to your colourable Heresies I say that all which you haue produced to disgrace the Catholike Religion as nouell are nothing but cauils For if our Religion be new and so faire degenerated as that the foundation is hereby ouerthrowne there was no Religion and so no true Church of God in the world for many hundred yeares seeing by your owne confession the Church which was aboue 1000 or 1300 yeares agoe had many customes and held many things which you doe not at this day And with what face then can you alledge them as being on your side so commonly as you doe as though your Church were all one with theirs when as it is plaine to any that will vnderstand that they are our Fathers and not yours and such as suffered death our Martyrs sealing vp with their blood the Romane Cathohke Religion and not your new deuised way of seruing God without crossing Chrysme Holy water Prayers for the dead deuotion to the Saints c. and full of carnall liberty in all things pleasing to the flesh as mariages of Priests and worldly liuing of all without any renouncing of secular affaires for the seruice of God and repenting only with a little griefe no workes of penance being after required with many other points of licentiousnesse If any held with this Religion in all these points tell who they were when and where they liued if you can till within these hundred yeares and that is as late as the newest of our points to grant you your owne saying Paul Neuer were any so iustly to bee taxed for cauilling as you for what can it else bee when all your points in that manner you hold them haue beene plainly shewed to bee new to fly to this generall reason for euasion The Church in the time of these ancients was the same with ours in all matters of faith as I haue fully declared neither can a few ceremonies since more corrupted and therefore by vs abolished estrange our Church from theirs no more then the breaking downe of the brasen Serpent and seruing God without it in Hezekiahs dayes estranged the Church then from the Church in the time of Moses As for the holy Martyrs it is a most vaine bragge that they sealed your Religion with their blood which was not then in question It was rather our Religion that they sealed seeing they commonly suffered for such zeale to Christ as that together with him they would not worship Idols as we also refuse to doe For holding the same points with vs in euery particular it is not necessary to shew any that did it is sufficient to proue our Religion true and Apostolicall to haue shewed the rising vp of all those rites that we ahue done away to haue beene long after the Apostles dayes And for carnall liberty whereby you seeke to disgrace the truth herein you blaspheme the very liberty of the Gospell after the manner of the malicious Pharisees who cryed out vpon Christ Behold a glution and drinker of wine a friend of Publicans and sinners When hee did no more then hee might in taking liberty herein For euen so wee maintaine liberty of mariage to all men and reiect your superstitious austerities because mariage is honourable amongst all men and wee would not through a multitude of obseruances make Christs easie yoake and light burden heauy Heb. 13.4 like to that vnder the Law of which Saint Peter complaineth that it was such that neither we nor our Fathers were able to beare Act. 15.10 And if experience may be heard this your taking vpon you to be stricter then God shall bee abundantly conuinced to opon a farre wider gap to licentiousnesse seeing all he world ringeth of the carnality vncleannesse and dissolutenesse of your very votaries and Priests and of Rome it selfe aboue all And it is obserued that your very Confessions and appointments of penance is turned into a fountaine of liberty seeing more rioes and disorders are against the time of shrift in Italy comitted then all the yeare before Serg. Paul But can you not show any that were of your reformed Religion for substance and matter of faith from the time of the ancient Fathers till Luther That was a very long distance of time of about 1000 yeares Doe you hold that God was without a true visible Church all this time Paul God was neuer without a true Church neither was she hid long at any time For till the Pope was made an Idoll and idolatry with Images and with the Masse tooke place in the Church and the Virgin Mary was made ioynt mediator with Christ it was a true Church which was till about Anno 700. And when the Latine Church was by these abhominations corrupted the Greek Church still continued more sound for they withstood the Popes supremacy opposed images held no transubstantiation neither subscribed to the points maintained by the Romanists till the Councell of Florence Anno 1439 at what time I haue also shewed how much this subscription was mis-liked by the body of that Church So that if no where else yet in Grecia the true Church was to be found till then But there wanted not oppugners of Images and of the Popes supremacy in other places at the same times The Councell of Franckford was famous for determining against Images as I haue also declared Betweene 700 and Anno 800 Albertus Gallus a French Bishop opposed himselfe against the Pope in his Legate Boniface Hist Magd. Cent. 8. c. 10. and with him one Clemens a presbyter and Saemson who were therefore excommunicated by the Pope and imprisoned And about the same time Iohan Mailrosius and Claudius Clemens sent from Scotland first Professors of learning in the Vniuersity of Paris denyed to subscribe to the Romish superstitions Betweene 800 and 900 Claudius Taurinensis Bishop of Thurin in Piemont denyed the Pope to bee an Apostolike Bishop for he is not sayd he an Apostolike Bishop that sitteth in the Apostolike chaire but that fulfilleth an Apostolike office Whights way to the Church p. 386. He cast images out of the Church and impugned the worshipping of the crosse About that time were Ioh. Scotus also and Bertram that denyed the reall presence Anno 847. Thergandus Bishop of Treniris inueighed against Pope Nicolas calling him Antichrist Auentin Reginold lib. 2. for which he was excommunicated and afterwards staine Betweene An. 900 and â—000 Otho impugned the supremacy Uhite ibid. and Arnulphus called the Pope Antichrist Betweene An. 1000 and 1100 Berengarius impugned the reall presence of whom I haue already spoken About that time Leaskerius an Archbishop in France was of the same opinion Berweene An. 1100 and 1200. A certaine Bishop of Florence preached Hist Magd. Cent. 12. that Antichrist vvas come in the time of Pascalis the second Also one Francis an Abbor and Petrus do Beuis a Priest impugned the reall presence with many other Popish points and Bernard is famous for many points against Popery
which I haue begung Treasury of Eccles-expositions and to perfect which will require the whole life and labour of one whole man Many haue written so I grant in this argument as that they exceed this of mine without all compare but some are so large and haue made their bookes to swell to so great volumes as that they are onely for professed Students and not for euery mans memory leyfure or money Some againe are so short and doe so prosecute some points onely as that howsoeuer they be for euery man yet when they are read almost euery man remaineth still vnsatisfied in many things Lastly some are neither too large nor too short but haue written fully methodically and logically yet not so fully but that diuers particulars haue beene omitted the common motiues on both sides haue not beene so throughly weighed the originalls of the many eâ—rours of the Church of Rome and the Apostolike Antiquity of the Reformed Religion hath not beene so declared nor the treatises in the manner of them so fitted to the capacity of the vulgar so as that many read them but for want of capacity and through these defects in the worke are not so much moued Now to supply all these defects and to instruct all euen my most vncapable Country-men in euery point and motiue so as that there might be nothing to hinder those that desire to know the truth and to cleaue vnto and obey it I haue written this plaine and short Dialogue And herein I am not so blind but I see to what enuying and hard censuring I expose my selfe but neither credit nor life are any thing to me so that by any meanes I may saue some Onely let mee say thus much in way of Apologie that it is well knowne that I am not malicious against the Romane Catholikes nor out of spite haue thus written or vsed the name of Elymas to disgrace any but wilfull Pontificians who for sinister respects against their knowledge seeke to lead into error not onely common people but noble gouernors that attentiuely hearken to Pauls preaching For the rest let mee intreat you to read me not as an enemy vnlesse I shall therefore bee counted your enemy Gal. 4.16 because I tell you the truth but as one that desireth and prayeth for your saluation and I doubt not but through Gods grace you shall see that which will make you suspect and not so well to like your present estate nor so much to condemne our reformation if not to separate your selues and to come out with vs from amongst them lest ye perish euerlastingly For I professe before God who knoweth all secrets that till I seriously studied vpon these things I was not so resolued that the Pope is the Antichrist nor your tenents and superstitions so damnable but the further I waded into this study the more was I resolued so as that now I make no further doubt of it And therefore my hope is that the like effect may by reading these my meditations bee wrought in others also that the vnstable may be setled and the erring bee brought home into the one sheepfold of Christ before it be too late which God grant vnto you all for his mercies sake Amen A Table of the points of both Religions discussed in this Booke Of the Protestant Religion 1 God onely is to be beleeued in and not the Church Page 2 2 Christ onely is our Mediator and not the Saints departed Page 2 3 Iustification and saluation is by faith onely Page 3 4 Faith assureth of saluation Page 4 5 The soules of the faithfull goe not to Purgatory Page 5 6 Prayers for the dead auaile not Page 6 7 The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is no sacrifice There is no reall presence it ought to be in both kinds Page 6 8 Baptisme doth not quite ake away naturall corruption Page 7 9 The Sacraments of the new Testament are but two onely Page 7 10 There is no perfection of righteousnesse in this life Page 7 11 There is no liberty of will vnto good Page 8 12 Mariage is free for all men Page 8 13 The Scriptures alone are sufficient Page 10 14 None ought to be debarred from reading the Scriptures Page 11 15 The Pope is not supreme head of the Church Page 12 16 God onely is to be called vpon and not the Saints departed Page 14 17 The vse of images in diuine worship is vnlawfull Page 15 18 All prayers ought to be in a knowne tongue Page 17 19 Confession of sinnes is not necessary to any but to God onely Page 17 20 Satisfaction for sinne cannot be made by workes of penance Page 17 21 All sinnes are mort all none veniall Page 18 22 To goe on Pilgimage is a superstition Page 19 23 Extreme vncton ought not now to be Page 19 24 Crossing and holy water are vaine superstitions Page 19 25 Nothing is to be taken from the word for any end Page 20 26 Wilfull pouerty is not warrantable Page 20 27 To vow perpetuall Virginity is vnlawfull page 21 28 Of Holy dayes and fasts vpon their Eeues page 21 29 The Clergy is subiect to the King as well as the laity page 22 30 Superstitions ceremonies in baptizing are anoyded page 23 31 The holy Sâ—â—rament is not to be kept for after-vses page 23 32 The Church of Rome is no true Church because she razeth the foundation page 24 33 The ignorant Papists indangered as well as others page 32 Of Popery 1 Satisfaction for temporall punishments page 25 2 The merit of Saints of the Masse and of workes page 26 3 The saints Mediators page 27 4 Free-will preparing for grace page 28 By these the foundation is razed page 29 5 Vncertainty of faith page 31 6 The Popes supremacy page 37 7 The worshipping of Images page 43 8 The single life of Priests page 47 9 The reall presence page 49 10 Prayers in the Latine tongue page 53 11 Purgatory and praying for the dead page 54 12 Crossing and holy water page 55 13 Freewill page 59 14 Iustification by workes page 60 15 The vncertainty of saluation page 62 16 Satisfaction for sinne page 62 17 Seuen Sacraments page 64 18 Apocryphall Scriptures and traditions c. page 65 AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST POPERY In way of a Dialogue Wherein The Speakers are Saul or Paul Sergius Paulus and Elymas Saul NOble Sir because you are an elect vessell the Lord hath sent mee to publish the true Religion vnto you by the imbracing and right professing whereof you may be saued Sergius Paulus What is that religion Saul It is the Christian Religion taught and maintained in the reformed or Protestant Churches Serg. Paul Wherein standeth this religion Saul The maine points of it concerne either faith or practice in exercising the parts of Gods worship Serg. Paul Concerning faith what doth the Protestant Church hold Saul I will not rehearse all contained in the Symboll or Creed of the Apostles about which
to tremble and to take occasion to repent by Gods iudgements yet when Corah Dathan and Abiram with their company are in the very offering of their incense destroyed their seruice as a conspiracy is confounded that all men may take heed of it and the seruice of Moses and Aaron honoured I could ascend higher to times past and shew miracles in the fufferings of our Martyrs and in the iudgements vpon your persecutors and I could inlarge my selfe to speake of the miraculous preseruation of Geneua and of the wonderfull successe of the Protestants in France in former times and of some Kings there and of the Bohemians in the time of Iohn Husse and it shall suffice to haue giuen this taste at home and so neare hand Elym These outward things are no proofes Eccl 9.2 seeing all things fall out alike vnto all But in the midst of all your good successe ye haue not been able to inlarge your Religion but onely to a few countreys here in Europe whereas the true Church is Catholike ouerspreading all Nations which marke is in the Church of Rome but not in yours Paul You abuse that Text of all things falling out alike to all For that is spoken only of the godly and the wicked which are religious and care not for religion and not of those that are zealous for their religion bee it true or false when they are all bound to embrace the truth For in this case God hath euer put a plaine difference betwixt those of his people that haue worshipped him aright and that haue beene corrupted by idolatry powring downe great and manifest blessings vpon the one sort and apparant curses vpon the other as it is at large set forth in the bookes of Iudges Samuel and the Kings thus as the great Vmpire ouer all determining for the Truth and against Errour As for the Catholocisme which you so much bragge of I haue already shewed that Grecia a part of the world not the furthest remote hath neuer wholly imbraced your Religion and by your cruclties your Church hath become so odious amongst the Indians that they abhorre it therefore and it is notoriously knowne that by your very images and faithlesnesse the Turkes haue been hindred from ruining to Christianitie and so haue the scaâ—tered Iewes Our Church is Apostolike as hath beene proued and therefore Catholike though the time is not yet come since the reformation of being inlarged to all parts for so neither was Christianitie vpon the sudden though caried forth by extraordinary instruments But to yeeld the pretended vniuersality of your Church so corrupted what tendeth this vnto indeed but to proue your Church to bee spirituall Babel and your Pope to be the whore of Babel seeing as shee so Rome sitteth as a Queene and ruleth ouer the Nations of the earth Serg. Paul Fie fie Paul this sauoureth rather of spleene then of sound iudgement for that Babylon is a persecuter of all Christians and an open oppugner of Christ and so may with good reason indeed bee reputed heathen Rome vnder the persecuting Emperours but not Popish Rome wherein Christ is honoured and Christians are harboured Paul Worthy Sir I speake out of no spleene but aduisedly pitying the people that being seduced by this whore run headlong after her to their own destruction For that popish Rome and not heathen Rome is that Babel I proue by these 2 inuincible reasons First from her name the great Whore Reu. 17.1 vers 5. and the mother of whordomes and abhomiuations of the earth Now whordome in the Scripture phrase as all know is Idolatry and yet euery idolatrous nation is not said to be a whore but only that where God hath beene rightly worshipped but his worship is become corrupt by the bringing in of Idols for in this respect when Iudah and Israel are said to haue playd the whore neither Babel nor Sodom nor any other nation is taxed by this name Whence is necessarily followeth that Rome where God hath beene truly worshipped but since hath beene by Idols corrupted must be meant by Babel that great whore and not heathen Rome which was originally idolatrous Again the other part of the name the Mother of Whordomes implyeth a place from whence the idolatries of other Countreys haue sprung such as was not Heathen Rome which receiued her idolatries from other nations as she subdued them that they might the more willingly obey the Romane State but Popish Rome the very mother of all the Idolatries in all nations round about Secondly I reason from the end of this Babel Reuel 18 2. Babylon is falne and is become the habitation of Deuils the bold of all foule spirits and a Cage of euery vncleane and hatefull bird And againe vers 3. She shall be burnt with fire Heathen Rome falling this desolation hath not succeeded but was more worthily inhabited then euer before with Christians in stead of Ethnicks and therefore this Babel is not that Rome but Rome that now is whose iudgements shall be according to her blessings as the iudgements of Ierusalem not to bee once destroyed and then repeopled againe but to be burnt with fire neuer to be againe reedifyed but to remaine a perpetuall spectacle of desolation for the glory of Gods iustice against such a sinke of abhominations Serg. Paul But you haue not yet touched that note which chiefly is pointed at as the cause of Babels ruine In her was found the blood of the Prophets and of the Saints Reu. 18.24 c. What Prophets or Saints haue beene slaine in Rome since the Christians bare sway She hath honoured many Saints with canonizing them but blood of Saints she hath shed none Paul By Prophets as all know are vnderstood Preachers of the Gospell and by Saints godly and faithfull people for such in the holy Scriptures are called saints the Pope canonized saints not being knowne then And of these what place in the world so full of the blood as Popish Rome sith she hath beene the bellows to blow vp the coales that haue burnt thousands of most godly innocent people and from her hath been deriued the bloody cruelty which hath been exercised by the Potentates of the earth against the numberlesse shepheards and sheepe of Christs flocke to the destroying of them in most inhumane and barbarous manner I thanke you therefore for putting me in minde of this note for by cruelty and blood-shed is the sinne of the Church of Rome come to the height neither doth any thing threaten so formidable iudgmeÌ„ts against her as the cry of so much innocent blood shed with such exquisite torments that if Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel were aliue he might be asham'd that hee could inuent no more long lingring tormenting death but cast those that would not worship his Image into a hot fiery furnace so hot as that they might bee presently dispacht when as the King of this Babel hath an hundred wayes more tormenting to destroy his oppugners
AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST POPERY Confected out of Scriptures Fathers Councels and Histories WHEREIN DIALOGVE-wise are shewed the points grounds and antiquitie of the Protestant Religion and the first springing vp of the points of Popery together with the Antichristianisme thereof Being alone sufficient to inable any Protestant of meane capacitie to vnderstand and yeeld a reason of his Religion and to incounter with and foyle the Aduersary By Iohn Mayer B. D. and Pastor of the Church of little Wratting in Suffolke LONDON Printed by M. F. for Iohn Grismand and are to be sold at his Shop in Pauls Alley at the signe of the Gunne 1625. TO THE HIGH AND MIGHTY JAMES BY THE grace of God King of Great Britaine France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. Dread Soueraigne AFter that I had compiled this ensâ—ing Dialogue I thought your Maiestie the most fit Maecenas for it both in respect of the matter and manner The matter is a Dispute about Religion both Protestant and Popish the manner is by vsurping certaine names occurring in the Acts of the holy Apostles and accommodating them so as may best befit these times amongst which the chiefe is Sergius Paulus before whom Paul and Elymas enter the lists with an ayme chiefely at the ouercomming of this honourable person The issue is according to Pauls desire the setling of Sergius Paulus in the truth so that with him there was no more place now for Elymas Your Maiestie hath beene much conuersant in disputations and now at length I vvill not say being setled for it appeareth sufficiently that there hath euer been a setlednesse and resolution in your Royall brest but not thinking good to lend an eare any longer to the friuolous arguments of such as haue sought your auersion from the Truth your MAIESTIE hath prouided that they shall haue no more copÄe of disputing within your whole iurisdiction The Worke I confesse is too sleighty to bee presented before so large an vnderstanding and the Author too meane to presume to so high a patronage Epistle Dedicatory vpon the Lords Prayer But forasmuch as your Maiestie hath acknowledged it to haue beene your owne course to dedicate your royall writings to fit persons with whom each Tract might best suite my hope is that my boldnesse shall haue pardon if in following so worthy an example I haue aspired to this dedication It hath bred much sollicitude in your Maiestie as your late directions touching preachers and preaching doe testifie to consider the dayly increase of Popish superstition euen within your Maiesties Dominions And wee your faithfull subiects cannot but haue a sympathy herein for which cause wee highly applauding that direction of instructing in the Principles of Religion doe apply our selues diligently to this Catecheticall kinde of teaching if haply the mobile vulgus might thus bee faster grounded And for mine owne part according to that slender skill which GOD hath giuen mee I haue by vvriting endeauoured to further this kinde of teaching English Catechisme and to hold to the patterne of the lesser authorized Catechisme for the auoiding of confusion by an vniforme proceeding wherein I haue not beene altogether frustrated of my end neither there being many Reuerend Diuines and others amongst whom this labour of mine hath beene so accepted as that it hath long agoe come to the third impression Now if my coniecture deceiue mee not another good helpe to preserue from this infection would bee some Antidote of our tenents and grounds and of Popish tenents and practices in the worship of God without all ground set vp either by aduantage taken of the darknesse or by force there beeing none able to make resistance in seuerall times and ages of the world especially if it might bee perspicuous and plaine to any capacitie and briefe for euery ones leisure and abilitie And such is this which I here present vnto your Sacred Maiestie the which or the like vnto which I could wish that euery one who is not furnished with better would make his vade mecum That Reuerend and learned Bishop of Meath hath lately put out a Worke in answere to a Iesuite of the noueltie of Poperie in so complete a manner as that a man would thinke as it was said of the answer of our blessed Sauiour none should dare to aske that question any more If this of mine comming after it should seeme superfluous my apologie is that our Church besides the greater hath also the lesser Catechisme Babes must haue their prouision as well as those that are stronger Your Maiesties care of the good of this Church committed vnto you herein like to that of Constantine in the matter of Arâ—ianisme as it hath much reioyced my heart and the hearts of many thousands that pray for the prosperitie of Sion so it hath incouraged mee to presse into your Sacred presence with this my Goates-haire not being able to bring better Your Maiestie I know hath no need of such Tracts but many of vs that bring presents in this kinde may bee glad to learne from your Pen and to receiue knowledge from your lips yea 1 King 10. â— blessed are they that stand alwayes in thy presence to heare thy wisedome Yet vouchsafe I beseech your Maiestie to suffer it to passe vnder the protection of your countenance to your people and I doubt not but the Protestant Religion shall hereby appeare vnto them as it is so amiable and rightly grounded and the Religion of the Church of Rome so corrupt and peruerting the grounds as that thousands which shall attentiuely and without preiudice reade it shall herein blesse God for you some that were ignorant of the differences of these religions and so standing indifferently affected being better informed some that were wauering through the seeming truth of that heresie being confirmed and some that were simply seduced and gone from vs being againe to the truth reduced to the great glory of God and to the fulfilling of the number of most loyall and faithfull subiects in whom the heart of your Maiesty may most safely trust The Father of lights who hath so enlightned your knowledge the Son that life who hath so viuified your heart and the Spirit that sire who hath so inflamed your zeale for the truth increase confirme and prosper this your knowledge life and zeale to the benefiting of many soules and to the ioyfull giuing vp of your Maiesties Accounts at the great day of reckoning Amen praieth he who is Your Maiesties most humbly deuoted subiect and seruant IOHN MAYER To all that conscionably inquire after the Truth that they may be saued both of the reformed Religion and of the Romane Catholike COurteous Reader thou mayest haply blame mee for my ouer-diligence in writing-so much and now vpon a subiect so throughly canuased already in diuers bookes of learned Authors But know that I haue beene drawne to doe this by the sollicitation of others being lâ—th of my selfe to interrupt my course in another tract
fall into the ditch Onely the iudgement of the Leader shall be greater especially if in sinister respects his conscience being conuicted by the truth he doth yet persist in vpholding errour as experience hath taught that many of them haue done Serg. Paul It standeth with good reason that they which wittingly preferre errour should beare the burthen of it but methinkes such as are mis-led by them following their conscience should not perish for many of them serue God according to their profession with a good heart Saul Errour is of that nature as that it is damnable in whomsoeuer First because it is contrary to truth which sanctifieth and maketh free For so the Lord hath prayed Ioh. 17.17 Ioh. 8.32 Sanctifie them by thy Truth and hath pronounced the truth shall make you free Wherefore contrariwise errour polluteth and enthralleth and so debarreth from entring heauen Reuel 22. because no vncleane thing shall enter there and the bond-woman shall bee cast out with her children Secondly Gal. 4. because it is a iudgement vpon those onely that perish and are damned to haue their eyes blinded and to bee giuen ouer to delusions as I haue shewed 2 Cor. 4.4 2 Thes 2.11 Thirdly because God is truth and the Deuill is a lyar and therefore by error the minde is out of the way to God and can neuer enioy him but is in the right way to the Deuill Serg. Paul Any one of these reasons is sufficient to proue their wofull case But may there not be any meanes found out to reconcile these two Religions by yeelding somewhat on both sides and by laying aside austeritie and strangenesse and by putting on lenity and familiaritie one towards another Saul In all the particular points of difference I haue made it plaine that we are in the truth as therefore if wee would not goe from God we must not go from any of these things either in faith or practiceâ— for â—hat were but to yeeld to accompany them in the way to perdition and not to doe any thing aduantageous to their soules Wherefore they must yeeld vnto vs and as we haue already done come out of this Babel of errours and superstitions if euer they will inioy true peace and comfort to Godward In the meane season if gentle and perswasiue meanes would doe them any good they haue them in greater measure then they could expect considering their forepassed cruelty and rigour but for familiaritie and bosome friendship it is expressely against that charge Tit. 3.10 An Hereticke after once or twice admonition auoid Serg. Paul I thanke you most heartily for this light which you haue giuen vnto me and I thanke God who sent you vnto me by whose grace I resolue to liue and dye in the faith which you haue declared and after no other manner to worship God And for this you shall no more be called Saul but because I count you my best friend in the world and so another very selfe you shall be called after mine owne name Paul because I know not otherwise how to expresse how nearely to my heart I haue placed you for your good instructions this day giuen vnto me Elymas Most excellent and worthy Gouernor I am sorie to heare that a man of your place and wisdome should haue his eares and minde so much abused by the seducing words of an Arch-hereticke Is your Church the onely True Church of God and is the Church of the Catholikes a false Church or none at all Oh God what will not these men perswade vnto Is it not manifest to all the world that yee are a company of Heretikes and Schismaticks and a Church but of yesterday or since Luthers time at the most Was God without a Church till your faction began What impudencie is this to abuse Noble Gouernours of Countreys thus by drawing them from the Catholike Church of Rome that hath euer been famous through the world for constant cleauing to the Christian Religion Paul Thou bewitching Sophister and beguiler of simple soules is is knowne to all men that this is your vsuall false slander of our Church and the chiefe string to your Bow so that when yee haue nothing else to fay your refuge still is the old Religion the old Religion what will ye forsake the old Religion for a new But to follow you and beat you with your owne weapon Be it knowne that the reformed Religion is the old Religion indeed and the present religion of the Church of Rome a new religion of which this noble person present shall be iudge seeing you haue prouoked me to enter these lists with you Elymas I am content that either he or any man shal iudge herein betweene vs and if you can proue what you haue sâ—yd I will lose the day Paul I proue it therefore thus The Religion commended to vs by Gods Spirit in the holy Scriptures is the old Religion and that whereof men of later times are authors is new in comparison of it But the reformed is thus commended to vs as I haue already fully declared and the Religion of the present Church of Rome is from men of latter times Ergo. Elymas Neither is the Protestant Religion commended in the holy Scriptures nor the Roman Catholike Religion inuented by man since For as much as you bragge of the Scriptures you haue not one plaine sentence in your owne Bible for any one point of your Religion without adding altering or glossing vpon it as is your vsuall manner And for our Religion shew if you can when and by whom those points which you call errors were inuented for wee hold that all things haue euer since the Apostles times been thus Paul I maruell that you and your fellow whosoeuer hee was that wrote the book blasphemously intituled The gag for the Gospell are not ashamed so boldly to charge vs that we haue not one plaine place of Scripture What is that saying of our Lord Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue Mat. 4.10 Doe not both the words and the circumstances plainly make for vs denying to fall downe and worship any but God otherwise Christ had not spoken so appositè to Satan bidding him to fall downe and worship him What is that command Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image c. And againe Deut. 4.15 Take good heed vnto your selues for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Hoâ—eb lest you corrupt your selues and make you a grauen image the similitude of any figure c. What is this saying There is one God 1. Tim. 2.4 2. Cor. 3.5 Phil. 2.13 and one Mediator betwixt God and man the man Christ Iesus and this Wee are not sufficient of our selues to thinke a good thought as of our selues and this God worketh in you the will and the deed of his own good pleasure with many more textâ— before alleaged which I spare to repeat
reckoneth vp the number of most notorious wicked Popes Napier Reuel p. 138. There haue beene thirteene adulterers Three common Stewes-haunters foure incestuous persons eleuen Sodomiticall persons seuen erectors of Stewes and two and twenty Necromancers And Henricus Echartus who in his booke called Papa Pharisaizans reckoneth vp the vilest heresies wherwith Popes haue been tainted Some Sadduces some Montanists Arrians Nestorians Eutychians and Epicures and patrons of wickednesse Innocent 4 defended for gold any luxury in the Clergie Sixtus 4 gaue liberty of Sodometry to the Cardinals Alexander 4 sent into England for money absolution to all periured and wicked persons Serg Paul Are these things true is it possible that so many monsters should sit in the Apostolike chaire yet it is true the office doth not priuiledge from sinne alse Iudas being an Apostle should not haue been a Deuill As Iudas therefore was no preiudice to the Apostolicall office no more it may bee are some wicked Popes to the religion by them maintained Else by the like reason the wickednesse of some of your Bishops Ministers would be an argument against your religion Paul For the truth of these things I haue alledged my authors who in these sifting times would not haue written thus if they could haue been disproued And howsoeuer the wickednesse of ordinary persons of the Clergy or Laity cannot minister an argument against their religion yet when one that is aboue all as an Oracle giueth Edicts to all and guideth the ship as he pleaseth is notoâ—iously wicked there needs no greater argument of a wicked religion Because the religion professed by vs is not founded vpon the Bishop or Minister but vpon Gods Word but the religion of the Church of Rome is founded vpon the Pope seeing it is their common Plea that their Church is founded vpon S. Peter and his successors Such then as the Pope is such must the religion built vpon him needs bee for so much as the building alwayes standeth and falleth with the foundation It is a silly shift to say he may erre as he is a man in manners but not as Pope in doctrine For what ground can there be that the holy Ghost will dwell to direct in the truth vpon all occasions in a nasty sty of vncleane spirits For how is the holy Spirit if not by abominable sinnes quenched and chaced away It is a priuiledge of such as feare God Psal 25.12 to be directed in the right and not of Balaam or Caiaphas though they might exâ—raordinarily prophesie as Balaams Asse spake Elywas You must not thinke yet to beare vs down thus as Antichristian and abominable in our religion no no although all were as you haue said yet wee want not the strongest argument of all which must stop all mouths the very finger of God which hath often manifested it selfe miracles wrought at Saints sepulchres and images by exorcising of Priests to the casting out of Deuils by Crosses and Holy Water vvhich haue often put the Deuill to flight and almost all points of our religion haue beene confirmed by miraculous reuelations to some holy persons of vnsuspected credit who haue vpon their faith affirmed the same Paul These miracles make much on your side indeed to proue your religion Antichristian Thes Reuel and your Pope Antichrist seeing it is said that he should come with lying wonders and should cause fire to come downe from heauen to these ducing of many Miracles indeed had their vse in the first propagating of the Gospell 1 Cor. 14. but they were for vnbeleeuers smce they haue ceased as needlesse euen as to vse the similitude of Gregory the husbandman hauing newly planted an Orchard watereth it But when it is well rooted hee watereth it no more Deut. 23. If any giue a signe amongst the people of God to proue any new matter in religion not propounded in the vvritten Word of God hee is pronounced a false Prophet Moreouer many of your miracles haue been proued coosenages by which we may ghesse what the rest are and for reuelations they may well bee counted rather delusions of Satan who is ready to tempt men according to their humours and superstitious Monkes to more superstitions Serg. Paul Are miracles then of so little force now What meaneth our Saniour Christ when hee maketh this a signe of the true faith Mark 16.17 He that beleeueth these signes shall follow he shall cast out Deuils lay his hands vpon the sicke and heale them c. Paul Miracles were very frequent indeed then as was needfull but it was not to bee expected that these signes should follow alwayes when al countreys and Nations being conuerted the truth had gotten other sufficient testimonie vvithout signes Onely God doth something miraculously oftentimes for the credit of his Gospell in all ages as by punishing extraordinarily the enemies of his truth and blessing such as fauour it Thus the persecuting Emperors vvere extraordinarily iudged and the first Christian Emperor extraordinarily blessed in that they all for the space of three hundred yeares liued most turbulent liues had most vnquiet estates and almost all of them suffered by violent deaths after a short raigne but Constantine the first Christian Emperour liued long was euery where victorious and then reigned in peace and dyed in peace And of these miracles blessed be God we are full in this kingdome for Queene Mary that stood for Poperie had but a short time was extraordinarily disappointed of the hoped for successor of her owne body to the amazement of all and so was cut off in the prime of her age But Queene Elizabeth of blessed memory had a long time and the diuine protection did compasse her about as a shield against all treasons and conspiracies so that they were miraculously disappointed and hauing reigned in peace inticht her kingdom more then euer abated the pride of her enemies and mightily succoured other distressed Protestants in a good old age she departed in peace And since that time our gracious King that now raigneth whom God long preserue how miraculously both he and we all vnder him haue beene deliuered and in what peace he hath and doth still gouerne such mighty Nations like another Salomon in such tumultuous times it is so well knowne that I shall not need to speake And that blow which your Religion had at Blacke-Friers October 26 of this yeare by the onely hand of God both Teacher and people to the number of about an hundred persons being suddenly cut off at one of your Sermons and the first that hath beene publike to our Country-men since the suppression of Pope y and that vpon your Nouember 5 at vvhat time our ouerthrow thankes bee to God was in another yeare in vaine attempted that I say the like whereof was neuer heard was a very miracle to the confounding of your superstitions which you thought by degrees to bring in here againe and to crowde out the truth For howsoeuer we are all