vppon the earth the wicked reprobats which are departed hence which last may bee called the Church infernall Phile. Why cal you it militant Stupe Because it fighteth warreth against God against Christ Iesus his worde against his glorye and sacred trueth in al things yea and agaynst all godlinesse and vertue in general Phile. Why cal you it the Church infernal Stupe Because it beeing dissolued liueth in eternal paines suffering in the iustice of God the punishment of euerlasting damnation And euē as the mylitant triumphant Church of God doe make but one body so these Churches of the diuel both which do liue here whiare departed hēce do make but one bodie also the Diuel being the head thereof Philemon What doe you call the Church of God Stupe I cal the Church of God the vniuersal number society of al Christian people dispearsed throughout the whole worlde agreeing together in one trueth one faith and one hope of eternal life by Iesus Christ. Phile. What be the marks and tokens wherby this church is knowen and discerned from the Church malignant and sinagogue of sathan Stu. They bee many but especially these The true preaching of the worde of God the due administration of the sacramentes the execution of Ecclesiasticall discipline according to the prescript rule of Gods woorde and the like So that where thou seest these things duely truely practised know thou that there is the vndoubted church of God Upon the other side where thou seest all these things neglected as it is in the papacie nay cleane impugned knowe thou that there is not so muche as the face of the true visible Church of God but the coūterfeit church of Sathan where the Diuel maketh his continual residence Phile. Seeing that the Lorde hath his Churche his beloued spouse and chosen congregation in this worlde whō hath he constituted the supreme head and gouernour of the same Stupe Christ Iesus whose the bodie is muste needes bee the heade of the Churche according to the saying of the Apostle I will that you knowe that Christ is the heade of euery manne Agayne God hath made al things subiect vnder his feete and hath appointed him ouer al things to be head ouer y e church In another place he saith But let vs folowe the truth in loue and in all things grow vp in him which is the head that is Christ. And to the Collossians he saith plainly thus And hee meaning Christ is the head of the bodie of the Churche Againe in the second chapter following he sayth And yee are complete in him which is the hear of all principalitie and power And further in the booke of Samuel he saith Thou hast deliuered mee from the contentions of my people thou hast preserued me to bee head ouer nations c. By all which places besides infinite the like which fearing least I might seeme tedious I omit it appeareth that Christ Iesus onely is the sole true only head of his body the church and not anye other power or principalitie vpō earth whatsoeuer And althogh that Christ bee the onelie vniuersall peremptorie head of his Church yet my meaning is not to denie Christian Princes that lawefull power and authoritie which y e word of god doth alow thē that is to be the chief heads ouer euery seuerall Church or congregation and ouer euery particular person and member of the same within theyr kingdomes and dominions as his Lieuetenaunts and Uicegerents vnder hym to rule and gouerne the people of God by the rule and scepter of his worde Phile. But I haue harde that no christian prince can be head ouer the Church of God but the pope onlie what is your opinion in that Stupe In deede the Pope I will not denie is Supreame head ouer the vniuersall Church vpon the earth but of what vniuersall Church Of the Catholike or vniuersal church of satā acording to my former diuisiō Of this malignant church I confes he is the only Supreme head But ouer the church of God the Spouse of Christe Iesus hee is so farre from beeing head that hee is not so much as a perfect member of the same For proofe whereof doe marke but thys one reason he that impugneth the worde of God and the doctrine of Christ Iesus wittyngly and willynglie is no true member of Christe Iesus But the Pope as the worlde beareth witnesse in all his Actes Dooinges and Proceedynges generally impugneche the woorde of GOD both wittinglye and willingly ergo neither hee nor any of hys Adherents are the true members of the mysticall bodie of Christe Iesus And notwythstandinge that hee is conuinced both by the worde of GOD the testimonie of his owne conscience the common verdict of all the woorlde that he is so farre frō being the supreme heade ouer the Uniuersall Churche of Christe vppon the earth that hee is not any true member thereof yet hee beareth or woulde beare the worlde in hande that hee is the onely Supreame head ouer the Churche of GOD that Christe Iesus hath made and constitute hym his Uicare and Lieuetenaunt generall to rule and reigne according too hys owne corrupt humour But howe falsly hee arrogateth this superioritye to hymselfe euery manne except wilfullie blynde maye perceyue For is not the Church of GOD the wyfe and Spouse of Christe Iesus Than howe dareth he challendge to be head ouer another mans wife Is he not a verlet that will require it and is not the wife a harlot that will permit it And is not that a monstrous bodye whiche hath moe heads then one Therefore co conclude Christ Iesus is the only Supreme head of the Churche and not the Pope The Pope hath his Churche to wit the malignant church Sinagogue of Satan whereouer he is head And as for the Church of God hee may let it alone for he hath no part nor fellowship therein except hee repent and conuert in time Phile. Who was the first of those lustie bruites that challendged this Supremacie before all others Stupe It is saide that Iohn Patriarch of Constantinople beganne to take vpon him to bee called the supreme head or vniuersall Bishop ouer all christendome Then Bonifacius the thirde Bishop of Rome seeing that to bee called head ouer all the worlde was a glorious title obteined of Phocas the Emperour to be called head ouer al the world in the yeere of our Lord .680 And thus was the egge laid that hatched this Cokatrice with all his filthie pewling brood Phile. There hath bin is great controuersie amongst many concerning the Pope of whom yet hitherto I could neuer heare a perfect description I pray you therefore what is the Pope Stupe Are you such a simple foole that you knowe not what the Pope is Hee is a manne as others are but in all kinde of mischiefe farre surpassing any who by blood
THE THEATER OF THE Popes Monarchie Wherein is described as well the vncleane Liues of that wicked generation as also their Antichristian gouernment and vsurped kingdome Togeather with their horrible Superstition and blasphemous religion as it is now vsed at this present where Antichrist the Pope his members do beare rule By Phillip Stubbes Imprinted at London by Thomas Dawson 1585. To the right Honorable Robert Lord Ritche his singular good Lorde and Moecenas Philippe Stubbes wisheth all prosperitie in this life with increase of Honour and eternall felicitie in the heauenly Hyerarchie by Iesus Christ. IN the Gospell after S. Matthewe right honorable and my very good Lorde oure Sauioure Christ teacheth vs most notably how to knowe and discerne false Prophetes from such as bee the true Pastours Ambassadours of Iesus Christ when he saith They shall come vnto you in sheepes clothing but inwardly they are rauening wolues you shal know thē by their fruites Then if the fruites of conuersation bee the ensignes the badges and cognizances to know false Prophets by as our sauiour sayth they are thē surely may we iudge nay certainly perswade our selues that the Papistes are those false Prophets Apostataes and seducers which the word of God speaketh of as in the further discourse of this booke shall manifestly appeare for not only do their works fruits conuince them heereof but also their false seditious erronious and heretical doctrine doth argue the same But they will easilye wipe away this blot and saye that we are those false Prophets of whom Christ speaketh of To whom I answeare let their workes and doctrine bee compared to ours and bothe peyzed in the equall ballance of Gods worde the onely touchstone to trie all controuersies by and then shall it easilye appeare whether they or wee are the false Prophetes Doe not they come vnto vs in sheeps cloathing I meane in suche habite as portendeth all kinde of austeritie humilitie and holinesse of life outwardlye as namelye in their Surplesses Copes Tippets forked Cappes Miters Hattes Crosiers Hoodes Cowles Tunicles Sandals Shirtes of hayre and a thousande other like playerlike garmentes yea and doe they not teache that all holinesse consisteth in these ragges Is not this to come in sheepes cloathing But they will obiect if thys bee so why doe you weare some of these garmentes I aunsweare wee haue some of them in deede but that is vppon sufferaunce and permission onely not vppon constrainte or necessitie as theirs are Besides ours is commaunded by a Christian Queene and therefore lawefull theirs by Antichriste and therefore vnlawfull Againe we vse them as things indifferent they as things of necessitie we repose no religion in them they relye holy vpon them And for theyr doctrine it is so erronious so corrupte so seditious nay so blasphemous and Sacrilegious that it would greeue a Christian manne to thinke of it As Prayer for the dead Iustification by good works Purgatorie Limbo Patrum Inherēt Rightuousnesse Inuocation to Saincts Transubstantiation Adoration of Images their seuen coūterfait Sacramentes extreeme vnctiō christening of Bels hallowing of churches churchyardes makinge of holy bread holy water Auricular confesion shrift penāce absolutiō masse mattēs diriges Lady Psalters tapers candles bedes censings ringings perfuminges legions of like trūperies which the word of God knoweth not of al which pointes of doctrin of theirs I wil intreat in a book by it self god willing very shortly wherin shal appeare whether they or we haue y e truth This is their godly doctrin which ther it com nerer to the word of God or ours let the world iudge And yet notwithstanding they set a faire face on it they stamp and stare beare the world in hand that theirs is the truth For say they our doctrine standeth vpon sure pillers antiquitie vniuersalitie generalitie the like Our doctrine is proued by discent of Bishops from time to time by consent of all nations and so foorth but your doctrine is newe and starte vppe the laste day c. But whether theirs or ours bee the newer it shall appeare in the discourse following First wee are able to proue that our doctrine is auncienter then theirs ye as auncient as God himselfe whose truth it is And first to begin with the diuine institution in Paradice wee reade that God the father gaue vnto Adam his word commandement to wit Thou shalt not eat◠of the tree of knowledge of good and euil ingrauing and as it were imprinting this word commandement in the heart of Adam and in him in all his posteritie By the which lawe of conscience then liued almost 2000. yeeres without any other law or word written being guided directed by the holy Ghost in all their actions the 2000. yeares being ended men waxing dissolute licentious wicked y e Lorde as Theophilactus witnesseth disdayning to speake to them any longer by his spirit for that they became wicked gaue thē a Lawe for before they hadde no written Lawe God appearing to them I meane the fathers and Patryarches in visions in apparitions in dreames sometime in the forme of angels waifaring men sometime in one shape sometime in an other according as their weakenesse could beare written by the finger of God in two tables of stone which is the x. commaundements Then Moses at the commandement of God committing to writing the x. commandements with his other fiue books as he was taughte and directed by the suggestion of the spirit of God ruled the Israelites thereby The old testament being thus written by the seruant of God Moses his faithful prophets at the commandement of God continued in force til the cōming of Christ which was in effect 2000. yeeres after Thē our sauiour Iesus Christ cōming in the flesh gaue in commandement to his Euangelists Apostles and prophets to write the new testamēt which they by the direction of gods spirit did most happily perform These 2. testaments now the old the new God be thāked we haue Now let the papists disproue this if they can or if they haue any other Gospell let thē bring it forth They cānot deny but we haue the same word of god which God the father our sauiour Christe the holy ghost haue giuen to the woorlde this being graunted it must needs folow that our doctrine is true theirs most false Now let them deriue their antichristian doctrine lineally from suche antiquitie truth as this if they can but that they shall neuer bee able to do For their doctrine hath bin longer in patching then Solomons temple was in building Yea within these x or xii hundred yeeres there was not a scrap of their pesteferous doctrine coyned no the egg was not thē laid that hatched that poisoned Cocatrice Then the truth of gods word throgh the iniquitie of time beginning by little little to suffer eclipse at the last sprang vp such mountaines of heresies corruptiōs cast out of the bottomles
the kingdome of heauen VVthat is ment by the keies How binding and loosing is perfourmed Howe wee are saide to bee bound and loosed Howe the Ministers of the gospel haue power to remit sinne Binding and loosing restrained within the compasse of Gods worde The popes venemous hook and poysone bayte The most part of the popes â—ingdomes are â—alne froÌ„ him Kingdomes â—â—lne from the â—â—pe Gods worde the ouerthrow of the Popes kingdome The Pope forbiddeth the reading of the Scriptures The Popes doctrine contrary to Christes Al men ought to search the Scriptures Birreans their notable example Ignoraunce the mother of damnation not of deuotion Bible locked vp and in a strange toung 1. Cor. 14. Scripture to be no otherwise interpreted then pleaseth the Pope The pope would be thought onely wise Nether the Pope nor his Father the Diuell canne erre The Pope a deyfied creature and no man Peter denied hys Mayster thrise The Pope erreth in all things The Popes cooling carde No man may iudge of the Pope A maxime iâ— the Popes law The greate power of our Maister Pope The Pope must haue a share in euery thing The Pope heire apparent to the Emperour The Popes fray bugge The Pope crowneth emperours with his feete The Pope deposeth kynges and Emperors when hee lyâ—t No generall counsell can be gathered with out the Pope The next way for kinges to come by theyr owne at the popes hands Marke the coÌ„scyence of this fellow The proude Pope stampte vpon the neck of a good Emperour lyke a dogge Kynges made footstooles to the pope Kings holding the popes styrrops None dares mute against the pope The popes mercy in shedding of blood Al courts subiecte too the pope Appeale to the court of Rome The popes profession The pope enreth League wyth kings princes and why VVhat shyfte the pope maketh when he lackes money The popes beagles doe hunte for money The popes share The mark the pope leueleth at The pope thirsteth for blood The pope warreth in his owne person The popes marche in the field when hâ— fighteth for Ioanes beste cap. The popes leâ—nity and comâ—passion The pope a bloodsucker Bonefires at Rome for slaughter of Gods saints The popes metamorphosis The popes power sent into hell The pope caâ— make the paines of hell to ceasse The pope plaâ—eth the Rex The pope better then God The pope can do that God cannot doe Purgatory Nullibi The pope saith euery soule must be punished 7. yeeres in purgatorie for euery sinne that euer he coÌ„mitted in thyâ— life The Popes merchandize So sone as money rings in the boxes y e soules in purgatorye feele ease Money wyll sweepe Purgatory cleane The popes bandogs How the diuels â—remble Purgatorie the popes sowe The popes attyre A triple crown The popes crosier The popes gard The strange gestures of the papists All thinges the pope coÌ„meth nere are holy The pope carried on mens shoulders The great differeÌ„ce betwixt Christ and the Pope The pope wyll none of that If the Pope should goe on foote it would hurte hym for hee is so fatte that it would fry and melt hys grease wythin hym But the Pope meanes not to change hys crown of gold for Christes crowne of thornes The Pope ought to wear a quadruple crowne The pope proued antichrist The popes exactions too mayntayne his pride Pardons indulgences The gayn that commes in too the pope by pelting palles The popes chaffer The tresure of Rome infinite That was not the least part I warrant you Oh extreeme polyng Rome a deuouryng gulphe Al thyngs sold at Rome for money The wickednes corruption of Rome described A thyng to bâ— maruayled at Hee wil speÌ„de a huÌ„dred thousande crownes in a yere vpon whoores and harlots c. How the pope spendeth hys money The pope vnholy The place cannot make a manne good vvhiche before is nought The Diuel holier then the pope Cardinalles what they are â—Vherof Carâ—ynals take â—heir names The holy societie of cardinals The pope chosen by cardinals The othes thaâ— the cardinals take wheÌ„ they are admitted Oh cursed oth The constancâ— of these cardinals to theyr dad the pope The Pope maâ—eth whole â—yngdomes â—ountries â—ys pray thoâ—ow cardinals â—ood helpe The maner of â—eceiuyng of â—ardinals being â—ent as ambasâ—adours into aâ—y lande or â—ountry The concourse of people runnyng to meete cardinals The peoples cry to the cardinals grace The maner of the the Cardinals blessing The stately â—ort of cardiâ—als Cardinals beg â—â—rly attyre Cardinal Wolâ—â—y his example â—t wonderful â—ride Marke this geare wel Oh famous Cardynal Oh excelling pryde Oh surpassyng vanity Here were mo offyces then a fewe The pomp of the Cardinals Chappel Copes 44. in the cardinalles hall at one time Oh pontificall Prelate Here is good stuffe marke it who will Attendants vpon the cardynals person Oh Lucifer-like pryde who euer saw the like By S. Cronian he feasts a prety ordinary then This passeth the beggerlyenesse of poore Christ and his Apostles The maner of the Popes Byshops The proude humors of the Bishoppes of Rome The fat morsels of Romish Bishops VVhere the romish bishops lye Blynking Syr Iohns Friers c. the popes spanyels The papystes take â— greate heed least they preach anye truth Oh damnable othe None of the papistes dare preach Christ Iesus aryght The example of the bishopp of Coleyn who rather forsooke hys Bishoprick theÌ„ to dyshonour Christ Iesus as the papistes did The Papistes say preaching is not necessary By hearinge the worde of God preached men learn the pathwaye too heauen by papistry the path way to hell Idolatry committed vppon popish holydayes The ridiculous attyre of Popish bishops vpon holidayes This is dogin That is pat That is worth the wearyng then The popyshe byshops like so players The Byshops gestures at the high altar The byshop coniures Variety is pleasant Insteed of hys lemman The bishop in a brown study The lifting vp of the byshopâ— hands For flesh vpon his backe hee hath none and therefore hath need of cushyons The papistes delude the world wyth gewgawes A sword carried before popish bishops to the high altar and why Byshops conuersant in kinges courts Popish bishops skilful in the art of flattery Byshops victualers of campâ— A byshop suffragane The offyce of suffraganes in the church of Rome The order of the Papists hallowing of churches church yardes Holy water alwayes one Oh blasphemous villanie so to abuse the words of the psalm to such a lewde purpose as thys Mary it is a proud prelate whom all the diuels in hell cannot resist Holy water purifieth sanctifieth al things The maner of hallowyng the Altar He crosseth the altar so often to feare away diuels The play is ended The maner of gyuyng of popish orders Because they are bnzzardes cannot see These crownâ— shorne make 〈◊〉 many a man to weare a horn Let theÌ„ learne to reade it first good my lord before they learne it by heart The testament is