is the true and absolute object of our adoration and adoration is due unto God only but we exclude not that flesh from our adoration lest we divid his person with Nestorius yet so that we worship that flesh not in itself but respectively as it is the flesh of the Sone of God to this purpose he brought a testimony of Cyrill and the eight anathematism of the Councell at Chalcedon They disputed on this article other three dayes but no agreement March 27. the Wurtembergers gave their propositions of Popish churches images and organes in churches They agreed that these are in themselves indifferent if the abuses be shunned Then they gave theses of baptism where the question was Whether baptism is the laver of regeneration in the holy Spirit or whether it be only a signe signifying and sealing adoption The VVurtembergers said It not only signifieth and sealeth adoption but is the very laver of regeneration because it is said He washes his Church by the laver of water and Unless a man be born again .... and they condem these propositions The grace of the holy Ghost is not tied unto the sacraments The sacraments are appointed only to confirm Gods favor toward us Regeneration or salvation depends not absolutly on baptism It is an improper speech Baptism washes away sin In the elect only is the virtue of baptism All infants that are baptized are not partakers of the grace of Christ or regenerated It is unlawfull that women do baptize even in case of necessity Beza gave his answer in writ the sum is The sacraments are not bare signes but the efficacy of the Holy Spirit should be distinguished from the power of the water as they are distinguished by John in Matth. 3. and by Pet. 1. Ep. 3. and of the whole ministery it is said He who planteth or watereth is nothing And he declares the words of the institution and the effects of baptism In the dispute Jacob Andreae held that there is but one washing because Paul saith one baptism Beza said There is an outward and an inward washing and he rebuked the Wurtembergers that they do not call the blood of Christ the thing signified in baptism Do. Jacob answered A sacrament is such as the word describes it but neither Christ nor Paul speaking of baptism make any mention of blood They asked Whether infants have faith Beza denied and the other affirmed it They questioned Whether the elect being sanctified may lose faith Beza denyed and the other put it off unto the article of predestination They asked What hope may parents have of their baptised children Beza said All should hope well but we are not Prophets to foretell that this or that child shall be a good or bad man Concerning women's baptism Th. Beza said There can be no such necessity for which the Divine ordinance of the Ministry should be trangressed Iacob said As a woman may confort a man in time of necessity Beza replied There is another consideration of exhorting and conforting one another and not the want but the contempt of the sacrament doth condemn Neither in this point did they agree Concerning predestination the Wurtembergers said God from all eternity not only foresaw the fall of man but hath also foreknown and chosen them that shall be saved and hath appointed them unto salvation that is that they should be saved by Christ for the election was made in Christ The number of them who shall be safed is certain with God So the question remains say they whether God hath predestinate his elect unto life so that he in his hid and absolut judgement hath appointed certain men yea the most part of men unto eternal damnation that he will not have them to repent nor be converted and saved We believe that such decree can not be shewd by Scripture that without respect of their unworthiness but at the meer pleasure of his will he hath appointed any man far less the greatest part of men unto everlasting damnation or that he will not have them to repent Because whatsoever is written is written .... that we through patience and consolation might have hope and God will have all men to be saved ...... They reiect these propositions Reprobation is the most wise purpose of God whereby from all eternity he hath constantly decreed without all unrighteousness not to shew love on them whom he hath not loved that in justly condemning them he might declare his wrath against sin and shew his glory The cause of the decree of election or reprobation is his eternal favour toward them who at his pleasure are appointed unto salvation and his eternal hatred of ill ordaining whom he pleased unto damnation but wherefore he hath appointed these men rather then those unto salvation or damnation there is no other impulsive cause but his will God willeth not that those who are appointed to damnation should be saved or that the death of his Sone be available unto them Beza answered thus What yee deny that the vessels of wraith alswel as the vessels of mercy were ordained from eternity Wee do affirm not only because there is alike reason of contraries and the very word Election proveth it but also it is declared by the express word of God Rom. 9. 11. And this is so far from any ground that man can challenge God of unrighteousness that He were not unjust though he had condemned all men seeing we all are the children of wraith and he is debter to none Wee say further that their condemnation who in the eternall decree are left in their corruption is not rightly attributed unto this decree For albeit that which God hath decreed can not miss but shall come to pass and so they who perish do not perish without this decree yet the cause of the execution or of their condemnation is not that decree of God but their natural corruption and the fruits of it from which it pleased God to exeem them only whom he hath chosen to salvation That there ever was and is a great number of them who perish the matter it self shewes and Christ saith Many are called and few chosen and Few enter in at the strait gate Lastly that God will not have them to be converted and saved it 's not to be understood as if they were willing and God resisteth their desire but that they will not be converted nor can they will being forsaken of God and left in impenitency He answered also to the obiections but I will not repeat them here In this dispute they come to that question Whether Christ died for all men even for the sins of the damned Iacob held the affirmative and Beza the negative When thâ—y both repeated the same arguments and answers Prince Frederik thought it expedient to close seeing no appearance of agreement he exhorted them to give one to another the hand of fraternity and to abstain from bitter writings untill God shall give them more cause of peace Jacob
of his God-head and He is the bread of life not of this natural but of that unchangeable life which fails not by death And who beleeveth in that bread shall not suffer hunger by hearing the Word of God nor suffer spiritual thirst because he hath the water of Baptism and sanctification of the Spirit ... And shewing that faith in Christ is not a common thing but a gift of God and given by the Father to the upright in heart he saith Whomsoever the Father gives unto me he shall come unto me that is they shall beleeve in me whom my Father gives unto me .... And I will not cast him out which comes unto me that is I will not lose him but I will save and I will refresh him with much diligence for I came from Heaven to do no other thing but the will of my Father And near the end of that Chapter he saith When ye hear that his Disciples went away do not think it of his true Disciples but of them who did follow in the order of Disciples and seemed to have the form of Disciples while they were taught by him for there were some among his Disciples who being compared with the other multitude were called his Disciples for they abode longer time then the multitude but being compared with others which were true Disciples they were not to be considered because they beleeved him but for a time and as I might say with a cold heat .... The flesh profiteth nothing ... the flesh that is to expound these words carnally profiteth not but are the occasion of scandal So then they who understood carnally the things spoken by Christ were offended Therefore he addeth The words I speak are spirit that is are spiritual and life having no fleshly thing and bringing eternal life Shewing that it is the excellency of the God-head to reveal these hid things he saith There be some among you who beleeve not when he saith Some he excepteth the Disciples On Cap. 10. He sheweth the sure tokens of a good Shepheard and of a Wolf ... and first of the pernicious Shepheard saying He entreth not by the dore that is by the Scriptures for he useth not the Scriptures and Prophets as witnesses for certainly the Scriptures are the dore by which we are brought unto God and these suffer not Wolves to enter for they forbid Hereticks that we may be secure and they give a reason of every thing therefore he is a theef who entreth not into the fold by the Scriptures and so is found by them .... Because the Scriptures are understood and opened by the Holy Spirit they do shew Christ unto us the Porter is justly expounded the Holy Spirit by whom as the Spirit of wisdom ann knowledge the Scriptures are opened and by them the Lord entreth to have a care of us and by them the Shepheard is known And the Sheep hear the voice of the Shepheard for because they had often called him a deceiver and they would through incredulity confirm this saying Doth any of the rulers beleeve in him Christ shews that they should not think him a deceiver though none of those beleeved in him but rather they should be cast out of the sheep-fold for saith he if I come in by the dore it is clear that I am the true Shepheard and ye which beleeve not in me seem not to be sheep On Cap. 12. speaking of the word Osanna he saith Out of these Texts any man may understand that the Scripture attributes salvation unto God only On Cap. 20. Though many signs of his resurrection were given yet these only are written and that not for ostentation or that the glory of the only begotten may be shewed but that ye may beleeve saith he What is the gain who reapeth it not Christ for what gain hath he that we beleeve But it redounds unto us for he saith That ye beleeving might have life through his name On Rom. 1. What righteousness can we have who are defiled with abomination and filthy deeds but God hath justified us not by our works but by faith On Cap. 3. If the Law had power to justifie what need had we of Christ If thou wilt say By what law is this glorying excluded is it by works seeing the Law commandeth He who doth these things shall live by them for these things did the Law of Moses command He saith Not but by the Law of faith which gives righteousness by grace and not by works You see how he calleth faith a law because this name was in such veneration amongst the Jews On Cap. 6. He calleth life grace and not a reward as if he had said Ye do not receive the reward of works but by grace are all these things given unto you through Christ which worketh and doth them all On Cap. 10. The righteousness of God is by faith which requires nothing glorious or grievous of us but all our hopes is on the grace of God On Cap. 11. If of works then no more of grace or else work were no more work if we be made acceptable unto God through works grace were superfluous but if grace be superfluous then must works also be taken away for where grace is working is not requisite and where working is no grace is required What then .... When he hath shewed what grace is and that it is the gift of God without the works of men he asserteth that the Israelites have not attained justification though they sought it because they sought it not rightly and they thought to have righteousness by works which could not be But saith he the election that is they which are chosen have attained it and by this word election he shews that the excellency of things to come and all other things are bestowed on men by the gift of God On Cap. 13 He the Apostle teacheth that all men whether a Priest or Monk or an Apostle should be subject unto Princes On Cap. 16. The Apostle teacheth that dissensions and scandals that is heresies are brought in by them which bring any doctrine besides the doctrine of the Apostles On 1 Cor. 3. Miracles are done very often for the profit of others and therefore are they done sometimes even by unworthy men Cap. 14. Signs are for unbeleevers for beleevers have no need of them seeing they do already beleeve ... but prophecies are profitable both to beleevers and unbeleevers ...... Behold how by degrees he proveth plainly that he who speaks with his tongue only and understands not doth the less good even to himself and this was the meaning of Basilius on this place ..... What then is more to be sought of God that we may pray in the Spirit that is with grace and with the mind that is with meditation to conceive what we should pray On 2 Cor. 4. That the excellency may be of the power of God and not of us that it may be clear saith the Apostle that the excellency of the
did teach that the body and blood of Christ which are offered upon the altar throughout the earth are not the very body and blood of Christ but onely a figure or certain similitude howbeit indeed Berengarius had said nothing so To the intent Adelman may bring his Brother from this opinion he intreateth him brotherly not to depart from the doctrine of their master Fulbert and of the Catholike Church Then he appealeth to the testimony of Augustin Ambrose and Jerome who never taught any transubstantiation or impanation He writeth also that the very flesh and blood of Christ was given unto the Apostles at the first institution and are still given unto faithful communicants for he who said in the beginning Let there be light and the light was made of nothing why saying of the bread This is my body may he not cause it to be the same Afterwards he sheweth how Christ worketh this by the mystery of man for when he was made immortal and going up to heaven he said Behold I am with you unto the end of the world because he was compersonate of two natures one circumscribed another uncircumscribed by his circumscript nature he went from place to place by his uncircumscript nature he is whole every where illocally and abode with them yet he did not separate the Son of Man from the Son of God and when the Son of Man ascended up to heaven he was there as the Son of God as he witnesseth himself No man ascendeth up to heaven but he who came down from heaven the Son of Man who is in heaven If therefore he was there by the unity of person whether he had not ascended by property of nature for in the same unity he abode still on earth with men after he had ascended up to heaven Therefore that faith may be exercised in believing because that vital Sacrament appeareth not under a bodily shape it is hid profitably as the soul in the body Last of all The water in Baptism seemeth to be common water and a baptised man What seemeth he but what he was before he declareth this at great length that neither sense nor reason can reach to comprehend this mystery where sense judgeth that water to be an humide liquor cold in substance and which may be turned into air or earth but how by the water and the Spirit a soul is regenerate and forgiveness of sin is given unto this unsearchable mystery neither sense nor reason can attain and nevertheless we must surely believe That the unbodily soul is created by bodily water c. Mark here as Christ's body was not in heaven when he said Behold I am with you and yet even then he was in heaven wholly in respect of his person so now his body is in heaven and not on earth where notwithstanding he is personally Again mark We have here an union of the water and the Spirit to the regeneration of the soul but who ever thought that that water is the Spirit or that the thing signified is corporally or locally in the water or who can imagine that the body is turned into the soul when the body and soul are united And yet Adelman writeth that the union of bread and wine with the body and blood of Christ is like to these two unions to wit by these comparisons he would shew that though the elements remain still the same and Christ's body be always in the heavens till he come again to judge yet there is a real and sacramental union twixt the sign and the thing signified and that the faithful certainly communicate of both together What answer Berengarius did return to his con-disciple we cannot finde But he wrote an Epistle to the forenamed Lanfrank declaring the abuses of the Sacrament and commending the book of John Scotus on that question And he wrote expresly that the body of Christ is not in the Sacrament but as in a sign or figure or mystery He spake also in his preachings against the Romish Church in the doctrine of Marraiage and necessity of Baptism Io. Oecolampad epist lib. 3. fol. 154. print at Basil anno 1536. And Bellarm. in praef before his Books de Pon. Rom. witnesseth that Berengarius called the Church of Rome the Malignant Church the Council of Vanity and the Seat of Satan and he called the Pope not Pontificem vel Episcopum sed Pompificem Pulpificem It happened that Lanfrank was not at home and the Convent opened the Letter of Berengarius and sent it with a Clerk of Rhemes unto Pope Leo IX The Pope summoned a Synod at Verceles Berengarius was advised not to go himself but send some Clerks in his name to answer for him The two Clerks were clapt in prison Scotus was condemned 200. years after his death and the doctrine of Berengarius was condemned yet nothing done against his person at that time because many favored him Lanfrank was now a pleader for him but he was commanded by the Pope to answer him under no less pain then to be as great an Heretique as he Lanfrank following the sway of the world for afterwards he was made Bishop of Canterbury performed the charge In that Book he sheweth that Berengarius in the words of Institution This is my body did appoint them this that is this bread and the bread remaineth saith he bread so that it becometh what it was not to wit the body of Christ sacramentally Even as Ambrose said The Sacrament consisteth of two things one visible another invisible the thing signified and the sign which thing signified if it were before our eyes on earth it were visible but since it is lift up to the heavens and sitting at the right hand of the Father it cannot be brought until the time that all things be restored Again Lanfrank saith Thou believest the bread and wine of the Lord's Table to remain unchangeable in respect of the substance that is to have been bread and wine before the consecration and to be bread and wine after the consecration that they are called the flesh and blood of Christ because they are celebrated in the Church in remembrance of his flesh which was crucified and of his blood which was poured out of his side to the end we being admonished thereby may call to minde the Lord's passion and when we call it to minde we should incessantly crucifie our own flesh and the vices and infections thereof What absurdity could be in these words worthy of so many curses and what was against the Scriptures But Lanfrank hoping to catch some advantage by these last words as if Berengarius had said These signs are naked signs he did beat the air and nothing impugned the true doctrine of Berengarius for this is the special argument of Lanfrank against him The doctrine of the Apostles ordained to be preached that the flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is eaten with the mouth of the body and with the mouth of the
obit Quem sacrae fidei vestigia summa tenentem Huic jam quinta dies abstulit ausa nefas Illa dies damnosa dies perfida mundo Quâ dolor rerum summa ruina fuit Quâ status ecclesiae quâ spes quâ gloria cleri Quâ cultor juris jure ruente ruit Post obitum secum vivam procor ac requiescam Nec fiat melior sors mea sorte sua Platina in Iohan. 15. calleth Berengarius famous for learning and holiness He is reported to have been an hearty friend to learning and did breed many Students of Divinity at his proper charge and by means of them his doctrine was sowed through all France and the Countries adjacent this was matter unto his adversaries to envy him the more Albeit he did waver as Peter did and albeit his doctrine was so oft condemned by the Popes yet it could not be rooted out of men for Math. Paris in Hist ad ann 1087. writeth that all France was affected with this doctrine And Math. Westmonast at the same time saith That the doctrin of Berengarius had corrupted all the French Italian and English Nations so that the Berengarians that is the Preachers of the true faith which the Romanists call Heresie against the rising errors did not lurk in a corner And Sigebert Gemblac in Chron. saith Much was disputed by many both for him and against him by word and by writing Ex edit Antwerp anno 1608. where it is to be marked saith Vsser de eccles succes c. 8. that in the Edition at Paris anno 1589. the words For him are omitted Also Thuan in the Epistle Dedicatory of the Hystory of his time hath marked That in Germany were many of the same doctrine and that Bruno Bishop of Treveres banisht them all out of his Diocess but sparing their blood And Io. Tossington a Franciscan in his confession set forth anno 1380. saith thus The heretical sentence which is raised of the dreams of Berengarius affirmeth openly that all the Fathers of the Church and doctors of the second thousand years as they speak that is who have been within 380. years have been after the loosing of Satan and the doctrine which we saith he commonly hold to be the faith of the Church concerning the blessed Eucharist they say It is not right but an error and heresie and the tares of Satan being let loose Vsser c. 3. 6. To defend the words of the former recantation which was given in Twofold eating with the mouth was devised then and is refuted the Synod at Lateran unto Berengarius these flatterers of the Romish Idol have devised a new distinction of orall eating to wit orall eating is either visible or invisible And they called the opinion of eating Christ's flesh visibly the error of the Capernaites and they said the eating of Christ's flesh with the mouth invisibly was the explication of Christ so writeth Ivo Bishop of Carnotum anno 1092. Catalo test ver lib. 12. But the Fathers of higher antiquity condemned all orall eating as Capernaitism neither were the Capernaites so subtile to make such distinctions Yea surely Christ would have made his correction according to their error Behold what Augustine saith Tract 27. in Iohan. Who abideth not in Christ and in whom Christ abideth not without all doubt he neither spiritually eateth Christ's flesh nor drinketh his blood albeit carnally and visibly he with his teeth do press the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ And Tract 28. What is it they are spirit and life they are spiritually to be understood understandest thou them spiritually they are spirit and life understandest thou them carnally so also they are spirit and life but not to thee They understanding spiritual things carnally were scandalised Here Augustine opposeth carnal eating whether visible or invisible unto spiritual eating and understanding and he saith that carnally men eat not the flesh of Christ but the Sacrament of his flesh 7. Bellarmin writeth in his second Book de Pon. Rom. c. 21. that the great The causes of the schism twixt the Latins and Greeks Schism twixt the Greeks and the Latines began anno 1054. because in that year Michael the Patriarch of Constantinople did excommunicate the Pope and all the Romanists for adding Filioque unto the Decree of the Ephesin Council concerning the procession of the holy Spirit Here we may see who made the Schism the Greeks kept the Decree as it was first enacted but the Latins added Filioque And when in the same place Bellarmine saith It is uncertain when the Latins added it but certainly saith he not before the 600. year and the Greeks espied the addition in the days of Pope Nicolaus LAt this time Pope Leo IX wrote against the Greeks and Michael the Patriarch and Nicolas a Monk wrote against the Latins Of this difference I will speak God willing when I come to the Council at Florence where they disputed this question Why was there so great a Schism then Bellarmin de Cleri li. 1. c. 19. saith The differences were not confined within that one but there were many others of which these are rehearsed by Fox in Act. Mon. out of an old Register of Hereford 1. The Church of Constantinople is not subject but equal unto Rome 2. The Bishop of Rome hath no greater power then the four Patriarchs and whatsoever he doeth without their knowledge and concurrence is of no strength against them 3. Whatsoever hath been concluded or done since the seven general Councils is not of full authority because from that time they convince the Latins to be in an error and to be excluded from the holy Church 4. The Eucharist is not the very body of Christ also whereas the Romish Church doth use unleavened wafers they have great loaves of leavened bread 5. They say that the Romish Church erreth in the words of Baptism for the Romanists say I baptise thee c. but the Greeks say Let this creature of God be baptised in the name c. 6. They hold that the Spirit proceedeth from the Father and not from the Son of this in another place 7. They hold no Purgatory nor that the prayers of the Church do help the dead either to lessen the pain of them in hell or to increase the glory of them who are ordained for salvation 8. They hold the souls of the dead whether elect or reprobate have not their full pain nor glory but are reserved to a certain neutral place till the day of judgement 9 They condemn the Church of Rome because Women as well as Priests anoint children when they baptise them on both shoulders 10. They call our bread Panagria 11. They condemn our Church for celebrating Mass on other days then Sundays and certain Feasts 12. They have neither cream nor oyl nor Sacrament of Confirmation 13. Neither do they use extream unction expounding the place of St James of spiritual infirmity and not of corporal 14. They injoyn
illusions is at hand which that I may see I shall not live so long Behold every good man was then waiting for the fall of Babylon and the Reformation of the Church In Epist 17. he sheweth that against his admonition this friend would try with his eyes whether it were true what he had written and by experience had found that whatsoever wickedness was in the world all did flow to Avenion as to the Sea Petrarcha said further unto him If thou worship Christ as thou hast done religiously hitherto the wickedness of his adversaries which thou hast seen shall be a spur unto thy faith and make thy piety more zealous for thou seest a people who are not only adversaries of Christ but which is worse under his banner they fight against himself and for Satan and being filled with the blood of Christ they say Who is Lord over us ..... Truly if Judas would come with his price of blood he should be welcome and poor Christ should be thrust from the doors that it is so no Christian is ignorant none bewaileth it none seeketh remedy but while one looketh unto another wickedness is unpunished and waxeth as thou seest and which at the first was a curable malady is now altogether corrupt I confess it began before our days as we have learned from our Grand-fathers ..... and now this pest looketh toward the end In Epist 18. he directeth his speech to Babylon in France that is to Avenion thus Shall I call thee a famous or infamous whore who hast played the harlot with the Kings of the earth indeed thou art the same that the Evangelist saw in the Spirit thou I say art the same and none other for thee sitting upon many waters the people and Nations are the waters upon which thou sittest Whore know thy habit a woman clothed in purple and scarlet and gold and precious stones having a golden cup in her hand full of abomination and uncleanness of fornication Doest thou not know thy self Babylon unless that deceive thee which is written in her forehead Great Babylon and thou art Little Babylon little indeed in compass of walls but in vices and compass of infinite passions and lusts and multitude of all evils thou art great yea greatest yea infinite And surely what followeth agreeth unto thee and no other Babylon the mother of fornications and abominations of the earth a wicked mother of most wicked seed ...... If thou wilt yet dissemble mark what followeth And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus Why art thou silent either shew another drunken with this blood or if thou canst deny that thou art drunk for the vision must be true ..... of all the whoredoms wherewith all Nations and Kings are drunk what lookest thou for but that that John saith Babylon is fallen it is fallen and become a den of divels who do reign in thee though with faces of men Then returning to his friend he saith But thou my friend hear with the Apostle another voice from heaven saying Come out of her my people c. Morn in Myster pag. 465. 10. Hayabad a Franciscan preached in Avenion An. 1345. before Pope Preachers at Avenion Clemens that he was commanded by God to declare that the Church of Rome is the whore of Babylon and the Pope and his Cardinals are the very Antichrist and that his Predecessors Benedict and John are condemned When the Pope challenged him he said He was commanded in a vision to speak so and therefore he durst not fail to speak it Catal. test ver lib. 18. ex Henr. de Erford Chron. John Rochetalaida another Franciscan preached the same and is said to be one of them who were burnt at Avenion An. 1353. In the year 1351. a Carmelite in a Sermon spake against the vices of the Pope and his Cardinals but he was quickly hurled from the place Mornay ex Albert. Argentin The same Author saith A Letter was affixed upon a Cardinal's door which was directed unto the Pope and his Cardinals when it was opened they found written Leviathan Prince of darkness saluteth his Vicar the Pope and his Servants the Cardinals by whose aid he overcometh Christ he commendeth them for all their vices and he remembreth the salutation of their mother pride and of their sisters avarice and others who prosper well by their help ...... It was dated In the centre of hell The Author could not be known by all their inquisition 11. At the same time Gregory de Arimino opposed the Doctors in the Articles of justification by works and of free-will at Paris he taught that man hath free-will to do evil but no good without special grace and that we are justified by faith only And he said The School-men deserve to be called Semipelagians Andreas de Castro and John Buridan two famous men at that time agreed with him 12. Then Eudo Duke of Burgundy perswaded the French King that he should not receive into his Realm the new Decretals and Extravagants His sage advice is extant among the Records of France 13. John Tauler a Preacher in Argentine about the year 1350. taught against all the merits of men and in a Sermon upon that Text Simile est Regnum coelorum Patrifamilias he confuteth invocation of Saints and proveth that we are justified of grace only referring all mens trust in the only mercy of God He was bitter against all superstition In a Sermon on the Epiphany he saith The Prelates are blinde guides of the blinde and it is to be feared that both guides and people fall into condemnation In Dominit 2. quadrages on Matth. 15. he saith We must do as the Cananitish woman she passed by the Disciples and made her petition unto the Lord himself On his Sepulchre in the Monastery of the Dominicans in Strawsburgh is an image of a man pointing with his finger unto the Lamb of God whereby was signified that his aim was to teach that Jesus Christ had taken away the sins of the world and that he dispised mans merits Catal. test ver lib. 18. 14. John Rupessa or de Rupe Scissa was imprisoned by Innocentius the IV. and then was burnt because he called the Church of Rome the whore of Babylon and the Pope the minister of Antichrist and the Cardinals false Prophets He wrote in prison a book of Prophecies with this title Vade mecum in tribulatione there he saith Surely God will send a scourge among the spirituality Two Cardinals went to talk with him and he told them a parable Once a bird was brought into the world all naked and without A bird without feathers is supplied and again made naked feathers other birds hearing of her would visit her they saw her marvelously fair and pitying her that she could not live well without feathers they consult how she might be helped and they all resolved to give her some of their own feathers so she