kind of worldly felicity the hart of man could wish On the other side that Christians might know that they are not to serue God for these temporall goods he would haue the raigne of Iouian a most pious Emperour more short then that of Iulian the Apostata Also Graetian a godly Prince not so gracious in name as in manners he permitted vnto the sword of a rebellious Tyrant Secondly this felicity the Marke of the Church is knowne by the End which is the saluation of soules by dilatation of Christian Religion amongst Heathens and by maintenance of peace vnity in the ChristiaÌ„ Church agaynst the breaches of factious doctrine For without question Felicity that serues to so diuine heauenly an end is diuine and heauenly and sheweth the Church in fauour wherof the same is granted to be the only true Christian Church Neyther it is hard for any man to discerne vnto which Church this felicity mantayning peace of Religion amongst Christians dilating Christian Religion among the Heathens doth belonge as also where that accursed kind of felicity is found by which no Nation of Infidells hath been conuerted but only the quiet of Christendome in matters aswell of Religion as of ciuill Gouernement peruerted Thirdly this felicity proper vnto the Church is made euident by the Effect to wit by the pious workes godly liberalityes therof shining in the Princes vnto whome the same is granted For as God doth by speciall prouidence honour and enrich these Princes for the benefit of his Church so likewise by secret inspiration he doth infuse acknowledgment heerof into their hart and moueth them to discharge their debt of gratitude towardes him by shewing their liberalityes vnto his Church Thus Cyrus though a Pagan did acknowledge his temporall felicity in being made Monarch of the world from the haÌ„d of the God of Israel 2. Paralip c. 36. v. 23. for the comfort of his banished people whome therfore he set at liberty restored vnto their country and assisted them both with his authority and liberality to rebuild their Temple Who doth not know the reuerence vnto the Church the obedience vnto Bishops the magnificent bounty of erecting euery where Temples vnto Christ that shined in the most mighty and fortunate Christian Emperours as were Constantine Theodosius and Charls all three surnamed the Great Who doth not see the workes of true Christian felicity in our country and of what Religion those Princes were by whom Churches Monasteryes Hospitalls and other workes of Piety with their temporall endowments were founded This then is that kind of Temporall felicity which is to be held a Marke of the Church to wit That wherof Gods miraculous prouidence is the Authour Propagation of Christianity amongst Heathens the end Liberalityes in teÌ„poral workes of Piety the effect Without these respects to make happy Euent a note of the truth or vnlucky successe a signe of falshood what is it but to set Religion on the dyce to expose Conscience vnto chaunce to make Fayth mutable with the wind If the Professors of true ReligioÌ„ cast out of Churches by the piety of their Ancestors built meete to heare Gods word in a priuate chaÌ„ber shall Truth that remaynes for euer Veritas Domini maner in aeternum Psal 136. stand obnoxious vnto the rottenes of the roome must their fayth also fall to the ground and perish with their bodyes if happily the place breake through the weight of the multitudes that thither ouer-zealously flocke Desire of the food of their soule so drawing away their thoughts as they did not aforehand apprehend the daunger of their corporall life God forbid Progidious thinges that did happen at the change from Catholike Religion in England VVIll our Aduersaries themselues be content to haue their Religion put to this triall If they be content things in this kind recorded by their Annales will bring their cause in danger When King Henry the eight had withdrawne himself from the obedience of the Sea of Rome togeather with Schisme though agaynst his will did enter Irreligion towards the most blessed Sacrament reserued in Churches what happened Stow or Howe 's cronicle they shall vnderstand in their owne Croniclers wordes Vpon the 25. of May the rood of S. Margarets Patins by the Tower-street in London was pulled downe and broken in peeces togeather with the Tabernacle And three nights after to wit on the 27. of May was a great fire in the same S. Margarets Parish not farre from the Church the which flre consumed there more then a dozen â—ouses and many persons men and women brent to death Was not this a iudgment did not God presently punish that fact of Heresy with fire the punishment by Christian custome appoynted for that kind of impiety Did not the fire come iust in time to punish that irreligious act hauing giuen them first three dayes to repent according to that decree of the Scripture Esd 10. 8. He that within three dayes shall not come backe to HierusaleÌ„ his whole substance shall be consumed Did not the fire fall right in the place where the sin was committed as if God by sending that fire had sayd vnto them you haue disquieted my Tabernacle violated my house abused my sacred Body left you vnder the forme of bread and would not repent therfore in vengeance therof I now burne your tabernacles fire your houses consume your bodyes into ashes When Queene Elizabeth in the second yeare of her reigne had put Catholiks from all Churches not permitting them so much as one for the Religion that all her Christian Progenitours Kings of England had professed who knowes not what happened vnto the Chiefe the most goodly and glorious of all those Churches presently vpon the very next yeare their Religion being scarse yet warme in the profession thereof An. Reg. 3. On the fourth of Iune sayth the same Annalist betweene foure and fiue of the afternoone the steeple of Paules in London was fired by lightening The fire brast forth as it seemed to the beholders two or three yardes beneath the foote of the Crosse and from thence brent the speere which was of two hundred and sixty foote downe to the stone-worke and bells so terribly that within the space of foure houres the same steeple with the roofe of the Church so much as was timber or otherwise combustible were consumed which was a lamentable sight and pittifull remembrance to the beholders therof Thus he This was the welcome Heauen gaue vnto the new Religion then entring into our Kingdome by fiering vpon them that most magnificent Temple which vnder Catholikes had stood almost a thousand yeares They that vrge the falling of an old chamber as miraculous vengeance sent from heauen vpon Catholike ReligioÌ„ what can they with any shew of probability answere vnto theÌ„ that will presse them with this prodigious lightening fiering which came directly from heaueÌ„ vpon them Specially seeing therwith their Communion-table was also fired though
what cause of sorow you haue which he had not in greater measure what solace had Iob that you want That his Children so suddainly slayne were of holy life Lib. 1. in Iob. The same you may presume of these your Friendes and take the wordes of Origen as agreeing equally vnto them both They were simple and sincere of hart chast and pure in soule of vnspotted conscience beloued of God deare to his Angels for their innocency full of brotherly charity one towards another not any did or could speake of them an euill word That they had byn sanctified not long before by the sacrifices then in vse These also on the very same day were expiated by the Christian Sacraments by a sacrifice of a farre greater force yea of infinite price De sanctitate secuÌ„ loquentes cum sororibus c. That they died holily in an action of brotherly charity and loue In a farre more holy action and exercise of piety were these taken away that what Origen sayth of theÌ„ is much more certayne of these They were taken as they were discoursing of Piety and Sanctity among themselues honouring God in their hartes praysing him as their Creatour adoring him as their Benefactour giuing him thankes as vnto their Foster-father Filij sancti sanctissimi Patris As little Innocents sit and stand play and sport togeather without any malice or vncleanes in minde so were these holy Children of their most holy Father when the blow came vpon them On the other side what cause haue you of afflictioÌ„ that did not presse more heauily vpon the fatherly hart of holy Iob You haue lost them that were deare vnto you but not more deare then was vnto him his whole family of children A stroake sayth Origen whereof none can coÌ„prehend the dolefulnes but such as know by experieÌ„ce what is the loue of a Father though the sole imaginatioÌ„ therof may moue any mans hart vnto teares of compassion He lost his Sonnes whom he had nourished to whom he had giuen best education Orig. l. 1. in Iob. that now were come to ripe yeares His Sons whom he had brought vp in piety seasoned with the feare and worshippe of God settled in charity and mutuall loue made in all kind of sanctity like to himself His Sonnes whose yssue he did desire to see whose posterity he did so earnestly expect from whom in his old age he did hope for comfort These Sonnes and not they only but also his Daughters so chast so pure so religious immaculate without blemish on whose heades on the day of their mariage he did intend to set garlands of ioy All these perished togeather at once and togeather with them spes quanta nepotum all his ioyfull hopes of glorious ofspring The death of your Friendes was dreadfull horrible wherof the very remembrance is execrable how much more the sight Not more rufull terrible then the death of the holy Children of this blessed Patriarke which Origen describes in these wordes Orig. vbi supra They dyed not an ordinary but a most lamentable death they were most miserably slayne Their bodyes were torne in peeces with stones bruysed with the weight of beames couered and defiled with dust lime and rubbish Mamocks of their torne flesh togeather with peeces of their broken bones their braynes their bowells their bloud the brothers with their sisters the sisters with their brothers lay mingled with clay morter and stone in one inseparable masse For the Diuell left nothing of them entyre not their sculls not their bowels not their stomackes not their armes not their handes not their leggs not their feete in summe not any part of their body A rufull spectacle a wofull sight yea rather no spectacle no fight at all For nothing was to be seen nothing that could be known flesh and bones stones and timber clay and morter bloud and wine lay so confusedly togeather in one heape Neyther the maisters from the seruants nor the brothers from the sisters nor his children among themselues were discernable the one from the other eyther by their faces or by their persons Thus dyed the holy innocent Children of Iob whose death yet was deare and precious in Gods sight that we might not iudge of the sanctity of mens liues by the hydeous â—hew of their deaths But Iob his Religion you will say was not reproached in regard of this accident Yes and perchance much more then the Catholike now is in respect of this late Euent For I am perswaded that all moderate Protestants behold this mischance with the eye of pitty as a misery indifferently incident vnto mankind not with eyes of disdayne as an argument of iust contempt of the ReligioÌ„ of them that stood obnoxious therunto Neyther do I thinke that they vnto whome indiscreet auersion from euery thing of our Church hath giuen the name of Pure do presse this fall as a iust reason to fall from our Religion except they be so voyd of discretion and vnwise as to make the truth of GODS Word which will not fayle though heauen earth passe away to depend on the staÌ„ding or falling of an house If some whom the temporalities they haue gotten by the banishment of our ReligioÌ„ engage and late vayne and idle feares of loosing what they haue gotten enrage against the Roman Church if these men I say by their declamations in pulpit incense the rude vulgar multitude to take this occasion to insult vpon our Religion Beato Iob insultabaÌ„t Reges Tob. 2.15 they do no more vnto vs then was also done vnto the most holy Iob in his distresse by the Ministers of Satan For who knowes not how he was assaulted and iusulted vpon by them that vpon the newes of his mishapp came to comfort him Orig. l. 1. in Iob. but the Diuell changed their hartes into bitternes agaynst him filled their mouths with blasphemyes and iniurious wordes So that in place of consolatioÌ„ they fell to reproach his Religion vrging the sayd mischance to condemne his sincerity of diuine seruice true practise of piety Wherfore as you are the consorts of holy Iob in your triall so be like vnto him in your trust and confidence in God and from his goodnes expect in deuout silence the like reward of your constancy not only a crowne of patience in the next world but also increase of temporall comfort in the present CHAP. II. Comfort by the Examples of former Christian tymes THe comfort of holy Scripture is seconded by the practise of Gods Prouidence in the Christian Church QuaecuÌ„que sunt carnis incoÌ„moda SaÌ„ctis sunt cum ceteris sine exceptione communia Cyp. ser de mortal which hath been still subiect vnto the dreadfull mischances of mortality no lesse then other men wherby both Pagans and Heretikes haue byn moued to insult vpon the Catholike Christians as I shall demonstrate by diuers Examples of the first six hundred yeares during which tyme most
their Cronicler to saue the credit of their Ghospell make no mention therof Neyther is it without mystery that this fire brake forth from vnder the foote of the Crosse as comming agaynst the enemyes of the signe of the Crosse and to shew Gods anger agaynst them for their contempt of that most holy instrument of our redemption What will they say vnto another Prodigy also set downe in their Annals that vpon the tyme their Religion was begotten by Q Elizabeth and christened in England Iust at the same tyme so many monstruous births happened within two or three moneths as the like is not noted in any of our antiquityes This yeare sayth the sayd M. Stow were many monstruous births In march a mare brought forth a foale with one body and two heades and as it were a long tayle growing betweene the two heades also a Sow farrowed a pig with foure leggs like to the armes of a man-child with handes and fingers c. In April a Sow farrowed a pig with two bodyes eight feete and but one head Many calues and lambes were monstruous some with collars of skins growing about their neckes like to the dubble ruffes of shirts and neckercheffs then vsed On the twentith of May a man-child was borne at Chichester in Sussex the head armes and legges wherof were like an anatomy the breast and belly monstrous bigge from the nauill as it were a longe stringe was hanging about the necke a great collar of flesh and skinne like to the ruffe of a shirt comming vp aboue the eares playting and folding Thus he Was it by chance thinke you that so many monstruous and vgly Births happened thus on a heap togeather with the birth of your Ghospell or rather were they not sent by Gods prouidence to lay before eueÌ„ your carnall eyes the fedity and deformity of your change from the fayth of all your Christian Auncestors I will heere conclude without passing into forrayne countryes only I will intreate our Aduersaries to looke out of England no further then they may almost from thence reach with their corporall sight to wit vnto the Hill on the Sea-shoare neere vnto Deepe There the ruines of one of their Temples are yet to be seen which fell vpon their reformed Puritan Auditory at the tyme of the Preach wherwith foure hundred with the Minister were oppressed The cause of this ouerthrow was not vulgar and ordinary as in our case but a strange and terrible whirle-winde raysed and sent by Gods speciall prouidence to punish them The remembrance of this whirlwind and wofull accident will happily take from them their insulting spirit or at least so blow away their vayne and friuolous clamors that this accident was Gods vengeance vpon vs for our ReligioÌ„ as they will not be heard with esteeme by any man of iudgment The death of the Catholike Preacher of this Sermon compared with the death of Caluin and Zuinglius BVt they thinke we shall not find amongst their Ministers any that was stroken with so suddayne and disastrous a death as the Iesuite Preacher of this SermoÌ„ was This shews how ignoraÌ„t they are of their owne Church and how like the Lamiae of whome Plutarch writes that being at home they pull their eyes out of their head Luther tom 7. WitteÌ„b fol. 230. a. post medium Conradus Schlusselburg in Theolog. Caluin l. 2. fol. 72. and locke them vp in coffers and they only vse them when they are disposed to goe abroad to visit their Neighbours Doth not Luther write that their great Grand-sire Oecolampadius was killed in his bedde shaken with horrible frights the Diuell appearing to him and this in punishment of his errour agaynst the Sacrament Doth not a famous Protestant Super-intendent giue this testimony of the death of the Puritans Dad Iohn Caluin God sayth he in the rod of his fury punished Caluin before the dreadfull houre of his vnhappy death with his mighty hand For being in despayre and calling vpon the Diuell he gaue vp his wicked soule swearing cursing blaspheming He dyed on the disease of lice and wormes increasing in a most loath-some vlcer about his priuy partes so as none present could endure the stench These be the wordes of that Protestant But because this happend within the walls of Geneua and in Caluins priuy Chamber we cannot haue such proofe therof but Puritans will outface both Protestants and vs. Wherfore we will bringe them out of the walls of Geneua into the open field out of Caluins closet into the sight of heauen and earth Iuell defence of the Apology pag. 6â—6 Osiander in Epitom hist Eccl. Cent. 16. pag. 203. Gualt Apol. fol. 30. a. prope finem obijt in bello Zuinglius Armatus obijt vnto a spectacle wherof two whole armyes were witnesses Behold Hulderick Zuinglius whom they honour as a Prophet ioyned in commission with Luther to preach the eternall Ghospell as an excellent man sent of God to giue light vnto the whole world in the midst of darknes wheÌ„ truth was vnknowne and vnheard off This Minister or rather Patriarke of the Ministry as themselues confesse hauing sought by famine to oppresse fiue Catholicke townes and force them by want of victuals to consent vnto his doctrine when they stood in their defence came armed into the field where hauing first embrued his sword in much Christian bloud himselfe togeather with fiue other Militant Ministers was slayne in the battayle I desire the Christian to compare togeather these two deaths the one of Robert Drury that dyed preaching by this last accident The other of the Reformitan Zuinglius which I haue set downe out of their owne recordes This done then in the sight of that God that hateth iniquity and loueth charity let him define which of the two deaths be iudgeth most Christian and happy or with which of the two Preachers he would rather wish his soule Lutherani apud GualteruÌ„ in Apol. fol. 8. a initio Gladium à Christo prohibituÌ„ corripuit Gladius Spiritus quod est verbum Dei Eph. 4.26 Zuinglius the Patriarke of Puritans Ministers dyed as he was pransing on his warlike palfrey with his pistoll at his side and launce in his hande This Father of the Society of Iesus sitting in a chayre the seate and ensigne of Apostolicall authority to preach clothed with such Priestly ornaments as the Church doth prescribe for the more decent performance of that office The one with a sworde in his hand stretching forth his arme to spill ChristiaÌ„ bloud the other with the sword of Gods holy truth in his mouth the enemy only of sinne and vice spreading abroad his armes to gather into the bosome of God and his Church soules redeemed with Christ his most precious bloud The one exhorting both by word and example his armed auditory Noui exquisitissimi facinoris fax auctor Osiand vbi supra to reuenge to murder to massacre The other * His text was serue
are not we Ministers at all for we are Ministers of those Ministers Therfore out of the principles of Christian wisedome men should rather heare Catholike then Puritan Preachers The third Proposition Protestants by the principles of their Religion See Iohn White his way pag. 126. Euery particular man must iudge of the Churches teaching are bound to heare Catholike Sermons THis I proue because the Iudge is bound by the law of God and man and light of reason to heare both partyes before be giue sentence for or agaynst eyther and to condemne eyther side vnheard is intolerable wronge But euery particular Protestant and euery one of the common people is a iudge appoynted of God hauing the publick authority of Gods spirit speaking openly vnto all in Scripture wherby he may reproue the greatest and most Catholike Church in the world No priuat iudgment but the publicke censure A priuate man may find fault with the best Church pag. 128. to wit the Roman and may find a fault in the best Church in the world to wit the Protestant as themselues most earnestly teach auerring that this doctrine was neuer denyed by any Church but the Roman that knowing her doctrine to be drosse durst not put herself to this triall Therfore euery particular and priuate Protestant is bound by the law of God and Man Grace and Reason to heare the Roman Church as well as the Protestant The fourth Proposition They that heare not our Sermons but condemne vs vpō trust of their Ministers cānot be saued THis I proue Because they that built vpon the trust and credit of the Protestant Church and passe not to the triall that they may say of their certayne knowledg this is errour this is truth these cannot be saued This is cleere because none is saued without diuine and supernaturall most certayne Fayth Sine Fide impossibile placere Deo Heb. 11.6 Field in his Appēdix p. 2. p. 18. but Protestants themselues acknowledge that Fayth built vpō the authority of their Church is but humane acquisite and fallible seeing the same may erre therfore they that build vpon the trust and credit of their Church cannot be saued But they that heare not the Roman Church condemne her only vpon the trust and credit of the Protestāt for they cānot say vpon their own knowledge that this or that is her doctrine nor consequently that she is in errour Therfore except they heare the Catholike Church her sermons if they can that they may say of their owne knowledge her doctrines are erroneous and theirs the truth Euery particular man must Try all things Iohn Whites way p. 126. they cannot be saued For how can they be saued except they comply with that Precept Try all and hold the best this Precept as Protestants teach being Diuine and such a one as doth concerne euery priuat man Is not the Roman Religion one amongst all Religions that are to be tryed yea the only one amongst them all How then can they be saued that will not try the Roman among the rest that not vpon trust but by their owne triall they may know whether her Doctrine is to be held Wherfore they that reprehend those Protestants for comming to this Sermon are ignorant euē in the first principles of their owne Fayth Hence I inferre that our Aduersaries cannot esteeme of this Accident as a punishment of God if without passion they will pronounce sentence by the principles of their owne Religion supposing which is most certayne that the subiect of the sermon was the duty of Charity to forgiue each other to be ready to giue account vnto God whē we are called out of the world For what was there in that Sermō that God may be thought to haue punished by that fall the Doctrine preached the order to preach it being both his owne If this mischance ought to be taken as a token of Gods vengeance agaynst the doctrine of the Iesuits surely God was singularly offended with that doctrine the Iesuit did actually preach at that very instant when by the fall his breath was stopped which was the doctrine of Charity and Peace O heauenly doctrine and O happy breath that is lost in the preaching therof which was the last sermon and Cygnaean songe as of this Father of the Society of Iesus Hier. in ep ad Gal. l. 3. c. 6. so likewise of the Disciple beloued of Iesus whose life ended whose breath expired in breathing forth this doctrine Loue ech other Hence also appeares the vanity of thē that haue found this farre fecht argumēt agaynst vs. This accidēt say they happened vpon the Papists on the fifth of Nouember stilo nouo therefore it was a punishment of the Treason they intended agaynst vs on the 5. of Nouember stilo veteri First this their arguing is folly because in their comparison or congruence agaynst the rules of Logick they do transire degenere ad genus that is compare things togeather of different kindes stilo nouo stilo veteri being different kindes of computation So that if we take the thing according to the truth and not according to the sound of words the 5. of Nouēber stilo veteri is not the 5. but the 15. of nouēber stilo nouo Secōdly agaynst this vanity groūded vpō words without sense we haue an argumēt inuincible deriued from the first principles of Christianity to wit that God being iust cannot punish men for sinnes they neuer committed but euer detested Now these that fell at this Sermon neuer intended that gunpowder-treason as these accusers bely them nor euer thought therof but with detestation and terrour Therfore certainly God being holy iust did not intend this accident to punish that sinne vpon them Finally what sense or congruence is there in this prouidence for that a sinne commited agaynst Christian Charity many yeares agoe God should now punish men altogeather innocent therof and this in the act of preaching Christian Charity agaynst rancour and malice which doctrine of all other is opposite vnto such execrable vndertakings Some perchance will say that though he preached Charity yet he preached in the Popish fashion that by deedes of charity they merit heauen I do not know if he made mention of merit De Ciuit. l. 2. c. 29. Casta celebritate confluunt vbi audiant quà m bene ad tēpus viuere debeāt vt beató semperque viuere mereantur suppose he did Is the sermon and meeting to be censured in this respect Let these censurers receaue their doome by the mouth of S. Augustine They be sayth he impious they are vngratefull vnto God they are deepely oppressed by the wicked spirit who murmure agaynst the chast celebrity of such meetings where men are taught how they are to liue well for the time in this present world that so they may MERIT to liue blessedly for euer in the next world CHAP. IIII. Comfort from the Ends and Intentions of God in this Accident