maine supporter of all religion at this day in the Church of Rome is not so ancient by many ages in the world as is the Alcoran of that accursed Mahomet If the foundation be proved new what rule can they propose to secure your conscience for the antiquity of the building their coÌ„tinued Priesthood their daily sacrifice their satisfactions for sinne their workes of merit their reall change in the Sacrament their adoration of it their mangled communion their worship of Images their prayers to Saints their Auricular Confession their Purgatory fire with all that trumperie besides which they tender vnder the name and disguised habite of Church traditions Certainly all these are terrae filij If they seeke to the Scriptures for their originall they will be sent packing with we know you not Possibly it may be demanded what I thinke of our forefathers who liued in the latter ages of the world while these mists of Popery lay thicke vpon the face of the visible Church in these Westerne parts Were they damned all God forbid that any man should be so savage to write or think so I verily beleeve and haue beene alwaies taught so that as well the Church of England as other of forraine parts when the tyranny and corruptions of the Papacie did most oppresse them were neverthelesse portions of Gods vniversall Church and sent many soules to God For even in these when they were most obscured with errour and ignorance yet all essentiall points of Christian doctrine were to bee learned touching the invocation and worshippe of God touching our redemption by Christ Iesus crucified touching our observation of Gods commandements so the rest so that concerning out forefathers this may suffice that as wee are bound in Christian charitie to hope the best of their salvation that before vs embraced the faith of Christ though possibly divers of them might approue in grosse some errors of the time wherein they liued never apprehending in particular the scope meaning of them so yet is it no way safe for vs to make our forefathers our rule of faith In the Church coÌ„sisting of the Iewes before Christs comming into the world the holy Prophets of God were so farre from making their forefathers a rule to follow as that to the contrary we shal finde nothing more familiar with them then to warne the people of God That they walke not in the ordinances of their fathers t Psal 78.8 Not to be as their forefathers a faithlesse stabborne generation a generation that set not their heart aright c. and to like purpose in sundry places But for resolution of this point it is our part to follow the direction of Saint Cyprian that holy Martyr of the Church u Lib. 2. Epist 3. If Christ onely bee to bee heard not to listen what any man before vs hath thought fit to be done but what Christ hath done who is before all for that wee are not to follow the custome of men but the truth of God My masters of Rome if there be no remedy will assent to this position of Saint Cyprian marry then you must giue them leaue to begge and assume this truth of God to bee the proper inheritance of the Bishop and Church of Rome but if you shall deale so vnfriendly with them as to presse them to shew their evidence they wil trouble you with much discourse but in the end for your satisfaction this answere must content you or none at all dixit Ecclesia themselues will tell you so The Pastors of the prosent Church of England will likewise make claime of this truth of God to rest with them but herein they wil deale more ingeniously with you then the other they will desire you to beleeue them no farther in this point then by plaine demonstration out of Gods holy word they shall be able to make good their claime In this confusion and difference betweene our teachers pretending of either side to haue the Church and truth of God and yet impossible but that in so direct a contrarietie as resteth betweene them of one side they must needs abuse vs possibly deare Mother you will aske what meanes are left for vs that are but learners in the schoole of Christ to discerne betweene them To censure their doctrine by their liues and actions were an vncertaine way a reason whereof wee learne from Saint Chrysostome an ancieÌ„t Father of the Church x Homil. 49. in Matt. oper imperf Because whatsoever kinde of holines the servants of God haue in truth the servants of Satan may have in likenes for the divell hath his that be meeke and humble that be chast and giue almes that fast and doe every good deed which God hath appointed for the salvation of mankinde and these formes of godlines hath the Divell brought in to seduce vs that a confusion being made betweene good and counterfeit simple men which know not the difference betweene goodnes indeed and goodnes in shew while they seeke the good servants of God might light vpon the Divels seducements Of this mind are likewise the learned of the Church of Rome y Part. 6. pag. â—9 You know saith Master Harding in his confutation of Bishop Iewels Apologie it is no good argument to reason from manners to the doctrine who would not hisse and trample you out of the schooles if you make this argument The Papists liues be faultie Ergo their teaching is false I know that howsoever my master of Rome like not as you see to haue their doctrine measured by the line of their liues and actions yet themselues will offer crooked measure in this kind there is nothing more familiar with them in their publike writings or private discourse with their schollers that admire them then to traduce and vilifie the Pastors of the Church of England of whom certainly many there haue beene and are of excellent merit and example in the Church and no doubt but some in so great a number may be found scandalous in their places who can expect no other but a feareful judgement in the end But if this were an argument wee need not seeke for proofe from any adverse to the Church of Rome but from their own records as for instance in one I pray you deare Mother note what Aventine a learned historian of their owne discloseth z Annal. lib. 6. in initio The Pope setteth over the flocke of Christ goates wolues lustfull persons adulterers ravishers of Virgins and Nunnes cookes muleters thieues bankers vsurers drones game hunters lecherous perfidious periured ignorant asses He committeth the sheep to wolues and hypocrites which only provide for their own bellies Nay hee setteth boyes and wantons to rule the lambes I am ashamed to say what manner of Bishops we have with the revenews of the poore they feede their hounds horses whoores they quaffe they loue the fly learning as infection c. thus farre the Historian But my masters of Rome will
THE ADVISE OF A SONNE NOVV PROFESSING THE RELIGION ESTABLISHED IN the present Church of England to his deare Mother yet a Roman Catholike AC OX AT OXFORD Printed by Ioseph Barnes Printer to the Vni versitie 1616. THE ADVISE OF A SONNE VNTO HIS MOTHER SEeing it hath pleased God to appoint you the meane of my being in the world by whose holy ordinance you may iustly chalenge as of your right frō me all sincere affection dutie and observation and besides the bond of Nature my obligacion being much encreased by your most louing and cōtinued care of me even from my childhood it is now my part and that vnder perill of a curse if I neglect it by all meanes I may to yeeld comforts to your yeares and from my hart and soule to wish that when your temporarie daies on earth shal end you may by the mercy of God take possession of the eternall ioyes of heaven I know and haue witnesses of this so many as haue knowne you that your intentions haue ever aimed at this mark your life and actions haue beene a rare patterne to your sexe alwaies well declaring your devotion zeale to the service of God The which being the principall end of our creation howsoever the generalitie now in this state of corruption trāsported with the cares the pleasures and enticements of this life lay it not to the heart it is without question a blessing incomparable whereof none can judge but they that feele it when God of his meere mercie by his holy Spirit shal moue the heart of a sinful creature who before delighted only in the way of his owne destruction sincerely to seeke and serue him for this we may build vpon as a truth that must admit no question that never any shall haue their place in heaven whose hearts by grace haue not beene truely moued to this duty heere on earth Since then the time of this life is the moment wherevpon dependeth etermitie of weale or woe it behooveth every Christian that desires salvation seriously to consider of the way he walkes in especially seeing we learne frō our Lord Master Christ himselfe that the way is narrow that leadeth vnto eternall life and that they are but few that finde it Yet this difficultie of finding the way to heaven riseth from the passengers wilfulnesse or want of care for the truth is that of the small company that make profession of Christianity in the world the greatest part howsoever they disguise themselues in acting their parts on earth with a maske of religion yet never aiming sincerely at salvation for their end wholly neglect the meanes and so runne the broad way to hell Others better weighing the shortnesse and instability of this present life and well foreseeing their future mortality in a state most blessed or no lesse accursed desire earnestly the joyes of heaven yet never attending diligently to attaine them by that way which God hath directed for that end but relying vpon guides whom they choose themselues at adventure to conduct them are carried blindfold at the last thorough vncertaine by-paths to their certain ruine It is true that God hath never failed in every age to send faithfull guides into the world to direct his servants in this earthly passage but it is likewise found true by woefull experience that the Divell hath heere his swarmes of agents likewise to mislead vs and of those very many who haue learned the skill of their master the Prince of darknesse to transforme themselues into the shape of the messengers of light If wee looke to the Church consisting of the Iewes alone before the comming of Christ we finde it recorded by the holy Prophets of God that it was in continuall danger by reason of false prophets and seducing Pastors that did infest it who a ler. 14.14 prophesied in the name of God when he sent them not so that as the Prophet Esay complaineth b Esay 9.16 The leaders of this people caused them to erre and they that were led by them were destroyed When Christ our Saviour came into the world who were they that most opposed him but the Scribes the Pharisies the high Priests who were then esteemed and tooke vpon them to be the guides and leaders of the people nay to discourage their Nation from receiving the doctrine of their salvation they thought it enough to presse this question c Ioh. 7.48 Doe any of the Rulers or of the Pharisies beleeue in him but this people that know not the Law c. In the time of the Gospell wee are forewarned of false teachers that shall rise vp in the Church who shal come neverthelesse in the name of Christ taking vpon them to be our guides nay some of them shall put on so faire a vizard of outward carriage as that they shall seduce if it were possible Gods chosen children So that it will concerne vs no lesse then the losse or salvation of our soules to be wary in our choice of the guides we follow for though it be certaine that the blinde and seducing teacher shall for his hire haue his portion in hell with his Master for whom he laboured yet must the seduced likewise know that they cannot escape the judgement of God so the one with the other fal at last into the pit of eternal ruine But herein to make vs the more inexcusable almighty God out of his infinit care of mans salvatiō hath not only forewarned vs of these noysome weeds that shall daily spring vp in his Church to the endangering of the corne but to make vs able to discerne betweene the true Pastors of his flocke and those impostors that endeavour to delude vs he sends vs none to treate with vs in this great affaire concerning our saluation but with instructions in writing and those open to our view requiring vs to whom these messengers are sent to haue an eye to their commission d Esay 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speake not according to this rule it is because there is no light in them It is true that from the first creation of the world for divers ages there was no written Word but as God himselfe was pleased to bee the immediate teacher of our first parents so afterwards frō time to time he raised vp preachers for his people whom in divers manners hee inspired with knowledge and enabled for this worke of instructing others in his true feare and service But when once it pleased God in his wisdome to appoint Moses that holy man to be the faithfull pen-man of his everlasting Law which he gaue for the government and direction of his Church it is required as a duty of the people of God e Iosh 1.8 That this booke of the Law depart not out of their mouthes That they meditate therein day and night To observe and doe according to all that is written therein And to restraine vs from wandring out of
sometimes affords to her zealous children if my masters of ſ Rhem annot in Lue cap. 23. v. 24. Rhemes bee not deceived Shee that teacheth vs to doe good workes wil make vs beleeue they are t The heaven'y blessednes which the Scripture calleth the reward of the iust is not give them of God gratis and freely but is due to their workes yet God hath set forth heaven to sale for our workes Andraed Orthodox expl ◠lib. 6. meritorious ex condigno and so turne our Christiā duties into glorious sins Shee that teacheth vs that Gods written Word is true will haue vs beleeue withall That it containes u Can loc l. 3. c. 3. not all the doctrine of our salvation and commaunds vs not to x Index libit proh Pij quarti Reg. 4. reade it without her leaue nor vnderstande it but according to the sence y No man may giue other exposition of the Scriptures there such as might agree with the doctrine of the Church of Rome Concil Trid Sess 4. she giues vs. So that if we marke it well shee doth no more then the enemy of mankind is observed to doe who many times for a vantage vtters truth that after he may finde the fairer passage to delude with error And if the grosse absurdities now currant in the Roman Church apart from these formes of truth were laide open to the view of all men I am perswaded in my conscience there is not so simple a Christian living at this day that makes any care of his dutie to God but would abhorre them But herein my masters of Rome declare themselues ingenious in their craft who wel foreseeing that this coine cannot passe for currant in the light vent it ever in the darke so that of many thousands that receiue it scarse any one doth vnderstand it in particular and if any Lay-person more curious then others come by chance to know it yet admitting the principles which he must learne withal it is no more possible for him to judge of it thē for any man in the darke to discerne of colors for as the eye of the body is not vseful at al but in the light no more is our vnderstanding enabled to distinguish betweene truth and errour in the doctrine of christianity but in the glorious light of the holy Scriptures The ignorance of these is assigned by Christ our Saviour z Mat. 22.29 to be a reason of error and we are taught by the Prophet David That the a Psal 119. vers 130. enterance of Gods word giueth light that it giueth vnderstanding to the simple With him the blessed Apostle accords b Tim. 3.15 and tels vs that the holy Scriptures are able to make vs wise vnto salvation This wisedome my masters of Rome approue not in the Laytie they like best that scholler that soonest learnes and contents himselfe with the c Recorded and commended by Staphylus Hosius and others Colliars Creede To beleeue in grosse as doth their Church without being able to render a reason of any article of the religion hee professeth It is gravely delivered by the Rhemists in their annotations vpon Saint Lukes Gospell d Rhem annot on Luk 12.11 That if a Catholike man being called before the commission answere that he is a Catholike man and that he will liue and die in that faith which the Catholike Church teacheth and that this Church can giue them a reason of al the things which they demand of him hee answeres enough and defends himselfe sufficiently Now the better to prepare the Laytie to this sufficiencie they permit them not to reade the Scriptures but with licence and never but with this caution to admit no other sence of what they reade in them but such as these my masters vnder the name of the Catholike Church shall recommend vnto them By which wily sleight they deprive them of al vse of their judgement in the matter of their salvation and of the Scriptures both at once and in place thereof leave them furnished only to maintain the doctrine they haue embraced with the pretended name and authoritie of the Catholike Church For instance in this giue me leave deare Mother without your offence to appeale to your selfe if it were demanded of you by what warrant you hold it lawfull to pray to Saints to worship Images to pray for foules departed and the like your answere I presume would be that herein you follow the doctrine of the Catholike Church which being ever directed by the holy Ghost cannot deceive vs. I must confesse the authority of the Catholike Church rightly vnderstood ought much to moue vs consisting in a generall sence of all that cōpany which in all ages places of the world haue joyned in profession of al the principles of the true religion But if to chalenge to our selues the name of the Church were of it selfe enough without question it would follow that God should haue as many Churches as there haue bin heresies in the world For never haue there been any authors of those impieties but haue endeavoured to giue them countenance vnder the shadow name of the Catholike Church I wil not enter here into any discussion of the doctrine mainetained at this day in the Roman Church which were but to weede in a field of tares the absurdity of it is made visible to the world by the learned labours of many reverent and worthy Pastors of our Church I will only in this place declare in what sence my masters of Rome vnderstand the Catholike Church with the sound whereof they continually fill your eares as being the maine supporters of al they teach you And first this principle is worthy to be noted well which we learne from the most eminent writer of the Papacie at this day e Bellarm de effect sacram lab 2. cap. 25. That the truth of all ancient Councels and of all points of faith dependeth vpon the authoritie of the present Church where if we desire to know what he meanes by the Church the Cardinals interpreter plainely tels vs f Gretser defens Bellarm com 1. pag. 1450. B. That when they affirme the Church to be iudge of al controversies of faith by the Church they vnderstand the Bishop of Rome who for the time governes the shippe of the militant Church and by liuely voice doth clearely and expressely expound his iudgement to them that seeke to him To this purpose another great Rabbin amongst them delivereth plainely g Gregor de Valent. in Tho. 22. tom 3. Disput 1. punct 7. q 5. That the Apostolike Church is therefore faid to be infallible because he is over it who by himselfe hath infallible authority And if wee would knowe who that He is that hath this infallible authoritie we may learne from the Jesuite Swares h Suares in 3. Thom. tom 1. disput 44. sect 1. pag. 677. That it is the Pope whose determinatiō he affirmes to be the
truth and were it contrary to the saying of all the Saints yet to be preferred before them nay if an Angell of heaven were opposed against him yet the Popes determination were to be preferred This man the Pope they style the visible head of the Church and affirme to bee alwayes so infallibly directed by the Spirit of God as that wheÌ„soever either of himselfe alone with a purpose to enforme the Church or affisted with an assembly of the learned hee shall resolue any question concerning faith or the service of God it is i The Pope is the master of our faith and cannot but attaine the truth of faith nor can be deceived or erre if as chiefe Bishop or master of our faith he set downe his determination Zumel disput Var tom 3. pag. 49. impossible he should bee deceived If you aske of anie one of my masters of Rome what he meanes by the Church which he proposeth to you to bee the rule of your faith hee will mannerly define it at the first to consist of the Pope with a Councell but if you shall further vrge him to confesse what you must doe in case the Pope shal dissent in iudgement from the Councell howsoever he faulter in his speech a while he must acknowledge at the last k Capistranus de autor Papae p. 105. That if the Councell and the Pope publish constitutions that be different that of the Popes must bee preferred as being of greater authoritie l Alvar. Pelag. de Planc Eccl. lib. 1. Artic. 6. To whose iudgement alone if wee may beleeue another of that crew wee are rather bound to stand then to the iudgement of all the worlde besides who himselfe as m De Christo lib. 2. cap. 28. Bellarmine mainetaines without any Councell may decree matter of faith So that by this deare Mother if you weigh it wel you may plainely see that howsoever my masters of Rome dazell your eyes with the Churches name the Pope alone beareth away the game in such sort that the fairest certainety you can haue to secure your conscience in the religion you professe must wholly depend vpon him yet is it worthy of your obâ—ervation to note how the learned amongst theÌ„ descant vpon this visible head and infallible director of their Church They will acknowledge that the Pope may be as wicked a man in life as any other in the world and by experience it hath bin found that sundry of them hauescarse had matches in this kind as for instance of one Pope Alexander the sixt whom Guicciardine though himselfe a Papist doth thus decypher His manners and customes were dishonest little sinceritie in his administrations no shame in his face small truth in his words little faith in his heart lesse religion in his opinions all his actions were defaced with vnsatiable covetousnesse immoderate ambition barbarous crueltie he was not ashamed contrary to the custome of former Popes who to cast some colour over their infamie were wont to call theÌ„ their nephewes to call his sonnes his children and for such to expresse them to the world n Guicciards lib. 3. The bruite went that in the loue of his daughter Lucretia were concurrent not only his two sons the Duke of Candy and the Cardinall of Valence but him selfe also that was her father who as soone as he was chosen Pope tooke her from her husband and married her to the Lord of Pesare but not able to suffer her husband to be his corrival he dissolved that mariage also and tooke her to himselfe by vertue of Saint Peters keyes o Lib. 6. It was amongst other graces his naturall custome to vse poysonings not onely to be revenged of his enemies but also to dispoile the wealthy Cardinals of their riches And this he spared not to doe against his dearest friend till at the last having a purpose at a banquet to poison divers Cardinals and for that end appointed his Cup-bearer to giue attendance with wine made ready for the nonce who mistaking the bottle gaue the poisoned cup to him was thus himselfe dispatched by the just judgement of God that purposed to murder his friends that he might be their heire Thus far the historian Now as in life so is it not denied by my masters of Rome but that the Pope may erre in his private opinions Nay Bosius though most affectionate to the Sea of Rome confesseth p Tom. â— de signis eccles lib. 28. cap. vlt. That hee may be an Heretike as was Pope Honorius whose heresie is condemned of record by q Sinod 6. act 4.12.14 Sinod 7. act vlt. Sinod 8. act 7. three lawfull Councels Pope Iohn the 23. was condemned in the Councell of Constance for maintaining the opinions of his master Epieurus r Concil Constant Ses 11.12 That there was no eternall life no immortality of the soule nor resurrection from the dead Yet if Pope Alexander the sixth at leasure from his lewdnes or Pope Iohn with his fellow shal from their privat follies transforme themselues into publike teachers and pronounce a resolution in any question that may be moued of any article of Christian religion purposely to direct the Church In this case by the doctrine of my masters of Rome you shall bee bound to beleeue them no lesse theÌ„ if God himselfe had taught you To which purpose Stapleton the Priest hath left this for a principle Å¿ Stapleton praef princip â—â—d doctrin That the foundation of our religion is of necessitie placed vpon this mans teaching in which we heare God himselfe speaking To this fallacie vnder the Churclies name they adde another whereby they endevour to delude you framed vpon a false position namely this That all our forefathers haue embraced the same religion in every point which theÌ„selues professe and teach you from whence they prepare a question the which they recommend to their schollers to oppose adomnia Shall we thinke our selues wiser then all our forefathers If a professor of Mahomets impieties which haue bewitched a great portion of the world for many hundreds of yeares now past being perswaded by my masters of Rome to become a ChristiaÌ„ should question thus shal I thinke myselfe wiser then my forefathers for these thousand yeares now past haue bin I know their judgement would serve them to reply that he must not follow his forefathers vnlesse they had beene followers of the truth of God My masters of Rome will tell you that this holds no resemblance with them who dare giue you their words for assurance that every article of their doctrine is derived from our Saviour Christ and his Apostles Questionlesse their art of begging is but a vagrant fashion but if it shal please you to see some trial of the truth of this I dare presume it shall be made evidently to appeare vnto you in the presence of any that would oppose it that their principle coÌ„cerning the Popes spirit of infallibility being the