man examine himselfe and so let him eat of this Bread and drinke of this Cup. Hugo might have seen it and not have made all eases alike notwithstanding which peremptory assertion of his the Church of Rome left the matter still at liberty yea though Peter Lombard were mightily for it For Gratian who lived and flourished at the same time with Lombard determineth nothing definitively but shewing sentences for either side both that we must confesse our sins to the Priest and not confesse them doth leave it indifferently unto the Readers judgement After whom followed Lotharius Levita a Doctor of Paris the scholler and earnest follower of Peter Lombard who being once made Bishop of Rome and named Innocent the third made a law for it in the Councell of Literan which Gregory the ninth reciteth in his Decretall of Penance and Remission the fift booke and twelfth Chapter to this effect Let every person of either sexe after they are come to the yeares of discretion faithfully confesse alone at least * Semel in animo in the Latine for semel in anno once in a yeare their sinnes unto their owne proper Priest and doe their indeavour with their owne strength to doe the penance that is injoyned them receiving reverently at Easter at the least the Sacrament of the Eucharist unlesse peradventure by the councell of their owne Priest for some reasonable cause they thinke it good for a time to absteine from receiving it Otherwise in this life let them be prohibited to enter into the Church and when they are dead to be buried in Christian buriall This is that new Law which in their little pretty Councell of Trent was further enlarged and more errours added to their abused practice of Absolution But let not the Antichristian abuse of this divine Ordinance abolish the lawfull use thereof betwixt good Christians and their Pastours when need and occasion is to have it used And so I leave this point and come next to give answer unto something else DIALOGUE Gent. Why will they not suffer the Genealogy of Christ to be read to the people Min. They have no warrant for it from God but from the Pope who saith that ignorance is the Mother of devotion therefore the Genealogy of Christ is forbidden to be read of purpose to keepe the people in blindnesse not able to see the truth of God in fulfilling his promise to Abraham and to David that Christ should come of them and of their seed nor to see that Christ came not only of Abraham and of David who were Jewes but also of Rahab and of Ruth who were Gentiles and that therefore Christ is not a Saviour of the Jewes only but also of us Gentiles ANSWER Your judgement is too rash to be credited too rash good man I dare assure you If you had said that the Genealogies were lesse edifying then other scripture and therefore omitted your reason had been of more authority and better agreeing to what is mentioned in the order before the Kalender For tell me I beseech you whether those Instructions and Lessons which you gather from hence are manifest upon the bare reading and if not as for certaine they be not then why should you dare to accuse the Church of such a wicked purpose as to intend the keeping of the people in blindnesse DIALOGUE Gent. Why is the Booke of Canticles forbid to be read Min. It is also forbid of purpose to keep the people in blindenesse not able to see the ardent love and affection of Christ towards them least thereby they should be stirred up to love Christ and to be zealous of his glory and to abhorre the Pope and his Antichristian Religion ANSWER An heape of slanders still Here you take the like liberty to judge that you did before a thing nothing strange to men of your Sect I should else have wondred that you could not have thought the reading of this book to be omited for some other reason which if need were t is like enough I could lay before you But I passe it over and shall only tell you that Preaching may explaine what reading cannot And therefore till you hear Ministers forbidden to open in their Sermons either this book or the other Scriptures that you mention you may right worthy Sir sit worshipfully down and hold your peace DIALOGUE Gent. Why are the bookes of Kings and of Chronicles forbid Min. Because they doe shew that godly Kings did ever love Gods true Prophets and did hearken unto them and were zealous in maintaing the true Religion and in suppressing Idolatry ANSWER You should speak the truth and shame the Devill At the entrance of these accusations although I passed it by because I might here declare it you said that both the Bookes of the Kings except the eight first Chapters of the first Book were forbidden but look again and you will finde it otherwise If your eyes be dim you may use your Spectacles for the truth is that both the books are appointed to be read throughout excepting those eight Chapters which you mention and not vice versa for that 's false And because the Books of the Chronicles do relate the same stories which are written in the Books of the Kings it is sufficient to appoint the reading of the one although the other be omitted DIALOGUE Gent. Why is the Book of the Revelation forbid ANSWER You grant this booke also to be forbidden and yet you know that we have Lessons taken out of the Revelations and read upon Saint Johns day as also upon the day of all-All-Saints besides Epistles taken from thence and appointed to be read on Trinity Sunday Michaelmasse day and Innocents day Know all men therefore by these presents that you plainly shew your selfe no better then a false accuser In the next place you fall foule upon Bishops and besprinkle them with the durt which your Spleen hath raised only you doe a little qualifie your distast towards them that suffered Martyrdome in the dayes of Queen Mary but like not their love to the Book of Common Prayer thinking your selfe to be more illuminated then were they notwithstanding they laid down their lives in defence of the truth in denying the Popes usurped supremacy and for not granting the Bread and Wine in the Lord Supper to be the Body and Blood of Christ All the rest since have been odious unto you their remembrance loathsome and judged to be men destitute of the true feare of God Their Prelacy dislikes you and your language against them is just as was the language of Corath Dathan and Abiram in the dayes of old against Moses and Aaron Num. 16.3 Diotrephes was one also who would not receive the Apostles but prated against them with malicious words as Saint John hath told us Epist 3. v. 9 10. and because this pert man that thus prated against them could not be above them he slights them and labours for preeminence But what say the
successe to the Preaching of the Gospell as thanks be to his holy Majesty it hath had in many kingdomes since Martin Luthers time and shall have every day more and more ANSWER This which you now mention is well spoken and not amisse For true it is that at the fixt verse the second part of the Chapter beginneth wherein the downfall of Antichrist is proclamed by three preaching Angels the first whereof is said to fly through the midst of Heaven having an everlasting Gospell to Preach By which and those other Angels following we are not to understand any coelestiall Angel in respect of the accomplishment of this Prophesie but rather some speciall Ministers of God whom the Lord stirred up as his instruments to work a reformation in the Church And yet I deny not but that Saint John saw the representation of this in that heavenly theater wherein his visions were represented to him in the seeming shape and person of a celestiall Angel which was but to shew that at the time appointed God intended the accomplishment of this and the like appearances by such instruments as were pre-ordained for the same purpose DIALOGUE Gent. I am glad to heare this I pray you goe on to shew where the meaning of Christ is perverted Min. On Michaelmasse day the twelfth chapter from the seventh verse to the thirteenth is appointed to be read for an Epistle it being no Epistle but a prophesie c. ANSWER The Corinthians you know are termed Pauls Epistle written in his heart an Epistle for that they were in stead of an Epistle as Theophylact observeth So this Scripture howsoever not an Epistle properly may stand in stead of an Epistle For the denomination given to this and other portions of Scripture taken out of the Prophets Acts and Revelation is retained in respect of the greater part which is taken out of the Epistles and not because they be in themselves Epistles properly which why it should be quarrelled with is more then needeth But you go on and tell us That it is a Prophesie of a battell fought in Heaven between Michael and his Angels and the Dragon and his Angels and of the victory that Michael and his Angels had over the Dragon and his Angels and of the casting of the Dragon and his Angels out of Heaven all which is true and not at all to be denyed DIALOGUE Gent. What is meant by Heaven Min. By Heaven is meant not the highest heaven but the Church of Christ militant here on earth ANSWER Concerning this warre in Heaven you speak well enough For in respect of the vision seen it was shewed in that heaven or heavenly theater where Saint John saw the representation of these things as I think need not be denyed and not in heaven it self For in heaven properly taken there is no fighting the warfare of those who inhabite there is quite ended they are all triumphant they rest in joyfull peace But in respect of the accomplishment there is cause enough to grant that we are pointed either to the Church of God which is a kinde of heaven upon earth or else to that heaven whither the womans Childe was taken up after his mother had brought him forth for the Dragon in the Imperiall Dragons or heathen persecuting Emperours raigned over the Church till then I mean till Constantine subdued them who hanged up on high over the gates of his Palace a Table wherein was painted a Dragon which lay thrust through with a dart under his own and his subjects feet DIALOGUE Min. By Michael and his Angels are meant Christ and his true followers especially the faithfull Preachers of the Gospel ANSWER This is also reasonably well expounded but not full enough For the accomplishment it selfe sheweth that Constantine is chiefly to be comprehended amongst those of Michaels Angels who fought with the Dragon and his Angels as if I were to write purposely of these things I could shew at large DIALOGUE Gent. What is meant by the Dragon and his Angels Min. By the Dragon and his Angels are meant the Devill and the heathen persecuting Emperours and the Popes ANSWER Not the Popes for this was a vision of what was done before their times The vision which belongs to them is in the next chapter and in the account of times came not in thus soone In the rest you speak right enough For though that old Serpent which is called the Devill and Sathan be the Dragon primarily yet neverthelesse the instruments of his fury are secondarily termed Dragons too as well as he for which we may see the Scriptures in Jer. 51.34 Ezek. 29.3 Psal 74.13,14 Esa 27.1 and chap. 51.9 And so also for his Angels not onely the infernall Hags of Hell are meant but even the wicked men who were of his side and helped to fight against the truth for which we may likewise see the Scriptures in Pro. 17.11 Revel 2.10 and chap. 9.14 DIALOGUE Gent. What is meant by the Battell Min. By the battell is meant persecutions raised by the heathen persecuting Emperours and the Popes and the popish Princes against the Christian Religion and the professors thereof ANSWER You extend again the Vision too farre in bringing it down so low as the Popes and popish Princes For it is a Prophesie of a warre begun and finished before the Dragon went forth to make warre with the remnant of the womans seed which warre was indeed in the dayes of Antichrist and is found to have relation first of all to those cruell warres of the Beast against the Albigenses and Waldenses together with all such as were if any were called by other name professing the true worship of Christ and hath hitherto continued still against the Saints both in Martyrdomes Inquisitions Massacres and the like but the horns of the beast falling from him by degrees shall at the last give an end to this warre and being become partners with the Saints as many of them already are shall turne their forces against the Beast as in the 17. Chapter may be seene And for your better instruction you may see it in the end of the 12. Chapter how that S. John saith he saw the Dragon standing upon the Sea-shore or upon the sand of the Sea which was not onely a good while after the Battell that he had with Michael but was also for the raising up of the Beast to doe that which you here mention to be done by the Popes and Popish Princes DIALOGUE Gent. What is meant by the victory that Michael and his Angels bad over the Dragon and his Angels Min. By the victory is meant the victories that Christ gave to Constantine the Christian Emperour and that he hath doth and daily will give to Christian Princes fighting his battell against Antichrist and his partakers and to the faithfull Preachers against false Teachers ANSWER Here still you faile by carrying the accomplishment lower then the dayes of Constantine The successe of Christian Princes against Antichrist