partus liberatur Munera fert dignis virtutem destruit ignis Portatus mundae de fluctibus eripâ—â— undae So that the Pope cannot onlie work wonders himself but as he pretendeth heere can giue a constant vertue to a dead thing carryed about to do the like But of all popish miracles this may be accounted the greatest lyeing wonder which a priest daylie doth work by his whispering over a little piece bread fyve words of consecration that he thereby immediatly turneth the same into the substance of Christs flesh and blood and that thus Christs body is multiplyed in so many thousands of places at once where the masse is said and the creature becometh the Creator of his own creator Next to come to these Fabulous fained wonders that are for confirmation of errours they are either fabled to be so by men or if they be reallie wrought they are as their own Biell heereafter declareth by the operation of the divel These then which are fabulouslie reported by men we haue one whereof Platina maketh mention in the life of Sergius tertiê° to confirme the great reverence that is due to the Pope which was that after Sergius the 3. had raised out of the graue the bodie of his predecessour Formosus after beheaded him as if he had beene alive did cast his bodie into the river Tyber as unworthie of Christian buriall yet thereafter his bodie being caught into a net by some fishers and brought to S. PETERS Church all the Images that were there bowed to him and did reverence Another to confirme the reverence adoration that is due to the Hostie Bellarmin telleth us in his third book of the Eucharist 8. Chapter of a hungrie Mare who notwithstanding the Hostie comming by left her corne and turned her about to worship the Hostie Another doth Gabriel Biell report That some Shepheards in the field having laid down their bread upon a stone and having pronunced over the same words of consecration the bread turned into flesh Another to confirme the order of their Friers It is reported that S. Dominik had such power over the Devil that hee forced him when he appeared to him by his conjuration so long to hold his Lamp in his hand till it was consumed and that the Devill was not onelie troubled there with but also greatly tormented This their forecited Melchior Canus reporteth and yet ingenouslie giving his owne judgement thereupon calleth it a thing that is most ridiculous And more particularlie to come to such sort of miracles that are reported to have beene done in Rome in a most ancient book which I haue beside me called Mirabilia Rome printed at Rome by one Iohn Besicken anno 1500. in the tenth yeare of Pope Alexander the sixth 1. In the Church of S. Paull at the right side of the Quire it is reported that there standeth the Crosse which spake to S. Bridget for her continuall Prayer before the same 2. That in S. Maries in the porch are two Images of CHRIST and the Virgine Mary which a noble Roman Ladie named Galla received while shee was at dinner sent down to her from Heaven for her great devotion 3. In the Church of S. Alexiê° upon the hill called Aventine that the image of the virgin Mary which is ther spake to the keeper of that Church much to the praise of Alexius 4. That in S. Maries Church is Her image which spake to Pope Gregorie saying Why doest thou not ofâ—ner salute me seing ever as thou passeth by thou saluts this my image for which neglect upon his knees he preseÌ„tly craved Pardon and ordayned that all who should salute her there should haue 15. yeares of indulgence This made that learned Valla of their owne cry out saying in his book of Constantins donatioÌ„ O miram hominuÌ„ dementiam qui his anilibus deliramentis fidem habent That is O wonderfull madnesse of men who giue credit to such old-wyves fables fancies And therfore he subjoâ—neth saying â—râ—bescat Christianus homo qui veritatis se ac lucis filium nominat proloqui quae non modo vera non sunt nec veresimilia That is let any Christian man be ashamed who cals himself a son of truth and of the light to utter these thinges which not only are no-wyse true but hath not a lyklie-hood of trueth Last of all to come to such signes and lyeing wonders that are for confirmatioÌ„ of popish errours and are by the delusion or operation of the devill whose vicar the Pope is more trulie than CHRISTS First for apparition of soules and confirmation of purgatory whereas we have sundrie popish histories let Chrysostome declare in his 29 Homile upon Mathew what these are for thus he speaketh These voyces that say I am the soule of such a one proceedeth sayeth he from the fraud and deceat of the devill for it is not the soule that departed that sayeth that but Satan sayeth he who that he may deceive the Hearers faineth himself to be that soule Next whereas for confirmation of the worship of Images going to such places in pilgramage as Loretto our lady of Hales the like sundrie miracles ar obâ—ruded to be believed to be wrought by them set down by Turselin the Iesuite Their owne famous Gabriel Biell in his 49. lecture on the Cannon of the Masse speaketh thus If at any time miracles be wrought upon men sayeth he who haue recourse unto them this is not by vertue of the Images but by the operation of the devil sometimes to deceive sayeth he such disorderlie Worshippers God so permitting their infidelitie so deserving the same Of all these miracles then that are pretended to be wrought by the Pope or the Roman Church we may justly answere them in Augustins words threteen treatise upon Iohn saying The Lord hath forewarned us of these who pretend miracles fortelling us that in these last dayes false Prophets shall aryse working signes wonders that they may seduce if it were possible the very Elect that the coÌ„ming of Antichrist shall be after the working of Satan with all power or efficacie and with signes lyeing wonders So that how many miracles or wonders Romanists do alleadge for them to prove them to be the true Church with so many argumeÌ„ts do they furnish us against them to prove their Church to be Antichristian the Head therof to be that foretold Antichrist For Moyses did showe Deu. 13.1 that a false Prophet may work a signe and wonder and for this end to draw Gods people to idolatrie as our Saviour likewise did forewarne that false Prophets should aryse and work {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} great wonders The Romanists therfore argue preposterouslie while they would prove the trueth of their doctrine by miracles whereas they should proue their miracles to be true by the truth of their doctrine and agrement with scripture this alone being the true and
redemption but onelie of intercession which last tho it be altogether unlawfull CHRIST being onely our Mediator of intercession in the heavens this being that part of his priestlie office which he there performeth shall performe till his second comming and wherein he will haue no partner neither Saint nor Angel yet to showe the contrare to wit that they invocate theÌ„ as mediators of redemption I shall prove the same 1. Out of their Roman missall where they say to the virgine Marie O Faelix puerpera nostra pians seelera Iure matris impera redemptori And thereafter Tua semper ubâ—ra nostra sanent vulnâ—ra That is O Happie Mother who expiats our sinnes by the authoritie of a Mother command our Redeemer and let thy Pape milk heale our wounds Wher we see the expiation of our sinnes and healing our souls wounds attributed to the virgin Marie and her milk which is onlie proper to CHRIST and to His Blood and that most blasphemouslie is ascribed to her a power now to coÌ„mand her Sonne and consequently the Creator to be subject to the creature and therefore also in a book called ANTIDOTUM ANIMAE They speake thus Tu ancillam Iesu Christi te vocare voluisti sed vt docâ—â— Lex divina tu illius es Domina nam Lex jubeâ— ratio matrem praesse Filio The like blasphemous stuffe wee haue in that book written by a Iesuit of late named Carolus Bonartius alias Scribonius called Amphitheatrum honoris Who inquiring what is the best soules plaister answereth Lac matris miscere volo cuÌ„ sanguine Nati Non possum antidoto nobiliore frui That is I will mixe sayeth hee the Mothers milk with the Sonnes Blood for I cannot haue a more soveraigne plaister than this Yea moreover they affirme as wee haue it in their owne famous Gabriel Biell That as Asuerus offered to Ester the half of his Kingdomes so GOD hath divyded his Kingdomes betweene Himself and the virgin Marie sayeth hee giving to her Mercie to bestowe and reserving justice onelie to Himself wherefore it is lawfull sayeth BERNARDIN de busto to appeale from the Sonnes justice to the Mothers mercie And therefore in like manner they haue turned the whole psalter of David which suteth mercie from Domine Lord to Domina our Ladie as may be seene speciallie psal. 71. 93. where they say psal. 71 Deus judicium tuum regi da misericordiam tuam Reginae matri ejus and psal. 93. They say of CHRIST Deus ultionum Dominus sed tu Benignae Mater misericordiae ad miserandum inflectis illum That is O GOD Thou art a LORD of revenge but thou myld Mother of mercie thou art shee that moveth Him to pittie And not only call they her Domina but Dea and therefore they sing unto her Tunc tibi laudes Dea dicet omnis sexus aetas So that as their own Vives testifyeth They are come to that hight of Idolatrie in this poynt that they worship no otherwise their he she Saints sayth he then they do GOD Himself neither see I sayth he in many things what differeÌ„ce ther is between their opinion of Saints that which the verie Heathen haue of their gods Yea They haue placed more confidence in their merits and intercession than in CHRITS merite sayeth their own Cassander and so having obscured that Office of CHRISTS onlie mediation they haue in place thereof substitute sayth he the advocation of the Virgine Marie and others I may heere adde their Idolatrous Adoration by kneeling and kissing of pretended Reliques of Saints which being most part false through the avarice of Priests sayeth their own Cassander haue beene obtruded for entysing of simple People and fained miracles haue beene alleadged to haue beene wrought by them whereby the superstitition of people hath beene greatly fostered Yea not onelie are such Reliques worshipped by kneeling and kissing but also by putting up prayers to them as if they heard or had sense or lyfe for thus they pray to the Crosse as Bellarmine granteth which hath now no being O Crux ave spes unica Ange piis justitians reisque dona veniam That is Hayle holy Crosse our onlie Hope who upon earth do liue To godlie righteousnes augment to guiltie pardon giue So likewise they pray to the speare that pierced CHRISTS side Ave ferrum triumphale faelix hasta nos amore per te fixo saucia That is All hayle triumphant yron and speare that happie is Lance us with love of Him whom thou didst pierce I wis And to that Picture of CHRISTS face on Veronicas Handkerchife they pray thus Nos deduâ— ad patriam o faelix Figura ad videndaâ— faciem quae est CHRISTI purae And as for their worshipping and Idolatrous praying to angels chieflie whom they call their guardians as the same is expreslie against COL. 2.18 Who affirmeth that these who do so under preteÌ„ce of Humilitie do not hold the Head and consequentlie cannot retaine communioÌ„ with the Bodie which is CHRISTS Church So likewise that famous and ancient Councell of Laodicea CAN. 35. not farre from the COLOSSIANS did solemlie decree against the same as manifest Idolatrie and pronunced anathema to al such who did invocat Angels because say they These who do so haue foresaken Our LORD IESVS CHRIST {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and given themselves to Idolatrie which canon also Theodoret upon the second to the Colossians citeth and showeth that this was their pretence of humiliâ—ie for their Idolatrie saying that GOD was invisible and inaccessible and therefore it was fiâ— that men should obtaine GODS favour by the means of Angels which is now in like-manner the very excuse of Poperie Thirdlie of Popish Idolatrie in Adoration of the Hoste But before I come to this their Idolatrous adoration I cannot pass by First Their blasphemous assertion Which Gabriel Biell setteth down in these words of the Priest saying Hee that created mee hath given mee power to create Himself and Hee that created mee without mee is created by me Their late Iesuit likewise Cornelius a lapide sayeth That CHRIST is borne and as it were begotten upon the Altar sayth he and if He were not yet incarnat yet as powerfullie Hee should be incarnat by the words of consecration as Hee was at first wherefore the Priest sayeth hee is as the Virgin that boore Him the Altar is the manger the little Emmanuell which he beareth is CHRIST brought foorth under the little Hoste Next as for the worship which is to be given to it the Councell of Trent hath decreed that it is the highest Divine worship which they call Latria Now if the conceate which Papists haue of Transsubstantiation proue false Their Iesuit Coster in his Euchiridion freelie confesseth That then they should committ the grossest Idolatrie the like whereof sayeth hee was never heard nor seene in
the whole world Now beside the word of GOD against it and their own exposition of the words of consecretion in their cannon law declaring them to bee figuratiue according to their own principles they cannot certanlie know that TranssubstantiatioÌ„ is made by the priests consecration and consequentlie that the Hoste which they worship is any other thing but bread therfor that their act of adoration is Idolatrie seing the chaÌ„ge doth whollie depend upon the consecration and the consecration again dependeth upon the intention of the Priest which none can certanly know but himself Bellarmin himself saying thus Neque potest quis certê° esse certitudine fidei se percipere verum sacramentuÌ„ cum sacramentum sine intentione ministri non conficiatâ—r intentioneÌ„ alterius nemo videre possit That is Neither can any be sure by the certanty of faith that he receivth a true sacrameÌ„t seing the sacrament is not made without the intention of him who ministrats it no man can see the intention of another Whence it will follow that no Papist can be sure that he committeth not Idolatrie but admit that the Priests intention should be right at the time of consecration yet if either he that bapâ—ised him or the Bishope that gauâ— him order haue missed in their right intention then he is neither a Christian nor a Priest and consequentlie what he doeth is no consecration so that the bread remeaneth bread still and consequentlie the worshippers thereof are grosse Idolaters and all Papists are in no better case then the Samaritans were in of whom our Saviour said Yee worship yee know not what Where I cannot omitt that notable discourse of Catarinus Bishop of Mâ—nori in the Councell of Trent consonanâ— to this of mine If a Priest said hee having a charge of 4. or 5000. soules were an Athâ—â—st or infidell in heart but yet a formall Hypocrit and in absolving the penitent baptising of Children and consecrating the Eucharist had an intention not to do what the Church doth iâ— must be said that the Children are damned said hee the penitents not absolved and that all remainâ— without the fruit of the Communion hee added if any would say these cases were rare would to GOD it were so said hee and that in this corrupt age wee had no cause to doubt they were many But suppose they are very few or but one onelie let there be a knave priest sayth hee who faineth and hath not an intention to minister true baptisme to a Child who after being a man growne is created Bishope of a great citie and liveth many yeares in that Charge so that he hath ordained a great part of the Priests it must be said that hee not being baptised is not ordained nor they ordained who are promoted by him so that in that Citie there will be neither Eucharist and consequentlie an Idolatrous adoration of bread nor yet confession or absolution said hee because that cannot be without the Sacrament of order nor order without a true Bishope nor can he receive order who is not baptised Behold then said hee millions of nullities of Sacraments by the malice of one Minister and in one act onelie CHAP. XIV Of the Popes or Antichrists bloodie crueltie Revel. 17.6 OF Antichrist his Bloodie Crueltie Iohn speaking Revel. 17.6 Sayth thus And I saw the Woman drunk with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Iesus which to be true of the pope I will 1. instaÌ„ce their famous forecited Petrarch in the third Chapter of this Treatise in that Epistle of his wherin he deploreth the calamitie of the citie of Rome speaking of the Pope and his Cleargie there sayeth to his friend to whom hee writteth being then at Rome There thou seeth sayeth hee not onlie CHRISTS Adversarie meaning the Pope as Antichrist but which is more grievous to see under the Banner of Christian profession fighting against CHRIST and drunk with his Blood to wit by persecution of his Saints Bernard likewise in his first sermon of Pauls conversion cryeth out thus Heu heu Domine Deus quia ipsi sunt in persecutione tua primi qui videntur in Ecclesia tua primatum deligere gerere principatuÌ„ That is Alas alas LORD GOD that these are first in the persecution of Thee who are seene to loue the primacie in thy Church and to haue the chief place meaning the Pope and thereafter to cleare himself more particularlie and plainlie he sayeth Egressa est haec iniquitas à senioribus judicibus Vicariis tuis qui videntur regere populum tuum that is This iniquitie is come foorth from the eldest that are Iudges even these that pretend to be thy vicars and who seeme to governe thy people In-like-manner that charter Monk who is author of Fasciculus temporum hee cryeth out upon the 900. yeare of CHRIST saying O worst times that ever were sayeth hee wherein the godlie man doth perish and trueth is decayed amongst the sonnes of men and after rehearsall of other vices in the Roman sea hee sayeth O what persecution is now Alas what company what Assemblie yea what man may bee now secure Likewise Platina the Popes Secretarie in the life of Silvester the third showeth That in these tymes good men were opprest by the Popes who had entered in by pride and Simonie and which fashion sayth hee I wish our times had not observed and except GOD prevent it wee are to see worse An example whereof both he in the life of Pope Honorius the second setteth down as also the Abbot Tritemius in his Chronicle Platina telleth us thus That one Arnolphus Christianae religionis praedicator egregius that is a notable preacher of the Christian religion whom sayth he many of the Roman Nobilitie did follow as a true disciple of CHRIST and as a Prophet was killed by the Cleargie at Rome Quia acerbe nimium in eorum lasciviam libidinem inveheretur quia eorum pompam in comparandis divitiis nimium studium improbaret c. Hunc laudibus ad Coelum tollebant hinc odium hinc irae in perniciem bene sentientis usque ad necem excitatae That is because he vehementlie enveyed against their voluptuousnes lusts and because hee reproved their pride and their too great care to gather riches whoÌ„ the Roman Nobilitie extolleth therefore with praises to the very heavens but hence was the Cleargies hatred against him hence was their wrath stirred up against him who did rightlie think of these thinges sayth he even to the very murthering of him The like may be said of that famous Ierome of Sauanarola whom for the same cause thy burned in ashes as is said of him Periit ignivomis Saâ—anarola rogis Hence it is also that Michaell Cecaenas aboue 400 yeares ago Generall of the gray Friers or order of S. Francis in his book Contra tyrannidem Papae complayneth That there