Pro. 28. 15 As a roaring Lyon and a ranging Beare so is a wicked Ruler ouer the poore people Yet he thought himselfe then also perhaps as vvise as before because he found himselfe as vvitty and forgot vvhat he had vvritten That into a malicious soule wisedome shall not enter nor dwell in the body that is subiect unto sinne Sap. 1. 4. 5. 6. 7. For the holy Spirit of discipline will flie deceite and remooue from thoughts that are without vnderstanding and will not abide when vnrighteousnes commeth in For wisedome is a louing Spirit and will not acquit a blasphemer of his words for God is witnesse of his reines and a true beholder of his heart and a hearer of his tongue Wherefore for this vvhen he recouered his former publique spirit he cryed peccaui and miserere vvith his father David and vvrote that booke called Ecclesiastes to bemone and manifest his owne fall and forewarne other Princes to beware of the spirit of priuacie that they may hedge in their royall wayes vvith these conscionable restrictions vvhereby they may be obayed for conscience sake by their subiects 1. First Salomon or Caesar must not rule vvithout a Lawe nor by his absolute power make any but see to the execution of those that are made It inclines therefore too much towards tyranny for a Magistrate to exercise an absolute authority vvithout limit and the Superiour who rules vvithout a Lawe or against Lawe vvalkes in no way himselfe but balks his owne high-way for a way is fenced but the champian fields are for the wild-goose-chase and corners and holes for sinister actions When as publique persons should do publique actions in publique Gen. 23. 10. in the Gates of the City in the Kings high-way Deut. 22. 15 in the eye of all For chamber-workes are suspicious and carry a shew of priuacy and parciality And so it is sayd by Liuy that Tarquinius made the name of a King odious at Rome because he ruled all Domesticu consilijs by chamber-Councell as Rehoboam in Israel and Lewes the 11 in Fraunce Thus Kings though they bee in some sort aboue the Law because they are dispeusers of it are not yet without a Lawe because they must rule themselues and others by it And thus much the crowne that a King weares testifieth which is a type of the loue and acknowledgement and consent of the people in his gouernement and lets him see that there is a verge a hoope a compasse for the heades of Kings aswell as of subiects and that wee come to manifest in the second consideration 2. Secondly Gods Lawe is Caesars verge which Caesar must neither transgresse nor suffer to bee transgrest Where God hath set no Lawe there Caesars Lawe I meane the Lawe of the Land which is the hedge to this high-way of the King must stand And this must agree with the equity of the Lawe of God from vvhence it originally takes life and strength For as where it agrees with Gods Lawe wee must obay it for conscience sake so where it contradicts or crosseth the Lawe of God the Apostle Peter giues a generall rule It is there better to obay God then man Act. 4. 19. To cleere this Thou sayest thy conscience tels thee the Religion commanded by the King or some ceremony vsed in the Church according to the Lawes established is not agreeable but contrary to the truth If thou canst manifest this by the word of God then thy Conscience tels thee right and thou art not to doe what is commanded by man though he speakes humane Lawe but yet thou art to suffer vvhat is inioyned by him so speaking with the Law or so doeing as Executor of the Lawe and both these wayes thou obayest God and Caesar too God actiuely doing vvhat he vvils and Caesar passiuely submitting thy will to Gods holy ordinance and obaying the Magistrate for conscience sake But if thy conscience tels thee this or that and cannot proue what it tels thee but by shifts and shadowes then it is not truly thy conscience at least no true but a lying conscience that so misleads thee nay rather it is thy phantasie thy imagination thy peeuish preiudiciall and froward conceit And thou art bound to resist and breake thine owne crooked and peruerse vvill aud to subiect it to the will of God who hath subiected thee to Caesar For Conscientia non est contra scientiam sed cum scientia Conscience is ioyned with knowledge that 's the ground otherwise thou setst vp an Idol in thy owne heart and worshippest it vvhilst thou obayest an erring and ignorant conscience For an Idol saith Saint Paule is nothing in the world and such is thy conscience a bug-beare a Scar-crow a Chimera of thine owne melancholly imagination or maleuolent invention And howsoeuer it may seeme right to thy selfe thy Sectators or Sect masters the Yssues thereof are the wayes of death 3. Thirdly as the Lawes of God must guide our consciences in our rellgious duties so the positiue Lawes of the Kingdome must be the high-way wherein euery one must vvalke in actiue obedience And Kings and Iudges are the dispensers and disposers of these Lawes according to reason Neither shall they need in the execution to satisfie euery priuate curious and contentious head which pretending conscience vvill disobey or to satisfie euery delinquent with arguments for then his worke were infinite but strictly and directly to open the booke and to execute the Lawe of the Land and euery liege-man is to acquiesse therein For the Iudge is or ought truly to bee Lex loquens and doth but tell vs the Lawe and shew vs the high-way in which wee must walke and if wee list not to walke in it wee must be content to suffer for our willfull folly or walke out of the vvay out of the reach of the Lawe And there is great reason for this for God hath set Kings as his Deputies to execute Iustice and Iudgement he expects it at their hands and where any euill fals out for lacke of execution the fault is the Magistrates if there be Law to preuent it of him shall the soule be required which perisheth for lacke of gouernment as the soule shal be required at the Pastors hands which perisheth for lacke of instruction in the truth Great reason is it therefore he should haue power ouer such as he must answere so strictly for that he may punish them or compell them to come in or keepe them for drawing others out of his folde So wee see Iudg. 17. Micha sets vp an Idol contrary to Gods Lawe he will haue a parlor-worship a religion by himselfe The reason of this error of knowledge and conscience is giuen there Then there was no King in Israel but euery man did what seemed good in his owne eyes So the King is to see to Religion and if Idolatry increaseth or sects or schismes arise it is counted the Kings fault if there bee a King the fault
part I giue the intelligent Hearer this one obseruation by the way that of all the controuersies betwixt vs and our Romane Adversaries we are not chalenged for doing any thing in the seruice of God which wee ought not to doe for wee beleeue with them all the Articles of the Creede wee pray as Christ himselfe hath taught vs wee liue at least wee teach that allmen should liue as God hath commanded vs in the Decalogue Only the exceptions they take at vs are for omissions because they say wee do not something wee ought to doe and our exceptions are against them 1. First for omitting some things which God commandeth 2. Secondly for doing something that God commandeth not after the patterne prescribed but after another manner invented 3. Thirdly for doing many things which God hath directly and expresly prohibited prohibiting in the meane time what God hath commanded Now I desire you so to obserue this passage that you may take it vp rightly and vnderstand what I meane I say therefore againe the questions and controuersies betwixt vs are not for the things wee doe but of the things that they doe As for example they dare not finde fault with vs for praying as Christ taught vs Our father c. But the question is whether or no they doe as they ought whilst they pray to Saints and Angels The question is not whether wee may pray to God without Images or no but whether wee may pray by at in to or before Images with any reference to them as they doe And so for Latin Seruice for the Communion in both kinds the questions are about the things that they do not for the things wee do so the doubt is vpon their side and such a doubt it is that the Pope would gladly haue graunted Queene Elizabeth of happy Memory liberty for her and her people to do these things as wee now doe them as witnesseth the learned B B. of Ely in his Tortura Torti and Master Camden in his Anâ—ales if the Queene would haue taken license from him or would haue subiected her Crowne to his Myter for that was the marke he shot at the gaine of his Peter pence and other spirituall trading and the glory of a Kingdome so obsequious so fruitfull so helpefull as England had beene and might bee But shee was too honorable to kisse his foote for feare or hope and too honest to receiue any courtesie from him which I adde the rather to let them see who perhaps are not altogether vvell affected toward vs nor perswaded of our truths that there is nothing practised in our Church but that which finds allowance and approbation from the modestest and learnedest of their side And therefore they may well be present at our seruice and communicate with vs in our Sacraments The Popes worde only hinders them from Communion with vs but Gods word bars vs from Communion with them without scruple of conscience vnlesse the Popes countermand bee their scar-crow although wee may not safely communicate with them for feare of manifest Idolatry knowing that howsoeuer their way seemes right in theyr eyes yet the Issues thereof are the wayes of death 3. The Publique Iudge Salomon The last point comes now to be handled concerning the true Iudge of this way which is the holy Spirit of God directing the pen of Salomon the Publique Magistrate the King and the Preacher A man and a priuate spirit of a man was the Iudge of the apparance the seeming good the beginning of this way But God is the true Iudge of the end and issue of this way Man was an impotent Iudge God an all-sufficient Iudge Man was a Iudge preiudiciall and partiall Gen. 18. 25 God is an vpright Iudge for shall not the Iudge of all the world doe right But the Pope of Rome steps in heere Luk. 4. 6. chalenging to be Iudge in this case by Charter as Sathan did in the like case and to haue a Patent sealed to that end by Christ himselfe 1. Reg. 2. 27 And for feare Salomon who as King durst dispose of the Preisthood should bring euidence against him either by word or fact he hath stopt his mouth and condemned him aforehand to Hell and brought out Traian the Emperor in his roome who though he were a Pagan yet hath found so much fauour as to be preferd before Salomon In the life of Gregory the great who was a Type of Christ and the wisest Prince that euer reigned And doubtles if any other of the Prophets or Apostles should presse him with arguments he hath power to silence them and to cry vp and downe what Scripture he pleaseth to make Canonicall Apocrypha and Apocrypha Canonicall ad benè placitum For who would beleeue the Scripture but for the Church and who is the holy Catholique Church but his Holines at least who is the head thereof who rules the roast there but hee Now if any of them vrge him too farre and make against him he hath power to take order with them either by binding or loosing which iurisdiction in this case he excrciseth after a foure-fold manner 1. By pronouncing them Apocrypha 2. By eluding their genuine meaning and sence by a foraigne and forced interpretaton or exposition 3. By warranting an erronious Iranslation to be Authenticall and the only true one 4. Lastly by purging all humors that offend his humor In which regard wee see how the Auncient Fathers haue beene shaued clipt scoured washt let blood purged gelt and mutilated yea and many of the Neotericks of their owne Men and faction haue beene dieted and cast into a sweat and hardly recouered with the application of their Catholicon And all these acts of theirs iustified and defended with asmuch eagernesse and shew of zeale and truth as the honestest cause Well may wee therefore feare and flee from his censure as from a Iudge full of preiudice full of partiality because it is in his owne cause where he will not limit his Prerogatiue royall but extend it beyond all degrees of comparison Yet though he be our Aduersary let vs heare him a little and see what notes and Land-markes he giues vs to know and distinguish the true way from the false by that wee may follow them if they both seeme and bee infallible and that wee may beware of them if they only seeme right but leade to the way of death and then seeke out others that wee may cleerely see to be true Neither will the time permit nor is it needfull to bring forth all the marks of the true way which the Church of Rome hangs out The principall only I will briefly touch and point at But before wee do it I must lay downe this ground of their owne which they giue to discerne true notes by True Notes of the Church must be such as are able to constitute the absolute definition of the Church so farre that being found the Church is found and being lost
way and it is visible what were a man the better for these directions would he not thinke such a guide out of his wits Especially when he shall see both wayes alike old alike beaten both vvayes to haue passengers successiuely alike frequent both wayes to be intire and singular both wayes to be called old and both wayes to be visible Thus both wayes doubtlesse he would be wilde except he had better directions And yet this is the case of the Church which some would thus marke out to the beleefe and obedience of all men But to conclude all these are no true markes but the Scripture is the true and vnfallible Euidence to bound the Church out to him that vvill be heedfull to obserue and faithfull to beleeue and humble to obay as we hope to manifest Heere then it were meete I should giue you some infallible and inseperable note of the true way hauing showne or rather pointed at the defect of these which the Church of Rome produceth But then I should offer violence both to your patience and to the Text the time not permitting so large a discourse and my Text leading me to discouer the false way with seemes right but giuing no warrant to proceede farther Only to conclude all since it is within my Commission to manifest the false way I will giue you one note a sure one whereby you may know when you are out of the right way that so you may shun error and seeke truth and ensue it till death that in the end you may finde euerlasting life Briefly Christ himselfe saith I am the way the truth and the life Ioh. 4. no man commeth to the Father but by me He is the way to walke in the truth to guide you the life wherewithall you walke And if you would finde this way hee himselfe learnes you a rule Ioh. 5. 39. Search the Scriptures for in them you thinke to haue eternall life and those are they that beare witnesse of me And he there vpbraydes the Iewes because they gaue no credit or heede to the Scriptures but preferd the traditions and doctrines of their forefathers before it Iohn 5. 46. 47. saying Had yee beleeued Moses yee would haue beleeued me for he wrote of me But if you beleeue not his writings how shall yee beleeue my words Therefore the Apostle cals all Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Tim. 3. 16 as a doctrine inspired by God to make men wise to saluation and so beleeuing himselfe and teaching others to beleeue he praiseth Timothy for being from a childe brought vp in them 2. Tim. 3. 15 and he exhorts all men to follow him as he keepes in this way and vvalkes after Christ Iesus and no otherwise For so long he is sure he goeth right and they may follow him with security Now then I do not say vvheresoeuer thou seest the Scripture set forth for a signe there Christ is vvithin there is the true way the true Church But I say wheresoeuer thou canst not see the Scripture be assured thou art out of the way for the Scripture must be euer in thy eye being that setled Land-marke by vvhich thou must try and know and to vvhich thou must reduce and bring all thy other coast-marks and sea-marks So it is that Antiquity vvhich agrees vvith the verity of the Scripture that multitude vvhich vvorship God according to the rules of the Scripture that Sucession vvhich suceeed in the truth of doctrine deliuered in the Scripture that vnity vvhich beleeues the Trinity taught in the Scripture that Catholique Church vvhich is founded vpon and vniuersally agreeth vvith the truth of the Scripture that visible congregation vvhich are seene to God and vvhich see God as he reueales himselfe in the Scripture that become notes by vvhich thou maist safely trauaile in this doubtfull vvay of mortality So that the Scripture must euer be present to make these infallible though perhaps it be not of absolute necessity that all these be euer present vvith the Scripture to make the Church true The Heathens of old burnt the books of Numa because he bewrayd therein the prophane misteries of their Idolatries The Turks at this day keepe their people in ignorance no man must see into no man must dispute or argue of their Sect. And thus our Adversaries of Rome deale vvith the Scriptures resembling heerin the Heathens Turkes vvould yet make the vvorld beleeue that they are the only Christians And lest they should seeme insanire sine ratione they haue a seeming reason why they permit not the Scriptures to be in the mother-tongue of euery Nation publiquely to be read by them lest forsooth as the Rhemists say in their preface they should hurt themselues as vvith fire or water or kniues or swords or the like And vvhy do they not put out the Sunne because it hurts the gazers eyes or why put they not out their eyes to preuent hurting especially since they mis-leade many a man to lust and vanity To argue from the abuse of things indifferent to remoue the lawfull vse of them is an abuseof sence and reason But in things of this kinde of absolute necessitie it is an intolerable and presumptuous foolery Nature cannot bee so blinde as to suffer any but naturals to beleeue this their doctrine and to vvalke in this their way Pro. 4. 18. 19. for Salomon saith The way of the wicked is as darknes they know not at what they stumble But the path of theiust is as the shining light that shineth more and more vnto the perfect day True but vvill some say All Heretickes hang out this flagge and all boast of the Scriptures how shall wee then know the true vvay from the false by that which is common to all vvayes or vvhich all vvayes at least chalenge and make shew of Obserue euen from this obiection the force and authority of the Scriptures vnder which falsehood aswell as truth seeks to shelter herselfe because falsehood by this glasse learnes to trimme herselfe vp like truth And looke as the Heathens by their Idolatries proued aswell that there vvas a God Act. 17. 23. Rom. 1. as the Iewes by their true vvorship because nature taught the most barbarous Nation to adore some Deity and rather to make a God of a Calfe a beast a bird a stone then to be a godlesse Atheist so all Heresies and falsehoods beare witnesse for the truth and authority of the Scriptures vvhilst they striue to iustifie themselues thereby knowing without the Scripture all other their arguments notes and pretences how plentifull or plausible soeuer they bee are nothing to the purpose and therefore they labour to wrest the Scripture to their fancie And could the Church of Rome by this euidence approue her present practise and doctrine I assure my selfe she would looke no farther but vvould permit euery man to reade the same at pleasure nay she would command the reading thereof vnder the paine of
30 but this seemes good yet it is not so Then this is spoken of the vvayes of Man and they are likewise twofold Either the vvay of knowledge and vnderstanding Or the vvay of Practise or Action The way of knowledge 1. Vrim is that Faith or Religion which a man beleeues to be the truth so farre as he vnderstands and by vvhich he hopes to attaine lâ—fe and happines hereafter Act. 24. 14. And in this sense it is taken Act. 14. 16. 19. 9. And so it sounds as if Salomon had sayd There is a Religion which a man supposeth to be the truth and the right way to Heauen but it is false and erroneous and the next way to Hell The way of Practise or Action is our conuersation 2. Thummim manners and fashion of liuing and dealing betwixt man and man in vice or in vertue Iustice or injurie equity or iniquity and so it is taken Mat. 21. 32. And then the sense is as if Salomon had sayd There is a course of life which a man thinkes very upright and iust and so iudgeth himselfe a holy Man whilst he liues heere in it but it is a most deceitfull trade of life bringing a man to death dishonor and destruction But for our more cleere vnderstanding and discerning of this point we will speake first of the way of Religion being the Speculatiue part whose obiect is truth and falshood And then of Practise being the actiue part whose object is good and bad And this the rather because knowledge or the Theory better suites and answeres the way then action or the practique and action more properly corresponds to our passage trauaile and walking in that way So for doctrine wee will only speake of the truth or falsehood of Religion and vvill reserue the practique part our life our manners and conversation for the vse and application of those points of doctrine which from hence shall naturally and properly flow And thus much for subiect that we may know what it is that Salomon vailes vnder this shadow The way 2. The Quality Which seemes right This is the Quality of the Way which whilst Salomon thus describes he affoords vs from hence a foure-fold diuision according to that common Proverbe The Italian seemes wise and is wise the Spaniard seemes wise and is a foole the French seemes a foole and is wise and the English seemes a foole and is a foole So here There is a way which seemes right and is wrong and to that is opposed A way which seemes wrong and is right and there is A way which seemes wrong and is wrong and to that is opposed A way which seemes right and is right Now these seeme foure diuerse wayes Terminus a quo Terminus ad quem but indeed are but two as two crosse or ouerthwart wayes seeme to him that stands in the midst to bee foure yet haue but two beginnings and two ends so here the difference is not so manifold in the subiect but in the Iudges to vvhose sight these vvayes appeare after a diuerse manner according to the truth or error of their apprehensions For that the right way seemes vvrong or the vvrong vvay seemes right proceedes à deceptione visus from error of judgement For we see an euill vvay may to one man seeme right and yet be wrong and the same vvay to another may both seeme wrong and be wrong and a good way may to an euill sight seeme wrong 1. Sam. 12. 23. and yet bee right and the same way to a good sight may both seeme right and be right Now vvhilst I speake of a good way and a bad vvay I intend a true Religion and a false Religion for as a vvay may be faire which vvee call a good vvay and yet be indirect so a Religion may be glorious to the eye and furnished with faire pretences yet be false And as a vvay may be foule vvhich wee call a bad vvay and yet carry vs directly to the place whither we tend so a Religion may bee naked poore plaine in shew persecuted afflicted scorned contemned of the greatest part of the vvorld of the mighty noble learned politicke and yet be the true Religion and the true direct vvay to happinesse hereafter the lesse happinesse it hath here Having then Religion for our subiect if we looke vpon it vve shall finde three Religions in the vvorld especially justling for the truth of this way The Turkes the Iewes the Christians nor need any man to vvonder at this that I should mention Turkes and Iewes vvith Christians for the Iewes Religion yea the Turkes superstition seemes in their eyes to them as true and as right as ours doth to vs and vve haue nothing but the Scriptures to distinguish them and vs asunder I meane the consent of Scripture Lawe and Prophets Olde and New Spirit and Letter for some passages and obscure places they pretend though vnjustly to be for them But because vve know vvhatsoeuer they boast that their Religions are wayes vvhich both seeme vvrong to all good or indifferent judgements as they are wrong in Gods judgement and because our hope is to haue no hearers here but Christians vvee vvill leaue them to themselues speake of the diuersitie of wayes amongst vs vvhich appeare principally to bee foure euery one clayming truth and holding their Relâ—gion to bee Orthodoxe and so the onely right vvay to heauen 1. The first of these are the Grecians or the East Church 2. The second the Abissins or South Church vnder Presbiter Iohn 3. The West Church or Church of Rome vnder the Pope 4. The fourth is the Reformed Church vnder diuers Princes vvhich for distinction sake and perhaps situation hauing respect to some of these vvee may call the North Church Now if any man expect I should sub-divide the Reformed Religion because there are some differences amongst vs and such as in some times and with some hot-headed persons breed great combustions in the Church I shal not need neither truly ought I to do it because all of vs except the Heretiques who are generally cut off from the body of Christ by vs all or those Schismatickes who separate and cut themselues off as persons that haue no way that haue no tract of Antiquity or any footestep to follow directly in the Scripture agree in the way it selfe though perhaps some of vs may vary either in the manner of walking in that way or in some ceremony and circumstance of deuotion or discipline which is as the hedge and ditch and fence of this way and no essentiall part of the way it felfe but rather for the order ease and conveniencie of the Traueller And thus those whom our aduersaries miscall Lutherans Protestants Puritans walke as Iacobs sonnes did out of Egypt to fetch their good old father thither to whom their brother Ioseph knowing their stubborne crosse proude and peruerse natures gaue them this admonition aforehand See that you fall not out by
in God as in a good Father and might wholly seeke to him and cleaue to him as to the chiefe and souereigne good able to supply and satisfie all his desires aboundantly This being thus layd downe for a rule let vs by this comparatiuely proceed to try some points of Religion controuerted which are fundamentall or lye next to the foundation and iudge them right or wrong from the nature and quality of their doctrine that is whether they ayme at the right end The glory of God or at an oblique end the gaine of this world and the glory of Man that propounds them according to that direction which our Sauiour giues Iohn 7. 18. He that speakes of himselfe seeketh his owne glory but he that seeketh his glory that sent him the same is true and no vnrighteousnes is in him 1. First for Faith the foundation Our Aduersaries teach a faith which only beleeues the power of God to saue man wee teach a faith which beleeues both his power and will Theirs teacheth feare ours both feare and loue Theirs cloudes his mercy ours giues true glory both to his power and mercy 2. Secondly for hope Spes boni incerti our Aduersaries teach a hope which vncertainely expects a good to come whether they shal be saued or no they know not but they hope well whether there be a heauen prepared for them yea or no they know not but they hope well Wee teach a hope which the Scripture teacheth that is an earnest out-looking expectation and longing for the accomplishment of those gratious promises which God hath made to vs in his Word So our faith beleeues that there is a heauen and a heauen prepared for vs our hope longs for the time when this shal be perfected and taught by patience and experience stayes the Lords leysure and yet cries out Apoc. 6. 10. How long Lord how long They call this hope Presumption but wee know they are presumptuous for calling it so 3. Thirdly Solent Haeretici semper prospera polliceri caelorum regna peccatoribus pandere vt dicunt parata sunt tibi regna caelorum potes imiâ—ari maiestatem Dei vt absâ— peccato sis Accep stâ— enim liberi arbitâ—iâ— potestatem Hieron Com in Hier cap. 23. for Charity They teach what Charity is truly but in this they erre that they make it that is the charity of man to be the cause which moues God to saue vs nay which deserues and merits saluation of God And this Charity they teach so to depend vpon Free-will as thereby they exalt the nature of man conceale his fall and make the decree of God to be grounded vpon the mutable and vnconstant will of man We on the other side teach that our saluation wholly proceedes from the charity and loue of God and that all meanes conducing to that end rise from the same fountaine of loue and so our charity as an effect of that charity of God to vs serues not as a cause moouing God to saue but followes as a cause declaring whom God will saue And that our Charity as it is a fruite and effect of Gods Charity is true charity and the works proceeding from that charity of ours good but imperfect good as done by a person accepted imperfect as done by a sinner as done by a babe which growes and labors towards perfection which perfection is not wholly to bee attayned till this imperfection be wholly put away and corruption hath put on incorruption And therefore for merit wee are farre from it as a doctrine opposite both to our charity and to the charity of God To our charity because charity is a free worker not respecting the wages if she thinkes to merit she is not Charity To the Charity of God because if God gaue for the merit of our workes heauen were not properly a gift nor grace were not grace nor charity charity for charity is free Thus euen Adam himselfe in his integrity could not merit because bee had nothing but what he receiued he was indebted for his daily bread and for the grace he had to see and acknowledge this loue of God so whilst we are giuing thankes for benefites receiued wee are not paying our debts but running farther in for euery grace that wee haue is a new obligation To him that hath shal be giuen and wee are receiuing whilst we thinke our selues giuing Againe they teach Though Christ dyed for vs and though Gods grace guide and direct our actions and affections yet there are some sinnes left to be satisfied and discharged by our selues either in this life by workes of merit or pennance heere or heereafter by punishment in Purgatory Now this they doe teach not euer perhaps because they so beleeue but because it is a profitable error and they know they may easily vndertake to pardon all that come into Purgatory Besides it is a great glory for their Hierarchy to be sticklers in so large and spatious a roome as they fancy or faine it to bee not only to haue all earth but all Purgatory also within the verge of their Inquisition Now vvee teach the contrary because we see this doctrine derogatory to Gods infinite mercy and glory and to the infinite merits of our Sauiour As if God had forgot to be gratious or as if our Sauiours merits and actions were imperfect as our workes are or rather indeed as if our workes were perfect to merit supererrogate and his imperfect not able to do inough for all vvhen our Sauiours death did satisfie for all the faithfull and vvas sufficient for many vvorlds more and his merits vvere superaboundant for vs and for all that beleeue and repent Fiftly they say that after the vvords of consecration the bread is changed into the body of Christ as he was borne as he suffered This they doe to exalt the dignity of their Preisthood vvee teach the contrary that it is his body and truly eaten but both by faith after a spirituall manner as the Angels eate Christ in heauen by contemplation And this vvee teach both because vvee haue good testimony of Scripture vvith the whole choherence thereof and the Analagie of faith so to expound it as also because it makes more for the glory of God and the humiliation of man when our Aduersaries doctrine doth the contrary For doth it not call in question the truth of Gods word the truth of Christs body when we are led to imagine such a body as might be borne of the Virgin or not born might be crucified or not crucified being neither to be felt nor seene nor tasted yet to be taken vvith the hand eaten with the teeth receiued into the stomach And doth it not exalt man vvhen it makes him able to make his Maker And with his word to make him so as it should be in his power according to his intention will to haue him present or not present What is this else but to sit in the seate
her curse as now she forbids it vvith her Anathema Ingenuous therefore is this speech of a Fryer of her owne Math. Tilesius Iusti cap. 5. Iudeos Scripturis tanquam quibusdam cancellis circumdedit Deus ne aliorum more Paganorum euanescerent atque in adinuentionibus manuum suarum-insolescerent God did impale the Iewes with the Scriptures as with certaine bounds or abuttals lest after the manner of Pagans they should apostate and perish through the inuentions and deuises of their owne hands Cyrill ad Regin de fide Therefore saith Cyrill Necessarium nobis est Diuine sequi Literas in nullo ab earum praescripto discedere It is necessarie for vs to follow the Diuine Scriptures and to depart or vary in nothing from that which they prescribe Iren. lib. 2. cap. 59. And Irenaeus Scripturis diuinis quae certa indubitata veritas est in firma valida petra est demum suam aedificare hac varò derelicta alijs niti quibuscunque doctrinis incertam effusae arenae vnde facilis sit euersio est ruinam struere To build vpon the diuine Scriptures which is the sure and indubitable truth is to build vpon a firme and strong rocke but this being left to rely vpon any other doctrines vvhatsoeuer is to build to certaine ruine vpon fleeting sand from vvhence the ouerthrow is easie Againe Ambros lib. de parad cap. ◠In Scripturis diuinis non facilà reprehendamus aliquid quod intelligere non possumus they pursue this obiection farther saying If it should be graunted that with much study the learned might attaine the knowledge of the true vvay from the false by reading the Scriptures yet how shall the simple resolue themselues by that rule vvhen the principall questions arise from the variable exposition of Scripture I told you before that I gaue not this note as an absolute infallible marke to know the true way by though being rightly taken it is truly such a note as is formerly required Essentiall Proper Permanent and the principall things whereby vvee are distinguished and discerned from Iewes Turkes and Pagans but I brought it to discouer the false way as by a light in a darke place And though the Ideot as S. Paule cals him be not able to iudge of the Scripture yet he hath an abridgement of the Scripture that is certaine short rules drawne out by the Apostles or Apostolique Men to guide his faith by and to try the spirits and the doctrine propounded this abridgement is called the Apostles Creede Now none can bee so simple at least in these dayes except they bee beg'd or go a begging but they can vvith labor and study if they thinke the saluation of their soules vvorth the vvhile finde vvhether the doctrine taught crosseth and contradicteth either the Lords Prayer the Commandements or the Articles of our Creede all which they haue commonly by heart Yea God is often so fauorable to these poore soules vvho seeke him in true humility with a sight and acknowledgement of their owne weaknesse and vvith a hunger and thirst after righteousnes that he reueales to babes and sucklings vvhat he conceales from great Doctors and Rabbies Insomuch as though Balaam himselfe blinded by couetousnesse and the desire of gaine and glory cannot see vvhen his vvay is contrary to Gods vvay and when the Angel is ready to smite him Numb 2 32. yet Balaams Asse can see this And they are worse and more stupide then Balaams Asse that will not both see and confesse these flat contradictions opposing directly the written and reuealed vvill of God For it is easier to see flat contradictions and oppositions then things only diuerse or dissentaneous as weake eyes can discerne what stands in the light at least what stops the light To this end whereas God to his owne glory hath suffered Antichrist mightily to preuaile and to seduce many by glorious shewes of vnity and Antiquity and generall apparences and flourishes of truth it hath pleased his goodnes in that Sea Kingdome of Antichrist to leaue such open notorious markes of falsehood Abac. 〈…〉 as they which run by may reade the Emnity betwixt the serpent and the seede of the woman still continuing opposing the truth of the Scripture by doctrines directly contrary both to the outward Letter of the Text and inward meaning of the Holy Ghost And that I may instance briefely what I haue so peremptorily affirmed If they heare Christ say Mar. 6. When yee pray pray thus Our Father c. And then heare another say Nay rather when yee pray pray thus O Saint Mary Queene of heauen O Saint Michael Saint Peter Saint Paule c. they vvill know this is not as it should be and that there is flat contradiction betwixt these two speeches Thou shalt worship thy Lord thy God Mat 4. and him only shall thou serue which is the vvord of Christ and this Thou shalt not worship God only but the Saints and Angels also which is the voyce of Antichrist If thou hearest God say Exod. 20 Thou shalt make thee no grauen Image c. and hearest others say Thou shalt make Images and worship them The Images of God and Christ thou shalt adore with diuine worship the Image of the Virgin Mary and other Saincts vvith the worship that is due to the person it selfe and to this end shalt see them curtaile this commandement out of their Catechismes that by this meanes at this gap they may bring their Whore with all her abhominations in triumph into the Church as sometimes the Grecians did their horse into Troy though thou canst not perhaps well vnderstand their distinctions yet thou canst distinguish this fasehood from truth and see how this their doctrine and practise contradicteth the word of God and therefore howsoeuer it may seeme faire to be the right way to life yet it is foule play and the end thereof must needs bee the Yssues of death Againe when thou repeatest in thy Creede this Article I beleeue in Iesus Christ c. He ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty and from thence shall come to iudge the quicke and dead c. And hearest a presumtuous Priest with blasphemous mouth say This wafer or peece of bread I will presently make the body of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world by crossing it and vsing three or foure words ouer it Thou must needs see that this binds thee to beleeue two contrary things at once for sitting at Gods right hand being spoken to our capacity after the manner of men betokens a remaining and locall residing in heauen touching his bodily presence and comming from thence to iudgement assures thee he will not come before he come to iudge the quicke and the dead And thou maist aswell call his birth his life his death and all the rest of his actions passions in question