them hate Hooker in Hab. 1. 4. sect 27. and forsake all their Idolatry and abjure all their errours and heresies and wee will meet rhem Tolet. Inâ—â—r lib 1. cap. 9. with Olive branches But if they will not we have the warrant of their owne Cardinall and Casuists to avoyd Heretickes and Heresie And we are confident for our selves that wee may shape the same answer to these reconcilers which Iehu did to Ioram 2 Kings 9. 22. What Peace so long as the whoredomes of your mother Iezabell are so many Next if their positions might bee reconciled yet their dispositions are irreconciliable For in Relation of the Religion in the West 48. all their Conferences ere they have departed they have plainly discovered that they came not with any such intent as to yeeld any thing for Peace much lesse for Truths sake but onely to assay either by manifold perswasions to intreat or reduce or otherwise to intrap or disgrace the Adversaries Moreover the Popes themselves are Patrons and patternes of this inflexible Whitâ—ker in Bell â—ont 4. Qâ—â—st 5. perversnesse Hereupon when as Pope Adrian at the Norimberg Diet promised a Reformation but Pedetentim deliberately foot by foot Luther did interpret that Pedetentim that the Pope meant to have inâ—er pedes singulos centum annos that is an hundred yeares betwixt every foot before hee would set hand to Reformation And the same Luther had the like jeast against Paul the third that his summoning of the Trent Councill was much like unto them Dr. Hall No Peace with Rome sect 22. that mocke an hungry dogge with a crust and a knife who in stead of giving him the bread let him feele the haft But that was no jeast which was related by Hugh the Cardinall to the Citizens Matth. Paris in Henr. 3. of Lyons in the name of his Lord the Pope taking leave of them 1250 Since our comming to your City we have done you one benefit when we came first we found here three or foure stewes but going away we leave but one and that reacheth from the Easterne to the Westerne gate thereof And the onely peece of ground which all those Popes sought and fought to make good against the forces of Christendome at Trent was that that Councill should not touch upon the point of Reformation the elder sister to Reconciliation And this their unreasonable obstinatenesse standeth with some reason for Reconciliation presupposeth some errours on either side which must be reformed and some extremities which must be remitted But they will acknowledge none Ecclesia non potest errare that the Romane Church hath no Errour this is the Basis of the Romish Religion if they will say that the Pope notwithstanding will grant to us a connivence that wee may practise our Religion without hindrance this were permission indulgence and no reconciliation And I thinke the Protestants will hardly admit of a dispensation in stead of a Reconciliation Neither are the Popes and Papists over-free even in this For at the Councill of Trent the King of Bohemia the Dukes of Saxony and Bavaria the Lantgrave of Hassia and diverse of their owne learned Bishops could not intreat a permission but in two points Mariage to the Clergie and the Cup to the Laity Therefore their resolute disposition is a gulfe betwixt them and us No hope of Reconciliation That you may not suspect me to misreport their resolution heare the Papists speake in their owne language Non de uno aut altero Bell. Epist Dediâ—at capite Bellarmine saith we contend not about one or two points sed de tota propemodum religionis Bell. de R. Pont. Praefat. summa dimicavi but our contention is concerning almost the whole Summe of ReligioÌ„ The same Author in his Preface to his Treatise of the Pope propoundeth a question De quare agitur Whereof
ausi sumus eorum potius consuetudini cessimus quam illos in fidem nostram voluntatemque traduximus If those men could returne from the dead of whom the Papists doe so much bragge when they should see our Churches full and theirs empty peradventure those very men would say if they were such as they are recorded to be these are the things which we never durst preach unto the people but wee did rather yeeld connivence to their profession then labour to convert them to our superstition Thus certainly would some of our Forefathers say if they were alive They would not condemne us who are alive Wee will not condemne them who are dead We doubt not but God was mercifull Hoâ—ker in Hab. Sect. 9. to save thousands of our forefathers who lived in popish superstition in as much as they sinned ignorantly For a more ful satisfaction our forefathers who lived in the time of Popery before the Reformation they lived indeed in a time of blindnesse when the blind did lead the blind and it is to be feared that many fell into the Ditch But withall it may be hoped that many also escaped and were saved I ground this charitable and comfortable conclusion on these three probable premises Many of our forefathers although they lived under the Pope yet were they not Popish fundamentally obstinately nor finally 1. Many were partakers of the errour who were not of the haeresie of the Church of Rome Many did not hold those opinions which either directly or indirectly overthrow the foundation of Christian Religion I instance in one that ingens hiatus Luke 16. 26. that great gulfe betwixt the Papists and Protestants Acts 4. 12. Salvation is by no other I say wee hope that there were many who did not ascribe any part of their salvation to themselves or to any other Creature but to Christ alone As Waldensis is said to observe that the point of merits was not knowne in England in the time of Henry the fift and such wee hope in such a time might finde Mercy with our Saviour and be saved 2. Many also practised Popery but they were so far froÌ„ obstinate rejecting of the truth that we may beleeve they would have received the trueth if it had bin offered unto them and if they had not beene hindered by invincible ignorance Yea we may conceive that some of them did groane under the gossenesse of Popery According to that which is said to bee the common saying of Dominicus Chalderine concerning the Masse Let us Quarrels of Paulus 5. Epist Deâ—ic quoth hee goe to our common Errour And even in our age the learned Author of that excellent History of Trent generously vindicated the illustrious Venetians from the Empire of the perpetuall Dictator of Rome These certainely and many besides these did groane under the Yoake of Antichrist Although Gods wisedome did permit none in our fathers age to take it from their Necks yet may we comfort our selves in that comfortable saying 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not I say and hope therefore that many of our Forefathers were saved To conclude this point in the words of Hooker in Hab. pag. 28. profound acute Hooker From the man that laboureth at the plough to him that sitteth in the Vaticane to all the Partakers of Babylon to our Fathers though they did but erroniously practise that which the guides did teach heretically to all without exception plagues are due The Pit is ordinarily the end as well of the guide as of the guided in blindnesse Againe those who knowing heresie to be heresie doe notwithstanding in worldly respects make semblance of allowing that which in heart and judgement they condemne as also they who maintaine heresie heretically obstinately holding it after wholesome admonition I make no doubt but that their condemnation without actuall repentance is inevitable Yet what hindereth but that I may say The ignorance of many others doth make me hope they did finde mercie and were saved What hindreth salvation but sin Sinnes are not equall and ignorance though it doth not make to be no sinne yet seeing it did make their sinne to bee lesse why should it not make our hope concerning their life to be greater Great hope therefore I have that many of our Fathers were saved 3. Manie of them did not proceed in those points Popish errors finally As Pighius himself is reported at his death to have disclaimed that damnable opinioÌ„ of Iustification by works Nay we exclude no Papist no not a Pope from the possibility of salvatioÌ„ if Antichrist himself should prostrate himselfe at the Feet of Christ Christ would not spurne at him The whole succession of Persian Princes Daniel resembleth to a Beare 7. 5. because of their successive cruelty towards Gods people But Cyrus Darius Artaxerxes and other particular persons were not guilty of that generall cruelty but favourers of the Church of God So we say that the whole succession of Popes for these thousand yeares have beene Antichristian persecutors of the Church yet amongst them there may bee a Marcellus Coelestine and Adriane who might repent themselves though not reclaime others for Opposing Christ Of whom that Caelestine did resigne Platina in Caelest 5. Bon. 8. the Papacy to save his soule I affirme that in ipso vitae articulo at what time soever GOD might cal them out of Babylon at the last houre And we hope that even then hee gave our Fathers either indulgence for their errours or penitence of their errours that even then they might repent and be saved There are many Scriptures to confirme us in this comfortable conclusion Luke 12. 48. That servant which knoweth not his Lords will shall be beaten with few stripes Act. 17. 30. The time of ignorance God winked at Iam. 4. 17. To him that knoweth to doe good and doth it not to him it is a sinne and 1 Tim. 1. 13. Saint Paul confesseth of himselfe who was a blasphemer and a Persecutor But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbeliefe I conclude therefore many of our Fathers were the Children of Abraham and had they seene Popery and Antichrist in their time as we see them discovered and displayed in our time they would have detested the Tridentine and Iesuiticall assertions as much as wee doe Whereupon I dare pronounce them in all Christian probability to bee saved through the abundant mercies of our indulgent Saviour Concerning the place I may frame the same conclusions upon the same grounds but in a lesse measure I may conclude that at this day there may be some appertaining to the Bosome of Abraham who now live in the very bosome of Antichrist in Spaine Italy in Civil and in Rome it selfe For invincible ignorance may be an argument of invincible mercy And where Antichrist is most malicious wee may hope that Christ is
Take heed therefore that you make not any Image And the Commination threatned in the 24. The Lord is a consuming fire as if Hell fire were the reward of image-worshippers Againe in the second Commandement very bowing to an image is forbidden Whereupon the Church of Rome fearing that by the light of this evident inhibition their Mystery of iniquity should be discovered they leave this Commandement out of their bookes and Catechismes which come to the hands of the Common people And Vasques to shew his love to the truth goeth yet Vasq de Ador. l. 2. disp 4. c. 4. farther and affirmeth that the second Commandement is Ceremoniall and ought to be abolished Lactantius his words shall bee my conclusion for this point Non est dubium quin religio nulla est ubicunque simulacrum est According to whom thus I conclude Without peradventure they have no religion who worship images But the Church of Rome doth worship Images Therefore without peradventure the Church of Rome hath No Religion But are the Apostates Who do not receive the love of the Truth but take pleasure in unrighteousnesse The fift is the worshipping of the Crosse a worship altogether unknowne to the Heathen and therein therefore more then Heathenish Cruces etiam nec colimus nec optamus vos plane Arnobius lib. 8. qui Ligneos Deos consecratis Cruces ligneas forsitan adoratis ut deorum vestrorum partes saith Minutius that is Wee neyther wish nor worship Crosses but you who doe plainly hallow wooden gods peradventure you adore wooden Crosses as parts of your gods The Christians apologie is absolute that they did not worship wooden Crosses their recrimination to the Heathens that they did worship Crosses is qualified with a peradventure It is therefore without peradventure that the worshipping of a wooden Crosse was abhorred as abominable both by the Christians and Heathens Indeede some hereticall Christians have Pappus Hist pag. 345. beene knowne and taxed for that Idolatrie The Armenij thence were termed Charinzarij that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the worshippers of the Crosse And since in the dotage of the Church and nonage of Antichrist that Idolatry hath crept in amongst Christians Aquine undertooke a Aquin. 3. 25. 4. solemne disputation of the worship of the Cross And Cornelius Mussus is transported with the Corn. Mussus to 1. 662. adoration admiration of that wooden Idolatry O Crux admiranda O Salus Vita Resurrectio Salus animarum Vita coporis Resurrectio animae simul corporis that is O admirable Crosse O Health Life and Resurrection Health of the soule Life of the body and Resurection of both soule and body And that these may not be put off as private opinions of some particular persons heare the universall practice of their whole Church O Crux ave All Haile O Crosse Spes vnica Our onely Hope Hoc Passionis tempore This time of the passion Auge pijs justitiam Augment the godlies devotioÌ„ Reisque dona veniam And forgive the ungodlies transgression Never could I conceive the just cause of such senselesse idolatry till my text suggested it They have not the love of the truth but take pleasure in unrighteousnesse The sixt is the Sacrament Bee that blessed Bread as Sacred as the most sanctified heart can conceive yet it is but Bread notwithstanding Howbeit the Papists give unto it cultuÌ„ latriae that worship which is due to God DominuÌ„ DeuÌ„ tuuÌ„ Concil Trident. Sess 13. Can. 5. Costerus Enchir. cap. 7. adorabis Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God saith Costerus speaking of the Sacrament The whole Church doth cry to it Agnus Dei qui tollis peccatamundi O thou Lambe of God which takest away the sins of the world According to which is that stupendious superscription of our Sanders to his Treatise on the Lords Supper To the Body and blood of our Saviour Iesus Christ under the forme of Bread and Wine all Honour Praise and thankes be given for ever and ever Now wee knowing that the Carnall presence is but a carnall conceit and that the tricke of Transubstantiation is as true as any of Ovids Metamorphoses Wee cannot but pronounce the words of Costerus which he delivereth by way of supposition Colere frustum panis pro Deo to worship a peece of bread is worse then to worship viva animalia the brute Beasts as the Egyptians did or Imagines images as the Heathen did or to worship rubrum Stannum inhasâ—am elevatum a red Clout clapped on a Pole as the Lappians doe Nay it is saith hee such a grosse idolatry qualis in Orbe terrarum non fuit as the like whereof was never in the world never seene among all the Heathens Those stupid Idolaters did absurdly-execrably The first did make their god furthermore they did worship it But these to shew that they are superlative goe a degree farther 1. They make their god 2. They worship it 3. They eate it Now that men should make their god and eate their god none can beleeve it but those that doe not receive the love of the Truth but have pleasure in unrighteousnesse Thus the Papists doe make this Holy Sacrament a prophane Idol acording to our positions and they may make it so also according to their owne opinions It is their opinion yea a ruled case confirmed by a Canon of the Councill of Florence That three things are required Conc. Flor. in Dec. Euchar. sect Quinto to the perfect celebrating of the Sacrament Materia Forma Persona 1. That there bee a right matter 2. A right Forme that they use the words belonging therunto 3. That the Minister doe celebrate that Sacrament cum intentione faciendi quod facit Ecclesia with an intention to doe what the Church doth quarum si aliquid desit non perficitur Sacramentum if any of those three be wanting it is no Sacrament I assume but it is possible that the Priest may forget to have the same intention with the Church possible therefore it is that the Sacrament which hee administreth may be no Sacrament And therefore it is possible that the Papists may worship a meere peece of Bread which in the judgement of their owne Dr Costerus is the most absurd and abominable Cost Enchir. c. 7. idolatry that ever was in the world They will therefore be constrained unto Gersons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to adore the Host with this Caution Scilicet si recte consecrat a sit that is I adore thee O Host must the Papists say if thou beest consecrated aright Otherwise they cannot escape that concession and confession which our Doctor Featly extorted from their Dr Featly's Cons with Mr Musket touching transub die 1. Mr. Musket That the Popish Communicant may sometime commit Idolatry materially Salva res est erubescit Finally the World is their Pantheon and according to some Papists every Creature therin is an Object of their religious adoration The opinion
of an evill custome doth so swallow some that they will rather gainsay all arguments and authorities than yeeld Their Fathers were Papists therefore the Children will bee Papists This is the Grand childs argument even to the third and fourth generation In Saint Pauls phrase to the Ephes 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filij contumaciae they are the children of obstinatenesse Popery therfore they wil professe as their inheritance This maketh every ignorant Papist like the Accipencer to swim against the stream of all argumēts And as it is the nature of the Carpe when the Fisher-man doth spread his Net to thrust his head into the Mud and so he cannot be caught Semblablie when the Fishers of men Preachers would perswade a Papist hee doth thrust his head into the mud of superstition the example of his Ancestors saying as the Iewes did in Ieremy 44. 16. As for the word which thou hast spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto it And thereby the Preachers become like Peter Luke 5. 5. They fish a long time but catch nothing Thus are they under the pretence of custome transported with a strong delusion Here in two words let us learne two lessons one of imitation another of commiseration First I will speak of the Papists what Saint Aug. ep 167. Fest Augustine spake of the Donatists Si pertinacia insuperabiles vires habere conatur Quant as habere debet constantia If the Papists bee obstinate shall not Protestants be constant If they bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall not we bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If nature teach them to be perverse in the Romish religion because they thinke it old shall not grace make us resolved in the reformed religion because wee know it true God forbid Secondly that we supplicate to our God for our seduced country-men in the phrase of Saint Augustine Nil prote nobis aliud quam Aug. contr Academ l. 1. c. 1. vota restant quibus ab illo cui haec sunt curae Deo si possimus impetremus ut te tibi reddat ita enim facile te reddet nobis Wee must pray that God would breake the snare that those seduced soules may escape like a Bird out of the hand of the Fowler Magna est veritas praevaleat Pray we that God would restore them to themselves and then they will bee restored to us Pray wee that God may be pleased to give them his strong truth which may open their eies to see this strong delusion I have ended the first part and now draw toward the end of the whole discourse The first point was the obsirmation how men are made obstinate by men by two meanes both by the outward policy of others and by the inward proclivity of themselves The second is obduration when men are made obdurate by God as in this Deus mittet God will send thē strong delusion Hence our Divines distinguish obduration Zanch. in Ephes 4. 16. into three parts Naturall habituall and judiciall Naturall is that hardnesse of heart which proceedeth frō Nature this was in the Disciples whereby they could not discerne Christs power although they saw his miracles Marke 6. 52. Habituall is when the habit or Custome of sinning bringeth a Callum or thick Skin over the Conscience of a sinner whereby hee becommeth insensible of sinne as unapt to doe good having beene accustomed to doe evill as the Aethiopian is to change his skinne or the Leopard to change his spots Ierem. 13. 23. The judiciall obduration when out of Gods judgement our hearts are hardened Peccatum being poena peccantis one sinne being the punishment of another and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a recompence of their errour Rom. 1. 27. All these are included in this Text. First men have a pronenesse to Antichristian superstition that is Naturall Secondly they delude themselves by prescription and plead custome of their Idolatry that is habituall Thirdly God smiteth them in their errour with their errour for their errour this is a just Iudiciall obduration or hardening of men hearts The text telleth us for this cause God shall send them strong delusion Now how GOD doth send delusion and how farre God may bee said to make men obstinate I dispute not It is enough if I say onely with the Greeke Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecumen in in 2 Thes 2. 11. That is we must not read the phrase God shall send literally as if God did simply send delusions but by it wee must understand Gods permission Or with the Latine Father Non obdurat Deus Aug. ep 105. Sixto impertiendo malitiam sed non impertiendo gratiam that is God doth not harden men by giving them malice but by not giving them grace And a third Father giveth a reason Fulgentius for both those former God is not Author of that whereof he is Vltor As water though the Sunne doth not exercise on it any actuall hardening power yet the very absence of it is cause sufficient that it shal frieze to the hardnesse of a stone Nay some take Chrystall to bee Ice in an high degree and that onely the perpetuall absence of the Sunne doth transforme it into a Rocke and maketh it malleable So sinfull man if God shall remove from him the beames of his Grace yea but for a time he will freeze in the dregs of his sinne and be hardened by the custome of impiety But if God shall please perpetually to absent the Sunne of his softening grace such a man will become a Rock malleable and sooner shall any person make an impression on a Smiths Anvile with his finger than in the heart of such a one with his tongue This I say is enough but we may say more That this strong delusion doth proceed from God not onely by permission but by immission also His just judgement doth not onely suffer but strengthen the instruments of strong delusion who whip those that have pleasure in untruth with their owne Rod a scourge of Scorpions to make them obstinate and obdurate in their errours For this delusion is a punishment every punishment is an action every action an ens and every ens hath God for the efficient cause thereof And thus it runneth plainly in my Text. Obstinate men would not receive the love of the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse and for this cause GOD doth send them strong delusion Which fearefull plague we may see fearfully poured out upon the Romish Church upon the Romish Nation especially I will retort the Less de Antich part 2. Dem. 2. Comp. 9. saying of Lessius Philosophi quia juxta veritatem cognitā nō vixerunt merito in reprobum sensum sunt traditi Rom. 1. quanto justius id accidit nostris haeresiarchis that is it was just with God to deliver up into a reprobate sense the heathen Romanes for covering the light of Nature How much more justly doth he send strong
a double admirable delusion the first in regard of the deluders the second in regard of the deluded that the one should be so wicked as to preach a lye and the other so besotted as to beleeve a lye If wee can admire any thing wee shall apprehend both these to be most admirable Both which are admirably evident in the Church of Rome In the former clause as the Dipsades or Iansen in Evang cap. 83. Vipers involve themselves in the egges of Ostriches so by the appearance of food to draw on the hungrie creatures to their Destruction So the Romanists seduce the superstitious with the probabilitie of truth a strong delusion a cunning lye if you will as it were by Equivocation But in my text like Frogges as they are aptly resembled Revel 16. 13. animal impudens obstreperum loquax coaratione garrulitate intolerabile like the unappeasable croaking of Frogges Blaterones ministri Antichristi to Malvend lib. 5. c. 18. borrow Malvenda's owne words to invest his owne friends withall the clamorous agents of Antichrist with open mouth will publish grosse untruths as it were by protestation In plaine English they perswade the plaine people to and by a plaine lye And which is most admirable in truth lamentable the plaine people do beleeve them This also I make evident in the Church of Rome But I must be cautelous on prosecuting this point I am advised by a friend to take heed of two things of my quotations and imputations wherewith I charge the Papists I do thanke him and will obey him His counsell is good yet I had a better counsellour before mine owne conscience I thanke God my conscience doth teach mee to shunne that sinne in my selfe which I reprove in others My Conscience doth prompt mee to speake in truth when I speake of lying And my conscience telleth mee and you also Catholicus sum et non August epist 48. Vixcentio audeo mentiri Precipitated lyes I decline premeditated lyes I detest but Pulpet lyes let God and man abhorre mee if I do not abhorre them To assure you of my truth concerning their lyes I have wrote nothing in this booke but what hath fallen from their pens I will speake nothing with this tongue but what hath beene spoken by their own mouths Their owne mouths and pens shall testifie against them That as Caligula who had a frowning face by nature yet did he compose his countenance by a glasse that it might appeare yet more grimme and terrible So though their nature bee prone enough to that facultie yet they adde art to their audacious lyes And as it were set their faces by a glasse that they may be able to utter such vast lyes Such lyes that wee can hardly imagine it to be true that any of them should speake such lyes but that any should Beleeve such lyes This surpasseth imagination They beleeve lyes Since the Devill is called the father of lyes Ioh. 8. 44. devillish doctrine is called the doctrine of lyes 1 Tim. 4. 2. devillish power is termed lying wonders in this chapter devillish teachers the teachers of lyes in this text and Christ himselfe is called the truth it selfe Iohn 14. 16. That Church therefore which wee shall see supported by lying wee may suspect it if not detect it to be no true Church of Christ but rather the Synagogue of Satan and indeed the very seat of Antichrist Suchis the Church of Rome Some sprinkling of this aspersion I may cast on the Church of Rome And I suppose it will exercise the best of that infallible Sea to wash away the supition of a lying religion Their lying doctrine as all Divines do all doctrine the papists establish two waies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 astruendo and destruendo first by way of confirmation and finally by way of confutation The groundwork of their Religion is lying and the grandworkers in their Religion are lyers All Popery is Sopistrie and so is all heresie All Popish controversies contradicting the Protestants and contrarie to the truth are false that is lyes although supported by sufficient learning But for plaine palpable lyes let the Popish legends triumph in the whet-stone To an abridgement of which voluminious lyes I referre you in the treatise of our learned Dr. Featly in Fisher pap 370. Pius 2 epist ad Morbisan Doctor For the authours of lyes I will oppose their Italian St. Francis and their Spanish St. Dominicke to equall and exceed in more and more foolish and blasphemous fables even Arathes and Marathes those sottish Mahometane fables mentioned so scornesully by Pope Pius 2. But that ever even B Aronius and BELlarmine should bee Architects to build up Babel with such untempered morter I thought it uncredible to be true till I did transcribe abundance of apparent and transparent lyes out of theirs into this treatise Neither do our Dr. Featly preface to the Conference English Popish Doctors blush to father such Bastards Within one weeke after that conferēce the Earle of Warwick at St. Omers was assured by father Weston that in the disputation betwixt Father Fisher and Father Sweet and two Ministers in London the Iesuites quited themselves too well That they conquered the disputants and converted two Earles and an hundred of the auditory Which number popish reports did afterwards augment unto foure hundred The pitty was the good old man was foiled in two mistakes That worthie Earle was one of those two still is a constant mēber lover of the Church of Englād Againe at the conference there were not fully one hundred present of whom almost twenty were professed Papists How out of these two Earles and an hundred other could be converted to Rome it must bee a cunning lying Romist who can perswade it Yet such tricks as Geo Black de Aequivoc pag. 96 these passe for Piae fraudes devout deceits Profitable for procuring popish Proselytes The phrase is owned by Blackwell and hee might haue remembred the practice of a Pope to have beene the patterne thereof It is the Ples myst Jniq Oppos 41. record of Aventine that when Pope Vrban 2. for the advantage and advancement of the Papacie purposed to send the Emperour Henry 3 of his errand into Palestine there was raised a rumour that a voice from Heaven was heard Deus vult God will have it so whereupon a thrave of people of all sorts thrust themselves into that expedition Concerning August Soliloq lib. 2. cap. 9. which I will give you St. Augustines item Acute quidem falleris sed ut falli desinas acutius attende They take great paines to teach you lyes take you the like paines to examine their teaching and you shall descrie their lyes Carefull industrie will undoubtedly discover their Sophistrie To give you a tast thereof take you a little notice of that maine matter wee contend about the primacie Incredible lyes are the Malvenda lib. 1 cap. 8.
sinewes of that assertioÌ„ The grand pseudochrist amongst the Iewes called himselfe Barchochab that is Filius Stellae or the Sonne of a Starre when as his right name was Barchozeba that is Filius mendacij or the Sonne of a lye So the grand Antichrist among the Christians calleth himselfe Stella a Starre which giveth Light to the whole World but in sooth hee is Filius mendacij it is a lye and they have a strong delusion who do beleeue it Thus they say the Church of Muscovia hath Malvenda lib. 5. cap. 16. renounced the Greeke Church and the Greeke Church hath renounced it selfe and both submitted themselves to the Pope as the Oecumenicall Patriarke in the yeare 1595 was the first surrender made to Pope Clement 8. Eudam de Antichristo lib. 3 Yea the mighty Church of Aethiopia was reconciled to the same Pope on the same condition saith Eudaemon another popish Tell-troath because a Cretian Nay their Dominicans Franciscans and Iesuites have reduced insinite Malvenda de Antiâ—hristo lib. 3 cap 26. people and provinces to the Romish Religion in both the East and West Indies saith Malvenda For the Greek and Mosco Church wee haue both Graecians and Muscovites which frequent our land and such a famous submission would not bee untold by them could not bee unknowne to us Indeed Aethiopia and the Indias Africa Asia and America are somewhat farre off and it is farre more ease for men to beleeve it than goe try it Howbeit wee have English Navigatours who are no novices in the new world also And this new christendome could not be concealed froÌ„ theÌ„ if these conversions and Submissions were as true as famous But I doubt that the stoutest favourer and favourite of the Romane Primacie wil but speake that phrase of St Paul 1 Cor. 11. 23. Quod accepi a Domino tradidi vobis they teach that to the Papists which they have heard from their Lord the Pope But none dare say with that other Apostle 1 Iohn 1. 1. Quod oculis nostris vidimus spectavimus that they themselves with their owne eyes have seene those converted countreys In truth they are mendacia decipientium Insipientium they are foolish lyes and those are not very wise who beleeve them These lying reporters have beene the true supporters of the Popes primacie but his shop of false forged lying writers have shaped out most classicall and authenticall instruments to that purpose both in spiritualls and temporalls I will grace this proofe with the testimonie of the glory of Ireland The Donative Vsserius de Ecclesiar Successione cap. 2. sect 29. saith hee of Constantine was forged by Iohn surnamed Digitorum whereby the Pope would perswade the world that that Emperour had bequeathed unto his predecessour Silvester not onely the Citie of Rome but also all the cities and provinces of Italie and of the West This is the first lye the great lye the second is like unto this to confirme the Popes power spirituall as that former did his temporall Out of the same forge proceeded the fiction of the Decretall Epistles which they pretend to have beene indited by the Primative Romane Bishops of the purer ages but first urged as authenticall in France by Riculsus Archbishop of Menz in the reigne of Charles the great Thus were these two great Popish points the Temporall and Spirituall Primacy established by two great lyes Both which the Donative of Constantine the Decretals of the Pope were compiled into one volume by that notorious lier who sâ—rowdeth his shameless Leasings under the name of Isodore yet out of him the Popes have sucked no small advantage for the supporting of his Primacie One Whelp out of which Kennell we have experienced here in England When the Chamber Ples Mist è Matth. Par. in Henr. 3. of Pope Innocent 4. at Lyons was by chance set on fire then was burned the same Charter whereby King Iohn had made England Tributary to the Pope whereupon the Pope sent secret Messengers into England who made every Bishop to subscribe to that lamentable Charter of that King Iohn namely as it is likely to supply the want of the Originall with a Copie thus made authenticall Such considence doe they place in their practising the phrase of this prophecie if they can make the world beleeve a lye They have another petty point of Popery which followeth this Pillar of the Papacy as a little Pinnace doth the Admirall of the Fleet. And both are borne on with the same Gaile a brave-winde of wonderfull lies This is the signe of the Crosse a profitable servant for the Church of Rome and therefore they must lye for their advantage At Meliapor men Gables and Elephants did Malven l. 3. c. 7. tugge at a huge Tree to no purpose all were not able to stirre it But Saint Thomas twining his Girdle onely to a twigge thereof drew it twelve furlongs Signo tantum Crucis Malv 5. 8. facto onely by making the signe of the Crosse Anno 1520. a Portugall ship in an Indian voyage in the night running mainly before the winde suddenly it stood still The amazed Mariners searching the cause with Candles they beheld an hideous Fish glued to the ship her body spread the length of the Keele or bottome of the ship the taile being wrapped about the Rudder and over the Decke shee put up her head as bigge as a Barrell When the Sailers thought that a Fiend of Hell had beene come to swallow them out steppeth an heavenly Priest Et signo Crucis delinita est Bellua that Monster was made tame onely with the signe of the Crosse And so the men sayled merrily to the place they were bound for More It is their doctrine that the signe Malven l. 6. c 8. of the Crosse is an Antidote against all Devils as Malvenda doth dispute at large and his conclusion is when Antichrist shall come Quo fugiendum est Christians must flye to the signe of the Crosse as to their onely City of refuge against all his sorceries These are Stories indeed meere stories Falsa sicta fucata omnia fictions to bolster up their factions A true testimony that God hath sent on that Church strong delusions that they beleeve such lyes Yea the Papists are so exquisite in that Art that whilest their religion is supported by lyes they would perswade the world that the Protestants are the notorious lyers and they had done it if onely one popish project had proceeded without discovery their Index expurgatorius For when wee alleage Romish Authors against their Romish errours in time to come no such places being extant in their new editions of their Bookes which wee had quoted and they rased they would have clamoured crimen falsi that wee had belyed them by false quotations when they have prevented us by their lying false Inquisition Thus they build up their Babel with boasting and bold untruths But Falsehood advanceth it selfe highest when it taketh
one Professour of the Romish Religion was put to death for hearing their Masse or refusing our Church c. Mine eares and eyes have impartially inquired after these men but Gyges is revived this glorious Army of Romish Martyrs doth march invisibly not one precedent can be produced That parallell of Popish and Protestant Persecutions Ab. in Eud. c. 6. proposed by the Lord Coke is plaine and to the purpose In the five yeares of Queen Maries raigne three hundred Protestants were put to death onely for religion But under Queene Elizabeth and shee raigned forty and foure yeares not fully thirty were put to death and some five who concealed them and all for Treason not one onely for religion Where we distinguish of the Popish religion The plaine Popish religion which consisteth in those cases controverted betwixt the Romish and Reformed Churches as concerning Purgatory Pilgrimages Prayer for or to the dead c. besides there is a Gregorian Popery or the Papacy rather brought in by Hildebrand and borne up by the Iesuites concerning the Popes power over Princes Never did any die for the former For the latter these thirty did dye and meritoriously being therin ipso facto notorious Traitors And whereas Eudaemon maketh the objection in his Apology that wee make their meere points of Religion to be Treason as to bee made a Roman Priest to reconcile or to bee reconciled to the Romish Church to bring into our land Agnus Dei's Holie Beads c. The learned Bishop of Sarisbury doth Abb. in Eud. c. 6. render a full satisfaction in his Apologie who answereth that these also call not their lives into question dummodo per se sunt if they goe no further But when under the pretence of them the people were incited to rebellion the Crowne and Kingdomes hazarded then such persons were arrested and Suffered for Treason Which is most apparent both because many of Queene Maries Priests lived without any danger of death under Queene Elizabeth also because Hart Bosgrave Horton and Rishton learned and through Papists injoyed their lives in as much as they medled not with those publike affaires But the others who preached that the Pope had authority above the Queene in her own Dominions that the Pope had Authoritie to depose her that the Pope could give authority to her Subjects to take up Armes against her that those Priests did perswade the Papists not to take the Oath of the allegiance herein they became actuall Traytors and were put to death for palpable treason But for meere religion and plaine popery never did any one papist dye in all the raigne of Queene Elizabeth no nor of King Iames nor of King Charles neither Where then is extant that glorious army of Popish English Martyrs Thinke not now that these are single reports and that Baronius and Suarez are singular in charging our Church with persecutions You shall finde an Army of Writers who chronicle this Army of Martyrs The foresaid Suarez hath a large disputation in two Chapters An vexatio quam in Anglia patiuntur Catholici sit Suar. Apol. l. 6. c. 10 11. vera Christianae religionis persecutio that is Whether the vexation which the Catholikes do suffer in England be a true persecution of Christian Religion Malvenda saying that the persecutions Malv de Ant. l. 8. c. 1. which the Papists do sustain under the Protestants but under the English especially exceed all that ever Christians did suffer in the world before breakes out O Christe stupeo patientiam tuam O Christ I am amazed at thy patience Baronius in his Martyrology hath this Prosopopoeia Baron Mart. 29. Dec. Festo sancti Thomae Cantuariensis to Papists in England persecuted and martyred amongst us O moriatur anima meamorte Iustorum siant novissima mea horum similia O let my soule dye the death of the righteous and let my end be like to theirs Hath not all Europe talked of our English persecutions quoth Watson In the yeare 1621. The Papists put up a Petition to the Parl. 1621. Petition unto the Parliament pleading against their persecution But above all their Propheticall Psalmist who surely lived about the Gunpowder Treason In the first Psalme of the seven sparkes of the soule thus devoutly doe they pray to God and slander man Persecution followeth us like thuÌ„dring lightning The seven Sparkes of the soule p. 16. Fire Haile and Brimstone More cruell are our foes than Vnicornes More outragious then swift Tygers As David sought to death by Saul as the Israelites in the bondage of Aegypt As innocent Susanna in the hands of her Accusers As Daniel in the Lyons Den Such is our case O Lord. Can any English man understand this English Psalme when did England seize on the Papists like Tigers and Vnicornes What this obscure Psalmist speaketh to our God ChristophersoÌ„ Christ in Down ep Dedic speaketh somewhat more plainly to our King in his treatise against Dr Dounam What insolences and vexations are they constrained to endure And to omit the generality and severity of this persecution from which neither frailty of Sexe nor Lawes of Matrimony nor Nobility of birth can exempt any How many things lye hid and unkowne which would astonish and amaze the world if they were open to the view thereof Againe in the page following How many have beene beaten and tormented even to death in private houses without publike triall some Prentises in London can give good testimonies thereof And in the Treatise it selfe hee shameth not Christopheron part 1. c. 7. The Picture of which is in Oxens Library to avouch that shamefull shamelesse lye That some Catholikes have beene baited by Dogs in Beares skins That wee may therefore heare them utter their persecutions in plaine English let us passe froÌ„ these generall accusations to their particular instances Heare their complaint in two languages from two Authors these two alone doe I quote in this cause and Sermon which are not their owne yet their witnesse will be sufficient the one being the most learned King and the other the most learned Bishop of the world thus writeth that Bishop In Tortura Torti p. 152. Oxens Librarie Legenda illa c. In your Legend of our English persecution which is so frequent among you you may read and see the Pictures of English Papists some in the skins of beasts and torne in pieces by Bandogs others having Basins closed to their Breasts within which are mice inforced to eate into their intrals and others tyed to Mangers to eate hay or to starve The King hath the like in his conclusion to Christian Kings The Wals saith hee of their Monasteries and Iesuâ—te Colledges are filled and their bookes farced with the painted lying histories of the innumerable torments which their Martyrs are put to in England viz. some torne with foure horses some sowne in Beares skinnes and then killed with Dogs nay women have not
It may be this may be yet extenuated that such protestatioÌ„s were unadvised proceeding from an heated exasperatioÌ„ I insist certainly their beliefe of lyes is setled after solemne deliberation It is Dogmaticall not Personall the beliefe of lyes is the very rock of the Romane religion And observe the Text speaketh in the singular number a singular argument that their beliefe in a lie is the Corner-stone of the Romane Religion To declare this let Saint Paul define the property of a man Rom. 3. 4. Omnis homo mendax every man is a lyer Some men indeed at some time have beene inabled to utter the infallible truth as the Prophets and the Apostles but none at all times è Cathedra when they listed to define any thing What was once said by Nathan although a Prophet was afterward 2 Sam. 7. 3 5. gain-said by God and unsaid by himselfe Those therefore who shall beleeve all the definitions of any mortall man doe depend on a lyer and as the Text speaketh they doe beleeve a lye Which is performed and acknowledged by the Church of Rome Omnes submittunt sensum suum sensui unius Bellarmine saith All of the Bell. de Nâ—t Ecclesâ— 4. c. 10. Romane religion submit their judgement to the judgement of one man And this they doe by a double beliefe Explicite and Implicite First the Priests doe it learnedly and maintaine it by arguments then the people doe it obstinately and adhere to the Pope as to their Oracle by an implicite faith Now that both Priest and people should make a man a god and fasten their faith on the Pope that his words like Gods Word cannot erre Here is the compleat accomplishment of this Prophecie God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeve a lye So deluded are their priests professing that the Pope cannot erre whereby they equall him unto God To use the phrase of our learned Countrey-man to give him that prerogative Mr Mountague Appealâ— part 2. c. 3. of not erring at all is to advance him into his makers seaâ—e It belongeth not to these ancients but to the ancient of dayes not to erre Nay the Popes themselves shame not to assume claime and publish this Divine prerogative forgetting their sedes stercoraria their close-stoole which Platina witnesseth is an item Platina in vit Ioh. 8. to them that though they be set in a high place yet they are men not God subiect to humane frailties whereof I conceive erring to be one Although I thinke they may as easilie restraine themselves from disburdening of nature in this chaire as from erring in that chaire yet do the Popes challenge that unerring ability three of them especially The first emblematically the second dogmatically and the third passionately First Anno 1099 Pope Paschal 2. was Platina in Pasch 2. girt with a girdle on which there hung seven keyes and seven seales to give all men to understand that he according to the sevenfold grace of the spirit of God had power in all churches over which he bare rule to open and shut to seale and unseale Secondly Ecclesia Romana nunquam errasse inventa est neque errabit in aeternum the Pope definitively did deliver it to the Turk et credat Iudaeus that the Pij 2. Epist ad Princip Turcar. Church of Rome never did nor ever shall erre Thirdly when as a Frier Minorite had proved Zinch Miscel de Eccles that the Pope might erre and might be corrected for his errour by this argument The Pope is either a brother or not if he be a brother he may erre and may be corrected for Christ saith Matt. 18. 15. If thy brother trespasse against thee tell him his fault If the Pope be no brother why doth he then pray Our Father which art in Heaven This Pope Paul 3. being wroth with the Frier even to excommunication an acute Courtier taught him to answer this argument Ne dicat Sanctitas tua Pater noster amplius let not your Holinesse ever say againe Our Father which art in Heaven and he shall never be able to prove you a brother and so his argument is easily answered Their Priests I say themselves and the High Priest himselfe are the patrons of beleeving a lye because they found their Faith on a man who is as every man a lyer It is probable that the Pope may erre and infallible that the Pope did erre But to avouch an errour or erring man to be the pillar of their Faith this I take it is a strong delusion and such do beleeve a lye Concerning the probability that the Pope may erre I will snew it both by Reason and by their owne confessions But first let their owne Suarez state the question Wee must distinguish betwixt Pontifex credens docens Suarez Apol. l. 1. cap. 6. nu 15 betwixt the Pope as he is a private person the Pope as he is Pope To the Pope as he is Pope belongeth those promises of Christ for so he is Petra the Rock on whose firmnesse the firmnesse of the Church doth depend in his kind And in this sense the protestants can shew nullum vestigium haeresis not any one iote of errour But considering the Pope in the first sense as a private person and beleever adhuc sub judice lis est it is yet an undecided controversie among the Romish Catholikes whether any Pope hath beene an Heretike indeed or onely supposed to be so In reason examine this and wee shall finde that one legge doth here tripp up another and therefore the distribution cannot goe current If the Pope may erre qua credens as he is a beleever it is probable that he may erre quà docâ—ns as he is a teacher For I cannot imagine how a man shold define that which he doth not beleve nor understaÌ„d surely the Rule which is crooked it selfe caÌ„not streighten other things Neither is it likely that God would commit the faith of the Church unto him who is not able to direct himselfe Thus have I throwne downe this halting distinction that wee may keepe it downe from rising to wrastle with the truth I will use the hand Dr. Beard of Antichrist part 2. cap. 9. sect 4. and helpe of our learned Collegiate The Pope may erre as a particular person and Doctour but not as Pope Who seeth not the absurditie and condition of this distinction For the Pope is alwaies a publike person and Doctour of the Church and not a particular So that these are contradictorie propositions to bee Pope and yet to be a private person And therefore if Catharinus had reason to mock at Caietane who writing of Herods sadnesse for the demand of Iohn Baptists Head distinguishing betwixt the King and Herod as if it were the King that was sad and not Herod For saith Catharine if the King was sad and Herod was King then by my Logick I must conclude that Herod was sad And if
your eyes and behold if in the manie particulars of this plentifull prophesie there be any one point which can bee applyed to the Trienniall Antichrist which the Pope teacheth or any part which may not be applyed to the Pope the true Antichrist Resolve this Chapter and see if all the parts thereof bee not like the parts of the Earth lifted from the Globe See if they returne not to the Pope and Papacy as to their proper Center naturally and without any forced application I say therefore I beseech you open your eyes and as you know you shall be saved by your owne Faith and as you beleeve that you shall answer for your owne knowledge so I beseech you fasten your eyes on this Prophecie In the expounding whereof my Conscience telleth me my God telleth me and the plaine sense of this plaine Prophecy doth tell me that in some measure I have discovered the Very Truth unto you Now the Lord of Truth open your eyes to see it and open your Hearts to imbrace it SERMON XXVIII 2 THESS 2. 3 ad 13. The summe of the whole Treatise The Paraphrase of the whole Text. The Parallell to the Pope The conclusion Dehortation from Popery SIxe opinions I proposed last day concerning Antichrist Five wherof I have related and resuted The fift now remaineth to bee confirmed and then the whole cause is concluded wherein I wil passe through these three particulars the Points Paraphrase and Parallell of the Person to the Prophecie whereby I hope I shall satisfie the indifferent and it may be stumble the Opinionative That the Pope is the Antichrist In this Prophecy concerning Antichrist from the third to the thirteenth verse I have set out five points Antichrist described in vers 3 4. revealed 5 6 7 in part of the 8. destroyed in the 8. confirmed in the 9. part of the 10. and received in the remnant of the 10. and in the 11 and 12 verses Antichrist is described in the third and fourth foure wayes by his Time Titles Place and Properties His Time is an Apostasie which is threesold Ecclesiasticall from the Church in Religion Politicall from the Empire by rebellion and figurative the Apostate for the Apostasie His Titles are 3. The man of sin here the Genitive for the Adjective is very significative A man of sinne that is a most sinfull man and so both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both a practiser and a causer of sinne The sonne of perdition filius perditionis by an Hebraisme as much as perditissimus that is one prepared to destruction both Actively Passively whence hee is termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is destroying and destroyed And he is termed an adversary which is the Title of the Devill implying that Antichrist is a devillish adversary but per amici fallere nomen a secret adversary and so an adversary both fundamentally and universally His place the Temple taken two wayes either materially for the Temple of the Iewes or formally for the Churches of the Christians The Text cannot be understood of the first because the materiall Temple of Hierusalem is ruinated never to bee re-edified as it is confessed by Baronius and the best learned on both sides Therefore the place of Antichrist is the prime Church of Christendome His properties are three First Antichrist exalteth himselfe above all that is called God or that is worshipped which is expounded either essentially or metaphorically Essentially the name of GOD cannot be here used for if Antichrist should so proclaime himselfe who would bee deceived Therfore the name of GOD must be here understood metaphorically Metaphoricall gods are mentioned Psalme 82. 6. to wit Magistrates and Kings And that which is worshipped 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath affinitive with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying the Emperour Acts 25. 21. The meaning then of the phrase is this Antichrist shall advance himselfe above all Kings and Emperours Secondly Antichrist shall so advance himselfe that he as god shall sit in the Temple of God Consider here three phrases in the Temple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saint Paul saith Occumenius doth not meane the Temple of Hierusalem but the Churches of God Hee shall sit that is He shall reigne so is sedebit used for reget Psalme 9. 4. and shewing himselfe that hee is God tanquam Deus Christus Incarnatus God Man Christ Iesus for that adversary is called Antichristus an enemy to CHRIST not Antitheus an enemy to GOD. The sense is this Antichrist shall rule the Church of Christ usurping the very power of Christ And finally Antichrist shall sit in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that hee is god that is secretly not openly For the Text saith not that Antichrist shall say but shew that he is god 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying rather the arrogance of workes than of words implying that Antichrist shall shew himselfe to bee God cunningly by insolent God-like action Antichrist revealed is the next point in the fift sixt and seventh verses and in part of the eighth out of which three things have beene handled how when and what 1. How Antichrists revelation was hindered 2. When Antichrist was to bee revealed 3. What was the thing then hindred afterwards to be revealed 1. How Antichrist was hindred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all concurre it was the Empire and the Emperour called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the fourth and sixt verses who was to be taken è medio to be removed so is the phrase used Acts 17. 33. and Matth. 13. 49. the meaning is The Emperour hindred Antichrist to bee revealed 2. When was Antichrist to be revealed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onely as if he said This was the onely impediment or that when the Emperour is removed Antichrist shall immediately bee revealed 3. What was then to bee revealed the Apostle termeth it a mystery of iniquitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a secret and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a secret sinne which is now a working even in Saint Pauls age The sense being That the beginnings of Antichrists Doctrine were secretly undermining the Church of Christ even in the Apostles time Here I declared another Title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exlex that is a lawlesse person Like the Type Antiochus Dan. 11. 36. He shall doe according to his will The sense is Antichrist shall be confined by no law he shall be altogether lawlesse We are taught in part of the 8 verse how Antichrist shall be destroyed of whom he foretelleth a double destruction the diminishing and the finishing of Antichristianisme In each wee are to observe two things the agent and the instrument destroying him The instrument is first the breath of his mouth and finally the brightnesse of his comming The agent in both is one the Lord Whom the Lord shall consume c. The meaning is this The Doctrine of Antichrist shall be confuted by the Preaching of the Word and the
the strongest weapon out of the hands of our owne side For it must follow inevitably If Rome be no church then is the Pope no Antichrist Because the text doth teach us that Antichrist must sit in the Temple of God The Papists advance on the other side as if they apprehended some great advantage by this assertion as if by yeelding them to be a true Church we must submit our selves to bee schismatickes Bellarmine speaketh plainly if Bell. de Poâ—â— Rom. lib. 3. ca. 13. the Protestants coÌ„fesse that our church is a true church then must they yeeld their church to be schismaticall because they have separated from us But I Smith more rhetorically At Rich. Smitâ—â—us de authoâ—e Protestanticâ— Religionis lib. 1. cap. 2. sect 8. â— incredibileâ—â— hominum impietatem ut qui se Christianos profitentur audeant repudiare eam ecclesiam quam fatentur esse adhuc in soedere Dei And againe Atque â— prodigiosam caecitateÌ„ ut non videant quod dum fatentur Romanam Ecclesiam esse ecclesiam Dei sponsam Christi fatentur suam esse synagogam Antichristi scortuÌ„ satanae That is O incredible wickednesse that those who professe themselves to bee Christians will forsake them whom they confesse to bee the Church of Christ O incomparable blindnesse that they see not that by granting the Roman church to be the church of God and the spouse of Christ they yeeld themselves the reformed church to be the synagogue of Antichrist and strumpet of satan And the whole Army of the Papists swarme after their Leaders in this pursuite presuming that we must either fly or yeeld if we give them this ground that the church of Rome is a true Church and thence are they ready to cry Victoria At ne sit Encomium ante victoriam let not Bell. de dâ— Eccles milit cap. 4. sect Resp variâ—â— him boast who putteth on his armour as hee may who doth put it off To Bellarmine I shape an answer in his owne syllables wee affirme the Romane to be a true church not simpliciter but secundum quid not absolutely but in some respect in which respect wee doe separate from it and not simply Simple therefore is their reason thence to inferre therefore our separation is schismaticall To D. Smith and all the rest we say we doe grant them all those glorious titles but as so many testimonies to witnesse their gracelesse wickednesse so to abuse them We grant the Romane to be a true Church to be the Church of Christ to be the spouse of Christ and to be of the body of Christ We grant it to hold the foundation of faith and to have the scriptures sacraments c. And what of all this Reatus impij est nomen pium saith one out of Salvianus godly Names doe not justifie godlesse Hooker in Hab. 1. 4. nu 7. men We are but upbraided when we are honoured with names and Titles when our lives and manners are not sutable Iudas was an Apostle and a Traitour too but the more wretched Traitour because an Apostle And so the Pope is saith he The Vicar of Christ and an Enemie but the more dangerous and devillish Enemie because the Vicar of Christ In particular Wee grant that Rome is a true Church but in regard of the verity of the Essence not of the Doctrine thereof this is corrupt and full of pollutions Wee grant it to be the Church of God so much also wee grant to the Iacobites Muscovites Arians and Nestorians Yet I suppose that none dare hazard themselves to live in these congregations who have any care of their safety soules health or eternall salvation We grant Rome to be the spouse of Christ but quoad externam Professionem not quoad internam fidem in respect of their outward profession not of their inward affections no nor of their actions neither We grant that they are of the Body of Christ his body visible noâ— mysticall And so may a Legion of Devils also incarnated bee if they will professe the name of Christ and be admitted by the baptisme of Christ We grant they hold the Foundation but is there nothing dangerous nor damnable but onely to overthrow the Foundation of Christianity Have they noâ— besides dangerous and damnable Errours Heresies and Idolatries Moreover they Answer to Fisheâ—â— Relation of tâ—â— 3. 〈…〉 â—8 have Errours which doe weaken the Foundation saith the learned Author of that laboured appendix They have Errours fundamentall reductivè by a reducement if they which imbrace them doe pertinaciously adhere unto them and have sufficient meanes to be better Deane White Ibid. pag. 71. informed Saith the Champion of our Church And sinally their errors as that of Iustification Hooker in Hab. 1. 4. doe overthrow the very foundation by consequent saith impartiall Hooker Lastly they have the Scriptures and Sacraments lawfull Ministers and a lawfull Ministry c. actually in themselves and effectually unto others but not so to themselves Notum est Cives malae civitatis administrare quosdam actus bonae civitatis it is manifest that the Burgers of Babylon doe administer some functions of Hierusalem and with effect too They can hew out an Arke for others though themselves be drowned in the Deluge And for all this is it not lawfull to separate from Rome Wee accompted our common Citizens frantick because they reviled and railed at such as fled from the infection Certainly the Papists are possessed with a more spirituall phrensie and infection At â— incredibilem impietatem Atque ô prodigiosum caecitatem O incredible wickednesse and incomparable blindnesse that those who see the Scriptures should be so seduced by strong delusion to beleeve a Lye That those who say they are the Church of God and spouse of Christ should be indeed the Synagogue of Antichrist and the strumpet of Satan I conclude and let any Papist brag or any others upbraid what they can collect out of this conclusion The Church of Rome is a true Church And the Pope of Rome is that false Antichrist who doth erect his seat therein by most foule usurpation He shall sit in the Temple saith my Text. I have done this Digression this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which it may bee some will condemne as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as an overlong and impertinent Parenthesis But I conceive it very needfull if it were onely for this to imply an Item to our owne Zelotes that transported with a strong affection and weake judgement they doe not thrust the Papists further from Christ when as Christ knoweth they are too farre off from him already I returne to the remnant of my Text yee have heard the explication what this Temple is even the very Church of Christ Now shall yee heare the Application Where this Temple is We use plaine words in a plaine cause the Church of Rome is the seat of Antichrist Now the Church of Rome hath two parts commonly called