Angels with the Angelici Aug. ad Quoduuli cap. 39. It denyeth the preaching of the word to be a note of the Church with the Donatists Aug. in variis locis and with them tyeth the Church to one set place Cass in Psal 60. It worshippeth the Crosse with the Armenians Euthymius in Panoplia Thus in many other poynts it partaketh with the ancient Heretikes On them she puts a fairer name But in effect they are the same You raz'd haue the Foundation Of all Trueth and Religion You chang'd haue the Sincerity Of all the Groundes of Piety w As for example First the Article of Iustification the efficient cause of our Saluation and Righteousnes by the Scripture is Gods loue and grace onely 2. Tim. 1 9. Tit. 2.11 Ephes 1.5 Iohn 3.6 The Papists say God is moued by our preparing works So held Maluend in his disputation with Bucer at Ratisbone so Bonauenture lib. 1. sen dist 41. Quest 1. Touching the matter of our Iustification the Scripture propoundeth nothing but Christs obedience Rom. 5.19 10.4 The Papists place our Righteousnes before God in our owne works merits Con. Trid. s 6. c. 7. For the Forme as Scholers cal it of Iustification it is by the Scriptures the imputatiō of Christs righteousnes 2. Cor. 5.21 The Papists place it in our merits Rhemist 2. Tim. 4. s 4. Secondly it is a groūd of Christian Religion that the law cannot be fulfilled by vs that no man is to expect righteousnes of saluation by it Rom. 8.3 Acts 15.10 Gal. 2.15 16. 3.10 The Papists maintayne that men may keep the law Con. Trid. s 6. c. 11. yea that they may perform more then the Law binds vnto whēce are sprung the works of Supererogatiō and Indulgences which that Councell so highly prizeth ses 21. ca. 9. A third ground of Religion ouerthrown by them is that eternal death is due to euery sinne This the Scripture auoucheth Rom. 5.12 6.23 Ezek. 18.14 The Papists teach some sinnes to be in their owne nature pardonable not deseruing death Con. Trid. ses 6. c. 11. From which opinion arose Purgatory A fourth ground of Religion is the certainty of Saluation That beleeuers may be certayn of Saluation is the doctrine of the Scripture Rom. 8.38 Heb. 11.1 Luke 10.20 The Papists deny and say we can but haue hope onely Con. Trid. s 6. c. 9. and yet therein they confound themselues for true hope cannot be deceyued Rom. 5.5 It is the Anchor of the soule Heb. 6.9 A fift ground is that wee cannot satisfy God for our least sinnes The Scripture ascribeth all satisfaction to Christ He. 1.3 1. Pet. 1.24 Re. 1.5 The Papists maintayn that we may must satisfy making satisfaction a part of penance Con. Trid. s 14. c. 13. A sixt groūd is that the Scripture containes all doctrine necessary for our saluation So sayth the Scripture 2. Tim. 3.16 and the ancient Church Aug. lib. 3. cont lit Petil. c. 6. others The Papists equall traditions to the Scripture Con. Trid. s 4. A seuenth ground is that the knowledge of the Scripture is needfull to the people vnto saluation ought to be read of them Thereto accords the holy Text Ioh. 5.39 Col. 3.16 The ignorance therein is the cause of all error Marke 12.24 The Papists forbid the people the vse of the Scripture Rhemists Preface and do all in the Church seruice in an vnknown toung Eightly the Scripture teacheth vs to worship God alone Math. 4.10 The Papists worship Angels and Saints yea their Images Relikes Their distinction of Latria and Dulia will not serue them for they pray to creatures that is Latria and they acknowledge that which they call Latria to be due to the Crosse Tho. p. 3. sum Quae. 25. art 4. Andrad lib. 9. Orth. expl Ninthly it is the Doctrine of the Scripture that Christ according to his humane nature is only in Heauen Act. 3.21 Papists say he is bodily present in the Eucharist Con. Tri. s 13. ca. 6. Tenthly Christ ordained the Communion in both kinds cōmaunding to do as he did 1. Cor. 11.24 c. Papists take the Cup from the Laity Con. Trid. s 21 c. 1. Thus as in these particulars so in many other it were easy to shew how the Church of Rome hath ouerthrowne the maine points of Holy Doctrine haue nothing left but the name of the Church and a Title and shewe of Religion Thou fall'st now to a rayling vayne And wouldst by this thy Pope maintayne Leaue idle termes and shew some Reason Els all these wordes come out of season Shew thou what Sects we do deuise And wherein we deliuer Lyes And prooue it so that all may sée Lest thou thy selfe the Lyer bée Foxes and Dogges Wolues thou nam'st And Théeues wherin thy selfe thou sham'st Or prooue all this in vs is true Eis we returne it backe to you They call'd Saint Paul an Heretike x Acts 24.14 A Babbler y Acts 17.18 and a Schismatike z Acts 24.5 28.22 They sayd our Sauiour was possest a Iohn 8.48 And of his preaching made a Iest b Luke 16.14 Yet Paul no Heresy did teach Nor in the Church made any breach Nor yet our Sauiour had a Deuill He neuer did or preached euill Let Scripture try wherein we erre We craue no other Arbiter Conuict vs once by such a Iudge We will not at your raylings grudge Now that thy store is almost spent Thou com'st to an old worne Argument Where was your Church some yeeres agoe Before the World did Luther know If briefely now I should deny The Churches Visibility It were a word sufficient To ouerthrow this prattlement Yet this I say and will maintaine That euen when Blindnesse most did raine Our Church a certaine beyng had Though not with outward Beauty clad Like to that holy portion c 1. Kings 19.8 In that great Superstition Which ouerwhelm'd all Israel After the Tribes from Dauid d Dauids lyne fell Or as some Eares of purer seed Amidst a field of noysome Weed So God had some euen at that time When Antichrist was in his Prime And now and then out brake the Light Euen in that long and irksome Night Like as the Sunne in lowring dayes Sometime sends foorth his glittering rayes Long time ere Luther yet was borne Whom you our Founder name in scorne There were which shew'd their enmyty Against your vile Idolatry e Bertram wrote against Transsubstantiation anno 812. a Bishop of Florence was condēned for teaching that Antichrist was come anno 1114. Arnulph was murthered in Rome for preaching against the Pope and his Clergy anno 1128. Henry a Monke of Tolose was against prayer for the dead pilgrimage creme oyle c. anno 1137. Io. of Salisbury called the Clergy Pharises the Pope Antichrist and Rome Babylon 1151. Gerard and Dulcimus which taught the Pope to bee Antichrist were burnt with 30. more about the
Rome was conuerted As for example let mee know And if thou canst I pray thée show What Church did take in hand The first conuersion of this Land e The Apostles Church for ought you can proue to the contrary And all other countries euery where Throughout the world farre and neere f Who but a Papist would dare to say this If this were not the Church of Rome Then will I be conuerted soone g You build your Faith vpon a very sure groūd Saint Paul in his Epistle fayth h Did Paul say that Rome should neuer deny the Fayth The Romanes had the Catholique Fayth Saying it was renowned Spoken of or published Through the world ouer all Catholique Vniuersall And if your Churches were euen so i Our Church is a part of the Catholique Church disproue it if you can Then to your Churches I would go k You may come to our Churches the Pope giueth you leaue so that you keepe your heartes to him Prophets SO sayth the Prophet Malachy There should be offred farre and nye A cleane Oblation or Sacrifice l When you read Altar and Sacrifice you thinke strait that makes for the Masse not knowing or not seeming to know the language of the Scripture From place where now the Sun doeth rise To the going downe of the same And what is that I pray thée name If it be not the holy Masse I will be a Protestant as I was m If thou hadst bene of vs thou wouldest haue continued with vs 1. Iob. 2.19 In the eightéenth Psalme I found The whole world should heare their sound n Namely of the Apostles and their doctrine proue our Doctrine to disagree with theirs And it this marke you doe not want Presently I will recant Continuance THis is another marke most sure The Fayth of Christ must still endure o Christes Fayth must endure therfore Rome is the true Church A hote Argument According as our Sauiour sayd When for Saint Peter hee had prayd Simon thy Fayth shall neuer fayle The gates of Hell shall not preuayle The holy Ghost your Comforter Shall remayne with you for euer And I my selfe your surest friend Will be with you vnto the end Saint Paul hath the like speach There shall be alwayes men to preach Apostles p Some say they are Apostles and are not Re. 2.2 Doctours and the like In the Church Catholike If this be not the Church of Rome q Because you say it we are boūd to beleeue it Then will I be conuerted soone Visible ANother marke there is most cleare The Church of God must still appeare As a City on a hill r Some wrest the Scriptures to their owne destruction 2. Pet. 3.16 Take heed Seene and continue still As a light on a Candlesticke So is the Church Catholique Our Sauiour sayth If one offend And will not be ruled by his friend Tell all the Church without delay s Would you haue vs go to Rome with euery cōplaynt it seemeth so for you tye the Church to that See And if he will not then obay Doe thou estéeme such a man An Heathen or a Publican Is not that the Church wherein we sée Two hundred Bishops thirty thrée To haue succéeded each other Since the time of Saint Peter t You must first prooue that Saint Peter was Bishop of Rome Shew mee this marke in you u Thou thy selfe sayst there haue bene successiuely 63. Bishops in England since Peter then eyther ours is the true Church or else succession of Bishops is no sure marke And I will say your Fayth is true If this be not in the Fayth of Rome Then will I be conuerted soone Vnity ANother marke there is truly The Church must haue Vnity As our Sauiour hath foretold One Shepheard and one Fold One is my Spouse one is my Loue One is my Darling and my Doue This is his Spouse and at some time He doeth resemble it to a Vine His Father is the Husbandman A Branch is euery Christian This is his Body Mysticall The which he doeth his Kingdome call Whereof Saint Peter had the Keyes w What became of the Keyes when Pope Iulius 2. threw them into Tibur And his Successors haue alwayes x As though no body did succeede Peter but the Pope who is rather the successour of Romulus then Peter as Pope Hadrian the fourth said when he dyed And likewise Saint Paul sayth One Baptisme and one Fayth And one Lord IESV Haue no dissention among you If this be not the Church of Rome Then will I be conuerted soone Holy THis you say in very déede When you rehearse the holy Créede y So you say in the Creede that Christ sitteth at the right hand of God and yet you say also he is in body present at the Masse One Church Catholique Holy and Apostolique This is another marke truely The Church of God must be holy Holy men Holy Seruice Ceremonies Sacrifice Sacraments and Holy dayes Are obserued in her alwayes As for the Saints and Martyrs all And Virgins which you Saynts doe call I aske you when they liued and where Whose names are in your Calender In what Religion they dyed By whom they were Canonized z Who made the Pope a Saint-maker Proue that these agrée with you And I will say your Fayth is true If they were not your company a You stand so much vpon Company that you will rather goe to the Deuill then want Company Then is your Fayth an Heresy Heretikes OVr Sauiour warneth vs to haue care Of false Prophets to beware b That makes vs take heed of you Which in his name shall come Not sent yet they shall runne c There bee many of your Church come amongst vs to work mischiefe before you bee sent for Théeues not entring by the Doore d A liuely description of the Popes Clergy That kill and steale and kéepe a stoore Woolues in Shepheards clothing That kill the Soule and steale the tithing Dogges Foxes and Masters of lyes That newe Sects will deuise Bringing in dissention And heape thousands to perdition Where haue you bene this many a yere That none of you durst once appeare Euer since our Sauiours time To whom did your Light shine e To those which had eyes to see it Where did your principall Pastor sit f In Heauen Who kept your keyes who fed your shéep g You haue butchered a good sort of them Shew some Churches you haue built I can shew many you haue spilt How might a man haue found you out To haue tryall in a matter of doubt h You be too proud to learne It is the first lesson you teach your Disciples to admit no conference Where for so many a yeere No such company did appeare Vntill Luther a lying Fryer i If Luther had continued a true Frier he had neuer bene good Vpon whom the
themselues are croaking like Frogs in euery corner labouring to maintayne the Popes authority I meane the Iesuited Rout Do spread themselues in each country To draw men to disloyalty They counsell Subiects kill their kings Stabbings they vse and poysonings q Our Countrey and times afford store of examples to proue this Christ gaue no such commaundement When first he his Disciples sent Of this Conuersion if you boast Whereby poore soule Hell hath engrost I yéeld you full willyngly It well agréeth with Popery To draw Disciples is no marke For so doeth many a fayned Clarke r 2. Pet. 2.1 2. Acts 20.30 The Church to trueth which doeth conuert We doe imbrace with all our heart Thou sayst Romes Fayth once ouer all The world was famous so sayth Paul s Rom. 1.8 And Rome did first conuert our Land And hereupon you greatly stand Romes Fayth indéede once bare the bell And so it did deserue it well But Rome's not now as heretofore The faythfull City 's made a whoore t If. 1.21 So it was said of Ierusalem which had more excellent particular promises thē Rome can alledge any If new Rome now were as the old Then we with Romanists would hold If Rome become Christs enemy Then we from Babylon must flye u Apoc. 18.4 To say that Rome is therefore sound Because of old it was renownd It may a Papist satisfie But men of iudgement it denye Paul neuer Rome did magnifie As he did those of Thessaly w See 1. Thes 1.3 4 5 6 7 8. Yet now that Church is cleane defac'd And there the Turk himselfe hath plac'd The Asian Churches x Ephesus Smyrna Pergamus Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia Leodicea Apoc. 1.11 famous once Are turned to an heape of stones The golden lights y Those seuen Churches were represented by seuen golden Candlesticks Apoc. 1.20 of Saint Iohns age Are now become euen Sathans Cage Proue thou that Rome hath not declinde From th' ancient Church by Paul refinde And then I le say thou hast done more Then euer Papist did before But for first turning of our Nation I trow thou namest it but for fashion For they that looke in History Thereof can find no certainty Simon Zelotes as some say z Niceph. lib. 2. cap. 40. Did first Christs Gospell here display Euen whilest that Emperour did raigne By whom our Sauiour Christ was slayne a Gildas Lib. de victoria Aurelij Ambrosij Some say that he of Arimathy b Ioseph who buryed Christ In the yeere of grace sixty thrée From France by Philip c Philip the Apostle was sent ouer To vs the Fayth for to discouer d So sayth Gildas also Hereto agréeth a learned man That ancient Clarke Tertullian That by th' Apostles Brittanny Was turn'd to Christianity e Tertullian in his book against the Iewes amongst other places couerted by the Apostles reckoneth diuers partes of France and of Brittayne So doth Origene Hom. 4. vpon Ezekiel Pope Eleutheriuo long agoe f About the yeere of Christ 180. As his Epistle plaine doth show g This Epistle hath bin found out of the ancient records of the Kings of England Vnto king Lucius hither sent Ere Ethelbert was king of Kent h Which was about 600. yeres after Christ We hold the Fayth that then was taught But you the same do set at naught i Eleutherius referred K. Lucius to the Scriptures clean against the Papists course now and called him Gods Vicar in his kingdome which Title the Pope alone doeth now challenge When Rome the Trueth doth once forsake Then we of Rome our leaues must take If that our Church were Catholicke To come to Church thou wouldst not sticke If of the word thou knewst the sense Thou soone would'st leaue that fond pretēce Our Church that Truth doth firme imbrace Which all those hold in euery place Who leauing mens Traditions cleane Vpon the Scriptures onely leane k That is truly Catholike which euery where alwayes by all viz. true Christians is beleeued Vincent cont Haer. cap. 3. Let Papists proue that the word Catholike being takē in that sence ours is not the Catholike church Prophet THou cit'st a Text of Malachy l Mal. 1.11 Hoping to prooue thy Masse thereby Alas the reason is but small And helpes that Idol not at all In it God threateneth the Iewes Who their great Priuiledge did abuse And thought the Lord was tyed to them And vnto their Ierusalem The Prophet telles that God elsewhere Will find out those which shall him feare And in an order without blame Shall call vpon his holy Name Speaking to their capacity The Legall termes he doth apply m So Ioel 2.28 the holy Ghost foretelling the plenty of spirituall enlightening which the people shall haue vnder Christ doeth deliuer it vnder the names of visions and dreames which notwithstanding were not ordinary in the times of the Gospell And calls our Gospel-like Seruice A pure n Pure in Christ being accepted of GOD through him 1. Pet. 2.5 and spotlesse Sacrifice What ground is here then for the Masse It stil remayneth as it was A grosse deuice defaming Christ Who is our true and onely Priest o See more of this hereafter in speaking more directly of the Masse The speach of Dauid of the Skyes p Psal 19.3 But according to their account Psal 18. Vnto the Apostles Paul applyes q Rom. 10.18 And sayth their sound went farre and neere As in the stories doeth appeare Tell mee I pray what good to you This place you haue alledg'd can doe It maketh nought for Popery Or for your idle trumpery Indéed th' infamous Fame is spred Of Antichrist your hideous head And all Gods children him doe sée The man of sinne r 2. Thes 2.3 alone to bee Th' Apostles Faith was farre disperst And heere in England was reherst Sith then our doctrine is the same To it belongs part of their fame Continuance YOu say Christs Fayth must still endure I yéeld that nothing is more sure And alwayes God a Church will haue Though thereat Sathan rage and raue s Math. 16.18 It glads my hart that Christ hath prayd Thereby I know my Fayth is stayd t Luke 22.32 The Comfort of Gods holy Sprite Is eche good Christians sole delight This prooues there still a Church shal bée And herein thou and I agrée To prooue the Church tyed to one Sea Requireth yet a better Plea The Fayth of Christ may styll abide Though Rome should into Tibur slide Gods spirit is frée and is not bound v Iohn 3.8 Within the Lists of Romish ground When thou canst proue by holy writ Christs Fayth to Rome by Charter knit Then shall thy tale some credit find Where now it turneth all to wind But yet Continuance is a Note Of Gods true Church Paul hath wrote That there should still some teachers be w Eph. 4.11
c. In Rome we this fulfilled see I say Continuance is no signe To proue a Church to be diuine We may not thinke eche doctrine sure Which doth for many yeeres endure x It is true that the truth shall continue but yet it holdes not backwarde that whatsoeuer continueth is Trueth The Deuill is a lyer from the beginning Must not the Tares be let to grow Till it be time the corne to mowe y Math. 13.30 And Antichrist shall long time stay Euen till the very Iudgement day z 2. Thes 2.8 The Arrian Heresie yeeres did stand Two hundred more then one thousand a Yea and it was so generally receyued that it was sayd the whole world was become an Arrian And so since Mahomet first was séene A thousand yeeres haue nombred béene Romes name endures but Rome is chang'd And hath from Christ it selfe estrang'd Quit thou Rome from Apostacy Or name not perpetuity Pauls wordes do prooue b Ephe. 4.11 c. that certeinly The Church shall haue a Ministry And that there shal be some to féed The Flocke of Christ at euery néed But that these Pastors here or there Shall alwayes sit in beautie cléere This fond Conceipt not one poore word The holy Scripture doth affoord In déed in Rome there diuers bée That beare the name of Prelacy Better we Pilates may them call Séeking the Churches funerall You call your Pope a Shepheard great But where is his Spirituall Meate I do not heare that hee doth preach That would his greatnes much impeach Such are his carnall Cardinals Or rather bloudy Canibals c The people that liue vpon mans flesh They eate the Fatte and skin the Flocke And liue vpon the Churches stocke An idle signe a Shepherds Crooke In hand they beare d Their Pastoral staffe made in fashion of a Shepheards crooke but can not brooke To preach the word a Pastors grace That duty fittes not their high place The key of knowledge they withdraw e Luke 11.52 And from Gods people steale f Ieremy 23.30 Gods Law g They teach traditions to be equally reuerēced as the Scriptures Con. Trid. ses 4. dec 1. And mens deuies on them thrust Making them vnto Fancies trust These are Romes Pastors wofull shéepe Which left are to the Wolues to kéepe Thou Shepheard great Byshop chiefe h 1. Pet. 2.25 5.4 Come quickly i Reuel 22.20 quell this Romish thiefe Visible THou tell'st a tale incredible How that Gods Church is visible And by the Byshops Catalogue Wouldst prooue thy Romish Synagogue The errors here together lap 't By which the simple are entrap't All which your fained Church doth hold I meane in order to vnfold The Catholike Church defin'd aright Cannot be subiect to our sight It is th' Elected Company k 1. Pet. 2.9 And Christ his chosen Family l Ephe. 3.15 Of this one part in heauen liues m Called the Church Triumphant The other here with Sathan striues n Termed the Church Militant The part aboue you le not deny With mortall eyes none can descry The same is true of that below It is vnséene by vs also How with mine eyes I might discerne And sée th' Elect faine would I learne Vpon their persons we may looke Whose names are written in Gods booke o The Booke of life Phil. 4.3 But as for their spirituall Being It is a thing doth passe our séeing Partes of Christs church you Papists make Euen those whom God will quite forsake p So doeth Belarmine lib. 3. de Eccl. Cap. 7. the Rhemists in their annotations vpon Io. 15.1 Which if the matter well be scand Cannot with any Scripture stand Of the true Church Christ is the Head q Eph. 1.22 In him can be no members dead r They are called liuing stones 1. Pet. 2.5 His Church a Garden s Cant. 4.12 closed well In which no Reprobates can dwell t So August applyeth the place contra Cres Gram. lib. 2. and Gregory the great who was a Bishop of Rome in his Commentary vpon that place So that if fitly we will speake The ground you lay is very weake In calling it a Marke most cléere That Gods true Church must still appéere Of Churches nam'd in seuerall In Cities or els Nationall We yeeld sometime they may be séene Though sometime they are darkened cleane Sometime the Moone with chéerefull light Shines in the height of Heauen bright u Aug. vseth that Similitude in Psalm 9. and Epist 48. and Ambrose Hex 4. C. 8. Sometime with Cloudes t is ouerspred And in the Wane cleane vanished So is the Church in safety still Although not alway visible Sometimes it sittes in glory great Sometime it hath no certaine Seat The Woman which to Desert fled From Sathans rage to hide her head w Apoc. 12.6 By all the Learneds full consent The Church on earth doth represent The famous Church of Israel Where God did promise still to dwell x Psal 132.14 Was drownd so in Idolatry And superstitious slauery That all true worship being gone Elias thought himselfe alone y 1. King 19.10 And when Christ comes to iudge vs all Then Fayth on earth shal be but small z Luke 18.8 How is the Church a City then a Math. 5.14 Rais'd on a Mount and séene of men And how a light set vp on hye That all that will may it espye How shall we to the Church complaine b Math. 18.17 If of the Church no shew remaine This is thy Popish reasoning And Scriptures playne misconstruing Christ doth the Apostles counsell giue The true meaning of those places Soundly to preach and well to liue Because their places were in sight And 't was their Office to giue light They erring many might misse-lead Which in their steps might hap to tread If that their Doctrine were vnsound In falsehood many might bee drownd It was in vaine for them to wéene In doing yll not to be séene You are sayth Christ vpon a Mount To be well markt make full account c Thus Chry. and Theophilact expound this place Paideusi antous enagonious einai cai acribeis peri ton bion os para panton blepesthe mellontas This sheweth wherein our duety stands And what God lookes for at our hands Who call'd are to the Ministry To labour in Gods Husbandry d 1. Cor. 3.9 But from hence how may prooued bée The Churches visibility This place affoords a slender proofe And litle for the Popes behoofe Yet you perhaps will vrge it still The Pastors are set on a Hyll And called Light euen so say I But all men can them not descry For those which want spirituall eyes e Eph. 1.18 Nor are by searching f Iohn 5.39 Scriptures wise g Eph. 5.15 17. This mounted City can not sée Nor where these lightsome Pastors bée h This was the answere of Aug.
yeeres 1164. 1165. 1166. The Waldēses which held in many poynts against the Pope were in anno 1167. after increasing in diuers places Almaris a Bishop burnt in Paris for holding against Transsubstantiation Images Altars and praying to Saints 1206. Many in Sueuia did preach the Pope to be an heretike in the yeres 1236. 1237. 1238. Grosted Bishop of Lincolne wrote against the Pope anno 1246. Arnold de noua villa against Masses Sacrifices for the dead taught that the Popes beliefe was the deuils beliefe anno 1259. All Histories are ful of the like examples These few may serue for a taste to satisfie an indifferent Reader and to stop their mouthes who say none were heard of of our Religion and Church till Luther But now the Lord hath let vs sée Your Antichrists deformity That all men might him fully know Before his finall ouerthrow Our Pastor chiefe f 1. Pet. 5.4 in heauen did sit And so doth stil sayth holy Writte g Acts 4.21 On earth a Vniuersall Priest None dare be call'd but Antichrist h Gregory the great a Bishop of Rome sayd that whoso calleth himselfe or desireth to bee called Vniuersall Bishop is the Forerunner of Antichrist Epist ad Eulogium lib. 7. He that our Church and Keyes had sought By tokens in the Scripture tought Our Church and Keyes he might haue found Euen when the world was most vnsound Building of Churches nothing makes For that which héere thou vndertakes For then commend Demetrius Who builded Shrines at Ephesus i Acts 19.24 Well may the Heathen people boast Of Piramées and Churches cost In houses made God doth not dwell As holy Scripture doeth vs tell k Act. 7.48 Yet neyther all the Churches here Erected by the Papists were Nor are by vs abolished Places where God is worshipped If priuate men haue euill done For it blame not Religion Those men which do Church-spoyling loue Our Fayth and Church doth not approoue Those Celles and Dennes of Idlenes And Nurseryes of wickednesse Vpon good causes were displac'd As Baals Temples were defac'd l 2. Kings 10. * Touching Luthers Mariage A Lawlesse vow m It is wel called a Lawlesse Vow because it is of a thing which is not in mans power If it be said that by fasting prayer it may be performed continency obtayned I answere the giftes of God are twofold Some cōmon to all Beleeuers as Faith c Some peculiar to some onely as this of Continency Now if by fasting and Praier we labour for the first sort we shal in some measure receiue them but we haue not the like assurance for the gifts of the latter sort because it may be the Lord is pleased otherwise to dispose Now to make such a Vow is a sinne but to persist in it is a double euill of single life Luther well brake and tooke a Wife Better the pure and Spot-lesse Bed n Koite amiantos Heb. 13.4 Then by vncleane lustes to be led o 1. Cor. 7.9 Better the marryed Chastity p Papists doe oppose mariage chastity but Paul bids yong women to be chaste subiect to their Husbands Tit. 2.4.5 Then violent Virginity They ought not single to remaine Who are not gifted to containe q 1. Cor. 7.9 Wedlocke it selfe can not defile It hath an Honourable Stile r Heb. 13.4 God doth it not to each man giue Without the marriage bonds to liue s Math. 19.11 And it is allowed to a Bishop to be the Husband of one wife 1. Tim. 3.2 The forced vowes of Singlenes Haue brought foorth beastly Filthines Thou maist behold in History The fruits of Monkish Lechery t There were 6000. infants heads found in Pope Gregory his mote as appeareth by the letter of Voluntianus Bishop of Carthage or as some thinke of Huldericus Bishop of Augusta to Pope Nicholas against the forbidding of Priests mariage Thy poysoned Tongue doth further reach The noble Saxon to impeach Because to Truth he did encline Thou callest him a Libertine When God was pleas'd to let him sée How Christ his Death hath made vs frée Then did he déeme it slauery To beare the Romish tyranny Though Antichrist did Rome possesse ‡ Who kept the Scriptures You kept the Scriptures I confesse And in that long Apostacy Those Bookes were in your custody So I a Pirate false haue knowne To kéepe the goods were not his owne And in the Ship to rule and raigne When the right Owner hath bene slaine So did the Iewish Synagogue Safely kéepe Moses Decalogue And th' other Bookes u Viz. the Prophets Psalmes for so is the old Testamēt diuided Moses the Prophets and Psalmes Luke 24.44 when cruelly They did Christ Iesus crucify § Touching the calling of Ministers The Pastors which did first restore The Trueth which lay long hyd before Thereto were called lawfully And euen by your Authority You did them Priests and Doctors make And they from you this charge did take w In their admittance That they the Truth should soundly preach And in the same the people teach Hereto you caused them to sweare That to the Fayth they should adheare And neuer should errours endure That were against the Doctrine pure That whereunto you did them call Full well they haue performed all Trueth they haue sought to propagate And Heresyes to ruinate As we account your Baptisme true And neuer do the same renue So may you make a lawfull Priest Yet be not the pure Church of Christ We know that now you wiser bée And sweare your Priests to Popery x In their othes and admissions they put in this clause The Catholike and Apostolike Church of Rome which in elder times was not vsed And binde them to maintayne the state Of your thrée-Crowned Potentate Sée now O Papist thou recant Th' art answered by a Protestant I counsell thée if thou be wise No new euasions to deuise Thy tale of Ethelbert of Kent Is but a slender Argument y It is also answered before It sails not whence the Fayth was brought Or who it first amongst vs tought Let vs into the Scripture looke z Isay 8.20 And duely search a Iohn 5.39 Acts 17.11 that holy Booke Thence shal we know which Church to leaue b We haue found Christ in the Scriptures there wee must also finde the Church Aug. de Pastoribus And vnto which alone to cleaue These swelling wordes c 2. Pet. 2 18. of Vnity Succession and Antiquity Are but poore groundlesse fantasyes To blind the simple peoples eyes Though that an Angell thou shouldst sée Let him sayth Paul accursed bée d Gal. 1. ◠If from the Scripture he doth erre Account him not Gods Minister If one arise and wonders show Séeking the Trueth to ouerthrow Though that might séeme a motiue strong Yet vnto him death doeth belong e Deut. 13.1 2 5. If thréescore Byshops here and thrée Haue bene with vs successiuely It eyther prooues our Church is true Or els that marke makes nought for you That Fayth for which Peter was slayne Our English Church doth still retayne We heare the voyce f Iohn 10.27 of Christ Iesu Who is the Sonne of God most true FINIS