not euill but to do it to worke sedition or rebellion is treason much more to obey wicked popes to wicked purposes All those therefore that adhere to this faction let them beware their actions come not to examination least they engage themselues too far and be found guiltie of high treason seeing the priests and others that worke in the popes businesse by many lawes are declared to be plaine traytors Martyres certes they cannot be estéemed vnlesse treason be religion and falshood truth and Antichrist be to be receiued for Christ Iesus For the Church of God holdeth them for Martyres that died for the profession and testimonie of Christ Iesus But such of the popish faction as haue béene executed in England died for mayntenance of the popes faction and his tyrannie taking on him to take away the crowne from lawfull Princes and séeking by armes and treason to murther them and all loyally affected to them And this is most apparantly approued by the enditements framed against them by the depositions of witnesses and the whole forme of their triall iudgement and execution As for points of faith they were not once mentioned in all the processe made against them neither was euer any papist among vs troubled for his leude opinion concerning the masse or any other point of Romish superstition True Martyres suffred for the truth wrongfully and therfore deserued commendation That is thanke-woorthy saith saint Å¿ 1. Pet. 2. Peter if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe suffering wrongfully These suffer not for their conscience vnlesse they make the popes will the rule of their conscience Neither are they punished wrongfully And therefore if any estéeme them Martyres they doe them great wrong For as r Epist 68. Augustine saith of the Donatistes viuebant vt latrones honorabantur vt Martyres so may we say of these popish Martyres they are called Martyres but are verie rebels and traytors They are also like Alexander the hereticke of whom Eusebius Å¿ Lib. 5. eccles hist. c. 17. saith he liued by robberie and was executed for villanie and yet was honoured by those of his sect as a Martyre True Martyres haue charitie For without it furious and Iebusitical zeale to promote the popes cause auayleth nothing If I giue my bodie to be burned saith the t 1 Cor. 13. apostle and haue not loue it profiteth nothing Now what charitie had they that were employed by publike enimies to the hurt and destruction of their liege Ladie and most déere countrey Charitie saith the u Ibidem apostle is patient gentle humble But these in their exile had no patience but by force and destruction of their countrey sought to returne they like fierce lions sought by conquest to subdue men to their opinions and dreame of nothing more then honour profit and authoritie Some of their owne companie tell that in â—nno 1588. they much contended about the lands and liuings of the nobilitie and clergie and that the Iebusites looked to rule all according to an olde prophesie found out forsooth by Parsons of rulers in long gownes Iesuiticall bonnets But since it hath béene told them that it is not good to fell the beares skin before he be killed and that Parsons is nothing but a false prophet It is said that Cottam an English Iesuite being condemned to die and séeing a great multitude of people round about him desirous to see what strange beast a Iebusite might be broke out into many bitter curses and x A discouerie of Campian and his consorts prayed God that he would send downe fire from heauen and consume them all And this is the gentlenesse and charitie of the Iesuites When Sixtus Quintus told the Iesuites that he wondred that none of their order was canonized for saints some y A discourse of a certaine priest aunswered that they sought honours in the Church triumphant and not in the militant meaning percase not to be beholding vnto him True Martyres are men of a peaceable disposition and no way desirous of tumults or troubles Si supra memoratos saith z Lib. 3. contr Parmen Optatus videri martyres vultis probate illos amasse pacem in qua prima sunt fundamenta martyrij aut dilexisse Deo placitam vnitatem aut habuisse cum fratribus vnitatem sine qua nullum vel nomine potest vel re esse martyrium Hée speaketh of the Donatistes but it fitteth well our popish pretended Martyres and their consorts that neither agrée with vs nor among themselues and are giuen to contention and séeme desirous of warres and hurlyburlyes and are the fire-brandes to rayse flames of contention in all the corners of Christendome as appéereth by their actions in England France Ireland Germanie the Low countries Swethland Poland Scotland and other places The Martyres of Christ Iesus die for the true faith and abide firme in his truth but the popish mastiues die for the popes pleasure and for defence of his most vniust and tyrannicall vsurpations and fight against Christ his Church Who then doth not maruell they should be accounted Martyres Cum Deo manere non possunt saith a De simplic pralat Cyprian qui esse in ecclesia Dei vnanimes noluerunt ardeant licèt flammis ignibus traditi obiecti bestijs animas suas ponant non erit illa fidei corona sed poena perfidiae Occidi talis potest coronari non potest If then these good fellowes haue forsaken the Church and linked themselues with enimies and traytors die they may for their treasons but as Martyres they cannot be crowned nay they cannot be estéemed Martyres No true martyr euer séemed more desirous of the applause and praise of men then of the good of Christes people Si ita martyrium fecerimus saith b In epist ad Galat. lib. 3. c. 5. Hierome vt nostras velimus ab hominibus reliquias venerari si opinionem vulgi sectantes intrepidi sanguinem fuderimus substantiam nostram vsque ad mendicitatem propriam dederimus huic operi non tam praemium quà m poena debetur perfidiae magis tormenta sunt quà m corona victoriae But the popish Martyres sought nothing more then their owne glorie and praise little caring for the good of Gods Church Nay while they sought to prefer the popes authoritie they sought to drawe vpon vs forrein enimies and to rayse sedition within the countrey It was not the fashion of Martyres in ancient time to renounce their kings and gouernors and not to acknowledge their authority Nay well they knew that Saint c Rom. 13. Paul taught them contrarie Omnis anima potestatibus sublimioribus subdita sit saith he Neither did they vse to set out most slandrous libels against men in authoritie or allow any such course Finally we doe not read that euer any godly Martyr did take armes against his prince or go about to depose him or murder him vpoÌ„ any bishops or other mans
in schooles or matters of learning And therefore at his pleasure hee calleth them Sunshine doctors and inlightened and sunne borne ministers Finally hée telleth vs That in Queenes Maries time there was as learned a clergie as in many ages before and that our bishops which in contempt he calleth poore creatures are no way comparable to Tonstall Watson Christopherson Fecnam Gardiner White that then liued But wherein he thinketh most gloriously to triumph there hée sheweth most follie For first admit these men that hée nameth were great doctors yet it followeth not thereof but that the people liued in great errour and blindnesse which is a matter so apparant that it cannot bée denied For few could say their Pater noster and Beléefe and of those that coulde by hart say them not one among twentie vnderstoode them Like parates they said Credo in Deum but vnderstoode not what they saide They praied likewise but vnderstoode not what they praied Nowe what auaileth it to pray with the lips if the hart vnderstande nothing Likewise they came to church and heard Mattins Euensong and Masse in Latin But what were English people that vnderstoode no Latine the better They were likewise taught to praie not onely to angels saints and to our Ladie but before stockes and stones little vnderstanding the schoole distinction of Doulia and Latria without which they coulde hardly auoide the crime of idolatrie The preachers as a Cant. 29. Dante said Preached old wiues tales legends scriptures were then not suffered to be read of the vulgar sort How then was it possible that this people should vnderstand any thing Secondly wée do very well know what kinde of men these were which the aduersarie nameth Their writings are yet extant and nothing singular And when in the beginning of this Quéenes daies they were chalenged to dispute and felt their owne weakenesse they vtterly refused Procure vs the like libertie to dispute in Seuill or Paris or Milan and sée whether we wil refuse to dispute with these great Rabbines Now wée confesse indéed we are not open our mouthes in schooles in Spaine Italy But the reason is for that it is death to defend truth But if we were no more afraid of their swords then their arguments they shoulde soone perceiue that wée both durst and woulde open our mouthes against the proudest of their Iesuits and woulde either shut their mouthes or make it appéere that they crie and speake without reason Wherefore let this lunaticall or extaticall frier either forbeare to bragge or else procure vs libertie to dispute and then hée shall sée how hée is vnable to match those whom héere he reiecteth with scorne gibing at their lawfull wiues and children when he and his consorts and all the rable of priests and friers walloweth in all filthinesse and abominations making no conscience of whooredome and publikely maintaining bardassaes and concubines and a race of bastardes about them and many of them dooing woorse all which shall be iustified by particulars if our aduersarie desire triall in this point Lastly it is not the learning of fiue or sixe that can make all the rest of the clergie séeme learned It may bée these fewe were tolerablie learned But certes the ignorance of the other masse priestes was excéeding great Now in Spaine and Italie not euery tenth man vnderstandeth his Portuis or Missal and in matter of religion little or nothing Wherefore if the pastor be so ignorant and blinde it is no maruell though the people be farre more blinde rude and ignorant He telleth vs That it is no haeresie nor neuer was so accompted to read on the Bible in any language whatsoeuer And yéeldeth this reason For that by licence of the ordinarie it is permitted to infinite lay people to read Scriptures in vulgar tongues Secondly hée saith That none was euer called for this fault onely before the Romish clergie and branded to the slaughter And because sir Francis Hastings doth holde the contrarie hée doth giue him the lie and with very braue wordes make shew as if hée woulde challenge him into the field facing brauing like a false shamelesse frier But when it cōmeth to the point hée passeth ouer the matter with a fewe railing wordes shewing himselfe a cowardly challenger that hauing giuen the lie runneth out of the field without daring to abide other triall then by the toong In which also I doubt not but to giue him the foile For the first is very euidently disprooued by diuers examinatiōs in king Henrie the eight Quéene Maries daies where it was obiected to lay men that they read the Scriptures in English which should not haue béene done vnlesse by that article they should haue béene conuinced of heresie The second is likewise disprooued by diuers precedents and records whereby it appéereth that poore people were both called and condemned for reading of the Scriptures In the beginning of king Henrie the eight his reigne certaine were condemned for reading the Epistles of saint Paul in English as appéereth by the registers of Lincolne diocesse and bishop Longland preaching at their burning saide That they were damned that mooued their lippes in reading those chapters of Scripture for which those martyrs were condemned Diuers were abiured for reading scriptures One of them was burned with a bible in English about his necke to declare the cause of his burning Both those points are also prooued by the prouinciall constitution a Const pro. c. praeterea de haeretic of Thomas Arundell Statuimus saith he vt nemo textum aliquem sacrae Scripturae authoritate sua in linguam Anglicanam seualiam transferat nec legatur aliquis huiusmodi liber c. vel publicè vel occultè sub poena maioris excommunicationis qui verò contra hoc fecerit vt fautor haeresis erroris similiter puniatur So it appéereth it was vnlawfull to read scriptures in vulgar toongs and that such readers were punished as heretikes or suspect of heresie and that the challenger our aduersary lieth notoriously in both these points Further hée maketh a third lie where he saith that Infinite lay people are by the ordinarie permitted to read the Scriptures translated into vulgar toongs For in all Spaine I beléeue hée cannot name thrée that haue this permission and very vnlike it is they meane that the people shall read Scriptures translated when they will not translate them themselues and forbid all other translations but their owne Besides this who dare desire leaue to read Scriptures translated when it is a note of heresie with them to desire such a matter But least we shoulde mistake this cholericke gentlemans meaning that is so readie to giue the lie and the stab for euery worde let vs heare him declare his meaning concerning reading of translations of Scriptures in his owne termes First saith he most certaine it is that no man or woman was euer forbidden to read any part of the holy scriptures in any of the
in these Iohn 21. Feede my lambes feede my sheepe In the wordes written by Matthew he telleth vs That the principalitie of the church is promised to Peter as the words themselues do shew and the consent of ancient fathers both Greeke and Latine doth expound In the latter hée saith Peter was made pastor generall of all Christes flocke as both the words themselues do import and all antiquitie with one consent hath euer taken the sense to be And this is the commission these are the recordes these the proofes which he vanteth of But if hée acquit not himselfe the better he will be taken and conuicted for a forger of false patents and commissions for a falsifier of recordes and for a corrupter of fathers and a vaine pretender of antiquitie And all that read his vaine writings with iudgement will condemne him woorthie if not to haue his eares clipped because our procéeding is not before the tribunall of iudges yet to haue his coxcombe pared for crowing and crying so loude and so proudly vpon so little cause For first the wordes of Christ are not Thou art Peter or a Rocke As hée forgeth changing a proper name into a noune appellatiue but simply Thou art Peter Secondly he confesseth himselfe that Christ in the first place giueth nothing but onely promiseth Now it is no warrant for any to alledge a promise of a commission vnlesse he canne prooue an act passed or else exhibite the commission it selfe Thirdly nothing is here promised to Peter but the keyes of the church But those keyes are common not onely to the apostles but also to all true pastors and successors of the apostles and therefore cannot signifie any sole monarchicall or supreme gouernement of the whole church Fourthly suppose that Peter were in this place promised to be made the rocke and foundation of the church which as the fathers expound it was onely in respect of his confession or of Christ the rocke which he confessed yet that is no priuiledge nor matter properly belonging to Peter but a common graunt made to all the apostles who in respect of their doctrine and after a sort may be termed the a Ephes 2. Apoc. 21. foundation of the church Fiftly it cannot be shewed that any gréeke or latin fathers do so expound the wordes Matth. 16. as if Christ meant to giue to Peter the sole monarchicall gouernement of the church Let them speake in their owne wordes and he shall perceiue it to be as I say Nay it appeareth by Bellarmine himselfe that no such matter canne be prooued by the fathers Sixtly Christ saying to Peter feed my sheepe and redoubling his charge thrée times gaue him not any new authority but rather stirred him vp to the execution of his office and sought to draw from him a thréefould confession to answere his former thréefould deniall And so saith Nazianzen in Orat. in sanct epiph lumina and Cyrill vpon Iohn Lib. 12. c. 44. and Augustin tract 123. in Ioan. de vtilit poenit c. 1. serm 149. de tempore Seuenthly the charge of féeding was as well committed to all the apostles Matth 28. as to Peter Iohn 21. Lastly not one of the fathers doth by these wordes prooue that Peter was ordeined the monarchicall and sole supreme gouernour of the church Saint b In c. vlt. Luc. Ambrose saith That Peter was preferred before all the apostles but he speaketh not of his office or function but of loue affection For speaking of all the apostles he saith c Ibidem Similiter praedicandi his per totum orbem mandat officium Saint d In c. Ioan. vlt. Augustine saith onely That Christ committed his sheepe to be fedde of Peter But so hée did also commit them to be fedde of the rest of the apostles when he gaue them authoritie to teach all nations e In c. 21. Ioan. Chrysostome saith That Christ committed to Peter the care of his brethren but we may not imagine that other apostles were carelesse or had no care committed to them neither may we imagine that all are supreme and sole gouernors that haue care committed to them Epiphanius doth a In Anchirat testifie That Christ committed his sheepefold to Peter So do the holy scriptures testifie that the apostles had all commission to féede Christes shéepe and to gouerne his folde But saith our wise aduersarie b P. 101. These wordes Pasce ouesmeas were spoken to Peter in preeminence and highest degree But Saint c De simplic Praelat Cyprian and d C. In nouo dist 21. Anacletus that were wiser then he make all the apostles equall in power and apostolicall dignitie and the common commission giuen to all doth prooue them equall And least any might surmise that the apostles receiued any power from Peter the apostle e Gal. 1. 2. Saint Paule saith hée had his authoritie from God and not from man and Receiued nothing from the rest of the apostles Most vaine therefore and foolish is all this our aduersaries discourse concerning the supposed monarchie of Peter But whatsoeuer is to be supposed of Peter yet that concerneth the pope of Rome that is more like to Nero and Heliogabalus then Peter iust nothing For he is not the Rocke of which Christ speaketh he hath not the keies of heauen deliuered vnto him hée féedeth not Christes shéepe nor liueth in poore estate and contempt nor suffereth persecution as did the holie apostle saint Peter But saith the woordy Warder our aduersarie All the christian worlde hath made euer this most certaine and infallible deduction that Christ gaue not Saint Peter these eminent prerogatiues for himselfe alone but for his posteritie and successors also that should ensue him in his seat to the worlds end As if whatsoeuer Saint Peter had must necessarily descend to his counterfect successors the popes of Rome Beside that the vanitie of this bragge of all the christian worlde and of the infallibilitie of this collection may appéere in diuers particulars First it is cléere that diuers of Peters prerogatiues were personall as to haue his name changed to bée called Cephas to worke miracles to speake with toongs to confesse Christ thrée times and such other like And therefore strange it is that this ignorant fellow durst either talke of all the christian worlde wherein he is but a stranger or woulde say that all the christian world beléeued these prerogatiues of Peter to belong to the popes of Rome Secondly it can neuer be prooued that Peter had or that the worlde beléeued that hée had power to depose kings to translate kingdomes to dispence with othes to grant pardons to release out of purgatorie to heare appeales out of all the worlde and such like points of the popes power Thirdly admit Peter had apostolicall power ouer the whole worlde yet neither was that proper to Peter nor did any sounde doctor of the church or true Christian imagine that whatsoeuer belonged to
Peter descended to the pope of Rome Fourthly the aduersaries themselues cannot prooue this succession by any such infallible and certaine deduction as is pretended Wherefore vnlesse this Noddy can shew first that the pope hath succéeded Peter in the generall charge of apostolicall gouernment and teaching throughout the worlde and secondly that the pope is a true bishop pastor and successor of Peter and thirdly that neither the bishops of Antioch nor Caesarea nor Ioppe nor Lydda where Peter taught nor any saue the bishops of Rome succéeded in Peters seate and fourthly that the popes authoritie in giuing lawes in censures exactions dispensations iudgements was generally allowed and neuer contradicted and finally that he still holdeth the apostolike doctrine and faith intirely and admitteth no heresies nor false opinions in religion vnlesse I say he prooue all this he is at the end of his reckoning for the popes authoritie and sheweth himselfe to bée but a vaine babler and a foolish challenger that euen in the midst of danger conueieth himselfe out of the steccato And I do much woonder that all true Christians do not suspect this manner of procéeding and detest the pride and vanitie of this discourser that leaueth his miserable disciples more perplexed then before For he teacheth that vpon paine of damnation they must subiect themselues to the popes authoritie and yet when it commeth to the iumpe he is neither able to iustifie the popes authoritie in making and dissoluing lawes nor in ordering bishops throughout the worlde nor in iudging of controuersies nor authorizing the scriptures nor in dispensing in cases reserued nor in deposing princes nor in raising warres and handling both the swords and such like matters Nay he is not able to prooue that he is Peters true successour or a lawfull bishop He teacheth subiects to rebell and setteth princes to murder Christians and blinde papists blindely obey and yet no warrant can the popes proctor bring to iustifie the popes strange desseines and dooings Onely he endeuoureth in the last end of his pleading for the pope to shew That this land ought especially to respect the sea of Rome for beeing twise conuerted from paganisme to Christian religion and that first by Eleutherius then by Gregory the first which were both bishops of Rome And here he triumpeth and thinking that he hath satisfied his reader with an exquisite and delicate dish at the ending of his papall banquet he taketh away the table and biddeth all his guests Proface and à dieu But if his readers be not more wary while they thinke to be fed with holesome meat they are like to be gulled which googeons This gull certes in this his catastrophe séemeth to haue no other purpose For first it is a méere fable to say that this land was conuerted from paganisme either by the one or by the other of these two For Christianity was in England long before Eleutherius time and stories say he did onely and that by his deputies christen king Lucius And when Augustine the monke came to the Saxons the Britons long before that were Christians Secondly neither did Eleutherius nor Gregory preach the faith here nor giue much aide to the conuersion of the people of this land Onely Eleutherius sent Eluanus and Meduinus two Britons otherwise called Fugatius and Damianus to king Lucius and Gregory sent Austin the monke hither But the Saxons were conuerted by certaine Britons and French that could speake the Saxon language and not by Austin that could do nothing but hould the crosse like a crosier-clerke whiles others preached Thirdly albeit this land had béene conuerted by Eleutherius and Gregory yet this is but a personall fauour rather making vs beholding to those two then to those that succéeded them To prooue that we owe any obedience to the sea of Rome for that cause this argument is all too weake For the church of Rome was first conuerted by those that came from Ierusalem yet doth not Rome yéelde any obedience to the bishops of Ierusalem Nay they haue forgotten Saint Paul whome we are assured preached at Rome and do all depend of Peter Likewise the Phrysons and Germanes were conuerted by Saxons out of England yet do they not subiect themselues to the church of England Fourthly the late popes of Rome haue béene alwayes beholding to the kings and people of this country One king gaue the tribute of peter pence others gaue them great priuiledges and authority by which meanes they drew out infinite treasure out of England Bonner a In praefat in lib. de ver obed saith that the reuenues of the pope out of England were equall to the kings reuenues In requitall whereof the popes haue b Matth. Paris sent to our princes either glasses or feathers or rotten bones or paper lead and such like toies Adrian the fourth gaue to our princes a title to Ireland which he had no power to giue Innocent the fourth to king Henry the thirdes sonne gaue a bare title to the kingdome of Naples which cost infinite treasure in the end prooued a méere mockerie Other popes haue shewed theÌ„selues alwaies opposite to the English nation to the kings of this realme No sooner had the pope intelligence that William of Normandie was purposed to come with a puissant armie to conquer this lande which coulde not be done without great waste wracke and slaughter but hée c Matth. Paris caused his standard and ensignes to bée halowed and blessed So much did it please him to heare of an inuasion of our countrey and so holy a thing did warre and waste of this kingdome séeme vnto him Another pope did vpholde Thomas Becket and his rebellious consorts against king Henry the second fauored his professed enimies and in the end forced him to a most shamefull penance d Matth. Paris in Ioanne Innocent the thirde thundred out his excommunications against king Iohn and stirred vp forreine enimies against him Neither did he euer cease to pursue him vntill such time as he had made both the king himselfe and as much as in him lay all his people tributarie to forreiners At which when the Nobilitie and people of England repined the furious pope in great choler e Ibidem sent out his interdictions excommunications and curses against them and neuer ceased to pursue them as long as he had meanes to hurt them In the warres which the kings of England made in France for the obteining of their right in that kingdome the popes crossed them by all meanes possible and declared themselues vtter enimies to our nation being glad of any calamitie that hapned to vs and sorrowfull for our good successe But neuer did anie declare more malice against any of our kinges then Paule the third against king Henry the eight the Quéenes most noble father as appéereth by his most execrable a D. Sanders de schâ—sm lib. 1. bull which he published against him For therein hée doth not onely curse
nomine armamini contra ecclesiam dimicatis and our sauiour founde no greater enimies then the Priests Scribes and Pharisies which stoode most vpon the succession of Moses and title of Gods people The diuell h 2. Cor. 11. Transformeth himselfe into an angell of light and brasse is often set out with a glorious lustre as if it were golde But nothing can be deuised more counterfait then the papist who albeit hée maintaine a religion full of nouelties and improbable fantasies yet taketh on him as if hée were the onely catholike christian and ietteth vp and downe with a maske of catholike religion So apes clad with purple iackets beare themselues verie proudly among other beasts and all for their gaie apparell But as apes by their apish trickes bewray themselues to bée apes so papists by their apish popish and fonde deuises shewe themselues to be factious heretikes and no true catholikes That they are no true catholikes the very name of catholike and true signification of this worde declareth For Catholike doth signifie that which is vniuersall or generall And the church is called catholike bicause it conteineth all the people of God and all Christians whether of time past or time to come or time present and in what place soeuer they remaine dispersed The christian faith likewise is called catholike for that it is and euer was and euer shall bée generallie taught and receiued of faithfull christians In time past God was peculiarly knowne of the people of Israell and to them was the law giuen and prophets were sent But our Sauiour Christ sent his apostles into all the world a Matth. 28. Docete saith he omnes gentes Hée also tolde them they shoulde witnesse his truth to al nations of the earth Eritis mihi testes saith b Act. 1. he in Hierusalem totaÌ„ Iudaeam Samariam vsque in totam terram So that we are to vnderstand that there is but one catholike church into which al true catholikes are to be gathered This Catholike Church c In Psal 56. saith Saint d In Psal 44. Augustine is spred throughout the world and conteineth not onely those that are present but those also that are past and are yet to come And Saint d In Psal 44. Hierome saith That this church is one and is founded by the apostles doctrine and conuerteth men to Christ Wée belée also that there is but one apostolike and catholike faith which all true catholikes both haue holden do holde and must holde vnto the worlds end In this catholike church saith e De haeres c. 3. Vincentius Lirinensis wee are to holde that which alwaies hath beene beleeued of all christians for that is truely and properly catholike Hée f Ibid. c. 34. teacheth vs also That the propertie of catholikes is to keepe the doctrine committed to them and left with them by the ancient fathers and to auoide prophane nouelties Further hée g Ibid. c. 25. determineth That those onely are truely and rightly called catholikes which onely holde and beleeue that which the catholike church in olde time did vniuersally holde With him also doth Leo sometimes bishop of Rome agrée Vna est vera singularis perfecta inuiolabilis catholica fides h Epist 81. ad Mâ—â—naâ—h paâ—aest epist 95. saith hée cui nihil addi nihil minui potest That is there is one true singular perfect inuiolable catholike faith whereunto nothing can be added and from whence nothing is to be diminished This grounde then being laide and I thinke confessed by the aduersaries themselues that those onely are catholikes that holde the catholike faith receiued vniuersally of all true christians of all times and all places and that the catholike faith is that which Christ commaunded vniuersally to bée taught and which of all the catholike church hath béene generally receiued and which is most perfect and absolute and admitteth no additions alterations nor innouations it may easily bee prooued that the papists are neither catholikes nor hold the catholike faith of Christ Iesus For first they do not beleeue that which the catholike church euer beleeued but that which the church of Rome beleeueth Pius quartus a In constit Pij 4. ordeineth that all that are preferred in schooles shall openly professe That they beleeue all things conteined in that creede which the church of Rome vseth The forme of their profession is this Ego N. firma fide credo profiteor omnia quae continentur in symbolo fidei quo sancta Romana ecclesia vtitur Likewise are they bound to condemne all doctrines which that church condemneth and anathematizeth In the Spanish b Manual de oraciones por Hieron Campos catechisme set out vnder the name of Canisius he is termed a true Christian That holdeth nothing but that which the church of Rome holdeth Y no tiene cosa fuera de lo que tiene la yglesia Romana Finally the papistes c C. ad abolendam de haeret condemne all for heretikes That either teache or thinke otherwise of the sacrament of the altar or of confession of sinnes or other Romish sacramentes then the church of Rome How then can we estéeme them catholikes that for a generall and catholike faith embrace a particular or peculiar faith of the church of Rome and openly professe so much Secondly they do not beléeue the catholike church but the Romish church nor do they make themselues members of the catholike church but of the church of Rome subiect to the pope whome they beléeue to be their head d De eccles militant c. 2. Bellarmine doth define That to be the true church which is vnited in confession of faith and communion of sacraments and obedience to the pope of Rome e C. vnam ext de maior obed Boniface the eight determineth That all that will be saued must of necessity be subiect to the bishop of Rome In the f Manual de Hieron Campoâ— catechisme published vnder the name of Canisius the church is defined A congregation gouerned vpon earth by the pope the onely head of the same Vna congregacion regida en la tierra por el papa vnica cabeza de toda ella Finally the a Confessio Burdegalens Iesuites of Bourdeaux do professe That to be the church onely which hath communion with the church of Rome whereof the pope is the chiefe gouernor But the auncient fathers teach vs that the catholike church is not tyed to one city or one country or one pope or bishop but vniuersally spredde ouer the whole earth as hath in part béene declared Si dei est ecclesia saith a Chrysostome b In homil 1. in epist 1. ad Corinth vna est non Corinthi solum sed vniuersi orbis So I may say if the Romanists were the catholike church then should not their vniuersall church be termed by the name of the church of Rome but of Gods
vniuersall church Saint c Lib. 4. de Symbol c. 10. Augustine saith that Euery congregation that is gathered in one corner is a concubine and not the spouse of Christ How then canne the papistes be catholikes that are gathered out of the society of the vniuersall church into the communion of the church of Rome Writing to Vincentius the Donatist he d Epist 48. concludeth that the Donatistes and Rogatians were not the catholike church for that they tooke their names of others then of the christian church Thirdly the faith of catholikes is e Ephes 2. built Vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ beeing the chiefe corner stone And this foundation is no where to be found but in the writings of the apostles and prophets which shew vnto vs the doctrine of Christ Iesus The apostle saint f Rom. 10. Paul doth teach vs That faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Which we may not séeke in decretales nor legendes but in the most holy scriptures endited by the holy ghost And so the fathers teach vs. g Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Irenaeus doth say that the apostles First preached and afterward deliuered the gospell in Scriptures that they might be a foundation and piller of our faith Per apostolos euangelium peruenit ad nos saith he Quod quidem tunc praeconiauerunt postea verò per Dei voluntatem in scripturis tradiderunt fundamentum columnam fidei nostrae futurum Athanasius in Synopsi doth call The canonicall Scriptures the anchor and staie of our faith Hée woulde not haue any thing spoken or heard of christians in matters of faith and religion beside the holy Scriptures Si diuersa à scripturis fabulari vultis h De incarr â—t verb. saith he cur nobiscum concertatis qui nec loqui nec andire sustineâ—â—s quod extraneum sit ab illis The church saith a Homil. 6. in Matthaeum Chrysâ—stome is Hierusalem whose foundations are placed vpon the mountaines of the Scriptures Hierome calleth the Scriptures the limites or bounds of the catholike church Non est egressa de finâ—l us suis saith b In Mich. â—â— he id est de Scriptuâ—â— fancâ—â— Finallie the c â—rir Aquin. 2. 2 q. 1. art â— papists theÌ„selues confesse that the obiect or grounde of faith is The fâ—â—st truth or God himselfe And we doubt not but that al certaine knowledge of God is to bee found in his written word which therefore is called the rule of our faith But the papists speake euill of scriptures and either will not haue them to be the proper foundation of our faith or sorge to themselues diuers other foundations whereupon they builde their church and their faith in the d In c. 3. epist 2. ad Corinth annotations vpon the Rhemish testament they call them A killing letter as if God had deliuered his will in writing to the end to kill the Readers They write e Annot. Rh. in c. 5. Ioan. also That they are hard to be vnderstood and would bring them in disgrace by f Ibid. in c. 4. Matth. saying That the diuell and heretickes alleadge scriptures Some call them A nose of waxe without any certeine sence as the Iesuites of Collen in their censure others call them Inken diuinity and account them no better then Matter of strife and contention Generally they g Censur Colon f. esteeme the canon of scripture to be a rule vnperfect and a maymed and lame péece of doctrine and condemne the reeding of scriptures As pernitious and hurtfull Stapleton h In praefat ante relect princip doct plainely denieth the scriptures to be the foundation of religion Aliud hodie saith he Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus and afterward Ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud The same man speaking of diuers principles and groundes of Christian religion i In analysi ante râ—lect p incip doct doth leaue the scriptures quite out of the reckoning Others also make small reckoning of scriptures but where they canne by forced interpretations draw them to their purpose and such as deny not the scriptures to be a foundation of religion do notwithstanding adioyne diuers other foundations to the scriptures and build their faith vpon them as well as vpon the Scriptures Vnto the canon of the scriptures of the ould testament consisting of two and twentie books l they adde first the bookes of Tobias Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus k Synod Trideniâ—sâ—ss 4. and the story of the Machabees and secondly certaine additions found in the latine translation ouer and aboue the originall bookes and this contrary to the iudgement of most ancient and catholike fathers Neither is it materiall that saint a Lib. 2. doct Christ c. 8. Augustine and a certaine councell of Carthage and two or thrée more following them do number these bookes among canonicall Scriptures For they by Canonicall vnderstande such bookes as by order of the church were read publikely and commonly bound togither and were rather a rule for manners then for faith Legi voluerunt in ecclesijs saith b In exposit Symbol Ruffin non tamen proferri ad authoritatem fidei ex his confirmandam The same is also the iudgement of c In Synopsi Athanasius d In prolog galeato Hierome e De ponder mensur Epiphanius and of the most sound and ancient fathers of the church And if wée shoulde otherwise interpret the wordes of those that reckon these bookes among canonicall Scriptures wée should also put the 3. and 4. of Esdras among the bookes canonicall For they are also by saint Augustine and f Sixtus Senensis biblioth sanct lib. 1. others after a sort iudged canonicall and Athanasius in Synopsi doth attribute no lesse authoritie to the thirde booke of Esdras then to the bookes of Tobias Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees The Gréekes also place the thirde booke of Esdras first although the assemblie at Trent excluded the thirde and fourth booke of Esdras out of the canon and Sixtus quintus in his new edition of the Latine Bible hath excluded them out of their ancient place They adde also vnwritten traditions to the Scriptures and builde their faith equally on them two giuing vnto them both equall authoritie Libros veteris noui testamenti saith g Sess 4. the assemblie at Trent nec non traditiones ipsas c. pari pietatis affectu ac reuerentia suscipit ac veneratur synodus ista h Lib. 3. de verbo dei Bellarmine accounteth of these traditions as of the most certaine worde of God and calleth them The worde of God not written i De fid Symb. q. 22. op Catech. Canisius woulde haue vs to beléeue these traditions Most firmely as reuealed by the holy Ghost The which is not onely derogatory to the sufficiencie of Scriptures but also vtterly ouerthroweth the
e Matth. 28. gaue them in charge To teach what he had commaunded them The f Gal. 1. apostle pronounceth him Accursed that should teach otherwise then the Galatians had receiued By the law of Moses the Sanedrin or chiefe tribunal in Hierusalem had soueraigne authority in iudgement yet might not those iudges pronounce sentence g Deut. 17. But according to the law of God The which doth argue that popish religion is built vpon groundes most absurd and contrarie to religion Finally some do stand much vpon ancient fathers and councelles and the first churches practise and haue not doubted to attribute much vnto them But now finding by experience that these do not much make for them and that the fathers themselues do wholy relie vpon the scriptures they flie wholie to the authority of the pope and to the late church of Rome and perceiue that vnlesse they may sit iudges in their owne cause the same cannot stand But héerein it may plainly appeare that they are no catholikes For ancient catholikes attributed most to scriptures and vsed the testimony of fathers and of the ancient church to declare the true sence and meaning of scriptures But a Sâ—ss 4. conciâ— Trâ—d these admit no sence But that of holy church as they call it which is nothing but the priuate fancy of soâ—e foolish pope Fourthly as in the foundations of Christian religion so likewise in diuers points of faith the papists do plainly declare themselues to bée no catholikes For first in the obiect of faith they mainly differ true catholikes beléeue in God onely Faith saith the b Rom. 10. apostle is by hearing and hearing by the worde of God c De diuin nomin c. 7. Dionyse saith That faith hath for his obiect the most pure and alwaies being truth that is God And euery Christian rehearsing his faith confesseth That he beleeueth in God the father the sonne and the holy ghost and in no creature But the papists beléeue in angels and in saints and call vpon them For as the d Rom. 10. apostle saith How shall they call on him on whom they haue not beleeued To them also they make confession of their sinnes and from them they looke for helpe and all things necessary as may bée shewed by infinite particulars Further they beléeue the determinations of the pope to be true and trust in him as in the rocke of the church e In opusc contra error Graecor Thomas Aquinas saith that it is a matter of faith to beleeue the determination of the pope Ad fidem pertinet saith he inhaerere determinationi pontificis summi in his quae sunt fidei imò in his quae spectant ad bonos more 's And this is also the opinion of f Summa Siluest in verb. fides Siluester Prierius They beléeue also whatsoeuer is taught by the church of Rome Ad fidem pertinent omnia quae sunt in doctrina ecclesiae saith g Ibidem Siluester Prierius and hée gathereth the same out of h 2.2 q. 5. art 3. Thomas Aquinas and that is their common opinion holding the traditions of the church in equal estimation with the worde of God all which can neuer bée prooued to haue béene beléeued by true catholikes For neither can it bée shewed that in publike liturgies they haue called on saints and on angels as the church of Rome teacheth or confessed their sinnes to them or beléeued in the pope or church of Rome Againe true catholikes beléeue that Christ Iesus was true man and had a body like to ours in height bredth thicknesse and that he filled the place where hée was as do our bodies We must beleeue saith a De essentia diuinitatis Augustine that the sonne of God according to his deitie is inuisible incorporeall and incircumscriptible but according to his humane nature that he is visible corporeall and locall b Contra Eutych lib. 4. c. 4. Vigilius saith That Christ is contained in a place according to his humane nature and that this is the catholike faith Illud corpus saith c Dialog 2. Theodoret habet priorem formaÌ„ figuram circumscriptioneÌ„ vt semel dicam corporis substantiam So likewise saith d Ad Thrasimund li. 2. c. 5. Fulgentius SiveruÌ„ est corpus Christi loco potest vtique contineri But the papists do assigne him a body inuisible impalpable and such a one as is incircum scriptible and without the dimensions of height bredth depth A bodie that may be conteined in infinite places at once yet not continued to it selfe as is the nature of Continua quantitas Finally a mans whole body that is without all qualities of a body may be contained in euery little part of a consecrate hoste increasing and diminishing at the priestes pleasure Further euery catholike Christian beléeueth that our Sauiour Christes true body is ascended into heauen and there remaineth e Ioan. 16. Hée tolde his disciples before his passion That he must leaue the worlde and go to the father And in another place f Iohn 12. That they should not alwaies haue him with theÌ„ In the first of the Acts we learne That hee is taken vp from vs into heauen And the apostle S. g Act. 3. Peter doth plainely declare That the heauens must conteine him vntill the time that all things be restored And this also the fathers plainely teach vs According to his diuine nature saith h In Matth. tractat 33. Origen he is not absent froÌ„ vs but he is absent according to the dispensatioÌ„ of his body which he tooke i Lib. 10. super Luc. 24. S. Ambrose saith That neither on the earth nor in the earth nor after the flesh we ought to seeke Christ if we will finde him Saint Augustine saith k Tractat. 50. in Ioan. Hee hath caried his bodie into heauen although he hath not withdawne his maiestie from the worlde l Homil. 21. in euangel Gregory the first doth plainly affirme That Christ is not heere by the presence of his flesh The flesh of Christ saith Vigilius writing against Eutyches lib. 4. c. 4. when it was in earth surely was not in heauen and now because it is in heauen certainly it is not in earth Neither did euer any ancient father teach otherwise But the papists do teach that Christes true body and flesh is both in heauen and earth and vpon euery altar at one time and that hee is touched and receiued not of men onely but also of mise and dogs and other beasts which to true catholikes séemeth not onely absurd but also abominable All true catholikes firmely beléeue that thâ—â—r sinnes are forgiuen them for Christ his sake and that they shall atteine eternall life according to these two articles of the créed which euery one professeth saying Credo remissionem peccatorum vitam aeternam God he Hath promised and sworne as the a Heb. 6.
apostle saith That we should haue firme comfort And saint b 1. Iohn 5. Iohn saith These thinges write I vnto you that beleeue in the name of God that you may know that you haue eternall life And whosoeuer beléeueth not this as he c Ibid. testifieth Maketh God a lyar The apostle saint d Rom. 5. Paul saith That he that is iustified by faith hath peace with God But that cannot be vnlesse we beléeue that our sinnes are remitted and that we shall assuredly obteine eternall life The sacramentes that are deliuered to euery christian are seales of remission of sinnes and of the promise of life For by baptisme We put on Christ that is we are made members of his body and partakers of his merites And in the Lords supper we heare that the cuppe is the new testament and that Christ his body was deliuered for euery true receiuer Of Abraham it is said e Rom. 4. That he doubted not of the promise of God and that the Same was imputed to him for righteousnesse The apostle saint f Rom. 8. Paul saith that he was perswaded That nothing should separate him from the loue of God Si iustus es fide viuis saith g Serm. 4. de mortalit Cyprian si verè in Christum credis cur non cum Christo futurus de domini pollicitatione securus amplecteris Againe he saith h Ibid. We are not to wauer or doubt for that God hath promised vs immortalitie i Serm. 28. de verbis dom Saint Augustine writing vpon these wordes Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee saith It is faith and not pride to acknowledge what we haue receiued k Serm. 2. de annunt Bernard saith That we haue no promise but by Gods fauour and that the spirite of God worketh this in vs that we do beleeue remission of sinnes Neither do any teach cōtrary but Nouatians Pharisies and such like heretikes But the papists will haue men onely to hope for remission of sins eternall life and that not without doubting The doctors of l Sess 6. Trent pronounce them Anathema That shall say that a man must certainly beleeue that his sinnes are forgiuen And Pighius Andradius and others teach that Christians must doubt of eternall life and of their saluation as if faith were onely conuersant about generall promises and were not appliable to him that rehearseth his faith and truely beléeueth Finally all true catholikes beléeue that the faithfull presently vpon their departure out of this life are happie and enter into ioies that neuer shall haue end as the wicked and vnbeléeuers are presently throwne into euerlasting fire and begin to suffer endlesse paines These shall go into euerlasting paine as our a Matth. 25. Sauiour saith and the righteous into life eternall The b Rom. 8. apostle plainly testifieth That there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Iesus And the c Apoc. 14. spirite of God pronounceth them Blessed that die in the Lord and saith that they rest from their labors d Eccles Hierarch c. 7. Dionyse commonly called Areopagite saith That the godly shall test in Abrahams bosome when they come to the end of their liues and that there shall be no griefe sadnesse nor sighing Iustin Martyr e Quaest 75. saith That the soules of good men shall presently be caried into paradise Both f Lib. 1. aduers haeres c. 2. Ireney and g Serm. de mortalit Cyprian make onely two sortes of soules departed whereof the first are in blisse the second in paines And that is the common opinion of the fathers Onely Augustine in this point standeth doubtfull and Gregorie affirmeth that certaine small sinnes are remitted in purgatorie But the papists teach that all that haue not satisfied for their sinnes in this life must bée plunged in purgatorie and there suffer paines not to be tolde contrarie to the opinion of all the fathers They also grant h Stationi di Roma indulgences for many thousandes of yéeres as if the paines of purgatory were so long to continue In Saint Marie maior and other churches of Rome there are many thousand yéeres of pardon granted by diuers popes Pope Siluester when hée consecrated Saint Iohn of Laterans church as is saide Gaue as many yeeres of pardon as fell drops of raine that day when it was consecrated which were innumerable for that it rained all that day And when hée doubted least hée had béene too lauish in his grant he heard a voice from heauen as it is saide in the booke Of the pardons of Rome that hee had power enough to grant what hée woulde They beléeue also that out of purgatorie soules are deliuered by indulgences and pardons all which is contrary to catholike faith and neuer beléeued of anie true catholike Fiftly they haue diuersly corrupted the law of God which is contrary to the practise of ancient catholikes The seconde commandement or as they reckon that part of the first commandement that concerneth the worship of images they haue either razed out or left out of their short catechismes Nay albeit Canisius in his catechisme where he rehearseth the ten Commandements doth mention grauen images yet Hieronymo Campos in his Spanish translation of the same doth leaue it out Full well they know how much their idolatrous worship of images is contrary to Gods commandements The Iesuites teache a Censur Colon fol. 46. That all is not sinne that is repugnant to the law of God As if it were lawfull to transgresse any part of Gods law when mans lawes may not be broken without offence The b Deut. 27. Gal. 3. law doth pronounce a curse vpon him That abideth not in all thinges that are written in the booke of the law to do them And saint c 1. Iohn 5. Iohn saith expressely That all vnrighteousnesse is sinne And if the transgression of the law were not sinne then were the law of God a most imperfect and vncertaine rule which no catholike will affirme The doctors assembled in the conuenticle at Trent d Sess 5. determined That concupiscence in the regenerate is no sinne and pronounce them accursed that say or thinke otherwise Yet the law of God saith directly Thou shalt not couet Which law bindeth aswell the regenerate as the vnregenerate and the apostle doth expressely call it sinne in the regenerate Rom. 7. and necessarily must it be so séeing we are by the law of God bound e Deut. 6. To loue him with al our hart al our soule all our strength Saint f In Amos 1. Hierome saith That it is sinne to thinke thinges that are euill And saint g Lib. 2. contr Faust. Manich. c. 27. Augustin saith That whatsoeuer is desired or coueted against the law is sinne So that it appeareth that papistes in this point are no catholikes The h Censur Colon. f. 309. Iesuites do teache that there are certaine
sinnes which are not conuinced by Gods law and yet are more grieuous then diuers transgressions and sins committed against the law as namely the breaches of the lawes of the pope and preceptes of the church For to breake the law of God in some pointes they make it either no sinne as hath béene said or else a veniall sinne But to condemne the popes anathematismes and to breake the commaundements of the church they make it mortall sinne Nay they make it sinne to mislike the abominable worship of images and inuocation of saintes But the apostle doth teache vs That the knowledge of sinne doth come by the law And it is flagitious to thinke that the law of God is not perfect and that mans traditions are of equall value with the law of God Finally the a Iames 4. apostle Iames teacheth vs That we haue but one law giuer and one iudge viz. that canne binde our consciences Which doth further conuince them to be no true catholikes They teach and holde that the regenerate cannot onely performe the law of God perfectly but also do workes of supererogation and more then is commaunded But the apostle Iames teacheth vs That we do sinne all and that in many things and our Sauiour Christ taught his most holy apostles to pray for remission of sinnes Yea when wée haue done what we can yet wée are taught to say That wee are vnprofitable seruants Saint Iohn saith That they that say they haue no sinne deceiue themselues Saint b Lib. 1. aduers Pelag. Hierome therefore saith That then we are iust when we confesse our sinnes Saint De spiritu litera Augustin saith that Wee shall then performe the lawe of God with all our soule and all our hart and loue our neighbour as our selfe when we shall see God face to face that is in the life to come They teach vs that wée are iustified by the workes of the law and that All our life and saluation doth d Ceâ—sur Colâ—n f. 22. consist therein The councell of e Sess 6. c. 10. Trent condemneth those that say We are iustified formally by Christes iustice All holde that charitie is the formall cause of our iustification But the catholike church teacheth vs farre otherwise Non iustificatur ex operibus legis vlla caro No flesh saith the apostle f Galat. 2. is iustified by the workes of the lawe Hee saith also g Galat. 3. That as many as are of the workes of the lawe are subiect to the curse and denieth that the law hath power to giue life Nay hée h Rom. 4. denieth That Abraham was iustified by the workes of the law Iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex dei consistit misericordia Our iustice saith l Aduers Pâ—lag lib. 1. Hierome doth not consist in our merites but in the mercy of God And k Aduers hares lib. 3. c. 20. Irenaeus teacheth vs That the lawe being spirituall doth onely manifest 〈◊〉 and not kill it Neither is it likely the law should iusâ—â—t vs when it pronounceth vs accursed and sheweth wée are all sinners For none are iustified by the lawe but those that performe the lawe But how can wee acquite our selues séeing as saint a Dâ— interpelat Dauid Ambrose saith Dauid doth acknowledge his sinne Paule doth confesse himselfe guiltie Saint b De lib. ach c. 16. Augustine saith That we are therefore commanded to do things which we cannot that wee may vnderstand what we are to desire of God To conclude this point they haue not onely changed the catholike doctrine of the law mingling the same with Pelagianisme but also brought in a new law giuer Bicause the c Heb. 7. apostle saith That the priesthood being changed the law must needes be changed the d De constitution 6. translato canonistes gather That Christs vicar hath authoritie to make lawes And these lawes say they binde mens consciences So the pope is now forsooth become a lawgiuer and a newe Lycurgus in the Romish church But the e Iames 4. apostle Saint Iames telleth vs That there is but one lawgiuer that is able to saue and destroy And for a thousand yéeres after Christ the catholike church of Christ did neuer sée any pope that durst take vpon him authoritie to giue lawes to the whole church Of which wée haue proofe euen by the bookes of popish decretals that began first by Gregorie the ninth to bée brought in forme and were neuer authorized before his time Sixtly the papistes hold doctrine both concerning original and actuall sinne diuers from the doctrine of the catholike church For first they deny that originall sinne passed ouer all men and f Decretal Sixti 4. synod Trid. sess 5. exempt the holy virgin Mary and some say that saint Iohn Baptist and the prophet Hieremy were sanctified from this sinne in their mothers wombe and so not borne in originall sinne which is contrary to the doctrine of the apostle that g Rom. 5. teacheth That through the offence of one all men were subiect to condemnation and to the words of the blessed virgin that calleth Christ Her Sauiour Againe they say that originall sinne is the least of all sinnes hauing so litle force of our will As if that deserued to be accounted litle which bringeth with it death and damnation and which without Christs death could not be purged and forgiuen They h Thom. Aq. â—d in 2. sent dist 33. teach that children departing without baptisme and with originall sinne onely shall not be punished with hell fire nor with any sensible paine As if at the last iudgement all that stand on the left hand as it is written in the 25 of Matth. shall not depart into euerlasting fire or as if that sinne Rom. 5. That brought condemnation vpon all should not be punished with sensible paines or as if there might be a place in hell without sensible paine Saint a Lib. 1. de Orig. anim c. 9. Augustine saith There is no middle place betweene the kingdome of heauen and damnation b Lib de fide ad Petr. c. 3. Fulgentius doth plainely affirme That children dying without baptisme shall susteine endlesse punishmentes And Gregory in his c Lib. 8. c. 16. morals saith That they shall endure perpetuall tormentes of hell They d Bellar. de purgat lib. 1. hold that all Christians canne satisfie for the penalty of all actual sinnes though neuer so gréeuous and yet for originall sinne which they account the smallest of sinnes they say no satisfaction could be made by any but by Christ Iesus But saint e 1. Iohn 1. Iohn saith That the blood of Christ clenseth vs from all sinnes And absurd it were if man could satisfie for most gréeuous sinnes and could not satisfie for the least sinne Of their false and erroneous doctrine concerning concupiscence and concerning the transgressions of the popes lawes which
church doth onely mention two sacraments to wit Baptisme the Lordes supper c Lib. 1. 4. contr Marcion de coron milâ—t Tertullian where he handleth the same argument doth mention no more then two Cyrill likewise of Hierusalem d Catech. Mystâ—g speaking of the mysteries of Christian religion doth onely discourse of Baptisme and the Lords supper Dionysius whom they suppose to bée Dionyse the Areopagite albeit hée do fully set out the rites of the church of his time doth neither make penance nor matrimonie nor vnction of the dead a Sacrament Hée that wrote the bookes of Sacraments that beare the name of Ambrose and Augustine and Paschasius onely mention two sacraments Now who doth not sée that ordination of priestes and penance and matrimonie were instituted either in the law of nature or vnder the law of Moyses And certes if these things did iustifie then shoulde the Sacraments of the old law iustifie and iustification were a very easie matter No catholike writer doth imagine any such matter to bée in mariage or order and neither was extreme vnction nor popish confirmation known vnto antiquitie 10. In the Sacrament of Baptisme they vse exorcismes blowings salt spittle halowed water annointings light and diuers ceremonies neither vsed by the apostles nor practised by the ancient church And yet e Sâ—ss 7. Trident Concil c. 13. they say That none of their ceremonies may be omitted without sinne Finally they denounce them accursed that shall not holde Baptisme to bée necessary to saluation which ceremonies and doctrine do not appéere to bée catholike 11. They dissolue mariage contracted by entring into religion as they terme it and albeit it bée consummated yet they holde that by mutuall consent the maried couple may depart a sunder and that it shall not bée lawfull for them afterward to companie togither They separate also mariage for spirituall kinred and force all that will be priestes monkes or friers to forsweare mariage Matters not onely strange in the catholike church during the apostles and tâ—eir successors times for many hundred yéeres but also contrarie to Christs doctrine For what man can separate them whom God hath ioyned And what reason hath man to commaund any to forsweare mariage which the a Heb. 13. spirit of God pronounceth to be Honorable 12. They beléeue that penance standeth vpon contrition confession and satisfaction and that tâ—ese are the three parts of penance And yet themselues say that absolution is the forme of penance and that confession is not alwaies necessary Further b Concil Trid. Sess 14. they pronounce him anathema That beleeueth not that penance is properly a sacrament and that denieth confession in the priestes eares to be instituted by Christ Wherein they digresse both from the catholike church and catholike doctrine 13. The sacrament of the lords supper they haue most shamefully altered and abused teaching first that Christ is present with his body corporally and carnally in the sacrament and that he is there also really with his soule and that not onely wicked and faithlesse persons but also brute beastes swallow downe Christ quicke into their bodies Next that the substance of bread and wine is abolished and that the accidents thereof remaine without subiect and the substance of Christes body without the qualities of a body Thirdly that the sacrament is to be worshipped as God which is plaine idolatrie Fourthly they take the cup from the coÌ„municantes and for a communion make a priuate action of one priest called the masse Fiftly they make of this sacrament or sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing a sacrifice externall and propitiatory both for quicke and dead And by this sacrifice they hope to obteine remission of sinnes helth welth victorie and whatsoeuer the bâ—ter desireth Finally they do not distribute the sacrament as Christ commaunded but reserue it in pixes or carry it about in procession or as it pleaseth the priests All which do shew them to be no catholikes For catholikes do beleeue that these words This is my body are figuratiue c Lib. 4. contr Marc. TertulliaÌ„ saith That Christ made the bread which was giuen to his disciples his body by saying this is my body that is the figure of my body d De vnct Cyprian saith That Christ at his last supper gaue bread and wine with his owne handes and that thinges signified and signifying were called by the same names a In c. 15. Matth. Origen doth call the sacrament Christes figuratiue and typicall body b De ijs qui initiantur mysterijs c. 9. Ambrose saith That Christes true flesh was sacrificed but that the eucharist is the sacrament of that true flesh The Lord did not sticke to say this is my body saith saint c Contr. Adimant c. 12. Augustine when he gaue the signe of his body They beléeue not that the bread is abolished d Aduers Iudaeos Tertullian saith That Christ called bread his body Saint Hierome writing to Hedibia saith That the bread which the Lord brake and gaue to his disciples is the Lordes body The bread saith saint e De consecrat dist 2. c. qui manducant Augustine is the body of the Lord the cup his blood In the giuing of the mysteries saith f Dial. 1. Theodoret hee called bread his bodie But what néede testimonies of fathers when the apostle rehearsing the wordes of the institution calleth bread Christs body and nameth breade after consecration and when the pronoune Hoc can bée referred to no other thing but bread True catholikes beléeue that the holy communion of the Lords supper is a commemoration and a memoriall of the sacrifice made by Christ Iesus vpon the crosse rather then anie actuall and externall sacrifice Our g Matth. 26. Luc. 22. Sauiour saith This do in remembrance of me The h 1. Cor. 11. apostle saith that in this Sacrament Wee shew foorth the Lords death and celebrate a memoriall of it i In dialog cum Tryphon Iustin Martyr saith That in the sacrifice of bread and the cup which Christ instituted for a memoriall of his passion Christians giue thankes to God Saint k De fide ad Petr. c. 19. Augustine saith That in the sacrifice of bread and wine there is a commemoration of the flesh and blood of Christ that were offered for vs. Saint l In epist ad Hebr. Chrysostome saith That our sacrifice is a remembrance of Christes sacrifice Finally all true catholikes did distribute and receiue the holy Sacrament when they came to the Lordes supper and obserued his holy institution without mixtures of their inuentions or other alterations 14. The papists haue either abolished Christes priesthood or else much debased the same and haue brought in a new order of priesthoode neuer instituted by Christ nor practised by the catholike church For in stead of Christ they runne to angels to our Ladie and saints and beléeue that these can
reconcile them to God They beleeue also that their priestes are after the order of Melchizedeck and do offer sacrifices propitiatorie for quicke and dead But the apostle teacheth vs that Christ is onely able to reconcile vs and that hee is our onely Mediatour and Redéemer and is a Hebr. 7. A priest after the order of Melchizedeck and hath offered vp one most perfect sacrifice which is no more to bee renued Saint b Lib. 10. de Ciuit. Dei c. 20. Augustine saith That Christ is a priest that is both the sacrificer and the sacrifice it selfe of which the sacrifice of the church is but a Sacramenâ— Such a priest neuer was any but hée And this is that which catholikes beléeue of Christes priesthoode and which papists beléeue not 15. The papists haue altered the forme of praier vsed in the catholike church Christ taught vs to pray to the father in his name and so did all true catholikes But they pray to Christ in the name of our Lady and of saintes and pray to angels to our Lady and saintes and of these prayers they haue infinite formes neither practised nor allowed by true catholikes They c In Hortul animae breuiar begin their confession thus I confesse to God almighty to the blessed virgin Mary to the blessed Archangell Michael to saint Iohn Baptist c. That I haue offended in thought word and worke To the virgin Mary d Jn the office of our Lady They commend their soules and bodies And flie to her in all their néede In their Litanies they call her The gate of heauen the refuge of sinners the Queene of Angels the comforter of the afflicted the arke of the couenant And as euery one doeth fancy so he chooseth to himselfe a peculiar saint beleeuing to obteine things more easily by the intercession of saintes then of Christ Iesus Further they say masses and prayers for the soules departed and for the dead haue appointed speciall offices which our aduersary shall neuer prooue to haue béene frequented or vsed by true catholikes Neither shall he be able to shew where catholikes had any rosaries consisting of 63. Aue Mariaes nor where they prayed in languages which they vnderstood not Nay the e 1. Cor. 14. apostle saith That such praiers are without fruit and that we f Rom. 10. cannot call but vpon those vpon Whome we beleeue How shall they call on him saith the apostle on whom they haue not beleeued 16. The papistes haue corrupted the true worship of God For not onely haue they published new worships according to their owne deuises which our a Matth. 15. sauior condemneth as vaine but also haue deuised formes of worship contrary to Gods commaundement Contrary to the second commandement they make the images of God and worship the same with diuine worship They do likewise worship the crosse and crucifixe They worship saintes departed their images and reliques And of late time haue deuised masses and offices in honor of the crosse of the virgin Mary of saint Francis Dominike and other saintes Vnto these images they burne incense they offer their praiers and deuotions Nay they I say fall downe before stockes and stones they kisse them and worship them and yet will be accounted the onely catholikes But our aduersary will be much puzzeled when he goeth about to prooue that true catholikes haue doone the like Nay be shall find that true catholikes haue condemned this manner of popish deuotion for plaine idolatry Helena crucem Christi inuenit saith b De obitu Theodosij Ambrose Et Christum adorauit non crucem is enim est error gentills impiorum He saith that it is heathenish to worship the crosse In the first commaundement saith c Epist 119. Augustine the image of God is forbidden to be worshiped with mens deuises d Lib. 2. in Ioan. c. 92. Cyrill saith That God is not to be worshipped with any corruptible matter In ancient liturgies of the church there are no offices for the dead nor any praiers to angels and saintes to be found 17. The missales and breuiaries and offices and psalters of our Lady and all the rituall bookes which now by order of the Councell of Trent they vse are nothing catholike Nay they conteine matters erronious blasphemous which all catholikes abhorre They detort the Scriptures to the honour of our Lady saint Francis saint Dominike saint Clare and other Romish saints They containe many fabulous and lying narrations Diuers of their masses and offices are deuised in the honour of saints and sauour of noueltie 18 True catholikes do serue one God with spirite and truth The papists haue as many gods as saints and worship God with their lips for the most part not knowing what they say They read Scriptures and praie in toongs vnknowne which not onely by the apostle but also by the practise of all ancient churcâ—es is condemned 19. Among catholikes antichrist hath no place For albeit hée shall sit in the temple of God yet after hée hath once begun to sit and reigne there hée shall make it of the house of God the house of vanitie of Gods church the synagogue of satan Likewise they shall not worship the man of sinne nor kisse his féete nor admit his lawes But the papists acknowledge the pope to bée their head they kisse his feete they fall downe before him a Potestatem suam bestiae tradâ—nt Apoc. 17. Kinges giue their power vnto him they acknowledge him to be their soueraigne iudge and law giuer and take it to bee mortall sinne to breake his lawes 20. Among true catholikes the cheefe gouernment in matters Ecclesiasticall is in generall Councels Vntill generall Councels haue decided such controuersies as arise prouinciall councels and christian magistrates haue principall authoritie in setling and determining of matters They make lawes determine controuersies establish gouernors according to apostolicall orders And this by actes of councels and lawes of princes is sâ—fficiently testified But the papists acknowledge no other head beside the pope to whom they giue power to make lawes to appoint bishops and ecclesiasticall officers and to determine all controuersies throughout the whole worlde 21. Among catholikes the gouernment of the church was committed to apostles prophets euangelistes pastors and teachers and bishops and pastors euery one taught the stocke committed to him There were no glorious cardinalls nor idle and dumbe bishops nor pratling and busie friers among them But among the papistes the whole gouernment dependeth on the pope and his agentes The cardinalles counsell him the prelates and inquisitors are made his executioners to murder all that repugne against his lawes the bishops are dumbe and feede not the friers enter without calling and like locustes crept out of the bottomlesse pit deuour the blossomes of true doctrine Illi mendicantes peruersi saith a certaine b Onus eccles c. 22. popish bishop designantur per locustas de puteo abyssi
authenticall and preferred before the originall bookes of the old testament in Hebrew and of the new testament in Gréeke a matter very new and most vnreasonable and plainely contradictory to the ancient fathers In the same a Sess 4. councell because they would be sure of their groundes the doctors of the Romish Babylon decréed first that none should interpret Scriptures against that sence that the church of Rome holdeth and secondly that vnwritten traditions kept in the church by succession shoulde bee of equall value with canonicall Scriptures After this diuers friers and priests taking vpon them to plead the popes cause haue determined vnwritten traditions and customes of the church and the popes determinations and decretalles to be the foundations and principles of their popish faith b Loc. Theolog. Melchior Canus speaking of theologicall argumentes and Thomas Stapleton taking vpon him to declare which be vndoubted principles of popish doctrine do both principally relie vpoÌ„ these two They talke also of the church of councels fathers the latin translation and of rules of faith But when it commeth to the triall then whatsoeuer is not consonant to the popes doctrine and decretales that is reiected as of no value Now gladly would I haue any Iesuite that taketh himselfe to be learned for our aduersary is but a babler to prooue these groundes to be ancient Let him shew what those traditions are that are with equall reuerence to the canonicall scriptures to be receiued Let him iustifie by testimony of antiquitie that the popes decretalles are infallible rules of faith The apostle saith that the church is well and strongly built vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ béeing the corner stone and this foundation do all ancient fathers allow The testimony of Irenei and Athanasius I haue before alleadged Saluianus saith the church is best founded on scripture Videtur nostra ecclesia saith he c Lib. de prouid Dei 5. ex vna scriptura felicius instituta Aliae habent illam aut debilem aut conuulneratam Habent veterem magistrorum traditionem corruptam per hoc traditionem potius quà m scripturam habent Let him shew the like if he can of his decretals and traditions vnlesse he will haue his grounds to be condemned for new and naught Thirdly scriptures were neuer generally forbidden to be publikely read in vulgar toongs before the councell of Trent neither was it euer thought vnlawfull before that time for lay men to talke of matters of faith or to read scriptures priuately without the ordinaries licence Chrysostome and other ancient fathers were wont to exhort Christians to read scriptures and Christ our sauiour willed his hearers to search them and the apostle doth declare them to be very profitable which sheweth the practise of the Romish church in fraying men from scriptures to be of a late humour and inuention Fourthly the definition of the Romish church is new and of force made new to fit their new popish fancies a De eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine defineth the church to be A company of men conioyned in one profession of faith and communion of sacraments vnder the gouernement of lawfull pastors and especially of the pope of Rome Which is neither to be shewed nor prooued out of any ancient authenticall writer For the easterne and Africane churches did neuer acknowledge this souereine authority of the pope Nor did our sauiour or his apostles teach vs any such obedience Nay they shew rather that the bishops of Rome are not to be obeyed For suppose Peter had béene bishop of Rome and the bishops of Rome his successors which will neuer be prooued in that sence as the aduersaries take it yet Paul resisted Peter and receiued no b Ibid. c. 9. authority nor grace from him which sheweth that other bishops haue no dependance or authority from the bishop of Rome albeit this proportion were granted Fiftly they make not the catholike church A communion of saintes as we professe in our créede but hâ—ld that all wicked men and c Ibid. c. 10. heretickes so they outwardly communicate with the church of Rome in faith and sacraments are true meÌ„bers of the church d Ibid. c. 2. Bellarmine saith That to make a man a part of the true church neither faith nor charitie nor any inward vertue is required Which is a méere new fancie and therefore receiued least they shoulde grant that the church in some respect shoulde be inuisible Sixtly the coÌ„fession of faith made by Pius quartus wherin al that take degrees in schoole professe a Confâ—t 28. That they firmely admit all ecclesiasticall traditions and constitutions and the Scriptures according to the Romish sence and beleeue that there are seuen sacraments and receiue the doctrine of the councell of Trent concerning originall sinne and beleeue the sacrifice of the masse and transubstantiation and the popes soueraine authority and other pointes of doctrine therein conteined is new and absurd This we shal other where declare that appeareth for that the papistes cannot produce any precedent of this confession or prooue the seuerall points of it by good argument 7. Where in our creede we beléeue the catholike church of late time the papistes haue added a word made it b Confess â—urdegaâ—ens The catholike Romaine church and in Canisius catechisme translated into Spanish by Hieronymo Campos they define him to be no catholike that beléeueth any thing beside that which the church of Rome beléeueth 8. They confesse their sinnes not to God almighty as do the ancient fathers but to the a Virgine Mary c Hortulus animae and to angels and saints 9. They haue of late b put out that commandement d Officium beatae Maria in catech that concerneth the making of grauen images like to God and worshipping them wherein they haue the worde of God and all antiquitie against them 10. In the doctrine of the law all those points wherein they shew theÌ„selues no catholikes of which wée haue spoken in the former chap. are meere nouelties as namely That all that is repugnant to the law of God is not sinne that it is mortall sinne to breake the popes lawes or commandements either concerning rites of the church or other matter which he doth vnder his curse will men to obserue that concupiscence in the regenerate is no sinne and yet that it is sinne not to faste the ember daies that the regenerate may be without sinne and that Christians may be iustified by the lawe of Moyses that the popes lawes binde in conscience and that he hath authoritie to make lawes and lastly that the law of God is not perfect but that wée are to obserue all the traditions of the church and the popes decretals 11. It is not long since they began to teach that othes do not so binde men but that the pope can dispence with them and that he is able to discharge children from
obedience to parents and subiects from obedience to princes a Lib. 2. regest f. 109. apud Ioseph Vestan de oscul pâ—d pontif Gregory the seuenth in his dictates began first to broch these fancies and to declare Quod papa â fidelitate subiectos possit absoluere The canonistes continued and increased this wicked doctrine And now the Iesuites defend it and themselues drawe children to forsake their godly and Christian parents to créepe into a Sodomiticall cloister of monkes 12 Wée do now lately learne that vnder the commandement of sanctifying the Sabaoth is conteined the obseruation of all the feasts of saints canonized by the popes of Rome For so doth b Op. catech de 3. praeâ—â—p c. 11. Canisius teach and that is now a common doctrine but certes very new 13. The precepts of the Romish church as they are called are but new deuises For if wée seeke all antiquitie wée shall not finde where the church of Christ hath coÌ„manded vs to kéepe this popes day and that popes day and to abstaine from worke on saint Francis and saint Dominikes and other canonized friers daies or where the same hath enioined Christians to heare masse or to faste Lent and imber daies and vigiles of saints and other tides according to the fashion of the church of Rome or to confesse our sinnes to Romish friers and priests or not to solemnise mariage on daies forbidden which now the c Short Catechisme and Canisius church of Rome doth kéepe more deuoutly then the lawes of God For these are those humane doctrines and voluntary worships deuised by mens owne fancies which our d Matth. 15. Sauiour Christ and the e Coloss 2. apostle condemneth The f Dâ—ut 4. law of God also forbiddeth any such additions 14. It is not long since the Franciscane friers began to dispute That the virgin Mary was conceiued without original sinne which if they had affirmed of other saints they had runne into flat Pelagianisme Lately also haue papists begun to diminish the guilt of originall sinne In the councell of Florence vnder Eugenius the fourth they first determined albeit couertly that it deserued not Poenam sensus but onely Poenam damni and that is now their common opinion 15. They haue of late deuised a multitude of new sinnes as appéereth by the enchiridion of Nauarrus which are nothing but transgressions of their newe lawes And yet they doubt not to affirme that the regenerate may liue without sinne albeit contrary to all antiquitie Nay they make it sinne ofttimes to obey the lawes of God condemning those that will not worship saints stockes and stones and rotten bones and rags and which obey lawfull princes vnlawfully excommunicate by the pope 16. It is but a late fantasie that all men are to satisfie for the guilt of actuall sinnes for which they haue not satisfied in this life in purgatorie For Gregory the Dialogist albeit hée allow purgatorie for veniall sinnes yet hée hath not one word of these satisfactions Neither were the same determined before the councell of Florence vnder Eugenius the fourth 17. The rules of monkes and friers whereby they pretend that they follow euangelical counsels are also very new Hée that first brought in the orders of monkes into the westerne church was Benet of Nursia The friers were founded by Francis and Dominike The Iesuites had their patron Ignatius his rule allowed first by Paul the third And he is their founder and the ground of their antiquitie 18. The scholasticall diuinitie which is a mixture of fathers authorities philosophicall subtilties and papall decretals began from Peter Lombard some eleuen hundred yéeres after Christ The canon law began from the time of Gregory the ninth and this is the originall of their late diuinitie and lawe 19. a De verbo Dei Lib. 1. c. 3. Bellarmine saith That the new testament is nothing else but the loue of God shed in our harts by the holy ghost Which sheweth that the gospell and new testament of papistes is a new gospell differing from that of Christ Iesus For Christes testament was b Matth. 26. established by his bloud and is a couenant concerning remission of sinnes most especially but charity is wrought by the holy ghost in those that are already reconciled by the blood of the testament Chrysostome Theodoret and others writing vpon the second to the Corinthians chap. 3 Say That the spirite quickning is the grace of God that remitteth our sinnes And if charity were the new testament then Christ died in vaine For charity might then haue satisfied for all and established this new testament albeit Christ had not died which is most vntrue and blasphemous The perfection of the gospell they place In c Bellar. de monach c. 7. 8. 9. voluntarie pouerty abstinence from mariage and obedience to monasticall rules But this is a new perfection and a new gospell For Christes gospell neither commaundeth nor counselleth any to liue vnder monasticall vowes nor wilfully to make himselfe poore nor to forsweare mariage Neither did Christ euer account widowers or vnmaried men or wastefull giuers of their goods to monasteries or monkes more perfect then his apostles or other Christians 20. The holy apostle doth a Rom. 3. teach vs that we are iustified by grace and faith in Christ without workes and this he b Rom. 4. prooueth by the example of Abraham who albeit he was faithfull and the father of the faithfull yet was he not iustified by workes But the Iesuites and papistes speake of philosophicall iustice and say that none is iustified nor obteineth eternall life but by his workes and by charity 21. The distinction and doctrine of our First iustice and Second iustice and of Explicit and Implicit faith and likewise of Faith formed and Informed is all new and borowed rather from Philosophers then diuines Nay a great part of their faith standing vpon new decretals and the determinations of their Romish church is new and scarce yet setled séeing they are bounde to beléeue the future determinations of the church as well as those that are alreadie passed c Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 12. Bellarmine saith It is a matter of faith to beleeue that the pope hath succeeded Peter in the gouernment of the vniuersall church The which the church neuer receiued albeit the popes flatterers haue gone much about to perswade it 22. That by congruitie a man may deserue grace and that men vnregenerate may dispose themselues to receiue grace by force of their frée will is both new and false if wée looke backe to Christes true religion The apostle saith that Without faith it is impossible to please God And Saint d De vocat gent. lib. 1. c. 3. Ambrose saith That without true religion that which seemeth to be vertue is sinne Saint e De vera innocentia c. 56. Augustine saith That the whole life of Infidels is sinne And the councell of f Can. 6.
Arausicane condemneth all those that say That grace or mercy is conferred on those that will seeke and endeuour and not by Gods spirite conferred on vs and which so doth cause vs to will seeke and endeuour And certes strange it were if men dead in trespasses and sinnes coulde worke or that a man could liue the life of grace without faith 23 The doctrine of doubting of remission of sinnes of Gods fauour and of our saluation was first established by the late a Sâ—ss 6. councell of Trent and is contrarie to the Scriptures and faith of ancient fathers and the nature of faith that worketh in vs not a doubting but a sure perswasion and finally it maketh faith a doctrine of vniuersal propositions without application Nay it doth not onely frustrate the truth of Gods promises and effect of the sacraments and powrefull working of the holy Ghost but doth take away all comfort from Christians 24. That there are iust seuen Sacraments and neither more nor lesse was first b In instruct Armen deliuered by the councell of Florence vnder Eugenius the fourth and afterward confirmed by the c Sâ—ss 7. councell of Trent about 40. yeeres agone then also was it d Ibid. determined that All these seuen sacraments were instituted by Christ Iesus and those pronounced accursed that should say contrary How falsly I haue before shewed how newly it may appéere by the aâ—uersaries silence that being vrged to shew testimony of antiquitie rest mute 25. That the forme of confirmation now vsed by the Romanistes is new the decrée of the e In Instruct Armen Florentine councell about the yéere 1423. that then established it may ascertaine vs. The papists themselues being vrged ad exhibendum cannot prooue this forme Signo te signo crucis confirmo te chrismate salutis to bée more ancient 26. That spirituall gossips might not entermarrie and that such mariages being contracted shoulde not bée of force and that mariages contracted may bée dissolued by entring into religion or that by consent the husband and wife may sunder themselues proceedeth onely from the new forge of popish inuention 27 From thence also procéede diuers greasings saltings spittings and other ceremonies in baptisme From the apostles certes or their next successors they cannot be deriued 28. The doctrine of transubstantiation was first f C. firmiter de summa Trin. fid Cath. established by Innocent the third about the yéere 1212. and after that renewed in the councell of Florence Trent Before that councell it was scarce named any where But were it by any named yet can it not either by scriptures or fathers be prooued as Scotus and Petrus de Alliaco and others writing vpon the sentences do seeme to confesse 29. Vrbane the fourth vpon a reuelation of a certaine Anachorete called Eue did first institute the feast of Corpus Christi and the same was reordeined by Clement the fift in the councell of Vienna about the yéere of our Lord 1311. Honorius the third about the yéere of our Lord 1220. did first ordeine that the sacrament shoulde be worshipped But this idolatrous adoration of the sacrament and the carying of it about in procession and kéeping it in pyxes sauoureth of noueltie 30. In ancient time it was neuer heard that dogs and mise and other brute beastes did receiue Christs glorified bodie Nay the schooles themselues are deuided about this question although the more blasphemous opinion bée nowe approoued and the woorst side hath gotten the victorie 31. In ancient time the Lords supper or eucharist was neuer receiued of one alone The auncient a Can. apost 9. canons of the church excommunicate all those which are present at the oblation do not communicate Our Sauiour Christ did institute it to bée deliuered and distributed to others and not to bée deuoured by the priest alone But in the masse the priest eateth and drinketh all alone 32. Among ancient Christians it was neuer taught nor beléeued that either the accidents of bread and wine did subsist without dependance on their substance or that Christes bodie was in the sacrament without all dimensions or properties of a naturall body which all authoritie of fathers notwithstanding of late time the schoolemen haue taught and the popes of Rome haue established and confirmed by their decretals 33. In the ancient fathers of the church Species sacramentales do neuer signifie accidents as the deceiued papistes take it Speciem pro veritate accipiendam legimus saith b de ijs qui initiantur mysterijs c. 4. Ambrose c Ibid. c. 9. Et ante benedictionem alia species nominatur where species doth signifie a substance Idem cibus illorum qui noster saith d In Psal 77. Augustine sed significatione idem non specie e Apud Bedam in 1. Cor. 11. Againe Vt sit visibilis species panis multa grana in vnum consperguntur And that is the signification of the Latine worde species 34. That the sacrament of the Lordes supper is also an externall and propitiatorie sacrifice auaileable for quicke and dead and to so many purposes as the papists pretend is also a late fantasie of priestes deuised for their owne gaine and receiued of the people of méere ignorance of Christes institution 35. Our Sauiour Christ did ordeine that as many as receiued the Sacrament of the Lordes body shoulde also receiued the sacrament of his blood and that this was the true institution it appéereth by the a 1. Cor. 11. apostles doctrine that diligently setteth downe the wordes of the institution The same also was b Ignat. ad Philadelph Dionys eccles hierarch Chrys hom 18. in 2. Corinth continued in the church of Christ for many ages Neâ—ther was the contrarie established before the late councels of Constance and Trent 36. The partes of the masse were first formed by one scholasticus and encreased and altered by diuers popes and in diuers hundred yéeres coulde not bee brought to any perfection 37. In ancient time Scriptures were publikely read and praiers saide in toongs commonly vnderstoode of the people If I pray in a strange toong saith the c 1. Cor. 14. apostle my spirite praieth but my vnderstanding is without fruite Neither was there euer act made to the contrary but by the d Conc. Trent sess 22. Constit Thom. Arundel Romish synagogue of late time 38. In the apostolike churches neither were there masses nor praiers made in honour of angels of the blessed virgin and other saints Nor had the blessed Virgin a peculiar Psalter and office dedicated vnto her If wée search all antiquitie wée shall not finde where after the Lordes praier the salutation of the blessed virgin with a praier to her is placed Nor are there speciall Litanies to her and to saints in old liturgies to be found 39. The apostles and their successors neither taught vs to make the images of God and of the holy Trinitie nor to
worship the crosse with diuine worship or the images and reliques of saints with all deuotion and seruice Nay this worship is contrary to the second commandement and condemned by the councell of Eliberis by Epiphanius and all ancient fathers 40. The Romish missals breuiaries offices and psalters of our Lady primers and other rituall bookes wherein the whole worship of the Romish church is conteined receiue all their authoritie from Pius quintus Gregory the 13. corrected the Calendar and published the same after his owne fashion neither agréeing with truth nor with antiquitie 41. It is not long since the popes of Rome tooke vpon them to a De reliq venerat sanct c. 1. 2. in gloss canonise saints and after a heathen fashion to put them in the calendar of popish demy Gods Neither the apostles nor the auncient fathers did euer know anie such thing 42. The b Manual di Geronymo Campos rosaries and beades of our Lady conteining 63. Aue mariaes and .7 Pater nosters which are now much reckoned of in Spaine and Italy are but a new tricke of some late pope to get mony 43. The manner of the sanctifying of the paschall lambe as it is prescribed in the Romish missall is very strange in the church of Christ All ancient fathers condemne it as an odde tricke of Iudaisme 44. Ancient Christians had no mediators but Christ Iesus neither did they pray to our lady or to saintes or to angels but to God in the name of Christ Iesus 45. Neither had they any priests consecrated to sacrifice for quicke and dead as haue the papistes Nay as the apostle saith they beléeued that Christ was a priest after the order of Melchizedech without succession and that the sacrifice which he made was not to be reiterated 46. The doctrine of penance which the schoolemen first began to talke of was not setled before the councell of Florence and Trent If our aduersaries will néedes maintaine the contrary let them shew first where the ancient fathers teach that priuate penance consisteth of thrée parts to witte Contrition Confession and Satisfaction and how these are nothing without Absolution which they account to be the forme of penance Secondly let them shew that auriculer confession was receiued in the Westerne church before the c C. omnis vtriusque sexus de Poenit. remiss constitution of Innocent the third that first established that order Thirdly that certaine cases were specially reserued to the bishop of Romes absolution in time of the ancient fathers Fourthly that all Christians did make satisfaction to God for their actuall sinnes Lastly that in times past either contrition differed from satisfaction or absolution went before satisfaction or that noâ—e were reconciled to God but such as were confessed to priests and did satisfie according to their pleasures 47. The councell of Trent did likewise innouate diuers things iâ— the ordination of bishops and priests For the friers there determined that there were 7. orders and euery of these a sacrament and yet but all one sacrament which séemeth very enigmaticall They decréed That priests should be shauen and greazed that by the act of ordination there was a print made in their soules which they call An inuisible character matters very new and strange 48. In ancient time neither were monkes permitted to execute the office of priests nor were any ordeined bishops but such as did feede their flockes The dumbe bishops and boy-cardinalles and prelates of the Romish synagogue are but new creatures of the pope brought in onely to confirme and establish his new tyranny 49. Purgatory was not established before the late councels of Florence and Trent Neither was any part of it knowne in ancient time Saint Augustine began first to talke of purgatory for veniall sinnes and after his time Gregory that made the dialogues beléeued that veniall sinnes were indéede remitted in purgatory The schoolemen added that satisfactions for penance inioyned and not accomplished in this life were there to be performed They also haue of late begun to talke much of the popes power and of the merites of masses in purgatory but as yet they are not agréed about the same nor about many other such like matters 50. The yéere of Iubiley was a Constit Pauli 2. ordeined first by Boniface the eight and afterward altered by Clement the fift and last of all brought to twentie fiue yéeres by Paul the second But not borrowed from Christians but either from the heathen that euery hundred yéere had Luâ—os seculares or from the Iewes that euery 50. yeeres celebrated a Iubiley and now agréeing neither with Iewes Gentiles nor christians 51. That the popes indulgences depend vpon the late popes authoritie without proofe out of Scriptures or fathers the patrons of them that are ingenuous do confesse b Artâ— 18. aduers assert Lutherâ— Fisher sometime bishop of Rochester saide That before purgatorie was feared no man sought for indulgences and that in the beginning of the church there was no vse of them Quamdiu saith hée nulla fuerat de purgatorio cura nemo quaesiuit indulgentias And afterward In initio nascentis ecclesiae nullus fuerat earum vsus Such indulgences as are mentioned in the booke of Pardons of Rome are meere forgeries and fooleries In the church of Saint Paule at Rome saith the booke Yee haue 48. thousand yeeres of pardon on the day of his conuersion a hundred yeeres of pardon on Childermasse daie fower thousand yeere of pardon For kissing two iron crosses at S. Peters church doore fiue hundred yeeres of pardon On the feast day of Saint Peter 1000. yeeres of pardon And for looking on one of the pence for which our Sauiour was solde 1400. yeeres of pardon In the church of Saint Marie maior yee haue fowerteene thousand yeeres of pardon And Blessed be the mother saith our author that beareth the childe that heareth masse on Saturday at Saint Iohn of Lateran For he deliuereth al them that he desireth out of purgatory to the number of 77. soules Hée saith further That on the tower of the church standeth a double crosse that was made of the sworde that Saint Iohn was beheaded with and that at euery time that a man beholdeth that crosse hee hath 14000. yeeres of pardon and as many karines of all penance And infinite such indulgences are granted by popes in that booke Pope Gregory the 13. a In Constit Gregor per Petr. Matth. sent ouer his indulgence of Iubiley into England and no doubt but that this pope either hath or will do the like O simple creatures that buie such trash and suffer themselues to be abused with such nouelties and fooleries as beséeme neither christian religion nor common reason 52. The popes penitentiaries taxe which conteineth the rates of absolutions For murders Parricides Rapines Periuries Adulteries Incests Sodomitry yea and Apostacy and Turkish blasphemies I thinke our aduersaries will not denie but that it is most new 53.
Lib. calam 3. Mantuan Templa sacerdotes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces caelum est venale deusque They do also sell Christ and therefore by Brigit are pronounced to be worse then Iudas Deteriores sunt Iuda saith a Brig 132. onus eccles c. 23. Christ in Brigittes reuelations qui pro solis denarijs me vendidit illi autem pro omni mercimonio The pope he b Taxa poenitent selleth pardons and Iubleies making most gaine of foulest sins Of the schollers of Simon Magus the friers haue learned to worship the images of their founders For as they c August de baeres c. 1. worshipped the images of Simon and Helena so do the papists worship the images of Francis and Dominike and Clare and Brigit and other founders of the diuers sectes of monkes and friers The d Iren. aduers haeres li. 1. c. 23. Basilidians were reputed heretikes For that they worshipped images and vsed enchantements and superstitious adiurations How then can the papistes excuse themselues that worship images and fill euery corner of their churches full of them and coniure and enchant water candels hearbes flowers and such like making exorcistes and coniurers a holy order and that order a sacrament of the church Carpocrates e Irenaus lib. 1. aduers haeres c. 24. vsed to worship images and Marcellina one of his followers as saint f Augustin de haeres c. 7. Augustine saith adored the images of Iesu and Paul and burnt incense vnto them If then this were heresie in thē why should it not be heresie in papists to worship the image of Iesu with diuine worship and to burne incense not onely before that image but also before the images of other saintes The g Iren. lib. 1. aduers haeres c. 23. Epiph. haeres 24. Carpocratians and Basilidians Did conceale and hide the mysteries of their religion least holy things should be cast to dogs So likewise the papistes kéepe the mysteries of their religion secret and will not haue lay men to dispute of them They reade scriptures and prayers in toongues vnknowne and say the words of consecration and diuers other prayers secretly that the people heare not and al this as they stick not to say Least holy things should be cast to dogs For no better do heretickes estéeme of Christians then of dogs The Marcosians did h Iren. lib. 1. c. 18. baptise in an vnknowne language and annoint those whom they baptised with chrisme or Opobalsamum They annoint also their dead and giue them extreme vnction l Ibid. c. 9. Epiph. haeres 34. Marcus their founder went about to make his followers beléeue That he did transubstantiate wine into bloud in the sacrament a Ibidem They accounted themselues perfect but as b Ibidem c. 15. Irenaeus saith Perfectus nemo nisi qui maxima mendacia apud eos fructificauerit Finally they c Ibidem c. 17. Epiphan haeris 34. alleage A multitude of apocryphall scriptures which themselues haue forged All which heresies the papistes haue translated into their religion For they also baptize in a language not vnderstood of the people and vse greasing and annointing in baptisme and confirmation They do also annoint men when they lye a dying and beléeue that the wine in the Lords cup is transubstantiate into blood Their orders of religion do account themselues to be in state of perfection but the most perfect of them which are employed by the pope in defence of the popish faction and religion do fructifie in telling of greatest lyes Finally for proofe of their traditions and doctrine they forge diuers writings and write new deuised legendes and now lately for a cardinals hat haue they hired one Caesar Baronius to corrupt the historie of the church with innumerable fables and lyes The Nazarites were condemned for heretickes first for that they d Angustin de haeres c. 9. Epiph. de haeres Nazaraeor 29. mingled Iudaicall ceremonies with the doctrine of Christianity and secondly for that they boasted much of their reuelations and miracles The like sentence is therefore to be pronounced against the papistes which e In missali Rom in fine consecrate euery yéere A paschall lambe and obserue the Iewish Iubiley and Iewish feastes and haue translated the ceremonies of the leuiticall priesthood into their synagogue and bragge much of their reuelations and miracles and f Bellar. de not eccles make them a marke of the church The g Augustin de haeres c. 16. Epiph. haeres 36. Heracleonites did annoint their followers departing out of this life and gaue them their extreme vnction Likewise they did say prayers ouer the dead For which they are numbred among heretikes So it séemeth that the papists haue borrowed their extreme vnction their dirges and masses for the dead from heretikes The followers of Helzai as h Haeres 19. ante Christ Epiphanius reporteth and the Osseni likewise Sweare by salt and bread and other creatures and worship the spittle reliques of two of their saints This i Ibidem Helzai did also teach his disciples to pray in a toong not vnderstood by them Nemo quaerat interpretationem saith hée sed solum haec dicat and then hée addeth a praier in a strange toong These heresies the papists also embrace For they sweare commonly by creatures yea by bread and salt and by saints as the Helzaites did They kéepe the ashes excrements and reliques of their saints and worship them Finally they pray in vnknowne toongs and say it is not materiall albeit a man vnderstand not what hée praieth a Damascen de haeres Marcion gaue women power to baptize and albeit he had corrupted a maiden yet did hée much extoll virginitie à Marcione saith b Haeres 42. Epiphanius virginitas praedicatur Hée also stood much vpon fasting c Lib. 1. c. 30. aduers haeres Irenaeus saith that he and Saturninus began to teach abstinence from liuing creatures Hée did also d Epiph. haeres 42. teach that By Christes descending into hell diuers mens soules were thence deliuered and e Tertul. aduers Marcion separated marriages for religion Of which heresies the papists do sauour very strongly For they do also f C. adijcimus 16. q. 1. c. mulier de consecrat dist 4. authorize women to baptize and extoll virginitie and fasting highly and yet obserue neither Their monkes shoulde abstaine from flesh They separate mariages vpon pretence of religion and teach that the fathers were deliuered by Christs descension into hell out of that place which they call Limbum Patrum The Messalians beléeued that baptisme was onely auaileable to cut away former sinnes So likewise the papists beléeue that baptisme doth purge sinnes past and that sinnes committed after baptisme are to bée done away by penance Against them both g Diuinor decret c. de baptismo Theodoret teacheth That baptisme is the
saith d Lib. 2. paert 1. Occham est dogma falsum fidei contrarium orthodoxae e Apud Matth. Paris in Hen. 3. Robert Grosthed saith That heresie is an opinion chosen of humane vnderstanding contrary to Scripture and either openly taught or defended f Apud Dionys Carth. in 3. sent dist 31. Durande signifieth That heresie is onely an opinion contrary to canonicall Scripture Opinio ista g Aen. Sylu. de gest concil Basil lib. 1. saith he non est haeretica quia non est contra canonicam scripturam The h councell of Basill doth determine him to bée an heretike That doth reiect the catholike faith deduced out of canonicall scriptures and prooued by fathers Séeing then the papists haue caused a great diuision from the apostlike and ancient church and haue taught other doctrine contrarie to that of Christ Iesus and haue corrupted the verie déepest mysteries of Christian religion and haue digressed from apostolicall rules and taught doctrine contrary to Christian faith to the catholike church of former times and finally to canonicall scriptures as may appéere by their groundes of faith by their legends and decretals by their Tridentine doctrine concerning the Gospell and the lawe by their idolatrous masse by their worshipping of saints nay of stockes and stones ragges and rotten bones by their rebellion against princes and their allowance of the gouernment of the pope there is no question to bée made but that papists are cleerely heretikes CHAP. IIII. That the church of Rome is not the true church of Christ NOw if the pope and his faction the papists bée heretikes then doth it necessarily follow thereof that they are not the true church For the true church kéepeth the faith sounde and intire But these a 1. Tim. 1. Haue made shipwracke of faith Heretikes are gone out from vs bicause they are not of vs as saint b 1. Iohn 2. Iohn saith Those of the true church are of the houshold of faith and the apostles heires But heretikes are strangers as c De praescrip aduers haeret Tertullian saith and maintaine doctrine contrary to the apostles Heretikes as d In dialog contr Lucifer Hierome saith Are not the church of Christ but the synagogue of antichrist Againe if the church of Rome haue altered and innouated Christes religion then can it not bée the true church for That e 1. Tim. 6. doth faithfully keepe the faith committed to her in deposte and auoideth all prophane nouelties shée f Ibidem kéepeth Gods commandements without addition or blemish Catholica ecclesia sedula cauta depositorum apud se dogmatuÌ„ custos nihil in ijs vnquam permutat nihil minuit nihil addit as saith g Contra haeres c. 32. Vincentius Lirinensis Contrariwise h Ibidem c. 36. Heretikes not content with the ancient rule of faith are daily seeking out nouelties and are desirous to adde to change to take away Further if the faith of the church of Rome bée not catholike and generall and that which our Sauiour commanded his apostles to teach all nations then is not that the true church For as wée beléeue the church to bée catholike so we beléeue that the faith thereof is catholike and vniuersall We may not follow the pope of Rome nor the bishop of Ierusalem or Alexandria but the catholike church and that wée shall do if wée embrace that faith which the whole church throughout the worlde confesseth Sequemur vniuersitatem saith i Aduers haeres c. 3. Vincentius Lirinensis si hanc vnam fidem veram esse fateamur quam tota per orbem terraruÌ„ confitetur ecclesia If any haue a singular faith beside that which alwaies and in all places hath béene taught by the apostles and their true successors wée are not to harken to them No a Deut. 13. Although a Prophet or great learned man rise vp among vs yet are wée not to listen to him This may bée sufficient to teach vs that the synagogue of Rome is not that church whereto wée are to resort and adioine our selues But forsomuch as heretikes as apes imitate men so counterfeit to bée the true church as b Epist ad Iubatan Cyprian telleth vs and euery societie and company of heretikes do thinke themselues to bée christians and beare themselues bolde on the name of the catholike church as c Lib. 4. instit c. 30. Lactantius writeth and considering that the church of Rome hath long abused the worlde with the maske of the true church I thought it very requisite in this chapter briefly to set downe such arguments as may cléerely demonstrate what shée is and so much the rather for that many simple soules haue héeretofore béene seduced and perswaded that Rome is the citie of God and that chaste spouse of Christ which loueth and serueth none but him If our aduersary will needes call the same the catholike church yet let him first peruse and answere our arguments as they are héere laide downe in order First then we both confesse that the church of Christ is built vpon Christ Iesus No man saith the d 1. Cor. 3. apostle can lay any other foundation beside that which already is layd which is Christ Iesus He is e Isai 28. that Corner stone that is e Isai 28. placed in the foundation of Sion He is that f Matth. 16. Rocke vpon which the church is built Super hanc petram quam confessus es saith saint g Ser. 13. de verb. Dom. Augustine super hanc petram quam cognouisti dicens tu es Christus filius dei aedificabo ecclesiam meam id est super meipsum filium dei viui aedificabo ecclesiam meam Other fathers h Ambros in c. 9. Luc. Cyrill lib. 4. de Trinit that say the church is built either vpon The confession or faith of Peter or else vpon Peter himselfe do vnderstand indirectlie Christ Iesus whome he confessed and on whome he beléeued and on whome Peter was built But the church of Rome is built vpon the pope and vpon the papacy Est Petri fedes saith i In praefat in lib. de pontif Rom. Bellarmine lapis probatus angularis pretiosus in fundamento fundatus He k Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 3. saith also That the pope is the foundation of the building of the church and goeth about to prooue it by certeine words of Hierome who neuer thought any such matter a Sanders his rocke of the church Sanders doth endeuour to prooue That the popes are the immooueable rocke of the church b Contr. Saâ—eelâ—â— Turrian because Christ saith Aedificabo ecclesiam meam non aedifico ecclesiaÌ„ meam concludeth that the popes of future times are vnderstood and this is the common opinion of all papists How then can that be the true church that is built vpon a diuers foundation and either neglecting or not greatly caring for Christ Iesus the
principall rocke doth wholy rely vpon the popes of Rome men neither like to Christ nor like to Peter nor like to a rocke Vnlesse it be in that they deny Christ and are as hard harted against Christians as if they were rockes Secondly the faith of the true catholike church is built vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets and their canonicall doctrine The apostle c Ephes 2. saith That the houshold of God and citizens of saintes are built vpon the foundations of the apostles and prophets S. d Apocal. 25. Iohn sheweth That the wall of the city of God hath twelue foundations and in them the names of the twelue apostles The church is built not vpon Peter onely as saint e Lib. aduers â—â—in Hierome saith but vpon all the apostles At dicis super Petrum fundatur ecclesia licèt id ipsum in alio loco super omnes apostolos cuncti claues regni caelorum accipiant ex aequo super eos ecclesiae fortitudo solidetur The church of God saith f In Ephes 2. Theophylact is built vpon the apostles and prophets And all this is therefore affirmed of them because they preached not themselues but Christ Iesus and wrote the canonicall scriptures that they might be as g Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Irenaeus saith The foundation of our faith Vnto this foundation the ancient fathers do all giue testimony But the faith of the Romish synagogue is built vpon the determinations decretals of popes They count their determinations to be infallible and make them souereine iudges of all controuersies in Christes stead Alij nunc à Christo missi saith h In praefat in relect in prinâ—ip doct Stapleton eorumue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locum habebunt He plainely i Ibidem confesseth that the papists haue another foundation of their faith besides the scriptures Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus saith he ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud And k Lib. 4. de verb. Dei c. 4. Bellarmine disputing of traditions calleth them the word of God not written and saith That the scriptures are neither necessary nor sufficient without them Demonstrare conabimur saith hée scripturas sine traditionibus nec fuisse simpliciter necessarias nec sufficientes Nowe if they cannot shewe that the church of God in times past did builde their faith vpon the popes decretals and traditions they must néeds confesse that they are not the true church Thirdly neuer did the church of Christ speake euill of Scriptures a Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 2. Irenaeus saith It is the propertie of heretikes when they are conuinced by Scriptures to fall into dislike of them and to accuse them The children of God certes cannot calumniate their heauenly fathers testament or refuse to heare his voice My sheepe saith our b Iâ—hn 10. Sauiour heare my voice But the papists say they are neither necessary nor sufficient as doth Bellarmine or no sufficient foundation of the church as doth Stapleton in the places aboue mentioned and speake euill of them as if they were c Annot. Rhem. in 2. Cor. 3. A killing letter and most pernicious or as if they were a nose of ware d Ceâ—sur Colon. or a matter of contention and will not suffer them to be publikely read in a toong that is vnderstood of the vulgar fort 4. The church of God doth keepe the doctrine of the apostles without addition and alteration auoiding all prophane nouelties The Gal. 1. apostle pronounceth him accursed That teacheth any other Gospell then that which he taught So f Aduers haeres c. 34. Vincentius Lâ—rinensis saith Catholicorum hoc ferè proprium deposita sanctorum patrum commissa seruare damnare prophanas nouitates sicut dixit iterum dixit apostolus si quis annuntiauerit praeterquam quod acceptum est anathematizare But the synagogue of Rome hath added vnto the doctrine of the apostles infinite nouelties as hath béene declared aboue in the second chapter Their doctrine concerning the grounds of faith concerning the law the Gospell and diuers points of Christian faith their worship of God their massing seruice and popish gouernment is newe as their newe decretals and late Tridentine doctrine the decrées of other late councels whereupon all their popish faith dependeth do plainly testifie 5. The true church cannot abide heretikes that teach doctrine contrary to that of the apostles Christ Iesus speaking of his shéepe g Iohn 10 saith They will not follow a stranger but flye from him for that they know not the voice of strangers that the apostles gaue the faithfull Christians in charge If there come any vnto you saith a 2. Iohn saint Iohn and bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither salute him Tantum apostoli horum discipuli saith b Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 3. Irenaeus habuerunt timorem vt neque verbotenus communicarent alicui eorum qui adulterauerant veritatem Let vs separate our selues saith c Lib. 1. ep 3. Cyprian as far from them as they separate themselues from the church Neither can the true church embrace erroneous doctrine For true Christians will not heare the voice of strangers Si haeretici sunt saith Tertullian d De praescrip aduers haeret Christiani esse non possunt But it is apparent that the popes of Rome are heretikes which are the great maisters and Rabbines of the Romish synagogue as may appeare by the examples of Liberius Felix Vigilius Honorius thâ— first Iohn the two twentith Eugenius the 4. and diuers others We haue also shewed that the synagogue of Rome hath embraced diuers heresies and doth wholy addict her selfe to embrace heretikes and to persecute true teachers 6. The church of God is the mistresse and teacher of truth and admitteth no falsehood nor vntruth The e 1. Tim. 3. apostle doth call her The piller and ground of truth Est fons veritatis faith f Instit diuin lib. 4. c. vlt. Lactantius hoc est domicilium fidei She is the fontaine of truth that is to say The house where true faith dwelleth but the synagogue of Rome is not onely a receptacle of leud opinions but also the mother and mistresse of lyes and vanities She not onely receiueth false traditions but also teacheth them She embraceth lying legends and old wiues fables and apocryphall deuises And this is the word of God not written which they so much commend and make equall to holy scriptures That church g In breuiar in festo Cathar beléeueth That saint Catharine was a maiden of Alexandria so well learned that at eighteene yeeres of age she passed the most learned and ouercame fiftie philosophers conuerted Faustina the empresse and Porphyrius a captaine of his to the faith and broke the tormenting wheele with her oraysons They say also that her body was buried by angels
in mount Sinah Matters incredible and no where to be found h In festo Clementis They beléeue also That Clement the successor of Peter was by Traian sent into the wildernesse of Cersona we know not where and that there he saw a lambe making a well to sally out of the top of the mountaine and that beeing cast into the sea with a mill-stone about his necke the sea fled three miles from the shore and there was found a little chappel built in the sea where his body was bestowed They tell how a In festo Gregor Thaumaturg Gregory of Neocesaria caused the riuer of Lycus to kéepe within his boundes by planting his staffe on the banke And that his staffe grew presently into a great tree Peter Martyr one of Dominickes order as they b In festo Petr. Martyr beléeue did keepe his virginity both in body and mind in that sort That he neuer felt himselfe defiled with any mortall sin and did so long fast that scarce he could open his mouth to eat as they tell They tell vs also like wonders of Nicolas Valerian Tiburtius Cecilia and diuers others In the legend of c Del volto santo Iacobus de voragine translated into Italian and commâ—nly read to the women and vulgar people we read How an image representing our Sauiour did lift vp his foote and cast off his siluer slipper to a certaine pilgrime that deuoutly stood before it would haue offered somewhat and had nothing d Di santa Catharina Catharine of Siâ—na is there reported to be betrothed to our Sauiour Christ and to haue doone strange thinges They generally say that Christ imprinted in Saint Francis his fiue woundes and therefore they call him Iâ—sum Typicum and diuers popes do by their decretals confirme the same to bée true To abridge this point they haue infinite such like fabulous narrations in their breuiaries and legendaries Now gladly would I haue our aduersary to shew vs whether these histories and legends are not receiued of the church of Rome and estéemed as holy traditions nay as the word of God reuealed by the church or by the pope and how these that builde their faith on such lies can be the church of God 7. The faith of Gods true church cannot bée builte vpon any vntruth as Thomas Aquinas himselfe confesseth Nihil e 2. 2. q. 1 art 3 saith hée cadere potest sub fide nisi inquantum stat sub vâ—ritate prima sub qua nullum falsum stare potest And afterward hée saith Fidei non potest subesse aliquod falsum Christ Iesus hée is truth it selfe How then can the church that is built on this rocke admitte any falshoode But the synagogue of Rome beléeueth all the traditions of the church wherein infinite lies are conteined They as well beléeue the woundes of Saint Francis as Christes woundes They beléeue that stockes haue walked that dumbe images haue spoken that saints and angels haue appéered and spoken and done as is conteined in the legends of the church Nay they are bound to beléeue the tales of Tecla Christopher George Cyric and Iulitta and such other apocryphall legends or else they must denie their traditions to be the worde of God not written The church of Christ is bounded within the limits of the Scriptures Habet vrbes legis prophetarum euangelij as Saint a In Mich. lib. 1. c. 1. Hierome saith non est egressa de finibus suis id est de scripturis sanctis Hee b Ibidâ—m c. 7. saith also That it is the propertie of heretikes to flie to mens commandements and the leauen of Pharisees Saint c Lib. 19. de ciuit Dei c. 18. Augustine saith That the citie of God beleeueth the holy Scriptures that are called canonicall but of other reportes doubteth But the church of Rome doth not kéepe within these boundes nor beléeueth onely thinges conteined in holy Scriptures For The same receiueth the d Trid. conc sess 4. traditions of the church with equall reuerence to the scriptures and mingleth much of the leauen of pharisées and other heretikes with their doctrine It beléeueth also all that is deliuered in the missales and breuiaries whatsoeuer the popes of Rome either haue determined or shall héereafter determine to bee a matter of faith 9. The church of Christ doth worship but one God and serueth him onely according to this e Exod. 20. commandement Thou shalt haue no other gods but me Our Sauiour Christ also sheweth f Matth. 4. That God onely is to bee worshipped and serued The catholike church onely saith g Institut lib. 4. c. vlt. Lactantius doth retaine the true worship of God But the synagogue of Rome hath vtterly corrupted Gods true worship and giueth diuine worship to stockes and stones Cum Christus saith h P. 3. q. 25. art 3. Thomas Aquinas adoretur adoratione latriae consequens est quod eius imago sit adoratione latriae adoranda i In lib. 3. sent dist 9. q. 2. Bonauenture prooueth that images are to bée retained in churches and worshipped with a verse of Horace de arte Poetica Segniùs irritant animos demissa per aures saith he Quam quae sunt oculis subiecta fidelibus quae Ipse sibi tradit spectator They worship and serue saints they offer sacrifices in their honor they burne incense to their images they light candels before them they carie them about which the catholike church neuer did nor allowed 10. The church of God neuer burned the Scriptures No albeit there were errors in the old vulgar Latine translation and in the translation of Theodotion Symachus and the 70. interpreters yet did not the church therefore burne them Neither did euer the true church prohibite the Scriptures to be publikely read in the vulgar toongs or burne those for heretikes that read theÌ„ priuately without licence Nay rather they searched their heauenly fathers will in his most holy testament and exhorted men to search the Scriptures according to our Sauiour Christs commandement Saint a In Psal 86. Hierome saith that these scriptures are not belonging onely to priests but to the people Non scripserunt saith he speaking of the apostles paucis sed vniuerso populo but the church of Rome not vnlike to the barbarous heathen persecutors hath diuers times caused the scriptures to bée burnt and hath burnt diuers for reading of them as appéereth by the Registers of London and Lincolne In the councell of Trent they forbad them to bee read publikely And priuately they will not haue them read without licence Larâ—us saith b In Manual cap. 11. in 1. praecept Nauarrus disputans de fide peccat mortaliter They cannot abide them no more then those that do euill can abide the light 11. The true church doth acknowledge no head of the vniuersall church but Christ onely which is also the Sauiour of his body Christ saith the c
Ephes 2. apostle Is the head of the church and hee is the sauiour of his body Neither can anie thing be deuised more deformed and prodigious then one bodie with two heads d Lib. 4. epist 38. ad Joan. Constant Gregory the first could not endure that Peter shoulde bée called the head of the whole church Peter the apostle saith hée is the first member of the holy catholike church and Paule Andrew and Iohn what are they but heads of diuers parishes and yet all are members of the church vnder one head Neither coulde hée suffer any to bée called the vniuersall bishop of the church Saint e De agon Christ in Psal 9. Augustine saith that Christ Iesus that is the mediator betwixt God and man is the head of the church But the Romish church doth allow acknowledge the pope to bée her head And the canonist f In gloss in c. vnam â—xtr de maior obed Bertrand blasphemously saith That Christ had not bin discreet if he had not left a vicar generall behinde him And this doth a In praefat in lib. de pâ—ntif R m. lib. 2. de pontâ—f Râ—m c. 31. Bellarmine teach and all papists beléeue and professe or else they are not perfect papists Oh strange church that liueth vnder such a head oh miserable people that endure this Babilonish slauerie 12. The true church is Christes faithfull spouse Sponsabo te mihi b Oseae 2. saith God to his church in fide c De vnitate eccles Cyprian saith that shée cannot bée drawne to like of an adulterer being incorrupt and chaste Adulterari non potest Christi sponsa incorrupta est pudica Shée harkeneth onely to the voice of her spouse En dilectus meus saith the church Cantic c. 2. loquitur mihi surge propera amica mea columba mea formosa mea veni But the church of Rome doth e Turrâ—â—rem sum lib. 2. c. 28. Thom. Aq. in 4. sent dâ—st 3. 8. acknowledge the pope to bée her spouse And f Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Bellarmine doth defend that the pope is iustly entituled the spouse of the church Nay the pope g Canter corsoralia de traâ—st episc c. quâ—niam de immâ—nitate eccles doth so call himselfe and therefore the papists must take héede that they do not hencefoorth denie him to bée the spouse of their câ—colike church Who then is so blinde as not to sée that shée is rather that purple harlot of whom mention is made Apoc. 17. of whose cup the nations of the earth haue drunken so manie abominations then Christes vndefiled spouse 13. The true church is a communion of saints For so wée professe when wée say we beléeue The holy catholike church the communion of Saints The h 1. Cor. 1. apostle doth describe the church of Corinth To bee a societie of saints calling on the name of the Lord Iesus So that to bée a true member of this church it is requisite that a man haue faith in Christ and that hee shew his faith by his workes But the Romish church is a societie of such as professe the faith and receiue the sacraments of the Romish church And i Lib. de eccles milit c. 2. 3. Bellarmine confesseth That to be a member of the Romish church there is neither inward faith nor charitie nor any inward vertue required Nay k Ibid. c. 10. 11. he saith That such as be inwardly atheistes and heretikes and most heinous sinners may be true members of that church which is a most euident argument that they are not the true church 14. The true church is not necessarily tied to the obedience of the bishop of Rome nor neuer was The spirituall Ierusalem Which is the mother of l Galath 4. vs all is free and acknowledgeth no Lorde but one which is Lord of all For so the apostle a Ephes 4. saith There is one Lorde one faith one baptisme But the church of Rome beside this Lorde doth acknowledge herselfe subiect to the pope her Lord and God in earth b C. vnam ext de ma. obed Boniface the 8. determineth that none can bée saued in the Romish arke but they that are subiect to the pope And c De eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine doth exclude all from the church of Rome that liue not vnder the obedience of the pope Finally this is the common opinion of the d Ibidem c. 5. aduersaries that exclude out of their church al schismatikes and account all to bee so that are not subiect to the pope 15. The true church doth professe the catholike faith Which vnlesse a man keepe intier and inuiolate he shall perish euerlastingly as e In symbolo Athanasius teacheth vs and we publikely professe Now the catholike faith concerning Iesus Christs incarnation and ascension f Ibidem is this That Iâ—sus Christ is perfect man as he is perfect God and that he tooke mans flesh and yet is but one Christ and that in his humanity he is ascended into heauen We beléeue also That we are g Rom. 4. iustified by faith in Christ Iesus and not by the workes of the law as the apostle teacheth vs and that Beeing h Rom. 5. iustified by faith we haue peace with God We beléeue also i Rom. 6. That the reward of sinne is death and that eternall life is the gift of God We beléeue that Christs institution is to be obserued in the sacraments and that in baptisme we are to vse cleane water and that in the supper of the Lord al that are present are to communicate and to receiue the cup as well as the sacrament of the Lordes body according to k Matth. 26. Christs words Take eate and Drinke yee all of this We beléeue also that Christ is to be worshipped as he hath appointed and not according to the inuentions of men Finally we beléeue That l Ephes 4. Christ ascending to his father gaue some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelistes some Pastors and teachers and that these are sufficieÌ„t for the building of the church and the bringing togither of the saints And this all belongeth to the catholike faith But this false and adulterous synagogue of Rome hath violated these points of catholike faith For it beleeueth not that Christ is perfect man but that he hath a body neither visible nor palpable that is conteined vnder the formes of bread no bigger then a counter It beléeueth not that he tooke other flesh then that which may be in heauen and in earth and in as many places as the sacrament is at one time But a Contr. Eutychen lib. 4. c. 4. Vigilius saith That the flesh of Christ that is in heauen is not in earth Fulgentius writing to Thrasimundus saith That the body of Christ now hath the properties of a true body It beléeueth also that Christ is not so
ascended but that we are to seeke his body here on earth and to touch him with our mouthes and téeth But saint b Lib. 10. in c. 24. Luc. Ambrose saith That we touch not Christ with corporall handling but by faith and are not to seeke him on the earth nor after the flesh if we will find him c De resur carn Tertullian saith That his body is in the pallace of heauen The papistes also beléeue that there is one Christ in heauen visible and palpable and another in the sacrament inuisible and vnpalpable They d Concil Trid. sâ—ss teach that we are iustified by the workes of the law and that faith is nothing but a preparation to iustification They teach men to doubt and distrust of their saluation and after iustification send them to be tormented in purgatory they cannot tell how long but diuers thousandes of yéeres if their indulgences and bulles concerning the same conteine truth They beléeue that there be certaine veniall sins whose wages and reward is not death and that eternall life is no frée gift but the wages of mens good workes and merites The institution of Christ both in baptisme and in the Lordes supper they haue violated adding many other thinges beside water in baptisme and turning the communion in the Lordes supper into a priuate action and taking the cup from all the communicantes saue the priest that saith masse In the worship of God they haue deuised infinite matters which God neuer required at their handes Nay something they haue instituted in the worship of God contrary to his commaundement as the worshipping of God in grauen images contrary to his commaundement concerning images and the calling vpon angels and saintes contrary to the commaundement Thou shalt haue no other Gods but me Finally they haue in liew of Christ established Antichrist with a gard of Cardinalles and an army of priestes and certeine swarmes of vermine called monkes and friers to the dissipation of Christs body and the subuersion of the faith 16. The true church neuer made publike confession of their sinnes to the virgin Mary to the archangell Michaell to saint Iohn Baptist or to the apostles Peter and Paul and to all the saintes Saint Augustines confessions are comprized in diuers bookes yet hath he none of this fashion In the ancient liturgies albeit they haue passed through the handes of falsaryes yet can no such precedent be found But they in their dayly liturgies a In breuiario officio beata Mariae teach men to say in this sort Confite or deo omnipotenti beatae Mariae semper virgini beato Ioanni Baptistae sanctis apostolis Petro Paulo beato N. omnibus sanctis vobis fratres 17. Christs true church hath no sacraments but such as Christ hath instituted as may appeare by Iustines apology by that booke of sacraments that passeth vnder the name of Ambrose by Dionysius his description of ecclesiasticall mysteries and all ancient liturgies of the Christian church saue such as are falsified But the popish synagogue haue made euangelicall sacraments of matrimony order and penance Of which the first two were instituted in the old testament and the third is an act alwaies vsed in the church of God but neuer accounted a sacrament as wanting both certaine signes and sacramentall institution and forme They haue also made sacraments of confirmation and extreme vnction and giuen them both signes and formes that were neuer knowne in the ancient church of Christ 18. The true church neuer shunned to receiue the cup as well as the Lordes body in the sacrament b Serm. 4. de quadrages Leo saith they were Manichées That receiuing the sacraments tooke the body of Christ but in any wise shunned to drinke the blood of our redemption and he calleth this act Sacrilegious c De consecrat dist 2. c. comperimus Gelasius also saith That it is plaine sacriledge to part the one and the same mystery and to receiue a portion of the sanctified body and to absteine from the cup of the sacred blood But now the synagogue of Rome doth count this ministration of Sacraments in one kinde to bee good religion and streightly commandeth all saue the priest to abstaine from the cup. 19. The ancient catholike d Apost can 9. concil Antioch c. 2. church did excommunicate such As entred the church and heard the Scriptures read and staide not out praiers nor receiued the holy communion And the Romanists themselues vnder the name of Calixtus haue e C. peracta de consecrat dist 2. published this decrée That all shoulde bee excommunicate that woulde not communicate And that this was the order of the christian church that all that were present at the oblation shoulde communicate it appéereth both by Iustines second apologie and by Dionysius the Areopagites description of these ecclesiasticall rites and ceremonies But the church of Rome after consecration sendeth all away for the most part without communion and thinketh it not necessarie 20. The auncient catholike church had but one sacrifice one altar one priest The priest and sacrifice was Christ Iesus once offred for the sinnes of all the altar was the crosse of Christ Christ saith a De demonstr euang l. 1. c. 10. Euseâ—iâ—s offered a most excellent sacrifice for the â—aluation of vs all and gaue vs a memoriall or sacrament thereof insteade of a sacrifice Saint b In c. 10. epist. ad Hebr. Ambrose saith That our sacrifice is but a samplar of that which our Sauiour offered on the crosse Saint c Contr. Faust. lib. 20. c. 21. Augustine saith That the flesh and blood of this sacrifice was yeelded in very truth when Christ was put to death and that after his ascension it is nowe solemnized by the sacrament of remembrance of that sacrifice d Eccles Hierarch c. 3. Dionysius calleth it A figuratiue sacrifice That which is offred and consecrated by the priest is called a sacrifice and oblation because it is a memoriall and representation of the true sacrifice and holy oblation made on the altar of the crosse as saith e Sentent 4. dist 12. Peter Lombard and so their glosses f Dist 2. de consecrat c. semel c. in Christo. c. iteratur confesse that this sacrifice is but a memoriall or sacrament or representation of Christ his passion and sacrifice g Epist 25. plebi vniuersae Cyprian denieth that wée can institute a new altar or new priesthood Aliud altare constitui aut sacerdotium nouum fieri praeter vnum altare vnum sacerdotium non potest But the papists haue forged of late time a new externall sacrifice propitiatorie for quicke and dead and deuised a new altar of stone and instituted a newe priesthood not to celebrate a memoriall of Christes death and passion but to offer indéede Christ himselfe in a true sacrifice after a grosse and carnall sort 21. The true catholike
church neuer taught nor thought so basely of the most holy body of our Lorde and Sauiour Christ Iesus that they imagined that a mouse a dogge a hogge or other brute beast did eate it and presse it with teeth and swallow it downe For they beléeued as wée beléeue that Christ is in heauen and sitteth at the right hand of God and is farre from those pressures and contumelies But the synagogue of Rome beléeueth that a brute beast may eate Christs body If a dogge or hogge saith a Part. 4. q. 45. Alexander Hales shoulde eate the whole consecrated host I see no cause but the Lords body shoulde go therewithall into that dogs or hogs bellie Some haue said as it is in b Part. 3. q. 8. art 3. Thomas Aquinas his summe that Assoone as the sacrament is taken of a mouse or a dogge straightway the body and bloud of Christ cease to bee there but this is a derogation to the truth of this sacrament And where the master of c Lib. 4. dist 13. sentences abhorreth from this position saying that it may bée well saide that the body of Christ is not receiued of brute beastes the masters of Paris put this in the margent that d Hîc Magister non tenetur Heere the master is not beleeued 22. The true catholike church did neuer sell the holy sacrament nor beleeue that it was a meanes to satisfie for sinnes both of quicke and dead Nor did the same promise health to the sicke sigâ—t to the blinde gaine to merchants husbands to maidens being present at the sacrament But the Romish synagogue doth sell Christ Deteriores sunt Iuda e C. 23. saith the author that made Onus ecclesiae alleaging the authoritie of saint Bâ—git Qui pro solis denarijs me vendidit illi autem pro omni mercimonio And no traffike is more coÌ„mon in the Romish church then the traffike for masses They make men beléeue that this sacrifice of the masse is expiatorie both for the sins of quicke and dead Hoc sacrificium saith f De valore missae parad 12. Guernerus est expâ—atiuum debitae poenae tam hîc quam in futuro exoluendae Hée g Ibid. parad 9. sheweth also that It hath miraculous effects against thunder danger of enimies and all other dangers and that he that frequenteth the masse shall bee directed in all thinges Neither can any man desire any thing that priestes by their masses will not promise to obtaine for him 23. The true catholike church did neuer vse to make holy water nor to consecrate paschal lambes nor oyle nor candles nor such like thinges Nor did the same beléeue that by holy water veniall sinnes were remitted or that it was good to driue away mise or make barren women conceiue or that the other hallowed thinges haue such effectes as the schoolemen teach But the Romish church doth h Missal Rom. in fin consecrate holy water and paschall lambes oyle candels and other creatures and hath a great opinion of these consecrate thinges Non mane institutâ—â—â—n est saith i In lib. Numer c. 19. Augustin Steâ—chus quod aquas sale orationibus sanctificamus vt ad â—orum aspersum delicta nostra deleantur a In dialog Alane Copus telleth vs that holy water is good to driue away mise and to make barreine women to conceiue 25. The true church standeth not much vpon externall ceremonies as in the time of Moyses law The b Coloss 2. apostle writing to the Colossians would not haue men condemned In respect of meate or drinke or of holy dayes Nor would haue them burdened with traditions As touch not tast not handle not And c Iohn 4. Christ saith that in his church True worshippers should worship God in spirit and truth But the seruice of the Romish church for the most part consisteth in externall obseruances as for example in absteining from certaine meates and drinkes and widowhoode and abstinence from mariage in singing ringing going on pilgrimage painting knocking greasing kéeping feastes and holy daies and worshipping the sacrament and externall signes 26. The true church of God neither made the image of the godhead nor set vp images in churches to be worshipped knowing that the same is directly contrary to the commaundement of God d Aduers Gentes lib. 8. Arnobius saith That the first Christians had no altars nor temples nor images worshipped in open shew Ne simulachra quidem veneramur saith e Contra. Celsum lib. 7. Origen quippe qui dei vt inuisibilis ita incorporei formam nullam effigiamus f Lib. 2. Diuin instit c. 19. Lactantius saith There is no religion where there is an image The councell of g C. 36. Eliberis forbad pictures in churches Arnobius saith that Christians do not worship the crosse Cruces saith he nec colimus nec optamus lib. 8. aduers gentes h Lib. 9. ep 9. Gregory himselfe would not haue images worshipped albeit he would not haue them broken downe De cultu imag lib. 1. Ionas Aurelianensis writing for images condemneth the popish manner of worshipping them Creaturam adorari eÃque aliquid diuinae seruitutis impendi proh nefas ducimus huiusque sceleris patratorem detestandum anathematizandum libera voce proclamamus But the popish church doth make the images of God the father and the holie Ghost and worshippeth them with diuine worship Likewise do the papists worship the crucifixe and crosse and with seruice kissing and crouching do they worship the images of Saints 27. The ancient church did alwaies serue God in a toong vnderstood of the people The Gréekes had their Liturgie in the Gréeke toong the Italians in the Italian toong the Syrians in the Syriake the Armenians in the Armenian language the Slauonians in the Slauon toong a Lib. 8. contr Celsum Origen saith That God that is Lord of all toongs heareth those that praie in any toong and that euery one praieth in his natiue and mother toong b In Epitaph Paulae ad Eustochium Hierome saith that Psalmes were song at the buriall of Paula not onely in Hebrew Gréeke and Latine But in the Syrian toong In an other Epistle of his written to c Epist 17. Marcella he sheweth That euery nation that came to Bethlehem had their seuerall languages in their church seruice For as the apostle saith d 1. Cor. 14. Hee that praieth in a toong not vnderstood profiteth nothing But the papists and church of Rome will haue no other toong vsed in the common Liturgie of the Westerne churches but the Latine of which the vulgar people scarce vnderstand one word 28. The true church is the kingdome of Christ and there hée onely raigneth by the scepter of his worde Transtulit nos saith the e Coloss 2. apostle in regnum filij Dei The apostle Saint Iames saith that hée alone is our law-giuer and our iudge There is one law-giuer
f Iames 4. saith hée that is able to saue and to destroy But in the church of Rome the pope beareth himselfe as a soueraigne monarke and hée taketh on him power to bind and loose in heauen earth and purgatorie And his agents say That his lawes binde in conscience and that hée hath power to saue and destroy The Romish church is gouerned by his lawes and acknowledgeth him to bée the supreme iudge of controuersies 29. The true church of Christ contenteth herselfe with the religion first taught by the apostles For as g Lib. 4. contr Marcion Tertullian saith Id verius quod prius id prius quod ab apostolis And as h Aduers haeres c. 26. Vincentius Lirinensâ—â— saith it is the propertie of heretikes Not to content themselues with the ancient rule of faith but to seeke nouelties from day to day and to desire to adde to change to take away But the church of Rome doth not content herselfe with the doctrine of the apostles nor with the ancient rule of faith but is still adding changing taking away as may appéere by the popes decretals 30. The true church is dispersed euery where For our Sauiour f commanded his apostles To teach all nations i Matth. 28. And wée beléeue not a particular church but The catholike church that is the societie of Christians of all times and places but the Romish church neither conteineth the Gréekes nor Africans nor men of Asia that haue for many ages béene diuided froÌ„ that church Nor doth it reach to the people before Christ but onely a Bellar. de eccles milit c. 2. conteineth such as liue in obedience to the pope How then can the church of Rome bee the catholike church Shall the church of that citie bée as great as the church of the whole worlde 31. The true church of Christ conteineth neither lyons nor tygres nor woolues but consisteth onely of shéepe and lambes Nay it maketh milde Christians of sauage and wilde atheistes and miscreantes and as Paule of a fierce persecutor by christianity was made a constant professor so the mildenesse of this our christian mother the church changeth mens cruell natures They shall not hurt nor kill saith b Isai 11. God by his prophet in all my holy mountain The wolf shall dwel with the lambe and the Pard shall ly with the Kid. c De incarnat verbi Athanasius saith that nothing but Christes faith caused barbarous nations to become peaceable Quis coegit barbaros gentesque alias in suis sedibus saith he immanitatem deponere pacifica meditari nisi Christi fides crucis signaculum d Lib. 2. contr Parmen Optatus speaking of catholikes Which of vs saith he hath persequuted any man Can you shew or prooue that any of you hath beene persequuted by vs But the church of Rome hath of late yéeres and yet doth murder infinite numbers of men that would not adhere to her Romish faith Their e Extr. de haeret per tot lawes are bloody and cruell their executions are more cruell In the time of Charles the emperor the fift of that name it is found in f Meteran de Belgicis tumultibus record That aboue fiftie thousand persons were by sentence of iudges executed to death for the profession of their faith in the low countries In France as their owne stories report at one g Anno 1572. time thrée score thousand Christians without order of law were most shamefully massacred Circiter sexaginta hominum millia saith h Lib. 23. p. 508. Natalis Comes speaking of the massacre varijs in locis per illud tempus trucidata fuisse dicta sunt in Gallia And so extraordinary was the furie of papists that they spared neither age sexe nor qualitie Vel puberes vel impuberes saith i Ibid. p. 507. he trucidati sunt neque vllius sexus vel aetatis vel dignitatis habita est ratio Neither may wée thinke that they haue shewed lesse crueltie against Christians in Spaine Italie Germany England and other nations The Romish church hath died her garments in the blood of saints and the prelates haue shewed themselues leaders to the people in these barbarous executions Well therefore may that bée applied to them which a Lib. 2. con Parmen Optatus spoke of the cruell Donatistes Lacerati sunt viri tractatae sunt matronae infantes necati abacti partus ecce vestra ecclesia episcopis ducibus cruentis morsibus pasta est Men haue béene tormented women haue béene abused infants haue béene murdred women forced to loose their children behold your church is fedde with crueltie and your prelates haue béene captaines to the vulgar sort in their cruell executions 32. The catholike church neuer shewed more fauour to the Iewes and Infidels then to Christians that disliked the bishops of Rome The Christian emperors b L. hac valitura Cod. de Iudaeis Caelieolis excluded the Iewes from all gouernment and authoritie in the common-wealth and c Ibidem restreined their insolencies with diuers sharpe lawes The like course they d Cod. de Paganis sacrif templ tooke also with Pagans and Infidels shutting their temples and forbidding their sacrifices and Idolatries But the Romish synagogue doth indure the impieties of Iewes in the midst of Rome albeit they denie and blaspheme Christ Iesus tormenting and killing christians that shall but once offer to speake against the pope Likewise e Onuphr in Alexandro 6. Alexander the sixt receiued Turkes and Maranes into Rome being erpelled out of Spaine and the popes are content that their subiects shall trade with Turkes albeit they cannot endure any christian that shall mislike the popes authoritie 33. The true church of God neuer sought by forging and falsifying of mens writings and by lying and slandering to aduance Christes religion For truth is strong enough of it selfe and néedeth not to bée supported with falshood f Prouerb 12. and a Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. False witnesses and slanderers in ancient time were so farre from beeing estéemed in the church that they were b excluded out of the church g Concil Agath c. 27. Concil Elâ—bert c. 73. 74. But the church of Rome perceiuing that she cannot otherwise preuaile goeth to worke by plaine forging and falsifying leauing nothing sound that once passeth her fingers h Canones apostolor constiutioneâ— Somewhat she commendeth vnder the name of the a apostles and many thinges vnder the name of ancient fathers There is no ancient father but she hath ascribed vnto him many children which were neuer begotten by him as the workes of Cyprian Origen Athanasius Hierome Augustine Chrysostome Gregory and others do plainely testifie For who séeth not how many vnlearned and vnsound treatises are dayly published vnder the names of ancient fathers Nay the Romanistes are much offended with Erasmus and other learned mens censures that haue gone about
to make a distinction betwixt truth and falshood betwéene bookes counterfeited and that are truely belonging to the authors whose name they carry The church of Rome vnder the names of Clement Anacletus Alexander and other ancient bishops of that citty hath published diuers vaine and insolent letters conteining plaine and euident notes of falshood The same hath not onely corrupted diuers actes and canons of councels but hath supposed diuers counterfeit councels of which in ancient records there is neither euident proofe nor any probable coniecture Of late time she hath caused a formulary to be drawne in what places the recordes of stories and fathers are to be corrupted It is intitled Index expurgatorius And dayly do the Iesuites deuise more and more what is to be cut out added or altered to shape ancient writers fit for their shamelesse and abominable practise and superstition I will onely giue you a tast in one that you may estéeme of the boldenesse of the rest a Select bibliothec lib. 1. c. 19. Posseuin a shamelesse Iebusite censuring the fathers saith Ex libro 2. Hermetis col 16. deleatur rectè audisti Et paulò post qui enim crediderunt aut credituri sunt In transitu sanctae Mariae quifalsò ascribitur B. Melitoni deleantur illa verba in solatium ferendum angustijs quae superuenturae sunt mihi Deleatur etiam à capite octauo vsque in finem tractatus Ex libro Nicolai Cabasilae deleantur capita 29. 30. In quaestionibus Anastasij qu. 87. scribatur in margine haec intelligenda sunt de gloria corporis Out of the tract of Antonius Abbas he taketh what he pleaseth and the like he doth in diuers authors workes And this authority béeing giuen to Iesuites by a bull of Gregory the thirtéenth it is not vnlike that they will corrupt all antiquity if order be not taken In late writers they take liberty to put in and put out at pleasure Out of Guicciardins Italian historie they haue taken out whatsoeuer he wrote concerning the popes primacy and vniuersall authority and the originall and procéeding thereof I haue by me Didacus Stellaes commentaries vpon Luke taken out of the Iesuites library in the sacke of Cadiz wherein not onely diuers sentences but also whole pages are blotted out The like practise they vse in all late writers Caesar Baronius of late hath most impudently set out Legendes and lies for true stories and gone about to corrupt the historie of the church with most fabulous toies for which he can vouch no author but Simeon Metaphrastes Iacobus de Voragine and such legendaries Others to helpe where forgerie will not preuaile do bring a large supplie of prodigious lies and most ridiculous and notorious fables a Select bibliothec lib. 8. Posseuin is not ashamed to write that we deny the articles of the faith Of Beza some gaue out he had recanted his religion and was turned papist b Eccles Anglic trophaea Others tel how in England certeine priests or papistes were bayted in beares skinnes and make long discourses of crosses that were séene in c Cop. dialog Wales and at d Ciacon de cruce Norwiche and e A certaine popish pamphlet how the countesse of Arundell dyed for gréefe to sée her husbandes hard vsage matters deuoide of all truth They haue also published infinite slanders not onely against Caluin Luther Peter Martyr Iuel and such like woorthie men but also against Christian princes and shame not to say any thing against vs that may bring our cause into hatred albeit neuer so vntrue And of this the writinges of Sanders Genebrard Surius Cochlaeus Stapleton Allen Ribadineira Bellarmine Posseuin Caesar Baronius and others of that side giue sufficient testimony 34 That cannot be the true Church that offereth sacrifice to other gods then the true God or that cōmunicateth Gods honor to creatures Qui f Exod 22. sacrificat dijs eradicabitur praeterquam Domino soli That is he that offereth to other gods saue to the Lord alone shall be destroyed Saint g Lib 10. de ciuit dei c. 4. Augustine saith that God only is to be serued with sacrifices of praises and thankesgiuing and to haue the worship which he calleth latriam done to him and most apparant it is that Angels doe not suffer such worship to be done to them But the papists doe offer the sacrifices of incense of prayers and prayses to Angels to the virgin Marie and to saints They also erect churches and altars vnto them which sheweth that they meane there to honour them And albeit they say that the masses made in honor of angels saints and of our Lady are directed to God yet in all these masses they call vpon saints and offer to them incense and the sacrifice of their lips Of their Agnus Dei they a Caerem lib. 1. it 7. say Peccatum frangit vt Christi sanguis angit When they consecrate a crosse they pray That as the world was deliuered from the guilt of sinne by the crosse of Christ so those that offer to the new made crosse by the merite of the same may be acquited from all sinne They offer Latrian to the images of God the father of the sonne and the holy ghost nay to crosses of mettall or stone or other matter Finally they call the virgin Mary the Quéene of heauen 35. The true church neuer vsed the mediation of other then of the Lord Christ Iesus redéemer of mankinde The b 1. Tim. 2. apostle teacheth vs That there is but one mediatour betwixt God and man the man Christ Iesus And him he c Heb. 9. 12. calleth The mediator of the new testament Saint d Lib. 2. contr Parm. c. 8. Augustine saith that Christ is the true and onely mediator Hic vnus verusque mediator est Neither did the primitiue church beléeue that any other mediator was necessary To obteine Gods fauour saith saint e In Rom. 1. Ambrose we neede no spokesman but a deuout minde f De paenit homil 4. Homines saith Chrysostome vtuntur atriensibus in deo nihil est tale Sine mediatore exorabilis est Againe he g De profectu euangelij saith Nihil tibi patronis opus est apud deum Neque enim tam facilè deus audit si alij pro nobis orent quam si ipsi oremus etsi pleni simus omnibus malis But the papistes beside Christ Iesus haue infinite mediators First they call the blessed virgin the mediatrix betwixt God man and h Histor p. 3. tit 23. c. 3. Antoninus saith that on a time Christ sitting at the right hand of his father rose vp in fury purposing to destroy all sinners from the earth but that he was intreated by his mother to stay vntill such time as she had sent foorth Dominike and Francis to preach in the world Secondly they beséech all angels to pray for them Thirdly they flie to
all saintes Nay sometimes they flie to their images and reliques Neither can the distinction of mediators of intercession helpe them For the true church in her liturgyes neuer vsed to call vpon any mediator or intercessor beside Christ Iesus Beside that the Romish church crauing of saints all thinges necessary and attributing to saintes the merite of remission of sinnes do make them more then mediators of intercession 36. In the church of Christ we neuer heard nor read that christians did vse to scourge themselues before crucifixes and other images But the priestes of Baal were woont to launce themselues before their idols And the priestes of Cybele in honour of their goddesse were woont to cut themselues So likewise the papists do scourge theÌ„selues and punish their bodies and are thereby declared to more bée like to Pagans heathen then to the people of God 37. The true church is a societie of faithfull people vnder lawfull pastors For a Ephes 4. Christ Iesus hath giuen them for The worke of the ministerie and for the edification of the bodie of Christ vntill wee all meete togither in the vnitie of faith and acknowledging of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man b Lib. 4. epist 9. Cyprian saith That the church is a people vnited to their bishop and a flocke adhering to their pastor Est ecclesia saith hée plebs episcopo adunata pastori suo grex adhaerens So likewise saith c In Dial. aduers Lucifer Hierome Ecclesia non est quae non habet sacerdotes That is there is not the church where there are no priestes or bishops But the church of Rome hath long wanted true priestes and bishops For the Romish bishops haue no authoritie nor mission but from the pope to whom they also d C. ego N. de ureiurando sweare fealtie But he hath no authoritie to sende them or ordeine them being himselfe no bishop Secondly the Romish bishops neither teach nor féede nor do the worke of a bishop Neither do the priestes of that synagogue obserue their commission in teaching that which Christ hath commaunded Thirdly in ordination of bishops and priestes they neither kéepe the apostles rules 1. Tim. 3. and Tit. 1. nor the ancient canons but ordeine boies and men vnlearned and infamous and vnable to teach and neither duly examine them nor orderly choose them nor canonically ordaine them Fourthly they do not ordaine priestes to teach and gouerne their flocks but e Machab. in lib. de missis episcopor pro ordinib confe rendis To offer sacrifices and to say masses for quicke and dead Which forme neither did either Christ or his apostles prescribe or the ancient church euer practise or know Fiftly they are ordeined simoniacally and by excommunicate persons and by apostataes from Christes true faith Lastly they are all f C. ego N. de iureiurando sworne to antichrist and therefore no ministers of Christ Iesus nor true pastors That the pope hath no authoritie to sende foorth pastors to féede Christes flocke it is appaâ—ent for that hée is a hireling or rather a woolfe and no successor of Peter or of the apostles varying so much from their doctrine and liuing nor true bishop doing not the function of a bishop nor teaching of Christes flocke That he is antichrist and of the temple of God hath made a denne of idolatrie and théeuery is prooued in the former discourse Most apparant therefore it is that the bishops of the Romish synagogue are no true bishops nor pastors Which is also prooued by their manners and doctrine For they murder Christes lambes and féede them not if they teach at all or if their priests and fryers teach it is not Christe faith but heresie which they teach 38 The true church of Christ cannot adhere to antichrist Our sauiour Christ speaking of his shéepe a Ioan. 10. saith they will not follow a stranger but will fly froÌ„ him But the church of Rome doth manifestly adhere to antichrist that exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God and that sitteth in mens consciences that persecuteth all true Christians and yet pretendeth that he is Christs vicar That the Papists adhere to the pope they will not denie for they b C. Vnam ext de ma. obed make it a matter necessarie to saluation to be subiect to him That the pope is antichrist his pride his crueltie his doctrine the time of his rising the place of his kingdome and many arguments declare which we haue touched in the former discourse 39 As the true Church is figured by Ierusalem which was the holy citie of God so the malignant church is signified partly by Babylon Apocal. 18. and partly by the purple whore Apocal. 17. that had a cup of gold in her hand full of abomination and filthinesse If then the state of Rome vnder the popes be represented by this purple harlot then must it necessarily follow that the Church of Rome is not the citie of God but rather the city of Babylon and synagogue of Satan adhering to antichrist But that the state of new Rome as it is subiect to the pope and is the fountaine and metropolitane church of all idolatrie and heresie is meant by the purple whore and by Babylon Apocal. 17. 18. diuers arguments do teach vs. First the order of Saint Iohns historie doth shew it For after that in the 12. chapter and in the beginning of the thirtéenth he had described the state of olde Rome vnder the emperors and the decay of that empire it is not likely that he should returne againe to describe the flourishing state of the empire in the seuentéenth chapter and so to relate the same things confusedly Secondly he representeth vnto vs the rising of antichrist out of the earth and vpon the decay of the Romane empire in the end of the thirtéenth chapter and therefore whatsoeuer followeth may séeme better to belong to antichrists kingdome and new Rome than old Rome Thirdly after the destruction of the purple whore and of Babylon the Apostle describeth the end of the world and last iudgement as if the one were to follow the other But the end of the world doth not follow presently vpon the destruction of the empire but rather after the ouerthrow of Antichristes kingdome Fourthly the beast which Iohn saw and vpon which the purple whore did sit was not then as she should be Non adhuc erat a saith Saint Iohn ex abysso ascensura erat Apoc. 17. But the empire then did most flourish And therfore that beast must signifie another empire which in Rome was to be erected after the Romane empires decay Fiftly those tenne kinges which were signified by tenne hornes did not arise during the time of the olde empire but vpon the rising of antichrist neidid they giue their power to the Romane empire but to the pope and therefore this must néeds be a figure of the papacie and not of
the old empire Sixtly the kings of the earth committed fornication with the purple whore and receiued abominable doctrine from her But they did not loue nor honour the Roman empire nor receiued any idolatrous worship from Rome But from the pope they haue and with this purple whore they haue committed fornication Seuenthly the kings of the earth lamented not the destruction of the Romane empire but rather reioyced at it deuiding the same among themselues But diuers help the pope and are sorie to sée his goodly kingdome ruinated Eightly this whore is called the mother of fornication or idolatry which sheweth that this belongeth to popish idolatrie rather then vnto the emperours ciuill gouernement Ninthly after the empire began to decay religion began to flourish in Rome and therefore this description cannot belong to old Rome but to new Rome Which indéede is now become the habitation of diuels and vncleane spirits Tenthly this Rome which is héere described shal persecute the saints to the end of the world Eleuenthly the description of this woman and of Babylon doth best fit the state of Rome vnder the pope For he ruleth by fraud periurie cunning and his religion is full of mysteries he persecuteth the saints of God to him the kings of the earth giue their power being ready to execute his excommunications and commandements And after his destruction it is not likely that Rome shall be restored and reedified which cannot be sayd of the Roman empire Lastly a In Apocalyps Arethas and Ambrosius Ansbertus affirme that new Rome may be vnderstood by this Babylon and the bishop of b Auentin lib. 7. Salisburg c Cant. 106. epist 19. sine nomine Petrarch and d Michael Cesenas Pâ—trus Blesensis Ioan Huss diuers learned men doubt not in plaine tearmes so to call her 40 The church of Christ did neuer woâ—ship Peter or any of the apostles nor did c Cant. 106. epist 19. sine nomine Peter suffer himselfe to be worshipped of Cornelius d Michael Cesenas Petrus Blesensis Ioan Huss Nay the Church did not fall downe and worship angels The same did not kisse any bishops slipper nor beare him high vpon mens shoulders Nay Valentinian and Theodosius forbad any crosse to be g Apocal. 19. graueÌ„ or painted on the ground o Act. 10. But the Romish Church doth fall downe vpon the ground and worship the pope q Cod. Nemini licere signum c. The bishop of Modrusa in the councel of Lateran cried out to Leo the tenth Te beatissime Leo saluatorem expectauimus They say to the pope Haue mercie vpon vs. They kisse his féete and he hath a crosse vpon his slipper They beare him on mens shoulders and worship him as an earthly god 41 The true Church did alwayes reuerently thinke of the mysteries of Christian religion But the Romish Church albeit they beléeue that the consecrate Hoste is God and worship saints and crosses yet vse them oft times but homely For they beleeue that dogs and other brute beasts may eate their corpus Domini The pope when he goeth abroad doth send his corpus Domini before accompanied with the baggage and h Monluc de la religion à la roine mere basest seruants of his house The conspirators suborned by Sixtus quartus to kill Laurence and Iulian de Medicis were commanded to do it in the church and at the eleuation of the sacrament Dato signo cum eucharistia tolleretur saith i Lib. geograph 5. Volaterran k In vita Hiâ—debrand seu Gregorij 7. Gregorie the seuenth cast the corpus Domini into the fire Hildebrandus saith Beno the cardinal sacramentum corporis Domini responsa diuina contra imperatorem quaerens iniecit igni OfteÌ„times they cast their images into the water to stop the flâ—wings of water l Girol Catena in vita Pij 5. Pius quintus cast one Agnus Dei into the water of Tiber and another into the fire Cresciuto il Teuere Pio vi gittò vn ' Agnus Dei il fuoco appreso in vna casa piena di fieno vi si gittò vn ' altero And this is the honour that they beare to their religion 42 The true church did alwayes reuereÌ„ce magistrats The a Rom. 13. Apostle Paul commandeth euery soule to be subiect to higher powers S. b 1. Pet. 2. Peter exhorteth Christians to submit themselues to kings and gouernours The ancient c 1. Tim. 2. Church did pray to God for kings and for all in authoritie and punished such as should vse reprochfull words to emperours or magistrates In the d C. 83. Canons of the apostles it is thus decréed Quisquis imperatorem aut magistratum contumelia affecerit supplicium luito Neither if we search all antiquitie shall we find where the Church of Christ did discharge subiectes from their othes to princes or taught rebellion or murther of princes or signified that it was lawfull either to murther princes excommunicate or to rebell against them But the church of Rome hath taken vpon her to dispence with oathes of alleageance to discharge subiects from their due obedieÌ„ce The same also hath published most slaunderous and railing bulles or rather libels against princes as appeareth by the bull of Paul the third against Henrie the 8. and Pius the fift and Sixtus quintus against Quéene Elizabeth Sixtus quintus against the French king now reigning then king of Nauarre and against Henry the third and of Gregorie the seuenth and of Alexander the third and Gregorie the ninth against ancient emperours They haue also commanded subiects to rebel against their princes and taught that it is meritorious to murther them or depose theÌ„ matters quite contrarie to Christian religion the custome of Christs Church 43 The markes of the Church brought by e Lib. de notis ecclesiae Bellarmine doe also plainly shew that the Romanists are not the true Church For neither are they catholikes nor are they so called of others then themselues vnlesse it be of such as scorne their presumption that take on them that name Nor is their doctrine ancient as we haue by many particulars proued Nor hath it alwayes continued in one and the same state For they haue in their late conuenticles of Constance Florence and Trent altered the whole frame and forme of their faith And f Epist 2. ad Bohem. Nicholas of Cusa saith that scriptures are to bee fitted to the time and to be diuersly vnderstood and that God doth alter his iudgement according to the iudgement of the church Fourthly their doctrine was neuer vniuersally receiued as shall appeare when our aduersary shall dare to answer vs in these encounters Fiftly they haue no succession of bishops certaine For neither are the Popes bishops nor do they succéede the apostles nor haue they any certainty in their succession Sixtly the doctrine of that church hath béene prooued to be dissonant
contrary in diuers maine points to the doctrine of the apostles Seuenthly they do neither retaine vnion with Christ Iesus nor with the ancient Church nor among themselues Eightly their decretaline doctrine is neither sound nor holy nor hath any efficacie in it nor hath other fountain then the popes fancie Ninthly their legendary miracles and prophecies whereupon a great part of the credit of the Romish faith dependeth are nothing but lies and forgerie and those ofttimes very ridiculous Tenthly their strange nouelties and heresies haue béene by many both olde late writers reproued and condemned Lastly as the authours of it haue liued vnhappily and died miserably for the most part so those that haue gone about to restore true religion and to roote out Romish idolatrie and heresie haue for this onely cause felt Gods great fauour towardes them both in their liues and ends 44 The Church of Rome is also conuicted not to be the true Church by the confession of a Relect. doct princip cont 1. q. 5. Stapleton For if the true Church began at Hierusalem and is vniuersally dispersed and hath continued in all ages and hath a true succession of bishops from the apostles and disagreeth not about matters of faith nor dissenteth from the head of the church and which hath planted christian religion preserued the same throughout the world and hath kept the apostolike forme of gouernment and preuailed against all heresies and temptations keeping the rule of faith sound and intire and which also sheweth the true way of saluation and keepeth the scriptures sound and pure frō corruption and finally which holdeth the decrees of all generall councels as blundering Stapleton not only confesseth but after his most odious and tedious fashion with multitude of words goeth about to proue then is not the church of Rome that now is the true church of christ Iesus For to say that the church of Rome began at Hierusalem is as absurd as to say that Rome is Hierusalem or to affirm that Rome now is like to old Rome Our aduersarie should do vs great fauour to shew that the glorie and fulnesse of power that the pope challengeth together with his cardinals dumbe bishops masse-priests idle monks lying fryars and all the popes decretals and ceremonies are come from Hierusalem He may doe also well to proue that the latter scholasticall and decretaline doctrine was vniuersally receiued throughout the world either in the apostles times or in the times of the ancient Fathers of the Church The rocke of succession vpon which they build so huge conclusions we haue shewed to be nothing but a banke of sand We haue shewed also that their doctrine is not only diuers but contrarie to the doctrine of Christ the head of the Church and of his apostles And how great contentions haue béene in the Romish church not onely the schismes and warres betwixt popes and princes but also the differences about all points of religion which is apparant both in the disputes of schoolmen and also in the writings of Bellarmine and his consorts do declare That the Romanists haue corrupted the faith not onely with nouelties but also with diuers heresies and haue changed both the ancient forme of apostolike gouernement and also the principles and grounds of faith established both by Fathers and councels and by the apostles themselues and haue yéelded to heresies and béene ouercome of the gates of hell I thinke no man can doubt that readeth this discourse and compareth the late procéedings of the Romish church to the rule deliuered vnto vs by Christ Iesus 45 Finally the testimony of a In his motiues Bristow doth vtterly ouerthrow the Church of Rome and declareth it not to be the true church For he commendeth that for the true church that is catholike and apostolike and which abhorreth all nouelties and heresies and idolatrie and whose doctrine is confirmed by scriptures most certaine traditions councels fathers and practise of the ancient church and which teacheth the narrow way and maketh subiects obedient and hath infallible iudges and is sure to continue But the Romish church is neither catholike nor apostolike neither doth it abhorre either heresie or idolatrie nor shun profane nouelties The doctrine of that church hath neither ground of scripture ancient councels nor fathers neither can the Romish doctors bring any certaine proofe of their traditions It teacheth a broad way and maketh rebellious subiects In iudgemēt it hath no other certaintie then the popes determination Finally already that tower of Babel which is built so high doth begin to totter and as we trust cānot long stand Further he saith that euerie church that is risen after the first planting of religion and gone out of the catholike church and from the apostolike doctrine and is not the communion of saintes nor euer visible and lastly that is not the teacher of all diuine truth and the vndoubted mother of Christs children is not the true church of Christ But the Church of Rome as it is now visible in the pope and cardinals and officers of the popes chamber in popish prelates sacrificing priests monkes friers and nunnes and their officers and adherents rose out of the earth long after the apostles times and went out of the catholike apostolike church and hath for the popes quarrell opposed it selfe against Christ and his true doctrine The same is also departed from the ancient faith and is no more to bée tearmed Christs Church which is a communion of saints linked together in the profession of Christs true faith but rather the combination of antichrist and the synagogue of Satan Such a church as is now to be séene at Rome and in the prouinces adhering to it was not visible many ages after Christ neither was any such church for a long time extant in the world neither when the same began to shew her selfe in great ruffe did she either teach all truth or refuse all heresie false doctrine or beare or bring forth children to Christ but to antichrist And therfore we may safely conclude that the Romish church of these times is the synagogue of Satan and not the true church of Christ Iesus The nature and propertie of the true and vnspotted spouse of Christ the inseparable qualities of true faith and such as truly professe the same and finally the confession and doctrine of the aduersaries themselues when they speake of the true church and true faith and true professours and matters incident vnto them in generall do declare it to be so CHAP. V. That no papists haue beene executed in England since her Maiesties comming to the crowne for meere matter of religion but for their treasons or other capitall offences HItherto wée haue spoken in the defence of our religion and Christian profession It resteth therefore nowe séeing our aduersary doth not onely calumniate our religion but our lawes also and gouernment that wée speake somwhat in defence of iustice especially so farre foorth as it
concerneth the popish faction that pretendeth thereby to be greatly wronged Our a In his first encounter aduersarie saith That manie honorable and worshipfull gentlemen haue endured continuall and intolerable affliction for perseuering in their fathers faith and that aboue a 100. priests haue bin tortured hanged and quartered for the same cause These men he cléereth b In the conclusion of his encounters from treason celebrateth their martyrdome Likewise Cardinall c Ad persequutores Anglos Allen in his treatise against the execution done vpon popish priests and their consorts doth greatly complaine of Persecution iniustice tyrannie and extreme crueltie and beareth the worlde in hande That they were very innocents and without iust cause died for matters of their conscience onely and not as the sentence of their condemnation ran for their treasons and wicked practises against the state and finally That they are to be esteemed as holy martyrs and not as leude traytors And because few of late time haue opposed themselues against these fellowes exclamations and accusations not onely diuers abroad haue had a heard conceite of our dooings but also some euen among vs haue doubted of the matter and of late time either staied or moderated the execution of lawes against them I haue therefore thought it a very necessary point to resolue you that the popes agents and adherents that haue within this realme béene executed about his quarrels haue died for treason and not religion and are to bée estéemed as traytors and not as martyrs and that the rest of their consorts are to praise God for her Maiesties great clemencie and moderation that suffereth them to enioy their ease and pleasures whom neither religion nor lawes nor rules of state nor reason will suffer to liue among vs beléeuing speaking and practising as they do First the law of God is very direct against false prophets and teachers that shall go about to drawe vs to serue other gods Propheta ille saith a Deut. 13. Moyses aut fictor somniorum interficietur Afterward hée saith That if our brother or sonne or friend yea or wife that lieth in our bosome shall go about to induce vs to idolatrie our eie must not spare them nor haue mercie on them to hide them Neque parcat ei oculus tuus vt miserearis occultes eum sed statim interficies Neither is it to bée doubted but that popish priestes are within the compasse of false prophets and teachers that woulde drawe vs to worship the idole of the masse angels and saints departed the images of the Trinitie and crosse and stocks and stones and ashes and bones we know not of whom nay to worship our owne fancies and opinions which is a grosse point of idolatrie The b Apocal. 2. Bishop of Pergamus is sharpely reprooued for that he suffered certaine false teachers that spred and held the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans The prophet Helias caused Baals priests to be slaine The c Tit. 2. apostle commaundeth vs To reiect and auoide heretikes And saint Iohn d Iohn 2. forbiddeth vs either to receiue them into our houses or to salute them You that are the children of light saith e Epist ad Philadelph Ignatius fly the diuision of vnity and the euill doctrine of heretikes f Homil. 2. in genes Chrysostome exhorteth Christians To flie from an heretike as from a madde man The emperors Gratian Valentinian and Theodosius g Cod. de haeret Manich. l. omnes haereses decréed That all heresies forbidden either by Gods lawes or imperiall constitutions should for euer be silenced Omnes vetitae legibus diuinis imperialibus constitutionibus haereses say they perpetuò quiescant They forbid also hereticall prelates to teach or to ordeine inferior ministers The emperors h Ibidem l. cuncti haeretici Arcadius and Honorius tooke from heretikes all places of méeting and forbad the exercise of their religion vnder a gréeuous penalty They also confiscated all their goods and depriued them of ability to buy or sell or to make a testament or last will Finally g Ariani Theodosius and Valentinian adiudged certeine heretikes woorthy of death To conclude this point saint Augustine albeit sometime he taught that heretikes were not to be forced with penalties and punishments to embrace religion yet retracted his opinion and highly commended these imperiall lawes against heretikes In hoc saith h Epist 48. he seruiunt reges Christo ferendo leges pro Christo And againe Quis meÌ„tis sobrius regibus dicat nolite curare in regno vestro à quo defendatur aut oppugnetur ecclesia domini vestri Non ad vos pertineat in regno vestro quis velit esse religiosus quis sacrilegus Neither néede we vse many wordes in this case séeing our aduersaries not onely yéelde but also contend that all extremity is to be vsed against false prophets and false heretikes and their practise is not onely to confiscate their goods and to banish such but also to kill them and torture them with all rigour But no man can doubt whether papists be heretikes and their teachers false prophets and seducers but such as either are not resolued in religion or are vtter enimies of true religion First then we are to vnderstand that religion cannot bée maintained vnlesse heresies be suppressed Secondly religion doth require at the handes of magistrates that they defende themselues their state and people against all rebâ—ls and traytors and practisers against the state For the magistrate i Rom. 13. Carieth not the sword in vaine is gods minister for our good a reuenger of wickednes The principall end scope of princes is to protect their subiects against all violence and seditious practises k 1. Tim. 2. Obsecro saith the apostle primum omnium fieri obsecrationes orationes postulationes gratiarum actiones pro omnibus hominibus pro regibus omnibus qui in sublimitate sunt vt quietam tranquillam vitam agamus in omni pietate castitate l Isai 49. Kinges they are foster fathers and Quéenes foster mothers of the church and therefore may not such suffer the church either by force or practise of Iebusites and Cananites to bee oppressed How do Kinges better serue the Lord saith Saint m Epist 50. Augustine then by forbidding thinges contrary to Gods commandements and punishing seuerely such as offend Quomodo reges domino seruimus in timore nisi ea quae contra iussa Domini fiunt religiosa seueritate prohibendo atque plectendo And the n Rom. 13. apostle signifieth That we pay tribute for that they are gods ministers and do him in this point seruice And subiectes as the p Tit. 3. apostle teacheth are to Yeeld obedience to princes viz. that all may concurre to this end that the state may bée preserued in tranquillitie If then our Iebusites and priestes and their consorts the recusants and Cananites
now there is but one faith as there is but one baptisme and one God as the c Ephes 4. apostle teacheth vs. And this is the faith which the apostles and prophets haue taught and which wée in the church of England do professe Remember I say that true faith is Christes faith and apostolike faith It is not the popes faith nor his determinations nor vncertaine traditions It hath no other foundation but the doctrine of Christ and his apostles and holy prophets Beware therefore of the pretended cacolike Romish faith that hath no grounde but in the popes determinations nor support but lies fraude and violence If the doctrine and traditions of popish priests come not from Christ Iesus which is the foundation of our religion but is drawne out of vncertaine legendes and resteth on the popes determination remember what the apostle teacheth in this point If any man saith a Galat. 1. hée preach vnto you otherwise then that you haue receiued let him bee accursed Beléeue not euery spirite For many deceiuers are gone out into the worlde If any bring any doctrine not deduced out of holy Scripture suspect him and examine him and thou shalt finde him faultie And aboue all thinges beware of new doctrines For wée haue but one faith which hath his originall from Christ the fountaine of truth life Profanas vocum nouitates saith the b 1. Tim. 6. apostle deuita And if wée may not vse new termes or words in matters of faith then may we not receiue any newe articles of religion It is the part of true catholikes to adhere to holy fathers and to auoide nouelties as saith c Aduers haeres c. 36. Vincentius Lirinensis Nowe what fathers more holy then the prophets and apostles that are the fathers of fathers and the foundation of the church If the doctrine of poperie be for the most part a packe of old and newe heresies as hath bin shewed thée why shouldst thou bée abused by false teachers Why shouldst thou bée desirous as distempered stomackes are to feed vpon vnholesome doctrine Graues sunt haereticorum morsus saith Saint d In Euangel Luc. lib. 7. c. 10. Ambrose qui ipsis grauiores rapaciores bestijs nullum abaritiae finem impietatÃsque nouerunt They looke faire vpon thée but bite déepely They promise true religion and catholike faith but teach heresies and damnable opinions They come vnto thée with shéepes clothing and pretend sauing of soules but inwardly they are rauening woolues and séeke to destroie both thy body soule They giue thée honie but it is deliuered thée vpon a swordes point that when thou thinkest to licke honie thy hart may bée pearced with a sharpe pointed sword If the synagogue of Romanistes bée not the true church why takest thou delight to heare her teachers or to embrace her erronious doctrine Why doest thou not come out of Babylon Wilt thou remaine in her confusion and be partaker of her plagues Why shouldest thou go vp to Bethauen or delight in the congregation of wicked idolaters e Hoseae 4. Go not vp I say to Bethauen f 1. Cor. 10. flie Idolatrie g Apocal. 18. Come out of Babylon It is not I onely but Christ Iesus that calleth thée out of this confusion If thou wilt not heare him nor know him bée assured hée will not knowe thée nor heare thée It is not the pope that can saue thée nor his decretals that can warrant thee Leaue therefore the synagogue of satan and resort to Gods true church Forsake antichrist and adhere to Christ Quisquis saith Saint h Epist 152. Augustine ab ecclesia catholica abfuerit quantumuis laudabiliter se viuere existimet hoc solo scelere quòd à Christi vnitate disiunctus est non habebit vitam sed ira Dei manet super eum As without Noes arke in time past all flesh was drowned so there is no safetie out of Christes church And bée not lightly deceiued with the name of the church For antichrist as the i 2. Thes 2. apostle telleth vs shall sit in Christes church And with his followers as Saint Augustine teacheth vs shall bée accounted to bée the true church viz. by such as are abused The synagogue of satan in time past did take on them the name of Iewes and falshood is often set out with a faire lustre and shew of truth All Christians haue an interest in true religion Why then shoulde any suffer the damnable doctrine of poperie that is so full of heresies and erronious opinions Why shoulde any suffer the Scriptures to bée taken from the people of God so that they shall no more bée suffered to read them and in lieu thereof receiue the popes determinations and the synagogues of Romes traditions Can any true Christian indure the abominable idole of the masse where the bread and cup is adored for God or the idolatrous worship of Romish Babylon Those that honour God those hée will honour and such as are luke-warme and care not what religion they haue those God will cast out of his mouth as a lothsome race of atheistes and wicked men If religion mooue not euerie man yet if hée remember the slauerie of popish gouernment and how preiudiciall it is to princes to the nobilitie to the commons and all sortes of people hée will not much bée enamored of it The magistrate may not suffer either his authoritie to bée disputed of or doubted of or denied And yet the Iesuites and priestes and their adherents are suffred to teach and to do all this as appéereth by their answeres to the sixe Interrogatories by their cases of conscience and by their doctrine and actions Nay most boldly albeit secretly they practise against the life and state of her Maiestie as many particulars do shewe Happie are they that they haue encountred with such a prince and yet let them beware they abuse not her clemencie too farre For no state can stande where such contumacious and rebellious mates liue in open contempt of authoritie and lawes It behooueth also all them that carrie the sworde to looke that not onely Christ his shéepe bée defended from woolues but also that the state bée defended and maintained against professed traytors and rebels that lurke in all corners They haue not a sworde committed to them for naught But to the ende they may defende the quiet and peaceable subiect and roote out the wicked rebellious traytor Treason and notorious coÌ„tumacie against lawes cannot long be endured in any common-wealth Neither can magistrates in this case bée too watchfull God hath detected many secret conspiracies and attempts against her Maiestie and the state yet let vs not presume too farre vpon his goodnesse The way to settle peace to confirme the state to preuent all such trecherous attempts is to stop the head of rebellion and treason and to roote out all seditious priestes and Iebusites from whence all our troubles for this 43. yéeres
into question whether Christs body be really contained vnder the formes and disputeth that he is not But Perons foundation was too weake to beare so great a charge For albeit Scotus had not so done or spoken yet could not the Lord of Plessis be charged with falsification séeing he doth not quote his words but set downe his owne collection The most that could be said was that he had mistaken the meaning of Scotus And yet if he had charged him only with mistaking himselfe had beene mistaken and greatly had he wronged his aduersary For it cannot be denied but that Scotus doth indéed call into question whether Christs body be really by transubstantiation contained vnder the formes of bread and wine and disputeth that it is not which is all that the Lord of Plessis doth say of Scotus for which he is challenged by his wrangling aduersarie Neither is it materiall that this is the vse of schooles first to obiect against the truth and afterward to resolue what is true and to answere the obiections For that doth not disproue M. Plessis his assertion séeing Scotus doth not only in his obiections but also in his resolution of that question say as much as M. Plessis collected out of him Nay he séemeth rather to dislike transubstantiation then otherwise Magis saith a In 4. sentent dist 10. q. 1. he repraesentat panis cum suis accidentibus corpus Christi in ratione nutrimenti spiritualis And againe he b In 4. sentent dist 11. q. 3. saith If another interpretation were admitted for Christs presence in the sacrament that fewer miracles should néede Pauciora ponuntur miracula Plainely disliking that interpretation that without diuers miracles cannot be maintained He doth also argue strongly against transubstantiation out of scriptures and answereth his owne arguments verie weakely and coldly and in the end affirmeth that the determination of the Church of Rome did principally moue him to beléeue the doctrine of transubstantiation Of which it followeth very necessarily albeit he was content to subscribe to the Popes determination and durst not do otherwise yet that he himselfe thought otherwise for the reasons by him alleaged and so not we onely but Dominicke a Soto taketh it against whom Iosephus Angles a Scotist laboureth much to defend Scotus as not dissenting from the church of Rome and yet satisfieth no man soundly The second place was taken out of Durand who saith that it is rashnesse to affirme that the bodie of Christ may not by the power of God be in the sacrament by other maner then by the conuerâ—â—on of bread into his body Neither can it be denied but that Durand hath these words as they were alleaged by M. de Plessis Why then is he charged with falsification Forsooth because they say he tooke the opposition for the resolution But he that looketh on Durands book shall find these words not in the oppositions only but also in his resolution and that he doth much insist vpon this point and saith that it is durum and temerarium that is a point of impudencie and temeritie to hold the contrarie seeing it bringeth with it so many inconueniences It may also plainly be gathered of his words that the determination only of the councel of Lateran and the Romish church moued him to hold transubstantiation which not we onely but also c De sacram eucharist lib. 3. c. 11. Bellarmine doth note in him taring him for hard beléefe of transubstantiation and saying that the materiall part of the bread is not by consecration conuerted into the body of Christ The third place obiected against M. Plessis was drawne out of Chrysostome homil 1. in 1. Thess 1. but neither can his aduersarie proue this place to be falsified by him nor impertinently alleaged Not the first for that hee doth not alleage Chrysostoms words but maketh a collection vpon them Not the second for that as M. Plessis affirmeth it may euidently be gathered out of his wordes that wee must not relie vpon the prayers of the Saints but worke our saluation with feare and trembling Neither is it materiall that these words If we be negligent are omitted for they are not to purpose séeing Chrysostome would not haue vs rely vpon the intercession of saints albeit we be diligent to do our endeuour our selues Againe séeing he concludeth of the words and doth not rehearse them precisely he had no reason to write all downe that came in his way It is also obiected that Chrysostome alloweth intercession of saints But be it he did so yet doth not this conuince that he is falsly alleaged by M. Plessis seeing that which he gathered may be true albeit this were granted How much then is it more vnlikely that he shal be conuicted seeing Chrysostome in that place hath nothing which doth not appertaine rather to the prayers of holy men liuing then of holy men departed The fourth place was taken out of a certaine Homily of Chrysostome vpon Matthew where as the L. of Plessis alleageth he saith we haue much more assurance through our owne prayers then through the prayers of others and that God saueth vs not so soone at others requests as at our own And this the aduersarie himselfe could not denie to be truly alleaged How then came it to passe that dealing thus iustly and truly he should notwithstanding be charged with falsification Forsooth saith his aduersarie because he left out the words following viz. Et haec non dicimus vt supplicandum sanctis negemus and for that he applied Chrysostoms wordes against prayers to saints departed As if it were so haynous a matter not to set downe words altogether impertinent or as if it did not follow that we are not to rely vpon saints prayers and that therefore we are not so continually to pray to saints and so to trust to their intercession as the church of Rome doth that maketh prayers to saints a great péece of their Church-seruice But were it that the argument were not good yet the aduersarie will not graunt that Bellarmine and his consorts do commit falsifications as oft as they bring weake or euil-shapen arguments It was also further answered that Chrysostome had nothing that might force vs to beléeue that hée taught or beléeued prayers to Saints departed which may serue fully to answere all the aduersaries vaine cauillations The fift obiection was for that citing these words out of Hieroms commentaries vpon Ezechiel lib. 4. in cap. 14. Bonum est confidere in Domino c. he left out these wordes si negligentes fuerint But d Falsum non committitur sine dolo no falsification can be committed without fraud Now what fraud could be imagined in omitting wordes that make nothing for his aduersarie or against himselfe Beside that the ordinarie glosse doth rehearse these words no otherwise then the Lord of Plessis quoteth them whom I thinke the Malheureux Bishop of Eureux will not charge with falsification It was also