all men for his crueltie seemes to giue consent to the ambition of this Boniface to the end he might haue the Romans obedient vnto him But how vnluckily and vnfortunatly this happened to the Church not onely the euent and profaning of the holy thinges and of all religion which then followed did declare but also many sad and sorrowfull prodigies terrifying the minds and harts of men did demonstrate all which are recorded in ancient histories For a burning Comet appeared a childe was borne at Bizantium hauing foure Annal. Palmer feete another without eyes and hands whose inferiour parts from the loynes downeward were like a fish bloodie speares appeared all the night God witnessing thereby that the fatall time was now at hand wherein the Popes or Bishops of Rome who ought to follow celestiall things and teach all men to lift vp their hearts and mindes vnto God were now degenerated into four footed beasts and the Church depriued of her lights and of her hands that is to say destitute of faithfull Seers trustie guides and vigilant watchmen should now as a fishe swimme and floate amongst the waues of the world and vnstable alterations of superstitions For such Bishops followed as troubled the whole world with greate warres and cruell murders and vsurped to themselues an authoririe or power ouer Emperours and Kings Let the Popes of Rome then by their flatterers Iesuites and Seminaries boast spread abroad the antiquitie of their supremacie which all histories being considered had no being before the dayes of Boniface the thirde neither can they bring forth any other author of the same but onely Phocas then whome amongst the Emperours that professed the name of Christ none liued that was more wicked nor more cruelly minded I so speake of him because to make himselfe Emperour as he did he murdered Mauritius his Lord and Christian Emperour Is then the supremacie of the Pope so newe but newer are those things whereby superstitious men doe measure religiō in poperie amongst which the worshipping of Images is chiefest Euerie Images one knoweth that God in the olde Testament forbade Images and Christ teacheth vs that the same was ratified in the newe Testament when hee saith that hee came not to abolish the Lawe or to Mat. 5. 17 1. Io. 5. 21 breake the commandements of the Lawe but to fulfill them to whom consenteth the Apostle Iohn saying Babes keepe your selues from Idols It is manifest in the Primitiue Church there were no Images at all tolerated no not so much as of Christ Ierenaeus an auncient writer about Ire lib. 1. cap. 24. the yeare of Christ 185. maketh mention of the Gnostickes that they had the Imamages of Christ which they proposed to be worshipped with the Images of Pithagoras Plato and other Philosophers but this father condemnes and reproues the same in them Knowen is the action of Epiphanius Bishoppe of Salamina in Cipres which in an Epistle written to Iohn the Bishoppe of Ierusalem Saint Ierome being the Latin Translater thereof is thus cited When I came sayth he to a Village that was called Anablatlia and there passed-by seeing a candle burning demaunding what place it was and vnderstanding that it was a Church I went in to pray Now there I found hanging behinde the doores of the Church a vayle washed and painted and hauing an Image as it were of Christ or some other Saint for I doe not well remember whose Image it was Therefore when I sawe in the Church of Christ contrarie to the Authoritie of the scriptures the Image of a man hanging I cut it downe and gaue commaundement to the keepers of the same place that therewith they should burie some poore man And a little after in the same Epistle Precor vt iubeas presbyteros eiusdem loci deinceps praecipere in ecclesiae Christi istiusmodi vela quae contra religionem nostram veniunt non appendi These things then doe demonstrate and declare how the Fathers of auntient time vnderstood the commaundement of God concerning Images when as Epiphanius doth affirme the Images of Christ to bee against the authoritie of the scriptures and enemies to Christian religion But after the supremacie of the Popes before spoken of was confirmed Images also crept into the Church about the yeare of Christ 707 by Constantine the first for hate of the Emperour Philip. By which action grewe greate contention in the whole Empire and at the last was the occasion that the Greeke fell from the Latine Church In which schisme the Turkish Empire encreased which GOD euer from that daye hath vsed as his roddes and scourges to purge the filthinesse of Idolatrie And yet for all this foolish and superstitious men doe recken the worshipping of Images amongst the exercises of ancient and Catholicke religion oppressing and burdening vs with the name of noueltie because wee condemne this worshippe and would rid it away by the authoritie of the worde of God But now let vs come to their Masse the supporter and piller of their popish kingdome Masse inuented and encreased The author hereof they fayne Iesus Christ to be constantly affirming that all the Apostles but especially Peter and Iames celebrated the Masse Now how friuolous this is euerie man may easily knowe that doth but consider the Euanglicall history and the writings of the Apostles Christ instituted his supper in remembraunce of his death in that forme 1. Cor. 11. 23. and manner that the Apostles after deliuered it to the Church But what communion can this mysticall supper haue with the Masse wherein the sacrificing Priest doth all alone eates alone drinkes alone speakes alone behaues himselfe like a foole in a playe all the rest behoulding him as an idle spectacle Or hath Christ made any mention of a sacrifice for the quicke and the dead in the which notwithstanding they fixe the chiefest vse of their masse Christ instituted his supper in remembrance of his death hee neuer commaunded to apply it to the dead much lesse to offer his bodie and bloud dayly for their sinnes The Masse then is a newe Inuention the authors whereof are superstitious men that haue patcht it and pieced it vp at diuers times which that we may omitte other histories we wil declare out of Platina the Popes secretarie For he vpon the life of Sixtus the first thus writes In celebratione de coena domini loquitur mandauit vt sanctus sanctus sanctus dominus Deus Sabaoth cantaretur These wordes were at the first euident and did saith he touch all things as it had beene instituted by Christ Peter when hee consecrated vsed the Lords prayer Saint Iames the Bishoppe of Ierusalem encreased these mysteries Basill encreased thē others encreased them First he saith that Peter consecrated a newe worde whereof in the newe Testament vvhen there is any speech of the Supper the Apostles make no mention at all neither by it can any other thing be vnderstood but onely the reciting of the
first Institution and words of Christ which he vsed when hee deliuered bread and wine to his Disciples Againe the auntient fathers neuer knewe any other consecration but onely that wherein common bread was made mystical and a sacrament or signe of the bodie of Christ as touching the vse of it and not that the substance of it was turned into the substance of a fleshly body Secondly hee sayeth that Saint Iames increased these mysteries but heereby he doth intolerable wronge first to the holy man secondly to all the Apostles For first if Saint Iames had added any thing to the institution of Christ hee had beene too bolde and also had sinned against the Lawe of Christ who had commaunded his Disciples to teach no other thing but that which hee had deliuered vnto them Secondly if the Matt. 28. 20. Apostles had suffered any such matter they had beene vnfaithfull in their office and had neglected the Church which Christ will haue free from burden of humane traditions But the writinges and actions of the Apostles doe teach vs to iudge farre otherwise of them When the Corinthians had chaunged the mysticall Supper of CHRIST into a luxurious or want on banquet Saint Paul testifies that hee deliuered nothing vnto them but that which hee had receiued from Christ recalling them in such sort to the first institution that in the historie thereof hee differs not one word from those things that other Euangelistes had deliuered pronounceth all them to be accursed whether they bee men or Angells Gal. 1. 8 that durst adde anye thinge to the Gospell alreadie preached by the Apostles And shall wee then thinke that hee would tolerate so filthy a profaning of the mysticall Supper who withstoode Gal. 2 11 Peter to the face when hee as touchinge the conuersation of life something varied from the trueth of the Gospell Most vaine therefore and foolish is all that the Popes speake concerning the Apostles that they instituted or celebrated their Masse But let vs returne to Platina that the vanitie hereof may be more apparant For when hee had saide that others encreased it he addeth for Celestinus gaue the Introit Gregorie the Kyrielison Symmacchus the Gloria in excelsis deo Gregorie the third to the secret of the Masse Quorum solennitas hodie in conspectu tuae maiestatis celebratur domine Deus noster in toto orbe terrarum Alleluia was taken out of the Church of Ierusalem the Creed in the Councell of Neece Pelagius the Commemoration of the dead Leo the third Frankincense Innocent the first the kissing of the Pax Sergius the Agnus dei Nicolas the first the Sequences Gelasius Africanus as saith Nauclerus the Hymnes Collects Responsories Graduals and Prefaces Ierome the Epistle and Gospell Leo the first Orate pro me fratres and the Deo gratias the Cannon also sanctum sacrificium immaculatam hostiam c. Now beloued if all these thinges which Platina and others affirme to haue beene instituted at diuers times and by sundry men were taken from the Masse what I beseech you would be therein remaining that should deserue the name of a masse or a sacrifice Why then should that be called an ancient faith or religion whose chiefe foundation being first layde many yeares after Christes Ascension into heauen was afterward confirmed by new rubbish being added vnto it But admit that some of those things of the which wee haue hitherto spoken being added to the institution of Christ are in some sort tolerable yet our auncient fathers were altogether ignorant of the Corporall presence of Christ in his Supper and transsubstantiation of bread into his body whereupon the authoritie of the Masse depends The first disputation here of was in the Bertram yeare of grace 844. as may bee gathered out of the bookes of Bertram which he writ at the commaundement of Carolus Calvus concerning that matter Then Sergius the second who was the first that changed his name sate in the Romish sea Sergius 2. Pope For whereas before hee was Pope he was called Os porci swines-mouth hee then tooke vpon him the name of Sergius by which action God was willing to testifie to the whole world what a boare should come out of the Forrest whom Dauid affirmes Psal 80. 13. to be the destroyer and waster of the Church and that the time of defection was at hand wherein they that by baptisme had giuen their names vnto Christ by denying him should follow after superstitions For ten yeares after ascended into that place a womanish harlot to be Pope hauing to name Iohn the eight or rather Ioane the first God manifesting thereby that now that harlot beganne to shewe her selfe whereof Apoc. 17. 3. Christ had prophecied in the Reuelation But as yet they were not able to perswade all men to worshippe this their newe Idoll but alwayes GOD sent some to testifie of the truth vntill in the yeare of Christ 1215 vnder Innocentius the thirde in the Councell of Lateran there was a decree made concerning Transubstantiation which in the Decretals is thus reade Vna est fidelium vniuersalis ecclesia extra quam nullus omnino saluatur in qua idem ipse sacerdos est sacrificium Iesus Christus cuius corpus sanguis in sacramento altaris sub speciebus panis vini veraciter continentur transubstantiatis pane in corpus vino in sanguinem potestate diuina vt ad perficiendum mysterium vnitatis accipiamus ipsi de suo quod accepit ille de nostro There is one vniuersall Church of the faithfull without which none canne bee saued wherein the Priest himselfe Christ Iesus is the sacrifice whose bodie and blood in the sacrament of the Altar vnder the formes of bread and wine are truely contained the bread being transubstantiated into his bodie and the wine into his bloud by a diuine power that the vnitie of this mysterie might be effected wee receiue from him that which he tooke from vs. In the same Councell also was constituted Auricular confession whereby men of euery state and degree being fast chayned together as with fetters and linkes of Iron durst neuer speake against the decrees of the Romish Church Tenne yeares after that Honorius the thirde commaunded darke places or Chestes to bee made wherein the bread alreadie consecrated or rather as they speake transubstantiated into the bodie of Christ was reserued to bee worshipped which without all doubt are those secret places whereof Christ speakes Mat. 24. 23. commaunding vs not to beleeue them who shewe vs Christ to be contayned in them And to fulfill and finish all this superstition Vrban the fourth in honour Vrban 4. inuented the Feast of Corpus Christ 1264. of this sacrament at the request of a Recluse with whom in times past hee had beene ouermuch familiar inuented the solemne Feast which they call Corpus Christi Who is it then that can affirme the whole worshippe of the Masse to be
auncient seeing it hath not alwaies beene in the Church neither hath it beene instituted and receiued at one time but being brought in by little and little was augmented with newe additions dayly So to that to the Masse neither lesse nor more hath happened then to a pilgrimes scrippe or to an old cloake of a begger that beggeth from doore to doore vpon such a Cloake the elder that it is the more patches doe they set vpon it so that in time nothing is seene but heere a little peece there another of the cloath whereof it was first made And this clothe is so vsed so wasted so discoloured and so without being that it no way appeareth to be that which it was In this cloake are not seene but patches of cloth corrupt and rotten very ill placed and worse sowed together so that it causeth loathing to those that haue bin delicately brought vp Such another cloake is the Popish Masse The cloath whereof it was made was the Supper of the Lord which men not celebrating according to the institution of Christ waxed olde lost it colour being nothing worth Then commeth one and casteth a peece vnto it afterwarde comes another and casteth vnto it c. So that now it is not the Supper of the Lord but the masse of the Pope now it is not the robe of an honourable man but the cloak of a shamelesse begger In conclusion their Masse is their Helen for whom they trouble the whole world What wee haue spoken of all the aforesaid popish trumperies the like may also bee saide of the Inuocation of Saints Inuocation of Saints which they can prooue by no testimonie nor example of the scripture For by the scripture wee are taught to inuocate one God through the onely Mediator Christ Iesus neither hath any one of the Saints either of the olde or newe Testament being aliue prayed vnto any of the Saints in heauē Now the Leyturgie which Durandus makes to be twofolde to wit the maior the minor is also confessed to be instituted by men the one by Mamertus vnder the raigne of Zeno in the yeare of Christ foure hundred foure-score and ten the other by Gregorie the great in the yeare of Christ fiue hundred fourescore and tenne The hymne of Salue regina was made by Hermannus Contractus and Gregorie the ninth commaunded it to bee sung to the prayse of the Virgin at certaine houres of the day in the yeare of Christ 1241. The verie same may bee spoken of the whole worshippe of the Saints which how great soeuer it is yet it is nothing but onely the inuention of superstitious men But if wee should come vnto other points of their popish religion as of monkish orders choyse of meates single life of their Priests fire of Purgatorie prayer for the dead satisfactions popish pardons and multitudes of such matters it would then appeare that they were all the inuentions of man and had their beginning when the pure doctrine of the trueth was for the most part extinguished by the corruptions traditions of men In conclusion then if the lawe which was 400 and 30 yeares after the promise was not able to disannull the couenant that was confirmed before of God in respect of Christ to make the promise of none effect much lesse the Popes supremacie the worshipping of Images the sacrifice of the Masse the inuocatiō of Saints or any popish superstition whatsoeuer shall be able to corrupt abrogate or disannull it but that the promise should bee performed to the seede of Abraham that is to the faithfull in all ages That then which wee our selues must hold concerning faith onely iustifying the sole sauiour Christ Iesus is all grounded vpon the eternall couenant of God which in the beginning was made with our first parents Secondly renued with Abraham Thirdly set forth by the Prophets Fourthly confirmed and fulfilled in the death of the Sonne And lastly divulged by the ministrie of the Apostles through the whole world This faith was kept by all those that pleased and serued God before the comming of Christ in the flesh the martyrs sealing the same with their bloud Who thē cā deny but that the Papists doe wickedly shamefully slāder vs who tax vs with nouelty because they would vnder a lying title of antiquitie thrust vpon the common sort their popish superstitions which indeed are newe and altogether vnknowen vnto Antiquitie But it is more then time for vs to come to our Apostle who being about to confirme that which before hee had spoken sayth for if the enheritance be of the law it is no more by promise but God gaue the inheritāce to Abrahā by promise In which words the Apostle opposeth the law the promise one against another as things cōtrarie and diuided which cannot stand tother in the cause and action of our Iustification For the lawe requireth workes saying Qui fecerit ista praecepta viuet in eis Lev. 18. 5 hee that shall doe these commaundements shall liue in them but the promise requires that wee should beleeue neither is it apprehended by any other meanes then by faith Therefore as merite and grace cannot stand together no more can the lawe and the promise To sette forth the sense of the words we wil frame this argument If wee deserue the inheritance of life by the workes of the lawe then it is not obtained freely nor by faith onely But God gaue the inheritance vnto Abraham by promise Therefore this inheritance comes vnto vs not by merite but by the free promise of God The Apostle cōfirmes this argument by the word of giuing whereby is vnderstood a free gift and euerie gift excludes all merit of euery worke whatsoeuer on our part Againe the Apostle fitly vseth the example of Abraham because hee did not sustaine a priuate but a publike person in whom God was willing to propose to the whole world an example of all that were to bee saued together with an assured common meanes of saluation to all the elect The Apostle handling this example in the Romanes after the same saith thus Rom. 4. 23. 24 Now it was not writtē for him onely that it was imputed to him for righteousnesse but also for vs to whom it shal be imputed for righteousnes which beleeue in him that raysed vp Iesus our Lord from the dead which was the very cause that those promises that were made vnto Abraham are extended vnto the seede of Abraham that is vnto all the posteritie of Gods children For vnlesse it were so there would bee no profit of that sacred and holy historie But at this instant the Apostle doth thus strongly vrge this example of Abraham that he might presse and beate to the ground the hautinesse of the confidence of the Iewes who whereas they boasted themselues to bee the children of Abraham yet would they not enter into the inheritaunce promised by the faith that Abraham did The Apostle therefore teacheth