fallen into an Apostasie And the reason he giueth confirmeth it directly that it should vndoubtedly fall out and so come to passe for hee afterward affirmeth that it commeth of the righteous iudgement of God vpon the reprobate saying God shall sende them stronge delusion that they should beleeue lies that all they might bee damned Vers 12.12 which beleeued not the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse which thing if it be wel seen into vprightly waied it will cōuince the church of Rome to be of the false religion and antechristian church and their brauerie of profession their antiquitie vniuersalitie and visible succession to be the sitting of the man of sinne in the temple of God that is the plague and running soare of the Church the damnation of many soules and that now within these few yeares the gospel teaching the true Christian religion hath reuealed their Apostasie and that so openly clearly as euerie man may see it if he doe not wilfully blind his owne eyes 3 Now if they say that the Church cannot erre and thereupon build their antiquitie vniuersalitie succession c. Namely that they must needes bee the true Church being so actiuely and vniuersally visible in their continued succession because it belongeth to the Church vnder the gospell as they say to bee as the Moone that neuer is ecclipsed nor couered vnder a cloud but alwaies appeareth glorious and beautifull vnto the world then doe they euidently declare and proue themselues to bee the false sinagogue of Sathan and their religion to bee his delusions and lies Because the worde of God doth so manifestly say there shall bee an Apostasie and falling away in religion and that the enemie of Christ should raigne in the place of Gods temple And least happily wee should bee deceiued in thus iudging euen in this one point of their religion that they hold that the church cannot erre they cōuince themselues to be Antechrist many wayes especially in that they make the authoritie of the Church aboue the scriptures that they might be iudges of it and not of them What do they herein more truely then professe to all the worlde that there sitteth amongst them the aduersarie that exalteth himselfe against all that is called God for what is there in the whole world by which God is knowen or can bee knowen truely and rightly to bee God and by which God is exalted and all his honour truth and word magnified and his will wisedome and goodnesse glorified and worshipped but onely the inspired writinges of the blessed booke of God If they hauing no truth on their side to maintayne themselues to bee the Church of God they will foist in with a brasen face contrarie to euident scripture this vntruth that the church cannot erre and thereupon vsurpe authoritie ouer this booke of God and after it to haue no authoritie but such as they allow and to haue no other meaning or sence but such as they giue and so God and his holy law must looke for no other name credite and dignitie but as it pleaseth them being men to giue And so againe God and his word should not bee builders and describers of the Church but the Church builders and describers of God and his word doth it not then necessarily follow that they are verie Antechrist and the seate of Apostasie Moreouer if Christ say this Apostasie should bee so great that if it were possible a Math. 24.24 the verie elect should bee deceyued Are not they verie Antechrist to make the Church alwaies visible and not able to erre And let the godly Christian reader consider what vse there is of these rules precepts b Math. 7. 1. Ioh. 4.1.2 2. Ioh. vers 9. Beware of false prophets beleeue not euerie spirit c. hereby shall you know the spirit of God that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God whosoeuer transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God c. Againe there is prophesied of a woman whose name is Reuelat. 17. 18. A misterie great Babilon the mother of whordoms abominations of the earth which is a great citie which raigneth ouer the kings of the earth and all nations drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication And God saith to vs Go out of her my people c. If the true vse of these scriptures teach vs two things first that we must trie and iudge the false prophets the spirits and whosoeuer may cal themselues the Church by the doctrine of Christ expressed in the scriptures and that vnder the time of the gospell a citie by false doctrine should poyson all nations and we ought to go out of that citie how can any man iudge the Citie of Rome which calleth her selfe the mother of all Churches and vsurpeth ouer all nations seeing that it hath forsaken the truth and yet claimeth vniuersalitie perpetual succession visible refuseth to be tried by the holy oracles of God these rules and Canons of holy scriptures how I say can any man iudge otherwise but that it is the verie seat of Antechrist And in this that it would bee maintained by saying it cannot erre it erreth most apparantly And therefore that onely is the true Church and house of God whether visible or inuisible a Heb. 3.6 Math. 18.20 which holdeth fast the true faith where two or three are gathered together in Christes name and not that which pretendeth visible succession and saith it cannot erre 4 Howbeit in all this time it was not as the church of Rome would beare vs in hand that our religion which is that auncient religion of Abraham had such an ecclipse that it cannot bee traced in these 1600. yeares after Christ for as before the comming of Christ it lay hidde in comparison of the vniuersalitie of the whole world in the house and posteritie of Abraham and sometime more then other appearing and shining forth when God made his glorious truth to cast the beames of light far and wide at such times as he made his saintes glorious by deliuerance as out of Egipt and Babilon And in subduing the Cananites in prospering Dauid Solomon Iehoshaphat Ezekiah and Ioshiah So in this time of Christianitie among the Gentils there hath beene as it were an ebbing and flowing and as I may say a morning and an euening For the gospell beginning with small degrees and like a grayne of mustard seede was persecuted by the vniuersall world at the first And yet preuailed mightely through all those bitter and intollerable persecutions of the first three hundred yeares in so much as in the first Christian Emperours dayes namely Constantine the great when hee summoned the first generall Councell of Nice for the cause of Arrius there came 318. Bishops and these were from all partes of the worlde West as farre as Spaine and North in a manner at the verie North Pole So that all the worlde stoode amased
when he could point out his verie person saying i Ioh. 1.36 Behold the lambe of God Howbeit that grace of reuelation which was in the Apostles excelled all the rest for the verie a 1. Pet. 1.12 Ephe. 3.10 Angels admire the manifolde wisedom of God as it is now taught in the church of God by their doctrin and therefore in comparison of the clere manifestation of the gospel now in these last times to the more obscure reuelation of the former ages it is called b Colos 1.26 Eph. 1.8 a mistery had since the worlde began and from al ages but now is made manifest to his saints and this most abundantly in all wisedome and vnderstanding And this was of such power that neither the malicious gainesaying and tumultuous resisting of the Iewes nor the furious outragious persecutions of the gentils for 300. yeares nor the subtill vndermining of wilie hereticks nor the smoking darkenes of Antechrist could stand before the wisedome of the spirit but that the idols of the heathen and the foolish rudimentes of the world were scattered before the preaching of the faith and religion of Christ as the smoke or clouds are driuen before the wind And when all the c Dan. 3.35.44 1. Pet. 2.6 monarkes of the world were broken became like the chaffe of the sommer flowers whom the winds carieth away this Iesus Christ as a stone cut without hands although he were refused of the builders is not onely become the heade of the corner but also filleth the whole earth and groweth to a kingdome that neuer shall haue end so long as Sun Moone endureth And as this religion so the ceremonies and maner of gouernment ordeyned by Christ are to remaine vntill the end of the world for so saith Christ when hee gaue cōmission for d Math. 28.19.20 the preaching baptizing teaching of all his cōmandements Loe I am with you alway vnto the end of the world the Apostle affirmeth that the Lordes supper is to e 1. Cor. 11.26 shewe the Lordes death till hee come f Eph. 4.12.13 and his ministers are to gather together the saintes till we all meete in the vnitie of faith and he must g 1. Cor. 15.24.25 raigne till all his enemies bee put vnder his feete and in the ende deliuer vp his kingdome to his father and then God shall bee all in all 5 All which things if the Atheistes of our time and such as bee of no religion or of the popish and hereticall superstition could see and consider they would come home to vs and cast themselues downe before Christ and say God is with you of a truth But this continuance of one vnchangeable truth in religion by the administration of Gods iudgements manifestation of the spirit being found with vs in this realme of England as hereafter in this treatise doth euidently appeare shal be a witnesse against all such in the day of iudgement when they should remember that they in their liues time willingly wold not know nor obey the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse I pray God open our eyes that while the light is among vs we may beleeue it loue it and walke in it as the children of light to the glorie of God and our owne comfort euerlasting saluation in Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen CAP. III. Heere is more largely shewed the vnitie of faith in all ages that the religion openly professed at this present in England is the same ancient onely Catholike faith of Abraham Moses the prophets which Christ and his Apostles preached and taught Where 1. is declared that Abraham receiued it of God both for the Iewes also for all other nations 2. The particulers are compared in 15. seuerall articles of the most waightie points of doctrine HAuing entred thus far that the Christian reader may as in a glasse in some reasonable sort behold in his conscience that from the beginning of the world there hath beene but one religion in which a man could euer be saued one law of faith one law of loue taught and allowed by God in his Church catholike and vniuersall for all places times to remaine vnchangeable vnto the worlds end Now will I through the mercifull assistance of the same my gracious God more largely and particularly shew the verie same thinges and that the same is the religion which in this our time is now by publike authoritie professed preached taught defended in this realme of England by and vnder the most happie raigne golden dayes and peaceable gouernment of the Lordes annointed and blessed handmaid and seruant our dread soueraigne deare nurse-mother faithfull and elect Ladie and Queene Elizabeth for whose heauenly ioy Christian honour long and prosperous life in wealth and godlinesse all true hearted Christians and faithfull subiectes continually and instantly do pray Here thou shalt see God willing what God taught Abraham what Moyses sent of God taught Israel what the prophetes inspired of God taught in Iudah what Christ his Apostles taught the primitiue Church and that all these differ not in the doctrine of faith and loue but being all one and the same way of saluation the same true and vndeceiuable religion the same euerlasting God and Sauiour And thou shalt plainely and clearely see that the verie same and none other hath our most louing God of his free and kind mercie now aboue fortie yeares together taught vs English men and his heauenly wisedome in our streetes and high places and assemblies by his faithfull ministers hath called vs thereunto So that we to the stirring vp of our thankfull hearts to praise our good God may say with the Psalmist a Psal 147.20 He hath not dealt so with euerie nation neither haue they knowne his iudgements And in this treatise concerning the first of the three times of the world which was of the fathers before the lawe or any part of Gods worde was written I make speciall choise of Abraham for two causes First because that in the historie of the fathers before his time which containeth some 2083. yeares the holy Ghost is verie briefe and therefore not so full and plaine in diuers pointes as after in the story of Abraham Howbeit thou shalt find in the same the doctrine of one God the trinitie promise of Christ and saluation to come by faith in him Baptisme of the arke sacrifices for the latter sacrament seales of the couenant and of dueties diuers examples in Abell Sheth Enoch Noe and great punishments for the contrarie so that the substance is one and the same though that it be after more largely and particularly taught in the storie of Abraham But because my purpose is to shew that the particular partes of the doctrine of our religion bee most auncient and catholike I finde it more fitte to take the patterne from Abraham in whose storie I may gather these thinges more plainely and also
new testament thus h Rom. 3.23.24 There is no difference for all haue sinned and are depriued of the glorie of God and are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus 25. whom God hath set forth to bee a reconciliation through faith in his bloud c. In the seuenth Article there are three contradictories of the lying erring multitude of Rome vnto the true religion For they i Concil Trident sessi 5. sess 6. canon 18. 25. say that Concupiscence in the regenerate after baptisme is no sinne although they confesse Saint Paule calleth it sinne 2. That there is nothing in him displeasing God but he is pure innocent and immaculate 3. A iustified man can keepe all Gods commaundements If these men had learned and beleeued the true religion they would not dare to speake so directly contrarie to truth seeing God teacheth far otherwise First in the old testament where the church is directed to say k Esai 64.6 Wee haue bin all as an vncleane thing all our righteousnes as filthy clouts And in the new testament l 1. Ioh. 1.8 If we say we haue no sin wee deceiue our selues and truth is not in vs. Which two places being spoken of the people being by the sacrament of initiation or Baptisme entred into the Church do shew plainely that original corruption is a sinfull matter in the flesh of the regenerate by which they are made vnable to doe any one worke perfect much lesse to doe all Gods commandements at all times in thought word and deede a thing which euerie man 's owne conscience doth testifie if he bee not too much besotted with the looking vpon his fruitlesse peacockes taile In the eight Article they make additaments namely that a Concil Trid. sess 6. canon 24. 33. 20. good workes are also causes of the encreasing of iustification and truely deserue eternall life and encrease of glorie and that the obseruing of the commandements of God and the Church are the condition of the promise of eternall life to which the iustified man is bound if he will be saued By which while they robbe Christ of his merits and giue more honour to the corrupt life of man and lesse to the redeemer and lay an other burthen vpon Christians then that which God layeth and such as no man can beare they leade themselues so farre from religion that either by a vaine hope of that which is not they forsake their owne saluation or els by a greeuous desperate downe-fall finding themselues as the truth is vnable to fulfill the condition they lay themselues open to euerlasting perdition But God alloweth no such additamentes where he teacheth vs in the old testament to say vnto him b Psal 16.2 Thou art my Lord my well doing extendeth not to thee And in the new c Luc. 17.10 When ye haue done all those things which are commanded you say wee are vnprofitable seruants c. And the condition of fulfilling the commandements is called d Act. 15.10 a yoke which neither we nor our fathers were able to beare and if it were possible to doe the commandements yet the holie Ghost teâ—â—eth vs that e Gal. 2.21 if righteousnesse bee by the lawe then Christ died without a cause Against the ninth Article the Romists do diuersly oppose themselues shewing themselues to bee of no religion For first they adde the commandement of the church making it equall vnto Gods written worde saying f Gret decreâ— pars 1. dist 20. cap. de libellis They which receiue not indifferently their Canons they profitablie effectually and to purpose holde or beleeue neither the catholike faith nor the foure holy Euangelistes They adde moreouer that g Distinct 19. all the decretals constitutions of that sea yea though it decree things scarce to bee borne yet must they bee borne with a godly deuotion though there bee as h Decret abbreuiat in versibus they say in one booke of decrees aboue 3000. Againe they say that i Concil Trident sess 4. decret 1. pari pietatis affectu reuerentia Traditions pertaine to faith and maners and that they doe receiue and embrace them with equall godly deuotion and reuerence as they doe the holy scriptures Lastly they set the Church before the scriptures as that by k Test Rhem. note vpon Gal. 2. vers 2. 6. D. Smith briefe treatise cap 2. 3. it the scriptures are so farre made knowen to all Christians as they are not bound so to take them vnlesse by the authoritie of the Church they knew them And that the authoritie of holy scripture dependeth and hangeth vpon the iudgement of the vniuersall or catholike church and that there are many vnwritten verities left by Christ and his Apostles to be beleeued and obeyed vnder paine of damnation Here is the mouth of blasphemie if wee may beleeue the vndoubted word of God how hee teacheth vs to esteeme of the holy scriptures and of the Church for in the olde Testament hee saith l Esai 8.20 To the law and to the testimonie if they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them And in the new a 2. Tim. 3.13 The holy scriptures are able to make thee wise vnto saluation c. Let then euery wise man iudge that if the scriptures bee able to make a man wise vnto saluation and that there is no light that is to say knowledge of truth and godlinesse in them which agree not to the holy scriptures what canons decrees decretals traditions or vnwritten verities can haue any authoritie vnlesse they agree to the written word of God or that they can containe in them any thing not written in the scripture which is of necessitie to saluation or which not to doe or beleeue is damnation Againe how can the scriptures take their authoritie from the church seeing that the church is of no light vnlesse it bee found agreeable to the scriptures and therefore no church except it bee approued by the scriptures and so the scripture is iudge ouer the church and not contrarie And if I say the scriptures can make a man wise vnto saluation it is the greatest follie in the world to clogge the people of God with so many thousand of needles canons decrees decretals traditions and vnwritten falsely called verities and so make the light and easie yoke of Iesus Christ most heauie and burdenous If these diuilish blasphemies were true alas who could be saued For who was euer found that did or could doe all the foresaid Canons and traditions Therefore in them is fulfilled which is said by the Lord of Hypocrites b Math. 23.4 They bind heauie greeuous burthens not to be borne and lay them on mens sholders but they themselues will not moue them with one of their fingers Let vs abandon therefore these painted sepulchers and enemies of all true
which deliuereth by the bloud of Christ because he is blessed whose sinne is remitted pardoned Hierome n 390. ioyneth close vnto him and o Vpon Rom. 4. saith God iustifieth by faith onely the wicked man when he conuerteth and not workes which hee hath not And againe vpon p Vpon Gal. 3. these wordes Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse he saith so also vnto you onely faith is sufficient vnto righteousnesse And a little after Because that in the law c. because no man keepeth it therefore it is said that by faith onely the beleeuers are iustified S. Augustin a Anno 400. homil 6. Vpon these words loue your enemies standeth vp as it were with him and protesteth No man is made iust but of a sinner as wee haue often song blessed are they whose sinnes are forgiuen hee said not blessed are they which not committed sinne but blessed are they whose sinnes are forgiuen them For if thou aske who hath not committed thou shalt find no man Whereby then shall any man be blessed vnlesse he bee pardoned that he hath done and couered that hee hath committed And a little after Thinke not that by thy merites thou art made such an one because the grace of God hath made thee such an one The Milenitane councell doeth b Anno 420. close vp this faith when it will haue nothing giuen to mans will or workes but ascribeth all to the mercie grace of God as is shewed but a little before c Anno 450. sermo 30. Petrus Chrysologus expoūdeth this matter by the cause where he saith Non veni vocare iustos I came not to call the righteous but sinners he putteth not backe the iust but because that without Christ no man is counted iust in the earth I came not to call the righteous but sinners in so saying hee putteth not backe the righteous but because hee findeth all men sinners harken to the Psalmist The Lord looked downe from heauen vpon the sonnes of men that hee might see if there were any that vnderstood or sought after God all haue gone out of the way c. Let vs bee brethren let vs be sinners by our owne confession that by the pardon of Christ we may not be sinners Theophilact commeth d Anno 760. some pretie while after and yeeldeth to this veritie saying vpon e Vpon 3. vers 11. these wordes And that no man is iustified by the law in the sight of God c. he hath therefore shewed that men are made accursed by the law and are vnder the curse but the blessinges are heaped vp by faith Now he doth plainely shew that verie faith yea euen alone hath in it selfe the vertue of iustifying c. The ordinarie glosse vpon the bible ioyned with Lyra being of f Lyra wrote about 1320. later and more corrupted time by euidence of truth is drawne to the same confession g Vpon Rom. 3 4. saying Workes follow him that is iustified but do not go before him that is to bee iustified but by onely faith without workes going before a man is made iust And againe Vnto him who hath not time to worke if he beleeue onely faith is sufficient to righteousnesse Bernard h Bernardus Clarenallensis liued in Anno 1120. liuing some good time before this finding the same truth in Gods booke giueth like witnesse i Vpon Cantic sermon 22. saying Quisquis propeccatis compunctus esurit c. Whosoeuer being pricked for his sinnes doth hunger and thirst for righteousnesse let him beleeue in thee who dost iustifie the wicked being iustified onely by faith he shall haue peace with God Here the Christian reader may see that protestantes flourished in the primitiue church and that the ages after did not want witnesses of this truth Now if I be asked how the opinion of righteousnesse by workes came into the Christian societie and corrupted it I desire the reader to cast his eies vpon the matter it selfe consider with me that the way of saluation is Christ only he is made ours by faith for vnlesse wee learne beleeue in Christ we can not be saued The deuill therfore by all meanes hath laboured to keepe men from the knowledge of Christ first he drew away the wise learned of al nations many ages together that they thought themselues happie by their wisdome vertue lawes works with other deuises but knew not the true God and the righteousnes saluation which is by Christ yet God hauing an eye to his elect whom he called maugre the malice of sathan this was otherwise in the church of God And God called and taught Abraham a Gal. 3.8 the gospel namely that men should be righteous by faith onely Here the Deuil hath a new worke and in processe of time vnder colour of the righteousnes of the law he caused the church of the Iewes to fall from God by forsaking faith and seeking to bee iust by their workes for as Saint Paul witnesseth Rom. 9.31 Israel which followed the law of righteousnesse could not attaine vnto the law of righteousnesse Wherefore Because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the workes of the law Heere God resisted Sathan and opened the way of life vnto all nations For in the fulnesse of time when the promise of the gospell vnto Abraham of iustifying the gentiles through faith was now to be accomplished God sent forth his sonne to be the light of the world and he his Apostles preached repentance to all nations and taught them righteousnesse saluation by faith in Christ onely And then as S. Paul also teacheth c Vers 30. The gentils which followed not righteousnesse attained vnto righteousnes euen the righteousnesse which is of faith Here the Deuil bestirreth himselfe and first euen in the Apostles time hee raiseth vp the Iewes who being d Act. 21.20 zealous for Moses fight eagerly for the law e Gal. 3.1.2.3 and that the workes of Gods commandements be ioyned vnto faith f 1. Thess 2.14 15.16 or to bee aduanced aboue faith Against which Saint Paule laboureth and writeth to the Romains and Galathians most strongly proouing that onely faith in Iesus Christ doth iustifie that God had so decreed it by his word c Act. 15. and the Apostles by a counsell determine that the Gentils are free from the law of Moses Afterward the diuel prepared diuers heretikes to this battaile who in diuers sortes assayled this faith some fighting against the person of Christ as Simon Magus and Arius and their followers some stroue for their owne perfection and righteousnes as Ebion Pelagious Donatus Cathari and such like Against all which God stirred vp learned valiant and faithful men who defended and maintained the faith by the sword of the spirit and kept it found many yeres so that the heretickes preuailed not But in this verie time
a protestant in diuers places about this matter denying transubstantiation with all the holie martyrs which suffered in Queene Maries time saying a Vpon Ps 98. Non hoc corpus quod videtis c. yee shall not eate this bodie which you see and drinke that bloud which they shall shead which shall crucifie mee I haue commended vnto you a certaine mysterie which beeing spiritually vnderstoode shall quicken you and againe b De ciuitate dei lib. 21. cap. 20. Non solo sacramento sed re ipsa manducauerunt corpus Christi in ipso eius corpore cōstituti They eate not in the Sacrament alone but in verie deede the bodie of Christ beeing set in his verie bodie shewing thereby that there is no way of eatinge Christ but spirituallie and that the wicked eate the Sacrament of Christs bodie but not Christs bodie indeede hauing no faith to bee set in him and as hee knewe no reall presence in the sacrament so he knew no adoration nor sacrifice but a memoriall of thanksgiuing as where he c Ad. P. diaconum saith In this sacrifice there is thanksgiuing and a remembrance of the flesh of Christ which he offered for vs and againe d Contra Faustum Manicheum per victimas similitudinum the flesh and bloud of this sacrifice before the comming of Christ was promised by the sacrifices of resemblances in the sacrifice of Christ by the truth of the same after the ascention of Christ it is celebrated by the sacrament of remembrance what a merueilous protestant was hee whose sacrifice was a remembrance his adoring was thankesgiuing and transubstantiation in a mysterie and not in deed But me thinketh father Barnard wil be a protestant also for he e De diligend Deo saith that these woords qui manducat carnem meam c. hee which eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath life eternal is as much as to say who so doth meditate vpon my death and by my example mortifie his members which are vpon the earth hath eternall life that is if you suffer together you shall raigne together Transubstantiation came vp as yesterday But here I need not so much to trouble thee with fathers seeing this deuise of transubstantiation was hatched lesse then 400. yeres a goe and that f Anno 1215. Read the acts of the counsel and decreet all lib. 3. tit 41. cap. 5. in a counsell of Lateran vnder pope Innocent the 3. there you shall finde Francis and Dominicke the head springs of two religions to be great helpe to the pope there shalt thou find auriculer cōfession and mysterium fidei thrust into the institution in the masse Hereupon Honorius the 3. espying in looking vpon this new glasse of transubstantion that Christ was made to come out of heauen into the sacrament thought it reason to giue him reuerence therefore he a 16. cap. 10. deuised and ordained the Eucharist should be lifted vp and adored and reserued in reuerent maner But it is to be merueiled that Honorius was so hastie before it was perfectly resolued whether the water were transubstantiated with the wine For the forsaid Innocent the third b 16. cap. 6. illa probabilior iudicatur quae asserit aquam cum vino in sanguinem transmutari doth but probablie coniecture that it is so and he saith the schoolemen agree not whether it be so or no. But howsoeuer it is apparant by these testimonies that this filthie and abominable idoll of transubstantiation with his adoration is a new borne monster adored by them which turne the glorie of God into things corruptible Therefore God giueth them ouer into a reprobate sense to beleeue lies because they receiued not the loue of the truth to trust in those things which if they could see they would be a feard of their very table is made a snare and their prosperity their ruine The fourth foundamentall point is of the writings of the couenant 4. Of the scriptures namely the Holie scriptures inspired by Gods spirit Let vs heere what the auncient protestantes professed in the primatiue flower of the christian Churches among the Gentils Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons in France a verie auncient protestant c Aduers heres lib. 2. ca. 47 protesteth that the Scriptures are perfect for they are spoken by the woord of God and by his spirit and againe d lib. 3. cap. 12. The thinges which the Scriptures shewe or teach cannot bee shewed but by the Scriptures And hee teacheth that e lib. 5. No small punishment belongeth to them which adde or take away from the Scriptures And lastlie hee f lib. 3. cap. 2. sheweth that it is a shift of the heretikes when they are conuinced by the Scriptures to accuse the Scriptures and to say that by the Scriptures the truth cannot bee found of them which know not the tradition Heere you see that Irenaeus maketh these boasting papistes heretikes who vnder colour of the insufficiencie of Scripture do foist in their traditions affirming that they ought not to interpret the scriptures by their sence or magisteriall power but by the declaration of scripture it selfe and lastlie that they are to bee punished for adding vnwritten verities traditions canons and decrees and such like tumperie to the perfect Scriptures In the next age of protestants commeth vp that great scholer Origen and he a In Ezech. homil 7. protesteth against the popish doctrin thus They which teare the Scriptures sowing those things doe rent the words from the words and make feined points of doctrine doo serue idols c. and a little after Let vs follow no man and if we wil follow anie Iesus Christ is set before vs to be followed the acts of the Apostles are described and we know the doings of the prophets by the holy volums or writings that patterne is sure that example is sound which who so desireth to follow doth walke without danger In the next age of protestants standeth vp Basilius Magnus and with open mouth denounceth b De vera ac pia fide against the arrogant pride of Rome If the Lord be faithful in all his words and all his cōmandements faithful established for euer euer done in equitie and truth without doubt this wil be a most manifest argumēt of infidelity a most certain sign of prid if any man wil reiect any of those things which are writtē or bring in any of those things which are not written Seing our Lord Iesus Christ hath said my sheep here my voice a little before the same said they wil not follow a strāger but wil flie from him because they know not the voice of strangers In the next age Chrysostome steppeth forth protesteth for the sufficiēcy of the holy scriptures a Vpon Ioh. cap. 8. saying If we would diligētly search the scriptures wee might be able to attaine saluation But Saint Augustine a little before him beateth down
ciuill magistrate to haue any further strength then as the Pope and his Prelates may well rule that they may alway haue them at their commaunde And this is done by contention auarice and her daughter extortion Popery nurse of contention to keepe them alwaies weake and poore and by falshood and pride whereby they are spoiled and subdued and their authoritie made captiue and as it were slaine and buried For contention read Krantius Metropolis and you shall finde a lib. 6. cap. 6. that Bishoprickes were gouerned by armes b lib. 2. cap. 20. they stroue for their bounds and limittes c lib. 1. cap. 40. they ioyned in conspiracie with the sonne against the father yea when no cause was d Platina in vita Greg. 7. Rodolphus taketh armes to depriue his Lord of his Empire and e Krant Saxon lib. 5. cap. 7. 18. c. Henrie the fift wageth warre against his owne father of which came all maner of euill murders rapins burninges spoiling of Towne and countrie Anno 1184. The a Krant Saxon lib. 6. 2 ap 46. Emperour Freoderick making a mariage for his sonne when in procession on Pentecosts day he had the archbishop of Mentes on his right hande and the Archbishop of Collen on his left The Abbot of Fulda striuing to haue one of their places did so trouble the company that if the Emperour had not wisely ordered the matter there had been warre and bloudshed vpon the same But what miserable troubles these contentions haue been to the kings of England he that onely readeth the elections of the Bishop of Caunterbury shall see sufficient that I speake nothing of munkes against seculer priests abbots against their munkes friers against friers and such like deadly fewds which hath caused great adoe in many places Nay if I shoulde speake of the Saxons and Almains of the Guelphes and Gibellins Florentines Venetians and people of Millaine and I know not how many other cities and nations which vpon popish iars haue been brought by factions and deuisions into a formal war continual steame of slaughter butcherie one vpon an other I might make a great volume And it filleth my soule with restles sorrow to thinke that the vnthankfulnes of men not beleeuing the truth of God but harkening to foolish fables should prouoke the heauie wrath of GOD to heape such infinite and vnspeakeable miseries vpon them Now for their auarice and exactions how naturally Popish extortions and auarice they lie in their religion and how they keepe vnder the people and nations and preserue their diabolical supremacie only let me rehearse the stories what they say First one saith a Krāt Metropol lib. 10. cap. 34. Multae magnae concertationes doctorum c. Many and great discentions were there of learned good men and if they had bridled auarice they might haue easilie found a measure or end and againe b Cap. 47. Exorbitabat eo tempore supra modum Romana curia in exhauriendo prouincias auro c. At that time the court of Rome went out of square aboue measure in robbing the prouinces of their gold through the bestowing of indulgences not heard of and graces incredible And the apostolical Courtiers or sutors which obtained were miserablie tossed they stroue or sued before the Auditor or iudge two iudgements wer giuen for one partie In the thirde instance the Iudge is commaunded that hee put the one partie to perpetuall silence Dato quod sonaret fulgeret 1398. neither needed letters to bee dispatched by the Chauncerie there was a shorter way hy the chamber by giuing that which sounded and shined A thing at that time new but in our age well waxen olde that that age might be thought to haue found out that which this our age doth now vse But we complaine of these things in vaine So complained Albertus Krantius being himselfe a papist whose story endeth An. 1501. And in another place shewing how a youth of 17. yeares of age obtained a bishopricke of the pope he saith c Lib. 12. ca. 29 The Apostolicall sea sheweth it selfe liberall to sutors chaunging lead for gold which being spoken in the olde world how much that liberalitie hath growen vnto this day they doe easily vnderstand who haue doings in things So doth an d Mathew Patis hist Hen. 1. An. 1103. other papist tell vs that when Anselmus the Archbishop intreated the Lord Pope for certain Bishops and Abbots of England who were degraded That the same most gratious sea which neuer faileth any man so as some white or red thing be mediator restored the same bishops Abbots to their dignities And an e Polydor. Verg. de inuētor lib. 8. ca. 2. other papist can tel you of their instruments buls of the colledge of Catchpoles or Harpies that is to say scribes notaries of the Apostolicall treasures which could skil how to make an office which at the first was sold for 500. crownes to be at a thousand or two or three thousand and how the annuates and yearely fruites palles and appeales haue soaked vp many countries and made the pontificall sea of great power The effecte of which Apostaticall deuises of these lordly Popes may appeare by the complaints of all nations which thing may clerely be seene vnto all men that shall read the councel of Basill which made many prouisions by decrees against the rauening of the Popes court by reseruations appeales instances annates collations and many such like b Read Iohn Sleid. Com. lib. 22. pag. 819. 820. 821. which decree the King of Fraunce Charles the 7. Anno 1438. did confirme by an edict commonly cailed Pragmatica Sanctio Which when pope Pius the 2. laboured with Lewes the 7. to vndoe the Senate of Paris declare vnto the king what great prosperitie the Realme was in by that Edick in the daies of many his forefathers and what great affliction it was now fallen into by such exactions that thereby France would be bare of people and emptie of money and vnlesse he did holde fast the sanction of his father euerie yeere there would goe out of France vnto Rome ten hundred thousand crownes beside diuers waies that they had to impouerish his kingdome c Math. paris hist Angl. Hen. 3. One Iohn Rufus the popes legate at one time wrested out of the poore Irish mens deuotions 8000. markes The Germains amongst other greeuances require three thinges to be amended a Iohn Sleid. Com. lib. 4. First that they hindred the princes in their right 2. That they pulled and made Germany wast and without wealth and riches 3. And bondmen with great bondage But speaking sparing of other countries by the patterne of Englande our owne countrie you shall gesse verie much what spoile and hauock they made of al lands Math. Paris hist Angl. Hen. 3. pag. 927. 928. The greeuances of England haue been these First by complaint in a