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A13630 The triall of truth Containing a plaine and short discovery of the chiefest pointes of the doctrine of the great Antichrist, and of his adherentes the false teachers and heretikes of these last times. Terry, John, 1555?-1625. 1600 (1600) STC 23913; ESTC S101270 292,240 350

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the Lords saints who the ●po 18 24. merciful spouse of Christ that crieth to God for the pardon of her most grievous and cruel persecutors ●ct 7. 60. Opposit 8. The sting of conscience which some haue felt which were either persecutors or revolters from the gospell of Christ is a manifest demonstration of the impregnable povver of the gospell of Christ vvhich cannot be vanquished and of the light thereof which cannot bee put out THe extraordinary iudgments of God and especially the See Actes and Monume●ts vol. 2. fol. 1902. gnawing vvorme that hath beene felt not only in the guilty consciences of some of the great persecutors of the gospel of Christ but also of some that haue beene revolters from the same for some worldly carnall and earthly respectes both in the Primitiue church and in these later ages also doth manifestly cōvince that this doctrine of the gospell proceedeth from the Rom. 2. 16. 2 King 10. 10 Math 5 18. iudge of all flesh and shal condemne all the condemners thereof yea that in the ende it shall force themselues to pronounce the sentence of iust condemnation against their owne soules VVhereas no such examples may truely be found among those which either by their authority haue restrained or by the ●ight of the truth haue beene reclaimed from their popish heresies Opposit 9. True religion teacheth the faithfull to devote themselues to the worshippe of one true all sufficient God and not to giue religious worshippe to any creature THe worshippe of God is called Religion for that it doth relige Aug. de vera rel ca. 54. Idem de cōs●n Evang. li. 1. cap. 18. and binde vs to one GOD. And therefore the Roma●es vvho receaued into their Panthcon the Gods of all the nations vvhom they subdued to their Empire hauing subdued the Ievves refused their GOD beeing the true and onely God for that they vnderstoode that hee vvoulde bee vvorshipped alone or not at all VVhat religion then is that which doeth not teach to worshippe God alone but to worshippe with religious worshippe saintes and angels also yee their dead and senselesse images Verily S. Austine avoucheth ●…g Ep. 44. that no dead person is worshipped of Catholike christians Wherfore the Romish religion is not catholike nay it is not to be counted religion at al for that it doth not binde vs to one God onely but willeth vs to giue religious worshippe to dead creatures also Opposit 10. The true worshippe and service of God is not clogged with a number of outward ceremonies and bodily observations but consisteth in a pure and sincere spirite Neither is it bettered more by one place then by another THe houre cometh saith our Saviour Christ and now is when 〈◊〉 4. 23. yee shall neither in this mountaine nor at Hierusalē worship the father but the true worshippers shall worshippe him in spirite and truth for the father requireth such to worshippe him God is a spirite they that worsh●ppe him must worshippe him in spirite and truth And therefore when the church beganne to decline from the spirituall worshippe and service of God and to corrupte the same with a multitude of ceremonies it was no small greife to the godly that then liued as it it may appeare by the complainte that Saint Austine made to Ianuarius For bodily exercise even when it is ● Tim. 4. 8. best vsed profiteth litle it is godlines that is profitable to all thinges hath the promises both of this life and of the life to come And as the same Apostle testifieth the kingdome of God consisteth not in meate ●om 14. 17 drinke nor in any outward or bodily observation but in righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy Ghost and he that in these thinges serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men Nowe ●…on vox 〈◊〉 votum ●…acra aurū●…n requi●…nt ●…gnei sacer●…tes au●…i calices this principall kinde of seruing of Christ in spirit and truth which is most acceptable to God and most approved of all good men is willed to stand aside by the church of Rome for she will haue her most goodly and solemne service of God and that vpon her greatest feastes to consist in all manner of melodious musike in singing quavering and orgaine playing in glistring copes and sumptuous vestimentes in creeping to the crosse and kissing the pax and in bowing and bending to dumbe images in long praiers mumbled vp without vnderstanding in a strang tongue nūbred vpon beades in wearing this attire and that attire in going bare-foote in sack-cloath and woll-ward in abstaining from these and these kinde of meates and in an infinite number of the like bodily exercises Wherein shee playeth like some wanton children and lustfull women which feede so long vpon earth or ashes or some other like trash vntill their stomakes loath all māner of good and holesome nourishmentes But these are nought also but false appetites and vnnaturall lustes tending in the one to the corruptiō of their bodies and in the other to the destruction of their soules Moreover whereas our Saviour Christ hath in plaine wordes avouched that the true worshippers of God shall not worshippe at Ierusalem the church of Rome that she may either shewe her selfe to be contrarie to Christ or else her children not to be the true worshippers of God sendeth thē on pilgrimage to Ierusalem there to worshippe esteeming that to be a chiefe pointe of high devotion yea shee hath caused not onely great treasures but also much christian bloode to haue beene wasted for the recovery of that country out of the infidels hands calling it still the holy lande albeit the Lorde long since hath reiected and defied it and hath as it were spit in the very face of it and hath polluted it with his extraordinary plagues because of that cursed peoples extraordinary sinnes And seeing that the name of a Iewe hath long since beene a name of reproach and detestation euen an abhorred and an accursed name why is not the name of Iurie also to be had in the like curse execration Surely the Lord himselfe as the Evangelists doe testifie hath had it Math. 24. 15 Luc. 21. 20. in extreame detestation and set therein the abomination of desolation that is as S. Luke expoundeth the same a fierce army making vtter desolation which testifi●d that the Lorde had vtterly abhorred it and had made the most dreadful destruction thereof to be a witnesse of the same And therefore it is the duety of Monkes as Bernard saith to goe on pilgrimage not towardes the earthly but the heavenly Ierusalem and that not with their feete but with Bern. Ep. 319. their affections For with pure sanctified affectiōs we draw ●igh to God and to the holy and heavenly Ierusalem Opposit 11. The faithfull are in heavines through manifolde tribulations if neede require vvhich is when either God himselfe afflicteth them
other to full into temptation by refusing the meanes ordained by GOD for the better vvithstandinge and subduinge of the same Our father which art in heaven THE Lordes praier beeing a most perfect and absolute forme of praier teacheth vs in generall two thinges first to whom and secondly for vvhat vvee ought to pray The party to vvhom wee ought to pray is God who is nowe become our loving father in Christ and so most readye to graunte our requestes he is also saide to bee in heaven as holding the kingdome and dominion over all and so most able to fulfill our desires and therefore good cause haue vvee in all our necessities to come and to seeke onely to him and to no other And so did the faithfull in the Primitiue church as it may appeare by Tertullian in his Apologie and defence of the Christians that he made on their behoofe against the Heathen You saith he speaking to the Infidels seeke your safety vvhere it is not and aske it of them by vvhome it cannot be giuen neglecting him in whose power it is Moreover yee seeke to destroy those Christians vvho knowe both to aske and obtaine it also For vvee Christians saith he looking vp to heaven vvithour handes spreadde abroad as being innocent and vvith our h●…de vncovered as beeing not ashamed and vvithout a prompter as praying from the hearte doe all of vs alvvates pray for all Emperours that GOD vvoulde graunte vnto them a longe life a safe Reigne a trusty Courte a faithfull Councell valiant armies dutifull subiectes a peaceable governmente vvith vvhatsoever else that may bee vvished for either of Prince or people These thinges I cannot aske of any but of him of vvhome I knovve I shall obtaine them For it that is hee alone that doth performe the same and I am hee vvhich shoulde obtaine them which am his servante and doe honour him alone c. In vvhich vvordes of Tertullian vve may obserue a manifest distinction made betvveene the true and faithfull christian and betweene the blinde and supersticious Idolaters the one of them seeking to the one true and al-sufficient GOD who is onely able to helpe and succour them and the other going and running to such which are not able to performe the same And verely if ye read over the whole volume of the sacred scriptures ye shall finde no example of any of the faithfull that made their prayers to any strange God or to any saint or Angell or to any other creature whatsoever but only to the one true and al-sufficient ●ehovah ye may finde indeed the example of the damned spirite of the rich glutton in hell vvho being vtterly excluded from Luc. 16. 24. the favour of GOD and from all hope of grace and mercy appealed after a sorte from GOD to Abraham saying O Father Abraham sende thou I beseech thee Lazarus if it bee but vvith one droppe of vvater to coo●e my tongue and so somewhat to slocke mine intollerable tormentes And yet so grosse and palpable darkenes had over spredde the vvhole face of the Romish church in these latter ages that their profounde Doctors and greate Masters did not onely teach the people to pray vnto saintes but also to say vnto them the Lordes prayer which was made to this end to leade vs onely to God For the testification of which blindenes to all posterities these ●imes vvere made in Scotland concerning the same Doctors of Theology of fowre-score of yeeres And olde ioly lup●… the balde gray Friers They would be called Rabbi and Magister noster And wote not to whome to say their Pater noster ●…res no●… colle●… Con●…nt i●…um ●…ero 〈◊〉 sancti ●…miles ●…mo See ●…s and ●…mēts ●…2 Fol. ●… Now concerning the matter of this praier the petitions thēselues and first concerning the sanctification of the Lordes name set downe in the first petition the first table of the law doth teach vs 1. first to acknowledge God to be all sufficient and therefore to cleaue onely to him 2. secondly to acknowledge him to be of incomprehensible glory and therefore not to presume to resemble him by any similitude 3. thirdly to ascribe to him infinite power and therefore to sweare onely albeit never vainely by his name 4. fourthly to acknowledge him to be of infinite wisedome and his word the conduite of the same to deriue it to vs and therefore to yeelde our selues wholy to it to be ruled thereby And this is to giue to God that which is Gods to yeelde vnto him that honour which is due vnto him and so to sanctifie his holy name according vnto the exhortation of the prophet Ascribe vnto the Lord O yee k●nredes of the people ascribe vnto the Lord worshippe and power ascribe to the Lord the honour due 〈…〉 96. vnto his name worshippe the Lord with holy worshippe The articles of our Creede doe teach vs also to ascribe vnto God onely the creation and government of this worlde and redemption and sanctification of the church and so to sanctifie his holy name And the whole company of heavenly spirites wondring at the admirable power holines iustice truth which most gloriously shi●e in all the workes of God doe conspire togeather as it were with one voice to sanctifie and magnifie the most holy name of the Lord saying Greate and marve●lous are thy works Lord God almighty ●…c 16. 3 iust and true are thy waies O King of saintes who will not feare thee and glorifie thy name for thou onely art holy Whereby we may perceaue that the whole body of the doctrine of Christ and the whole study of his holy saintes tende to thi● ende even to sanctifie the glorious name of God by magnifying his infinite greatnes and goodnes which in truth can never be sufficiently expressed nor magnified in that manner as it ought to be Now how the church of Rome the church of the malignant doth hinder the sanctification of the Lordes name and darken and obscure his great glorie it hath beene before touched in the setting downe of those principall pointes and cheife groundes of our christian religion 2. The second petition doth teach vs to pray for the planting establishing of the kingdome of God Now this kingdome is tvvofold the kingdome of grace and the kingdome of glory Amonge the auncient Romanes there was no passage to the temple of Honour but through the temple of Vertue and we that are Christians are taught that we must haue our partes in the first resurrection from sinne if we looke to be partakers of the second resurrection Apoc. 20. 6 and to be delivered from the second death For we cannot ascēd to Glorification but by the steps or staires of Iustification and Vocation Rom. 8. 30. that is we cannot come to the kingdome of glorie but first we must be partakers of the kingdome of grace Now the word of grace the word of life being the power of God to salvation to all
through the whole worlde neither are the large kingdomes of * ●…er non ●…frica ●…undus Affrica the Lordes onely field wherein the pure seede of his word is sowen much lesse the smal territories of the city of * Jllud esse● includere orb●m in vrbe Rome but the vniversal globe of the whole earth And yet whē of al the families kinreds of the earth the Lorde had called out and chosen onely the posteritie of Abraham and when the church of Christ vvas annexed to that one people alone the service of God was not thē so tied to thē which had the roomes of the cheife professors therof but that the lawe did sometimes perish from the priest and counsell from the auncient and the Sunne went downe vpon their prophets in Ier. 7. 4. 18. 18. Mich. 3. 6. so much that night was vnto them for a vision and darkenes for a divination As for example in our Saviours time those that shoulde haue beene the principall pillars of the church vvere the cheife subverters thereof and they which had the roomes of the master builders reiected the cheife corner stone and sought the Mat. 21. 42. vtter ruine and dovvne fall of the LORDES house And as it thus happened to the Sinagogue of the Ievves even so also it befell the church of CHRIST when Arrianisme overflowed the outvvarde face thereof in so much that Liberius himselfe Hier de eccles scriptoribus in Fortunatiano being then Bishoppe of Rome yeelded thereto and confirmed it vvith his subscription At what time nothing vvas esteemed a matter of greater pietie and more befitting the servaunt of CHRIST then to follow vnity and not to be divided from the communion of the world when the christian vvorlde Hier. adversus Lucife●ianos sighed and vvondred that of a Christian it vvas become an Arria● VVherefore no mervaile that diverse particular churches planted by the Apostles themselues haue not beene so firmly seased of the truth but that they haue beene longe agoe cast out of the possession thereof no marvaile though they hauing reiected the faith of CHRIST haue themselues also beene reiected from beeing the people and Church of Christ Now that which happeneth to many may also happen to any yea to Rome it selfe and the church thereof seing they haue no Cypr. ad Pomp. cont epist S●eph Hier. ad Princip Marcel ep Tim. 1. greater charter or priveledge of not erring then any other partilar church Certainly Cyprian knevve none for he avoucheth of the Bishope of Rome that he maintaineth heresie against the church Hierome knevve none for hee saith that the fountaine of the Romane faith vvas defiled vvith mudde and that the faith commended by the Apostle was violated in most things albeit our Romanists greatly boast that no good autor hath ever testified of the failing of faith in the church of Rome Nay the Apostle himselfe knewe none for writing to the church of Rome by name he telleth her plainely that she should not be proude of her stāding nor insult against the church of the Iewes for her fall for of 〈◊〉 11. 21 God saith he spared not the naturall branches take thou heede also that he spare not thee For if they which were Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles being borne vnder covenant of mercy and descending from most holy progenitors had no such perpetuity in the favour of God nor assurance for the continuance of the true worshippe and service of God amongst them but that they might vtterly fall from both then surely such as descended from impious and idolatrous parentes and were straungers and alians from the covenantes of grace being of the Lordes endles goodnes receiued into favour can haue no such assurance of the Lordes mercie but that in successe of time the posterity may fall away from that grace whereof their progenitors were made partakers And if the true worship service of God was not vnseperably tied vnto Siloh Sion or Ierusalem wh● presumption is it in the church of Rome to make such boast th● her faith cānot faile as if the truth were necessarily annexed to that city and the spirite of God as it were entailed to Peters ch●ire or as if God were in bonds still to keepe that See vpright whatsoever else became of all other christian churches Verely of them it may be verefied that which Terasius Archbishop of Constantinople testified of their like that the heresie of Macedonius was more tollerable then theirs in that he avoucheth the spirit of God to be servāt to the father and the sonne wheras they after a ●ort make him their servant to convey over continually the certaintie of faith from the predecessor to the successor VVhat may a man in his death bed dispose of the inward qualities of his soule as he may of his temporall goodes and possessions May any one make over by deede of gifte vnto an other his faithfull hart and sincere minde or bequeath by will and testament his piety and godlines These thinges are personall and appropriated to the person on whome they are bestowed they pas●e not from hand to hand they remoue not from subiect to subiect these giftes are not parted by death but accompany vs continually when all other things bid vs adue when all all other things faile they faile not when all other things are lefte behinde they cannot be lefte there is no conveyance to be made from one to an other of these goods For Non na●ci●ur Christiani se● fimus vertue is no inheritance it descendeth not from the father to the child the child taketh his bodely substance from his parentes at his first birth but as for the substance of vertue if he receaue it he receiveth it by a second birth Now if these giftes come not by descent from the father to the sonne that succeedeth him an nature in substance in the very covenat of grace also much lesse doe they come by descent vnto him that succeedeth onely in place and office It is true indeede that Elias promised Elizaeus th●t was to succeede him in his propheticall office that if he saw him when he wa● t●ken out of his sight he should haue his spirite doubled vpon him But Elias knewe that God hauing appointed Eliz●…s to succeede him in his propheticall office woulde haue him endued with such a measure of his spirite that so he might be meete ●or the execution of the same moreover his promise was made to the person of Elizaeus alone and not to any of his successors But the church of Rome will haue the stability of Peters faith to be conveyed over to all his successors and that to the worlds end yea shee will haue it annexed to Peters chai●e to his very consistory and iudgement seate For when it is proved that many of the Popes in person were Apostataes from the faith Lyra in Math c. 16. Conc. Basil Op. ●inod Non
another manner then he himselfe had appointed therefore they are accused as if they had vtterly forsaken the GOD of their fa●hers and had altogeather reiected his worshippe and service By whose example let vs take heede that we forsake not the one true and all-sufficient God who is a ful foūtaine of al good things yea al in al vnto all by speaking vnto any other then only to him and devoting our selues to their service Especially whereas we haue beene baptized in the name of one God the father the sonne and the holy ghost ●…r 1. 13 haue most solemnly vowed our selues therein vnto his sole onely service what madnes is it willingly and wittingly to breake this holy vowe by devoting our selues to the service of the saints as if the ●ords service were not honorable enough for vs or at the least not sufficient for vs of it selfe alone Or if vvee esteeme Gods service to be honorable enough sufficiēt for vs what neede haue we to betake our selues also to a meaner service by becoming servants to our fellow servants for who here in this world being admitted to the Princes service doth afterward betake ●…ipere ●…um Si●…s for●…en by 〈◊〉 in the ●…vers●ty 〈◊〉 Oxford himselfe to the service of a subiect Or what scholar hauing taken the highest degree in the scholes doth aftervvarde sue to obtaine a lovver And yet the children of the church of Rome hauing in Baptisme vowed themselues to the only service of one GOD doe aftervvard devote themselues to the service of the saintes doe giue them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and become their servantes by making them their Patrones and Protectors and by ascribing to their favourable helpe the good successe of their affaires Camp ●p ad Everg. Merc. Prepos Gener. societati● Jesu As Camp●an before he vvas apprehended here among vs glorieth of himselfe that he from his youth being devoted to Saint Iohn the Baptist vvas thus and thus protected by his aide Div. 2. That we ought not to resemble or worship God in any image or similitude 2. THe grounde of this commandement is the true GOD is in comprehensible and incomparable in maiesty and glory and therefore not to be likned or resembled to any creature whatsoeuer without greate disparagement and most heinous derogation vnto his glory The vvhich thing we may learne of the Lord himselfe who hauing set downe in diverse of his workes his owne incomprehensible and vnmatchable maiesty with the vanity and as it were a plaine nullity of all his creatures in respect thereof therevpon inferreth To vvhome vvill yee liken God! or what similitude vvill yee set vp vnto him for whereas all the Isa 40. 18. creatures are nothing in respect of him therefore hee cannot rightly be resembled by anie of them And for this cause it vvas that the LORD when he delivered his lavve vnto his people as he himselfe testifieth would not appeare vnto them in any likenes or similitude lest they should corrupt themselues by making Deut. 4. 15. any similitude or image of God the Lord in that place cōdēning it for a greavous corruption to make any resemblance or representation of himselfe The which enormity yet for all this when it vvas committed by the children of Israell in the wildernes VVhen they turned even their glorie into the similitude of a cal●e Psa 106. 20 that eateth ●ay the LORDE vvas so highely offended therevvith that had not Moses his servante rose vp in the gappe his feirce wrath vvould haue broken forth against them to their vtter destruction As also vvhen the same enormity was committed by the Gentiles when they in like māner turned the glor●e of the incorruptible God into the similitude of an image 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. 23. of a corruptible man and of birdes and of fowre footed beastes and of creeping thinges albeit they did it ignorantly through vnbelei●e yet the LORD was so highly offended therevvith that he delivered vp the offendors into a reprobate sence punishing that their enormous sin with a most great and greavous punishmēt And yet the church of Rome teacheth not only to make images to resēble God but also to worship adore the same Div. 3. That wee ought not to sweare by the saintes or other creatures but onely by the true God 3. THE ground of this commandement is GOD is infinite in might puissance and power and therefore vve must not in any case take his glorious and dreadfull name in vaine but vse it alwaies with all reverence and feare The partes of this commandement are two 1. First because GOD is infinite in power the searcher of the hearte the maintainer of truth and iustice and the avenger of all falshoode and wrong therefore in such cases as iustice and truth cannot couveniently be found out but by oathes vve must as it vvere appeale vnto GOD and call him to witnes and iudge what is truth and right by taking an oath onely in his name 2. Secondly our taking of an oath in GODS name must not at any time be done lightly or vainly but seriously and religiously and that in matters of moment and vveight 〈◊〉 in ●…h c. 23. Now contrarie to the first pointe of this commandement the church of Rome offendeth in that shee alloweth liketh of s●vearing by saintes thereby after a sorte placing them in GODS throne as searchers of the hearte iudges of right maintainers of truth and iustice and avengers of falsehode and wrong For as Chrysostome saith ●…ys in 〈◊〉 imperf Math. ●… 12. he maketh himselfe an Idolater whosoever sweareth by any thinge besides GOD and sinneth double First because he sweareth and then because he maketh him God by whome he sweareth Div. 4. That all the Lordes people ought especially vpon the Lordes day religiously to frequent the publike assemblies and ●oyne togeather in their common praiers and in preaching and hearing Gods most sacred worde that thereby they may be stirred to the exercise of all christian duties and so therein not serue their owne ●ustes but keepe that day holy vnto the Lord. THE ground of this commandement is God is infinite in wisedome and onely knoweth himselfe all such things as belong to his owne worship service Neither is he rightly knowen of vs but so farre forth as it pleaseth him to open himselfe 1. Cor. 2. 11 2. Tim. 3. 16 2. Pet. 1. 20 by his spirit speaking vnto vs in his word so revealing himselfe vnto vs. And therefore are we cōmanded on the Lords day to rest from all our bodily labours and much more from such exercises as tend to the stirring vp of our corrupt lusts and to the satisfying of our fonde fancies and to come with the residue of the Lordes people to the publike assemblies in the Lordes house that his holy spirit may sanctifie our spirites and by his holy word stirre and excite vs vnto all holy exercises and so cause vs
the Gospell of Christ may be cōvicted in their own cōsciences brought to acknowledge and to bewaile their wretched estate and that other also seeing their fall may thereby bee made more watchfull and warie least they bee taken in the same trappe the which thing is so much the more carefully to bee obserued by vs all seeing wee bee fallen into those times wherin Christ and his Apostles haue plainely foretold vs that the danger wherevnto Math. 24 38 Luk. 17. 28. 2. Tim. 3. 4. 2. Pet. 2. 3. Apoc. 12. 4. al shal generally be subiect and particularly such as be of the Ministery is this even the loue of the earth that shall draw away the most part of men from the loue of heaven and shall make many of Demas his place and giftes to forsake Paule and to embrace this present world and with Iudas to sell Christ and that for a matter of no great gai●e The faithfull indeede are the right heires even of all the blessings of their heavenly father but yet so that they must not be their owne carvers but seeke for them by such meanes as hee hath ordained being resolved to be wholy at his dispositiō and to content themselues with such a portion as he best knoweth to be most meete for them And what neede haue they too greedily to seeke after the temporal and transitory goods of this world seeing their portion is fallen vnto them in a very good ground and they haue a very goodly heritage seeing God is their Father and Christ their brother and the holy Ghost their comforter and faith their freehold and truth their treasure and godlines their gaine and goodnes their goods and righteousnes their riches piet● their portion and the kingdome of God their ●…heritāce heaven the haven of their eternall rest blessednes and the gracious promises of the gospell written in their harts the authenticall evidences for their title and right vnto these and all other blessings of God But these things are sufficiently knowne vnto you therfore I cease any farther to trouble you most hartely beseeching the most blessed God so to water you al with the plētiful streames of his heavenly graces that when yee haue beene as good trees bearing much fruit in the dry wildernes of this barren world ye may be transplanted by his gracious hand and set in his celestial and heavenly paradise Your VVorships most assured in the Lord JOHN TERRY To the Christian Reader OF many stūbling blocks good Christian Reader that are cast in the way by the servants of Antichrist to keep the people that they do not so much as turne their eies to behold much lesse settle their affectiōs to embrace the glorious lighte of the gospell of Christ this is not the least that they are not ashamed to charge not only some principal and eminent persons but generally all the professours thereof with an huge sea of outragious sins and a great drought of godlines and vertue yea many points of the most holy doctrine it selfe they avouch to tende directly to the corruption of good maners in all states But to omit their particula● slāders raised vp against particular persons which haue bin fully answered by others our severe cēsors of Rhemes Rhem. in e. 7. Math. The professers of the gospel most vniustly charged by the adversary to bee sacrilegious prophan● incestuous men of in●…tiable si● beside many grievous crimes which they avouch to be cōmon with vs and al other heretickes charge vs particularly with sacriledge against God and the prophanation of all holy things and incestuous marriages and these with the other abominatiōs they would haue the world beleeue to be in so high a degree among vs as they are likely to be among all such as are men of insatiable sin Now if the pulling downe of Idols and the destroying of Idolatry the removing of the superstitious worship of creatures the restoring of the pure worship of one almighty and alsufficient God in spirit and truth according vnto the prescription of his owne most holy word be sacriledge the prophanation of all holy things and if the abolishing of the common stewes and the disanulling of the vow of single life which was indeed the cause of abominable pollutions and of vnnatural and monstrous murders and the restitution 1. Cor. 7. 3. of holy matrimony according vnto the direct cōmandement of God by the penne of the Apostle be incestuous pollutions and if these and the like make vs men of insatiable sin then we must be content to vndergoe this slander seeing herein we are made but conformable to our Master Ioh. 6. 48. Christ who was charged to haue beene in league with the Devil whereas his comming was to destroy the workes of Mat. 11. 19. the devil and to haue beene a friend to Publicanes sinners being in truth the greatest enemy to sin that ever was borne of flesh blood But what manner of men are these themselues which lay to our charge so grievous crimes yea what are their most holy and most godly Fathers the Sāctissimi pijssimi Lyr. in Mat. c. 16 Platina in Rom. c. 1. ●drian Papa In nomine domini incipit omne malum Bern. in Cant. serm 33. The most corrupt abominable liues of the chiefest enemies of the Gospel of Christ Popes vnto whose very becke they owe all obedience Is it not recorded by principal men among them that many of them haue beene apostataes from the faith and very monsters and mishapen creatures such as succeeded not Peter in feeding but Romulus in manquelling that they pretended the name of God and the service of Christ but vnder that name wrought all maner of mischiefe and did service vnto Antichrist Neither did this spirituall contagion stay in their greatest personages but spread it selfe abroad in al states and callings And no mervaile seeing the whole world doeth frame it selfe to the likenes and liking of such as be in greatest power authority especially where the vow of obedience without gaine-saying yea without inquiring whether it be lawfull or no is esteemed as one of the highest steppes to the greatest perfection Whereby it came to passe that Rome it selfe the chiefe city of this Empire became the mother of all abominations and grew to ●uch ripenes and perfection in sin that shee deserved the name of the westerne Babilon where the whore of whores evē the great Antichrist of these last times should sit who was to make drunke all the kings of the earth with the cup of his spiritual fornications adulteries Vnto the which place whosoeuer should haue his recourse first he should see and then he should be acquainted with and the thirde time hee himselfe should become a wicked person For there is liberty of all other thinges saue only of true pietie Romae omnia cum liceant non licet esse pium Māt and godlines So outragious and abominable