are of God neither can he for they are spiritually discerned And againe that it is God that worketh the wil the deed Phil. 2.13 And he plainly confesseth of himselfe of all others that we are not able of our selues so much as to thinke a good thought and that all our sufficiencie is of God 2. Cor. 3.5 Which premisses do shew that our vnderstanding is blind our will peruerse in any diuine matter or acceptable seruice vnto God till God do enlighten the one draw and moue the other vnto himself Thus hath God ordered matters to the end himselfe might haue all the glorie ascribed to him as good reason he should For what is a man since his fall in Adam but an abiect and runnaway from God of himself séeking by-paths crooked out-waies leading from God and from his worship except he bee assisted from aboue which is signified by Adams hiding himselfe from the presence of God after his fall And therefore Augustine saith well truly Hominem libero arbitrio male vsum se illud per didisse That man hauing ill vsed his free will that hee had hath now both lost himselfe and that And againe Liberum arbitrium captiuatum ne quid possit ad iustitiam that free wlâ— is taken captiue that it can do nothing towards righteousnes And again Hominis non libera sed a Deo liberata volunt as obsequitur Not the free will but the freed will of man which is set free by God doth obey yeeld obeisance again Liberum non fore quod Desâ—ratia non liberauerit that the wil is bound not free til God deliuer it and set it at liberty Cyprian which S. August so oft citeth saith De nullo glorianduÌ„ c many must glory of nothing bicause nothing is curs therfore euerie man annihilating his owne power must learne wholy to depend vpon God And Chrisostom saith that Omnis homo non modo naturaliter peccator sed totus peccatum est Euery man is not onely sinful naturally but is altogether sinne And therefore S. Paule sheweth that till a man be regenerate or born anew vntil he be renewed in the spirit of his mind he hath in him nothing else but concupiscentias erroris lustes and affections after errour Eph. 4.23.24 saying likewise that by nature wee are the sonnes of wrath Ephe. 2. â— Which also Christ himselfe testifieth to Nicodemus saying that that which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirite is spirit and that except a man be born anew by that spirite hee can neuer so much as sée the kingdome of God Iohn 3.3 c. And therefore S. Paule telleth that there must bée a new creature whosoeuer wil be in Christ Iesus and a renewing and Metamorphosis of the minde he vseth the verie worde before men can finde out the good and acceptable will of God and what pleaseth him Rom. 12.2 I therefore conclude that the Papistes are farre wide and knowe not the miserie and thraldome of men whereinto they are fallen by that great sinne anâ— disobedience of Adam whilest they stande to defende frée will in naturall men indéede it appeareth to bée frée and too free vnto euill but it is so bound and fast tyed from desire of anie diuine duties that God must first drawe it out of that seruitude wherein it is and set it at libertie and mooue it to come before it will shewe any readines that way I trust therefore they sée that their Church not onely may erre but erreth most grossely in many points They holde that in the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper it is lawfull to debar the people of the Cup And so they vse which is contrarie to the institution of Christ Bibite ex hoc omnes Drinke ye all of this Math. 26.27 And as well and by as good authoritie may they take the bread from the people likewise And it is contrarie to the expresse doctrine of Saint Paul 1. Cor. 11.23.28 who as himselfe testifieth deliuered the Institution of Christ for he saith Let a man examine himselfe Et sic edat bibat And so let him eate of this Bread and drinke of this Cup. So that he must drinke as well as he must eate And that the people should bée pertakers and receiue in both kindes was obserued many hundred yeares in the Church after Christ. Insomuch as Pope Gelasius decréed that all they should be excommunicate which would receaue but in one kinde But Rome that now is is not Rome that then was but with her Councell of Constance is not ashamed to go against all Antiquitie and all Diuinitie But they holde which is a maruellous grosse errour also Transubstantion in the Sacrament namely that after the words of Consecration the Breade and Wine are changed into the very substance of the Body and Blood of Christ And this they woulde séeme to ground vppon these wordes Hoc est Corpus mâ—um This is my Bodie Math. 26.26 which they will haue to bée expounded literally But why then doo they not expound the other wordes of Christ literally also concerning the Cup For the Text saith in the 27. 28. verses That he tooke the Cup c. and said This is my blood I am sure they will not say that the cup was the blood of Christ as the words bée but they will graunt a figure in those wordes namely Contineus pro continentâ— that by the cup is meant the wine in it If then they wil admit a figure in this why may there not bee a figure in the other namely fignatum pro figno that these wordes This is my body should bee vnderstood thus This bread is a signe of my body which was broken for you If wée looke into the olde Sacramantes of the Iewes namely Circumcision and the Paschall lambe weâ— shall find the phrase of spéech obserued For Circumcision was called the Lords couenant when indéed it was not the couenant as all men doo knowe but a signe and seale of the couenant for the couenant was this to Abraham Ero Deus tuus seminis tui c. I will bee thy God and the God of thy seede c. Gen. 17. Rom. 4.11 So likewise the Paschall Lambe is called the Passeouer when indéed it was but a sign of their passe-ouer or passing ouer or through the red Sea which was a mightie and most wonderfull deliuerance Pharao and all his host béeing in the Sea when they passed through as on dry land Insomuch therefore as it is vsuall in Sacraments so to speake it is not against reason but standeth with verie good reason to thinke that Christ Iesus in instituting this Sacrament which to the Christians is the same that the Paschall Lambe was to the Iewes did likewise call the bread his bodie in such sort as the Paschall Lambe was the Passeouer that is to say figuratiuely that as the Paschall Lambe was called
one Againe if the Papistes doo not worshippe the Idoll or Image why doe they bowe downe vnto it God commaundeth saying Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image so that the verie making of Images to represent God withall who is a spirit eternall and invisible is Idollatry Againe hée saith Thou shalt not bowe downe to them nor worship them c. So that to bowe downe vnto them though they bée supposed to represent God 〈◊〉 Idollatrie for God must be worshipped in such sort as himselfe hath prescribed and not otherwise and that it is flat Idollatrie to worshippe God in any Image is expresse and manifest by the Children of Israell when they made the golden Calfe to bee a representation of God for the Tert sheweth that it was Idollatrie for which many of them were plagued punished and yet their meaning was to worship the true God in the Calfe for they were not so simple as to thinke or beléeue that that dead Idoll or Image was God and therefore the Idollatrie of the church of Rome is as grosse and wicked as theirs was Neyther can the Papists helpe themselues in their wonted distinction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 affirming that they giue to Images but Duliam that is seruice and to God Latriam that is worship shewing thereby that both they worship God and serue Images But how agreeth the temple of God with Images saith Paull or what warrant haue they to serue Images beside God When Christ him selfe saith it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue And Paull the Apostle doth likewise perswade expressly that men shuld turne from Idolls or Images to serue the liuing God where the word Dulia is vsed whereby the Apostle doth shew that there is such an opposition betwéene Images and the seruice of God that he that serueth the one cannot serue the other God himselfe disliketh Idolles and Images vtterly saying by his Prophet that they are so farre from being Lay-mens Bookes as the Papistes tearme them that they are no better than teachers of lies And Saint Iohn himselfe commaundeth all Christians to kéepe themselues from Idols Besides it is Idollatry to praye vnto any but God For Christ hiddeth when men pray not to call vppon the Uirgin Mary nor any other Saint departed this life but vpon God onely When yée pray saith hée say thus Our Father whinh art in heauen c. Againe Saint Paull saith howe shall they call vppon him on whom they haue not beleeued declaring therby that faith and prayer goe together Wee can call vpon none but we must consequently also beleeue on him But we are to beléeue none but God therefore wee may pray to none but God and therefore the Church of Rome calling vpon Saints departed committeth grosse Idollatry for the Scripture sheweth that God onely is to be prayed vnto Besides They that in their Idolatrous Masse or Sacrament of the altar as they tearme them after a certaine mumbling of wordes by the Priest there is no bread nor wine remaining but the very bodie blood of Christ and that péece of bread which is showed for bread it still appeareth to be for al their magicall mourning they commanded to bée adored and worshipped To adore or worship any creature such as bread is is Idolatrie the Papisticall Church doth the same Ergo it is Idolatrous I haue proued it before that it remaineth bread after consecration and that Christ cannot possiblie bee there as touching the bodilie substance because in that respecte he is ascended vp into heauen and there sitteth on the right hand of God his Father vntill he come to iudge the quicke and the dead if they will not beléeue Diuine testimonies therein Yet the authority of Cicero a heathen man might somewhat moue them for in one place he saith Quē tam Amentemesse putas qui illum quo vescator Deum credat esse That is Whome doe you thinke so mad as to beleeue that which he eateth to be God Insomuch therefore as the Church of Rome doth worship bread as if it were God It is manifest they be grosse Idollaters And consequently their Church cannot be the true Church of God on earth 3 The Papistes doe not denie Christ in wordes but if we examine them by perticulars we shall finde that in déede they doe as for example we know that the right faith beléeueth Christ Iesus to be both God and man which the Church of Rome in wordes will so affirme But vrge them in this point of the Sacrament and then they bewray themselues that they beléeue not Christ to haue a true bodie for when they are preassed with this that the bodie of Christ cannot be both in heauen and in earth at once and the selfe same time because it is against the nature of a true bodie so to bée then they become vbiquitaries and say that because the Godhead of Christ is euerie where therefore his humanitie is euerie where But this is no good consequent for the Godhead and humanitie are of seuerall nature And if his bodie and flesh were euerie where as his Godhead is howe is that true which the Angell spake saying surrexit non est hic He is risen he is not here For these wordes sheweth that his bodie and flesh is not euery where Againe if he were euery where in respecte of his humanitie how is it true that he ascended into heauen For that word ascention doth shew that his bodilie presence did remoue from one place to another and then was it not in that place from whence it did remoue Lastly it is the propertie of a Diuine nature to be euerie where and therefore whilest they defend this vbiquitie of the flesh of Christ It is as much as if they should say that the flesh of Christ is turned into God which is a groosse Herisie And thus it appeareth that the Papists doe with the Eutichians deny that Christ hath a true bodie when they holde that contrarie to the nature of a true bodie it may be in diuers places at once yea euerie where and therefore denying Christ to haue a true bodie they are not the true Church and somuch for their error concerning the person of Christ. 4 Now for the office of Christ for his person his office bee two chiefe thinges which we are all to regard The Papists will yéeld with vs that it consisteth in these thrée points namely that he is both a Prophet a Priest and a king This I say in words they will acknowledge but in déedes and veritie they doe not for in respect that Christ is our Prophet which should and did reueale his Fathers will vnto the world wee ought to bee content with his voice and search no further then hée hath reuealed in his Scriptures But the Papists are not so contented but they holde that their
and their lawfull Princes he will not only pardon without exception but he will abette them in their deuilish deuised and perswade them forward in their damnable courses till at last when it is too late for them to repent they will if they take not good héed in time féele the â—â—art of it in hell tormentes together for euer What the religon of Rome is may appéere by this that any man for monie may get a pardoÌ„ for his sins then what sin néed rich men feare to commit when a Popes pardon will saiue all or how can it be otherwise than a religion of licentiousnes when for mony a man may haue a licence of dispensation against any sin whatsoeuer These things be such open blottes to the Romish religion as that worthily euery good and godly minde hath it in detestation doth iustly condemne it Yet further will I prooue that the Church of Rome cannot be the true Church possibly 1 The Church of Rome doth hold that the diuine and sacred Scriptures doo not containe all things necessarie to saluation but their vnwritten traditions must forsooth all bée receiued with equall and lyke authoritie for so hath theyr Councell of Trent determined And Pope Leâ— the fourth feareth not to pronounce with a loud voice That hee that receyueth not without difference the Popish Cannons as well as the foure Gospels beleeueth not aright nor holdeth the Catholike faith effectually The decretall Epistles also they number with the Canonical scriptures And Pope Agathe saith that all the sanctions and decrées of their Romish Sea are to bee taken as stablished by the diuine voice Which blasphemies who can abyde For heereby they make both the Scriptures imperfect and not so content doe further adde vnto those Scriptures Wherein they commit two notable sinnes first accusing the sacred and canonical scriptures that they containe not al matters necessary to saluation which is directly contrary to the testimonie of S. Iohn who saith that these things are written that ye may beleeue that in beleuing ye may haue life eternal and cleane contrary to the testimonie of Saint Paul who saith That the Scriptures giuen by diuine inspiration are profitable to reproue to teach to correct to instruct and perfect the man of God 2. Tim 3.15 Ergo the Scriptures or word of God written is a true sound and perfect whole doctrine containing in it selfe fully all things néedfull for our saluation Yea Saint Paule saith expressely to Timothie That the Scriptures are able to make him wise vnto saluation 2. Tim. 3.13 And therefore the Church of Rome béeing cleane contradictorie dooth marueilously erre and therefore also we néed none of theyr vnwritten traditions And againe how should we bée assured that those traditions which they call Apostolicall be Apostolicall considering them not written by the Apostles Augustine speaking hereof saith thus Si qua retinuit Iesus Christus quis nostrum dicet hoc vel illud esse Et si quis hoc dicat quomodo probabit That is If Iesus Christ haue kept any thing close which of vs shall say that it is this or that And if anie say it is this how wilâ— hee proue it For all the errors of the Church of Rome shrowd themselues vnder the harbour of traditions And Chrysostom saith flatly whatsoeuer is requisite for our saluation is conteined in the Scriptures And againe hee saith All thinges bee cleare and plaine in the Scriptures and whatsoeuer thinges be needfull be manifest there And Ierome in the prologue of the Bible to Paulyne after hée had recited the bookes of the new Testament and the old saith thus I pray thee deare brother among these liue muse vpon these know nothing else seeke for none other thing And againe vpon the bookes of the olde and new Testament These writings be holie these bookes bee sound there is none other to bee compared to these whatsoeuer is beside these may in no wise bee receaued amongst these holy things And againe hée saith All other thinges which they seeke out or inuent at their pleasure without the authority testimony of the Scriptures as though they were the traditions of the Apostles the word of God cutteth off Let vs therefore stand fast to the written word of God and as for their traditions which they cannot prooue but obtrude vnto vs without testimonie of Scriptures let vs contemne them For as Athanasius saith the holy Scriptures inspired from God are sufficient to all instruction of the truth And as for the other point of the Papists in equalling and adding of their traditions their decretall Epistles and Canons to the pure and diuine word of God it is a blasphemy intollerable and who can indure it For doth not God say thus Yee shall put nothing to the word which I commaunde you neither take ought there from Deut. 4. And againe he saith whatsoeuer I commaund you that take heede yee doe onely to the Lord put nothing thereto not take ought therefrom And doth not S. Iohn in his Reuelation say that if any man adde to this thinge God shall adde vnto him the plagues which are written in this booke and shall take away his part out of the booke of life I conclude therefore that the Church of Rome which doth not content hir selfe with the sacred and Holie Scripture which the chast spouse of Christ euermore doth is not the true Church of God for there she sheweth hir selfe to beare the marke of a strumpet But when shée procéedeth and addeth hir owne traditions Decretall Epistles and Cannons to the word written and maketh them to be of as good and equall authoritie as the Canonicall and sacred Scriptures themselues What greater pride could haue bin shewed or what higher blasphemie But these are the right notes of an adulteresse to equall hirself with her husband Yea What should I say more They holde that the authoritie of the Church is aboue the Scriptures which sheweth fullie the notable pride and spirituall whoredome of their Church 2 The Church of Rome is Idolatrous and therfore it is not the true Church They fall downe before Idolls and Images as the heathen did and therfore commit Idollatrie as the heathen did I speake for the manner of their worship for the heathen how soeuer they worshipped not the true God yet they thought they worshiped the true God and their meaning was to worship the the true God in the Image or Idoll as the Papists likewise doo meane for they say they be not such fooles as to thinke or beléeue that an Image or Idoll made of wood or stone could bée God neither were the heathen so foolish as to thinke or beléeue that their Idolles or Images were God for they knew they were made of wood or stone or such like but as they tooke it they worshipped God in the Image as the Papists say they doo and therefore the case for the manner of worship is all