for it Ambrose Catharine tractat de imaginibus saith God prohibited images simply but that this prohibition was positiue others deny both images to be forbidden and the second commandement to be positiue Occham Maior and Richardus are of opinion that a sacrament cannot be defined Scotus in 4. dist 1. q. 2. holdeth that it may be defined imperfectly Ledesma in tract de sacrament in genere q. 1. art 2. saith it may properlie bee defined Finally to shew the contradictions of Papists we need to seeke no further than to Bellarmine who in euery controuersie bringeth in different opinions of men of his side Gardiner a pillar of popery did oftentimes contradict himselfe and his fellowes sometimes hee swore against the Popes supremacy sometime like a forsworne creature hee stood for it somtime he consented to the dissolution of monasteries as sinkes of Sodomy and all tibaldrie and villany sometime be spoke for them his booke entituled Marcus Constantius is full of contradictions M. Foxe hath scored vp great multitudes The contradictions of Robert Parsons in his book of three Conuersions I haue noted in my answeare to that treatise The whole masse also of Poperie doth consist of contrary pieces as I haue shewed in the contradictions of the doctrine of the Masse of purgatory of indulgences of the Pope and diuers other principall points and haue proued the same in treatises of that argument For example they say the Masse is an vnbloudy sacrifice and yet teach that euerie Priest doth really offer and drinke Christs bloud Sometime they say the sacrifice is but one sacrifice yet in the canon they say sacrifices in the plurall number Sometime they say the Priest only offereth this sacrifice but in the canoÌ„ they make the people to offer sacrifices In the canon they pray that Angels may carry Christs body vnto Gods high altar but all confesse that Christs body is in heauen before There also they make the Priest a mediatour for Christ. but where they speake soberly they make Christ a mediator both for the Priest and others In heauen they say Christ is visible and palpable on the altar they make him inuisible and impalpable They say the Masse is an externall sacrifice yet no man euer yet could see Christs body externally sacrificed In purgatorie they say soules suffer extreme paines but in the Masse they saie they slâ—epe in peace They teach that Christians may performe the law of God perfectly but they will not grant that they may liue without sinne which is all one Talking of auricular confession they make it necessarie but in the chap. Petrus doluit and lachrymae dist 1. de poenit they denie it The Pope calleth himselfe seruant of seruants yet doth he take vpon him as lord of lords Order they say is one sacrament yet they teach also that there are seuen Orders and euerie one of them a sacrament which is as much as if they should make one seuen and seuen one The Pope they saie is head of the Church but that is as much as if they should teach that their Church in the vacatio nis headlesse If then the catholicke faith be one and those that professe the faith agree in one then cannot popery be the true Catholicke faith that containeth so many contradictions CHAP. XXVII That popery is a most foolish and absurd religion AS the lawes of God are full of wisedome and giue vs a true vnderstanding so when man of his owne braine vndertaketh to adde vnto his commandements the same in proofe falleth out to be nothing but vanity and foolery the same wee sind verified in the additions of the superfluous religion of Papists for although it haue a shew of wisedome as the voluntarie worship of Angels had of which the Apostle Coloss 2. speaketh yet compared with the wisedome of God reuealed in the Gospell it is meere foolery For first what is more foolish then to forsake the liuing springs of holy scripture out of which do sally waters of life and to follow after the puddle streams of Romish traditions of scriptures we are assured that they are the word of God but no man can affirme that of Romish traditions or the Popes decretales that either professeth piety or loueth truth is it not then strange that any Christians should bee so foolish as to match the word of man with Gods word and where we haue a certaine rule to seeke for a broken vncertaine and crooked rule Againe it is most absurd not to beleeue the scriptures without the Popes warrant but to say that Christians are not to beleeue in God nor in Christ Iesus nor to receiue the rest of the articles of our Creed vnlesse the church of Rome doe deliuer them vnto vs is not only a peece of great foolery but also a very high streine of madnesse and yet this is the doctrine of Popery for Stapleton saith that the church must needes consigne the scriptures vnto vs and the authoritie of the church both he and others giue to the Pope likewise in their catechisme the Papists signifie that faith is of things onely proposed to vs by the church so that if the church propose not the articles of faith we are not to beleeue them if these men teach truth further this sheweth the Romish church to consist of a packe of infidels for if the same beleeued not without the authority of the church then did she beleeue nothing of Christ seeing the Papists acknowledge no other Church but that of Rome and no church can teach it selfe Finally this is as much as if they should say that the law of the Prince is not to be receiued vnlesse it be proposed by the crier or other such like officer The Masse-priests of Trent sess 4. most absurdly prefer the old Latin vulgar translation of the Bible before the originall text which is as much as if they should preferre S. Hierome and other interpreters before the Prophets and Apostles and the streames before the fountaines Generally they forbid scriptures to bee read publickely in vulgar tongues but they permit most fabulous legends to bee read publickely The holy scriptures they will not permit to bee read in vulgar tongues of the multitude without licence but they are content that any of their followers should reade the Popes decretales or the miracles of their god of paste or the history of our Lady of Loreto and other such lying legends without licence To say that the Pope is the head of the vniuersall church is meere foolery for grant that and it will follow that the Church is sometime without head as in the time of vacation of the papacy and sometime a monster with two or three heads as when two or three Popes reigne at once and sometime a mad Church as hauing a mad and franticke head The church they say albeit catholicke yet is alwaies visible but this being granted it followeth that vniuersall things may be the obiect of sense and that the church of
massacres and cruell executions done by the Papistes of late yeeres vpon the Saints of God haue proceeded from no other fountaine then from the malice of the diuel for he was a murderer from the beginning and Apocalyps 12. we read that the great red dragon that is the diuel persecuted the woman which was a figure of the church of God and caused her to flie into the wildernesse from the same fountaine also doe issue all the forgeries lies and calumniations of Papists whereby they haue gone about to suppresse the truth for the diuell is the father of lies and from their father the diuel the lying friers and Masse-priests haue learned their lying deuises who then is of God must needs hate this religion that is partly inuented and partly mainteined by the diuell CHAP. XXXIII That Papists can haue no assurance of the truth of their religion OF the trueth of our Christian faith we are assured for the articles thereof were deliuered by Christ taught by the Apostles and Prophets conteined in Scriptures and confessed by the catholicke church of all times but it is not so with Popery for neither did Christ deliuer it nor the Apostles and Prophets teach it nor is the same conteined in Scriptures or confessed by the catholike church of all times but dependeth partly vpon traditions not written and partly vpon the Popes determinations and partly vpon the opinions of schoole-men and canonistes and the monkes and friers now what assurance I pray you can any Papist haue of these doctrines First no man yet could euer tell what these traditions are which the Priests of Trent would make equall to Scriptures Bellarmine lib. 4. de verb. dei talketh at randon but he dare not come to particulars nor directly expresse them Secondly they dare not define where these traditions are to be found if they say in the decretales then all future traditions are cut off and former traditions founded on the Popes opinions if they say in the legends their traditions will prooue lies and fooleries for such are the legends if they tell vs of the pure fountaines of traditions of Caesar Baronius as Pope Sixtus the fift doth they will be laughed at that were not auised of their groundes before the time of this babling and confused Cardinal Thirdly they cannot shew why some traditions should be obserued and others not but if traditions were to be receined with equall affection to holy Scriptures then might none be abolished As for the determinations of Popes they can alledge no reason why they should be true if they bring the wordes of Christ to Peter they concerne them nothing that are so vnlike to Peter if they bring Christs promises to his church they concerne them much lesse for they are rather enemies then members of the church but were they members yet what man is priuiledged so that he cannot erre but those which for writing of holy Scriptures were led into all truth by the holy Ghost which is the spirit of truth Finally there is such contention betwixt the schoolemen and canonists and such diuersity of opinions among the seuerall Doctors of both the sides that it is bard to say whether any of them teacheth truly and most certaine that many of them teach falsely nay scarce any point of doctrine is deliuered by schoolemen wherein they dissent not one from another Now if they say their faith is founded not only vpon the Popes determinations and Apostolike traditions but also vpon holy scriptures yet holding as they doe this shall not any whit releeue them For first they cannot assure themselues that the Latine vulgar translation of the Bible is more true then the originall text in Hebrew and Greeke for all the fathers with one consent preferre the original fountaines before all versions Secondly they must needes stand in doubt which is the old Latine vulgar translation for if they allow that which was set out by Clement the 8. then cannot they allow of that which was set out by Sixtus Quintus the one so much differing from the other nor if they approue this can they follow that Thirdly they doe not beleeue the scriptures because God speaketh in them nor the traditions because they are Gods worde as they hold but because the church doth tell vs which are canonicall scriptures and consigneth them vnto vs and doth further deliuer vnto vs these traditions not written for this is Stapletons opinion in his bookes de doctrinalibus princip and authorit ecclesiast defens and is confessed of most Papists but if the authoritie of scriptures and traditions in respect of vs doth so depend vpon the church that no man can be assured of either without the authority of the Church then doth the faith of Papists rest vpon the Pope who as they say is chiefe gouernor of the church the which will bring the Papists to great vncertainty for who is so mad as to beleeue that a blind Pope can well iudge of colours or so senselesse as not to beleeue Gods word without the Popes warrant Fourthly they receiue not the articles of the faith because they are contained in scriptures but because they are deliuered vnto vs by the Pope Thomas Aquinas 2.2.9.1 art 10. saith that the ordring of matters of faith and the publication of the articles of the Creed belongeth to the pope that Athanasius his Creed was receiued because it was allowed by the Pope and this by others is deliuered in more grosse termes Stapleton in his doctrinall principles saith that the last resolution of matters of faith is in the Popes desinitiue sentence and Bellarmine lib. 3. de verb. dei c. 4. goeth about to shew that the Pope is the supreme iudge to whom the interpretation of scriptures and last resolution of all controuersies of religion is to bee referred But the papists can neither assure thomselues that he that sitteth at Rome is true Pope and S. Peters true successor nor that his determinations are certeine or true That the Pope is S. Peters true successor it will be hard to proue considering that he preacheth not as S. Peter did nor S. Peter weare a triple crowne and command temporall Princes as he doth it is very hard also to know whether he bee true Pope or no after the common vnderstanding of Papists for vnlesse he bee baptized and truly ordred and chosen he is no true Pope but it is hard to know whether he were baptized which dependeth vpon the Priests intention which is vncerteine and hidden it is also more hard to vnderstand whether he were truly ordred or not for if he were not baptized then is he not capable of Priest-hood as Innocentius saith c. ventens de presbytero non baptizato and if he that ordred him had no intention to doe it then receiued he no orders lastly it is a matter most difficult to know whether the Pope was rightly chosen or else by Simony or violence or other meanes intruded so it is alwaies most
syncerely than they albeit we detest and renounce all Popery but all those errors and corruptions in doctrine both concerning faith and manners which the synagogue of Rome her louers by colour of the Popes authority and by his perswasion and enforcement from time to time baue receiued professed and taught either contrary to the doctrine institution of Christ and his Apostles or else aboue the same and aboue the faith of the ancient primitiue church Neither doe wee otherwise single Popery from Christian religion than the ancient Catholickes did distinguish Arianisme Macedonianisme Nestorianisme Eutychianisme Pelagianisme and other heresies from the true faith for although the Arians Macedonians Nestorians Eutychians Pelagians and other heretickes did hold in termes the articles of the faith yet for that the first denied the diuinity of the sonne of God the second the diuinity of the holie ghost the third the vnion of the two natures in the person of Christ the fourth the verity of Christes humane nature the fift the necessitie of Gods grace and added diuers nouelties to the ancient faith they were reputed heretickes and by their heresies ancient Christians vnderstood not any point of Christian faith but their singuler opinions which they maintained obstinately against the faith The Apostles in the Primitiue Church did teach that doctrine which they had receiued from Christ Iesus and deliuered the same to their successours and they to others the first Christians likewise receiued the same pure and without corruption but as the enuious man while the men of the house slept sowed tares among good corne as wee read Matth. 13. so false Apostles and heretickes from time to time haue gone about with their cockle and tares to corrupt the syncere doctrine of the faith abusing the negligence of true teachers to their owne aduantage but yet none more cunningly and fraudulently than the Popes of Rome and their complices for other heretickes were soone espied by their opposition to the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets Christs true Church timely bewraying themselues but these vnder the titles of Apostolicke men and Catholickes haue corrupted the Apostolicke and Catholicke faith and vnder the name and title of the Church haue vndermined the foundations and doctrine of the Church and vnder their sheepes clothing haue couered their rauening and wooluish natures and so haue they lurked many yeeres mingling their traditions and inuentions with the doctrines of faith and for truth deliuering erroneous and superstitious doctrines and vnder the name of Christ endeuouring to erect the kingdome of Antichrist At the first they clogged religion with diuers superfluous and superstitious ceremonies loaded Christians with the burthen of their decretales and censures but in the end they corrupted both the worship of God the doctrine of faith Boniface the 3. obtained of Phocas that the church of Rome should be reputed head of other churches and this was the beginning of the Popes supremacy In the wicked assembly vnder Irene that semipagan empresse at Nice the doctrine of the worship of images began first to be established this the Popes of Rome willingly embraced vsing this occasion to establish their own kingdome to free themselues from the gouernment of the Emperour then also the superstitious worship of Saints reliques began to be authorised and vnwritten traditions vnder the title of Apostolicke authority to be commended as appeareth in the third action of that synode The French king Charles the great and his father Pipin and other their successors endowed the church of Rome with great temporall possessions which made them strong and powerfull Nicolas the 2. in a certein synode at Rome first decreed that Christes body was present in the eucharist and handled with the priests hands and pressed with the teeth and this fell out about the yeare of our Lord 1059. Gregory the 7. first beganne to handle the temporall sword and manifestly to oppose himselfe against the Roman emperor before his time saith Otho Frisingensis we doe not read of any Emperor excommunicated by the Pope Nether did euer anie Bishop of Rome presume to depose the emperour before him some alledge Ambroses example but that sheweth that bishops neuer tooke vpon them to depose princes but only to refrain from communicating with them that which Gregory the seuenth beganne that in the end his successors obteined for by their practises they subdued the emperor and gaue way to the Turke The doctrine of transubstantiation was first established by Innocent the third in a synode at Lateran about the yeare of our Lord 1215. then also came in the necessity of auricular confession The communion vnder one kind was brought in first by the synode at Constance about the yeare of our Lord 1414. there also it was decreed that the accidents in the eucharist did subsist without a subiect In the conuenticle of Florence about the yeare of our Lord 1439. the doctrine of purgatorie and the Popes supremacy was decreed by the authority of the synode there also the doctrine of the 7. sacraments was first propounded to the Armenians as proceeding from the synode neither doe we read of the forme of extreme vnction and other Popish sacraments there set downe before this time The rest of the errors and superstitions of Popery were established and confirmed in the conuenticle of Trent about the yeare of our Lord 1564. for before that time the schoolemen disputed pro and contra but since that they haue made it vnlawfull to hold otherwise then that synode prescribeth in matters there newly determined Now they haue as it were giuen a perfect forme and full authoritie to that doctrine which before was not either perfectly knowen of all or in all pointes allowed of all so that whatsoeuer the Papistes vant of the antiquitie of their doctrine yet it is most euident that the full establishment of it as it is now deliuered cannot be proued or shewed before this conuenticle then their missals Breuiaries and offices receiued a great alteration or rather a new forme then they innouated diuers points of doctrine both concerning faith and manners To relate all the particular errors and abuses of the Romish Church were a matter infinite for there is no point almost wherein the Papists varie not from the auntient Church the article concerning the holy Trinitie excepted beside that they vary in their doctrine and practise dailie but the principall points of Popery wherein we charge them to haue digressed from the doctrine of the Apostles and primitiue Church of Christ are these First they haue taught nouelties and false doctrine concerning the verie grounds of faith the Apostle teacheth vs that the Church is built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the Cheefe corner stone but they beleeue the church to be built vpon the Pope Irenaeus lib. 3. c. 1. saith that the Apostles did first preach the Gospell and afterward deliuer the same in scriptures that they might be a
therefore thinke that either the Christians there made the images of God the father and the holy ghost or else worshipped and burnt incense to them and very absurd it were if any man should suppose that the Popish inuocation and worship of Saints and Angels is to be proued by their practise Philo in legat ad Caium saith the Iewes thought it impious either in picture or grauen worke to represent God that is inuisible inuisibilem Deum pingere aut singere nefas duxerunt maiores nostri saith he neither if we runne through the Bible shall wee find any precedent of the popish inuocation and worship of Saints vsed in the Romish church Finally if the Church of Hierusalem had knowen or suspected that S. Peter or his successors had been designed Christs vicars general and monarchs of the Church and appointed to giue lawes to the whole world then would they neuer haue suffered him to depart from Hierusalem The Pope and his complices therefore must seeke some other place than Hierusalem whence to deriue their doctrine lawes ceremonies and formes of gouernment or else they will neuer find out the true descent of their church In Babylon certes they shall rather find out these matters than in Hierusalem CHAP. XII That popish religion was neuer taught either by the old Prophets or by the Apostles of Christ Iesus FAithfull Christians as the Apostle teacheth vs Ephes 2. are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone and this the Papists must needs confesse although much to their griefe vnlesse they will denie the words of the Apostle but popery is built vpon the Pope and vpon his decretales and determinations and supported stoutly by his purple Cardinals and the merchants of Babylon the Masse-priests and neither vpon Christ nor the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets The Apostle 2. Tim. 3. sheweth that the scriptures are able to make vs wise to saluation and are giuen of God that the man of God may be absolute and made perfect vnto all good workes but Papists teach that they are an imperfect rule and without traditions vnsufficient for that is the doctrine of Bellarmine and all his consorts they doe also raile against holy scriptures and call them a dead and killing letter The holy Prophets brought no message to those nations to whom they were sent but they confirmed the same by the testimony of God that sent them saying thus saith the Lord. and the Lord hath spoken it but the conuenticle of Trent confirmed their doctrine by their owne pleasures for the most part and albeit sometime the same alleadgeth scriptures yet their best and common argument was placet nobis their schoole doctors also for matters controuersed doe more commonly alleadge the Popes decretales than holy scriptures Rom. 10. we read that faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God but Camsius in his catechisme de sid symb signifieth that we are not to beleeue Gods word reuealed vnlesse the same be also propounded by the church and by the church he vnderstandeth the Pope and his adherents Peter and Iohn Act. 4. shew that God is rather to be obeied than man but the Romish church doth excommunicate all that hearken not to the Pope whatsoeuer is contained in the scriptures to the contrary The conuenticle of Trent Sess 4. teacheth vs that we are to imbrace traditions not written with equall affection to traditions and holy scriptures but this doctrine was not knowen either to the Apostles or Prophets nay Moyses doth teach quite contrary ye shall put nothing to the word which I command you nor shall ye take ought therefrom saith he Deut. 4. and S. Paul Galat. 1. if any man preach vnto you otherwise than that ye haue receiued saith he let him be accursed this curse therefore doth fall on the Friers and Masse priests that preach the Popes doctrines which they shal neuer proue to haue beene receiued from the Apostles though they read vntill their eies drop out of their heads The religion of Papists doth for the most part consist in praiers to Saints Masses and offices in the honour of Angels the Virgin Mary martyrs confessors and the Popes canonized creatures in erecting of crosses and crucifixes and other images in burning incense before images nay they giue diuine honour to creatures which themselues cannot denie to bee idolatrous cum Christus adoretur adoratione latriae consequens est quòd cius imago sit adoratione latriae adoranda seeing Christ saith Thomas Aquinas p. 3. q. 25. art 3. is worshipped with latria or honour properly belonging to God it followeth that his image is also to be worshipped with the adoration of latria or diuine worship either therefore must our aduersaries shew that the Prophets and Apostles offered sacrifices in honour of Angels and Saints and made praiers vnto them and set vp images to be worshipped in temples and vsed to burne incense vnto them and to honor them after the manner of Papists or else they must confesse that their religion proceedeth not from the Prophets and Apostles how hard this proofe will bee it may appeare in this that Gods lawes Deut. 4. and Exod. 20. directly forbid the making of grauen images after the likenesse of God and the worship of idols and Christ ordeined the eucharist to be receiued in commemoration of his death and passion and neuer so much as mentioned the offering of his owne body and bloud or other sacrifices in the honour of Saints and Angels The Masse-priests that plotted the ruine of religion at Trent sess 6. ascribe mans iustification to his workes and exclude iustification both by Christs iustice and by faith apprehending Christ and beleeuing in him but both the Prophet Abacuc chap. 2. and S. Paul Rom. 1. affirme that the iust do liue by faith the Apostle also 1. Cor. 1. saith that our Saour Christ is made wisedome and righteousnesse vnto vs. which if it were wrought by our workes then should we haue beene made wisedome and righteousnesse vnto our selues nay the Apostle Rom. 3. saith if Abraham were iustified by workes that then he had wherein to reioice but not with God Popish religion consisteth most in externall ceremonies as for example in salt holy water holy candles incense ringing of sacring belles adoring crosses and images greasing of sicke men and masse-priests shauing of crownes vowes Monkish rules and such like toyes but these fooleries were neuer knowen either to the Apostles or Prophets Nay our Sauiour Matth. 15. teacheth that in vaine they seeke to worship God that teach for doctrines the precepts of men he sheweth also Iohn 4. that true worshippers worship God in spirit and truth and the Apostle Coloss 2. condemneth such as put religion in touching fasting and such like vaine ceremonies The Masse-priests call the Pope the spouse and head of the church but if he meane to deriue his authoritie from the writings of the Prophets and
Apostles he shall declare himselfe to want both head and braine for in the Canticles c. 2. and Ephes 5. the title of spouse of the church is declared to belong to Christ and him only the scriptures declare to be head of the Church Gregory lib. 4. ep 38. ad Ioan. Constantinopol sheweth that neither Paul nor Andrew nor Iohn nor Peter was the head of the vniuersall church but all members of the church vnder one head The Prophets and Apostles doe teach vs that the church of God consisteth of sheepe and lambes and such was Peter commanded to feede God saith by his Prophet Isay c. 11. that there shall be no hurting nor killing in all his holie mountaine and that the wolfe shall dwell with the lambe and the pard he with the kidde but the Romish Church is full of blood and wholy vpholden by cruelty in France the Pope and his complices haue caused aboue two hundred thousand persons to be murdered for the profession of the true faith the fires and butchers axes of their executioners haue consumed also infinit Christians in Italy Spaine England Scotland Germany and the Low countries very ignorant therefore he is of the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles that supposeth that the massacring Romish church is founded vpon the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets The Prophet Daniel doth prophecy how a certaine king shall arise that shall speake words of blasphemy against the most high and consume his Saints and that shall thinke that he may change times and lawes the Apostle also 2. Thess 2. sheweth that there shall come a departing and that the man of sinne shall be disclosed and exalt himselfe against all that is called God and that he shall sit in the temple of God S. Iohn also in his Apocalypse sheweth that Antichrist shall rise after the decay of the Roman Empire and giue life to that state and that the great whore shall sit vpon the seuen hils and haue her garments died red in the blood of Saints but this argueth that the Pope is Antichrist and that Popish religion is not Christian religion grounded vpon the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets but rather Antichristian heresie founded vpon the Popes decretales and schoolemens fond and foolish inuentions Finallie it is not only desperate ignorance but also meere madnesse to affirme that the grounds doctrines heresies and blasphemies which before we haue spoken of are deriued out of the writings of the Prophets and Apostles would Kellison the Popes grand surueier vndertake to prooue vnto vs all the Popes traditions concerning the Masse the dirges and offices for the dead purgatory indulgences holy water holy candles paschal lambes rascall Friers and Monkes and such like trash by the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets he should but lose his labour and percase his wits too for in their diuine writings such fond superstitious and impious doctrines haue no defence nor shelter but if hee meane to find their true beginning then must he search the Popes decretales the writings of schoolemen and canonists and other the Popes adherents and there he shall not only find out the first authours but also the rest of the nouelties fooleries and impieties of the synagogue of Satan CHAP. XIII That poperie was either condemned or not knowen by Kings and Princes professing Christian religion in old time THe Popes Agents when they are vpon their owne dunghils and among their owne disciples and fauorers doe make great crackes as if the Popish religion which is now taught at Rome were the only religion professed by ancient kings princes and emperors of Rome that made profession of the Christian faith but who so list to read the ancient confessions of Christian kings and the lawes made by them both for mainteinance of the Christian faith and for the repressing of diners errors shall finde that the grounds doctrines impieties absurdities of Popery were either disallowed by them or vnknowen vnto them The first Christian king of Britaine if we may beleeue Bede and others of latter times for in more auncient histories there is no record of such a king or such matters as then passed was Lucius but we doe not finde that the Popish Masse was then hatched or that Eleutherius bishop of Rome pretended the vniuersall monarchy of the Church nay wee read that Irenaeus doth make as great account of other churches as of Rome albeit the same be first placed in regard of the splendour and authority of that citie furthermore Lucius neither had images nor worshipped them nor did he giue Latria to the crosse of Purgat one and indulgences he could not heare any thing for that Eleutherius as yet tooke not vpon him to deliuer soules out of Purgatory nor to grant pardons a poena culpa finally if Kellison seeke to prooue the articles of Popery before mentioned by the testimony of Lucius you shall soone see that the man will be at a stand The first Christian Emperour of Rome was Constantine the great but many actes of his declare that he was neither a slaue of the bishop of Rome nor a professor of Popery for first by his authority both was the councell of Nice assembled and the actes thereof established as Enschius in vita Constantini and other ecclesiasticall writers doe testifie secondly that faith which the councell of Nice published he professed but therein is not one article of Popery established but rather diuers refuted as namely the doctrine of Papists concerning Christs humanitie and the Popish reall presence and dissoluing priests mariages for if Christ be true man then is not his body inuisible and impalpable in the Sacrament againe if Christs body be ascended into heauen then is not the same in euery pixe if the same be to come from heauen then is not the same to creepe out of a pixe if mariage of Priests be honorable and not to be dissolued as was decreed in the counceil of Nice by the aduice of Paphnutius then doe the Papists teach doctrines of diuels that condemne such mariages and separate Priests from their wiues thirdly all the actes of that councell were confirmed and not only receiued by Constantine but that sheweth that the Bishop of Rome then had no more authoritie in his prouince then the Bishop of Alexandria in his as the sixth canon of the Nicene councell testifieth the 4. canon sheweth that the Bishop of Rome had no greater authority in ordeining bishops then other metropolitans the fifth canon equalleth his power in excommunication to that which other Bishops had to abridge this matter we finde that the Bishops of Rome were as well subiect to the canons of the councell of Nice as other Bishops finally we finde that Constantine made lawes for church gouernment in his time and not the Bishops of Rome Nay the bishops of Rome as is said in the counterfet donation of Constantine had their priuileges from Constantine and not contrariwise priuilegium Romanae ecclesiae pontifici
reprochfull humours but neuer did Catholickes so teach the Apostle 2. Tim. 3. saith they are able to make vs wise to saluation and that they are giuen of God to make the man of God perfect S. Augustine lib. 2. de doct Christ c. 9. saith that all things necessarily belonging to faith or manners are conteined in plaine places of scriptures the ancient fathers do euery where speake honorably of scriptures and Ireney saith it is the propertie of heretikes when they are conuinced by scriptures to accuse them Secondly these are speciall points of Popery viz. that the Pope is the foundation head and spouse of the church that his decretales concerning matters of faith are infallible that vnwritten traditions are the word of God not written and equall to scriptures that the old Latine vulgar translation of the bible is authenticall for the most of this is deliuered and determined in the conuenticle of Trent sess 4. the rest is holden by the canonists and the Popes proctors these doctrines are contrarie to the wordes of the Apostle 1. Cor. 3. who sheweth vs that no other foundation can be laid but Christ Iesus and Ephes 2 where it is said that the faithfull are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone Irenaeus lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. sheweth that the scriptures are the pillar and foundation of our faith Chrysostome hom 6. in Matth. saith the church is Hierusalem whose foundations are laid vpon the mountains of the scriptures that the Pope should be the foundation of the church and not be subiect to error in determining matters of faith is contrary both to scriptures and fathers as I haue already shewed in my bookes de pontifice Rom. the diuersitie and contrarietie of diuers editions of the old Latine vulgar translation of the bible we haue proued heretofore that it differeth from the originall it is apparent and Arias Montanus Erasmus Caietan and diuers others acknowledge it the fathers in matters of doubt send vs to the originals the falshood of Romish traditions the repugnance betwixt them and scriptures I haue proued in my booke de scripturis against Bellarmine Thirdly the Papists allow no interpretations of scriptures against that sense Cont. Trident. sess 4. which the church of Rome holdeth contra eum sensum quam tenuit tenet sancta mater ecclesia and by the church they vnderstand the Pope principally but that was neuer the opinion of Catholikes nay the Pope and his followers allow diuers interpretations contrarie to the iudgement of all auncient fathers and catholikes they beleeue that these words of Christ feede my sheepe do properly belong to the Pope and that thereby he hath power to depose Princes these words Hiercm 1. I haue appomted thee ouer nations and kingdomes they transferre to the Pope Boniface the 8. in the chap. vnam sanctam extr demaior obed doth thereof conclude that the Pope hath power to iudge all earthly princes Innocent the 3. in the Chap. solitae de maior obed because it is said Genes 1. that God made a greater and lesser light in the firmament collecteth that the Pope is aboue the emperour Christ said do this in remēbrance of me they interpret it as if Christ had said offer vp my body and blood to my father and do it in remembrance of Angels and Saints Christ said search the scriptures and drinke yee all of this which they expound as if he had forbidden laie-men either to search scriptures or to receiue the cup. They haue also infinite other such like peruerse interpretations of scriptures contrarie to the exposition of Catholike fathers and yet stiffle maintaine them 4. Catholikes neuer allowed the legends of S. George S. Christopher S. Catherine S. Vrsula S. Cyprian the magician and such legends as the Papists reade in their churches publikely and beleeue them as traditions of their Elders and grounds of faith the legend of S. George of Cyricus Iulitta of Abgarus and of the inuention of the crosse is condemned by Gelasius c. sancta Romana dist 15. 5. Tho. Aquin. opusc cont errores Graec. saith it is a matter of faith to beleeue the determinatiō of tho Pope in matters belonging to saith or maners a matter neuer beleeued by Catholikes 6. Bellarmine and others say that the Popes lawes doe bind vs in conscience but this neuer entred into the thought of Catholikes S. Iames. c. 4. saith we haue only one lawgiuer and iudge that can saue and destroy 7. They beleeue that images are to he made and worshipped and consequently fil euery corner of their churches with images they also thinke it lawfull to picture God the father like an old man and the holy ghost in the figure of a doue but the law of God expressely forbiddeth the worship of grauen images and all such similitudes and Lactantius lib. 2. instil c. 19. saith there is no religion where such images are S. Augustine de fid symbolo saith that it is impious to place the image of God in the church tale simulachrum deo nefas est Christiano in templo collocare 8. The Iebusites of Collem in their censure teach that we are iustified by the law and that our life and saluation doth consist therein but the Apostle teacheth vs that the law is the minister of death and Irenaeus testifieth lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 20. that the law being spirituall doth only manifest sinne and not kill it and so doe Catholikes beleeue 9. The conuenticle of Trent sess 5. teacheth that concupiscence is not sinne in the regenerat but the Apostle Rom. 7. sheweth the concupiscence is sinne and all true Catholikes must needes confesse it seeing it is forbidden by the law 10 Bellarmine and his consorts beleeue that all Christians are able to performe the law perfectly but Catholickes beleeue that this sauoureth of Pelagianisme for if they be able to performe the law of God perfectly then may they liue without all sinne which Augustine and Hierome in their disputes against the Pelagians declare to be heresie 11 Papists beleeue that the Pope is able to dispence with oathes and to absolue subiects from their obedience and fealty to their Princes but Catholickes assure themselues that it is impious to take Gods name in vaine and to violate lawfull oathes vpon the Popes or any other mans warrant 12 Papists teach that the Virgin Mary was exempt from originall sinne as we may perceiue by Bellarmine lib. 4. de amiss grat c. 15. and by the decrerale of Sixtus 4. and this is the most common opinion but Catholickes thinke contrary for the Apostle Rom. 5. saith that through the offence of one all men are subiect to condemnation 13. They beleeue that the blessed virgins house was caried out of Galiley into Dalmatia and from thence into Italy by the ministery of Angels and that the same is now at Loreto but Catholikes laugh at such fables and esteeme the worship
Popes regard them not one straw if they talke against their triple crowne two swords or glorious and pompous state as may appeare by the light accompt made of S. Bernardes bookes de consideratione ad Eugenium all of them if the Pope defineth otherwise reiect the fathers with great facility Bellarmme lib. 1. de verb. dei c. 3. declaring his opinion of the new testament departeth from the exposition of Chrysostome Theodoret and other fathers Generally in the accompt of the bookes of canonicall scriptures of the old testament they reiect the testimony of Hierome in prologo Galeato of Ruffine in the exposition of the Creede of the councell of Laodicea c. 59. of Athanasius in synopsi of Gregory Nazaanzen in his verses of Epiphanius lib. de ponderib mensuris and diuers other fathers and will haue the bookes of Tobiah Iudith Ecclesiasticus Wisdome and the Machabees to bee of equall authoritie with the law and the Gospell in despight of all the fathers Contrarie also to their opinion they preferre the old Latine vulgar translation of the bible before the Hebrew text of the old and the Greeke text of the new testament that is the standing puddles before the cleare fountaines of holie scriptures The fathers exhort Christians the Papists dehort them from reading and hearing scriptures read in tongues vnderstood Origen homil 2. in Isaiam wisheth that all Christians would performe that which our Sauiour Christ speaketh of searching scriptures Hierome writing vpon the Coloss c. 3. heere saith he it is shewed that lay-men ought to haue the word of Christ not only sufficiently but also abundantly and that they ought to teach and admonish one another Ghrysostome also in his 9. homily in 1. ad Corinth attend saith he as many of you as are secular persons and gouerne wife and children how the Apostle doth command you also to read the scriptures aboue all and that not lightlie and careleslie but with great diligence That the Pope should be aboue all councels it neuer entred into the fathers thought nay all of them haue recourse in matters of doubt concerning faith not to the decretales of Popes but to the determination of generall councels next after holy scriptures The bishop of Rome oftentimes consulted with learned fathers concerning the interpretation of scriptures and no learned bishop did in time past attribute more to the bishop of Rome then to other bishops the Papists therefore making the Pope that is often blind in matters of religion supreme interpreter of scriptures digresse from all the fathers and haue not so much seuce heerein as litle children that know that blinde-men cannot iudge of colours The conuenticle of Trent determining that traditions and holy scriptures are with equall affection to be receiued digresse from all the fathers that make not traditions but the scriptures to be canonicall and of sacred authority The Papists that say that scriptures are not authenticall to vs without the determination of the Pope and Romish church are of an opinion contrary to all the fathers who deriue their authoritie and credit from God and not from man Bellarmine lib. 3. de eccles c. 16. saith that Hierome Apollinaris and Hippolytus were deceiued in the exposition of the ninth chapter of Daniel concerning the times of Antichrist In his 2. booke de Purgatorio c. 1. he reiecteth the opinion of Ambrose Hilary Lactantius Hierome and Aleuinus that teach that as well good as bad neede to be purged In the number of 7. Sacraments the conuenticle of Trent departeth from the opinion of all the fathers for not one can be alledged that saith there are iust 7. Sacraments and neither more nor lesse Ambrose in his books de Sacramentis and de initiandis in myster mentioneth onely two so doth Iustine Martyr long before him in his 2. apology S. Augustine lib. 3. de doctr Christ c. 9. reckneth only the Sacrament of baptisme and of the body and blood of Christ where he talketh of sacraments he saith also Christ left but few and easie but Popish sacraments are many and hard to be performed The fathers no where mention spittle salt blowing light and such ceremonies as the Pope hath added to baptisme These words this is my body are expounded figuratiuely by Tertullian lib. 4. contr Marcion Origen in leuit Chrysostome homil 46. in Ioan. Augustine contra Adimantum and lib. 3. de doctr c. 16. in comment in psal 3. but the Papists in this exposition forsake all the fathers Gregory dial lib. 2. c. 43. willeth those to depart that communicate not si quis non communicet saith he det locum the Apostles canons doe excommunicate him that departeth before communion the same is also confirmed by the chap. si quis dist 2. de consecrat the Masse-priests therefore in the practise of their priuate Masses depart from the canons of the Apostles and all the fathers Innocentius the third lib. 4. de myster missae c. 6. thought that Christ consecrated without words others beleeue hee consecrated by praier the moderne Papists reiect both Bellarmine lib. 4. de eucharist c. 26. maketh the best proofe hee can for the communion vnder one kind but it appeareth by his silence that the fathers are all aduerse to him Gelasius in the chap. comperimus de consecrat dist 2. condemned those of sacriledge that receiuing one kind abstained from the cup. and Lyra in 1. Cor. 11. declareth that in the primitiue Church all Christians receiued both kinds The fathers speaking of the sacrifices of Christians call them sacrifices of praise and spirituall sacrifices and signifie that the eucharist is a commemoration of Christs only sacrifice on the crosse that is confirmed by the testimony of Iustin in dialog cum Tryph. of Tertullian lib. 4. contr Marcion of Eusebius lib. 1. de demonstr euangel of Cyprian aduers Iudaos c. 16. of Basil in Isaiae c. 1. and others this is proued partly by the same authours and by Chrysostome in Psal 95. in epist ad Hebr. homil 13. and Theodoret. in epist ad Heb. c. 8. 10. and by diuers others amplie cited by mee in my bookes de missa against Bellarmine all which doe shew that the Papists bringing an external and reall sacrifice of Christs body and bloud actually offered as they teach by euerie Masse-priest into the church are departed quite from the doctrine of the fathers Canus lib. 7. loc Theol. c. 1. confesseth that all the fathers which speake of the Virgin Maries conception teach that she was conceiued in originall sinne as Ambrose in Psal 118. ser 6. Augustine in Psal 34. Chrysostome Eusebius Emissenus Remigius and others yet most of the Popes proctors especiallie the Franciscans reiect these fathers The fathers with one confent teach that we are not to fast between Easter and Pentecost nor vpon Sundaies as Bellarmine de bon oper in part c. 23 consesseth yet doth he reiect their authority and all Papists doe contrarie Leo in epist ad Rusticum Narbonensem and
followers to haue other gods The law forbiddeth vs to make grauen images and similitudes to the intent to worship them the Pope commandeth his followers to make them and to worship them and burneth such as teach contrary The Apostle calleth concupiscence in himselfe sinne the Masse-priests of Trent denie it to bee sinne in the regenerate Our Sauiour in the fifth of Iohn commanded his followers to search the scriptures these followers of Antichrist forbid Christians to search the scriptures translated into vulgar tongues without licence At his last supper after the blessing he said take and eate but these good fellowes say gape and gaze on the Priest saying masse and eate not but rather keepe the sacrament in the pixe He said doe this in remembrance of me they doe it in remembrance of Angels and Saints and obserue not that forme which hee prescribed The Apostles of Christ did receiue and eate the sacrament the false Apostles of Antichrist commaund their schollers to heaue it to adore it and to carrie it about in procession In the conuenticle of Constance the Popes adherents establish the communion vnder one kind and where Christ said drinke yee all of this they say drinke not all of this Christ taught his Disciples to pray to his father and to say Pater noster they teach their Disciples to praie to our Lady and to say mater nostra or at least mater miscricordie God in the 50. Psalme saith inuoca me call vpon mee and the Apostle 1. Tim. 2. sheweth that there is but one onely mediator betwixt God and man they teach vs to call vpon Saints and say they are our intercessours When S. Iohn Apocalyps 22. would haue worshipped the Angell he said to him see thou doe it not these say see thou doe it The Apostle 1. Cor. 14. commandeth him that speaketh in a strange tongue or that is not vnderstood to keepe silence in the Church he addeth that praiers in a strange tongue or without vnderstanning are without fruit but the Romanists contrarie do enioine their Priests to reade scriptures and to say seruice in Latine which of the vulgar sort is not vnderstood Coster in his Enchir c. de precibus latinè recitandis saith that he that praieth in Lattin albeit he vnderstand not what he praieth receiueth fruit by his praier hune tertium fructum orationis non minus percipit saith hee qui non intellecta à se lingua precatur quà m qui verborum intelligentiam assequitur S. Paul 2. Tim. 3. teacheth vs that scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect Bellarmine lib. 4. de verbo Dei saith they are imperfect and insufficient without traditions The Apostle Hebr. 1. saith God spake by the Prophets and this is to be vnderstood when the holy Prophets deliuered scriptures to Gods people Staple ton de author eccles in diuers places denieth that God speaketh in scriptures and his meaning is that he speaketh in the Pope Both Prophets and Apostles teach that the iust shall liue by faith but the Masse-priests say faith of it selfe is dead and that the life and forme thereof is charity The Scripture saith it is better to marrie than to burne the Papists teach that it is better to burne with lust then to marrie after the vow made of single life The Apostle 1. Tim. 3. will haue a bishop chosen that is the hush and of one wise and Hebr. 13. saith that mariage is honourable among all the Papists admit no maried men liuing with their wiues to be bishops and count marriage in Priests pollution The Apostle saith the law is the ministration of death and that by the workes of the law no flesh is iustified the Masse-priests teach their followers to seeke for life in the law and by the workes thereof say that all the faithfull are to bee iustified Finally poperie in effect is nothing else but a contradiction in most things to the words of holy scripture CHAP. XXII That the founders and defenders of popery doe most wickedly abuse holy scriptures ALl which notwithstanding the Papists for proofe of their false doctrines doe alleadge scriptures but yet so as any man may see if hee be not wilfully blind that they wickedly abuse scriptures and wrest them contrarie to their true sense and meaning Auentinus lib. 7. annal Boior speaking of Gregory the seuenth saith he forced the scriptures to serue his purpose by false interpretations diuinas scripturas falsò interpretando sâ—â—e causae seruire coegit and Aeneas Syluius lib. 1. de gest concil Basil speaking of other Popes saith they expound the words of Christ not as the meaning of the holy ghost requireth but according to their owne humor verba Christi non prout sensus sancti spiritus exposcit sed suopte ingenio interpretantur so in times past false teachers as S. Peter testifieth 2. Pet. 3. peruerted scriptures to their owne destruction and I would to God that it were to their owne destruction only but helas such seducers destroy both themselues and their credulous followers Innocentius 3. c. solitae de maior obed expoundeth these words Hieremy 1. behold I haue placed thee ouer nations and kingdoms of the Pope as if the holy Ghost had appointed him ouer Nations and kingdomes and made him superior to the emperor whereas he seemeth rather to be appointed by the diuell then the holy Ghost Likewise these words Genes 1. God made two great lights in the firmament of heauen the greater to rule the day the lesser to rule the night he supposeth to be meant of the Pope and Emperor as if the Pope were the great light ruling by day and the Emperor the lesse light ruling by night In the chapter nouit de iudicijs he doth vnderstand these words Deut. 1. thou shalt iudge the great as the small neither shalt thou accept any mans person of the Pope and of kings as if by the law of God the Pope were made iudge of kings and were as well to ouerrule them as the most contemptible Masse-priest of his owne rascall retinue Againe where we read 1. cor 5 that the seruant standeth or falleth to his owne master he concludeth in the chapt nimis de iureiurando that lay-men are not to compell clerkes to take oathes before them as if all clerkes were the Popes slaues and to fall downe before him and to serue him Clement the fift c. si dominum de reliq venerat sanct out of these words praise God in his Saints concludeth that we are to keepe the feast of Corpus Christi day Boniface the 8. extr de maior obed c. vnam sanctam concludeth that the Pope is aboue all men because we read Genes 1. that in the beginning and not in the beginnings God made heauen and earth as if the Pope were the beginning mentioned in that place Likewise of these words 1. Cor. 2. the spirituall man iudgeth all and is iudged of none he concludeth very wisely that the Pope is iudge
primitiue church holy scriptures were read in the church and taken only for the word of God but now in the Romish church lying legends and fables are read in the church and lying and vncertaine traditions are made equall to scriptures In time past it was accompted folly to reade scriptures in tongues vnknowen and the Apostle sheweth that it is vnprofitable to pray in a strange language but now the Romanists both reade scriptures and pray in languages not vnderstood of the multitude and yet defend it as well done In ancient time no man euer beleeued either that the scriptures were made to vs authenticall by the Popes determination or that the Popes determinatiō in matters of faith was certeine now all is turned vpside downe scriptures are made vncerteine and obscure and the Popes determination is made most liquide and certeine The ancient bishops of the church preached diligently liued vprightly dealt with their people mercifully now the Popish bishops preach not nor leade their liues according to their profession but contrariwise liue scandalously and are the only bouchers to murder all that shall either reprehend the abuses of the church or their corruptions in manners and the powdermen and vndermining Papists follow their steppes Ancient Christians suffered most cruell torments and death because they would not worship images now the Romanists put all to death that will not worship images The ancient Romans according to S. Paules doctrine beleeued not to be instified by the workes of Gods lawe the late Romanistes hope to bee iustified by the workes of the Popes Lawes They looked for no peace by their owne satisfaction but by the redemption wrought by Christ Iesus these moderne fellowes beleeue that they can satisfie for their owne sinnes and trust in the redemption procured them by the Popes indulgences The Romans vnto whom S. Paul wrote were obedient to Kings these loose the bonds betweene kings and their subiects and stirre vp traytors to blow vp their princes They diligently obserued Christs institution in administring the sacraments and neither spit in the faces of Christians baptized nor stole away the cup from the communicants the moderne Romish priests spit on those whom they baptize and refuse to administer the cup to others then themselues Finally they are digressed from the ancient Romans in all those particulars both concerning faith and maners wherein I haue shewed that they differ from ancient Catholikes and haue deuised meere nouelties CHAP. LI. That the Romish Church that now is was inuisible in old time MVch doe our aduersaries boast of the visibility of the Romish church supposing because the scriptures speake much of the glory of the kingdome of Iesus Christ that al that honor belongeth to the church of Rome of late times but while they mistake things spirituall for things corporall and externall and suppose things vntrue all this their boast and glory will turne to their great preiudice and shame for first the beauty of the church consisteth rather in inward vertues then in outward shewes and apparell Secondly be it that the church is alwaies seene and apparent to the true members of the church yet the moderne Romish church and the glory thereof was neuer seene either of the Apostles or ancient fathers of the Church or of ancient Christians For what I pray you is the church of Rome but a multitude of people professing the moderne saith of the Romish synagogue communicating with the same in sacraments and subiecting themselues to the Popes holinesse this is confirmed by the testimony of Bellarmine in his booke de ecclesia and of Canisius in his catechisme c. de fide symbolo and I hope will not be denied by any Papist but such a church shall neuer bee shewed in ancient time and that we shall proue by inuincible reasons for first we finde not during the time of the Apostles any such head of the church as the Pope nor any such sholders as the Cardinals nor any such rotten members as the chantery priests singing Masses for soules departed as Monkes liuing in heards like swine as friers begging for fashion sake and yet abounding in all things necessary 2. The Pope with his triple crowne two swordes crossed pantofle and his guard of Suizars and purple Cardinals following him began onely of late time to be visible if such a sight had appeared in the time of the ancient fathers they would haue woondred at it as a thing most monstrous and vnbeseeming him that pretendeth to be the successor of Peter 3. While S. Peter liued no man euer saw a church persecuting of Christes disciples and deliuering them ouer to haue their throates cut by the secular power nor did either the bishops of Rome or the ancient fathers for more then a thousand yeeres after Christ imprison torment or kill such Christians as were not of their faction and opinion 4. The ancient church of Christ did neither excommunicate kings nor assoile their subiects from their obedience commanding them vpon paine of excommunication to rise vp in armes against them and to depose them the Romish church therefore which doth all these things was not then visible neither can any Masse-priest shew vs where in old time miners and powder-men sought to blow vp the principall men of the state 5. So long as the primitiue church continued in the doctrine and steppes of the Apostles and ancient fathers the same was ruled by the holy Scriptures and canons of councels and then the decretales of Gregory the 9. Boniface the 8. Clement the 5. Iohn the 22. and other later Popes were not in the world who can then say that the Roman church ordred by these decretales was then visible 6. The moderno Romish church beside the two Sacraments instituted by Christ beleeue other 5. Sacraments and hope as well to be saued by greasing when they lie a dying as by Baptisme and the Lordes Supper but such a church was altogether inuisible both in the Apostles time and long after 7. Now Papistes beleeue that Christians receiuing the Sacrament swallow downe Christes body into their stomacke nay they teach that dogs hogs and brute beasts eating consecrated hostes doe also deuoure Christs bodie but such a company of Canibals and blasphemers against Christian religion were neuer taken for Christes church for more then a thousand yeares after Christ 8. The Roman church commandeth Christians to keepe the feast daies of monkes and friers and other saints to heare Masse vpon ember daies in Lent and fridaies to absteine from flesh to goe to auricular confession at the least once a yeare and not to celebrate marriage vpon certaine daies but if all the monkes and friers in the world were set to seeke such a church and if the Masse-priests of the Romish church were ioyned with them yet could they not finde such a church for a thousand yeeres after Christ 9. In the Romish missals the priest praieth that God would be pleased to accept of the body and blood
Suruey of Popery and to draw home this idle wandring Surueyer Searcher of other mens matters to a carefull consideration of his owne desperat cause His Treatise is most foolishly titled A Suruey of the new religion for neither shall he euer prooue that one article of our religion is new nor doth he dispute against any grounds held by vs but only telleth of certaine extrauagant speeches partly falsely imputed to Luther Caluin Zuinglius and other priuat men and partly falsely gathered out of their words by false constructions but had they held any priuat opinions that iustly might be censured what is that to vs our religion certes is not grounded vpon Luther Caluin or any late Teacher but vpon the Prophets and Apostles neither is our faith that which is found in priuat mens writings but that which is founded vpon holy Scriptures and conteined in our publicke confessions he might therefore with more reason haue called it a surfet of his owne fooleries and fantasticall deuices and calumniations then a suruey of our religion Against this idle inuention of Kellison I haue I hope opposed a more diligent and certeine suruey of Popery for I haue not deuised any thing of mine owne but truely reported the doctrine which they teach and herein I do not obiect whatsoeuer is taught by Scotus Aquinas Durandus Biel Stapleton Harding Bellarmine or which other Doctours do holde singulerly nor that which Sanders Parsons or such idle fellowes babble in their trifling books but only that which is either defined in some Councell or determined by some Pope or generally taught or practised by all or most or best of our aduersaries and which I thinke Kellison will not deny And by these grounds doctrines and practises I hope to ouerthrow the whole frame and building of Popery being layd vpon weake grounds and consisting of many wicked and false doctrines and being mainteined by most leud and wicked meanes and practises This Discourse I first deuised for a priuat friend whose wauering for I will not say defection vntill I see surther I do much lament and whose settlement I doe much desire but because I doe thinke the same may doe good to many who not knowing the trueth we hold nor the errours heresies superstitions idolatry and impietie of Popery do runne headlong vpon occasion either of malcontentment or desire of innouation in matters of State which they consider may soonest be stirred by quarrels about religion into strange courses I haue beene perswaded to make it common the same also may serue to reclaime the most haggard Papists if they doe not wilfully shut their eyes and stoppe their eares against the trueth thirdly this may serue to stoppe the mouth of the slandrous Iebusites and Masse-priests that imputing to vs wicked opinions and practises no way defended are vnable to defend their owne doctrines and practises which they publikely professe and commend sinally I hope wise Christians may learne by these collections of ours neither to trust the aduersary who maketh no conscience of lying or slandring nor to condemne innocent men before they be heard and conuicted Vouchsafe therefore gentle Reader to reade our Discourse with attention and to iudge without partialitie and then I doubt not but thou wilt beware both of the impious doctrines and of the iniurious and leud practises of Popery If any be offended with this surueying course let him impute the fault to Kellison who of a drunken butler is now become a mad surueyer and if he finde not texts or proofs sufficient to satisfie his humour in proofe of euery allegation in this Treatise let him thinke that the matters are of that nature that either they will be confessed of the aduersary or els are notoriously knowen to the world though impudently denied by the polshorne packe of Antichrist Finally as there is but one Faith one Baptisme one God so there is but one true religion which euery one is to know and to embrace if he will be saued And this is grounded vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone but as Athanasius orat 2 contr Arianos sayth of the Arians Pro Christo apud illos Arius est that is They follow Arius as if he were Christ so we may say of the Papists The Pope is their Christ their head their lodestarre their Northpole and all in all This one true religion is also Apostolicke and Catholicke and most ancient Tertullian lib. 1. contr Marcionem teacheth vs Whatsoeuer doctrine hath beene brought into the Church after the first publication of the Gospel that the same is to be reputed heresie Haeresis deputabitur sayth he quod postea inducitur but Popery neuer came from the Apostles but from the Pope neither was the same vniuersally or anciently receiued but onely taught and embraced by the Popes faction of late times and within certeine limits finally this true and apostolicke religion is of God and not of the inuention of Popes or their polshorne Priests Monks or Friers Embrace therefore that religion that is deriued from the Apostles and Prophets that is truly Catholicke Apostolicke and most ancient and finally which hath no authour but God and beware of all profane nouelties and Popish inuentions and then as thou walkest by faith in this life so thou shalt atteine to the vision of the face of God in the life to come and also reigne with God euerlastingly through Christ which is the Way the Truth and Life The Abridgement or Suruey of Poperie Conteining a briefe and plaine declaration of the grounds doctrines beginnings proceedings impieties falsities and other manifold abuses of the Popish sect CHAP. I. What is meant by Popery or Popish religion in this Discourse ensuing TO teach aright saith Plato in Cratylo we are diligently to expound the termes or words we treat of and Tully in his first booke of Offices saith that euery instruction that is vndertaken rightly ought to begin with a desinition of matters which we are to discourse of because therefore I would not be mistaken nor haue our aduersaries to take either an occasion of quarrell or a pretence of euasion it shall be neeedfull before we passe any further to define and declare what wee meane in this discourse by popery or popish religion and so much the rather for that the Papistes doe hold and professe the articles of the Creed and diuers other points deduced of them or consonant vnto them which both the Apostles and ancient fathers and wee also beleeue and professe and vnder colour whereof they abuse simple soules recesuing their puddle waters of Popery made sweete with some truth for the pure streames of Christian doctrine By popery therefore wee vnderstand not any point of Christian doctrine generally holden of all Christians or the doctrine of the Prophets or holy Apostles professed generally by the ancient fathers and truly termed Catholike for that we hold and professe as well as the Papistes and farre more
foundation and pillar of our faith they doe make the traditions of the church not written equall to the scriptures and vpon them nay vpon the decretales of Popes and practise of Massepriestes doe build their faith all antiquitie esteemeth holy scriptures to be the canon of our faith and therefore calleth them canonicall But the Romanists esteeme them to be an vnperfect canon without their traditions and the Popes decretales and determinations Bellarmine lib. 4. de verb. dei c. 4. saith they are neither necessary nor sufficient without traditions The fathers neuer accounted the bookes of Tobiah Iudith Ecclesiasticus Wisdome and the Machabees equall to the bookes of the law and Prophets extant originally in Hebrew as appeareth by the testimony of Hierome in prologo Galeato of Athanasius in synopsi of Nazianzen in carm of Epiphanius and diuers others old and new writers the Papists in the synode of Trent decree them to be of equall authoritie with the rest the auncient catholikes euer esteemed the Hebrew text of the old testament and the Greeke of the new to be more authentical then anie translation the conuenticle of Trent hath made the old latin vulgar translation of the bible authenticall and doth not giue that honor to the originall bookes of the bible the canonicall scriptures we say receiue their force from the author of them and this is to be prooued by the consent of fathers and by arguments from scriptures law and reason they say that scriptures receiue force and authoritie in respect of vs from the Church or rather from the Pope Papists are neither willing that scriptures be turned into vulgar tongues nor will permitte them to be read of the vulgar sort without licence or publickly read in vulgar tongues in the church finally they say they are obscure and hard to be vnderstood and speake what they can in their disgrace Secondly they teach erroneously concerning Christs naturall body and concerning his office the body of Christ they beleeue to be both in heauen and on earth on euerie altar at one and the selfe same time they also hold that his body is really vnder the accidents of bread and wine giuing him a body neither visible nor palpable nor in any sort like to ours they teach further that his body is in diuers places where it filleth not the places and that his one body hath relation to diuers places they beleeue that the soules of the faithfull before Christes comming were in hell or at least in Limbo which is a part of hell and were thence deliuered by Christes going to hell as if his crosse had wrought nothing for them they teach that Christ as man is omniscient and per consequent omnipotent and that he was vir perfectus that is a perfect or growne man from the first instant of his conception his office of mediation they giue to the virgin Mary to Angels and to Saints they make also Saints our redeemers teaching that by their merits Christians obteine their desires and are deliuered out of purgatorie to Masse-priests they giue priesthood according to the order of Melchisedech and say that they offer vp Christs body and blood really for quicke and dead finally they make the Pope head spouse and monarke of the Church Neither doe they teach more catholikely of Christes mysticall body then of his naturall body for they subiect the same to the Pope and exclude all from Christ that are not subiect to the Pope the true members thereof they persecute and make heretikes and reprobates and such as liue without order or law professing their religion outwardly true members of Christes body the Church say they is alwaies so conspicuous and visible that euery one may see it and discerne it the true markes of the church that is true doctrine and the sincere administration of Sacraments and holinesse of life they denie assigning most common and vncerteine markes as vnitie vniuersalitie antiquitie succession and such like The Pope they make a most certeine and infallible interpreter of Scriptures and iudge of matters of faith they giue him authoritie to make lawes for the whole Church and power to binde mens consciences they make him more souereigne then a generall Councell and say that his power in giuing indulgences reacheth into purgatorie they say he hath power to excommunicate and depose kings and to giue away their kingdomes to others Betwixt the Catholicke church and Roman church they make no difference equalling a part to the whole they say also that the Roman church can neither erre nor faile The worship of God consisteth in spirit and trueth but they place the same in certeine externall rites and ceremonies and in meere humane inuentions and deuices nay for God they worship creatures not onely giuing diuine honour to the Sacrament but also to crucifixes and images of the Trinitie made of wood stone and colours they doe also adore not onely saints but rotten bones and ragges they know not of whom to Saints they pray they make vowes they confesse their sinnes to saints they erect churches and altars to their images they burne incense and present diuers oblations and finally in the honour of Saints haue deuised particular masses and offices transforming the Psalmes and wordes of Scriptures to Angels and Saints Their doctrine concerning the Sacraments is most exorbitant for they doe not onely adde vnto water in Baptisme salt spittle oile and diuers other ceremonies partly idle partly superstitious but also vnto the two Sacraments instituted by Christ they equall confirmation matrimonie penance orders and extreme vnction making them Sacraments as well as Baptisme or the Lords Supper in Confirmation they haue deuised both a new signe and new wordes in extreme Vnction they haue deuised new formes in the ordring of Priestes they say accipe potestatem offerendi sacrisicium in ecclesia pro viuis mortuis that is receiue power to offer sacrifice in the church for quicke and dead in Penance they vrge a necessity of confession strange formes of whipping and vncerteine hopes and new deuices of satisfaction from Matrimonie they exclude Priestes monkes and friars and make it a Sacrament albeit they know neither certeine signes nor words of the institution of it but the institution of the Lords supper they haue quite abolished for that which Christ ordeined to be receiued of the Communicants that the masse-priest doth offer for quicke dead and in the honour of Saints and Angels of which there is not one worde spoken in the institution our Sauiour in bread and wine instituted his last supper these neither leaue bread nor wine but make Christians eaters of mans flesh and drinkers of mans blood like the canibals Cyclopes Christ ordeined this Sacrament in remembrance of his death and passion these make of the same a sacrifice in honour of Angels and Saints the cup of the new testament they take from Christians abrogating as much as in them lieth the new testament established in Christs blood and
yet they say Christians sinne mortally if they heare not Masse euery Sunday and holiday Of grace they speake as men deuoid of grace and knowledge for by grace by which we are saued and made acceptable to God they vnderstand nothing else but either charity or a habit not distinct from Charity so that albeit they exclude not grace from the worke of our saluation yet making grace a habit or vertue they ouerthrow grace and ascribe the merit of our saluation not to Gods mercie through Christ nor to the merit of his Passion but properly to our owne workes and merites diuers of them saie that men are predestinated for their merites foreseene and all hold that men were reprobated for their sinnes foreseene before they say further that the vnregenerat hath freewill as well as the regenerat and that not onely in matters of this life but also to doe workes of piety and other supernaturall effectes The doctrine of faith they haue also much corrupted for they make Charity the forme of faith as if faith were without forme or life of it selfe and as if the iust man did not liue by faith to this purpose they say that not onlie wicked and reprobat men but also the diuels of hell maie haue true and iustifying faith they hold further that by faith we are not onely to hold whatsoeuer is conteined in holy scriptures but also whatsoeuer is deliuered by tradition or determined by the Pope and lastly that no man is to beleeue that he shall assuredly be saued but rather to hold that he that is truly iustified may be damned Concerning the law of God they teach both contrary to reason and law for first they cut out the 2. commandement in their offices of our Lady and their primers because it cannot well stand with the Popish worship of images secondly they teach that concupiscence without our consent is not sinne albeit the law say non concupisces thirdly they say that it is sinne as well to transgresse the Popes decrees as Gods lawes fourthly they beleeue that the Pope is able either to dissolue the law as for example where he absolueth subiectes from their obedience to princes and children from their duty to parents or at the least to dispense with the transgressors of the law as for example with periured persons adulterers Sodomites murtherers assassinors theeues sacrilegious persons and such like fiftly they beleeue that a man is able perfectly to fulfill the law of which it followeth that man is able to liue without all sinne which as Augustine sheweth lib. 4. de bono perseuerat c. 2. 5 and Hierome aduers Pelag. is flat Pelagianisme In their doctrine of praiers they offend much yet is the practise of Papists farre worse than their doctrine in this point our Sauiour teacheth vs to goe to his father in his name they go to God by the intercession of Saints nay oftentimes they run to Saints Angels and the blessed Virgin without once thinking of God especially if they thinke no more than they vtter in their praiers they pray in a tongue which they vnderstand not which is rather prating than praying they pray for remission of sinnes for the dead not knowing whether they bee damned or no. they pray before stockes and stones nay they put their trust in them for if this were not so why should they hope for better successe at the image of our Lady of Loreto or Monserat than at any other image or forme of our Lady They beleeue that almes satisfie for sinnes and that those are best bestowed that are giuen to Monkes and Friers and such idle vagabonds and plagues of states whereas the first ouerthroweth Christs merits and satisfaction the second is an occasion of all the mischiefes brewed by these mothes of religion and blemishes of state They teach that it is mortall sinne not to fast on Saints vigiles embre daies and other times appointed by the Pope and that fasting standeth in eating fish and abstaining from our suppers and such obseruances and finally that such fasts doe not only satisfie for sinnes but also merit heauen Conscience they know not for they make no conscience to cut Christian mens throats for not yeelding to all their abhominations and thinke it conscience to obey the Popes decrees though very vnlawfull Neither can they well auoid sinne that know not what sinne is The virgin Mary by most of them is acquited from originall sinne and they define sinne to bee not onely the transgression of the law of God but also euery transgression of the law of the Pope nay euery breach of the law of man which vtterly taketh away the difference betwixt the lawes of God and man Of the state of soules departed they seeme to know little truly although some say they know too much for they do not say as we doe that there are two waies after this life the one of the faithfull to eternall life the other of the wicked to eternall death but they say that some go into purgatorie and others into limbus puerorum and out of purgatory they say soules are deliuered partly by masses and partly by indulgences All these points of erroneous false doctrine and all others which either contrarie or beside the word of God the Pope and his complices haue inuented and brought into the church of Rome we call Popery and this is the subiect of this discourse and the doctrine against which we dispute let no man therefore thinke because the Papists maintaine many points of Christian religion that either we reprehend that truth which they and we defend or that they can defend the errors of Popery because they hold some trueth but either let them iustifie their errors or else they shall bee forced to confesse that the proper doctrine of Popery is wicked and erroneous CHAP. II. Of the grounds and foundations of Popish religion AS Popery is diuers from Christian religion so hath the same other foundations than Christian religion The doctors of Trent in the fourth session of that synode hauing pronounced them anathema that shall not receiue all the bookes of the Bible as they are found in the old Latin vulgar translation and read in the church of Rome for holy and canonicall or that shall wittinglie contemne the traditions of that church doe signifie that this is the foundation of the confession of faith which they meant to publish so it appeareth they ground their faith beside canonicall scriptures vpon apocryphall writings of Tobiah Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees and diuers fragments of books not found in the Hebrew text of the Bible and vpon traditions not written but deliuered from hand to hand from the Apostles as they say and so come to their hands but where they speake of scriptures it is to be obserued that they doe not simply allow them but as they are contained in the old vulgar translation and as they are expounded by the Church of Rome those which vnder any
pretence doe reiect the old translation or vse any interpretation contrary to the Romish Churches meaning they condemne Stapleton in his booke intituled Principia doctrinalia doth deliuer vnto vs seuen grounds or principles of his religion the first is the Church the second the Pope the third the means vsed by the Pope in iudgement the fourth the Popes infallibility in iudgement the fifth his power in taxing the canon of Scriptures the sixth his certaine interpretation of Scriptures the seuenth his power in deliuering doctrine not written these I say are his grounds and principles absurdly deuised confusedly disposed and ridiculously propounded as God willing shall be shewed otherwhere now it is sufficient to declare that whatsoeuer he bableth elsewhere of scriptures councels fathers yet heere they are all suppressed in this diuision or at the least concealed vnder the name of the Church or Pope which in his preface to Gregory the 13. hee calleth supremum numen in terris that is the supreme God of the world and who to him is all in all likewise in his preface to his relection of doctrinall principles hee seemeth directly to exclude the scriptures Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus saith he ab ipsis literis apostolicis euangelicis uliud that is we haue another foundation of Christian religion diuers from the writings of the Apostles Prophets if he exclude not scriptures yet he admitteth them no otherwise than according to the interpretation of the Pope and his complices nay without the Popes declaration he doth tediouslie discourse that Christians are not to receiue the canon of scriptures The decretale epistles of the Pope no doubt they admit for the foundation of their faith for in the rubricke of their decrees c. in canonicis dist 19. they doe determine that the Popes decretales are to bee numbred among canonicall scriptures inter canonicas scripturas say they decretales epistolae connumerantur likewise Gelasius c. sancta Romana dist 15. defineth that the Popes decretale epistles are to bee receiued with veneration In the same decretale Gelasius authoriseth the Romane martyrologe or legends of martyrs neither can Kellison or his kettle companions deny this to be one of the grounds of his rammish I would say Romish religion seeing these martyrologes and legendes conteine diuers traditions which the conuenticle of Trent will haue all Papistes to receiue with equall affection to scriptures Canus lib. 1. loc theolog c. 1. assigneth tenne places out of which he saith diuines are to draw arguments the first is the authority of scriptures the second the authority of traditions not written the third is the authority of the catholike church the fourth the authority of councels the fifth the authority of the church of Rome where wee are to note that more honestly than his companions hee maketh the church of Rome to differ from the Catholike church the sixth is the authority of ancient fathers the seuenth the authority of Romish schoole doctors the eighth naturall reason the ninth the authority of Philosophers the tenth the authority of writers of stories so wee see how hee buildeth his faith vpon men as well as vpon God and matcheth traditions not written with the most diuine writings of the Prophets and Apostles and conioyneth the authority of councels and fathers nay of schoolemen and Philosophers with the testimony of holy scriptures framing to vs rather an humane then a diuine foundation of Christian faith Martin Perez a plaine dealing Papist knowing that all those points of doctrine which are in controuersie betwixt his fellowes and vs are grounded rather vpon tradition then scripture doth entitle his whole discourse of these matters de traditionibus that is a discourse of traditions Finally Bellarmine lib. 2. de Pontif. Rom. cap. 31. doth call the Pope the foundation of the building of the church Fundamentum aedisicij ecclesiae and in his preface before his bookes de pontisice Rom. he saith that the seat of Peter or the Popes chaire is the approued stone the corner and pretious stone placed in the soundation of which the Prophet I say speaketh c. 8. and 28. and with him concurreth Sanders in his booke of the Rocke of the church Stapleton also declareth the matter most plainely in praefat in relect princip doctr where he saith that the foundation of the knowledge of Christian religion is necessarily placed in the authority of the Pope teaching vs in whom he saith he heareth God speaking to vs. his wordes are in hac docentis hominis authoritate he speaketh of the Pope in qua deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscenda fundamentum necessariò pom credimus and this others must necessarily also hold for they hold him to be the supreme interpreter of scriptures and an infallible Iudge of all controuersies of religion and a law-giuer to our consciences binding all mens consciences by his lawes which is the common opinion as Bellarmine lib. 4. de Pontifice Rom. c. 16. saith of all casuistes a pitifull case therefore it is wherein the Papistes stand whose consciences are chained with so many bondes This then being found in the suruey of the grounds of Popish religion let vs also consider what conclusions may be hence inferred that we may as well suruey the conclusions as the premisses First it followeth that these grounds being blasphemous both in regard of the spirit of God which is the enditer and author of holy scriptures and also in regard of Christ Iesus the foundation of the church and finisher of our saith the doctrine and religion of Popery cannot be cleere of blasphemie for to match Popish decretales with holy scriptures and the Popes determination with Gods law is derogatory to Gods holy spirit and a plaine disparagement to Gods holy law likewise it is blasphemous to accuse the holy scriptures of insufficiencie and imperfection and to attribute more certaintie and perspicuitie to the decretales of the Pope then to the lawes of God it is also blasphemous either to remoue Christ out of the foundation of the church or at the least to ioyne the Pope with him in the foundation and that as a more necessary foundation for the knowledge of Christian religion as Stapleton saith the same also is directly contrary to the words of the Apostle 1. Cor. 3. Ephes 2. and of S. Iames. c. 4. in the first of which places we finde that no other foundation can be layd of the church but Christ Iesus in the 2. we reade that the Church is founded vpon the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the cheefe corner stone in the 3. we vnderstand that there is only one Law-giuer and Iudge which is able to saue and destroy it is finally very impious and blasphemous to assirme that the Pope is a more certaine and superiour Iudge then God himselfe speaking to vs in scriptures or then the Apostles and Prophets that were ledde into all truth by the spirit of God of other blasphemies of Popery
decretales and Romish traditions CHAP. III. Of the wicked doctrine of Papistes concerning the law of God and the performance thereof LOng it were to relate all the wicked and false doctrines of Popery in euery point of Christian faith beside that the same is performed largely by diuers learned men in diuers ample volumes we will therefore heere speake onely of some principall points of religion and shew how they haue beene by our aduersaties most notoriously abused and corrupted and so proceed to intreat of the beginnings proceedings impieties falsities contradictions and other abuses and defects that are generally found in Popery First then wee finde that they haue not only taught impiously of Gods law but also reiected the same for their owne traditions generallie they hold that the Popes lawes bind in conscience and that it is sinne to transgresse them but if this were so then were not the knowledge of sinne by the law as the Apostle teacheth vs neither were the law of God perfect nor a certaine rule of Christian life nor were God the onely lawgiuer that could saue and destroy Bellarmine lib. 1. de stat peccat c. 3. saith that there are certaine sinnes or transgressions of the law so light and little that they deserue not eternall death but this doth frustrate the sanction or vigour of the law that pronounceth them accursed which continue not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to do them as we read Galat. 3. The Scotists and most Papists now hold that the Virgin Mary was neither conceiued in sinne nor euer committed sinne but the Apostle Rom. 5 saith that by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne went ouer all and Galat. 3. he sheweth how the scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne All of them hold that in the regenerate concupiscence is no sinne yet can they not deny but that concupiscence is forbidden by the law of God and thereupon the Iebusites in their censure of Colein denie all to bee sinne that is repugnant to the law of God Let Christians therefore imagine whether they will follow the Apostle that sheweth sin to bee knowen by the law and that concupiscence is sinne or the Iebusites denying the same The Iebusites of Collein fol. 194. affirm that what the law commandeth concerning the loue of God with our whole hart mind soule pertaineth not to vs in this life as if God had giuen a law to soules in the life to come and not to men in this life this error our Sauiour confuteth Matth. 22. where he assoileth the Scribes question concerning the greatest commandement in the law The same fellowes fol. 48. affirme that a regenerate man is able to performe the law of God perfectly but if this be so then they are deepe plunged in the heresie of the Pelagians who were condemned for holding that Christians are able to liue without all sinne The Papists teach that we are to bee iustified and saued by the workes of the law but the Apostle 2. Cor. 3. teacheth contrarie that the law is the minister of death The law of God forbiddeth vs the hauing of other gods beside him in which commandement wee are also forbidden to giue the honour of God to creatures but Papists beside God in heauen haue a God on earth as appeareth euidently by the chap. satis dist 96. and diuers glosses of canonists and glosing flatteries of Papistes they worship the sacrament also as God and Bellarmine lib. de monachis c. 14. doth call Saints Gods by participation the honour of God they giue to Saints and Angels yea to the images of Christ of the Crosse and of the Trinity in the honour of Angels and Saints they say masses and offices they erect churches altars and images and burne incense vnto them they call vpon them sweare by them make vowes and confesse their sinnes vnto them The second law of the first table prohibiteth the making of grauen images to the intent to bow vnto them and to worship them but Papistes do both make them and praie and crouch before them they do also offer gifts and burne incense vnto them as the heathen did to their idols nay which the heathen did neuer they giue the same honour to a picture of Christ or of the Crosse or of the Trinity which they giue to God himselfe praying to the Crosse they say ô Crosse of Christ protect me ô Crosse of Christ defend mee from all euill The third law forbid deth periury the vaine vse of swearing and all abuses of Gods holy name and word but little is the same regarded by the Pope and his complices for they do not onely breake their oathes but also lightly dispense with periured persons Gregory the seuenth as in his life appeareth forswore the papacy and yet regarded not his oath the like we find related of Pope Formosus commonly they loose and assoile subiects from the bond of their oath to Princes absoluit Gregorius 7. omnes a iuramento quos fidei tenuit obligatio saith he that wrote the life of Henry the fourth Paschal the second hauing solemnly sworne to the Emperour presently brake his oath as we may see in Otho Frisingensis and diuers other historiographers Gregory the twelsth as Theodoric à Niem testifieth tract vnion 6. c. 29. was publickely accounted a periured person periurus publicus Charles the French King as Theodoric à Niem tract vnion 6. c. 14. testifieth chargerh Gregory the twelfth and Peter de luna with periury violauerunt sidem fregerunt votum promissum non tenuerunt and againe ô magnum scelestum facinus saith hee speaking of their periuries Innocent the seuenth hauing vowed and sworne to vnite the papacy would not doe it notwithstanding his oath as wee read tract vnion 6. c. 39. quam vouit iurauit facere noluit vnionem in the conuenticle of Constance it was decreed by this wicked synagogue that oathes and promises were not to be holden being made to heretickes the periury of Ladislaus which Eugenius the fourth induced him vnto cost the losse of many mens liues Gulcciardine histor lib. 8. doth testifie that the Pope decreed that it should be lawfull to recall all couenants and promises made by the Popes predecessors that impious fellow Pius the 5. in his Bul against Queene Elizabeth of pious memory did excommunicate such as would not take armes against her and yet her subiects were sworne to obey her all Papists commonly are great swearers and forswearers in the Roman Catechisme in 2. mandat they complaine that their people were giuen to swearing and cursing Quis non videat say they omnia iureiurando assirmari omnia imprecationibus execrationibus referta esse they sweare by saints bread salt and other creatures infringing Gods commandement Deut. 6. that requireth men to sweare by his name Finally the Popes and their complices most shamefully wrest and turne scriptures making them serue to their humours and pleasures The fourth
Platina saith obteined of Phocas the Emperour that the church of Rome should be called and holden the head of other churches The councell of Rome that authorised the Popish real presence of Christs body and blood in the Sacrament was celebrated vnder Pope Nicolas the 2. some 1050. yeares after Christ the 2. Nicene Councell that established the worship of images in some sort was assembled long before vnder the reigne of Irene but the actes of the councell could not bee receiued in the Westerne church till long after the councel of Lateran that decreed transubstantiation was assembled in the times of Innocentius the 3. the councell of Constance that first brought in the communion vnder one kind and the subsistence of accidents without subiect was summoned about the yeare of our Lord 1414 the synode of Florence that first established the 7. sacraments and beganne to talke of their formes and confirmed the Popes supremacy and Purgatory published her decrees about the yeare of our Lord 1439. the actes of the conuenticle of Trent that made vp a complete body of Popery were confirmed by Pius the 4. in the yeare of our Lord 1564. and this is the antiquity of those conuenticles that doe principallie confirme the doctrine of Popery The scholemen crept into the church about the yeare of our Lord 1200. the father of them al was Peter Lombard that flourished some 1140. yeares after Christ The canonists began after the times of Gregory the ninth that liued and flourished about the yeare of our Lord God 1230. The chiefe founders of Popery were the Popes by their authority the Cardinals by their counseill the Monkes and Friers by their bookes and preaching the Masse-priests by their massing and practising the dinel himselfe by his craft malice and violence the Popes authority in ecclesiasticall canses was not great before the times of Boniface the third nor in temporall matters before Gregory the seuenth Boniface the ninth as Theodoric à Niem testifieth by craft entered vpon the temporall inrisdiction of Rome The cardinals were but parish priests vntill such time as the Pope of a Priest became a Prince the monkes in the West church are descended from Benet of Nursia that liued about the yeare of our Lord 530. the Friers arose out of the bottomlesse pit about the yere of our Lord 1230. their first fathers were Francis and Dominicke the last brood of Friers flew abroad into the world vnder the leading of Ignatius Loyola a lame souldier anno Dom. 1540. the diuell being bound vp for a thousand yeere counting from the time of Constantine began to be loosed againe about the time of Innocent the third and by all fraud to worke in the heads of Popes Friers Monkes and Masse-priests and with violence to make opposition against all those that preached the truth The foundation therefore of Poperie being so lately laid and the chiefe founders thereof beginning to stirre so long after the times of the Apostles and ancient fathers it were great simplicitie if we should affirme poperie to be ancient But the same doth most clearely appeare by the particular doctrines of poperie which the Popes factours maintaine against vs. first they hold that holy scriptures are imperfect and no sufficient rule of faith Bellarmine lib. 4. de verbo Dei c 12. affirmeth that they are onely apart of the rule but none but heretickes in ancient time did derogate from scriptures 2. They teach that holy scriptures and the traditions of the church are to be receiued with equall affection but that was first determined in the 4. session of the conuenticle of Trent 3. In that wicked conuenticle also they first determined that the old Latine vulgar translation of the Bible should be authenticall 4. That the bishop of Rome is souereigne iudge of al controuersies of religion and the principall interpreter of scriptures is a point taught of late since Friers began to steele their faces with a double maske of impudency 5. Before the late conuenticle of Trent wee neuer read but that concupiscence was sinne both in the regenerat and vnregenerat as being contrary to the law of God 6. Stapleton in his preface to his relection of doctrinall principles is the first man that euer taught that wee heare God speaking in the Pope and that the church is founded vpon his authoritie 7. The first that euer called the Pope a God on the earth are the Popes canonists they likewise began first to call him the head and spouse of the church an vniuersall bishop 8. The Papists of late time only began to prohibit scriptures to be read publickely in vulgar tongues and to repine at Gods people that desire to reade them in those tongues for the ancient fathers exhort men to reade scriptures 9. Since Dioclesians time wee do not reade of any that burned bookes of scriptures besides Papists neither did any since his time hold out his feet to be kissed 10. Of late time Papists beleeue no Catholicke church but that which is subiect to the bishop of Rome whereas in time past the Catholicke church was held to bee dispersed through all nations and not vniuersally subiected to other head than Christ 11. The Romish church now obserueth not the old canons of the Apostles as they are commonly called ex 84. Apostolicis canonibus sayth Medina de sacror hom continent c. 105. quos Clemens Romanus pontifex eorundem Apostolorum discipulus in vnum coegit vix sex aut octo Latina Ecclesia nunc obseruat Martin Perez also de tradit part 3. c. de authorit cc. Apost confesseth that the Apostles canons now are not well obserued 12. The ancient Christians did neuer confesse their sinnes to the blessed virgin to S. Michael to Peter and Paul and other saints as the Romish Masse-priests do 13. Of late the Clerke at Masse hath taken vpon him to absolue the Priest and to pray for him a matter both strange and absurd 14. The confession of the faith set out by Pius the fourth concerning Romish traditions instification by works the seuen sacraments the sacrifice of the masse indulgences and such like points of Popery was neuer heard of before the time of that wicked Pope 15. The Papists can not shew that any Christian before of late durst cut out the second commandement out of the first Table as they haue presumed to do in their short Catechismes This they did knowing themselues to be guilty in worshipping images of the breach thereof 16. The decree of Sixtus the fourth concerning the conception of the blessed virgin without originall sinne is but a late deuice 17. It is not long since the Papists taught that veniall sinnes are done away with holy water 18. He should be very shamelesse that would say that Christians in time past did whip themselues either going in procession or before the crucifix as now Papists doe hoping to redeeme their sinnes with their owne blood 19. Ancient Christians neuer beleeued that it was sinne to transgresse
all the fathers almost denie publicke penance to Priests and Deacons fallen into notorious crimes but the popish faction regardeth them not one iote Bellarmine lib. 1. de eucharist c. 11. saith that Augustine did not well weigh these words of Luke I will drinke no more of the fruit of the vine Augustine lib. 22. de ciuit Dei c. 10. saith that Christians doe not worship martyrs or erect remples in their honour lib. 1. de morib eccles c. 3. he denieth that we are to adore any ereature Hierome also ioineth with him in this opinion mepist ad Riparium but the popish sect doth not regard what they say nor followeth their doctrine Finally it were an easie matter to shew the fathers to bee aduerse to popery in all materiall controuersies but what shall wee neede to doe it seeing their late corruptions and false allegations of fathers doe plainlie testifie that they doe not hope for victory if the fathers may be truely alleadged of late they haue set out indexes expurgatory teaching Printers how to falsifie fathers Sixtus Senensis inepist ad Pium 5. ante biblioth sanct sheweth how that Pope had caused the fathers to bee purged or rather corrupted expurgari fecisti omnium authorum catholicorum saith he praecipuè veterum patrum scripta Pameluts hath most shamefully corrupted Cyprian and the like course all Papists take with the bookes of the fathers lately set foorth Somtime also they confesse the corruption of fathers Aeneas Sylu. lib. 1. de gest concil Basil sheweth how Popes stand vpon these words vocaberis Cephas and lanch into the deepe and such like neglecting the exposition of all the holy doctors posthabitis omnino omnium sanctorum expositionibus Alan Chartier saith they reiect the holy doctrine of fathers sanctâ—â— patrum doctrine reiectae posthabitae sunt Matth. Paris in Wilhelmo Conquest speaking of Hildebrandes decree against maried Priests saith it was made without consideration and against the iudgement of holy fathers inconsiderato iudicio contra sanctorum patrum sententiam CHAP. XIX That Popish religion was neuer testified by the blood of Christian martyrs STrange it were if the martyrs of Christ should turne from Christ and testifie for Antichrist yet because the aduersaries of truth doe boast of ancient martyrs and Bristow in his 15. motiue doth place Martyrs as setters foorth of the Popes glorious kingdome we are briefly to shew that the testification of Martyrs maketh nothing for popish religion and that appeareth first for that the Papists refuse to bee tried by the doctrine of the Apostles which were principall Martyrs Secondly we haue shewed that the principall points of Popery were neither taught nor receiued during the time of the primitiue Martyrs nor many ages after and that many points now taught and receiued among Papists were then refused as heresies Thirdly Papists adore idols and burne incense vnto them but the ancient Martyrs were therefore martyred cruelly put to death because they would not consent to the worship of idols nor burne incense to them Fourthly the practises of Papists declare that they are more like to the heathen Emperors and persecutors of Christians then to the ancient martyrs of Christs church for as they massacred Christians for maintenance of the Apostolike faith so do the Popes and their complices massacre all that stand for the same as they by sword and fire sought to vphold idolatry so doe these as they hated them deadly which taught the true faith so doe these Finally the confession of the faith published by Pius the fourth and that doctrine which the conuenticle of Trent hath of late confirmed and commanded to be taught and beleeued is in many points contrarie to the faith of ancient martyrs and in all points of controuersie betwixt Papists and vs vtterly vnknowne to them The holy Apostles commend scriptures and so doe ancient martyrs but Papists accuse them of insufficiencie obscuritie flexibility and call them a nose of waxe and a killing letter Ancient martyrs were burned and put to death because they would not deliuer holy scriptures to be burnt the Papists doe burne scriptures and suspect such for heretikes as reade them in vulgar tongues The Apostles and Primitiue martyrs beleeued the scriptures because they came from God the Papists will not haue scriptures to bee belecued vnlesse they be deliuered by the Pope They taught neither heresie nor impiety nor noueltie but Popish religion as before is declared is full of heresies impieties nouelties In ancient time the Bishops of Rome were martyrs now those that call themselues their successors doe murder Gods Saints and make them martyrs Ancient martyrs taught that one God was to bee adored the Papists giue diuine honour to the crosse and crucifixe and call the Sacrament their Lord and God Ancient martyrs did breake downe images now the Papists erect them fall downe before them and worship them Finally ancient martyrs neuer beleeued that either doggs or hogs could eate Christs body or that the same was in any place where it could neither be felt nor seene or that the same was both in heauen and earth and euery pixe at one time or that bread is transubstaÌ„tiated into Christs body or that Christians do with their teeth eate mans flesh or with their throats swallow mans blood or that the bishop of Rome is lord and monarch of the church or that he can fetch souls out of Purgatorie or that there is a treasure of Saints merites out of which indulgences are granted or that Christians are iustified by extreme vnction or eating fish and such like Popish deuises Neither is it materiall that these holy martyrs are put in Popish calenders for the Iewes bragged of their father Abraham and adorned the sepulchers of the Prophets although they neither abode in the faith of Abraham nor followed the doctrine of the Prophets Further Bristow telleth vs that S. Stephen helped all those that sought vnto him but his proofes are drawne out of legendes and certeine counterset sermons of S. Augustine in his 22. chapter de ciuit dei c. 8. there is no such matter and yet these reports that are there inserted seeme to be none of S. Augustines but suppose certein superstitious persoÌ„s should pray to S. Stephen yet S. Stephen neuer taught them so to do nor allowed such formes of praiers Lastly he talketh of Fisher More the Charterhouse monks and diuers that died in king Henry the 8. the late Queens reigne for the Popes cause and telleth vs that they were of his religion but it is first denied that they were martyrs and next that Fisher and More were of the moderne Romish religion the first is proued for that they died for the Pope and not for Christ Secondly they died as traitors either by open rebellion or by ouert act oppugning the Princes authoritie the second is euident for that diuers of them died before the conuenticle of Trent which hath now published a new forme of faith and decreed many things
which then were not knowen nor beleeued as matters of faith these fellowes therefore are liker the Martyrian heretikes then to Christs martyrs and if they be honored of any it is of rebels leaguers and traitors combined with the Pope and forrein enemies against their Prince and countrie so likewise the Circūcellions were honored of their consorts as martyrs yet Augustine epist 58. speaking of them saith they liued as robbers and were honored as martyrs viuebant vt latrones honorabantur vt martyres CHAP. XX. That Popery is a meere humane deuise and not in any sort to be deduced or proued out of holy scriptures In matters of religion we are diligently to take heede that we passe not beyond the commandements of God vpon whose word only all true religion is founded Whatsoeuer I command you saith Moyses Deut. 12. take heede you doe it you shall put nothing thereto nor take ought therefrom our Sauiour Christ Matth. 15. telleth vs that they worship God in vaine that teach for doctrines mens precepts finally the apostle Coloss 2. condemneth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or voluntary worship taken vp by men without warrant and well doth the old Latine interpreter of the bible translate that word superstition let vs then a litle consider whether Popish religion be deriued out of holy scriptures or else bee onlie a packe of humane deuises The masse as our aduersaries themselues confesse was framed at seuerall times and by diuers authors Polydore de inuentorib lib. 5. c. 10. saith S. Peter after consecration vsed only the Lords prayer and that S. Iames and S. Basil did encrease the mysteries out of Walasridus Platina Naucler and others we reade that Caelestine made the introit beginning iudica me deus that Damasus added the confession said by the Priest and Gregory the Antiphona and Kyris eleeson and Telesp horus Gloria in excelsis and Gelasius certaine oraysons or clauses of oray sons and the praier te igitur and Syricius communicantes and so we see how it was peeced by little and litle In the consecration of the cuppe they haue added to the words of our Sauiour the words aeterni and mysterium fidei Innocentius c. cum Marthae de celebrat missar saith first that they were added by the Apostles albeit not found in the gospell as if it were not a simple matter to thinke that they did not write that which they thought sufficient he saith again that they are proued out of the words of the Gospel but his proofes are ridiculous for he must shew that these words were vsed where they are placed which he doth not so much as once endeuor to doe The Masses in honour of Saints and Angels are deuised by men and that very lately Thomas Aquinas as is said deuised the office said on corpus Christi day who deuised the masses and offices said in honour of S. Francis and S. Dominicke and other late Saints the Papists themselues doe not know The Psalter of our Lady as some thinke was deuised by Bonauenture her Offices are of a latter stampe all are meere humane deuises without any ground of scripture That Priests offer Christ to his father for the sinnes of quicke and dead nay for sicke horses and pigges and whatsoeuer necessities else can be imagined is a deuise of man and no way to be iustified by Christs institution Christ instituting baptisme said baptize and not spit and salt and grease and light candles he said also to his Disciples being present take and eate and not gape and gaze the ceremonies therefore vsed in baptisme and in the masse by Papists proceed not out of Gods word It is also a meere humane deuise that no Priest may say Masse without water and fire and is prescribed not by euangelicall authority but by the Pope in the chap. literas tuas de celebrat missar The worship of the sacrament and the custody thereof in a pixe dependeth on the decretale Sane cum olim de celebrat miss and was first brought in and inuented by Honorius the third The practise of Priests in saying canonicall houres commeth from no canon of scripture but from the constitution presbyter de celebrat missar In ancient time the reliques of martyrs were buried in the ground and might not be touched but humane curiosity hath thought it better now to dig them out of the ground and to place them in the altar and to worship them and that without any instruction or direction of holy scriptures Popish litanies wherein Papists pray to Angels Saints and sometime to those which are no Saints are diuers from the formes of praiers prescribed in scriptures and lately brought in by the deuise of superstitious Monkes Friers and Masse-priests Benet Francis Dominicke and other authors of feined religions tooke not their rules from the Gospel but thought they could frame a more perfect religion then the Gospell The Popes triple crowne guard of Suizzers crossed slipper and such like deuises will hardly be found in the writings of the Apostles S. Peter certes neuer wore any such crown nor had any such guard Where they praie to the crosse in the breuiarie and say increase righteousnesse in the godly and grant pardon to sinners they doe it of their owne head and shall neuer find any such praier in scriptures Boniface the eight first ordeined the feast of the Iubiley and Clement the fifth appointed the feast of corpus Christi but if you aske their warrant they will shew you some other authority than from the Apostles Sixtus quartus ordained the feast of our Ladies conception and another Pope of her assumption but both vpon false grounds supposing that she was conceiued without sin and that her bodie was taken vp into heauen they maintain the same also by lies and apocryphall fables Finallie it is an easie matter to shew that the formes and signes of popish confirmation extreme vnction and other new made sacraments are prescribed by Popes and their adherents without warrant of holy scripture CHAP. XXI That popish religion in diuers points is directly contrary to holy scriptures NEither is popery only destitute of warrant out of scriptures but also directly contrarie in some points to holy scriptures In the law Deut. 12. we are expressely forbidden to adde to the law of God or to take from it The Papists offend both waies for to the lawes of God they adde the precepts of the Romish church and decretales of Popes and say they binde the conscience they doe also cut out the second commandement concerning the worship of images as their short catechismes and primers doe testifie and by false interpretations corrupt Gods law In the first commandement we are forbidden to haue other Gods beside the God of heauen and earth but the Masse-priests as before is declared call the sacrament their Lord and God and honour the Pope as a God on earth and giue diuine honour to creatures which is as much as if they should expresselie command their
of all men and not to be iudged of any Againe where we read in the Gospell behold heere are two swords he presumeth the meaning of those words to be that the Pope hath two swords he doth also in the same place abuse the words of God Hierem. 1. ecce constitut te hodie super gentes regna in the same manner that Innocentius did as is shewed before In the chapt per venerabilem qui filij sunt legitimi Innocentius concludeth that Deuteronomy is to be obserued of Christans because Deuteronomium importeth as much as the second law By the place which the Lord hath chosen spoken of Deut. 17. he vnderstandeth the Popes see locus quem elegit dominus Apostolicasedes esse cognoscitur saith he By the priests of the stocke of Leui he vnderstandeth the Cardinals his words are these sunt sacerdotes leuiticâ— generis fratres nostri Vocaberis Cephas id est caput thou shalt be called Cephas that is a head saith Anacletus in a certaine decretale epistle and c. sacrosancta dist 22. Suscitabo super eos pastorem vnum saith God by his prophet Ezech. c. 34. that is I will set ouer them a shepherd and he prophecieth of Christ but Turrecremata lib. 2. sum c. 2. applieth these words to the Pope The priest sprinkling himselfe and the altar with holy water as is conteined in the missale in the consecration of holy water saith thou shalt sprinkle me o Lord with hysope and I shall be cleane as if the Prophet had prophesied of holie water When a church is consecrated the Bishop without saith attollite principes portas vestras and then answereth a certein quidamet fellow within quis est ille rex gloriae and then out steppeth a fellow with a mitre and saith I am the king of glory thus doe they play with the words of holy scripture and blasphemously applie the words spoken of Christ to a mumming Masse-priest Alexander the third treading vpon the Emperours necke vttered these words of the 91. Psalme to his disgrace thou shalt walke vpon the Lion and Aspe and Boniface the eigth for these words remember man that thou art dust said to the bishop of Genua remember man thou art Gibelline and with them thou shalt be beaten to dust The canonists in the chapter translato c. de constitutionibus beleeue that the Pope hath power to make lawes because the Apòstle saith translato sacerdotio necesse est vt legis translatio siat but in these words the Apostle speaketh not of the Pope but of Christ and his priesthood Turrecremata lib. 1. sum c. 90. finding these words 2. King 7. I will establish the seate of his kingdome for euer imagineth that this prophecy sheweth how the Popes kingdome shall endure for euer and lib. 2. sum c. 80. by the faithfull seruant set ouer the whole family Luke 22. hee vnderstandeth the Pope which as hee saith is set ouer the whole Church and lib. 1. c. 8. expounding these words Apocalyps 4. sedes posita est in coelo supra sedem sedens in circuitu eius sedil 〈◊〉 24. super thronos 24. seniores by the seat he vnderstandeth the Popes see and by heauen the church of Rome and by him that sate vpon the seat the Pope and by the 24. elders the Cardinals Isay 40. we reade quis appendit tribus digitis molem terrae and by these words Hosites confess Petricou c. 10. supposeth to bee meant that the signe of the crosse is to bee made with three singers Bellarmine in his preface vnto his booke de Pontif. Rom. doth wrest the words of scripture spoken of Christ the corner stone laid in the foundation of the Church and draweth them most impudently to the Pope These words of the Prophet adducentur regi virgines post eam which are meant of the church the synagogue of Rome in their missal vpon the feast of S. Catherine wrest so as if they had beene meant of her On the feast of Clement in their missall they apply these words thou art a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech to Clement On the feast of Cecilia likewise in the missall these words audi filia vide inclina aurem tuam c. which are spoken of the church they applie to Cecilia These words ego ex ore altissims prodiui primogenita ante omnem creaturâ—â—â— they applie in their breuiaries to the Virgin Mary as if she were the first borne before all creatures Thus it were an easie matter to bring infinite examples out of the bookes of our aduersaries and to make it apparent that they make no conscience of wresting scriptures but these are sufficient for this first taste CHAP. XXIII That the Pope and the principall proctours of his cause are great forgers and falsifiers of fathers profane writers and of publicke records SEing then they make so little scruple to wrest the words of holy scriptures wee may not thinke that our aduersaries will be scrupulous in falsifying either publicke records or the writings of the fathers and other authors for first wee find diuers counterfet writings auouched by them which were neuer written by those who are pretended to be the authours vnder the names of the Apostles they haue set forth canons which conteine diuers errors in the 46. canon they condemne the baptisme of heretickes in the 84. canon Ezdras and Nehemias is omitted and Clements epistles put among canonicall scriptures Leo c. Clementis dist 16. and Isidore c. canones in the same distinction and Gelasius c. sancta Romana dist 15. doe reckon them among apocryphall writings which they would not doe vnlesse they were counterfet 2. They haue also falsified the acts of councels of the acts of the councell of Sinuessa Peter Crabbe setteth out 3. copies neuer a one agreeing with the other the stile is so simple that it can no way agree with the forme of speech of those times the like falsitie is committed in the acts of the councell of Rome supposed to bee assembled vnder Syluester Russine reporteth onely 20. canons made in the councell of Nice and Stephen bishop of Rome c. viginti dist 16. confirmeth his saying but Gratian vnder colour of the authority of Athanasius saith there are 70. as appeareth by the chap. septuagint dist 16. now one Alphonsus of Pisa a Iebusite hath published 80. canons of that councell translates as he saith out of Arabicke In the sixth councel of Carthage Sozimus bishop of Rome was conuicted manifestly to haue falsified a canon of the Nicene councell concerning appeales to the bishop of Rome Paschasius one of the Popes agents in the 16. action of the Councell of Chalcedon thrust in a peece of counterfeit stuffe into a canon of the councell of Nice as if that councell had said that the church of Rome had alwaies the primacie this he did or at the least some vnder his name as appeareth in the acts of that councell Likewise Bellarmine lib. 2. de
c. in canonicis dist 19. doth falsifie S. Augustine In our country the Papists haue falsified a statute anno 2. Henrici 4. c. 15. by adding these words ac etiam communitates dictiregni thereby to authorise their cruell burning of Christians as by statute whereas in the originall rolle no such words are to be found so it appeareth that all the cruell executions of Christians in Quene Maries time were contrary to law he that looketh into the originall record in the tower shall find this most true We may therefore say of our aduersaries that which Hierome in symbolum Russini saith of men of their quality peruersi homines ad assertionem dogmatum suorum sub virorum sanctorum nomine interseruerunt ea quae illi nunquam scripserunt nonnulli Hiberas naenias libris authenticis praeferunt peruerse men for proofe of their opinions haue interlaced vnder the names of holy men things which they neuer wrote and some preferre idle fables before authenticall bookes May we thinke them then honest men which practise such falsitie CHAP. XXIIII That Popery standeth much vpon heathenish obseruances and customes CHristian religion intendeth the ouerthrow of heathenish impietie and idolatry Yet such is the craft of Satan that by the ministery of the Pope he hath established many heathenish customes vnder colour of Christian religion for first as the lawes of heathen nations were partly written and partly vnwritten so our aduersaries haue one word of God written and another vnwritten as we reade sess 4. concil Trid. do esteeme both with equall affection but the Apostle teacheth vs that the scriptures are able to make vs wise vnto saluation and Ireney lib. 3. c. 1. saith the scriptures are the pillar and foundation of our faith neque hominis consuetudinem sequi oportet sed Dei veritatem saith Cyprian lib. 2. epist 3. that is we are not to follow mens customes but Gods truth our church saith Saluianus lib. 5. de prouident des is more happilie founded vpon the scriptures only videtur nostrae ecclesia ex vna seripturafeliciùs instituta Secondly the schoolemen build their opinions as well vpon Aristotle and other Philosophers and their authority as vpon the Prophets and Apostles Bernard of Luzemburg in catal haeret sheweth how the doctors of Colein defined that Aristotle was the forerunner of Christ in naturalibus as Iohn Baptist was his forerunner in diuinis writing vpon the first booke of Lombards sentences dist 3. they seeke out the distinction of the 3. persons in the Trinitie by similitudes drawen out of Philosophy by the same also they hope to finde out the eternall generation of the sonne of God albeit the Prophet doe declare it to be menarrable and the like they attempt in disputing of the proceeding of the holie Ghost Gratian in the chap. decretis dist 21. talking of diuers orders and degrees in the Romish hierarchy confesseth that this difference was diduced from the gentiles horum discretio saith he a gentilibus maximè introducta est qui suos flamines alios simpliciter flamines alios archislamines alios protoslamines appellabant Gregorie the first writing to Mellitus as we may read in Bede lib. 1. hist Angl. c. 30. permitted the English to build boothes in the day of the dedication of their churches and to kill oxen for the praise of God which were customes of pagans seruing idoles Boniface the 4. consecrated the Church called Pantheon wherein Cybele and all heathen Gods were worshipped to our Lady and all Saints as is testified by Platina Iohn di Pineda and others this sheweth that the worship of Saints is succeded in liew of the worship of Idols and heathen Gods Baruch c. 6. speaking of the Priests of the gentiles saith they haue their heads and beards shauen from them therefore came the Popish shauing of their Prìests heads and beards From them also the Papists borow the scourging themselues before the crosse and other images for before their idoles the Priests of Baal did lance themselues the Priests of Cybele did also whip themselues as Apuleius testifieth The gentiles did keepe secret the mysteries of their religion so doe the Papists likewise vttering the canon of the Masse in a low voice lest the people should heare it and reading the scriptures in vnknowen and strange languages and they yeelde this reason lest holie things should bee cast to dogges The best ground that Bellarmine laieth for proofe of the Popes monarchy is for that the gentiles thought that forme of gouernement best but God in disposing of matters of ecclesiasticall gouernment boroweth no precedents from the gentiles Thomas Aquinas p. 3. q. 59. art 1. by a Philosophicall argument drawen from the similitude betweene our sprituall and corporall life proueth the number of his seuen sacramentes By Philosophy also the Popes agents proue that one body may be in many places at once and yet sill no place out of holy scripture certes they are not able to deriue anie proofe for it The worship of Saints is a meere tricke of Gentilisme for as the Gentiles had one principall god and diuers demie and inferior gods so haue the Papists Ambrose in chap. 1. ad Rom. saith the gentiles vsed the mediation of others to God as men vse to come to princes by tribunes and hushiers so likewise doe the papists they gaue the honor of God to creatures honorem nominis Dei deferunt creaturae so likewise doe Papists Likewise the worship of images is a meere inuention of Pagans in the book of Wisdome c. 14. they are called idoles of the nations this is plainly declared by Athanasius in his treatise against idolatry and Cyprian de idolorum vanitate Ambrose in Psal 118. ser 10. saith gentiles did worship wood because they thought it to be the image of God gentes lignum adorant quia dei imaginem putant so likewise Papists worship images not because of the matter but because they represent the image of God and in his commentaries vpon the first chapter to the Romanes he saith the gentiles changed the glory of God into the likenesse of men so that the forme of a corruptible man is by them called God and so likewise Papists call the image of God God and the image of Christ Christ and change the glory of the incorruptible God into the likenesse of man At Rome the temple of Romulus and Remus is now turned into the church of S. Cosmas and Damianus The temple of Faunus into the church of S. Stephen and at Loreto the church of Iuno Cupra into the chappell of our Lady of Loreto Gregory in his dialogues lib. 2. c. 8. sheweth that Benet in stead of Apollo substituted S. Martin in the castle of Cassinum and that he erected an altar to S. Iohn in the place where an altar stood dedicated to Apollo nay so litle difference there is betweene paganisme and popery that the image of Inpiter in brasse doth now serue in S. Peters church at Rome for the
Gods worship and persecuted their enemies like most cruell tyrantes that afterward they might with more security satisfie their lusts when there was none to controll them Ioannes Marius de schism part 3. c. 5. testifieth that all the euils of christendome haue proceeded from the malice ambition and auarice of wicked Popes a malitia ambitione auaritia sceleratorum paparum omnia mala in mundo proueniunt Robert Grosted as Matthew Paris testifieth in Henrico 3. did bitterly inueigh against the couetousnesse vsury simony rapines excesse and luxuriousnesse of the court of Rome neither doth Budaeus de Asse or Valla contra Donationem Constantini say lesse against the Popes then he Next to the Popes the Cardinals Masse-priests Monks and Friers and of late yeares the Dominicans Franciscans and Iebusites are the chiefe aduancers teachers and defenders of Romish heresies of which if we say litle men may suppose there is no more to be said if we say what they deserue and is in authenticall bookes reported of them it would exceede the proportion of this short Suruey onlie thus much we say of many things that may be said Brigit in her reuelations testifieth that Cardinals are excessiue in pride couetousnesse al delights of the flesh 4. Brig 49. cardinales extenti effusi sunt ad omnem superbiam cupiditatem delectamentum carnis Pelaguis lib. 2. de planct eccles art 16. saith they are encreased in riches but much diminished in pietie aucta est possessio diminuta religio The same man lib. 2. de planct leccles art 20. saith the prelates of the church haue declared their sinnes like Sodome Peccatum suum sicut Sodoma praedicauerunt Mantuan Alphonsi lib. 6. saith that the priests hate their flocks and care not to feed them but to poll them and mocke them Pastores saith he odere pecus nec pascere curant Sed tondere greges pecorique illudere tonso Catherine of Siena c. 125. saith that religious men pretend angels liues but for the most part are woorse then diuels Religiosi collocati sunt in religione velut angeli sed quam plurimi sunt daemonibus deteriores What the Iebusites are I report me to the French carechisme of Iesuites set out by a Papist and a learned man and to the discourses of the secular priests against them they shew they are couetous false proud cruell malicious and diuels incarnate for the rest I referre them ouer to the 2. booke 2. chap. of my answer to Rob. Parsons his Warn-word a man in whom most of the capitall vices of the Iebusites may be specified The chiefe mainteiners of Popery in our times if we speake of lay men were Charles the 9. of France Henry the 3. his brother Philip the 2. of Spaine the duke of Alua the duke of Guise and his brethren the earle of Westmerland the head of the rebellion in the North. but if we seeke all histories we shall hardly finde woorse men Charles the 9. was a notorious sweater a perfidious and licentious prince Henry the 3. was superstitious and altogether giuen to carnall delights What Philip the 2. was his wiues and sonne and the innocents done to death by him for religion will speake one day the Duke of Guise and Alita were cruell and bloodie men perfidious and wicked atheists the first more giuen to pleasure the second to auarice Charles of westmerland was a rebell to his prince and a man consumed with his own delights and pleasures Is it not then a matter ridiculous that Masse-priests should so excessiuely commend this religion that had such founders and fauorers as these are and which as we see was inuented and confirmed by wicked men and vpholden by fraude and force CHAP. XLVII That Popery in many points is more absurd and abominable then the doctrine of Mahomet THe impieties and abominations of Turkish religion are so many that hardly can we recount them and so odious and horrible that no Christian can take pleasure to heare them and yet if we please to looke into the secret mysteries of Popery and to examine all the odious and abominable doctrines of the Romish synagogue we may well make question whether of the two religions deserueth more to be abhorred and hated for first the Turkes do speake well of the law and the Prophets and handle books of scriptures with great reuerence Antonie Geoffrey in his 2. booke of Turkish ceremonies reporteth how the Turkes accompt the gospels among holy scriptures inter sacras literas habent nostra euangelia saith he but the Papists speake euill of scriptures and call them sometimes a dead and killing letter sometimes a matter of strife sometime a nose of waxe they doe also handle them very rudely and without respect Lastly they will not haue them to be authenticall in respect of vs without the Popes consignation and testimony The Turkes neuer burned their Alchoran or the writings of the Prophets and Apostles vpon pretence of false translations but the Papists haue often times burned holy scripturs as appeareth by the ecclesiasticall histories of France England Germany and other places Postell in his history of Turkes sheweth how they teach that perfection is conteined in the gospell and Gifford lib. Caluinoturcis 3. c. 9. confesseth that they beleeue all religion to be therein conteined but Papists doe rather hope to finde perfection in the rules of Monkes and Friers then in the gospell and therefore accompt rather the state of Monks to be a state of perfection then the liues of Christians after the rule of the Gospell the Masse-priests of Trent doe make traditions equall to scriptures and commonly they deny scriptures to be a perfect rule of life and doctrine The doctors of Turkish religion were neuer so simple as to thinke the traditions of their church to be equall to the Alchoran of Mahomet But the Masse-priests of Trent will haue traditions not written and holy scriptures to bee receiued with equall affection Such as blaspheme Christ are punished by the Turkes most seuerely but Papists teare him in pieces with their blasphemies and such are thought to be most cleare of heresie which sweare most wickedly and blasphemously Auerroes of all religions accompteth Popery to bee most absurd for that Papists worship a peece of a Masse-cake for their God and yet presently deuoure him and swallow him downe into their bellies No Turkes euer allowed the eating of mans flesh or beleeued that it were possible for a man to swallow downe a whole and perfect man without hurt or diminution or brusing of his body but Papists make their followers eaters of mans flesh and say that euery one eating the sacrament doth eate vp Christs body whole and entire and yet beleeue that they neither breake his flesh nor digest it Euery Mahometan albeit he beleeueth not Christ to be God yet would be ashamed to say that doggs and hogges and other brute beasts may eate Christs body but the Papists albeit according to the Christian faith they