Church that is the Pope concerning any place of Scripture although he neyther know nor vnderstand whether and how it agreeth with the words of Scripture yet notwithstanding he hath ipsissimumverbum Dei the very word of God saith Hosius voices most odious to all the Fathers whom they boast of to name but one S. Chrysostome saith Scripturis sacris potius credendum quam omnibus hominibus in mundo VVe must beleeue the Scripture before all the men of the world and not to cleaue to the Popes exposition for as the same Father Sacra Scriptura seipsam exponit auditorem errare non sinit the holy scripture expounds it selfe and will not suffer the hearer to erre Their Cardinall Cusanus hath written a booke which he entitleth De Authoritate Ecclesia Concilij supra contra Scripturam of the authory of the Church and of a Councell aboue and against the Scripture with many others who haue vomited out blasphemous speeches and would infringe the authority of the worde of God robbing it sacrilegiously of her all-sufficiency and bestow it vpon their Pope the Master of the mystery of iniquity and herefie 4 They prohibit the people to read the Scripture and odiously exclaime against vs as Bellarmine the Rhemists because our translated Bibles be in the hands of euery husbandman artificer prentise boy girle mistresse maide man and for the maintaining of their practise to depriue the people of the worde they would colour it with certaine paradoxes 1 The Scripture makes heretickes 2 Ignorance is the mother of deuotion 3 Images are the Lay-mens Bookes 4 They must belieue as the Church belieues implicitly Christ commands all Search the Scriptures but they say The Scripture makes heretickes Paul saith Let the worde of Christ dwell in you plenteously but they say Ignorance is the mother of deuotion Iohn saith Babes keepe your selues fram images but they say They are the Lay-mens bookes Abakuk saith The iust shall liue by his faith but they say You shal liue by another mans faith beleeue as the Church beleeues and doe not know what the Church beleeues Their doctrine to the Scripture is as opposite as heauen is to hell and therfore would not haue the people acquainted with the Scripture It is lamentable to reade how impiously they write in this kind their great Cardinall and president in the Trent Councell Hosius saith It was fitter for women to meddle with their distaffe then with Gods word So Duraeâ—â— God hath left them not the bookes of the Scriptures but Pastors and Doctors They take away from the Christian Souldier his weapon scriptum est and in stead thereof giue him traditum est a wooden dagger pictures legends and fables forsaking the fountaines of liuing waters and digge them broken pits that can hold no water They imitate the malicious Philistims who stopped the wells of Abraham and filled them vp with earth to put their memoriall out of minde so that they might challenge the ground so these stop the veines of life found in the Scripture with the earthly drosse of traditions legends Sathans songs to make a merchandize of ignorant soules and to starue them with a famine of Gods worde as if the contents in the Scripture were like the mysteries of the goddesse Ceres which might not be reuealed making the bread of life like the shew-bread whereof it was lawfull for none to eat of it but the Priests onely To colour this Gorgon with a cleanly vizard they say Ignorance is mother of deuotion Pessima mater est saith Austen itidem pessimae duae filiae falsitas dubietas illa miserior ista miserabilior illa perniciosior ista molestior Ignorance is the worst mother and her two daughters worst falshood and doubtfulnes that very wretched this more miserable that more pernicious this more troublesome but they make much of this mother for she is the vpholder of the Popes chaire Pythagoras said well Aboue all take care to keepe thy body from diseases the city from sedition and thy soule from ignorance But we may say to these popish Interpreters of the Law as our Sauiour did to the Pharasaicall ye haue taken away the key of knowledge yee enter not in your selues and them that came ye forbad I haue the longer insisted vpon this marke a red lattise to shew the house of the great whore which sits vpon many waters by which signe I may say Pulchrum est digito monstrari dicier haec est The second meretrician marke is her outward face pontificall pompe and gouernment How vnlike is her Pope to Peter Peter arrogated no primacy no Episcopall vniuersality painefull to preach the worde neuer medling with the temporall sword To feed Christs sheep was all his ioy he neuer had Emperor hold his stirrop or kisse his toe neuer deposed King from his Crown neuer freed subiect from obedience hee gaue himselfe no other title but an Apostle of Iesus Christ He neuer gloried in these smoaky titles Vicarius Christi sponsusecclesiae the Vicar of Christ the husband of the Church Vniuersalis Episcopus caput Ecclesia Vniuersall Bishop Head of the Church or as others stile him lumen orbis the light of the world or vice-deus in the roome of God not a meere man but mixt with other Luciferian titles which by me are elsewhere touched his vsurped prerogatiues and power they may that will finde in Bellarmines bookes de Romano pontifice yea as some say the Goates of Candie haue al their eyes fixed vpon the canicular star when it ariseth in the Horizon so all popish eyes fixed vpon this star of Rome homagers to his chaire all their tongues saluting with Gallinae fillus albae Peter and the Apostles were no fishers of Gold as it may be said of these Popes praedam quaerunt non animas they fish for siluer not for soules Innocent the third a Pope of Rome told Aquinas being in his Gallery among his gold that Peter could not shew so much gold when he said siluer and gold haue I none to whom Aquinas gaue a good answere and saide your Holinesse cannot doe that which Peter said and did to the cripple surge ambula arise and walke How vnlike are Romes Cardinalls to Christs Apostles State pride ambition and policy are their foure cardinall vertues Their stile ego Rex I and the King their purple hat and scarlet habit will scarce giue way to regall robes The pride ambition and vaine-glory of the Romane prelacy hath beene taxed in most histories yea their owne side hath condemned them for these sinnes and are branded with these markes by Cusanus Zarabella Marsilius Occham Duareaus c. Their selling of Pardons symoniacal corruption hath made it a common by-word omnia venalia Romae Templa sacerdetes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces coelum est venale deusque
by the wicked were by the wisedome of our gratious God escaped and the wicked were snared in the worke of their owne hands A deliuery deseruing eternall Trophies of Triumphs to glorifie God with our prayers and praises with our lips and liues and neuer follow them of whom the Apostle who glorified not God neyther were they thankefull but may continually call vp our hearts to this duty and cry with the Psalmist Come and hearken all yee that feare God and I will tell you what hee hath done to my soule for he hath deliuered our soules from death and our feet from falling that we should walke before God in the land of the liuing Therefore praise our God yee people and make the voice of his praise bee heard and say with the children of Reuben Gad and Manasses God forbid that we should rebel against the Lord and turne this day away from the Lord c. And as the children of Israel after their returne from the captiuity in Babilon and hearing Ezra reade the Law the ioy of their soules Ezra praised the Lord the great God and all the people answered Amen Amen lifting vp their hands and bowing themselues worshipping the Lord with their faces towards the ground and Nehemiah with Ezra and the Leuites tels the people This day is holy vnto the Lord your God so let our English Israel deliuered from the intended bondage of Babilon hearken to their Ezraes in the Pulpit made for the preaching of Gods Law wherof they should haue beene depriued and with their Priests praise the Lord our great and good God answering Amen Amen bowing themselues in all humility at the footestoole of Gods Maiesty annually celebrating the fift day of Nouember with praises of thankesgiuing and saying This day is holy vnto the Lord our God This day shall be vnto vs a remembrance and wee will keep it an holy feast vnto the Lord throughout our generations we will keep it holy by an ordinance for euer to remember this maruellous worke of Englands deliuerance from the plotted powder-destruction to praise Gods holy name and glory in his praise singing and saying cheerefully with our tongues and deuoutly with our hearts Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for euer audeuer and let all the people say Amen Amen To the ternall and eternall glorious Godhead Father Sonne and holy Ghost one and the same God in nature and number indiuisible inuisible inuincible our sole and soueraigne protector and preseruer God ouer all blessed for euer be all praise power faith feare glory and maiesty yeelded by vs by ours and by all his redeemed for all his mercies in generall and for this speciall deliuerance in particular humbly heartily holily for euer and euer Amen Glory be to God in the high Heauens and peace on earth Luke 2. 14. FINIS A SHORT DISSVVASIVE FROM POPERY To all Lay-Papists who desire to be true seruants to their Sauiour or good Subiects to their Soueraigne 1. Kings 18. 21. How long halt yee betweene two opinions If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal be he then goe after him Tert. de resurr carn Aufer haereticis quae cum Ethnieis sapiunt vt de Scripturis solis quaestiones suas sistant stare non poterunt Hugo de Claustro anim lib. 1. Superstitio dicitur verae religioni superaddita falsa religioÌ„ Melancthon Ex malo dogmate malis moribus dignoscuntur lupi By SAMVEL GAREY a Preacher of Gods Word and a perpetuall petitioner to God for your happy conuersion to Gods holy Truth LONDON Printed by Iohn Beale for Henry Fether stone and Iohn Parker 1618. To the Right VVorshipfull Sir Philip Kniâ—et Baronet and his worthy Lady The Spirit of Grace Truth and Wisedome be multiplied Right VVorshipfull I Am bold vpon experienced acquaintance with your generous qualities and gentle fauours towards me to send this vnworthy Treatise to your worthy viewe I know whose iudgement it must passe yet am fearelesse not in a grosse stupidity of mine owne weakenesse but in an hopefull presumption of your vsuall Gentlenesse a disposition euen naturalized in your courteous breasts whereof I acknowledge with gratefulnesse the acceptable fruites of your long and large loue towards me and for which I euer rest your thankefull friend and ingaged debtor in part of requitall whereof I haue presumed to offer to you this Handfull of my duty and hearty loue towards you and vnder your worthy name to send it to the world that they who are bettered by it may thanke you for it A short Disswasiue from Popery necessary for these Times wherein you may behold in part some points of the corrupt Doctrine of the Romish Church which is the common Mother of corruption superstition For that Church must needes be a Chappell of errors which enlarge the sacred Canon with Apochryphalls diminish the authority of the Scripture with Traditions ouerthrow the Originall with Translations peruert the Text with Glosses as the Romish Church doth Yea to maintaine her errors she conceales the light of Truth the Scripture from Lay people vnder the curtaine of the Latin language and euen in the Schooles among the learned she is put to poore shifts often forced to conclude arguments out of meere Allegories lame Similitudes fained miracles naked names of Fathers hired Testimonies of Schoolemen and other deboshed vassailes and proctors of the Romane Court who with all artificiall pollicy labour to adorne the Romane Harlot with painted trimmings whereby the vnwary young age of many more credulous then iudicious is deceiued and deluded The whole subiect of our former worke well perused and indifferently weighed doth giue good light looking vpon her corrupt precepts and cursed practises to discouer that smooky Kingdome of Antichrist but perchance you may say to me with Seneca Quidme torques lacer as in quaestâ—…bus Subtilius est contempsisse quam 〈◊〉 Why doe you trouble me with such questions it is more subtilty to contemne them then to confute them Worthy Sir it shall not be I hope labour lost if to your priuate contemplations you shall adioyne these short and sacred speculations specially penned for your seruice and published for the beâ—…e of all who are willing to open their eyes to walke in Truth I giue all but a small kind of taste in these points of Popish fragments if any mans appetite long for it I dare promise him heereafter more full dishes The Lord giue vnto you a Christian care in the profession of the Truth which with a sincere heart I haue preached vnto you and perfit your first Progresse in the grace of God to the holy Sanctification and happy Saluation of your bodies and soules for euer For which mercy and grace to be bestowed on you I shall euer vnfainedly pray to God and rest Your Worshipes poore Orator in Christ Samuel Garey A SHORT DISSVVAsiue to all Lay-papists who desire
to be true seruants to their Sauiour or good subiects to their Souereigne I Hauing finished yet in great weakenesse our former worke wherein I doe humbly craue of all sorts a friendly and fauourable construction and acceptation and there still remaining a few pages vnwritten I thought it not labout lost if I did annexe some common yet courteous direction to the Lay-papists of the land to disswade them from the corrupt Doctrine of the Church of Rome vnto the which they are induced by the inchaunting allurements of Popish Priests men whose learning and wits are tempting baites yea bawdes Thamar-like prostitute themselues so that they may haue children they will deceiue their owne father Iudah as also by the ignorance of these Lay-disciples whose right eyes of knowledge they thrust out as Nahash the Ammonite would haue done to the men of Iabesh Gilead depriuing them of the word of knowledge the Scripture and saying It was the Deuills inuention to permit the people to reade the Bible as one of their fide writes and therfore the Church of Rome forbiddeth the reading of it among the people By which meanes oh wofull meanes and to cry with their owne Doctor to their Cleargy for it woe to our Parish Priests woe to our Bishops woe to our Prelates they haue brought in such a floud of prodigious ignorance as that many of them are as ignorant as that Knight was of whom Claudius Espâ—ncaem tells of who being demanded his beliefe touching the holy Ghost answered he knew not whether there was an holy Ghost or no. So that their followers being so blind not able to iudge of colours wanting the word of Truth the Scripture in the tongue they vnderstand which is the lapis Lydius the touchstone to try the truth from error diuina statera as Augustin calles it the diuine ballance to weigh truth from falsehood it is easie to winde such into selfe-losing labyrinthes and to driue them with their painted clothes like woodcockes into their nets and to goe with them with Domitius Chalderinus yet hee learned who when he should goe to the Masse accustomed to say Eamus ad communem errorem Let vs goe to the common error So these are content to goe to Masse the common or Catholicke mother of all Bastard errors The attractiue motiues which draw many to fancy and follow the religion of the Church of Rome may be reduced to three Heads 1. The Antiquitie 2. The Vniuersality 3. The Vnity of that Church which three if they could be found there were of powerfull consequence to mooue reuerence but neither of these can be found there for the moderne Romane Church which coines so often new Creedes and Articles of faith and is reuolted from herselfe in substance of doctrine is no more like herselfe in her primitiue State then Lais the Curtizan is an honest woman I could demonstrate this I say without controulement if I were purposed to write a common-place-booke of Controuersies in this point but it hath beene handled so largely and learnedly by other Diuines of our Church that I may at this time forbeare any long discourse I will but touch it and instance this I write how the moderne Church of Rome is swarued from herselfe not onely from the Truth which primitiue Rome embraced but also varied from herselfe declining into heresie innouating those Articles and dogmaticall points of faith as they count them which in the processe of her fall she professed it might be specified in most of the points of Doctrine she maintaines at this present time but I will rest with these few for I write but an Epitome 1 Example shall be in the Sacrament At the first the people receiued the cup as well as the bread for the space of a thousand yeeres yea afterward the Romance Church commanded the wine to be consecrated that the lay-people might fully communicate saith Micrologus most and the best Papists liked this well that the people should communicate in both kinds but afterward the Councell of Constance forbad it and after that the Councell of Basil released the decree of Constance to some and after that the Councell of Trent the mint of errors confirmed it againe and depriued the Laity of the Cup Sect. 21. c. 2. So that this point of Doctrine now maintained in the Church of Rome can pleade no antiquity being now so oft renewed put vp and put downe and their most ancient Liturgies shew how the people receiued the wine as well as the bread and this custome saith Caietan endured long in the Church and as one of their Church say It were better if this custome were renewed againe 2 Example in Transubstantiation Transubstantiation lately brought into the Church and made a matter of faith by a silly Pope Innocent the third in the Lateran Councell within these 400 yeeres and the Papists themselues say this opinion is very new and lately brought into the Church and beleeued onely vpon the authority of the Lateran Councell and speake so vncertainely and inconstantly in this point and doe so stagger enterfere in their opinion herein confessing that there is no Scripture to conuince it vnlesse ye bring the Church of Romes exposition so that hitherto we can see no great antiquity nor good vniuersality in their doctrine 3 Example in Popes supremacy The Councell of Constance and Basil decreed That a generall Councell was of greater authority then the Pope but long after that the Councels of Lateran and Trent decreed contrary The Councels of Chalcedon and Constantinople make the Bishop of Constantinople equall with the Bishop of Rome yet now he arrogates a supremacy aboue Bishops aboue Councels aboue Kings aboue all his title no lesse then vniuersall Bishop yet Gregory who was Pope of Rome saith I hat he dare confidently say He is the forerunner of Antichrist in his pride whosoeuer he be that calleth himselfe vniuersall Bishop but this smoaky pompe of pride the Pope now likes well enough and makes it an Article of Faith to sweaâ—e obedience to his primacy and he that denies this denies Fidem Catholicam The Catholicke Faith faith Bellarmine I might here produce other examples of Popish Doctrine crept in by degrees as their abhominable Image-worship brought in by the second Councell of Nice the first restraint of Priests marriage by Pope Siritius the doctrine of the merit of workes lately by the Schoolemen as Waldensis writes Their prayers to the dead Popes pardons Purgatory a Platonicall or poeticall fiction Auricular confession with other like triuiall trash which if they haue any colour of antiquity yet they haue no colour of verity And what is antiquity without verity Saint Cyprian tels vs Consuetudo sine veritate est vestustas erroris Continuance without truth is the antiquity of error And againe Non hom ines consuei â—dinem
Mariana c. Yea this Kingdome is so diuided among it selfe that we presume and this presage it shall not long stand They that would further behold this Campe of the Midianites sheathing their swords in their neighbours sides let them reade the worke of that learned and reuerend Doctor D. Hall in his Booke called the Peace of Rome And yet the Papists with might and maine exclaime at factions in the Church of England to whom we may say with our Sauiour Hypocrita eijce primùm Trabem de oculo tuo Hypocrite first cast the beame out of thine owne eye sweepe cleane before your owne threshold before you blame spots in others They tell the World what an implacable discord and dissention is betwixt the Protestants and the Puritanes a name we scarce know and is proper to none but onely vnto Iesuites who thinke themselues so pure that they will arrogate to be of the society of Iesus But we may truly say that which they shall neuer say That in the Church of England there is vniuersality and vnity in substance of doctrine and religion and in circumstance we haue or hope for a generall vniformity But they want these and yet of late they haue a new policy to purge and raze many of their owne dead Doctors to speake that in their graues they neuer thought on in their studies putting out that which they printed and putting in that which the Authors neuer purposed Thus haue they serued Caictan Gratians Glosse Ferus Polydore Lodonicâ—…Vines c. And to this end serue their Indices Expurgatorij To purge away their best blood and leaue them nothing but skinne and bones And thus haue they serued Andreas Mazius Comments and Iansenius Harmony vpon the Gospell yea whom not if hee hath touched neuer so tenderly the sores of Rome this is the medicine to helpe the malady But I would this punishment had beene onely inflicted vpon their owne Doctors and that they had neuer laied their correcting hands in corrupting the Fathers of whom they haue a long time boasted the Fathers the Fathers are all of our side but these are but wind and words and as he said of the Nightingale Vox est praeterea nihil A meere voice and nothing else for these will vse the Fathers as Soloâ— his Friends or as Merchants vse figures in Accounts for hundreds if they please them for Cyphers if they crosse them and truly the ancient Fathers of the best esteeme speaâ—e little or nothing on their side in any fundamentall points and difference twixt them and vs except they haue dieted and giuen them vomits and purgations except they haue so done to them as Clement the eighth did to his Predecessor Sixtus Quintus corrupting that his correction of the Bible by a new Translation which one called a new Transgression and they haue herein so falsified many of the Fathers and foisted in other counterfet Fathers that it puts me in mind of a Popes Iester Pogghius speakes of who when he told the Pope tales to make him sport did it standing behind a cloath for being outfaced So the Fathers who speake for them must stand behind a skreene mantled or mangled by their correction So that taking away these desperate shifts which the Church of Rome vseth there will be found no great antiquity vniuersality or vnity in the Doctrine of the Church of Rome But to leaue these and other motiues allectiues to many to loue the Church of Rome for I did not intend to muster vp all their motiues wherewith they fight against vs for so I should send out a Ship and not a Pinnesse I will rather mention a few markes and apparent tokens whereby these children may iustly misdoubt their mother to be an harlot and in part palpably perceiue her corruption Her first whorish marke is her blasphemy against the Scripture being that woman in Saint Iohns vision sitting vpon a scarlet coloured beast full of the names of blasphemy and that in foure respects first her blasphemy and contempt of the Scripture appeares because the Church of Rome maintaines that all things necessary to saluation are not contained in the Holy Scripture and that the best part of true religion is knowne by vnwritten traditions and that these traditions are to bee receiued with the same reuerence and affection wherewith wee receiue the Scripture as the Councell of Trent decreed Many things belong to Christian Faith which are not contained in the Scripture openly nor obscurely saith Canus The greatest part of the Gospell is come to vs by tradition very little of it is committed to writing saith Hosius The Canon Law set out newly by Pope Gregory the 13. saith that men doe so reuerence the Apostolicall seate of Rome that they rather desire to know the auncient institution of Christian religion from the Popes mouth then from the holy Scripture Their workes are full of such words by which all may see their blasphemy comparing traditions of men with the infallible worde of God 2. Their mouthes are full of bitter and irreuerent speeches against the Scripture calling it a nose of waxe to be writhed this way or that way a dumbe Iudge as Pighius termes it dead inke as another yea Bellarmine their great Doctor saith the Scripture is not simply necessary or as Eckius we must liue more according to the authority of the Church then after the Scripture or the Scriptures without the authority of the Church are no better then Aesops fables And often they will deny the Scripture it selfe as Catharinus accuseth Caietan their great Cardinall called by them an incomparable Diuine and the most learned of all his age who doth charge him for denying the last chapter of Markes Gospell some parcell of S. Luke the Epistle to the Hebrewes the Epistle of Iames the second Epistle of Peter the second and third of Iohn the Epistle of Iude all which are Canonicall they wil denie the scripture if it make not for them say with Eckius Scriptura sine ecclesia authoritate non est authentica The Scripture without the authority of the Church that is the Pope for so Gregory of Valence saith by the Church we meane her Head that is the Roman Bishop is not authenticall 3. They make their Pope Iudge ouer the Scripture whosoeuer resteth not on the doctrine of the Bishop of Rome as the infallible rule of God from whom the holy Scripture takes her strength and authority hee is an heretike saith one of her side The Pope may change the holy Gospell and may giue to the Gospell according to time and place another sense We are bound to stand to the Popes iudgement alone rather then to the iudgement of al the world besides saith Aluarus Pelagius The Popes rescripts and decretall Epistles are Canonicall Scripture If any man haue the interpretation of the Romane
At Rome all sacred things are to be sold Temple priests prayers heauen and God for gold Yea many of their great Popes symoniacall hereticall boyes yea the feminine Pope Ioane was no honest Pope yea their owne Baronius saith that a notable strumpet to Adelbert Marquesse of Tuscia prostituting her daughters to the Popes did create Popes at the pleasure of the strumpets and he cries out How filthy was the face of the Romane Church then when most powerfull and withall most sordide whores bare all the sway at Rome and their louers were thrust into Peters seate At this day as wee reade the Pope hath a pension from the stewes at Rome Were he like Peter he would abhorre to foule his hands with such stinking gaine or enrich his coffers with an harlots hire rather with S. Peter say Thymony perish with thee or with our Sauiour to the women taken in adultery Goe away and sinne no more and not to giue them a toleration or dispensation for fornication To leaue this point as the Poet left Rome with this verse Roma vale vidi satis est vidisse reuertar Cum leno meretrix scarra cinaedus ero Oh Rome farewell I haue seene and seene too much Returne I will when turne baud whore or such The third marke may be this That there is no point of our faith but many learned in the Church of Rome approue the same and no point of Papistry by vs confuted but some of the chiefe of their Church haue disliked as well as we that we may say to them as our Sauiour did to that bad seruant Ex ore tuo te iudico of thine owne mouth will I condemne thee Thus the diuision of the tongues and people of Babilon are a meanes of the plantation and edification of Gods Ierusalem This point hath beene demonstrated in the chiefe questions betwixt them and vs by many learned Diuines of our Church and excellently verified and declared by Doctor Morton a singular ornament of our Church in many of his workes but especially in his first and second part of his Catholicke Apology wherein he hath ouerthrown the points of Popery of the chiefest difference by the affirmations and assertions of the best learned Papists to whose labour in this point I refer the iudicious Reader The fourth marke is this That many maine points in popery are absurd and euen against common sense and the light of nature What man endewed with mother-wit can perswade himselfe that the Pope is Iudge and Lord ouer the Scripture Church Councels and all the world and that in his breast there is an infallibility of not erring when as common and continuall experience speakes the contrary What likelihood is there in the doctrine of transubstantiation that the Priest should pull caelum in caenam Christs body with all his dimensions put in a little boxe and the same body be in seuerall places and parts at one time What colour of trueth can there be in the doctrine of workes of Superogation that a man can merit more then is needfull for him and that this his ouer-plus of obedience by the Churches dispensation is beneficiall to other who want this plenitude when as our Sauiour saith VVhen ye haue done al those things which are commanded you say we are vnprofitable seruants To pretermit their ridiculous ceremonies which Kemnitius well termes Sarcasmi Diaboli as christning of Bels sprinkling of holy water Exorcismes Annealing spitting in the baptizeds mouth creeping to the Crosse praying vpon beades c. or their doctrine of praying to the dead who can neyther heare nor helpe or their many mediators and intercessors when as Paul saith There is but one mediator betweene God and man which is Iesus Christ 1 Tim. 2. 5. If any man sinne wee haue an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous c. 1 Iohn 2. 1. or their auricular confession and absolution of their sinnes yet the very Pharifies could fay Who can forgiue sinnes but God onely Luke 5. 21. or that saying of Masse or singing Dirges for the dead could benefit the dead as well writes S. Ambrose herein qui hic non aocipit renaissioneÌ„ peccatoruÌ„ illac non haâ—… he that doth not receiue remission of his sinnes in this life shall not find it in the life to come and as S. Cyprian Hâ—e vita 〈…〉 â—…t tenetur c. Here life is to be lost or got after death neyther Masses Dyrges or Auc-Maries are auaileable How repugnant to a good mans reason is their popish equiuocation to dissemble the truth with a mentall reseruation How doe they follow the counsell of Peter of whom they boast who commands them to lay aside al dissimulation or as S. Paul cast off lying and speake trueth euery man to his neighbour but the Father of lies will not haue his children to speake truth this doctrine none but Atheists Machiauelists or Iesuites can commend Not to touch all the fringes or fragments belonging to this whore wherewith she is apparelled I will but handle foure of her relickes foure points of popery which in my weake apprehension are dislonant to common reason much more to Christian religion 1. Her Latin seruice 2. implicit faith 3. worshipping of Images 4. Popes pardons a touch and away not tast of her cup for it is full of poyson no not primis labris degustare onely looke vpon it and see how vgly it seemes to common sense excepting eyes and eares for therein popery is a bewitching Lady faire images for the eyes and sweet musicke for the eares like the booke giuen to Iohn sweete in the mouth sweete to carnall and naturall men but bitter in the belly very sowre to the soule which is sanctified and shall be saued 1. Popish Latin seruice What possibility is there that Seruice or Praiers said in a tongue which the people vnderstand not should be profitable to them As the Apostle If I pray in a strange tongue my vnderstanding is without fruit and the same Apostle I had rather in the Church to speake fiue wordes with my vnderstanding then tenne thousand wordes in a strange tongue and againe Except ye vtter words that haue signification how shall it be vnderstood what is spoken for ye shall speake in the aire and the Apostle seemes vpon purpose in the whole chapter to condemne this point which chapter 1 Cor. 14. I commend to all lay Papists to read it yet in their mother Tongue except they vnderstand the Latin To pray in an vnknowne tongue is not to pray but to prate like a Parrot and yet the Tridentine Councell decreed Non expedire vt diuinum officium vulgari passim lingua celebretur not expedient that Diuine Seruice should be celebrated in the vulgar tongue and they call it an intollerable error of the Lutherans who thinke the contrary And this doctrine of Luther who requires a knowne
Nazianzene Teares the onely medicine against his mischeefe teares were their Speares Orizons their weapons They knew that they that resisted power resisted the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receiue to themselues damnation These had not beene catechized in the Popes Schoole teaching Subiects that the Pope hath power to depriue Kings if they be defectiue in their regiment or not pliable to his commandement but were obedient as the Apostle exhorts Propter conscientiam for conscience sake Oh but will Master Parsons reply We hold this point that a Prince is to be obeyed Propter conscientiam for conscience sake but not Contrae conscientiam Against his conscience And he is so stiffe in this assertion that he saith If one authority example or testimony out of Scripture Fathers or Councels contradict it we then speake to purpose VVe answer Against Conscience rightly instructed and warranted by the word It is true but there is Asinina lupina or leprosa conscientia A foolish woluish or leprous conscience which vicious or erroneous conscience is not rightly called conscience but error and peruersenesse and therein it failes If a King command things expressely contrary to Gods word the Apostles rule then is plaine VVe must obey God rather then men yet not fall to violence or outward resistance in body but in spirit submitting our bodies to suffer with patience what shall bee inflicted like the three Children to Nabuchadnezar but in our soules to shew our selues more then Conquerors for our Conscience sake Thus doe we see that the foure forenamed crimes Tyranny Infidelity Heresie Apostacy yet great and greeuous sinnes are not sufficient to depriue a King of his regall Inheritance or to free his Subiects from their obedience CHAP. XI I VVil in the next place briefly consider the goodly Harmony of the holy Doctors of Rome in the managing and maintaining of this new Doctrine of deposition of Kings by making their Pope an absolute Lord of all Temporalties and of the Spiritualties by vertue of which vaste omnipotency of power as being the Supreme spirituall and temporall Prince of all and ouer all they ascribe vnto his Holinesse this plenitude of power to haue the iurisdiction of both swords and so may passe against Kings if they bee faulty by tyranny infidelity heresie or apostacy or not Roman Catholickes Sentences of Excommunication Breues of Interdiction Depriuation Buls of Absolution of Subiects from Alleagiance yea giue Licence and Indulgences of pardon to misereants to murder them and yet this is not to be counted King-killing for a King excommunicated or deposed is no King in Popery Let vs see the consent of these Doctors or rather heare the confusion of their tongues in building of this Babell Some of the cheefe pillars of Popery defend the direct ordinary and inherent authority of the Pope whereby as Lord of the whole VVorld in all temporall matters hee may at his pleasure depose Emperors and Princes The cheefe of these is Cardinall Baronius and to alleadge his reasons I omit his Bookes are common and extant in the world And this opinion that the Pope is Lord of all the Temporalties and that the supreame Iurisdiction both in temporall and spirituall matters belong to Peters Successors which was the brainelesse assertion of old blockish Canonists and exploded of all sober Papists is now renewed and passeth for Catholick Doctrine Your Francis Bozius defends it that the Pope is directly Lord of things temporall and is the Ruler and Monarke of the whole world So Rodericus Sancius a Bishop of theirs goes further It is to be holden according to the naturall morall and diuine Law wth the right Faith that the Lordship of the Roman Bishop is the true and onely immediate Lordship of all the world not as concerning spirituall things onely but also as concerning temporall things and that the imperiall Lordship of Kings dependeth vpon it and oweth seruice and attendance thereunto as a meanes minister and instrument and that by him it receiueth institution and ordination and at the commandement of the papall Lordship it may be remoued reuoked corrected and punished In the gouernement of the world the secular Lordship is not necessary either of pure or meere or expedient necessity but when the Church cannot Resoluing this Article therefore we say That in all the world there is but one Lordship and therefore there must be but one Vniuersall and Supreame Prince and Monarke who is Christs Vicar according to that of Daniel He gaue him dominion and honour and kingdome and all people and languages shall serue him In him therefore is the Fountaine and originall of all Lordship and from him the other Powers flow so farre goes this Popish Bishop And diuers others agree with him It is iudged that no Christian Monarke hath his Crowne wholly giuen him from Heauen vnlesse it receiue firmenesse and strength also from Christs Vicar the Pope so Possevine Christ committed to Peter the Key-keeper of eternall life the right of earthly and heauenly gouernement and that in his place the Pope is the vniuersall Iudge the King of Kings the Lord of Lords saith another yea the holy Writer in the old law made the Priesthood an adiectiue to the Kingdome but Saint Peter made the Kingdome an adiectiue to the Priesthood faith the same writer Carerius a Doctor of Padua in his Booke De potestate Romani Pontificis which he made specially to confute Bellarmine who denied the ordinary and direct power of the Pope in the Temporalties doth in many places and pages maintaine that all dominion as well in spirituall things as in temporall is fetcht by Christ and the same is committed to Saint Peter and his Successors that Christ was Lord of all these inferior things not onely as he was God but also as he was Man hauing at that time dominion in the Earth and therefore as the dominion of the world both diuine and humane was then in Christ as man so now it is in the Pope the vicar of Christ That Christ is directly the Lord of the world in temporall things and therefore the Pope Christs vicar is the like and this power giuen to Peter is set out by the sole comming of Peter to Christ vpon the water for vniuersall gouernement is signified by the Sea As God is the Supreme Monarke of the world productiuely and gubernatiuely although of himselfe he be neither of the world nor temporall so the Pope although originally and from himselfe he haue dominion ouer all things temporall yet he hath it not by any immediate execution and committeth that to the Emperor by an vniuersall iurisdiction It would weary a man to reade ouer this worke of Carerius wherein he sweates and toyles himselfe striuing with arguments and laying a curse vpon his aduersaries that shal gainsay him or denie the ordinary direct power of the Pope in the
in feeding Peter with his Angle caught a fish that had mony in the mouth so the Pope fishes more for money then for men and cannot abide to be like Peter or to succeed Peter when hee saith Siluer and gold haue I none Platos Common wealth Tullies Orator Moores Vtopia and Peters supremacy are alike The gouernement of Christs Church is rather Aristocraticall with many vnder one Christ then Monarchicall vnder one visible Head no Primacy of power or Iurisdiction among the Apostles if of order Petrus primus non primas for there was a parity of power among the Apostles yea as their Leo Electio pares labor similes finis facit aquales Their election makes them alike the labour alike the end equall or as Cyprian Pari consertie praediti honotis potestatis Like fellow ship honor and power But let vs suppose for impossibilities may bee supposed that Peter had a supremancy ouer the Apostles or more that Peter was Pope of Rome how comes this speciall priuiledge to the Pope They will answer by way of succession To which we reply that true succession standeth in holding the same true faith but the Pope departs from Peters doctrine Submit your selues vnto all manner of ordinance for the Lords sake whether it be vnto the King as vnto the Superiour c. Not onely Precept but President of Peter is disliked in paying tribute for Christ and himselfe But what if Peter was chiefe of the Apostles must hee therefore be aboue Kings and must his imagined successor be aboue Emperors But let vs fee how the Papists proue Papall succession of Peter in this imagined supremacy Canus doth confesse That it is not written in the Scriptures that the Pope succedeth Peter in the supremacy and Bellarmine acknowledges it in these words Licet Romanos Episcopos Petro succedere in sacris lobris non habeatur c. Although it be not written in the holy Scripture that the Romane Bishops succeed Peter yet wee haue it by Tradition from Peter The Rhemists and many other would yet prooue it by Scripture when as their chiefe Champion confesses it to be an vnwritten tradition But Caietane proues it another way The Pope succeedeth Peter in as much as he is Bishop of Rome and there Peter made his feate and died at Rome To proue this they alledge a sew humane stories subiect to error as themselues are and I thinke it being a matter of so great moment as they make it that all are damned vnlesse they obey their Pope as Saint Peters successor and by vertue of this succession beleeue his authority in matters concerning soule and conscience this life present and the future it had need to be proued by pregnant places out of Scripture and not by any fallible or doubtfull history But I would faine be resolued of this point by a schoole Papist If the Pope succeeded Peter immediately after Peters death who it was that succeeded him whether Linus or Cletus or Anacletus or Clemens it shall be in their choise to name the man Clemens Romanus an old new Father whom some say was the Popes owne childe writes in his Apostolicall Constitutions That Linus was the first Bishop of Rome made by S. Paul and that Clemens after the death of Linus was the second ordained by Peter If this relation be true the Pope sits not in the chaire of Peter but in the seate of Paul who appointed the first Pope Franciscus Turrianus in his Apologeticall annotations vpon the text of Clemens answereth that Linus was not Bishop of Rome but Suffragan or vicar generall executing it in S. Peters non-residencye So Marianus Sâ—otus in the life of Peter saith of Cletus contradicting the Romane Martyrology which makes Linus and Cletus both absolute Bishops of Rome and Baromius in his Annotations vpon their Martyrdomes and Ecclesiasticall Annals reckons thus Linus the first Cletus the second Clemens the bird Bishop of Rome after S. Peter the sameê° Baronius thinkes Cletus and Anacletus were all one but Bellarmine doth gainesay him others hold that Clemens was the fourth Pope after St. Peter some write hee was first some second some third some the fourth make the musicke in this mystery But Bellarmine labours to reduce these iarring fractions to a better harmony Indeed saith he Clemens by right was the first Pope but he suffered out of his humility Linus and Cletus to execute his office so long as they liued yet Damasus and Sophronius and Siâ—eon Metaphâ—â—stes affirme that Linus died before Peter heere the Cardinall contemnes these writers which elsewhere hee commends for learned and Catholike Authors In a worde let it be granted that Clemens suffered these his competitors to liue yet if three Popes were aliue at once who was the true successor of Peter whether Lord Cletus Lord Linus or Lord Clemens I would faine be resolued of this question by them who so eagerly maintaine the Pope to haue from S. Peter his succession surely they cannot assoile this demand who so vary among themselues and so stammer in their owne talke vncertain who was the first second third or fourth Pope of Rome that the Lord hath done to them which hee threatned to the Egyptians I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians so euery one shall fight against his brother and euery one against his neighbour city against city and kingdom against kingdome one against another and God and the truth against them all Thus I haue a little diuerted into this point of Peters pretended supremacy and the imagined succession of Popes after him whereupon this vsurped power ouer all the Pope principally challenges I know this matter hath bin largely handled by the choice Diuines of our Church and the Papists haue beene put to desperate and wofull shifts I did not purpose to be large in it onely but to touch it because our Lay-Papists haue a great fancy to it and doe beloeue any thing because they know little or nothing and according to Nazianzene the rude vulgar wonder at that they doe not vnderstand and thinke their learned Guides prooue this very authentically when as there is no point more weakely proued and wherein they themselues are more distracted And but that their popish tutors presume vpon their simplicity and ignorance they would be ashamed to argue thus to proue it as first Christ said Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church Ergo the Church is built vpon Peter and the Pope or againe The gates of Hell shall not preuaile against the Church Ergo Peter and the Pope are the Church against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile or I haue prayed for thee Peter that thy faith faile not Ergo the Pope cannot erre or Feede my sheepe Ergo Peter was the supreame head of the Apostles What a silly and simple kinde of arguing is this
others teach it Councells which they account generall haue decreed it indeede the Synod of Frankford condemned the Nicene Councell for it yet Papists faine would shift that but it is manifest against them for all the learned know that Charles the Emperor did assemble a Councell at Franckford to condemne the second Councell of Nice which had brought in the worshipping of Images as the booke of Charles the Great speakes There was brought forth the question touching the late Synode concerning the adoring of Images wherein it was written that they should be cursed which did not giue the same seruice and adoration to the Images of Saints which is giuen to the diuine Trinity This the fathers of Franckford iustly despised This is acknowledged to be true by Hincmarus Ado Vrspergensis Rhegino Aimon Auentine c. their welwilling writers The late Councell of Trent commands the same Their schoolemen and Diuines teach the same as Tho. 3. p. qu. 25. art 3. 4. Siluest v. Latria n. 2. Turrecremata 3. p. de Consecr Crucis n. 2. and Waldensis Caietan Gregory of Valence Bellarmine Turrian Andradius Posseuina Saunders c. Magna comitante caterua All worthy Writers for woodden worship But how odious are such idolatrizing Maisters and schollers to God and good men Irenaeus places this among the heresies of Carpocrates and the Gnostickes quod haberent coronarent Imagines that they had and crowned Images much rather to Papists who haue and craue and crowtch to Images and Epiphanius taught that such were Heretickes Qui Imaginem B. Virginis circumferunt Who did beare and carry about the Image of the blessed Virgine And this Epiphanius fayth It was against the authority of the Scripture that any Image should be in the Church And Vrigen sayth of his time we worship no Images the Christians in the primitiue Church had no Images In republica Iudaeorum Imaginum factor statuarum fabricator longe abiectus est c. Saith Origen in the Common-wealth of the Iewes a maker of Images or of Pictures is farre from them remooued least it should minister any occasion to Idolatry they that make them are like vnto them and so are all they that put their trust in them Thou shalt make thee no grauen Image neither the likenesse of any thing thou shalt not bow downe to them neither serue theÌ„ saith the Lord how guilty of the breach of this precept are these Image-mongers who not onely bow downe to them but also worship them The Apostle was rebuked for offering to fall downe and to worship dead and dumbe stockes blockes which haue eyes and see not mouthes and speake not eares and heare not noses and smell not Bowing to a Crucifixe or such a like piece of wood and worshipping saying Deliuer me for thou art my God I know they well reply They worship no blockes stockes or stones why if they will ioyne Issue we will try the case Confesse they must their Crosse or their Crucifix c. is a dead and dumbe thing as a stocke or stone and hath nothing in it worthy of veneration yet their Iesuits doe teach them that this Crosse or Crucifix is to be worshipped not accidentally improperly or by way of representation but properly I will produce but three of their side for in ore duorum aut trium stet omne verbum three of their chiefe Iesuits and these are counted honest sufficient witnesses among themselues 1. Costerus sayth All the honor that is due to the samplar is giuen to the Image is not this to worship the Image 2. Bellarmine explaines it further This honor is so giuen that the Image stayeth and limiteth it in it selfe as it is an Image and not onely as it representeth the samplar 3 Is GrÌ„ogory of Valence who saith Images themselues after their maner are to be worshipped in respect of the samplar thus the Images of Christ must be adored with diuine honor per aliud This is the moderne Doctrine of Rome yet it sauors so ill in their owne smell that Bellarmine confesseth it is not wholesome for the Pulpet Their Masse-booke hath a prayer All haile O Crosse our onely hope c. Thou onely art worthy to beare the ransome of the world O faithfull Crosse onely thou art the Noble tree among all c. Is not this prayer directed onely to the Crosse which hath so many onely words to tye it fast to the Tree so that the Paynims of old did that which Papists now doe their Idolles were the Images of the true God and so worshipped by them respectiuely and with relation to God for the Altar at Athens dedicated to the same God whom Paul preached few or none among them saith Peresius thought the matter of their Idolles so grauen to be Gods and they had many Idolles whereby they represented the true God nay some of the Iesuits are not ashamed to write that not an Image onely or an holy thing may be worshipped with the same adoration that is giuen to God but euen any other thing in the world whether liuing or without life either Angell man Sunne Moone Starres Earth or lignum lapides de modulo straminis c. saith Vasquez their Iesuite wood stones or a litle strawe this is as much as they are charged by vs to worship stockes and blockes And moreouer these Roman-pseudo-catholickes maintaine an other idolatrous superstition the adoration of the Sacrament an inuention brought in among them by Honorius the third like the idolatry of the Gentiles in oblation and the â—sacrifices of Bread and Wine to Mitbra no other for substance then that which the Gentiles offered for the naturall substance of bread and wine remaineth after the consecration yet we belieue that to the faithfull receiuer the body of Christ is infallibly conioyned with the bread by a sacramentall relation Yet no way to be worshipped for we deny the Reall presence corporally as they affirme and it is very strange that they should adore that who teach that a man hauing receiued his maker may vomit him vp againe or as Thomas that a brute beast as a dogge may eate the Body of Christ Though we doe not adore the bread and wine yet we giue more reuerence to it and teach that the wicked may take panem Domini the Bread of the Lord not panem Dominum the Lord as Bread sauingly participate this sacred mystery of the Redemption by the body and blood of lesus Christ So that to conclude this point If it be vnlawfull pingere imaginem Dei in forma hominis to draw the Image of God in the likenesse of man for which their Bellarmine taxeth Caluin yet confesseth that their Albul Durandus Peresius hold the same opinion for the Image visible of the inuisible God is the Lena the baud of the heresie of the Anthropomorphites who