they cannot doo they thinke vnlesse they haue the peoples heartes and they perswade themselues that the people of the other side will neuer be reconciled to their Romish Church vnlesse their religion be easie plausible and pleasant to the outward sight and delight of the flesh Hereupon haue they graunted their Bulles their dispensations and all other their licentious doctrines which geue free leaue and authoritie to commit any sinne or sinnes for as long or as short a time as they listed so that they might take their choise of pleasant sinnes to sport themselues at their pleasure and conuenient leisure which to atchieue notwithstanding they must pay good currant coyne for Behold gentle Reader the two pillers of the church of Rome viz. The glorie and riches of their proude Pope and prelates was one and the libertie preached to the people was the other So that the pope I thinke went about to builde a kingdome for himselfe on earth rather then to build a church for God in heauen Hereupon is he magnified with so many titles Hereupon after he began to growe in ambition he vsurped the tytle of Supremacie ouer all kinges princes and Emperours of the world And when the pope had all this iurisdiction and preheminence what was it els but to say with the Whore of Babylon d Reue. 18.8 Sit as Queene I wonder that all the Papistes of the world are not ashamed of their vnholye father whose kingdome whose Church whose religion is onely to preach libertie and licentious kinde of liuing to the people seeking his owne onlie glorie and renowne and not the glorie of God This is that the Iesuits fight for that the Seminaries perswade and contend for that the papistes boast of that they dare challenge al the world in disputation for the defence thereof namely the erecting of the downfalling pride of the Pope in their subtill perswasions to reconcile sillie vnstable soules vnto their Romish Sea They can paint out the honour of Rome with most princelie building in the authoritie of their Pope with more then kinglie tytles and the glory of their splendant Church with no lesse eloquence insomuch as they haue made their tongues as sweete as musicke to enchant and their reason nothing but sophistry to deceiue of whom I wish all men to take heede as of rauening wolues and to flie them as venemous serpents For the true Church of God dooth not stande in such outward glystering pompe as these men would make beleeue but in trueth of the word of God deliuered in sacred scriptures as heretofore hath bene declared But all the pomp wherewith the Romaine Iesuits Seminaries and papistes doo so aduance their proude Pope withall and calling their Church the mother Church What dooth it els represent vnto vs but the glorious state of the Whore of Babylon which was clothed with e Reue. 17.4 purple and decked with golde with pretious stones and pearles hauing a cuppe of golde in her hand full of th'abhominations and vncleannesse of filthinesse and in her forhead was written not the mother Church but great Babylon the mother of fornications and of abhominations of the earth O but I doo the Pope great iniury for he calleth himselfe Seruus seruorum the seruant of seruants but what matter is it to cal himself so in name when in deed he sheweth himself Rex regū a king of kings and a Lord aboue all nations as his title of supremacie his vsurped authoritie of-excommunication of princes his putting downe of kinges and giuing their kingdoms away to whome he list doth manifestly bewray So that this is but a mist cast ouer mens eies to blind fold men from beholding the vsurped princelinesse of the Pope In trueth the Church of Rome sauoureth of too much earthly pompe to haue any part in the true church of God though it boast neuer so much and trust in lying words saying the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord The papistes can say that concerning Rome they haue the testimonie of Paule who in his Epistle to the Romanes writeth to al that be in Rome calleth thē f Rom. 1.7 beloued of God called saints but what profiteth it thē that in times past there was a true spouse of Christ in Rome sith now and manie yeares since it is become an adultresse and hath forsaken her first loue her first faith But al this is outcountenanced with the authority of the pope being Peters successor as he glorieth And the pope he chalengeth the Apostolike Sea so that hee will be Peters successour and yet vicarius dei what is this els but to assure vs that Antichrist shall sit in the Temple g Thess 24. of God as God boasting himselfe to be God The Pharisees in Christes dayes could say who can forgiue sinnes but God and yet the Pope hee will arrogate vnto himselfe that authoritie to wreath from kinges their crownes and scepters what is this but to sit in the temple of God as God and boasting himself to be God Now how well he dischargeth the office of an Apostle I think al men vnderstand he braggeth to be Peters successour but what glory is it to be Peters successour in place and not to retaine the doctrine and performe the office of the Apostle Peter It is the maner of papistes altogether to glorie of names persons and places and such outward titles they neuer looke to the trueth of inward puritie so that al there religion is nothing els but a painted schulchre fayre to the eye but within full of rotten bones because the pope was successour to a good Apostle It followeth not no more then an vsurper of a kingdome shal be said a lawful king because he is a successour to a lawfull king Though Peter were a true apostle yet the pope may be a false Apostle and that the Pope is a false Apostle appeareth by the notes of a true and false Apostle Peter had his calling from Christ to be an Apostle and so entred Peter into the Apostleship For Christ is the h Ioh. 10.1 dore whosoeuer entereth not in by the doore but climeth vp some other way the same is a theefe and a robber therefore let the Pope shew that he entred in by the dore or els hee is not like Peter a lawful Apostle In doctrine how the Pope and Peter agree is soone seene Peter saith if i 1. Pet. 4 1◠anie man speake let him speake as the words of God the pope hee blotteerth out his owne traditions his vnwritten verities and vomiteth out the puddle of his owne brayne yea he wil preache matter contrarie to the word of God and peruert the worde of God as when Paule sayth and the whole Scripture agreeing with hym that by the k Rom. 3.20 workes of the lawe no flesh shal be iustified before God the Pope and Papistes holde and teache that good woorkes are meritorious yea and that
they beleeue though one rise from the dead Thus we are referred to build our beliefe vpon Moses and the prophets Christ himselfe saith and commandeth vs g Iohn 5 39 to search the scriptures for saith he they are they that testifie of me So that the people are bolde to heare Christ Moses and the prophets and apostles with this clause also added that if any though an Angell from heauen teach doctrine contrarie vnto them Anathema sit wee must holde him accursed so that we are not to beleeue the Pope nor his vnwritten verities nor generall Counsels nor yet ancient Fathers no not Angels themselues though comming from heauen if they teach matter contrarie to the sacred scriptures as the people are to hear such kind of Teachers so are also all that take vpon them the office of teaching or of Apostleship not to teach doctrines of men or their owne fantasies or blind dreames but onely such stuffe as they receiue from God Moses he gaue the lawe to the Israelits but he did it by commandement from the Lord and spake as from his mouth What maner power the prophetes generally had is very well described in Ezechiell Thou h Ezek. 3.18 sonne of man saith the Lord I haue geuen thee to be a Watchman to the house of Israell therefore thou shalt heare the worde out of my mouth and thou shalt declare it to them from me Look to the Apostles and see what commission they had Goe saith Christ h Mat. 27.19 and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father the sonne and the holy Ghost teaching them to keepe all thinges whatsoeuer I haue commanded you so the apostles commission was to teach that which they had receiued from Christ Christ himselfe the sonne of the euerliuing God in respect that hee was an apostle or messenger sent from God his Father answereth the Iewes in the seuenth of Iohn saying My i Iohn 16. doctrine is not mine but his that sent me So Christ himselfe taught no other doctrine but that which he had from his father And S. Paule as a faithfull Apostle affyrmeth to the Corinhians that he k 1 Cor. 11 receiued that of the Lord which he deliuered vnto them Thus wee see that the apostles spake from the mouth of Christ Christ from the mouth of his Father and all both Christ and the Apostles Moses and the prophetes spake as from the mouth of God which is also verified by that one saying of the Authour to the Hebrues God l Heb. 1 1 in times past diuers waies spake vnto the Fathers by the Prophetes but in these last daies he hath spoken to vs by his sonne And Paule telleth Timothy that all scripture m 2 Tim. 3 16 is giuen by diuine inspiration and written as with the finger of God who is all trueth and therefor it is impossible should either lie or erre Therefore touching matters of religion let God alone be heard and the sacred Scriptures produced for the establishing of that religion which shall be acceptable in his eies For a mans faith is to bee builded vppon the surest anchor and m 2 Tim. 3 16 rocke and in such sort that neither windes nor waues be able to remooue it and that must be as Christ teacheth vpon his woord which is infallible and neuer fayleth And all both reason and diuinitie so perswadeth for that saying of Paule is true Let n Mat. 7.14 God be true and euerie man a lier It is well knowne and dayly experience can tel vs that men may erre and goe awrie but he o 1 Ioh 5.10 that beleeueth not God maketh him a lier as S. Iohn saith which cannot be without horrible blasphemie Let vs therefore not build our faith and religion vpon any man be he Augustine Cyprian Ambrose Hierome or whosoeuer nor vpon generall Councels for they were also compounded of men and Humanum est errare Men may erre therefore no question but they might erre And if in any any thing they doo not erre it is because they haue the word of trueth and of sacred Scripture for their confirmation or els they must needs erre So that all those ancient Fathers and generall Counsels they must all drawe water from the pure fountaine the sacred word of trueth or els they doo nothing els but preach the puddle of their owne inuentions which if they should doo though they were Angels from heauen we must not beleeue them nay Anathema sit we must hold him accursed by the rule of Paule aforesaid The woorde of God deliuered as from the mouth and hand of God being laide as a foundation wee are not to doubt but that our religion builded thereupon is most sure and certaine neuer able vtterly to bee ouerthrowne with all the power and pollicie of Antichrist and his adherents bee they neuer so subtil in the one or ful of fortitude in the other For why Christ the head of his Church is the defender thereof and the confounder of Antichrist The Papistes and enemies of the true Church of God they call vs Heretikes by a metaphoricall speach borrowed from themselues and giue railing sentence vpon bs when they are no longer able to conuince our reasons shewing therein their malignant tongues and malicious hearts but we answere with Paule that with that which they call heresie we serue the liuing God They call our religion a condemned doctrine attainted long ago by general Councels If they shew me the reuealed counsell from God I wil beleeue them and of generall Counsels some are meere repugnant and contrarie one to another so that they are of litle credite But what if it be condemned by men if it be allowed of God what neede we care We knowe that at Ierusalem they held a councel together to put p Math. 26.4 Christ to death as a malefactor yea and condemned him Was therfore his doctrine euer the worse or was it therefore so because they condemned him Did they not hold a councell against Stephen and stone him to death and yet Stephen is recorded to be a man full of q Act. 6.12 faith and of power What will the deceitfull Papistes say of Peter their Popes predecessour as they vainely boast There was a generall councell held against him also and condemning his doctrine scourged him and the rest of the Apostles with an inhibition that they should not teach any more in the name of Iesus If their general councels be of force to condemne vs and our religion I see no reason but that their religion should be also condemned by the former councell against Peter but Peters doctrine was true notwithstanding the Counsell and so may ours notwithstanding their Councels against vs For we as I haue oft said builde our religion vppon Christ vpon Peter the apostles and prophets The Papistes therefore do both foolishlie and ignorantly paint out the beautie of their Church by the tytle of vniuersalitie and thereupon
as I suppose they glorie to call themselues Catholikes The Pope say they holdeth the Apostolicall Sea and the Byshops that be annointed and consecrated by him so that they be trimmed with fillets and Myters doo represent the Church and ought to be taken for the Church and therfore they cannot er because they are consecrated to the Lord which consequent also followeth not For Aaron and other rulers of Israell also were consecrate to the Lord but Aaron and his sonnes after they were made Priestes did yet erre when they Exo. 31.4 made the calfe But let vs examine the premises Wilt thou simple papist haue vniuersalitie a contiuall badge of the church wilt thou haue the true Church to consist in such outward glorious shew Then was the chiefe Priests the Scribes and Pharises who were assembled to kil Christ the true church and then shal Christ and his apostles few in number and dispearsed abroad be the false church For the glorie of the outward Church remained in the chiefe priestes Scribes and Pharises yet who be so blasphemous as to dare say that they were the true Church who crucified the Lord of life So that silly papists neuer deceiue the world with this glose for your outward pomp of your church is rather you see an argument of a false church than of a true Church By this reason of the papistes the foure t 1. King 22 1â— hundreth Prophets which lied to Achab should haue represented the true Churche but the Churche was indeed on Micheas side being indeede but one man alone and vnregarded but out of whose mouth came trueth Did not the false prophets in resemblance beare both the face and name of the Church when they did with one violent assault rise vp against Ieremie and with threatning boasted that it was not possible that the v Iere. 18.18 law should perish from the priest counsell from the wise and the word from the Prophet Ieremie alone was sent against the whole companie of the Prophets to declare from the Lord that it shoulde come to passe that the lawe should perish from the priest counsell from the wise man and the worde from the Proophet and yet all men knowe that Ieremie was in the right and of the true Church and all the rest against him in a maruellous errour Thus you see that trueth is not tyed to the multitude of men or to the title of vniuersalitie nor to the outward glistring pompe but rather contrà In the olde world did not Noah and his family being verie few in number in respect of all the worlde beside did not they I say represent the Church of God at that time Doth not Christ often call his a little flocke Doth not Christ say that x Math. 7.13 wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be that enter that way Doth hee not also adde that straight is the gate and narrowe is the way that leadeth vnto life and fewe there be that finde it What doth all this proue but that the fewest vsually are the Church of God and vniuersalities and multitudes they are so farre from beeing markes of the true Church that they rather euidently bewray the synagogue of Sathan The Papists are still busie with vs and they thinke they driue vs to a hard straight when they demand of vs where our church was manie hundred yeres agoe for they say that the Church must consist of an alwaies appearing forme visible to the eye and that it may be alwaies poynted out with the finger in apparent shewe Truely this answere is easie to dissolue this which they make so knotted an argument for though papistes like carnall and sensuall men can iudge of nothâ—ng but that which they see with outward eyes yet Protestantes as they tearme them God hath endued them with better vnderstanding Let them aunswere me what forme of the Church shined in outward shewe when Helias complained and bewayled that he z 1. King 19.11 alone was left No question there was then and hath bene since and euer will be a Church of God so long as Christ shall raigne at the right hand of the father and yet it was not then seene in outward visible pompe but rather seemed as desolate as the Prophet Helias himselfe supposed and as no Churche indeede but it was saide to Helias that there were reserued seuen thousand men that had not bowed their knees to Baall So that there was euen then a church which yet was not seene with outward shining pompe and when the Prophet himselfe began therewith also to be dismayed Where was the Church in the time of Christ and hys Apostles when the shepheard was taken and the sheepe was scattered and dispersed When the glistring outward shewe was in the high Priestes Scribes and Pharisees And yet the Church obscured was the true Churche and not the synagoue of the Scribes Pharisees high priests that excelled in outward gorgeous shew Thus there is no question but that the true Church may be and yet not appeare in outward pompe of shew and glorious to the eye For where was our church in Quene Maries dayes as in all other times of persecutions in all places of the worlde besides Is there not a Church though it be not seene nor shewed in outward and eminent brightnesse but lyeth as it were hid darkened scattered abroad The Church was then persecuted and many then like constant Martirs of the true Church indeede induced the tyrannie of that romish religion so that some were bannished and other fled into other nations for succour and some indured martyrdome at home some other hid themselues but the whole Church generallie was vexed and oppressed And therefore when our Church was persecuted it is a good argument I thinke to say there was a Church ouerwhelmed with tyrannicall malice Is anie man so buzzard like or so blockishly blind that will say there is no sinne at al because it is sometime couered with a cloud or that there is no fire at all because it is sometime raked vp in imbers our Church may be and yet not seene not knowne to be by reason of darkenesse and palpable blindnesse and ignorance that ouer shadowed the light thereof so that by reason of clowdie darkenesse that grewe the Church could not shine to the viewe of others though in it selfe it were inlightened from God with a secret hidden and vnapparent light many ages togither Thus by expresse testimonie of scripture thou seest that a Church may be yea a true Church may be though it be not eminent in apparent shew for God doth shew the bright beames thereof in time and causeth it to shine in perfect bewtie for it is neither deuill nor pope nor prelate nor potentate no power nor pollicie that is able vtterly to roote it out from the earth for the God of heauen is the strong defender and moste puissant preseruer thereof against all the