â—ualia deâ—ens â—giptus â—ortenta â—olat c. â—uvenal Sat. 15. a heathen Poet did deride 14 Moreover to fill up her cup with abominations this Witch hath learned of the old idolaters to worship Ier. 44.17 the Queen of heaven For by her power fetched out of the bottomlesse pit she deifieth or rather defileth the blessed Virgin Mary with unsufferable blasphemies intitling her Ladie Queen and Epist. â— â—emb Leo. â—0 nom â—riâ— l. 8. â—ist 1â— Goddesse hayling her for Offic. B. Mariae reâ—ormat Queen of heaven Ladie of Angels mother of grace and mercy life sweetness hope and what not and together with her she invocateth the Angels Apostles Martyrs Confessors Popes Bishops Virgins c. and prayeth God that Ibid. Oâ—â—t propr de â—â—nctis by the merits and prayers of her Popes she may be delivered from the fire of hell 15 And as the Heathens had their Gods and Goddesses of divers ranks Apuâ—eâ—us 〈◊〉 de Deo â—ocratis supreme inferiour and middle ones called Daemones by whom as by mediators and intercessors they thought mens desires and merits did come unto God so hath this synagogue of Satan Divâ—s and Divas Saints of all sorts whom she hath d Bellar. dâ— sanct l. 1. c. 7. canonized to be called upon in her publick prayers to haue temples altars feast daies dedicated and kept unto their memorie and many other honours acknowledging them to be mediators between God and men and hath dealt with these Divi as the ethnicks did with their Dij and Daemones For as each country and citie among them had their speciall Gods or Goddesses to protect them as for Ephesus Diana for Athens Minerva for Paphos Venus for Delphos Apollo for Rome Remus and Romulus for Babel Bel for Aegipt Isis and Osyris and the rest in like manner so the mother of Rome in stead of tutelar gods hath got her selfe Peter Paul hath procured appointed S. George for England S. Andrew for Scotland S. Patrik for Ireland S. Denys for France S. Iames for Spain S. Martin for Germany insted of Mars their antiqu patron the three Kings for Colen so for others Moreover she hath Iodicus Vrbanus for corn wine as the Heathens had Ceres Bacchus Her Mariners now haue S. Nicol. S. Christop to be their Pilots as the ancient Pagans had Castor and Pullux Her Scholars now haue S. Gregorie and S. Katherine to sharpen their wits as Poets of old had Apollo and Minerva Physicians and Chirurgians now are aided by Cosmas Damian as of old by Aesculapius S. Wendlin wardeth the sheep as Pan the shepheards God was wont and other artizens haue their special Patrons to pray and trust unto and beasts their severall guardians not so much but the very whores haue Mary Magdalen and Afra to sacrifice unto if they will as alder daies had Venus and Flora and almost every disease hath a speciall Saint appointed for Surgeon And thus is fulfilled that which is written e 2 King 17.15 They followed the Heathens that were round about them concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not doe like them Yea the Heathens doe come short in their count of tutelar Gods with this catholick whore and she excedeth those of whom it is written f Ier. 11.31 according to the number of thy Cities are thy Gods ô Iudah and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem haue yee set up altars of confusion 16 As for Ieroboam he dares not shew his face before this beast his successor for his inventions compared with hers are not one to a thousand What were his two Calues to the infinite images of this strumpet Nay her Lambs of wax are more worth then his g Hos. 10. â— kowes of gold for every immaculate Agnus Dei or Lamb of God that this Witch maketh of Virgin wax and holy water hath h Sacra câ—â—rem eccleâ— Rom. l. 1 â— Tit. 7. the same vertue against all divilish wiles and guiles of the malignant spirit that the innocent Lamb Iesus Christ delivered our first father Adam with from the power of the Divill But Ieroboam doubtlesse had no skill at all to make such idols of proof Again he forged but one i 1 King 1â— 32.33 feast out of his own heart to make merry with his images once in a year whereas this our purple Queen hath made many moe holy daies then there be moneths that I say not weeks of the year in honor of her Ladie all her Saints and these some of them correspondent to the Paynim festivities as Christmas Candlemas Fasgon or Shrouetide according to the times and customes of the Gentiles Saturnall Februal and Bacchus feasts For unlesse it be she would imitate Heathens she can hardly shew any cause at all why she celebrateth her Christmas in the end of December and her feasts at answerable times seeing in all likelihood Christ was born k Beroald Chron. l. 4. â— 2. in September rather then in December but herein the Churches authority which cannot err must bear out all lies and forgeries Vnto these she hath added fair temples high altars and other devotions moe then can be told much more effectuall then were Ieroboams For his chappels and high places were simply to worship God in but whersoever any of our Iezebels Churches be l Pontific Ord de dedec consec Eccl. it is surely no other then the house of God and gate of heaven And needs must it so be seeing it is hallowed with exorcised or conjured salt water ashes and wine which haue vertue so to consecrate that Church as that it may m Ibidem driue away all the Divils tentations every fansie wile and wickednesse of divilish fraud every unclean spirit and power of the enemy and to root out the Feind himself with his apostaticall Angels and also by the merit of the Virgin Mary and N. the Saint unto whose honour and name the Church is founded and of all other Saints God is intreated to visit that place and by infusion of his grace to purifie it from all pollution and to conserv it being purified and that spirituall wickednesses may flee from thence Which being granted as cannot I think but be by so many Saints intercessions it is impossible now that any idolatry should be committed in such a Sanctuary whose n Ibidem first stone is layd by a Bishop in the faith of Jesus Christ that the true faith and fear of God and brotherly loue may there flourish Such powerfull works as these none of Ieroboams Bishops could turn their hands unto for they were but novices in Satans school and had never well learned the art of exorcism or conjuration which the sorceresse of Rome by long practise experience hath attained being grown as cunning in these feats as she that was mistresse of her art o Nahum 3. â— and sold the nations through her
Witchcrafts 17 For by these and innumerable moe inchantments of Idolatrie which the day would not be enough to recken up this Circe the Ladie of the pseudocatholicks hath intoxicate the earth that the inhabitants p Rev. 17.2 are drunken with the wine of her fornication doting upon her reverend clergie her devout service her sacred ceremonies her hallowed Churches her Saints reliques and other like amatory potions wherin Christianism Iudaism and Paganism are tempered and mixt together in the golden Babylonish cup of her abominations 18 Hence is it that the reliques of this Romish idolatry are so fast retained among some which yet Rev. 17. â—6 hate the whore and eat her flesh and burn her with fire Of her haue they received their Diocesan Provinciall and Nationall Churches Of her haue they learned to make portesses or Leitourgies reading and singing their prayers upon a book with organs and melodie Of her institution haue they their solemn festivities of Christs Angels and Saints daies with their fasting Eves Of her hand haue they taken their Archbishops Lordbishops Suffragans Arch-deacons Parsons Vicars and a great many moe of her royall retinue From her haue they had their Churches Chappels Minsters baptized bells hallowed fonts and holy Churchyards though some of those high places are of more antiquity as having been built and dedicated to the Heathen Divils Finally from her haue been received lands livings tithes offrings garments signes gestures ceremonies courts canons customs and many moe abominations wherewith haue been inriched the r Rev. 18.15 merchants of the whore and all that sail s vers 19 with ships in her sea Thus with all the evils before mentioned and others moe then can be told which are very Gillulim the loathsome idols and execrements of the Queen of Sodom and the filthinesse of her fornication hath shee dishonoured and blasphemed the God of heaven and all that therin dwell with them she defileth the consciences of men with them she delighteth and solaces her selfe in fleshly ease and pleasure till in t Rev. 18.8 19. one houre she and all her riches pleasures wares merchandise shall perish and that be again fulfilled which was said by the Prophet Ezek. 23.43 Now shal she and her fornications come to an end CHAP. VI. A Conclusion Dehortary from this sin THE wares of idolatry being so common and universally spread by the merchants of the whore and conveighed into all nations it commeth to passe that many are interessed in this Mart buy and sell partake and communicate with these evils not being aware of the danger they come into hereby To warn them therefore of the mischiefe ere they fall into it or to help them out if they be fallen haue I penned this Treatise and add to the things fore written these few advertisements 2 This sin is direct against the Majesty of God whose honour is to be regarded aboue our own liues aboue the peace or tranquility of nations The sin provoketh the anger of God as adultery provoketh the rage of a man injured in his private bed As he a Pro. 6.34 will not spare in the day of vengeance and can not bear the sight of any ransom so the Lord is a b Ex. 20 5 gealous God and visiteth the sin of the fathers upon the children even to the third and fourth generation of those that hate him 3 Idolaters as they are shut c Rev. 22.14.15 out of the citie of the Lord the Church of Christ the heavenly Ierusalem so haue they further this doom against them they d 1 Cor. 6. â— 10 shall not inherit the kingdom of God The coÌ„municating with idols depriveth men of coÌ„munion with God for there is e 2 Cor. â— 14.16 no fellowship of righteousnes with unrightousnes no agreement betwixt the Temple of God and idols The partakers therfore in this evill though perhaps not authors inventors nor open maintainers of the same shall come unto shame and confusion before God for f Isa. 44.1 all that are of the fellowship thereof shall be confounded 4 Folly is a blot and shame unto men which they fayn would shun but wisedom is mans honour and g Eccl. 8. â— maketh his face to shine Of all foolishnesse idolatry is the greatest depriving men of sound judgement in the best heavenly things and possessing their minds with habituall vanity Therefore is this vice resembled by a h Pro. 9.1 foolish woman ignorant knowing nothing yet troublesome and talkatiue i Pro. 7.1 lowd in her babling of a smooth and k Pro. 2.1 5.3.8.9 flattering tongue and her mouth more soft then oil yet cruel also and malicious l Pro. 6 2â— 9.18 hunting for the precious life of a man bringing him to beggery death and hell But true religion or the fear of the Lord is resembled by m Prov. 8 1.4.6 wisedom which uttereth her voice to the children of men speaketh of excellent things the words 〈◊〉 8.9 â—1 of her mouth are all righteous plain her instructions better then fine gold and all her pleasures are not to be compared unto her Blessed â—ers 33.35 is the man that heareth her watching daily at her gates and giving attendance at the posts of her dores for he that findeth her findeth life and shall obtain favour of the Lord but he that sinneth against her hateth his own soule all that hate her loue death 5 To worship and serv the Divill is a thing horrible in religion and even in nature worthy of vengeance from the hand of God Though all manner sin pertaineth to the Divils service yet idolatry aboue all is counted and called the worship of Divils and so shall be punished The Heathens albeit they Rom. 1. â—0 21 had some knowledge of the true God and worshipped Act. 17. â—3 him ignorantly yet their worship is reckoned to Satan for 1 Cor. 10 â—0 the things which they sacrificed they sacrificed to Divils and not unto God Ieroboam made account he served the true God 1 King 2.28 even the God that had brought Israel out of Aegipt land notwithstanding the Lord hath thus testified of him that they were 2 Chron. â—1 15 Divils which he made when he made his calues for to worship God by And Israel before him made u Exod. 3â— 1 c. a calfe for like use but Moses doth blame them as having offered unto x Lev. 17. â— Divils and gone a whoring after them and prophesyeth that their children y Deut. 32 17. would also run into like blot Antichristians would seem to bee worshippers of God yet the Holy Ghost chargeth them to z Rev. 9 2â— worship the Divils when they think to serv God by idols Forasmuch then as all idols are Divils though fools count them Saints to partake with them is to forsake God and to bring our selues into satans damnation for the Spirit
her p vers 19. and returned not again neither took hold of the waies of life but q Pro. 5.23 dying without instruction and going astray through his great folly when r 2 Chron. 13.20 the Lord plagued him and he was dead Nadab his son was soon s 1 King 15 25.27 kild in conspiracy and after him t vers 29. all Ieroboams house the remnant whereof u 1 King 14.10 was swept away as doung till all was gone the x vers 11. dogs eating him that dyed in the citie and the fowls of the aier him that dyed in the field for the Lord had said it CHAP. V. Of the Idolatry of these times far exceeding Ieroboams IT is the manner of men to bee more equall and indifferent judges of other times then of their own the sins sinners that are past and gone we readily blame but though the like or worse be in our daies we haue not either skill to discern or courage to condemn them We can easily say as did the Pharisees a Math. 23 â—0 If we had been in the daies of our fathers wee would not haue been partners with them in the bloud of the Prophets and yet upon every occcasion we also are ready to fulfil b vers 32. â—4 35 the mesure of our fathers walking in their sinnes resisting blaspheming persecuting all that speak against us for so doing Example hereof see in the Christian Church after the idolatry and overthrow of Israel for so far haue we been froÌ„ taking heed by their evils as we haue added unto all their sins and it was but a little which they then did in respect of the huge masse of abominations that hath since been heaped up even c Rev. 18.4 unto heaven 2 And first the frame and constitution of the Church hath quite been changed from the pattern given of God confirfirmed by Christs bloud and erected by his Apostles in all Nations For loe the man of sin hath joyned together many Parishes into one Diocese and many Diocecess into a Provincional and many Provincionall into one Nationall and many national into one Oecumenical or Catholike Church of which he himselfe will be the most holy Father the Bridegroom Lord Pastor Rector and Rock Of which Catholike society so combined we finde no record in the holy Apostles Writ where every Congregation of the Saints is d See Epistles to thâ— Churches iâ— Rome Corinth Ephesus and thâ— rest shewed in every Citie to be compleat in it selfe a Church and e 1 Cor. 1â— 27. body of Christ furnished with his f 1 Cor. 5. â— power and g Math. 1â— 20. presence every one under the guidance of h Act. 2â— 17.28 Phil. â— 1 Act. 14.2 many Bishops and not all under the government of one joyned altogether i 1 Pet. 5. in brotherhood through k Eph. 4. â— Ioh. 17.21 faith loue and obedience of the spirit but not in one visible catholike Church with a visible Head or Vicar Lord Papa Patriarch or Archpastor but onely Christ himselfe l Rev. 2 3 chap. walking among them overseeing their waies and works and approving or reprooving them 3 This pseudocatholike Church or false Ecclesiasticall Monarchy is an idol or beast bred in the bottomlesse pit surpassing all the abominations that ever stood up in the land of the living and had for the parent of it the Dragon or Divill m Rev. 1 â— that old Serpent who used his most utmost skil cuning craft to beget and bring forth this his foulest child It had also of the gravest and learnedst Divines in their ages to nourse it with the milk of humane superstition and the Princes of the earth to endow and adorn it with the riches and jewels of all worldly glory that when this Iezebel shewed her selfe on the stage of the world shee made all men astonied at her majestie enamoured the Nations with her beauty bewitched them with her sorceries and made them drunken with the wine of her fornications The forrest of Rome was the high place where this n 1 King â— 13 Miphletseth or idol of horrour should haue her seat for there grew many fair trees whose shadow o Hos. 4.13 was good to burn incense under and there before time had other beasts been hatched and honoured whose p Rev. 13. â— image in this place must haue reverence still 4 And here the mysterie of iniquitie wrought contrary to Ieroboams prevailed more and continued longer For he in policie to settle his Kingdom schismed or rent the Church in twain which God had conjoyned in one King 12. but Abaddon the king and patron of this our idol will haue his false Church resemble q Bellar. dâ— Rom. Pont. lib. 1 cap. 7 the politie of Israel in monarchicall unity to allure and gather all people hereunto But as Ieroboams counsell was divelish to divide without God so is Romes doctrine Satanean to conjoyn without Christ. The Church then was confined r Psal. 76. within one little land whose assembly was annuall s Psal. 122 132. in the earthly Ierusalem where the high Priest remained to reconcile them to God but now the Church Catholick is dispread t Math. 2â— 19. over all Ierusalem our mother u Gal. 4.26 is aboue and Christ our high Priest is x Heb. 8.1.2 9.24 in the very heaven there interceding for us unto God And for any one Citie to be as Ierusalem the place of resort for all Saints on earth or for any Arch-priest or Vicar of Christ to be his vicegerent and rule in his sted hee never appointed neither entred it into his heart but it is the excrements of the Popes wit whereby in policy he would maintain the pomp and magnificence of his Diana and in her his own pontificality 5 And that this Ladie might be made of y Ezek. 27 4. perfect beauty her friends haue devised to paint her face with this vermilion that the goddesse the z Bâ—llar de Eccl. miâ—iâ— l. 3 c. 14. CHRCH absolutely cannot erre either in things absolutely necessary or in other things which she proposeth to be beleeved or done of us whether they be found expresly in Scriptures or not Hereupon she trusting a Ezek 16 15. in her own beauty takes a pride and power to b Bellar. de Rom. Pont. l. 4. c. 16. make Lawes Ecclesiasticall to binde and constrain mens consciences charging and obliging us to c Rhe. Test. 1 Tim. 3 sect 9. beleev and trust her in all things So this Idol of indignation being crept into d Esa. 33.22 Iam. 4.12 Gods throne to be Iudg and Law-giver surmounteth far Ieroboams dumb calues which had mouthes and spake not for this image can speak because she e Rev. 13.15 hath a spirit and exacteth worship of the inhabitants of the earth that all should f Conc. Trident Sess. 22.
Iupiter and Nebo and y 2 King 17.30 Succothbenâ—th and other the like even so hath idolatrous Rome ordained to haue in her temples z Concil Trident. Sess. 25. images of Christ of the virgin Mary and of other Saints which idols must haue their due honour and worship because the honour which is given to them is referred to the prototypes whom they doe represent And these abominations she Concil â—id ibid. kisseth as idolaters of old were wont to Hos. 13.2 kisse the calues lighteth Tapers before them as the Babylonians did Baruch â—â— candles before their images censeth them as the Heathen Romans were wont to doe Cicero â—ffic l. 3. their statues kneeleth falleth down and prayeth before them saying Catechis one Trid. â—act de O 〈◊〉 Tit. Our Father c. as idolaters of old Quis oranâ—us sit Jer. 2.27 said to a tree thou art my father and to a stone thou hast begotten mee Teaching her children further that these g Bellar. de â—mag l. 2. c. 21. images are to be worshipped not onely by accident or unproperly but also by themselvs and properly so as they doe terminate or end the worship as they are considered in themselvs and not onely as they bear the part of the examplar or person represented yea saying of an image h Synod Nicen. 11. Act. 4. This is Christ as paynims said of theirs i Isa. 44 17 Thou art my God But woe unto them k Hab. 2.19 from the Lord that say to the wood awake to the dumb stone rise up Herein this Catholike Church exceedeth the devotion of Jeroboam son of Nâ—bat who worshipped by the Calues l 1 King 12.28 â—he God which had brought them out of Aegypt and not any other Saints much lesse the images themselvs Yea in this kind she passeth sundry of the Heathens and her own Predecessors for Licurgus the Lawgiver of Lacedemonia and institutor of many ceremonies m Alexand. ab Alexandr l. 2 c. 22. ordained no images in his Religion but forbad the forms of men or other living creatures to be given to the Gods Apollonius a Philosopher n Philostr de vita Apollon l. 6 c. 9. found fault with the foolish and absurd images in many places and thought it more honourable if the Gods had no images at all The Persians had o Herod Clio. no images for they thought it a madnesse to worship God by such The Germans in their paynisme p Corn. Tacit de mor. Germ. held it unlawfull to paint their Gods on walls or expresse them in any humane shape And Numa the King of the antique Romans q Plutarch in Numa forbad them to think that the image of God had the shape of a man or form of other living creature Yet Rome that now is alloweth r Bellar. de imag Sanct. l. 2 c. 8. the image of God the Father in form of an â—ld man and of the Holy Ghost in form of a doue Though the holy Prophet inveighing against this vanity demandeth Isa. 40.18 To whom will ye liken God or what similitude will ye set up unto him And though the learned Varro in August de â—ivit Dei l. 4. c. 31. Heathen by light of nature approved the practise of ancient Rome worshipping the Gods without any images almost two hundred yeares and blamed those that first brought in images as authors of errour and causes of impiety yet such is the loue of this whorish Church to these teachers u Hâ—b 2.18 of lies the counterfeits of God as she adoreth theÌ„ or the divill in them to fulfill that which is written of her that men would x Rev. 9.20 not repent of the works of their hands and of the worship of divils and idols of gold and of silver and of brasse and of stone and of wood which neither can see neither hear nor goe 10 In another point also hath our Babylons zeal surpassed Jeroboams to weet in her Clergie and multitude of Church officers For Ieroboam had none but simple y 1 Kin. 12.31 Priests to say and doe the Divine service in his high places But our Iezebel hath founded Priests and Arch-priests Lord Bishops and Arch-bishops Deans and Arch-deacons Suffragans Cardinals Patriarchâ— and Popes Abbots Friars Monks Seminaries Iesuits and a number moe Chemarims her Ecclesiasticall senate to guard her throne to fight her battels to retail her wares and to satisfie by them her superstitious lust which hath been even insatiable as was z Ezek. 16 28.29 the whores of Israel And Priapus the Pope is a Bellar. de Pont. l. 2. c. 31. bridegroom of this spowse and hath preeminence over all to powr out his fornications upon her by his doctrines canons rites ceremonies decrees and decretals for he is b Bellar. dâ— head of this Church and Prince of the Priests Father and Doctor of all Christians and Bishop universall who c Bellar. dâ— Pont. l. 4. c. 3. when he teacheth the whole Church in things pertaining to faith cannot err by any hap or chance and d Ibid. c. 5 not onely in matters of faith but in precepts of manners also prescribed to the whole Church he cannot err and his wife the catholick church e Ibid. c. 1 hath alwaies beleeved that he is a true Ecclesiastical Prince in the whole Church who can of his own authority without consent of the people or counsel of the Priests make laws which binde the conscience can judg in causes ecclesiastical as other judges doe and punish also the disobedient And his lawyers haue born men in hand that this Pope may dispense against â— q. 1. â—icunq gloss the Law of God and against 5. q. 6. â—orit In 〈◊〉 the law of nature even with the Precepts of the old and new Testament Summ. Angel in dict Pap. that his bare will must Extra de â—sc episâ— â—anto in â—ssa bee holden for a law and whatsoever he doth no man may Extra de â—ces Preb. oposuit gloss say to him why doe you this And whosoever obeyeth not his precepts Dist. 81. qui sunt â— gloss incurreth the sin of idolatry Finally to lift up their blasphemy to the highest they honour him with this title l Cum inter 〈◊〉 gloss our Lord God the Pope And although this Romish Synagogue hath received some of her jolly Church Prelats with their exorbitant power by imitation of her Heathenish Predecessors Romulus and Numa Pompilius 〈◊〉 Ioh. 22 〈◊〉 Livius 1. who made Flamins Arch-flamins and a Pontifex Maximus to sacrifice unto the Gods and some of their ceremonies from other Infidels as the shaving of Priests crowns like n Hieron â— Ezek. 44 â—0 the Priests of Isis Scrapis in Aegypt yet neither antique Rome nor Aegipt nor Babylon nor any nation in the world ever fouÌ„ded such a pompous Hierarchie such store and varity of Divines