their part for all these things are common to the pope and his white sonne the king of Spaine they are their continuall meditations dooth not this sufficientlie proue their cruell malice So that their proude practises and cruell purposes which are two of the fruits of the supremacie of the popes that I haue spoken of are plaine enough euen in our dayes we may see with our eyes the proofe of the same by almost dayly examples But their greedie mindes and couetous affections doe not appeare to vs so plainely as vnto our fathers vnto whom they were an intollerable burthen as I haue shewed before And although we nothing doubt but the fat morsels which they vnderstand their predecessours haue plucked from this land doe make the popes that haue beene in our dayes more eager to get such like againe yet God hauing deliuered vs from the rauening pawes and iawes of that Romish Lion the Lord make vs truly thankefull and in life fruitfull for this his inestimable mercie we feele not the griefe of his exactions But this I trust sufficeth to decalre that the power which the pope vnlawfully hath gotten he vnreasonably abuseth making it a wicked and vngodly meane to crowe ouer princes to fill his coffers and to execute his reuenges And now that the pope was come to that that hee might doe euen what he would to satisfie his proude greedie and cruell lusts he thought it good for him to dwel and continue alwayes in that lawlesse estate And therefore did he not onely striue by all the power and policie that he had and with all his indeuour to maintaine the same for the time present but also did prouide some meanes to maintaine it as hee hoped for euer And to performe this they haue had no small helpe by priuileges and grauntes from princes who at the first when bishops of Rome and others also did applie themselues in some measure to perfourme their duetie were willing to the better incouraging of them to goe on forwardes in well doings and that those worldly things should not be to them any let or hinderance in their callings that were a burthen vnto other they were willing I say to exempt them from such seruices and duties as they required of other to be don vnto them And because that at the first when Christianity began to increase and grow mightie no doubt many that were secret enemies and yet durst not when the Emperors had by law established the christian profession accuse any man for their religion would then lay other faults to their charges and obiect other crimes to bring the Gospel into contempt as appeareth by Tertullian Iustin the Martyr and others that they did when religion was yet professed in corners Now it is not vnlikely but that godly princes to exempt them from such flaunders and reproches would commit the hearing of those accusations vnto such as were of best credite among themselues that when their enemie did see that their accusations were not like to be fauoured vnlesse they were sufficiently proued they might be discouraged from defaming them with vniust reports But howsoeuer these immunities were graunted vnto them at the first or on what consideration I wil not precisely set downe But afterwards I am sure they tooke them as their owne right and that they did alwayes belong vnto them And therefore when as the Emperour would haue taken vpon him to haue iudged of some causes of cleargie men pope Iohn sheweth that hee must not so doe and telleth him boldly but falsely that the almightie God will haue the clearkes and priests of Christian religion to be ordered examined and receiued when they returne from errour not by publike lawes or powers of this world but of bishops and priests Christian emperors saith he must submit their executions to prelates and not preferre them Whereupon the glosse doth gather that the cleargie was neuer vnder the secular power and therfore that all the constitutions that are made that clearks should not be iudged by any but by bishops are but declarations of that their former right And in the same distinction the verie next chapter that pope Iohn is not ashamed to affirme that Christian princes were woont to be obedient to bishops and to how downe their neckes to them And afterwards there is in Gratian a whole treatise to this purpose to proue that as is their alledged out of Caius the Pope no man must presume so much as to accuse before a secular iudge a bishop or any clearke I need not alledge to this end many testimonies These are as plaine as need to be He that would see mo testimonies to this effect let him looke the first question of the eleueuh cause in Gratian he shall see it affirmed with full mouth But how vntruly in a word may be declared And first how false that is which he affirmeth that princes haue alwaies submitted themselues vnto priests there is no colour of truth in it if we examine the shamelesse lie either by the scriptures or by the examples of the emperors and kings in the primitiue church For Moses was the ciuill magistrate and Aaron was the priest Did Moses submit himselfe to Aaron No did he not rather on the contrarie reprooue him as at other times so especially concerning the golden calfe which he caused to be made And did not Aaron in token of his submission to Moses call him his Lord And why did God deliuer the law and the order for all the sacrifices and ceremonies and all the seruices that were commaunded rather by Moses to Aaron and the people Moses being the ciuill magistrate then by the ministerie of Aaron who was appointed to be the priest Did not God hereby testifie that he would haue the ciuill magistrate to haue a speciall regard vnto the things that belong to Gods seruice Was not Abiathar the high priest at the commaundement of Salomon when at the commaundement of Salomon the king he was put from the office of the high priest and the king made Zadocke high priest in his roome But out of manie examples let these suffice for the time before Christ S. Paul when he saith Let euerie soule be subiect to the higher powers teacheth vs that we must not looke that they should submit them selues vnto vs but how sincerely we should obey them And what is meant by the higher powers saint Peter telleth vs that the king is chiefe then other gouernours vnder him And these are the superiour powers which saint Paul meaneth of as if need were might hee proued by all antiquitie If we looke vpon the bishops that were in the time of Constantine and a good while after their stories will teach vs that they as humbly as they could submitted themselues to Emperours and princes called them Lordes intreated them with all submission Yea and Leo the third pope of that name eight hundred yeares after
cannot erre or be remoued but to admonish euen vs also that professe the gospell that vnlesse we repent wee shall all perish likewise We are the figtree for which the dresser of the vineyard intreateth that yet this fourth yeare we may be spared for we haue beene three long yeares yea three times twelue yeares vnfruitfull Our owner looked for figes but we yeld none for grapes but we beare none but sower ones Now is the time wherein much digging and dunging is bestowed vpon vs. If we continue still fruitfesse as we haue beene there is no hope of mercie but without sparing we must be cut downe and so shall be cast into the vuquenchable fire And this is in trueth a more christian and necessarie collection and more agreeable to Gods iustice and to the whole course of scripture which promiseth good things to them that walke in the feare of God and threatneth Gods wrath to them that are disobedient and delight in sinne then that which master Bellarmine gathereth out of the sinnes and schisms of the popes For hereby will he proue that the church of Rome is the true church because they haue had very many most grieuous schismes euen among the popes themselues now where is the vnitie that so much they bragge of And because there haue beene many wicked popes amongst whome himselfe nameth Steuen the sixt Leo the fifth Christopher the first Sergius the third Iohn the twelfth with others not a few as his owne words are And yet notwithstanding that they haue had many vices as hee saith the glorie of that seate is increased and amplified thereby greatly Indeede such pearles doe best become such swines snowts But what maketh master Bellarmine to like the better of the Romish church and the rather to be induced to imagin that it is a true church because euen the heades thereof haue beene so bad companions and so abounding in all wickednesse Forsooth because if the bishop of Rome had not beene of Gods appointment saith he and that church the true church it coulde not haue stood and continued so long being so full fraught with so many sinnes But that is it that is in question whether the church of Rome be the true church or not We deny it wee finde not in it the ancient faith the doctrine of the apostles the sincere word Wee see not there the pure administration of Gods holy Sacraments They teach vs outward hypocrisie for true holines foolish toyes for spirituall worshipping These and such like things doe strongly perswade vs that God hath done to Rome as he hath done to Silo and to Ierusalem long since and will he prooue it to be the true church because the bishops are euill Now if the name and outward shew of a church haue so blinded the eies of maister Bellarmine that hee will that it must needs be as it is called that is to say the catholicke church I would haue him looke to Ierusalem how in the time of Christ when the church was in them that followed Christ yet the name and outward glory of the church remained with the priests and that company which were the greatest enemies to Christ and his church As therefore we see not in the church of Rome when we try their doctrines any probability that they are the true church of Christ so we set this downe as the infallible course of his iudgments with whom it is counted a righteous thing to set himselfe against such as delight in sinne that he that spared not the angels that left their first estate neither delighted in his owne people whom he had brought out of Aegypt when they sinned against him will haue no pleasure in the church of Rome any longer then shee hath pleasure in his law but will remooue their candlesticke fight against them with the sword of his mouth and spew them out when they reiect his truth Thus then we see that God left the priests whom he had appointed the people whom he had brought out of Aegypt and taken to be his peculiar inheritance the place that hee had chosen the temple that hee commaunded to be made because of their sinnes Let these things make vs with indifferent iudgement and without partialitie to trie whether God be also departed from that church of Rome or not For there is no doubt but if any people whatsoeuer sinnes as they did they may also be punished as they were But that church of Rome hath sinned in as abundant measure as euer did Ierusalem as themselues and their owne stories doe shew therefore why should they flatter themselues imagining that God will not deale with her as he hath dealt with others And here wee may consider howe vntrue that popish position is that the church of Rome or the Bishoppe of Rome can not erre Can hee sinne They confesse that hee can not Yea and their owne sinnes doe record such sinnes of theirs as ascend vp before the Lord and cry vnto God for vengeance No doubt then but such may erre and fall into heresies also For it is truely said of Saint Augustine that men by their sinnes doe fall into heresies and heresies are the very punishment for sinne For he that is the iust iudge must needes poure foorth his wrath vpon such as detaine the truth in vnrighteousnesse and vpon such as knowe God by his workes but will not glorifie him as God and therefore in their excesse of folly doe turne the glorie of the incorruptible God into the similitude of corruptible man yea and of things most base and vile for man to worship Thus then wee see howe sinne deserueth that God in his wrath shoulde strike with blindnesse such as do delight therein For when the loue of the trueth is not receiued God sendeth vnto such as refuse the trueth strong illusions that they should beleeue lies Thessalo 2. 10. 11. And if you would haue example thereof none is better then Salamon who was for wisedome the wonder of the world and yet when he gaue himselfe to sinne with women he was by that meanes drawen to idolatrie In somuch as Nehemiah fearing lest for the like offence the like iudgement of God should fall vpon the people of his time warneth them by the example of Salomon to take heede Did not saith he Salomon king of Israel sinne by those things And Sathan knew well enough that this was the readiest way to drawe men to idolatrie which is deede detestable heresie by moouing them to carnall and filthie adulterie Therfore also he preuaileth against Gods people by that wicked practise Shall wee then thinke that the church of Rome whose sinnes are greater then were the sinnes of Sodome and Gomorah cannot be left vnto it selfe and plunged in errour Or that the pope cannot erre whose wicked doings are as excessiue as his power is great Master Bellarmine in his booke of the bishop of Rome taketh great paine
to prooue that the pope cannot erre But euery bodie may see by his doubtfull setting it downe that he cannot well tell what to affirme of it For he will not consent with such Romish catholicks as teach that the pope may erre and also teach heresie if hee define any thing out of a councill And hee dare not agree with Pighius but reiecteth his opinion who although that the pope cannot be an hereticke or teach heresie openly though he alone define of any thing But master Bellarmine will walke in a middle path which is this that whether the Pope may bee an hereticke or not he cannot set down any heresie to be beleeued of the whole church wherein this conditionall manner of speaking if or whether he be an hereticke or not doeth shewe his doubtfulnesse in this question But because he is perchance in the next chapters especially in the fift chapter of a more resolute opinion I vrge not this point any further But this is his flat resolution that when the pope teacheth the whole church hee cannot erre by any meanes in the thing belonging to faith No neither yet in precepts of manners which are prescribed to the whole church and which are of things necessarie to saluation or for such things as are of themselues good or euill Further also hee affirmeth that it is proueable and may godlily be beleeued for I set downe his words that hee can not onely not erre as hee is pope but also as hee is a particular man hee cannot hee an hereticke in beleeuing any thing obstinatly against the faith Whereby it appeareth plainly that master Bellarmine holdeth that the pope can neither erre at all in faith or precept of maners as he teacheth the whole church neither can he be an obstinat hereticke as he is but a priuat man not considering him as pope Against which doctrine I briefely oppose 2. or 3. arguments The first is that which immediatly before I touched Hee may sinne they deny it not therefore he may also fall into heresie Which thus I proue The selfesame spirit which is the spirit of truth is also the spirit of sanctification as powerfull to worke the one effect as the other And he that praied not for Peter alone but for al the apostles that their faith should not faile although the words Sathan desired to sift you are directed to Peter as to one perchance bolder then the rest and proud of the promises that were made to keepe him vnder as Theoph. writeth euen he I say prayeth also for all vnto his father That he would sanctifie them with his truth The same father also from whom must come the spirit of truth will as Dauid assureth vs guide the humble in his way which thing the same prophet often praieth for because of our selues we are not sufficient so much as to thinke a good thought but our sufficiency is of God And why doth Gods spirit lighten our harts and instruct our consciences if not to the end that we should be fruitful in holines and righteousnes Yea the holy ghost doth not worke in vs any knowledge according to that promise the church of Rome so much claimeth but that therewith also it reformeth vs it doth not giue faith but that withall it doth purifie vs. Yea it frameth vnto obedience all such as it traineth to vnderstanding And therefore it is said that faith doth purifie our harts By this knowledge Wee all behâ—lde as in a mirrour the glory of the Lord with open face and are changed into the same image from glory to glory as it were by the spirite of the Lord. And so new mindes make new men and lightened hearts will bring foorth godly life For it is a hard matter that he that beleeueth well 〈…〉 euill as Saint Augustine doth testifie Yea and a little before in the same sermon Same Augustine teacheth that faith in latine being called fides consisteth of two sillables the first signifieth doing the other saying so that if a maÌ„ say he beleeueth do saith this holy father as thou saist and that is faith Whereby hee sheweth that there is no true faith but it is exercised in doing the workes of the spirit Iâ— then the same spirit giue knowledge or faith and godlinesse of life and true faith 〈…〉 from good 〈…〉 if it be it is but a dead faith and godly conuersation is as necessary for euery Christian as true religion I maruell that maister Bellarmine or any other shame not to tell vs that the bishops of Rome cannot erre from the right path of knowledge as if they were wholy lead by Gods spirite whereas manie of them haue wholy wandred out of the waies of godly life as men nothing guided but quite forsaken of that holy Ghost And therefore this I suppose may serue for my first argument Such as are not lead by Gods spirite to liue godly are not taught by the same but many of the Bishops of Rome are not lead by Gods spirite to liue godly therefore many of them are not taught by the same and by consequent they may erre For they haue no colour of not erring but that only that they claime the direction of that spirite that was neuer promised to such prophane prelates nor cannot lodge in such sinkes of sinne My second argument is this Pope Adrian the sixt did teach that the pope may be an heretike and teach heresie And this doctrine was defendet by him and others as maister Bellarmine himselfe confesseth so that he would haue it to bee beleeued of all And no man can denie but that it is a question of faith especiallie in the Church of Rome whether the pope maie erre or not Thus then I reason Adrian the sixt Pope of that name did either say that which was false or that which was true If he said false then he beeing a pope was deceiued in iudgement in a matter of faith and such a matter as he woulde shoulde bee receiued vniuersally as a catholicke doctrine and so the pope hath erred If hee saie true then is it also euicted by his testimonie that the pope may erre For he affirmeth it so So that whether hee lie or speake the trueth it is sufficient to prooue that which I indeuour to proue For if hee lie himselfe erreth if he say true other may erre The thirde argument shall bee of the examples of such as did erre I say of such bishops of Rome as haue beene by their owne stories noted for heretickes I will not speake any thing of pope Marcellinus who sacrificed to Idols as also stories doe testifie bicause it is said that he repented him therof But yet we may learne out of him that if a pope may fall to such frailety as to commit so grosse Idolatry which is a greater sinne then to fall into many of the heresies that are condemned by that name of the fathers he may also erre