Abrahams Faith

CHAP. 1. Wherein is shown: first that we come to know the true religion by the true knowledge of God, 2. That there is one God, and that he is the only law-giver. 3. Therefore there is but one Catholic and unchangeable religion, whereof God is author and maintainer. 4. For this cause Christ and his Apostles teach the same religion, which is in the old Testament, and the gentiles are adopted to be Children unto Abraham. 5. Here is taken away the objection which might arise by the difference, which seemeth to be in the three times, before the law, under the law, and after the law: that is, under the Gospel, that although there was a difference in ceremonies and manner of government, yet the religion all one in faith and love. 6. Here is opened how faith and love are substancial and perpetual, and ceremonies and manner of government changeable. 7. And that although ceremonies and manner of government are not of the unchangeable substance of religion, yet are they to be reverently used and not violated during the time of God's assignment and prescription, as necessary duties in the worship, service, and obedience, which we owe unto God.

T O know the true, ancient, catholic annd unchangeable religion (that is, the vndeceiuable way of salvation and perfect rule of upright living) we must get the knowledge of the true & living God. For in the ignorance of God, is the estate of the wicked & the cause of damnation: and whosoever knoweth God aright, he hath by the divine gift of Christ, all things pertaining to life and godliness. Therefore our blessed Savior, speaking to his father the almighty and glorious God, constantly affirmeth. This is eternal life, to know thee to be the only very God, and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ. So the Prophets foretell, that the happy estate of the word should be then; when The earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, & the people know God from the least to the greatest. Such was the glad tidings of the Gospel which maketh bewtiful the feet of him which declareth and hublisheth peace, saying unto Zion (that is to the church) Thy God reigneth, and the same unto all nations is proclaimed by the name of the great mystery of godliness: God manifested in the flesh. And the effect of the gospel preached agreeth thereunto, for those nations who being led by the impotent and beggarly rudiments of the world knew not God, and did service unto them which by nature were no God's, by the hearing of the gospel preached, did know God, & turned from dumb idols to serve the living and true God. Hereof the almighty giveth sentence by his holy servant Hieromie saying: Let not the wiseman glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man glory in his strength, neither the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me &c. And according to this frame, is the last judgment literally described, namely that the Lord Jesus should show himself from heaven, with his mighty angels in flaming fire, rendering vengeance unto them that do not know God &c.

2. And herein we shall find that he which knoweth God is instructed in two things. First that God is one and that there is no other God beside him, even as Moses saith Here O Israel, the Lord our God is Lord only, and how is he one? namely the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, which is, which was and is to come, he never changeth nor hath so much as a shadow of turning. Therefore saith the Psalmist: Before the mountains were made and before thou haddest formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Secondly that God is the only law-giver and teacher of righteousness & salvation, as saith the Prophets: He teacheth man knowledge, showing him what is good, and what the Lord requireth of him, he declareth his salvation & his righteousness he reueileth in the sight of the nations.

3. Now in the true and perfect understanding of these true things, we shall clearly see, that there is but one true & catholic religion, from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, fitly proportioned to the nature of the only God, the author, foūdor, & maintainer thereof. For as Christ teacheth because God is a spirit, he must be worshipped in spirit and truth: So the nature of God being one & unchangeable, & his supreme authority, to be the only lawgiver, there can no religion please him, but only one which varieth not, whereof himself is the author. For this cause in one part of our religion which is our justification & saluatiō, S. Paul reasoneth thus. God is he the God of the Jews only, & not of the gentiles also? for it is one God, who shall justify circumcision of faith, & uncircumcision thorough faith. Thereby showing that as God is one, namely, as well over the Gentiles, as over the Jews: so he will justify, circumcision, (which are the Jews) & uncircumcision (which are the gentiles, that is, all other nations) by one way of religion, that is to say, thorough faith and belief in his son Jesus Christ. For which cause this religion is called the faith of God's elect: because all the elect are but of one religion, and therefore saint Jude wisheth us to contend for the faith which was once given to the saints: affirming that in writing thereof, he writeth of the common salvation. And it is called in the former place of saint Paul. The knowledge of the truth according to Godlines, under the hope of eternal life, showing what is the matter of this religion, and lastly to show the author, he saith which God that cannot lie, hath promised before the world began, & hath made manifest in his times &c. To which sense are these words in the Epistle to the Hebrews: Jesus Christ yesterday, and today and the same is forever: where speaking before of the word of God and faith, and after admonishing them not to be carried about with diverse and strange doctrines: he meaneth by Jesus Christ, (putting the cause for the effect) the doctrine and religion whereof he is the founder, that as he in regard of his Godhead, is without change, beginning and ending, so he is eternally the foundation of the church: and that doctrine and religion, which he teacheth, is the truth everlasting, infallible and not to be altered, as it seemeth to be expounded in the epistle to the Ephesians. There is one body, and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your vocation: there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, which is above all, and thorough all, & in you all. And for this cause saint John is bold to say: whosoever transgresseth & abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that continueth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the father and the son.

4 For the more plain evidence of this matter we may observe in the New Testament two things. First that Christ and his apostles, professed & taught no new religion, but the same which the scriptures of the old testament did before instruct: and secondly that in it the gentiles were made and adopted children unto Abraham. The former Christ showeth where he saith, Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets, I am not come to destroy them but to fulfil them, and again. Search the scriptures for in them ye think to have eternal life, & they are they which testify of me. And saint Peter affirmeth, that To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name all that believe in him, shall receive remission of sins, and saint Paul saith that he spake, no other things then those which the Prophets & Moses did say should come, and that the Gospel and revelation of the misery of Jesus Christ, is opened and published among all nations by the scripture of the prophets at the commandment of the everlasting God for the obedience of faith. Therefore Christ and his Apostles taught no new thing differing from the Old Testament, the writings of Moses and the prophets. Now for the second Christ saith: Many shall come from the east and from the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Hear he spake of the calling of the gentiles, insinuating that they must be saved by the same faith and religion, by which Abraham was, and for this cause, entering into the house of Zacchaeus a gentile and finding faith in the promise made to Abraham he saith. This day salvation is come into this house, for as much as he is also become the son of Abraham; and it is shadowed in that phrase of Christ, where he saith that Lazarus was in Abraham's bosom. But it is made more plain by the Apostle saying. If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs by promise: So then the gospel adopteth us into Abraham to be his children, and the same religion, faith, & way of salvation, which the New Testament teacheth, is the sum of the law and prophets and of the fathers before the law, & namely of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

5. But it may be objected, that the religion of God's church did differ and alter; namely that before the law, from that which was after & that of the law, from that which is now under the gospel: For the first age had not the law of Moses; the second were altogether subject to that law: and we after the law, are ruled by the gospel & are free from that law. For the ease of which scruple, we are to consider, that as in material things, there are somthings of the substās & essence, which cannot be altered, except the thing it self perish, & somthings are adjoined, & as it were hanging upon the thing, as movable properties, accidents or ornaments, as in a man the body & soul united are so far off the substance, that if these, or either of these fail he is not a man: there be also joined to a man his outward countenance, apparel, stature & age, & these make a man in outward show, to differ much from himself, yet is he one and the same man still: So is it in the case of religion there are some things of the same nature, that if they be absent, there can be no religion at all; such is faith and love: some things are servants and dependencies upon these as ceremonies and manner of government; and these differ according to the time, and change not the nature of religion. For as a child is a true natural man, though he have not the same stature or countenance of face, as when he is old and grown up; and howsoever he change his apparel, years, stature, or countenance, yet is he the same very man, he was before. So in religion; ceremonies and manner of government, have altered in their times, and yet make no alteration or change of religion, but do further garnishe and beutifie it, more or less according to their seasons; which similitude I use because the holy ghost hath the like comparison Gal. 4.1. showing the state of religion under the law, to be as a child, that although he be heir yet is under tutors &c. So God appointed the fullness of time under the gospel, when he would beutifie religion which such ornaments, that it should be like the freedom of an heir, when he enjoyeth the possession of his inheritance, the like we find in another place where he compareth this life unto the life to come, by these words, When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. And he expoundeth this case where he saith: The law which was 430. years after cannot disannul the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in respect of Christ, that it should make the promise of none effect. Whereby he showeth that the law came not as a new religion, faith, or doctrine of salvation; that the religion before the law should be abolished, & the law as a new, come in the room thereof; But that it had some other use, as an accidentarie ornament or servant to that former religion which God had taught Abraham should belong unto all nations, as after he showeth that the law was added because of transgressions, & we were shut up under the law, and the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be made righteous thorough faith, whereby it appeareth that the giving of the law altered not the religion, faith and doctrine of salvation, but was as an helping servant to further the same; as a prison or schoolmaster to drive us to the true and pure religion of Abraham, that by faith in the promise concerning Christ, we are justified and saved as Abraham was.

6 But that you may the better understand what is now in hand, I will open unto you what I mean by faith and love, and what by ceremonies and manner of government. By faith, I understand the doctrine of the covenant of mercy and grace, which is so called, because it is apprehended by faith, as in these words. Receiued ye the spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith. In which doctrine we believe the trinity and unity of God, the person and office of Christ, the creation and fall of man, his corruption, redemption, justification, resurrection of the dead, eternal life and such like. For all these depend one upon another, as in the first eleven chapters to the Romans, to the discreet and attentive reader may appear. By love I understand all the duties in the moral law both to God and man, as they are the fruits of faith: and as it is expounded by our Savior Christ saying: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thine heart, with all thy soul, & with all thy mind: this is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like unto this: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. By ceremonies and manner of government I understand all outward rites and ordinances, with the manifestation of the spirit, which serve for the furtherance, beautifying and more fit expressing and exercise of these two aforesaid. And ceremonies I find to be of two sorts: some which are for the time, main parts of God's worship: and such are all Sacraments, as the sacrifices and circumcision before the law, the passover & all sacrifices commanded by the law, by signs and figures of Christ to come, & such are Baptism and the Lord's supper now under the gospel: The other ceremonies concern the time and place of the Church meeting, and the manner & order in the decent usage of all the partes of God's worship, which before the law is said to be in groves, and as for other circumstances there is little mention, as matters of no great moment: under the law they had sinagogues, and appointed ministers for the same, and the reading of the law with preaching every Sabbath day: in the gospel touching all such things we have this rule : Let all things be done honestly and in order. The ordinances with the manifestation of the spirit, be contained in the persons, their offices, degrees, and dignities, their excellency and power in their gifts, and the order of adiministration. As before the law the father of the family, or the first borne, was the person, by whom the word & holy things of God were administered. Their degrees, dignities, &c. are not much spokē of, save only they are called prophets, & did tell of things to come, & ordered the church in the families, as they were guided by the spirit of God in prophesy, or received commandment by vision or dream from God. Under the law there is the priesthood in the house of Aaron, & the Levites under thē, attend upon the holy administration, by diverse orders and ordinances, keeping the people under the pure religion of faith & love. Under the gospel there be also diverse administrations, gifts and works set in the church to rule and feed the flock of Christ, to make them obedient to the faith in word and deed. And the manifestation of the spirit is more excellent & abundant in the latter times then in the former. Now in these three times you may see, touching these ceremonies and manner of government, great difference, and that the word of God doth not esteem of these outward things as of the substance of religion unchangeable, as he doth of the inward and spiritual, namely faith and love. And first, as touching the time before the law, Christ teacheth that the Jews could not be Abraham's children: because they did not the works of Abraham: which works are not in ceremonies and manner of government, for they were two curious in those things, and therefore Christ saith in another place: Go and learn what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. Thereby declaring the moral duties of love, to be substantial in a religious profession, & not ceremonies as sacrifice, washing, tithinge &c. And S. Paul on the other side saith thus: Abraham's faith was imputed to him for righteousness, before he was circumcised, and that after he received the sign of circumcision, as the seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had when he was uncircumcised, that he should be the father of all them that believe. Where he showeth that Abraham's religion whereby he was just before God, was his faith, and that was before he was circumcised and without circumcision: then his circumcision was only a sign and a seal to strengthen his faith, in sealing up of his righteousness, but not of the matter or substance of his righteousness. Secondly, that this was so divided, that the gentilles which were not circumcised might be justified through the same faith without the observing of the law, and the Jews though circumcised, were not justified except they walked in the steppes of Abraham's faith: So that herein consisteth Abraham's religion, even in his faith and walking in the steppes thereof, the ceremonies were only ornaments and outward helps to the same. After which manner the prophets also do interpret the law. For when the people preferred the ceremonies and manner of government before the moral duties and faith. Isaiah saith unto them: Hear the word of the Lord, O princes of Sodom, herken unto the law of our God, O people of Gomorrah: What have I to do with the multitude of your sacrifices, saith the Lord &c. Where he calleth thē frō the foolish and curious observation of ceremonies and manner of government Repentance and the fruits thereof according to love, and of faith in the consent and obedience to God's word and mercy. And in another place he saith that God esteemeth neither temple nor sacrifice, but the humble and contrite heart, who trembleth at his word. Hereof Hieremie: Amend your ways and your works, & I will let you dwell in this place, trust not in lying words saying the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord &c. For this cause the Psalmist showeth that the end why God gave Israel his law, that they should teach it there posterity, was this: That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments. And the cause of all the plagues was not in regard of ceremonies or manner of government (for he saith I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices) but for their falling away from faith as it is written: They forgot his works & waited not for his counsel, but lusted with concupiscence &c. and believed not his word: And therefore it is said in the Epistle to the Hebrews. The word that they heard profited not them, because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it. So likewise in the whole tenor of the gospel, what is the principal aim of the holy Ghost, to make men religious? are not these two namely faith and love? is not the sum of the gospel in these two: Repent & believe the gospel. Did not Paul say, that when he taught the Ephesians all the counsel of God, that he taught them : Repentance towards God, & faith in Jesus Christ: and what is this else, but that we should leave the wickedness of our hearts and lives, and walk in all duties of love to God and man, and hold fast his holy covenant by a true & lively faith: Therefore he saith else where, that in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth anything, neither uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Where by circumcision he meaneth the ceremonies, and manner of government of the law as he expoundeth it, verse 3. and so contrarily uncircumcision signifieth the order and manner of the gentiles. Therefore these outward things are not the main substance but only faith and love. Hereof it is that the spirit of God commendeth the churches for their faith and love, hope and patience: and Saint Paul speaking of himself showeth how he became a religious Christian, saying: Before I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an oppressor, but I was received to mercy &c. but the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. Whereby you see that a wicked life and unbelief, make a profane and irreligious person, but faith and love a true and religious Christian. And hereof followeth the difference, between an hypocrite and a true Christian: the one is altogether superstitious in outward things, laboring by such observations to appear righteous & religious unto men, but within is full of hypocrisy and iniquity: the other hath love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience & of faith unfeigned. And this is the cause that the Corinthians are threatened with the fearful examples of the Israelites in their abode in the wilderness, that having the word of God and his holy sacraments, they walked not faithfully with God, and therefore were punished; So the Corinthians ought not to put their trust in their sacraments and live contrary to faith and love, for thē they are like to be punished as the Israelites were. So thē you see what is substātial & perpetual, & what is changeable according to times.

7 Howbeit here is to be understood, that those ceremonies & outward things in the manner of government are necessary and in their times religiously to be observed, though not so highly esteemed as the parts of the unchangeable substance of religion: but being the commandments of God by which he would for the time be outwardly worshipped, or else teach & seal his covenant to his people, that they might be steady & increase in faith & love, & that all things in the use, profession & exercise of their faith might be done comely, seemly, orderly & cōmendably according to his word: whosoever offended in any of these were subject to punishment, not only that he which despised Moses law should die without mercy under two or three witnesses: but also every transgression & disobedience received a just recompense of reward. As Nadab & Abihu the sons of Aaron, for offering strange fire, (that is such as God had not appointed) were devoured with fire which came frō the Lord. Uzzah was smitten with sudden death for holding the Ark, unto which he had no office & calling: And Uzziah king of Judah was stricken with a leprosy, for usurping the priests office. Therefore in their times, and during so long time as God appointed these ceremonies and manner of government to be used in his church they were to be observed with all care & conscience, because of the commandmēt of God: only taking heed, that no affiance should be put in thē above their proper use, but only make them helps and ornaments to the more substantial pillars of faith & love. And when the time was come that they should be abolished, then was the church free from such ordinances, for they were as the holy Ghost saith, figures for the time present until the time of reformation, they were shadows of good things to come, & not the very image (or substance) of the things themselves. Namely in as much as Christ by the oath of God became a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, to make perfect that which the Levitical priesthood could never accomplish: the priesthood of Aaron & all the law of Moses were changed, and the servant gave place to him that was Lord of the house, as is at large disputed in the epistle to the Hebrews. Hereof it came to pass, that all the sacrifices before the law, & circumcision which were of the fathers, and all the ministry of Moses gave place at the coming of this great high priest, the son of God the Lord & head of the Church, Jesus Christ. And he confirmed the covenant, and caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease, he brake the stop of the partitiō wall, abrogating through his flesh the law of commandments standing in ordinances, that as well gentiles as Jews might have access unto God by his spirit, he hath set us at liberty frō the yoke of bondage which was by the low: so that now we are not tied to Hierusalē, to worship the father: but that we may pray everywhere lifting up pure hands. And God putteth no difference between men, for these ceremonies and manner of government when their hearts are purified by faith: yet is it not his divine wisdom and goodness, that we should be altogether without ceremonies & government: For instead of the priests & Levites, he hath set in his church, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, pastors, and teachers, to teach us & guide us in the pure religiō of faith & knowledge of the son of God, & for our further help, we have instead of all sacrifices before and under the law, the sweet preaching of Christ only sacrifice (by which they were ended & accomplished) to assure our consciences, that he is able perfectly to save them that come to God by him, and that by one sacrifice once made, he did so fully take away sin, that there is now no more offering for sin. And in stead of the passover which was a figure of Christ to come, we have the holy supper of the Lord to show forth his death til he come again. And for circumcision, which signified the putting of the sinful flesh by the blood of Christ which was to come: now Christ is come, we have baptism for the washing of the new birth, & renewing of the holy Ghost, to enter us into his holy church. And generally, we are taught by the gospel to do all things in the church unto edification & without confusiō. And all those evangelical ordinances are the commandments of God to be kept unblameable & unchangeable until the coming of Christ.

CHAP. 2. How God hath governed his church in one religion in all ages, which is declared before and after the fall of Adam. 2. And by the dispensation of times, since the promise of Christ first given to Adam, which is in three sorts, the fathers before the law, the Jews under the law & the Gentiles under the gospel. 3. In all these three times was there a difference in the outward face of government but not in substance of religion. 4. Which by God's judgments & manifestation of his spirit hath been always maintained & preserved. 5. And this will be a witness of our religion now professed in England, against all Atheists, Papists, and other wicked men in the day of Christ Jesus.

N Ow this foundation being laid: because my purpose is to show, that God always set forth and allowed but one faith and religion, I will in the next place briefly show howe God hath administered his church from the beginning of the world, namely in what order he hath governed his people, Whom he chose to himself to know him, and call upon his name. First we are to remember that the world hath been in two estates, and a third we look for. For before the fall of Adam, when man's heart was upright, being made after the image of God in knowledge, holiness, and righteousness; his religion was pure and his faith in God, and his love towards God, & all creatures were righteous: & his estate happy, enjoying the presence & glory of God. But this estate endured not long: for the devil envying man's happiness, allured the womā Eve to eat of the forbid̄ fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and by her Adam was partaker of the same transgression: so man fell clean from all religion and became the vassal of Satan, dead in sin, lost that holy image so far, that both mind, will, and affections were only evil: and by his very nature he was the child of wrath, and without God in the world, that is to say, he was of no religion: and in this estate he was most miserable, cursed, and damnable. Here our most gracious and merciful God, pitying our most woeful condition, calleth man to an accompt, chastiseth him, condemneth the serpent and teacheth him again the true religion by giving him the promise, that The seed of the woman should break the serpents head: that is, that by Christ he would over throw the power of the devil. Upon which promise he buildeth his church of such of the sons of Adam, as he in his eternal counsel had chosen to be adopted to himself in Christ Jesus: leaving all others unto themselves, to remain in their sins, for their just cōdamnation. And these his elect he restoreth to that former happy estate wherein they were created; which thing he doth (during this world) by instructing them in the true & pure religion, which is the faith of Christ & the fruits thereof in true repentance & amendment of life, by the love of God & of his neighbor, which two things have their measure and are imperfect in this life, but they shall be perfect in the life to come. Faith is imperfect because our knowledge is imperfect, yet because it is fixed in Christ the son of God, it is a shield to quench the fiery darts of the devil, so that by it we are righteous in gods sight, & have peace with God thorough Jesus Christ: but when in the life to come we shall have a perfect sight of God, & see him as he is, then that which is vnferfect shall be done away: our love in this life is much more weak because it answereth not to the perfection of the law moral or God's holy image, and therefore unless by the shield of faith in Christ we were defended we should never recover our former estate of happiness: but by faith there is given unto us the first fruits of the spirit, and an earnest of our salvation even in this our pilgrimage, but afterward the same also shall be made perfect, when our corruption shall put on incorruption & our mortality shall be swallowed up of life: & enjoying the glorious liberty of the sons of God, we shall be crowned with the crown of righteousness, which is laid up in store for all them which love the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. And here is to be noted, that between this time of man's innocence & the time of the glory of God's elect, is the dispensation of times wherein God gathereth his elect, and nurtureth his church in one certain kind of religion, holy right, pure & catholic, so far as by his gracious gift in this life his people are made capable: thereby sanctifying them & separating them from this present evil world, & translating thē out of the power of darkness into the kingdom of his deer son. And this we find to be in iii. sorts in regard of the manner of government, in the dispensation of iii. diversities of times, & yet but in one rule of faith & religion. The times were these. 1. From the promise of God made to Adam, until the giving of the law in mount Sinai or Horeb, during the space of 2513. years. 2. From the giving of the law until the preaching of Io. Bap. and sending of the Apostles to preach to all the world about some 1445. years. 3. From that time to our days some 1569. years, & this is to continue till the end of the world, when Christ shall come again to judge the quick and dead. In the first the manner of government in regard of the persons, over whom it was extended: they were the fathers of the first world & all the whole world of all nations & languages, & in regard of the things then in use, they had not the law of God nor any part of his word written, but were taught & commanded by visions & dreams from heaven, & many were endued with the spirit of prophesy. In the second the manner of government touching the persons was this: they were one nation called lastly Jews, first Israelites and sometime Hebrews, and in regard of the things, they had Moses law written and so preserved in books for the perpetual use of the church; and this law was in three sorts, the moral written in two tables, showing in ten words all duties to God and man: the ceremonial law consisting in ordinances of rites, sacrifices and the leuiticall priesthood, by which order it pleased God in those days to be outwardly worshipped: & the iudicial law which were civil laws and statutes, for the punishment of evil doers and ordering of the common wealth of that people, as was most fit for the time, for the true and holy religion. And under these three they were governed until the coming of Christ. And because they often times fell away unto idolatry, God raised up prophets, to bring them to repentance, who instructed them according to the law, & shown them always the true faith and religion, with the right order and manner of government. Now while that the church was in this one nation of the Jews, the gentiles (which are all the nations and languages of the world beside) were left out from being the people of God, & of his visible church, which thing began at the circumcision of Abraham, in that God ordaining it, did call it the covenant, that is a sign of the covenant, namely that Abraham and his seed should be the people or church of God, and they that were not circumcised should be none of his church, which being some 400. years before the giving of the law, in that space the sin of the gentiles came to their perfection; and so the Jews were then and thenceforth distinctly known to be of a differing religion and faith concerning God, from all people under heaven whatsoever. The third sort in regard of the persons are the gentiles that is all nations and languages after the coming of Christ, and in regard of the things, they had the gospel, which Jesus Christ the son of GOD being made man of the virgin Marie, did preach, ordain, and commit to writing, to be preserved for the everlasting benefit of the church which being preached by the Apostles of Christ, as well to the Jews as to the Gentiles, at his commandment and by his commission: the Jews for their unbelief fell away, and being left to the hardness of their heart, were rejected, and ceased to be the visible church of God, & remain scattered over the face of the whole earth until this day; and the gentiles hearing and receiving the gospel and submitting them selves by faith unto the doctrine of Christ, became God's people again, and his visible church, and so the true religion hath remained among the gentiles in one place or other until this day, and of this number are we of the church of England one happy part: The Lord our God, and merciful father in Jesus Christ be praised therefore.

3. Now in all these times, notwithstanding that the outward face of the church, by the ceremonies and manner of government, did very much differ: yet in all these was but one substance of religion, consisting in the knowledge of one true and living God, and in the worship of his divine majesty, by faith in the holy promise of Jesus Christ: which promise was made unto Adam, Abraham, and David, declared by the prophets & preached to the gentiles in the gospel. For so Adam trained up his sons by sacrifice to worship God, arguing their expectation of the Messias or seed of the woman to come. And therefore Abel, Enoch, Noah, & Abraham are well reported of, for their faith and to have pleased God. Unto Noah the ark, & unto Abraham circumcision, being types and figures of Christ, were helps in this faith & religion: so in the law all the priests, & their sacrifices and service, yea all the law, ponited out Christ, as the end thereof and concluded all under sin, that the promise, by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. And the prophets which best understood the law, show the main substance of their religion to be in faith, when they say. He that believeth in him (meaning Christ) shall not make hast. The just shall live by faith. Taste and see how gracious the Lord is, blessed is the mā that trusteth in him. Which thing witnesseth the Apostle saying. Whatsoever things are written afore time, are written for our learning, that we thorough patience and comfort of the scripture might have hope, and that the scriptures (speaking of the law and prophets) are able to make one wise unto salvation thorough faith in Jesus Christ: And lastly touching the gospel, it is most clear, that by belief in Christ we are made God's people, & in this belief we worship and serve God, as in one true & pure religion. Therefore they which are taught are baptized, when they believe and so received into the church: such are said to be saved, such are said to pray aright, and generally such are said to please God.

4. Now to conclude this place we may observe, the wonderful administration of God, in upholding of this one true religion & faith of Christ in all ages of the world; and that in two things. First in his judgments, and secondly in the diverse manifestation of his spirit: as concerning the first, the old world falling into a most horrible apostasy, by profane and unequal yoking of the children of God, with the children of men, God stirred up Noah the preacher of righteousness & in his family, preserved the true faith when all the whole world was fallen away, & therefore drowned by waters. Then after the flood some 400. years, when idolatry had ouercrept the world in the posterity of Noah, namely after the confounding of the languages, and that they were become many nations: God called Abraham and taught him the faith and pure religion of Christ, when he gave him the promise. That in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed, and in his posterity namely of his son Isaac, when all the nations of the world were left to their own ways the same was preserved: and although the Israelites many times departed from the true God, to follow the manners & fashions of the gentiles, yet he reduced thē home again, by his plagues & punishments, & sometimes by his prophets, and sometimes destroying the multitude reserved a small remnant, as a seed plot, among whom he preserved the true faith and religion. And last of all, when they had many times provoked God by their unbelief and rebellion, he cast them utterly off and engrafted the gentiles; & although among these there hath been great persecution, & a most horrible apostasy both by east and west, yet hath he always had his witnesses, who keeping the faith, have professed the true religion of Christ, and now according to his ^e word, the same is renewed and taketh hold again in the open eyes of all the world, among the elect of God & his chosen people, whō he calleth by his gospel. A thing verily, fore prophesied by Noah, taught and promised to Abraham, threatened by Moses, plainly foretold by the prophets, and fully accomplished by Christ, and of these things we have now had 1602. years trial & experience, the Lord's most holy name be praised. But as touching the manifestation of the spirit, mark with me, that the same promise, which to Adam was general in the seed of the woman, was more special to Abraham to be in his seed, and in his posterity more certain in Judah, and yet in Judah more particular in the house and linage of David, and yet more plainly and nearly by the prophets that he should be borne of a virgin; yea he is also so thoroughly described in the prophets, that there is scarce any action of Christ, or accident befalling him, which Matthew the euangelist, in his history doth not confirm by some prophet or other: Yet is John the Baptist more clear then they all, when he could point out his very person, saying, Behold the lamb of God, Howbeit that grace of revelation which was in the Apostles, excelled all the rest, for the very Angels admire the manifold wisdom of God, as it is now taught in the church of God by their doctrine, and therefore in comparison of the clear manifestation of the gospel, now in these last times, to the more obscure revelation of the former ages, it is called a mistery had since the world began and from all ages, but now is made manifest to his saints, and this most abundantly in all wisdom and understanding. And this was of such power that neither the malicious gainsaying and tumultuous resisting of the Jews, nor the furious & outrageous persecutions of the gentiles, for 300. years, nor the subtle undermining of wily heretics, nor the smoking darkness of Antichrist, could stand before the wisdom of the spirit, but that the idols of the heathen and the foolish rudimentes of the world, were scattered before the preaching of the faith and religion of Christ, as the smoke or clouds are driven before the wind. And when all the monarkes of the world were broken & became like the chaff of the summer flowers, whom the winds carrieth away, this Jesus Christ, as a stone cut without hands, although he were refused of the builders is not only become the head of the corner, but also filleth the whole earth, and groweth to a kingdom, that never shall have end, so long as Sun & Moon endureth. And as this religion, so the ceremonies and manner of government, ordained by Christ are to remain until the end of the world: for so saith Christ, when he gave commission for the preaching, baptizing & teaching of all his commandments: Loe I am with you always unto the end of the world: & the Apostle affirmeth that the Lord's supper is to show the Lord's death till he come, and his ministers are to gather together the saints, till we all meet in the unity of faith, and he must reign till all his enemies be put under his feet, and in the ende deliver up his kingdom to his father, and then God shall be all in all.

5 All which things if the Atheists of our time, and such as be of no religion, or of the popish and heretical superstition, could see and consider, they would come home to us, and cast themselves down before Christ and say: God is with you of a truth. But this continuance of one unchangeable truth in religion, by the administration of God's judgments & manifestation of the spirit, being found with us in this realm of England (as hereafter in this treatise doth evidently appear) shall be a witness against all such in the day of judgment, when they should remember, that they in their lives time, willingly would not know, nor obey the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. I pray God open our eyes, that while the light is among us, we may believe it, love it, and walk in it, as the children of light, to the glory of God and our own comfort & everlasting salvation, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CAP. III. Here is more largely shown, the unity of faith in all ages, & that the religion openly professed at this present in England, is the same ancient & only Catholic faith of Abraham, Moses & the prophets, & which Christ and his Apostles preached and taught. Where 1. is declared that Abraham received it of God, both for the Jews & also for all other nations. 2. The particulars are compared in 15. several articles of the most weighty points of doctrine.

H Auing entered thus far, that the Christian reader may as in a glass: in some reasonable sort behold in his conscience, that from the beginning of the world, there hath been but one religion in which a man could ever be saved, one law of faith, one law of love, taught and allowed by God in his Church catholic and universal, for all places & times, to remain unchangeable unto the worlds end. Now will I (through the merciful assistance of the same my gracious God) more largely and particularly show the very same things: and that the same is the religion, which in this our time, is now by public authority professed, preached, taught, & defended in this realm of England, by and under the most happy reign, golden days, and peaceable government of the Lord's anointed and blessed handmaid and servant, our dread sovereign, dear nurse-mother, faithful and elect Lady and Queen Elizabeth: for whose heavenly joy, Christian honor, long and prosperous life in wealth and godliness, all true hearted Christians and faithful subjects, continually and instantly do pray. Here thou shalt see (God willing) what God taught Abraham what Moses sent of God taught Israel, what the prophets inspired of God taught in Judah, what Christ & his Apostles taught the primitive Church, and that all these differ not in the doctrine of faith and love, but being all one and the same way of salvation, the same true and vndeceiuable religion, the same everlasting God and Savior: And thou shalt plainly and clearly see, that the very same and none other, hath our most loving God, of his free and kind mercy, now above forty years together taught us English men; and his heavenly wisdom in our streets, and high places and assemblies, by his faithful ministers hath called us thereunto. So that we, to the stirring up of our thankful hearts, to praise our good God, may say with the Psalmist He hath not dealt so with every nation, neither have they known his judgments. And in this treatise concerning the first of the three times of the world, which was of the fathers before the law or any part of God's word was written, I make special choice of Abraham for two causes. First because that in the history of the fathers before his time, which containeth some 2083. years, the holy Ghost is very brief, and therefore not so full and plain in diverse pointes, as after in the story of Abraham. Howbeit thou shalt find in the same, the doctrine of one God, the trinity, promise of Christ, and salvation to come by faith in him, Baptism, of the ark & sacrifices for the latter sacrament, seals of the covenant, and of duties, diverse examples in Abel, Sheth, Enoch, Noah, and great punishments for the contrary, so that the substance is one and the same, though that it be after more largely and particularly taught in the story of Abraham. But because my purpose is to show, that the particular partes of the doctrine of our religion be most ancient and catholic, I find it more fit to take the pattern from Abraham, in whose story I may gather these things more plainly, and also many moe several branches thereof. But my second cause is more special and of greater wayght, namely that God made choice of Abraham in calling of him, to be the father of all believers, and that the same faith which he received of God, should be the religion of all nations wherein and whereby they should be saved to the end of the world. Which thing Saint Paul teacheth when he saith, The scripture foreseeing that God would justify the gentilles through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying, In thee shall all the gentiles be blessed. Where we learn that the gospel which teacheth this religion, that men should be justified by faith was preached to Abraham, and namely for the use of the gentilles, that they should be made of the same religion with Abraham, and with him by faith only be justified: as he saith in the next verse: So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. This did GOD signify unto Abraham, when he changed his name saying, Behold I make my covenant with thee and thou shalt be a father of many nations, neither shall thy name anymore be called Abraham, but thy name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made thee. Hereof the Apostle teacheth that Abraham's seed is twofold not only of the law (which is meant of the Jews) but also that which is of the faith of Abraham (that is the gentilles, who not having the law, are yet his seed through faith) and therefore he addeth, He is father of us all (that is both of Jew & gentil which believe) alleging this place for proof saying as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations &c. Whereby it is pregnantly proved, that Abraham is made, in regard of faith and religion, a father both to Jews and Gentiles. The Jews are first admitted to be his children, to walk in his religion and steppes of faith: & after we succeed in their room to walk in the same steps of faith & religion of Abraham: they as the Apostle else where saith being natural branches, for unbelief were cut off: But we though branches of the wild Olive are grafted in by faith. Now because it is here manifest, that Abraham received the covenant for us, and the whole religion of God, as well for us as for the Jews, and that God would not have the Jews to have one religiō & the gentiles another, the one to be saved by one faith, & the other by another; but both to be of that faith and religion which was taught and found in Abraham: and that Christ coming of his seed, should be savior both of Jews and gentiles, A light to be revealed to the gentiles & the glory of Israel: religion then being one, & the same one being the same only which was taught Abraham, I thought it best to choose him and his story, because that neither the law nor the gospel could or ought to differ in religion and faith, from that of Abraham: that if our religion in England agree with that of Abraham, then it might be known to be the true ancient and catholic religion and faith, & no new broached religion or doctrine, such as that is of the Church of Rome, as in the process of this book shall be seen. But for thy better help good Christian reader, I will follow this order: I will show the several points of religion, which are most material, one after another, as they are in nature first & second, and then in every part or article, Abraham's faith first: And secondly, (except some special reason draw me to alter this order) I will show how our religion agreeth with his faith, and lastly how Moses, the prophets and the new testament confirm the same. And thus they follow.

CHAP. IIII. Where is declared: First that antiquity, universality and visible succession, is no perfect mark of the church, much less of the popish Synagogue, which is but of yesterday: 2. The measure & order of the visible succession of the Church from Christ's time forward, is shown by the Scripture. 3. Therefore the papists do prove themselves to be no church, when they ground themselves on this false principle, the church cannot err: 4. How the true religion hath shown it self by many witnesses from the Apostles time even unto our days.

THE Synagogue of Rome, claimeth antiquity, universality and succession visible from the time of Christ's Apostles, to be undoubted marks of the church of God, and so of the pure religion: addinge thereunto, as it were the sinews and joints, to make them all hold together, the faithful and constant grace of the church visible, under the ghospell, namely (this false principle) that, It cannot err. And therefore when they are convicted, to have fallen from the true Christian religion, and find themselves openly bewrayed, being tried, by the perfect touchstone of God's holy written word, to be lately upstart and of a new devised religion, doctrine and faith, brought forth into the world, by the fanatical and superstitious humor of heretical pravity and human folly, and begotten by the cunning insinuations and coulorable suggestions of him, which useth all spiritual craftiness and profoundnes of wisdom, to bruise the heel of the woman's seed, and to darken the glorious light of the heavenly faith of God's chosen (least happily they should not be found, the very true Antichrist, after the manner of him, that trāsformeth him self into an angel of light (they would bear down the world, with the vain titles and goodly show, of antiquity, universality & visible succession, & of the unerring and unchangeable persistance of the visible church in the truth: and leave out altogether (that which is indeed, the very nature and foundation of the church) the true religion, faith and doctrine of Apostles and Prophets of God. But alas, these are but the fig leaves of Adam, which cannot cover their shame: for as all men know, that the serpent cannot prove himself a man, by his ancient continuance and remaining in the world, unless he had those essential properties of body and soul, whereof every man doth naturally consist: So, for so much as all these things, antiquity, universality &c. are such as heretics & Ethnikes, did and could claim, from Cain and Cham or Japheth; as well as Christians from Seth and Shem: and that the true nature of the church consisteth in the fellowship of the true religion, doctrine and faith: the sygnogoge of Rome, unless it hold the true faith and religion, cannot for these things be the true visible church of God. For no antiquity, universality or succession, can make the whore of Babel to be the true and chaste spouse of Christ. And who knoweth not that Cain was before Sheth and that their two posterities, were the two churches one which is of Cain called the children of men; because their religion came of a runagate man: & the other was called the childrē of God, because their religion was given and taught them of God. Likewise in the Apostasy of the time of Abraham, the nations were almost settled upon the dregs of their filthy idolatry, when Abraham was now but newly called. Ishmael and Esaue, which fell out of the church and house of Abraham, became goodly states and monarkes before Jacob was established and the people of Israel were gathered into a known and visible floorishing form of a church, which was 430. years after the calling of Abraham. Lastly the gentiles, continued in that apostasy and idolatry ouerspreading all the world, from the time of Abraham until Christ, eighteen hundred years, when the Church was but in a little corner of the world, the land of Canaan, and of that a great space in the territories of Judah and Jerusalem only. Because Cain, Ishmael, and Isaiah calling antiquity and visible succession before Sheth and Isaac and Jacob, is their religion the true religion? or were they the true church? or shall the Gentiles justify thē selves, to be the true worshippers of God, or to have the true God, because they can brag over the Jews & Christians, with all these terms of antiquity, universality, succession, visible, &c. therefore he that readeth the stories shall find, how they scoff at the Jews & Christians, even as the papist do at us: because that although they have no truth on their side, yet they think these painted paper walls, and leaden weapons of long continuance and open appearance and flowrishing in the world, doth sufficiently cover and defend their filthy folly. Whereas they foolishly know not and consider not, or at the least, thorough malicioiusness and hardness of heart, will not know, that an ill thing, the more universal, the longer, the larger, the stronger, the more in custom, use authority and open familiarity of men, the more dangerous, infectious, incurable and deadly it is. And this gentilisme and popery, are so much the more strong in dilusion, for the damnation of souls, by howe much they being void of godliness and truth, are and have been ancient; universal, visible, &c. And therefore it hah cost the more sweat and blood unto the faithful servants of Christ, to cure the infected people, and to bring them again into the bosom of Abraham and arcke of Noah, the fold and church of Christ. We may then boldly say, that such ministers are to be obeyed who (as an ancient father saith) together with the succession of their Bishoprics according to the good will of God the father, have received the certain gift of the truth, which while the church of Rome, that now is, hath not done, because they do not believe in those things which are, they are fallen into those things which are not; & having forsaken, the pure and chaste nature and beautiful ornaments of the true spouse of Christ, which is the sincere doctrine of holy scripture, they are fain to array themselves in the counterfeit and common whorish apparel of all the filthy idolaters of the world, the vain pretence of antiquity, universality &c. But yet this suit of apparel will not serve them, no more then that can fit a child borne yesterday, which is large and wide for a man of a great and full stature. For how do these terms agree to that apostalical sea of Rome which is one of the last & lowest borne children of superstition begotten of the devil in this last fury of his old age, even now he knoweth his time is very short. For as it shall appear in the latter part of this book, (through God's gracious assistance) the synagogue of Rome will want at the least 4500. years of that antiquity, universality, and visible succession, which I have here, already shown to appertain, to the true ancient catholic religion of God's most holy & undoubted church founded in Adams promise, separated in Abraham's posterity, published & offered to all the world by Christ's most blessed Apostles. For an introduction into which matter I will in this Chapter (through my Lord Christ's favor and grace) show unto thee (good Christian reader) how this religion of ours, now professed and openly maintained in England (which is manifestly proved already in the Chapter going before, to be the ancient true faith, from the beginning of the world, and namely and especially from our father Abraham) now in these latter days hath descended and continued by succession visible in the world, from the Apostles time unto ours. For although we brag not of antiquity and universality, yet we do humbly thank our loving God, and merciful father in Jesus Christ, that unto us the pure doctrine and true Christian religion is come and is fruitful, as ever it hath been in any part of the world, and we are made the children of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ.

2 And that you may understand this the better, you are to know the measure hereof by the holy scriptures of God, which as a line being gone over all the world doth show the tract and footesteppes of religion, among the gentilles unto the ende of the world. In the 24. of Matthew, the 17. and 21. of Luke, and in the Revelation of Saint John, is fore described, the treading under feet of Jerusalem and the Jews, until the times of the gentiles be fulfilled, and that in these times should arise false prophets and false Christ's and deceive many, yea great changes and alteration in religion should be in all the Christian world. The kings and princes of the earth should obey the will of the least, and this obedience should be so universal, that no man should be permitted to buy or sell, without his mark in their foreheads: the prophets and witnesses of Christ should be slain, and there should be the patience and trial of the Saints. Smoke coming out of the bottomless pit covereth the air, and hideth the Sun Moon and stars. What doth this show but that the world should be found a continual enemy to the true religion, and that the faith of Christ should not always be universally professed and maintained, but that the Christian Churches should fall into errors: and that the true religious and faithful people of God, should pass through the furnace of the fiery trial, and be as it were here and there certain scattered stones of a building, that is witnesses standing up for the truth, testifying that there is a pure religion ordained and accepted of God: And not that the Church should be always a beautiful pauilion and goodly temple wherein the King dwelleth, seen and admired, and honored of all men. According to that of Christ: Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. And this coldness shall be so great and so universal, that the true professors of God's true religion shall be hated of all men, and men shall think they do God service, when they kill any of them. And the ground of this Saint Paul showeth saying: The time will come when they will not suffer wholesome doctrine &c. And yet it seemeth to be more fully opened where he foretelleth, that there must be an Apostasy or falling from the faith, before the world could have an ende, and the man of sin disclosed, which is an adversary, and exalteth himself against that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he doth sit as God in the temple of God. And a little after: For the mystery of iniquity doth already work &c. Wherein he teacheth plainly four things. First, that there should be a general decay of religion in the Church. Secondly, that it should be by such an adversary of Christ as should reign in the Church. Thirdly, that he should be revealed in his time. And fourthly, that this was an hid and secret thing, which did begin to work secretly, even in the Apostles time. By which we may perceive the succession and universality of the Church, in the visible show and flourishing of the true religion, is not to be found nor looked for in all the times of the gospel after the Apostles days, but that by little and little it should be darkened corrupted and hidden. For howe can that be said to be the true visible Church of Christ, where his adversary dwelleth, and beareth all the rule advancing himself as God? And whereas touching the true faith the people are fallen into an Apostasy? And the reason he giveth, confirmeth it directly, that it should undoubtedly fall out and so come to pass: for he afterward affirmeth that it cometh of the righteous judgment of God upon the reprobate saying: God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe lies, that all they might be damned, which believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness: which thing if it be well seen into & uprightly waied, it will convince the church of Rome, to be of the false religion and antechristian church: and their bravery of profession, their antiquity universality and visible succession, to be the sitting of the man of sin in the temple of God, that is the plague and running soar of the Church, the damnation of many souls, and that now within these few years, the gospel teaching the true Christian religion, hath revealed their Apostasy: and that so openly & clearly, as every man may see it, if he do not willfully blind his own eyes.

3 Now if they say that the Church cannot err, and thereupon build their antiquity, universality, succession &c. Namely, that they must needs be the true Church being so actively and universally visible in their continued succession: because it belongeth to the Church under the gospel (as they say) to be as the Moon that never is eclipsed, nor covered under a cloud, but always appeareth glorious and beautiful unto the world: then do they evidently declare, and prove themselves to be the false synagogue of Satan, and their religion to be his delusions and lies. Because the word of God doth so manifestly say there shall be an Apostasy and falling away in religion and that the enemy of Christ should reign in the place of God's temple. And least happily we should be deceived in thus judging: even in this one point of their religion that they hold that the church cannot err, they convince themselves to be Antichrist, many ways; especially in that they make the authority of the Church above the scriptures, that they might be judges of it and not of them. What do they herein more truly then profess to all the world, that there sitteth amongst them the adversary, that exalteth himself against all that is called God: for what is there in the whole world, by which God is known or can be known truly and rightly to be God, and by which God is exalted, and all his honor, truth and word magnified, and his will wisdom and goodness glorified and worshipped, but only the inspired writings of the blessed book of God? If they having no truth on their side to maintain themselves to be the Church of God, they will foist in with a brazen face, contrary to evident scripture this untruth, that the church cannot err, and thereupon usurp authority over this book of God, and after it to have no authority, but such as they allow, and to have no other meaning or sense, but such as they give: and so God and his holy law, must look for no other name, credit and dignity, but as it pleaseth them being men to give. And so again, God and his word should not be builders and describers of the Church, but the Church builders and describers of God and his word, doth it not then necessarily follow, that they are very Antichrist and the seat of Apostasy. Moreover, if Christ say this Apostasy should be so great, that if it were possible the very elect should be deceived. Are not they very Antichrist, to make the Church always visible, and not able to err? And let the godly Christian reader consider what use there is of these rules & precepts. Beware of false prophets, believe not every spirit &c. hereby shall you know the spirit of God, that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God: whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God, &c. Again there is prophesied of a woman whose name is, A mystery, great Babylon, the mother of whoredoms & abominations of the earth, which is a great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth, and all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication: And God saith to us, Go out of her my people, &c. If the true use of these scriptures teach us two things, first that we must try and judge the false prophets, the spirits and whosoever may cal themselves the Church, by the doctrine of Christ expressed in the scriptures, and that under the time of the gospel, a city by false doctrine should poison all nations, and we ought to go out of that city: how can any man judge the City of Rome, which calleth her self the mother of all Churches, and usurpeth over all nations, seeing that it hath forsaken the truth, and yet claimeth universality & perpetual succession visible, & refuseth to be tried by the holy oracles of God, these rules and Canons of holy scriptures, how I say can any man judge otherwise, but that it is the very seat of Antichrist? And in this that it would be maintained, by saying it cannot err, it erreth most apparently. And therefore that only is the true Church and house of God, whether visible or invisible, which holdeth fast the true faith, where two or three are gathered together in Christ's name, and not that which pretendeth visible succession, and saith it cannot err.

4 Howbeit in all this time it was not, as the church of Rome would bear us in hand, that our religion which is that ancient religion of Abraham, had such an eclipse, that it cannot be traced in these 1600. years after Christ: for as before the coming of Christ, it lay hid in comparison of the universality of the whole world, in the house and posterity of Abraham, and sometime more then other appearing and shining forth, when God made his glorious truth to cast the beams of light far and wide, at such times as he made his saints glorious by deliverance as out of Egypt and Babylon: And in subduing the Canaanites, in prospering, David, Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Ioshiah. So in this time of Christianity among the Gentiles, there hath been as it were an ebbing and flowing, and as I may say, a morning and an evening. For the gospel beginning with small degrees, and like a grayne of mustard seed, was persecuted by the universal world at the first. And yet prevailed mightily through all those bitter and intolerable persecutions of the first three hundred years, in so much as in the first Christian Emperors days, namely Constantine the great, when he summoned the first general Council of Nice, for the cause of Arius, there came 318. Bishops, and these were from all partes of the world, West as far as Spain, and North in a manner at the very North Pole. So that all the world stood amazed, at the glorious shining of the son of righteousness in those happy days. Yet men know that read the stories of the church, what whiles that blasphemous heretic did work, how many friends & abettors he had, what great afflictions that good Catholic Bishop Athanasius, had, & what persecution for many years together, the true believers endured after the death of that good Emperor, by the ouerspreading of the Arians and their followers. Howbeit although that persecution much afflicted the faithful, and darkened the beauty of the Church, and many heretics invaded them very sore, and diverse living in wilderness and solitary places, devised strange forms and services of God: yet for the space of six hundred years and more, the universal Church was not so much tainted; but God raised up notable pillars of truth and lights of his church, by whom the truth of faith and found religion had all that time a most excellent witness. For the Apostles ended at the death of John the Evangelist, Anno 99. Ignatius lived about Anno 110. having been John's disciple, and Bishop of Antioch. Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna, and Justinus martyr at Rome, Anno 140. Iraeneus Bishop of Lions in France Anno 175. Tertullian in Afric flourished about Anno 190. Origin of Alexandria about Anno 210. Cyprian Bishop of Carthage Anno 255. Arnobius, 310. Lactantius Firmianus 325. Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt 340. Hilarius B. of Pictauia in Aquitania, 360. Basilius B. of Cesarea in Cappadocia, 370. Gregorius B. of Nazanzen. Epiphanius B. of Cyprus, Ambrose B. of Milan. Hieronymus Stridonensis, Augustine B. of Hippo, John Chrysostom B. of Constantinop. Possidonius, Prosper, Fulgentin Casiodonus, Gregorius first of that name B. of Rome. These & very many more very good writers, beside infinite others lived in that first 600. years and some after by whom the light of God's truth and the pure religion, was defended against diverse and sundry sorts of heretics, and declared by sermons and godly interpretations of holy scripture, which may evidently appear, even unto him that can but read the English toonge, if he peruse the writings of our reverend Bishops and teachers of this lande. First the challenge was made by master Jewel, in a Sermon preached at Paul's cross, Anno 1560. the Sunday before Easter, that for 600. years after Christ our religion might be defended by the writings of fathers and counsels: secondly the defense was most truly and fully performed, by the same master Jewel against Harding, by master Horne against Fecknam, master Pilkington against the man of Chester, master Punet against Th. Martin, as also by master Noel against Dorman, master Edward Deering to Hardings reioinder, master Calfils answer to Marshals defense of the cross, master Fulke against Allin, Sanders, Bristow &c. and by the conference in the Tower with Campion, and that of master Reinolds with Hart. In these and diverse others very notable english books, all points of our Christian faith, are not only maintained by the writings of the foresaid ancient Fathers and Counsels of the first six hundred years: but also by diverse other wrighters and Counsels following in other ages, yea by diverse Papists as the Schoolmen, popish decrees, decretals and historiographers. But we do frankly confess that six hundred years after Christ being past, the visible church not so well seasoned, nor the true faith so openly universally & faithfully maintained, but more and more decayed, obscured and darkened: until the revelation of Antichrist, which hath been since Luther. Neither do we take it to be any derogation to the truth, seeing that these last nine hundredth years, were the days of darkness, and the time of the punishment of God, that they which regarded not to know God, should be given over to lies and fables, as is before manifestly proved by the scriptures. Notwithstanding in all this time, it was not so obscure & hidden, but that the stories of these mystie days, do afford us sufficient matter and marks, whereby we may find, where, how and in what sort, the true faith and religion strove with the foolish and unthankful heart of man, offering him in all this declining and apostatical generations, the joyful light of truth and the right way of peace and salvation, but they would not, but they fought against it: and herein I will not stand to rehearse all particulars (which would ask a great volume) but only mention that which is most general and notoriously known, until this 600. years the churches by east and west were in unity and the Christian faith continued, his universal and visible succession, but shortly after, by reason that Boniface the third, obtained the supremacy over all Bishops & brought it into the sea of Rome, there grew discontentments, which continued up and down, until Hildebrand came up about An. 1237. all which time the Greek church eastwarde, held the ancient catholic faith, as we now do; but by means that the Greeks condescended not to the immeasurable pride of the popes, there was made a separation, and so the faith was found only in the Grecians, amongst whom it also remained, as it may appear by this that in the time of the counsel of Basel, about An. 1440. Engenious the fourth in a private convocation at Florence, labored the grecians to condescende to the latin church to allow of purgatory, of the popes supremacy, of unleavened bread in the communion and of transubstantiation, so that the east churches, which contain not only Grecia, but also the Ethiopians, Syrians, and many other great nations, did in some good measure hold out the true faith until this time. Now in the west parts, there were certain men called Waldenses or Albigences, and Pauperes de Lugduno, who first at Lions in France, and after in diverse other places, as Meridoll and Cabriers and in many towns of the country of Piemont, in great numbers shown themselves, from An. 1160. till the time of Luther, John Wickliefe and his fellows, and with them the good Christians called Lollards did show themselves in England in the time of Edward the third about the yere 1371. and thenceforth and in the time of Richard the second whereof followed great persecution many years. John Hus and Jerome of Prague, with the country of Bohemia, were famous for the true religion, at the counsel of Constance about, Anno 1413. and many years after; So that when Luther came up, he found not the gospel and true religion without witness in diverse places. Therefore (leaving out Berthramus in France, John Scotus in England, and very many notable men in diverse countries, whom God stirred up here and there, even in these evil days of darkness, some by writing, some by preaching, some by suffering and by death, to give testimony, in these west parts, and under the Popes nose) I may boldly conclude this Chapter with humble and hearty thanks to God, that the religion, which we hold and profess in England, is the only true ancient catholic and universal religion, wherein and whereby God hath been truly served and worshipped, his elect saved and the true faith confessed from the beginning of the world and namely from Abraham, even unto our days, which is now 5528. years, and the gates of hell could never prevail against it, no power of men subdue it, no heresies overthrow it, no wisdom or learning confute it, no persecutions destroy it, no policy nor cruelty subvert it, no tract of time wear it out, no changes or subuersions of kingdoms, countries or states over whelme it, no laws, edicts, counsels, canons, cursses, decrees or decretals, put it down or banishe it. Magna est veritas & preualet: Great is the truth and prevaileth, Blessed be the God of truth: And herein is fulfilled, that which the prophet saith, The fear of the Lord is clean and endure forever: And thou, O God, art the same, and thy years fail not, the children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall stand fast in thy sight.

CHAP. I. How the Romish superstition disagreeth with the true ancient catholic religion and faith of God's elect, where is declared, 1. How many ways in this sort, disagreement is to be found, 2. And that in all the former fifteen articles they disagree very greatly.

THere are two things, which do evidently argue, the new and late begetting and birth of Romish heresy. The Ante-christianity or disagreement it hath, with the pure holy and old faith, which God hath once given to the Saints, and the conformity and agreement it hath with all heretical pravity. For seeing that all men know and the papists themselves must needs confess, that it is come forth, within these last times of the world (for the face thereof never saw the son before) if it agree not with the wholesome truth of the inspired scriptures of God, and so not of the ancient catholic faith of God's chosen; but resembleth and beareth the express and indelible charecter, of filthy new borne heresy: it must needs leese those dainty terms of unity, antiquity, universality, visible succession and of the old and catholic religion. And so the truth is: For as then the Popes of Rome, became most lofty and proud and advanced themselves above all estates, when they used in their style, the lowly terms of seruus seruorum, Servant of Servants: so ceased they then to be truly and in deed Catholic or universal, when cutting of themselves from the true universal church and religion, they tied the name and honor of Catholic church to one place, calling it, contrary to the holy creed: The catholic church of Rome. Therefore as I have in the former part shown the ancient and unchangeable religion, what it is and how it hath continued unto this our age, so now I doubt not but that it shall appear, through God's grace to every honest conscience of any reasonable capacity, not forestalled with the prejudice of willful blindness; that the church of Rome and the religion thereof is not of the same generation, & hath no affinity with God and his truth; but is altogether, earthly, sensual and devilish. And first of the disagreement it hath with the true faith: that is, what it is not: & then of the agreement, with heresy, that is, what it is. In the first part the reader is to understand that disagreement is in diverse sortes: sometime direct and plain contrary, as light and darkness: sometime contradictory, where one saying is the destruction of another, as to say: A man is a reasonable creature, and to say: a man is not a reasonable creature. Sometime they disagree by having a differing nature, though not so directly set on against another, as a stone, an egg, and a tree differ from a man, sometime the disagreement is hidden, and underhand, when there is a show to maintain the truth in words, and yet in deeds, coming in by some hidden and closely carried circumstance, men overthrew the same truth. As Joab spake with his mouth peaceable unto Abner, and with his hand he smote him under the fifth rib, that he died. And there is yet another difference which is expressly named in holy scripture, that is, whē in a matter taught in the scripture definitively, men either take away something and make it too short or too little, or else add something and make it too long or too great. Wheresoever there is any of these disagreements, they cannot be said to be one and the same, and so the church of Rome, in all points of Christian religion, differing in someone of these kinds, cannot be said to be of the true catholic religion. As in the first kind, the true religion saith; It is the spirit of errors and doctrine of devils, to forbid marriage and to abstain from meats. The sea of Rome say directly contrary: that by the holy ghost and spirit of truth, they forbid marriage and to abstain from meats. In the second kind the true religion saith: A man is justified by faith without works: they say, A man is not justified by faith without works. In the third kind the true religion saith: Jesus Christ hath by himself purged our sins: they say we are purged also, by satisfaction, purgatory, indulgences and diverse other things. In the fourth kind the true religion saith: that the word of God is able to save our souls. The synagogue of Rome do so say also in words, but in deed they cut the throat of God's word, by equalling or preferring of traditions, canons, decrees, decree • als and human customs, even as Christ speaketh of the pharisees (who also in words pretended God's word) that they make the word of God of no effect or authority by their tradition. But as touching the last disagreement, that shameless whore of Babylon, diminisheth and taketh from God's word, when they keep the cup from the common people: and add unto God's word, when they cause the sacrament to be lifted up and adored: and very many such things they do. Therefore if I show that in all parts of religion they disagree from the truth in one of these kinds: it will be sufficient, to prove, that their abominations are nothing savoring, of the true ancient religion.

2. And this I will do (God willing) in two sorts: First in this Chapter, by showing how they disagree with the articles taught out of God's word in the former part; and secondly in the next Chapter, howe dissent, from the doctrine of S. Paul, & S. Peter, (whō they say to have been at Rome and to be planters of that church) & in this first I must desire the reader, to look upon every article as before cap. 2. and he shall easily see the disagreement, for I will but a little open and briefly point out their error, and the disagreement will be manifest of it self. Mark therefore (good Reader) what I say, and be not partial. And first of all they seem to be nearest the truth in (that which I have placed for the first article) the faith and doctrine of the trinity, and in words speak very distinctly both in Canons, decrees, decretals, and also in other writings: So that some notable learned men hold them sound in this matter; and others go further, that by this and one or two more, they would draw them into the holy communion of Saints. But if in these they are (as Joab only in words, and that their hands strike through this doctrine, so that in the harts of men this doctrine cannot live; because they are taught and believe and do such things as overthrow the same; then are they not to be held and reputed sound in this article. And first touching the the unity in the godhead, whosoever giveth that to any other thing, which is natural and essential unto god, he maketh that other thing to be god; & so consequently if the sea of Rome do so to any creature, they make mo gods then one. But that they ascribe to creatures that which is proper & essential to God, may be seen in three things. First in the virgin Marie & the Saints, first they cal her the Queen of heaven. Mater gratiae, mater misericordiae, mother of grace and mother of mercy, domina angelorum lady or mistress over the angels; princeps mundi & regina, prince and Queen of the world; & they say unto her. Virgo singularis inter omnes, malis nos culpis solutos, mites fac & castos &c. O virgin singular among all, make us being freed from all faults, gentle & chaste, give us a pure life, prepare us a safe way, that seeing Christ we may always rejoice together, & unto her & Io. theuangelist they pray. Vobis duobus ego miserimus peccator &c. unto you two I a most miserable sinner comēd this day my body & my soul, that at all hours & momēts you would vouchsafe to be my sure keepers & devout intercessors unto god, unto Peter they say. Solue iubente deo terrarū, Petro, catenus &c. loose O Peter by God's cūmand the chains of the earth, who openest the heavenly kingdoms to the blessed of Frances the minorite they say; cordiū vidit arcana, he saw the secrets of the harts, all things created were obedient unto him: they which hold the leading of blessed Frāces cannot be ruled by the darkness of error, & by the light infused granted him of god, men are so enlightened that the conscience of one man is naked to another. Now if it be properly apertaining to theuerlasting being & all sufficiēcy of god, as his word teacheth, to be governor of the world, Lord of angels father of mercy and grace, to make a man gentil, chaste and pure in life, to be every moment keeper of body and soul, to open heaven, to know the harts, to whom all creatures are obedient; Then it followeth, that seeing by their custom of prayer and otherwise they give these things to the virgin Marie and to Saints they underhand overthrow the doctrine of one God, and make many God's. And when they make Saints patrons of countries (as Peter & Paul over Rome) and healers of disseases, (as Job to cure the scabbe) what other thing do they, but (as the heathen did) make several God's for several offices. Secondly this making of many God's may be seen in the Pope. For of him they say De iudicio summi pontificis disputare non licet: it is not lawful to dispute of the judgment of the highest Bishop. ^c Non homo sed Deus separate quos R.P. not man but God seperateth, whom the Bishop of Rome seperateth &c. which is declared by the gloss that hereof he is said, Habere celeste arbitrium, & ideo etiam naturam rerum immutat &c. to have an heavenly judgment, and therefore also he changeth the nature of things, applying the substantial of one thing unto another; he can make of nothing something, and the sentence which is nothing he maketh something, in those things he will, his will is to him in steed of reason, neither is there any man that can say unto him, why dost thou so? for he can dispense above law, he can make justice of injustice by correcting the laws and changing them, and he hath the fullness of power. But I will not load the reader with that which here might be alleged only, I desire him to consider, whether the Pope do not herein arrogate the power and majesty of God. For what can be said more of God, then that we may not dispute of his judgment, that he hath the heavenly judgment & power to give sentence to change the nature of things to make nothing something, to make injustice justice, to dispence with law, and to have such fullness of power that his will is law and reason and no man can say why dost thou so? is such a thing the gift of God to any man? do they not make the Pope another God, or else a fourth person in the Trinity? The third thing is the sacrament, wherein this blasphemy of making plurality of gods is also to be seen. For when they say Cstrists body in the sacrament, consecrated, at one time in a thousand places, or if it should happen over all the world, that then in all those places is one, & the same Christ's body, & that realie truly and wholly, & yet the scripture teacheth he is truly, really & wholly at the right hand of his father in heaven, let wise & learned men consider, wheather this be not to make a new God of the manhood or body of Christ to give that to his manhood, which belongeth to his Godhead, of which it is said: He is in the heavens, he is in hell, and he is in the utmost part of the sea. Again when they say of the priest in consecrating (when they speak best) that he maketh the body and blood of Christ, do they not give unto him more then the power of a creature. And yet being not content with this they fear not to add and to say: Sacerdos est altior regibus, faelicior angelis, creator creatoris. The priest is hier then kings, happier then angels, and creator of his creator. Tel me if this be not to make the priest God, & more then God: for greater is he that maketh the creator, then he that maketh the creature. If any man mislike this collectiō, let him in his conscience only way this whither that by this transubstantiation, they do not make a bable or a toy in steed of God, when they can make him at their pleasure with the intent of the church: which will be as much against this article as can be, for verily if they believed there were a God, and considered what belongeth to his glorious majesty, they would not thus presume & exalt them selves and think him or his manhood at their commandment. As touching the trinity, in words they say: Firmiter credimus & simpliciter confitemur &c. we firmly believe and confess, that there is one only true God, everlasting, infinite unchangeable, incomprehensible, omnipotent & ineffable the father, son and holy ghost, three in person, but one in essence &c. this holy trinity, according to the comune nature is undivided, & according to the personal properties distinct. All this soundeth well; but alas it is but as saint Paul saith: They profess they know God but by their works they deny him. For in setting up the rood and cross in the churches and in glass windows to be crowched unto, where they make God the father like an old man, and God the son like a young mā, & the holy ghost like a dove: by their deeds they overthrow that which they say they firmly believe: For if they believed that God were exceeding all measure, in comprehensible and unspeakable: then would they not dare, to draw him out and set him forth by an engraven image, which can in no part represent his divine & infinite glory. Again how can the common people, or almost any the staydest man in the world (especially if he come with devotion to worship that image) but that in beholding the same, he shall have in his mind, an inpression, of an earthly and visible shape and likeness to be in God. and when he severally seeth these three pictures & images, how can he avoid the imagination, that these three persons in the godhead, are as three separate persons of men among us, as of Peter, James and John, which is contrary to their sayings, that this trinity in regard of the common nature undivided, as we may say in mumber to be one & the same. And this is utterly contrary to the catholic religiō, to have such a vile imaginatiō of god & of his invisible & unspeakable power as you may read in the old testament in these words: take good heed to yourselves: for ye saw no image in the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire, that ye corrupt not yourselves, & make you a graven image, or representation of any figure, whether it be the likeness of male or female &c. & in the new testament: For as much as we are the generation of God, we ought not to think that the godhead, is like unto gold or silver, or stone graven by art & invention of man. In the second article the disagreement is, that they of the sea of Rome, make not God the cause of causes; but tieth him to second causes, and that his eternal counsel respected men's works, & determined according to works forseene: and would have all men to be saved, quantum in se est, as much as lieth in him, and they say, Sicut presciuit & predestinauit quae ipse fecit &c. As he foreknew and predestinated the things he did, and gave us to do: so he foreknew only and did not predestinate, the things which neither himself did, neither required that we should do &c. without doubt all things which God forknoweth shall be, shall be done in deed, but some certain of them proceed from free will. In which you may see all these points contrary to the true faith: First, free will is made author of some things and God only forknoweth it: 2. God's will is debarred to have to do in those things he commandeth not: 3. That he decreeth only the elect, and only forseeth touching the reprobate: Lastly that his will was to save all men as much as in him was, as if they should say, if he had been able. All these do limit the hie and unsearchable counsel of him which is the cause of all causes, and setteh the will of man in the foresight of God to be his instructor; most contrariant to the holy religion of God's elect, which humbly confess unto God, in the old Testament, thus: O Lord I know that the way of man is not in him self, neither is it in man to walk and to direct his steps, and in the new, thus: Thou art worthy O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy will sake they are and have been created. Touching the third article, the conspiracy of Rome do accurse the true religion: namely If any man say that man's free will, being moved and stirred by God, doth nothing at all, work together, by ascenting to God, as he stirreth and calleth, whereby he doth frame & prepare himself to obtain the grace of justification: and again, If any man say, all works which are done before justification, whowsoeuer they be done, to be truly sin, and deserve the hatred of God, and therefore they say that It is in man's own free will & election to be a good tree or an ill tree, and again. Such works as are done before justification, though they suffice to salvation, yet be acceptable preparatives to the grace of justification, and such as move God to mercy, and again: Cum peccator facit quod in se est, meretur de congruo iustificari &c. When a sinner doth that which in him is, he deserveth of congruity to be justified, or after a sort, by the beseeming or becoming of the divine liberality. Here thou seest three things of Popery contrary to the Christian verity: First that man's heart is not altogether & universally corrupted by Adams fall: Secondly that God's grace doth but stir up and move man's free will, and thridlie by congruity the works before faith diserue and prepare unto grace and please God. And they have yet a fourth namely that; The virgin Marie was not conceived in sin. Certes all these are contrary to the true religion; which in the old Testament saith: All the imaginations of the thoughts of man's heart are only evil continually: and in the new; we are not sufficient of our selves to think anything as of our selves, but our sufficiency is of God.

As touching the fourth article, howe we are delivered from the corruption & damnable estate, whereinto we fell by Adams transgression: There be many ways and religions forged, in the great cage of Antichrist, full of unclean birds: out of which, as out of the botomles pit, come great swarms of locusts, bringing with them a mist and cloud of darkness, which hideth all godliness and true religion. But to leave out very many devises till another place, I only wish the reader, to cal to mind, the holy Eremits, Munks, Friers, and Nuns, and namely amongst the manifold broods, one Frances, and another Dominick. This latter bread the religion of the observant preaching black friers, & the former the devout host of the beggarly minorites, and out of these two many seckes of diverse rules & names of religions, who by their vow and straight observation, by them devised, set down diverse rules to subdue this corruption and to obtain eternal life, therefore they are by an excellency of speech called by the name of religion or religions, & all other are called secular, because they renounce the world, and by fulfilling of three perfections, which they observe, that is to say. Poverty, chastity, and obedience, (by which they are compared unto angels) the blessed crown, which is given unto such (as they say) they shall obtain, even the special reward of the learned, being presented unto Christ in the heavenly kingdom. And the opinion & devotion of these religions grew to be so highly esteemed of men, & their life to be so angelical, that in steed of christ & his merits, men would leave all things whatsoever to follow them; ye the very cowl & garment of Frances, was thought to be of such virtue, that some noble men, some very learned of those times, have taken order to be buried in them, yea & they are not afraid to compare him with Christ in all things. Therefore you may perceive they had forgotten the true religion & way of salvation which is in christ; in the old testament is called the seed of Abrahā, in whom all the families of the earth were appointed to be blessed, and in the new testament he is called, the way, the truth, & the life; and the rule of this religion is, that that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. Therefore here is no agreement between these popish religions, and the true ancient and catholic religion, seeing they teach many other ways to heaven, beside that which God hath taught us to be the only way for all the families of the earth to be blessed.

Concerning the fifth article, these bastardly counterfeites of Rome are more like the strange beast of Arabia and Ethiopia, then the observers of the true religion. For they greatly wound the doctrine of Christ's person under a color of honoring him, and they overthrow his mediatorship by pretence of devotion. For while they give godly honor to his body in the sacrament, and make him to be a very man under the forms of bread and wine, invisible & in all places where the priest doth consecrate, do they not make him a man in fancy, to have an heavenly body, in no part to be like a true natural man? do they not hereby make him to have but one nature which is God, or else that the manhood is swallowed up or confounded with the Godhead? for it is the nature of God and not of man to be invisible, incircumscriptible, and in many places at once: therefore instead of the seed and son of David and Abraham, they teach us to believe they cannot tell what. But as touching his office, all men know, how many mediators and intercessors they call upon beside Christ, (Though God's word say there is but one mediator) Marie, Peter, Paul, all the Apostles, martyrs and foolishly canonized Saints, are made mediators. Then against Christ's sacrifice (by whose perfection all sacrifice should cease as God teacheth) they have a new devised sacrifice for quick & dead, they have masses, diriges, pilgrimage, shrift, penance, purgatory, indulgencies, satisfaction, merit, devout observations, numbering of prayers, Auemaries, creeds, fasts, alms, works of supererogation, vows, vestementes, crosses, tapers, relics, shrines, ointinges, coniurings, and I know not what other trumpery, and beggarly rudimentes of this world, by which they would make perfect the works of Christ's mediation, for our redemption righteousness and salvation. Which the more they be abundant and overflowing, the greater is their disagreement with the true religion of God: which teacheth in the old testament, thus: God laid upon Christ the iniquity of us all, namely, that he was wounded for our transgressions and broken for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. And in the new testament, thus: The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin. Now if Christ blood cleanse us from all sin, and by his stripes we be healed; alas what need we make so much ado? why do we forsake the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world with the sure mercies of David, and seek after vain things in which there is no help? why should we commit these two evils to forsake God the fountain of living waters, and to dignity unto our selves pittes, even broken pittes, which will hold no water?

In the sixth Article, the opposition is plain and apparent, for although they whom Christ teacheth say, that all righteousness taught by works is but dung in comparison of the doctrine of righteousness which is by faith only: yet they of this whoorish Babylon deny it, and make faith with hope and love the formal cause of our righteousness, they make an inherent righteousness: And affirm directly, that a man is not justified by faith only, but also by works. Is not this a very great disagreement, where as the true religion teacheth the Church of God to say: as in the old testament, thus; Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall none that liveth be justified. And in the new testament thus, There is no difference for all have sinned, and are deprived of the glory of God: and are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood &c.

In the seventh Article, there are three contradictories of the lying & erring multitude of Rome, unto the true religion. For they say that Concupiscence in the regenerate after baptism is no sin, although they confess Saint Paul calleth it sin. 2. That there is nothing in him displeasing God, but he is pure, innocent and immaculate. 3. A justified man can keep all God's commandments. If these men had learned and believed the true religion, they would not dare to speak so directly contrary to truth, seeing God teacheth far otherwise. First in the old testament where the church is directed to say : We have been all as an unclean thing, & all our righteousness as filthy clouts. And in the new testament, If we say we have no sin, we deceive our selves and truth is not in us. Which two places being spoken of the people being by the sacrament of initiation (or Baptism) entered into the Church, do show plainly that original corruption is a sinful matter in the flesh of the regenerate, by which they are made unable to do any one work perfect, much less to do all God's commandments at all times, in thought word and deed, a thing which every man's own conscience doth testify, if he be not too much besotted with the looking upon his fruitless peacockes tail. In the eight Article they make additaments, namely that good works are also causes of the increasing of justification, and truly deserve eternal life and increase of glory, and that the observing of the commandments of God and the Church, are the condition of the promise of eternal life, to which the justified man is bound if he will be saved. By which while they rob Christ of his merits, and give more honor to the corrupt life of man, and less to the redeemer, and lay another burden upon Christians, then that which God layeth, and such as no man can bear: they lead themselves so far from religion, that either by a vain hope of that which is not, they forsake their own salvation: or else by a grievous desperate down-fall, finding themselves (as the truth is) unable to fulfill the condition, they lay themselves open to everlasting perdition. But God alloweth no such additamentes, where he teacheth us in the old testament to say unto him: Thou art my Lord, my well doing extendeth not to thee. And in the new, When ye have done all those things, which are commanded you, say we are unprofitable servants &c. And the condition of fulfilling the commandments, is called a yoke which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear: and if it were possible to do the commandments, yet the holy Ghost te •• eth us, that if righteousness be by the law, then Christ died without a cause.

Against the ninth Article the Romists do diversely oppose themselves, showing themselves to be of no religion. For first they add the commandment of the church, making it equal unto God's written word, saying: They which receive not indifferently their Canons, they profitably effectually and to purpose hold or believe, neither the catholic faith, nor the four holy Evangelists. They add moreover, that all the decretals & constitutions of that sea, yea though it decree things scarce to be borne, yet must they be borne with a godly devotion, though there be (as they say in one book of decrees) above 3000. Again, they say that Traditions pertain to faith and manners, and that they do receive and embrace them with equal godly devotion and reverence, as they do the holy scriptures. Lastly they set the Church before the scriptures, as that by it the scriptures are so far made known to all Christians, as they are not bound so to take them, unless by the authority of the Church they knew them. And that the authority of holy scripture dependeth and hangeth upon the judgment of the universal or catholic church, and that there are many unwritten verities left by Christ and his Apostles to be believed and obeyed under pain of damnation. Here is the mouth of blasphemy, if we may believe the undoubted word of God, how he teacheth us to esteem of the holy scriptures and of the Church: for in the old Testament he saith: To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. And in the new: The holy scriptures are able to make thee wise unto salvation &c. Let then every wise man judge, that if the scriptures be able to make a man wise unto salvation, and that there is no light (that is to say knowledge of truth and godliness) in them, which agree not to the holy scriptures, what canons, decrees, decretals, traditions, or unwritten verities, can have any authority, unless they agree to the written word of God? or that they can contain in them anything not written in the scripture, which is of necessity to salvation, or which not to do or believe is damnation. Again, how can the scriptures take their authority from the church, seeing that the church is of no light, unless it be found agreeable to the scriptures: and therefore no church except it be approved by the scriptures, and so the scripture is judge over the church and not contrary. And if (I say) the scriptures can make a man wise unto salvation: it is the greatest folly in the world to clog the people of God with so many thousand of needles, canons, decrees, decretals, traditions, and unwritten (falsely called) verities, and so make the light and easy yoke of Jesus Christ most heavy and burdenous. If these diuilish blasphemies were true, alas who could be saved? For who was ever found that did or could do all the foresaid Canons and traditions? Therefore in them is fulfilled which is said by the Lord of Hypocrites, They bind heavy & grievous burdens not to be borne, and lay them on men's sholders: but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. Let us abandon therefore these painted sepulchers and enemies of all true godliness, which burden God's house with such great volumes of new laws made by men, contrary to the true faith & religion: when God telleth us expressly that his law written in his word, is perfect and converteth the soul, and that to it nothing is to be added or taken away.

In the tenth Article, the contradiction is manifest to the whole world; for all men see that they restrain the word Catholic to one place, and that the whole Church should be ruled by her square, & the whole universal world made catholic by one city: whereas one city cannot be the universal church of the whole world, which containeth the meanest and smallest part of the whole. Besides this, they do not hold & profess the only true & catholic faith, but do most earnestly, fearsely and cruelly persecute Christ & his members, & stand only upon vain titles of antiquity, universality, visible succession, & other false grounds, which are common to all the wicked & pagans, & which notwithstanding their brags, cannot be found in their synagogue and profession. And as is their faith, such is their preaching, man's traditions and devises, altogether strangers from the life of God: & their sacraments (as they handle the matter) are not only full of unclean mixtures, but also perverted & without authority from God. All which, to him that considereth, will be found true, in the examination of the articles going afore & following after: namely that they have nothing (in doctrine or practice) of the nature of the true Church of God, nor yet those visible marks which do indeed & truly show, discern and make known the true church and chaste spouse of Christ.

In the eleventh Article there need but few words, for when they worship the Rood and other idols, relics of Saints and the sacrament, and when they pray to the virgins Marie, to the Apostles, and all canonized Saints of that sea: every man may by & by perceive that they worship not God only. And if they would shift us off with their blind distinction of Latin doulia & hyperdoulia, it is not the daliance of terms that can help the matter, except the word of God made such a difference. Again, they themselves teach, that latria, which themselves say is a worship due and proper to God alone, may be done and might lawfully be done to these: namely, to the trinity of the persons divine, to the three Angels whom Abraham saw, to the done appearing upon Christ, to the voice of the father, to the words of the holy scripture, in as much as they proceed from God, to the manhood of Christ united to his Godhead, to the cross of Christ, to the image of Christ, to the sacrament of the Eucharist, to the garments, nails and spear of Christ. If here the proper honor and worship of God be not given to creatures, and that these things be not disagreeing to the holy and ancient religion, allowed by God: I know not what is. Let it be tried by that which God saith in the old testament: Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. And in the new Christ speaketh in the mind and meaning of the old: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

In the twelfth Article there are many disagreementes of Romish superstition and idolatry, from the true catholic religion. First in the general nature of a sacrament they add a further power, namely that the sacraments contain grace, & give grace, and that of the work wrought, yea and this always and unto all, on the part of God; and that without them, or the vow of them a man doth not receive of God the grace of Justification, and that the intent of the Minister is required, at least according to the general intent of the Church. In which are two manifest cut-throats of the nature of a Sacrament: for by containing grace &c, understanding that grace is in the outward sign, and so by the only outward ministry, as it is wrought by the Minister grace is given: this maketh it more then a sign and a seal of the covenant, and giveth that to the outward sign & work wrought of man, which is due to the spirit of God. And secondly the necessity of the Priests intention is made an efficient, bearding & outfacing the institution of God: as though that the being of the Sacrament, depended not only and wholly upon God's ordaining and institution, but that it must have the intent of the minister, to make it a Sacrament. And here they are to be understood of the Sacraments of the new testament: therefore let us hear how God in the new law of the gospel doth teach the contrary. For he applieth the virtue of both Sacraments to the spirit saying: By one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Grecians, whether we be bound or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit: therefore the power is not in the outward sign or work, but only in the spirit, because that, the diversities of gifts come of the same spirit, and he distributeth them to everyone severally as he will. And as for the Priests intent, he saith in the same chapter. There are diversities of operations, but God is the same which worketh all in all. If then God work all, where is the ground of the Priests intent, and if the spirit distribute as he will, where is the work wrought, &c? There is yet a third addition, namely that they lay upon these sacraments, the grace of justification, which God saith evidently, is imputed to faith without any works, even as Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness. Secondly, for the number: the presuming sea addeth five, matrimony, orders, confirmation, penance, & extreme unction, not one of them having the true nature of a sacrament, for they are nowhere ordained and commanded of God to any such purpose, except we would childishly say as they do, namely that he ordained confirmation, when he laid his hands upon children, and said, suffer little children to come unto me, and orders when he said: Do this in remembrance of me, & penance when he said to leapers: Go show yourselves to the Priest, and extreme unction; when he sent his Apostles to anoint and heal the sick, & that he made matrimony a sacrament when in the womb of the virgin M. he would join our nature to the divine, in the unity of person, &c? So might we make a multitude of sacraments, making of clay to heal the blind, his stooping down to the ground to write, washing his Disciples feet, and many such like. Thus might we play the fools with Guilhermus Durand in his rationale diuinorum, turning all things into mysteries, & make trifling and profane sport, with the school men, turning upside down the true sense of holy scripture, by allegorical, moral and anagogicall interpretations, and when we have done; come as near the meaning of God, as the east is to the west. But if they be sacraments ordained of God for his Church, they ought to bring forth the commandment of God, such as is for Baptism: Baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the holy Ghost: and for the Lord's supper. Do this in remembrance of me. Secondly, let thē show out of God's book, the sign in penance, and the rest that they pertain, to the general covenant of grace and promise of Christ. As that matrimony is anymore but a similitude or allegory, or that confirmation was anymore but the taking of the children unto him at one time, to bless them particulerlie, or that orders is anymore but for the grace of the estate of the ministry: & their unction was but for the body that they might live, and not for the soul at the very point of death: therefore here is great presumption to father upon God, their own beastly inventions. Thirdly, in that which is special in either of the two sacraments they commit very great absurdities, by most ridiculous & idolatrous additaments. First, in Baptism, they thrust in a strange Catechising & a filthy exorcising. In the first they put the finger in his ear, to signify that his ear should be apt to hear God's word, and spit in his mouth, that he may be prompt to speak of faith. 2. He crosseth him in his breast, that in breast & mouth he confess the faith of Christ, & cross him in the forehead, that he be not ashamed of the faith of Christ. 3. He putteth salt in his mouth, signifying wisdom. His filthy exorcism is to conjure the devil that he depart frō the soul of the party to be baptized, & give place to the holy ghost. And in baptizing they make three other crosses in declaring whereof, I am lost to defile this paper, they are so foolish & so greatly derogatory to Christ's holy institution: for on the one side they dash baptism out of countenance, with so many goodly shows & uses: and secondly they blaspheme God to conjure, especially in the place & time of God's worship: but one bable I may not omit, that they give baptism such a power to make a spiritual cosonage, namely, that it hindereth matrimony & breaketh a contract. See here if Antichrist presume not as God, nay above God: for they make that unlawful, which God hath made honorable among all men, & put asunder thē whom God hath coupled together. But yet there are more abominations, & heretical presumptions. For in the sacrament of the Eucharist, they amende the sign, and put water to the wine: secondly, they take away one of the signs from all the communicants saving him that maketh the sacrament: thirdly, they drive away both the signs altogether by their fiction of transubstantiation, & set in the room thereof (if we may believe them) the body, soul, & Godhead of Christ, that very body which was borne of the virgin Mary, & crucified under Pontious Pilate, and so being changed they give godly honor unto it, they lift it up and carry it in procession, and hold it forth to be publicly worshipped of all men, they offer it up for a sacrifice for the quick & the dead, and keep it very devoutly in the pix, to be ready at all times to comfort them that need. Surely it should seem that Christ & his Apostles were but children unto those, both in wisdom and in power. For they never once dreamed of these things, and being matters of very great importance, it is marvel they never had leisure to commit at the least, some of them unto writing, that it might be found in holy scripture: but being not found there, they have their holy traditions of equal reverence with God's word, or else the plenary power of their Apostaticall sea, sufficiently to warrant whatsoever, to them whom God hath given over to believe lies. This is the profoundnes of Satan, good Lord God, and merciful father, keep it ever out of this land, that it never deceive thy people anymore. First the mingling of wawith the wine is brought in upon three goodllie reasons. 1. Christ is thought to have done so: 2. water came out of his side: 3. water in the Apocalypse signifieth people, therefore it showeth the mystery of union of the faithful people with Christ. Loe here a forgery of a new mystery, why might they not put in nails or stakes, that might signify the fastening of Christ to his people, because the preacher speaketh of such a mystical fastening. If men may add thus upon conjectures, and set Anathema and a curse (as they do) upon all that consent not; how shall we find the measure of truth? or how shall they avoid the curse of God, which saith: cursed is he that addeth to this book. But alas poor men how little effect this devise hath brought forth? For by and by, as soon as it is a sacrament, (for before the words of consecration, as they call them, it is no sacrament) the wine is clean gone (they say) where is thē their new mystery? How can they represent, which have no being in rerum natura, in the world. Again, how can it signify this to the people, when they keep it from them, and bless them with the empty cup. This is a second presumption against the express commandment of Christ, which saith: drink ye all of this, and they drank all of it. Thirdly in transubstantiation, see how many monsters they feed. First we must believe there is no wine or bread though we see them and taste them, though they have the same quantities and qualities, and effects they had before, though they corrupt and putrefy as before, and we must believe that Christ, God, and Man, is under those forms, quantities and qualities, though we can see, hear, or feel no form, quantity, or quality of a true or natural body or man. Here is a monstrous mā, which if you look upon him is all over covered with a little round piece of starch not surmounting the greatness of a man's hand. Here be all the properties of bread and wine, and their natural operations, but they are not bread nor wine, but a man; here one subject hath accidents, and essential qualities of another subject. And accidents are and have a being, without their true substance & proper and natural subject. A body which is a thing circūscriptible, and by the divine law of God's creation & providence is always, and can be but in one place at one time; is here made and set in diverse places, & yet still one & the same, and that at one time: in heaven and earth, at Constantinople, at Jerusalem, at Rome, at Carthage, & everywhere. But how cā they shift here, the making of God to assume these forms (as they call thē) into the unity of his person, that so God & man & the forms of bread & wine make not one Christ; for by their doctrine these forms have no being, but in Christ, & Christ is under thē. I quake to write it, yet say they, we must believe this change, for nothing is impossible to God. They must not so blind our eyes: for it is impossible to God, to have already done that which he never did, nor never will do, such is this transubstantiation of theirs. It is impossible for God to deny himself, such is this transubstantiation, it is impossible for God to lie: such is this transubstantiation. Again, how can this be a sacrament when the outward signs be gone, and a remembrance of him that is present? but rather that himself is the sign of himself, & a remembrance of himself present, neither yet is this so: for we cannot see him, feel nor understand, how he is present, that he might be a sign or a remembrance of himself, but a third thing is present, the accidents or forms of bread & wine, this is a new learning to teach Christ and his Apostles to go to school, nay this is the monster of all mōsters. Teach we the Indians that this is the God of the Christians, may they not think rather, the sun or moon more likely to be God, & to have a more express majesty of a God? may not the devil laugh in himself, that he hath so far passing measure, bewitched the wise and grave learned mē, to believe that which a child may easily perceive to be mere folly. Infinit is the blood that hath been shed to maintain this fancy: and who would not willingly spend all the blood in his heart, rather thē to yield to such blasphemy. But the devil is not herewithal content, but that he might lead thē every way as slaves, in triumph against God and his Christ: he maketh thē to worship these forms and host (as they call it) and carry it about in procession, that all men might adore it as God. And this they build upon these words of Christ. Do this in remembrance of me: for by them (as they say) the Priest hath power, to make a sacrifice propitiatory, and then being turned into God (they say) it is meet and fit that he should be worshipped, whom God bringing into the world, commanded the Angels to adore: But herein first they gainsay the Scripture, which teacheth the end of all sacrifices by the Priesthood of Christ, as is by many arguments proved from the sixth till the eleventh Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews; Secondly, when they cause it to be worshipped, and yet God instituted it to be taken and eaten only; what do they but pervert the ordinance of God? and they say we must worship the sacrament, or else Christ in the sacrament. If they say the sacrament then they cannot say Christ, because he is not the sacrament, but the sacrament is a sign of him; or else the sacrament is no sacrament. I so they say in the sacrament, thē they say nothing; because that by their doctrine, there is no such thing; but only the forms of bread and wine, for the bread and wine, is turned into Christ's body and blood (as they say) and so there is nothing left to be the sacrament. Yet if it were so as they say: what man can appoint a new form of worship, to be performed unto God, without his express commandment or authority? For Christ saith that all such worship as is by the precept of men is in vain. And lastly consider how this can agree, when they offer the sacrifice, they desire God to accept that sacrifice, again, when they show it the people, they cause them to worship it, a strange and new kind of God, that must be prayed for, and prayed to. But howsoever, it is a manifest thing, that the popish sacrament and sacrifice, is not the same which Christ instituted, and therefore not of the exercises of the true Catholic religion. For if Saint Paul, when there was among the Corinthians but a little abuse, in the mixture of eating, in the congregation at the time of the celebration of the Lord's supper, whereupon there was discontentment between rich and poor: if I say hereupon he called them to the plain and simple institution, saying: I have received of the Lord that which I have delivered unto you &c. And therein addeth nothing to that which is written in Matthew, Mark and Luke: what doth he infer, but that it should be observed without all additions: and therefore upon this ground forbiddeth their eating in the church. What would he have done, if he had seen such swelling boils & filthy bunches, standing up so abhominablie, as these Romish additaments, which altogether take away the very form of Christ's institution? This showeth how little these men have of the gospel of Christ: the teachers whereof are enjoined to teach the church to do, whatsoever he commanded. And to keep this commandment, without spot and unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore we are not bound to follow them any otherwise, but as they follow Christ.

In the thirteenth Article the sea of Rome is directly contradictory, to the Christian religion. For they say: Et si missa contineat populi fidelis eruditionem &c. Although the mass contain great instruction of the faithful people, yet it seemed not convenient to the fathers, that it should be celebrated everywhere in the vulgar tongue: And their mass book, which containeth prayers, celebration of sacraments, reading of holy scriptures, &c. is set forth to be used in the latin tongue: But saith one of that side: Sciendum quod missa tribus linguis &c. It is to be understood, that the mass is celebrated in three languages, that is to say, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. For Alleluya, Amen, Osanna, Sabaoth, are taken of the Hebrew. Kyrie eleeson Christ eleeson are taken of the Greek, all the rest are Latin. The mass is said in these three manners, because the title of Christ hanging on the cross, was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Where you may see three strange things to be done of these holy fathers, first to celebrate that in an unknown tongue, which containeth great instruction to the faithful people: as if it were meet in their eyes, that the meat which was good, and appointed for them, ought to be kept out of their sight. Secondly, that this order must be learned of Pontius Pilate, who put Christ to death a very good an Apostle, for an Apostaticall Church. Thirdly, this is expressly repugnant to holy scripture, which saith, Let all things be done to edification: and that, he which speaketh in a strange tongue should keep silence in the Church.

In the fourteenth Article they be also contradictory to the truth. And first touching matrimony, they have three degrees of contradiction. First absolutely forbidding all preestes and ecclesiastical persons to marie. Secondly, they forbid marriage certain times in the year, as in Lent, &c. And thirdly take upon thē to dispence with the order of God in Leviticus touching the degrees of kindred prohibited, & also to add and ordain moe degrees to be prohibited, which God hath not forbidden: And whosoever doth maintain the Christian liberty herein, they pronounce him Anathema, accursed. Forgetting what God said to Peter, That God hath purified, pollute thou not: and that Christ the head of his Church hath the key of David, that openeth and no man shutteth &c. Wherefore seeing that Christ hath made marriage honorable for all men: and that by his ordinance, To the clean all things are clean: do they not herein bewray their apostatical presumption to challenge authority more then ever Peter durst even above Christ: when they make marriage dishonorable in certain times and persons: and dispence by giving liberty, where Christ forbiddeth: and making restraint where he giveth liberty. Now in the authority of the magistrate, how unlike the Pope is unto Peter every man seeth: For clean contrary to all religion and honesty he taketh upon him not only to be universal Bishoppe above all Bishops: but also universal ministerial head in earth, above all power and potentates, kings and Emperors, that is above all that is called God. Therefore we need not use many words in this place: seeing the Pope usurpeth that which Christ himself never did in his own person, neither gave to any other after him. For he meekly submitted himself to the civil power, saying directly, My kingdom is not of this world: and forbidding others he saith, It shall not be so among you.

In the fifteenth Article the disagreement by addition, that where the true religion by holy scripture have this hope of the bodies rising at the last day. The sea of Rome teach another arising: namely of the soul out of Limbus Patrum, out of purgatory, and out of Hell, before that great day of judgment come. As first that Christ descended into Hell, & delivered the fathers some out of Limbus, some out of purgatory, which had lien there till that time. And that in hell a man may suffer part of his temporal penance, which being ended he is free from thence: and therefore they pray in their Mass: Domine Jesus &c. O Lord Jesus Christ deliver the souls departed &c. Which dreaming additament of hope concerning the dead bewrayeth it self, to disagree from the Christian religion: in as much as God doth teach men, that after death the faithful do only rest, till the last day. First in the old testament, thus: He shall enter into peace, they shall rest in their beds. Thou shalt rest and stand up in thy lot at the end of the days. And in the New Testament: Blessed are the dead which hereafter die in the Lord: even so saith the spirit, for they rest from their labors. If they rest, and that till they stand up: then no translation out of Limbus, Purgatory, or Hell. And if they rest, then no penance in hell or purgatory for the faithful. Therefore I may conclude in this place, that the popish superstition hath very little or no affinity with the true ancient and catholic religion, but it hath very many great & intolerable disagreements from the same.

CAP. II. Of the disagreement, that popish superstition, now taught in Rome, hath with the religion which Saint Paul taught the Romans, and with the doctrine Saint Peter taught the Jews.

I T will also appear how new the superstition of popery is, if we find they keep not the doctrine of the blessed Apostles and founders of Christ's Church, Saint Paul and Saint Peter: upon which two they father all their authority and doings, and call them founders and protectors, and patrons of the church of Rome. If then they be fall̄ from the faith, which these two holy Apostles taught by the spirit of truth, they must needs be accounted upstarts & of an apostatical new borne generation. Mark therefore (good Reader) and consider. Saint Paul taught the Romans, that it was an hethenish wickedness, to turn the glory of the incorruptible God, into the similitude of a corruptible man. The sea of Rome that now is, clean contrary to that doctrine, doth make images to represent the Trinity, and to represent God the father, by the likeness of an old corruptible man. The doctrine which Saint Peter taught the Jews, saith that Christ was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, to be crucified and slain, by the hands of wicked men. The sea of Rome that now is doth say: that God did only foresee, but not determine or ordain anything which he commandeth not: and it is certain he commanded not the Jews to crucify Christ, therefore in these two points they agree not with Paul & Peters doctrine. S. Paul taught the ancient Romans, that The wisdom of the flesh (that is to say, the knowledge and will of man as it is infected by original corruption, before we be regenerate) is enmity against God, and that it is not subject to the law of God, neither in deed can be. And the doctrine of Peter to the Jews is, that we are borne again as new borne babes, showing that without the spirit of God we have not one good thought: But these new Romistes say, that man's will only stirred up by the grace of God, can prepare it self to the grace of justification, and doeth works of congruity pleasing God, and worketh together with the grace of God unto merit and deserving of salvation, S. Paul taught the Romans, that they which are in the flesh (that is the unregenerate) cannot please God. And again, They have all gone out of the way, they have been made altogether unprofitable, there is none that doth good no not one. And he openeth himself else where saying: The Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having their cogitation darkened, being strangers from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them &c. that is to say, their ignorance is so great that they cannot do anything but sin, which he confirmeth by this maxim to the same Romans: Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Therefore his doctrine to them is this that, by their exceeding ignorance the unregenerate did nothing but such as was sin in God's eye-sight. These late Romistes do accurse this doctrine of Saint Paul, and all them that say, that all the works of the unregenerate to be truly sin. Saint Peter taught the Jews, That there is salvation in none other (meaning none other but Christ) for that there is given none other name under heaven, whereby we must be saved. These degenerate pretenders of Peter, place salvation in others, as in merits, satisfaction, and works of supererogation: and say there be other names by which we must be saved, as diriges, religious orders and vows, pilgrimage, pardons, relics, and many other names by them devised. Saint Paul taught the ancient Romans, that Christ died for our sins, and rose to make us righteous, and being hereby justified of God, nothing can be laid to our charge, nor condemn us. By which it appeareth that the obedience and suffering of Christ, was the perfect working of our salvation. These bastard Romans do say, that we yet need the sacrifice of the Mass for quick and dead, and that the doing and fulfilling of God's commandments and the Church, is the condition on our part. S. Peters doctrine saith that all the faithful are an holy priesthood, To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. These counterfeit successors of Peter, add a new devise, saying: that their priests have an especial office, to offer up sacrifice, namely their Hoste. S. Paul taught the old Romans, that Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, to make intercession for us. These declined Romistes say, that the virgin Marie, Peter and Paul, and the Saints are intercessors for us. Saint Peter taught the Jews: that he the said Peter was an elder as other elders & ministers of Christ, and that such elders should not be Lord's over God's heritage, but that Christ was the chief shepherd. These stately prelates make themselves Lord's of sea and land: disdaining at the low estate of the Apostles and elders of the primitive church. Saint Paul taught the Christian Romans, that A man is justified by faith without works. These Antechristian Romans say: that by doing good works a man is just and justified, and not by faith alone. Saint Paul taught the Christian Romans that, Concupiscence in the regenerate was sin, and though he did will that which was good, yet he could not perform it. These Antechristian Romans do say, that concupiscence is not sin in the regenerate after Baptism, but only left for the spiritual battle to be resisted. Saint Peters doctrine to the Jews saith, That we must do good works to show forth the virtues of God, and to glorify him, and to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. The new learning of these men is, that we must do good works, that we might win heaven thereby. Saint Peters doctrine to the Jews saith, That the Gospel is the word of God by which we are borne again, that it is sincere milk, and commendeth unto them his own and also S. Paul's epistles. And S. Paul taught the faithful Romans: That God promised the gospel before by his prophets in the holy scriptures, and that God commanded that it should be taught all nations by the scriptures of the prophets. These Romans of the new learning, do say: that the scripture cannot teach all the gospel, but we must learn somewhat touching faith and salvation by tradition, canons, and the magisteriall power of the Church, and equal these with holy scripture, to teach that which cannot be found and learned in the written word of God. Saint Paul taught the Romans the universality of the Church, when he said, there is no difference between the Jew and the Grecian; for he that is Lord over all, is right unto all that call upon him, & S. Peters doctrine agreeth thereunto, where he saith: God is no accepter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. These late builders place the Church in the city of Rome, and call it the Catholic Church of Rome. S. Peters doctrine to the Jews, saith, that he prayed and blessed God, and that the Christians should fear God, and offer spiritual sacrifices unto God. And S. Paul taught the believing Romans, by his own ensample in diverse prayers, and by a general example of the Church in these words: whosoever calleth on the name of the Lord, &c. that they should worship and pray to God only: These new deuisers give this honor of God, to Saints, relics, and images, and teach men to serve, worship, and pray to them. S. Paul taught the Romans of the Primatiue Church, that after justification by faith, the sacraments are signs to seal the righteousness of faith: and S. Peters doctrine to the Jews saith, that Baptism saveth us, but not by the outward washing away of the filth of the flesh, but by the spirit working in our hearts a good conscience to God. These new forgers of doctrine and sacraments, make the sacraments in the work wrought to contain & to confer grace, and to justify together with faith, and that without baptism there happeneth no justification. Saint Paul and S. Peter, wrote both in the Greek tongue, which was fittest for all nations to learn God's word, and wheresoever they gave instructions, they did it in that language which might best be understood of the people: but these new religion makers, deliver instructions, & teach men prayers in an unknown tongue, & give them images to be their books. Saint Peters doctrine touching marriage appeareth, that he being an Elder, had a wife, as the other Apostles, & laid no other burden upon Elders but to feed the flock of God: and yet these new law makers forbid marriage, to the which Peter called elders. S. Paul taught the Romans that every soul should be subject to the higher powers, and S. Peter commandeth submission, to all manner ordinance of man. But these proud usurpers, take upon them to dispence, with the oth & obedience of subjects, bringing all superior power under their servant, the Pope of Rome. S. Peter taught to resist the devil steadfast in faith: these afterwitted men teach us to do it by conjuring, by crosses and by holy water. Saint Paul taught the first child of the Romans, that in meat and days, men should not judge and condemn one another: these men under the name of the Church, forbid and command, judge and condemn men, in meats and in days, and that under pain of damnation. S. Peter taught the Jews, that we are kept by the power of God, thorough faith unto salvation: these mē say, that faith without hope & charity cannot perform it. S. Peter would have every man grow in the knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ, and to be so far instructed in the gospel, that he might be able to give a reason of his faith. These Antipetrians would have men to content thenselves with ignorance, & to believe as the church believeth, & by this color that ignorance is the mother of devotion, they keep the common people frō knowledge of the scriptures. S. Peters doctrine doth say that the heavens must contain Christ, until the time that all things be restored: & S. Paul taught the Romans, that Christ is at the right hand of God: yet say these shameless forgers, that Jesus Christ, very God, and very man is really & locally, (by the intention of a Priest uttering certain words, which they call consecration) is in the sacrament (as they cal it) of the Aulter. Saint Peter taught the Jews, that it was a tempting of God, to bind God's people to keep the law, because it is a yoke that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear. These presumptuous backesliders do say, that it is a condition of our salvation and righteousness, to do the commandments of God and the Church, & that a man is able to fulfill the commandments of God. Saint Peter forbad Cornelius a Captain of a band, when he fell down at his feet, and worshipped him, saying, that he himself was a man, and being directed and commanded by our Savior Christ, he paid tribute and pollemonie unto Caesar. But the Pope the counterfeit successor of Peter, refuseth no kind of honor even to the kissing of his feet, done by Kings or Emperors: and taketh tolle and tribute out of all lands whom he can make his vassals and underlings. Saint Peter in the good works which he did, renounced in plain terms, his own power and godliness, and labored by all means to set forth the name of Christ, that Christ only might be glorified. These filthy changelings have no end in advancing the power of Peter, and therein of the name, authority, and glory of the Pope. Saint Peter neither having nor taking upon him any sovereignty above other Apostles, or above any estate, was sent by the Apostles at Jerusalem, to do some Apostolical work in his ministry, and S. John equally with him, and he obeyed his brethren, submitted himself to give an account of his doings, for his going to the Gentiles, and gave place to James to determine the controversy, touching circumcision, and the law of Moses to be imposed upon the Gentiles, & had no greater title in the counsel, nor in any place of scripture, then Simeon, Peter, or Cephas, servant and Apostle of Jesus Christ, or Elder. Also he acknowledged the same authority in Paul over the Gentiles, which he had over the Jews: and therefore he meekelie suffered reproof, for his weakness, at the hands of Paul, and with all patience and joyfulness took stripes, with the rest of the Apostles for the name of Christ. The Pope his pretended successor taketh upon him far otherwise, namely the Primacie above all Bishops and Patriarchs, above all Princes & Magistrates, and maketh Cardinals and Archbishops his Ambassadors and Legattes, disdaineth to give an account of anything, and taketh upon him to confirm all counsels, and to annihilate, whatsoever is concluded without his consent and authority, entitling himself Bishop of Bishops, chief Pastor & head of the universal Church of Christ. He is so far from being reproved, that he will judge all men, but himself be judged of no man, and that his determinations must not be reasoned nor disputed upon: and not only over the Jews, but also over all nations he usurpeth authority, and is so far from meek bearing of reproof or stripes for the name of Christ, that he raiseth up sedition, rebellion and cruel wars against the lawful superior, & putteth down Emperors and Kings for his own name sake, & maintenance of his own pride and usurped jurisdiction. In all the story which is in the new testament concerning Paul and Peter, we have not one word, that Peter should be head of the Apostles, much less head of the universal Church, or over Princes: neither is there any direct, or indirect collection to be made out of holy scripture: that if Christ had given him such authority, the same should have descended and gone to his successors. And if to his successors, yet it would be doubtful, whether Babylon, or Samaria, or Joppa, or Jerusalem, might not be the place of succession: for at these places, it is expressly said, he was and remained. And as for Rome, there is great reason to think, that he was never there, or at the least some very little while, and if he were there at all, yet never was he Bishop of Rome. First, it is clear that S. Peter kept at Jerusalem till the conversion of Saint Paul: which was sometime after the Apostles had begun the planting of the Church of Jerusalem, and the Martyrdom of Stephen the Deacon. Then three years after Paul visited Peter at Jerusalem, and fourteen years after that he communicated with Peter, James and John at Jerusalem; and then after this was Peter cast into prison by Herod, after the martirdom of James the brother of John, after which time Paul met with Peter at Antiochia. Now many years after it was before that Paul was taken at Jerusalem and sent to Rome; whether when he came, the holy story maketh mention of the brethren, that came to meet Paul, hearing of his coming near unto Rome: and that Paul being committed to a Souldior to keep, communed with the Jews, and for two years space remained in an house hired for himself, and received all that came unto him and preached the kingdom of God: where there is no mention of Peter, who being so worthy a person, no doubt it is likely, that in all this space the Evangelist would have said somewhat of him if he had been at Rome. Now if as the stories say he and Peter died, the 14. or 12. year of Nero which was about the year of Christ ascension 70. there might be as some calculate 37. years of Paul's preaching, from which diduct some 18. years before he went to confer with Peter, James, and John, and add the time that James was slain at Jerusalem by Herod, and after that the time that Peter was at Antioch; and lastly those many years before Paul was taken and brought to Rome, and his being there two years, all which may easily make up the other years, and way there withal, that as some think his coming captive to Rome Acts 28. was the eleventh year of Nero, then join hereunto, that he wrote from thence as some think, the Epistle to the Galatians and to the Ephesians, making no mention of Peters being at Rome. But in the Epistles to the Colossians, and Philippians, where it appeareth plainly that Paul was at Rome in bonds, and had Aristarchus his prison fellow, he maketh mention of Caesar's hoshold, Tychicus, Onesimus, Marcus, Luke and diverse others, & there is no word of Peter. Again his second epistle to Timothy was written from Rome, when he was now ready to be offered, and the time of his departure (out of this life) at hand and he had finished his course: he showeth that no man assisted him in his answering, and there he maketh mention of Linus, Eubulus and Pudeus and diverse others, and telleth that Demas had forsaken him, and Luke only was with him. If a man ought to prefer the credit of the holy writings of God, before other stories, we may here plainly gather, that rather Peter was never at Rome, or else it was a very little while: For doubtless if Peter had suffered with him, he had either been his prison fellow, or else some way with him as Luke, and not Luke only, and he would as well have assisted Paul as resisted Simon Magus: therefore it is not without great reason to think that Peter was never at Rome. Moreover add hereunto, that he being an Apostle over the circumcision that is to the Jews, and Paul to the Gentiles: and then staying so longe at Jerusalem, and after at Antioch, and last of all as himself testifieth being at Babylon, he wrote to the strangers, that is, to the Jews in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithinia, And in his second Epistle, when he knew his time at hand, to lay down his tabernacle (that is his life) seeing that in all this there is no mention of the Romans, nor scarce of the Gentiles, so that he seemed precisely to attend upon his Apostleship over the Circumcision, there can hardly be any good reason to prove he ever was at Rome: but that he was Bishop of Rome no reason at all. For seeing his Apostleship was over the Circumcision they offer violence, that will draw him to be Bishop of Rome, considering that one may trace him in the scriptures, until the time almost of his death, and no mention made of his being at Rome, nor of his care over the Romans: his abode & his Epistles are directed to the Jews. Further, if we consider how unfitting it is for an Apostle to be a Bishop of one city, who was equally to go to all places, and to preach in all places (as indeed he travailed to many places) to lay the foundation, with the other Apostles, of Christ's Church, and secondly how unlikely it is that such should have successors, to whom it belonged to see Christ, to be called only and immediately by Christ, from whom only the commandments of Christ should be taught to all nations, to whose working it was adjoined to do wonders, & to speak with strange tongues, & whose work especially was to lay the foundation. If the Pope can show such marks of his succession, he were the more to be borne withal. But seeing the holy Ghost hath altogether neglected that sea, and hidden the life of Peter from appearing in Rome, under the light of his inspired writings: it seemeth unto me, and I am verily persuaded, especially upon the consideration of the doctrine before examined and compared, that the good spirit of God would in no wise be accessory to this great folly and Antechristian and diuilish apostasy, of the papal pride and new devised and usurped primacy of the synagogue of Rome that now is, and hath been in a consumption even fourscore years. Praised be God, who hath withdrawn our shoulders from that most grievous burden.

CAP. III. Of the agreement of Popish doctrine with all kind of heresy, where it is compared, how the popish heresy, resembleth the ancient heresies of the primitive age of Christ's Church.

H Auing shown the newness of popery, in that it disagreeth with the ancient religiō of God, his prophets and Apostles: and namely with that which Paul taught to the Romans and Peter to the Jews. It will be another evidence of their late arising and breeding, if it be made apparent, how they agree with the heresies, which sprang up in the Apostles times, and in those few ages following, which came nearest to the Apostles, both in years and doctrine. And this is in two arguments: First in the matter and form of doctrine, and secondly in the order and course of time. For if they have no better matter or form of doctrine then heretics, and rise up in the later times as heretics did: then it must needs follow that they are not of the true ancient catholic religion, but of a new upstart, heretical pravity and superstition. And first let us see in this Chapter, their agreement in the form and matter of doctrine. Andiani heretics about Anno 338. began to be known, and after them Anthropomorphitae, creapt out of Monkish rudeness: affirming that God was like unto the image of a corruptible man, having arms, feet, and ears, and other members like to a man. And there is another heresy opposed unto Sabellius, which some call Tritheitae or Triformiani, Anno 370. which make the three persons in the trinity three God's, like as we account and know, Robert, Richard, and Nicholas to be three men. So the Papists not in words, but in deeds do the very same: for in their rood, crosses and glass windows, they engrave or paint the likeness of God, like the image of a man, and the three persons like two several men, an old and a young, and like a dove. And when they give the virgins Marie power to make men gentle, chaste, and of a pure life, they have too much resemblance unto the heretics called Melchisedechiani, who thought that Melchizedek was the power of God. And what odds in substance of matter is there between them, and the Simonians who hold Simon Magus for a God, or as it is in the Acts of the Apostles, the great power of God. For they say, that our harts and inward repentance, be open to the Saints, and that they can hear our prayers and help us, be they near or afar of. Which to do doubtless is not of any creature but only of God. Now when they make saints, patrons of people and countries. What do they else but as the Tetratheitae, make many God's? As Mahomet the heretic ordained that it should be death, if any man disputed against his pestilent laws: So the Popes canons forbid any man to judge or dispute of the decrees of their (falsely called) Apostolical sea. The Pelagians deny predestination altogether and the papists deny it in regard of the reprobate. The heretics Basilidiani tie predestination, to works foreseen: and so do the papists. The Priscilianistes tie men's actions to the government of the stars, and the Manichees make two beginnings, one good and another bad: unto which two heresies the papists seem to lean, indeed (though not in word) when they shut out God's decree from ordaining, & his providence from administering and ordering anything which he commandeth not: & that God regarded what man's free will would choose in such things. For either they make man's will a first cause or chance or the stars, or that evil beginning. And so by their assertion there will be something of equal power with God, as another beginning & first cause of evil things, wherein God meddleth not. Touching free will & original sin, Pelagius said, that grace is given unto men, that they might the more easily fulfill by grace those things which they are cōmanded to do by their free will: so the papists say, that free will is but moved & stirred up by the grace of God, & worketh together with his grace. The Pelagians say that a man without grace may do all the commandments of God: and the Papists say that it is in man's own freewill to be a good tree or a bad. The Pelagians say, that the grace of God, by which we are delivered, is given unto us, according to our merits, so the Papists say: when the sinner doth that which is in him, he deserveth of congruity to be justified. As touching the recovery of man out of the damnable estate of sin, all heretics had their several heresy, wherein they put their trust, and despised all other, and the true way of salvation which is by Christ. So the church of Rome as compact of all heresies, hath diverse new means of recovery out of damnation, and many religions, as of friers monks and Heremites. The Turkish Mahomet had his Alcoran, and the papists have their canons, decrees and decretalles of the church under pain of damnation. There were certain heretics called Messaliani & Euchetae, who attributed all the power of the salvation of their souls unto prayer & supplications. So have you with the papists, certain prayers, Auemaries, creeds and psalms to be numbered up, for the souls both of quick and dead. And another sort of heretics called Heracleonitae, are said to redeem their fellows and associates by oil, balm, water and prayers. So these Romistes have holy water to fright spirits, and as their mass book saith: they exorcise (or conjure) the salt (which is put into the water) for the salvation of believers and that it should be to all who take it health of soul & body. They have also extreme unction, where with ointing & prayer they promise the very like unto a man, that is at the point of death, which the Euchatae did. The Simonians called Simon Christ, the Sethians Seth. The Ophilae and Manichees, the serpent, Elcesaitae made two Christ's, and many more are to be found of like heresy: So the papists have many mediators or Christ's: The virgins Marie, the Apostles, and I cannot tell how many Martyrs and Saints, to whom they fly as unto mediators. There were heretics called Artotyritae so called of their offering: For they offered up bread and cheese. So the papists have the host of bread, which they cal the form of bread, which they offer up for a sacrifice. The heretics called Ebionites, Cathari, Donatists, Pelagians & diverse others held justification by works, and not by faith only, and so do the papists most earnestly. Heretics called Hierarchitae said that little children pertain not to the kingdom of heaven, because there is not in them any merit of the combat or striving, by which vices should be overcome. So the papists hold that concupiscence is left for the combat to strive withal, that their actions might be the more meritorious, and they pronounce damnable sentence upon children unbaptized. The heretics called Iouianistes (as Saint Agustine saith in his younger days) did hold, that a man could not sin having received the laver of regeneration, (that is to say Baptism.) So the papists say, that after Baptism, concupiscence in the regenerate is no sin, and that there is nothing in him displeasing God. The donatistes affirm of themselves that they live a perfect, righteous, and angelical life. So the papists say a regenerate man may do all God's commandments, and their religious men live a seraphicall and angelical life in their orders. Concerning the word of God, there were heretics called Appellitae, which blamed the holy scriptures, with very painful and earnest reprehension. So do the papists call the scriptures a thing without life & dumb, and like a nose of wax, that may be drawn every way, having no certainty without the judgment of the church. The heretics called Pepusiani, made Christ author of their filthy revelations. So the papists make him author of their unwritten verities. And as the Tacians, Manichees, & Mahomet, equal their devises & traditions unto the holy scriptures, so do papists. And as papists prefer the authority of their Church before the holy scripture, so these allow so much and so far of holy scripture, as serveth for their purpose & devised wickedness. And as the heretics called Nazarai, did confirm their dotages by revelations & false miracles: so traditions & much ragged stuff in popery, be made warrantable by miraculous operations & apperitions. The heretics aforenamed Pepuziani do send all men to a city in upper Phrigia called Pepuza, naming it the celestial Jerusalem, & the city whereof the prophets spake, as though there were no other heaven. So the papists cal us to the church of Rome, as though the universal Church were tied to one place, out of which there is no salvation or way to heaven. As concerning the worship of God, Simon Magus the root of heretics, caused his own image and of his harlot to be worshipped of his disciples. So the papists set up images of their canonized Saints to be adored. Angelici were heretics which worshipped Angels. So the papists have a special mass of the Angels, & pray unto Angels. Marcellina companion of these heretics, called Carpocracians, worshipped the images of Christ and Paul, &c. So do the papists. Collyridiani worshipped the virgin Marie the Sethians worshipped Seth. The Abelonites worship Abel, and diverse others do the like according to their sect. So the papists according to their sect, pray unto all their canonized Saints and worship them. The heretics Armenij worshipped the cross of Christ, and so do the papists.

Concerning the sacraments, the heretics called Donatists, measure the power and effect of the sacraments, by the dignity, holiness, and hand of the minister. So the papists assign the power of the sacraments to the work wrought of the priest, and that the intent of the minister is necessary to make it a religious action. And as the papists permit women to baptize, cloistering their holy and religious nunnes. So their progenitors the heretics Pepuziani, admitted women to the ecclesiastical ministry: and the Marcionites taught that women might baptize. The heretics called Messalians say, that the force of baptism pertaineth only to the signs: and so do the Papists. And as the papists in Baptism, have salt, spittle, crossing, and other annexed ceremonies with coniuration, by which it is as it were changed into a new thing. So did the Simonians and Marcitae old heretics their natural fathers, defile and in a manner blot out baptism. In the Lord's Supper the heretics Aquarij were not content with the two outward signs of bread and wine, but added also water. So do the papists mingle water with the wine in the cup. And the Marcitae aforesaid professed that by words and incantations, they changed the wine in the cup, into the blood, and bring the grace of God into the same cup: so the papists profess that the sacrament is changed by their words of consecration and conjuring into the very body & blood of Christ, and that grace is contained in the sacraments. And here they resemble the Apollinarians which made Christ's body to be heavenly and not earthly: for the papists say, that it is the body of Christ, though it be not seen felt nor heard: and they are like the Marcionistes which accounted Christ's body fantastical: so these will have men believe the sacrament to be his body, though it have no quantities nor qualities of a body. And they are like the Timotheans, which confound the two natures of Christ: and the Euticheans, who affirm the human to be swallowed up of the divine: and to the Nestorians, who make his manhood equal to his Godhead. For the papists say, that the same body or man is in heaven and in earth, and that in as many places of the world at one and the same time, as it is or may be at once consecrated & made by their priest, which property of being in many places at once is not of the nature of man, but of God: therefore herein they are near in affinity with these heretics? The heresy of Vincentius Victor, hath this amongst others, that the sacrifice of Christians (that is the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ) is to be offered for them, which being not baptized, are departed out of the body: So the papists have their sacrifice for the dead. The Manichees refuse the old testament, and partly mangle and curtoll, and partly cast away the new: So the papist, though in words they acknowledge both, yet in truth they refuse both keeping them from God's people and reading them in a strange tongue, that the people cannot understand, which unto them, is as good as if they were cast away. The Heracleonites, make a superstitious calling upon God, with strange and unusual words, especially to drive away devils: such is the mass of the papists all in a strange tongue, and their exorcisms are of the same fashion. The heretics called Taciani, Origeniani, Hierarchita, Saturniani, and diverse others, make marriage an unholy and unclean thing, and of the devil, and shut it out of their congregation: So the papists not only prefer a single life before marriage: but also with such like terms, make it as an unclean thing not meet for their priests; and allure both men and women to the vow of chastity, as a purer and holier life, then matrimony, and therein they are also like the Eustachians who despised the married priests. And as the papists have their Friers, Monckes, and Nuns of a strange and differing habit from other men and women, and that servants upon a vow may leave their Masters, and some of these vowed persons, profess the renouncing of wordly riches, and worldly doings, to walk a more near course to heaven: so these heretics the Eustachians, had their differing habit from other men, servants by this habit despised their Masters, and ritche men which did not renounce all which they possessed, were accounted without hope towards God, also these heretics counted the eating of flesh unlawful even as the papists do. And as the papists forbid flesh and as they call it white meat, so their graundfathers the Manichees abstained from flesh eggs and milk. And there were heretics which put religion in going barefoot and therefore called of some Nudipedants: so are the franciscans and others amongst the papists of such religion. The donatistes deny the magistrates authority in matters of religion, and namely in punishing of heretics: So the papists shut out the magistrate in causes ecclesiastical: and as the papist give the pope the primacy above the magistrates in all causes, and at their pleasure put them down with their great curse: so these their predecessors the heretics called donatistes, do most vilelie rail against magistrates, & beat them down with menacing words. These donatistes had many vile things in them, wherein they fitly father the papists, they were circumcellions and counterfaited an austere life, like the popish monks, heremites and friers, living in caves and selles. They ran upon Christians whom they met or came by, even as we read of rhe papist in France in our days, most cruelly murdering God's beloved Saints. And as the papists have their coniurations of their holy waters and Agnus dei and exorcisms in Baptism: so these wicked donatistes with those abominable heretics called Basilidians and Eunomians, had their enchantments and coniurations: These filthy heretics the donatistes, together with that horrible heresy of Arius, did so far account themselves the holy and catholic church, that they would baptize again them which were of the true church, making thenselves only the catholic church: And there were other heretics called Apostolici, that is apostolic, which so termed thenselves, because they thoght thenselves more apostolic then others, & namely because they received not into their communion, married persons & such as possessed goods proper to them selves. So find we among the papists these unmarried persons & religious without propriety of goods: & the papists call themselves the holy mother church of Rome, the Catholic and apostolic church: and are in deed very like their fathers these heretics, having in deed no more but the name of the holy catholic and apostolic church: banishing from them, and by fire and sword persecuting the true religion and doctrine and faithful members of the holy catholic & apostolic church. But what should I endeavor to show all the popish stock, linage and kindred? what near affinity they have with Judaism, in plenty and manner of ceremonies, traditions of elders, meritorious righteousness, and feigned holiness? what bastardlie conformity they have with all pagainisme, in innumerable idols, and sorts of religions and in sundry patrons of saints and God's of countries and nations? what perfect consanguinity they have with Mahumetisme, making up (as it were) one entire body of Antichrist: engendered bread compact and compound of all heresies, religions, superstitions and rudiments of this world whatsoever: by east and by west, raising up wars, seditions and all manner of vilaines, to put down the glorious and blessed name and gospel of Christ, by their own Alcorans, laws, decrees and 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 decretals with innumerable forgeries; that they them selves may reign as the chief prophets of GOD and head of his church? Only this one thing would be remembered, that after Anno domini 600. these two monstrous twins, began to come forth into the open sight and light of the world, and to show them selves blasphemous against God and his Christ, being engendered with the cursed seed of Satan, and of a long breeding in those former heretics, even from the Apostles times, of which times and generation it is said by Saint Paul, the blessed servant of Christ: The mystery of iniquity doth already work. Therefore one of their own popes, Gregory (whom they call) the great, the first of that name and Pelagius his predecessor, resisted most mightelie John Patriarke of Constantinople: for presuming to take unto him the name of universal patriarch, priest of priests, or Bishop of Bishops: affirming that he which so did, was the forerunner of Antichrist. And so indeed it fell out, for it was not long after, that Mahomet came forth in the East and began to supplant the church of Christ, with his abominations. And pope Boniface the 3. (which in a few years after this Gregory) got this universal title of Bishop of Bishops, and so began Antechrists first birth, in the open eyes of the world. And these two brothers, have since grown to their perfection; and the more they have grown, the less hath been the honor and name of Christ, and the knowledge of his gospel amongst the sons of men. Till now it hath pleased God of his gracious goodness and free favor, to make them known what they are, and by the breath of his mouth to consume thē; Now the glory of Christ crucified and the truth of his gospel beginneth like the morning light, to take hold on the corners of the earth. The Lord our God and merciful father, be blessed and praised therefore. Amen.

CHAP. IIII. Of the original of popery. Wherein is declared, 1. that by the precedent Chapters it may appear to be of a late birth. 2. That neither the difference os calculation in stories, nor forging of writings nor managing of good authors do hinder the knowledge of their new birth. 3. Their own toongs and traditions prove popery new. 4. Many particulars are rehearsed out of popish authors, and the former counsels. 5. Five foundamentall points more largelie examined by antiquity. 6. The latter ouergrowing, and lopping, and daily now sprowting of popery. 7. That popery is not yet a perfect body of his fulshape proportion and members.

N Ow am I come to the arising of popery, how it therein agreeth with heresy. For if it may be plainly and directly shown, how popery had his beginning (both in regard of the author thereof, and of the time wherein it bread and came forth) diverse and a disagreeing and separate from the true religion, whose authority and time came from God: & that it is of a later generation and offspring: then every wise Christian, will readily see and acknowledge, that it is borne in these last times, with other filthy heresies, and that it cannot be the true ancient & catholic religion: but new borne and late vpstarted superstitious and counterfeit like as she that pleded for her self to be mother of the live child, was found by wise Solomon, to be in deed the mother of the dead child. And this by gods grace I doubt not but to make manifest, to every honest man, who will not willfully blind his eyes against the known truth. And this I may so much the more boldly affirm, because that unto him that marketh it well, it doth already sufficiently and plainly appear, by that which is written before. And that by four arguments of great demonstration, in my conscience. First because that the true religion is the same which is now in England, and this is proved to have been from the beginning of the world by God's ordinance set forth in holy Scripture, and because by the learned men of this lande it is evidently taught and defended in the chief and main heads thereof, out of the fathers for 600. years after Christ's incarnation, and by history known to have remained in the Greek church, and in diverse partes of the west till our time. Secondly because the religion of Rome is directly contrary and disagreeing thereunto. And thirdly that they follow not the doctrine, taught by Saint Paul and Peter, and lastly that they agree with the heretics of the primative Church, and be as it were compact of many heresies which sprang up in the first 600. years, which four things being apparent in the former Chapters of this book, there needeth no more to prove, the new learning of popish superstition, to be of a late offspring and generation.

2. Howbeit I will here add a fifth argument, which is this, that popery may be shown how it is risen up, without God's authority, by men, how, where, and when since the pure times of the blessed Apostles, and founders of Christ's church and religion; yea and that in most of the particulars. Wherein my purpose is not, to enter so far as might be spoken; (for I cannot make in so short a room, an exact treatise) but only as briefly as I can conveniently, so far to show the Christian reader, as he may sufficiently see and perceive, that popery hath his original from men and not from God, & that it came up since and under the Christian religion; like unto the Iuie that cometh up after the oke and taketh hold thereon, and by little and little so ouerspreadeth it, and covereth it from the sight of men, that we can scarce see or discern the oke. And here I am to advertise the reader, that history writers and reporters of antiquity differ much in these causes about the times: so as the cronologie writers find themselves encumbered, howe to set down the certainty in many things: yet notwithstanding though the authors disagree about the certain time, yet the matter is made undoubted, when they all agree that it is found out, to come in after the Apostles times. Wherein I make choice, to take our testimony from hearty and unfeigned papists, that the truth of this cause, may the more appear when themselves cannot but yield, unto us sufficient warrant and proof of their new borne superstition. They have two great helps to maintain the antiquity of their folly. First the authorising of counterfeit writings, such as are the decretal Epistles of Clemens, Anacletus and others of the primative Church, which not only disagreeing in style and matter from the times they pretend, but also telling of those things and persons, which were many years after, do very much argue, that when the papists, are fain to run under the shadow of such muddy and unsettled Wales of forged authority, their foundation is not so deep, in their own conscience, as they would bear the world in hand. Their second help is; that they proine, pare, and loppe, and engraft the writings of ancient fathers and others, teaching them by a new devise called Index Expurgatorius, hatched in the late Counsel of Trent, to speak as they think best, for there sea of sin, and to hold their peace where they like not of their sayings. If they may thus authorise false witnesses to speak for their purpose as they list, and gagge the toonges of the true witnesses, they can speak no further, but as they give them leave: then may every simple man see in them, that an evil conscience, findinge themselves to have no antiquity of truth, doth cause them to invent shifts to color and cloak their wicked forgeries and new devises: by which they have many years abused God's people. But GGD be thanked (who bringeth the hidden and secreate things of the wicked unto light) he hath confounded their wisdom, that all this doth not hide their filthy and earthly generation. For the prophesy of Saint Paul concerning such perverse and cursed speakers, which have a show of godliness, but have denied the power thereof, is now in the eyes and knowledge of all men come to pass: For he saith: They shall prevail no longer for their madness shall be evident to all men.

3. And this verily is brought to pass by the righteous judgments of God, causing their own tongs to take them, and making the counsel of the wicked to be foolishness. Mark therefore and consider how they confound the glory of their inventions ad devises. Martinus Peresius Aiala, a Bishop and a very zealous papist, seeming to have taken great pains in reading of antiquities, writeth a book of traditions, dedicated to Phillip king of Spain, where he calleth the inspired scriptures of the word of God: Dead incke in the holy books: and affirmeth that if we should follow only the holy scriptures (which he calleth a pestiferous opinion) Christian religion and ecclesiastical policy should utterly be destroyed: avouching beside the canonical scriptures another kind of doctrine, called Tradition, the head & seed plot (as he saith) of almost all controversies between us, and if herein we agreede, all discord now in religion would quickly cease. And in this book he maketh three fountains of traditions. First they call divine authority, that is, such as Christ (in their devise) instituted & delivered which were not laid up in the scriptures: the second fountain they call the Apostolical mastership, where they have traditions, some in the canons Apostolical, & some in holy men's writings: the last fountain is the mastership & authority of the Bishops & most of all of the Roman Bishops, which they also cal the mastership of the church. Wherein is a power as they say to judge and determine what is canonical scripture and to make diverse laws and ecclesiastical discipline. And this last giveth power to all the rest: for here (as they say) we know which is the true word of God, here the authority of decretalles is made firm, and this being a gift and privilege, that cannot err, is of that autenticall authority (if we believe them) that no man must once reason against it. Out of these fountains they draw their traditions, of the rites of Baptism, of confirmation auricular confession and penitential satisfaction, the tradition of order and his rites, the fearful sacrifice of the alter transubstantiation, prayer for the dead, communion under one kind, purgatory, extreme unction, worship and intercession of Saints, worship of relics, images exorcisms, Lent, fasts, single life, vows of chastity and such like. In handling of which traditions he giveth us a rule, to discern human traditions from divine saying: Traditions which are not good, are either contrary to the law of God, and are very near occasions to sin; or derogate to the glory of Christ; or they are frivolous, burdensome and of no profit. If it be lawful for us to follow these three rules, we shall easily prove popery to be no good tradition, but a mere human invention of their own. For the first rule: I having before shown that all their popish religion, is contrary to the religion which God taught Abraham, Moses and the Prophets taught the Jews, and Christ and his Apostles taught all nations, and contrary to the doctrine which Paul taught the ancient Romans, and which Peter taught the Jews: it must needs follow, that these traditions, being (as they confess, not found in holy scriptures) cannot be good: if the first part of their rule be true. Secondly, if it be of the nature of the scripture (as we have proved) to contain all things necessary to salvation, and some of these, as their dreadful sacrifice of the mass, rites in baptism, confirmation, purgatory, prayers for the dead &c. are (by popish doctrine) necessary to salvation, and yet are not to be found in holy scriptures, then it followeth that they are contrary to the law of God, when they stand up to show themselves available to salvation: because they falsely accuse the scripture, not to contain all things necssarie to salvation: yea they accuse the scripture of a lie: when it saith, They are able to make thee wise unto salvation, and that the man of God may be perfect and absolute unto every good work. But what can be more contrary to the law of God then to make his inspired word written to tell a lie? Here then by their own rule fall down their traditions, forged upon Christ and his Apostles, and presumed by their Church, and if the scripture be true there can and ought to be no such thing: and therefore of necessity by their own doctrine, these are but devises of men & traditions not good. Now for the second part of this first branch of their rule, where they say that the naughty traditions, are very near occasions of sin. These traditions break that rule also. For beside that they are all sin, in that God never commanded them, and come under that check: In vain they worship me, teaching for doctrines man's precepts: they can never deny by any good reason, but that by these traditions they give occasions of sin many ways. As in Baptism, men cannot discern the true work of Baptism for the multitude of ceremonies, unto which are given the very power and operation of Baptism, by the sacrifice of the mass, relics, images and praying to Saints they are led unto sin, being directly against that commandment, which saith, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve. And their vows of chastity and single life give occasion of all filthiness, buggery, and murder, and sodomitrie. But if in these traditions there be a direct and particular contradiction to holy scripture, then where is their foundation? as for example, the holy scripture saith, There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin: they say the sacrifice of the mass is for the quick and the dead: the holy scripture saith it is a doctrine of devils, to forbid meats and marriage. These traditions make priesthood, vows and holding the child at Baptism to hinder marrige, and that Lent and ember days must not see any flesh and that for conscience sake. The scripture saith thou shalt make no image nor worship them, and they say thou mayest and oughtest to worship them. And there are a great many more, as is before apparent to be seen, whereof I thought good to give the reader a taste, that he might the better remember what hath been before written. For the second part of the rule, to know a naughty tradition, to be of men, and not of God: they say it is naught, if it be derogatory to the glory of Christ: I pray you look upon all and every of these traditions, and you shall find that they are set forth for merit and remission of sins, for satisfaction and justification. All which as is before proved, are the glory of Christ, because there is no other name given under heaven whereby a man may be saved. These being new names challenging that which belongeth to him, cause men to give his glory unto others. And therefore by this rule, seeing they derogate from the glory of Christ, they are no good traditions, but mere inventions of men, not sufferable in the Church of God. Lastly, they are frivolous and burdenous &c. which is the third part of their rule to know traditions to be of man, do but look upon the number. If one book can show us 3090. decrees, whereof most of them be of these traditions: and that there be besides these in decretal and extrauagants, I cannot tell how many thousand more, then how can they avoid the name of burden. And as for their profit if we may judge by holy scriptures, which teacheth that Christ by himself purgeth our sins. What profit can there be in any or all of these? except we may say, that Christ hath not purged our sins. But their own conscience telleth them, there is no need of them. As for example, when they can say of all the rites of tradition in Baptism, that they are not of the essence of Baptism, because that without them Baptism may be well given in case of necessity: which having as great a warrant as any of the rest, we may verily conclude, that they are all but frivolous, and superfluous, ouerspreading outslippes of men's devises. What shall we then determine of this goodly popish trash? but that they cannot be ancient & autentical after God's word seeing they cannot agree to their own rules, whereby they would prove them to be of God. Therefore that is most blasphemous, that they call the word of God, as it is in the holy books, dead incke in comparison of their tradition, unless it be warranted by tradition, and understood in the sense of the mastership of their church. We are then come thus far that popery is a tradition, not written with dead incke in God's holy books; but some other kind of doctrine, which by their own rules cannot be found worthy the name of a good tradition: and therefore a mere devise of man's foolishness, that is to say, very fables much displeasing and abhominable in the holy eyes of almighty God.

4 Now let us look into the particulars. Here come the reverend Canons of Colen, who in the general joining with this great clearke Peresius, in many things cry with him: Traditum est, or traditum tenemus, that is, it is a tradition, or we hold it a tradition. And this they do, where they are to show their original: and in deed it is an easy matter to maintain any foolish or wicked thing by such a devise, yet are these learned men of Colon content to tell us one or two originalles. First they say, It is true that Christ gave the Sacrament to his Apostles under both kinds of bread and wine, and that the church observed that order a long time after: therefore they teach us that to keep the cup from the common people is but new learning. So also they say their holy days reckoning by name 22. to have been celebrated above a thousand years, which yet they cannot say to be enjoined the Church, but by a counsel of Lions which they can hardly show, or by Gregory the ninth about the year of the Lord 1210.

There is another very learned man devoutly given to the sea of Rome, called Johannes Stephanus Durantus, who having taken great pains in a book Deritibus ecclesiae, dedicated to Pope Gregory the 14. doth mightily labor to show the ancient original of the popish worship and service of God, searching authorities both old and new, yet is he fain to sing the same song with others of Traditum est, and to allege many corrupt and partial authors. Howbeit he is an help to us in many things: that we may know by their confession, that they worship God in many things by the precept of men. Namely that in the gospel, and unto the time of Irenaeus priests were called Presbyteri & patres, that is, elders, and fathers. Secondly he can tell us, that Lactantius lib. 6. cap. 2. and after him the counsel Elibert cap. 37. And Jerome against Vigilantius, have taught men to deride the use of candles in the church, namely, that they taught, that to light candles for the honor of martyrs, appertaineth unto the ignorance and simplicity of secular men, and of religious women, which have indeed a zeal, but not according to knowledge. He would have us know that Zepherinus the 16. Pope ordained a dish of glass to say mass in, and that Urbanus the 18. Pope made them of gold. And the corporal to be of linen to wrap the body of Christ, he will have us think to be ordained by Eusebius. And as for the reserving of the host, he would have us to believe the late Counsel of Trent, to have good cause to affirm, that the custom is ancient, reaching to the Council of Nice: though himself cannot find it in the council, nor in Gratian but only in Rufinus. As for baptism he confesseth that in the beginning it was used simply in rivers or fountains: but process of time bringing forth more honor to religion these goodly fontes and ceremonies, now used in the Church of Rome, by degrees came up. Also notwithstanding this he would have us think that Alexander the fifth Pope from Peter, did command water sprinkled with salt to be blessed, to sprinkle the Christian people withal. This man would have us fet the hallowing of bells at the Synod of Colon under Pope Julius the first, Anno 338. that the devil might be made afeard by the noise of belles, calling Christians to prayers. The worthy name of the mass he telleth us out of Burchades decretals, to be very ancient, even from Euaristus the third Pope of Rome. Concerning the sacrifice of the mass, the first strength he would have us take out of the Canons, falsely termed the Apostles, and out of the council of Nice, and of diverse fathers, because they make mention of offerings and sacrifice: Who in deed have no such meaning, but only use these terms by allusion to the old law, to signify our thanksgiving and memory of Christ's sacrifice in which sense it may be called an offering or sacrifice: but you should not find them say that their priest did really and truly offer up unto God his son or the whole man Christ, under the forms of bread and wine for the quick & dead: therefore this is but a new devise of their own. Howbeit his first invention of public mass he layeth upon the counsel of Carthage about Anno 389. and the private mass as they now use it, when the priest alone doth communicate, he would have us think (though he show no reason) to belong before Gregory's time that is An. 606. yet if men believe him, this mass public and private is but new learning, as he teacheth it, whereof neither Christ nor his Apostles can be proved authors, but men who lived after their time. Hereof it is, that although he boldly affirm, many patches of the mass to be ancient even from the Apostles time (which no man that reverenceth the holy Scriptures as he ought, can do in such manner as he doth) yet is he willing to teach us the beginning of some of them. Namelie that the confession, which is made in the beginning of the mass is of a doubtful parentage, whether of Damasus or Pontianus. But Gloria in excelsis he saith Talesphorus 7. Pope from Peter to have ordained: of the tract he careth not, if we believe Gelasius to be the author, or else Celestinus, and that he made the gradnale. Alexander the fifth he saith appointed wine mingled with water, and the washing of hands in the mass, he teacheth out of Thomas Aquinas a new writer, to be as it were instituted of the Church, as a certain convenient thing. The Canon of the mass, which he saith is the lawful and reguler making of the sacrament, he coniectureth to be long before S. Gregory, because that S. Ambrose (as he saith) maketh mention of Benedicta ascripta, rata, rationabilis &c. so that he teacheth that before Ambrose time, there is no proof of any unlawful and reguler making of their sacrament, and therefore it is not of God but of man: especially seeing that to a reasonable man this is but a streined proof of antiquity, Ambrose mentioneth these terms, therefore the Canon was in his time before Gregory's time, which being so I marvel how Alexander the first being fifth pope, could (as he saith) add that part of the Canon. Quipridie, when the ancient Canon was long after him: yet he gesseth that the cōsecrating of the bread round like a penny is not new, because he findeth in Gregory oblationum coronas, the crowns of the offerings, and such like sandy foundations. Leo the first he saith addeth this particle Sanctum sacrificium immaculatam hostiam. The memory of the dead in the mass, he warranteth by the second provincial counsel called Concilium Arelatense, holden under pope Sylvester, Anno 320. The preface before the Lord's prayer, Oremus preceptis salutaribus moniti, hath his testimony from the ancient time of Charles the great, Anno 880. This man thinketh that Albertus was deceived, to think that Sergius ordained the breaking of the host, he would have us look hyer, but so as we may see it was of some man. Pacis osculum in the mass, he sendeth unto Leo the second or Innocent the first as fathers perhaps thereof. That for the holy singular reverence of the mystery, the lay people should not touch with their hand; the Eucharist, but the priest should thrust it into the mouth of him that eateth it, he saith the church ordained in an odd counsel of Rhotomag, As for the canonical hours, he would not have us to believe Polidor and others which refer them to Jerome, or to Pelagius 1. or 2. but he hath found them out (as he saith) in Clement Basel and other fathers; but we looked to be shown them in the oracles of God. The vigils he would fasten upon Tertullian: and the Antiphonae, that is, singing or saying by turns and courses he fathereth upon Ambrose. So that the pope allowing this man's writing, we may believe, all their worshipping of God, mass, sacrifice, and canon, to be man's devise, earthly and devilish: a very new learning in comparison of the true worshipping of God, taught by Christ and his Apostles.

Pope Grigorie the 13. hath holpen us to the knowledge of something, by his new Martyrolege, restored (as it is entitled) to the truth of the ecclesiastical story. For there is told that Odilo abbot of Clunia first commanded in his monastery, the commemoration of the faithful being dead, to be the first day after the feast of all Saints, which rite afterwards the whole church receiving did allow, and this man died as they say, Anno 1048. And this book doth ascribe unto Mammertius B. of Vienna, the days of letanies, that is the rogations before ascension, and after him, the church universal allowed it, he lived about Anno 460. yea this legende doth father upon Pachomius an Abbot of Egypt (who died as they say) Anno 406.) the rule of Munkes, & that we may know these trumperies came of the devil they say, that he learned it at the mouth of an Angel. For so the Apostle Saint Paul teaching righteousness and salvation only by belief in Christ, chargeth us to hold him or an angel accursed, that teacheth otherwise, therefore these things come not of God.

But Polydor virgill, a very zealous patron of Romish superstition; For the honor of that sea, searched many antiquities, therefore by him we may be informed of the birth of much of this new found doctrine, and service papistical, he affirmeth that Innocentius the 3. who lived about An. 1200. did first ordain auriculer confession, to be at the least once in the yere. But he would have us think that Felix the 3. being pope An. 526. commanded that men dying, should be anointed: that is extreme vnctiō. And as touching marriage of priests he showeth how in the west, it began to cease, namely first that Syricius being pope about an. 387. forbad marriage unto priest and deacons, and that Pelagius the seconde coming almost 300. years after decreed that subdeacons should put away their wives. But Gregory the first who succeeded him, thought that to be wicked, and therefore he bound the subdeacon, to promise chastity before he were made subdeacon, after them many laws & decrees were made about this matter, yet did it never prevail, to be generally put in execution, till about An. 1074. when Gregory the 7. by great violence & labor, brought it to pass. And this is a very plain thing in all stories, that the Bishops after this time labored mightily with their priests, to make them put away their wives, and so by little and little one country after another, yielded to this slavery (as Polydor termeth it) of constrained chastity, which he auowcheth to be a shameful blot: thinking it very good that the right of matrimony might one day, be restored again unto priests. This man can tell us that in the beginning among the Apostles, all things were naked, and the mysteries simply and plainly delivered of Christ, all the order of ceremonies was naked, having more godliness then outward show or decking. But after them other increased this holy mysteries, and diverse men in diverse ages added diverse things. Clestinus made introitam missae, Gregory the saying of Curie nine times, and diverse other things, Leo the 3. that frankinsence should be burnt on the alter, after the manner of the Jews & heathen, & many other such things he rehearseth by their first parents (much like as is before said by Durantus. ) Therefore he affirmeth that the canon was neither made all of one man, neither digested into the same form that it is now, unto which if we add that of late, the mass is restored by the decree of the Counsel of Trent, & set forth by Pope Pius the fifth, we shall see that this kind of massing, which is used in the popish Synagogue is a devise of man, and of a new and variable composition. This Polydor telleth us that, that Gaius being Pope about Anno 284. did first distinguish the orders of porters, readers, exorcistes, acoluthes, subdeacons, deacons, priests, and Bishops, by which as by certain steps they should ascend to a Bishopric. Also he showeth that Cardinals, were first certain selected Priests to bury and Baptise, therefore called Cardinal because they had more special charge then others, like as we call the four winds great or cardinal winds, but after that Boniface the third obtained of Phocas to have the prerogative above all Bishops this name of Cardinal became more honorable, when such as were of that company were of the popes assistance and senate. And by little and little through the contention of the Emperors and people about the creating of the Pope, they got the prerogative and right of the choosing of the pope, and so about Anno 1244. Pope Innocent the third decreed they should ride upon an horse, with a red hat, and so they came to their great dignity, and grew more & more famous and attained that glorious estate they now take upon them: He maketh Alexander the first, pope of Rome, author of holy water to drive away devils: And Stephen the first to have ordained holy garments, and coverings after the manner of the Hebrews, where as before they clad themselves within with virtues, and took no care for outward vestures in their holy ministration. But when this man speaketh of Monks, Nuns, and Friers, which as new religions are lately sprong up in this bastardly kingdom of Abaddon, in many families, like swarms of locusts filling the Chistian world, he very honestlie affirmeth that they are not of the gospellike and apostolic life, but a new and variable manner of living. And he cuts off 400. years avouching, that Paulus, Antonius, Hilarion, Basilius, Hieronymus, and many others in those primative ages, had nothing like the popish monks and friers. They were free, and tied to no certain rule of life, after the ceremonies that now Monks observe, their garments were comely as to every man was fit: they had no bande of vows, and were free to go any wheather and might leave that order of life, if at any time they repented: and if saith he this kind of Monks might have remained unviolated, by the laws of men: we should have had at all times very holy Monks, and these were given to prayers, fastinges, watching, and study of learning, they lived hardly and exercising themselves with their hands, gave an example of well living to their posterity. But after growing into many families, and every of them prescribing a rule of life, it came to pass that the Christian people, which embraced one law and one religion, was divided into diverse sects and kinds of religion, and this came to pass (as he saith) because the monastical laws being human, did not continue long uncorrupted: First out of Benedick, which was an hundred threescore and six years after Anthony, the Monks of the order called Claniacensis in Burgandie came up, Anno domini 916. Secondly the order called vallis vmbrensis in Apenninum, Anno 1060. and the Montolinetensis, Anno 1407. & Cistercienses, Anno 1098. Then he telleth of rising of the Hieronymians, Canonic regulars, Augustinians, Catusians, Carmelites &c. After he speaketh of two new fountains of friers: Dominic and Francis, one begetting the preaching and the other begging minorites Friers whose first appearing was in the time of Innocent the third, about Anno 1215. but what swarms following there came out of these, he doth signify saying: that the common people being astonied, suspected that godliness was not so much beloved of many as ease and idleness. But of these religons I need not to speak much: seeing the papist themselves do frankly acknowledge that they are new, & we can out of them show how they rent the vnseamed coat of Christ's holy religion, into so many pieces, cullers and changes of religion, that it would require a great volume to handle their story & several descriptions, rules, habits, dissensions, rising & fallings. Yet let us learn of him the year of Iubilie, wherein the pope, giveth his indulgencies, full remission of sins both from pain & guilt, unto those that visit the holy places of the Apostles at Rome, he teacheth that Boniface the 8. Anno 1300. did first of all set forth the Iubily to be every 100. yere; but fifty yere after pope Clement the 6. established the Iubily to be celebrated every 50. yere, seeing the age of a man would scarce attain to the Iubily of an 100. years; and lastly Sixtus the 4. brought the Iubilie to be every 25. years, and this was Anno 1475. and thus then the use of pardon, which they cal indulgencies began to be of great fame. Howbeit he would have us think, that their original came from Gregory, but being not certain by any good antiquity: he maketh John B. of Rochester in a work against Luther, to speak for him on this manner. Parauenture it moveth many not to turst so much to these indulgences, because their use in the church seemeth somewhat new, and very lately found out among Christians: to whom I answer, It is not certain of whom they first began to be given, but there was some use of them as they say among the Romans in ancient times, which may be understood by the stations, and he after saith. Truly no catholic doubteth whether there be purgatory, of which notwithstanding among the ancient fathers there was none or very rare mention, and also the Grecians believe it not to this day. For as long as there was no care of purgatory, no man sought for indulgencies, for of it dependeth all the estimation of pardons, if you take away purgatory, to what use serve indulgencies; therefore pardons or indulgencies began after men trembled a little while at the torments of purgatory. So much the Bishop. Now here saith Polydor to his reader these things: by which things thou peradventure, seeing they are of so great weight, didst look for as things more certain out of the mouth of God. Here we may see, that these papists when they speak truth as their conscience beareth them witness, they can tell us that purgatory is but a new invention, and hath no certain original, and that these indulgencies and Iubilies and their after birth, are new borne babbles, never coming out of the mouth of God. Which as the same Polydor further saith, being as green corn grew by little and little after Gregory, but very many sometimes gather no small harvest thereof, as especially Boniface the 9. in whose times such pardons like other merchandise every day were sold all abroad. So far Polydor, in whose writings thou mayest read a great many more of popish devotions, to be new devised toys: some taken from the Jews, and some from the heathen idolaters: wherein they forsake the ancient religion taught by the holy writings of GOD, and follow late upstart superstition of man's devising. Now let us go to another. Platina as zealous for popery as who in his time was most, living in Rome, & in office under Pope Pius the second, about Anno 1460. in the very earnest devotion he hath to popery, showeth us most of the foresaid inventions to have risen since the time of Pelagius the second, who lived about Anno 600. in the time of Maurice the Emperor, out of whom some few things I will observe over and above the former. And first this Platina reckoneth up many things in the mass devised by Gregory the first, Pope next after Pelagius. And that he made the large supplications called the Litanies, and the stations of Rome, and namely them of Saint Peter, the day of the nativity of our Lord, the days of the kings the first sunday of the passion, & of the ascension, of Pentecost, of the nativity of the Apostle, the day of Saint Andrew, the day of the chair of Saint Peter, when they say the great Litanies &c. yea he saith he made so many works that one cannot reckon them. And if we may believe him, in this time was found out the gown of Jesus Christ, which fell by lot unto one of the soldiers, when Christ was crucified, in a village called Zaphat. For we must suppose that Christ woare durable clothing, which would not waste in 600. years, and that the soldier kept it as some holy relicke, and gave it or sold it to some Christian. But I will not trouble the reader with such babbles, only let him observe and mark that here ignorance and blind devotion began to spring, and to draw men away from the pure truth of the gospel. This Platina tells us that Theodatus ordained, that the son of the godfather, should not marie the daughter which his father held at the font: this is a new kindred. Boniface the 5. ordained that one should not be drawn out of the church by force, but the church should be a place of refuge for offenders. Vitalianus ordained organs in the church, and musical instruments. Leo the second founded the Pax, to be given the people in the mass time. This Platina telleth of a new and strange chair at Rome, called Sedes Stercorea, wherein the new created Pope sitteth and underneath the last deacon trieth him whether he be a man, which newly came up by this occasion, that Pope John 8. as he went to the Church of Lateran, was delivered of a child, and therefore the Popes after that going to that Church pass not that way, & are thus tried. Benedict 3. ordained that the priests, deacons, and the Pope, should be present at the funeral of a Bishop, to give honor to the corps, and to pray for the dead man's soul, and commanded all priests to say mass when the Pope died. In the time of Formosus, which was about Anno 890. He saith, that (he could not tell for what cause) in one time, the truth of the Emperors and of the Popes & their holiness was lost and abolished. Stephen the sixth brought up this new custom, that one Pope did undo and annihillate the doings and decrees of his predecessors, wherein the Christian reader by the way may consider that we are to believe them when they make the Popes decrees equal with the scripture, seeing themselves can so easily put down such authentical doings. And here is not to be omitted how grievously Platina complaineth in rehearsing the lives of many wicked popes about this time, calling them cursed and bastards from the virtues of the good Popes. Of John the 16. he saith, that he converted the goods of the Church to the use of his kindred, brothers, parents, and carnal friends, and of that sprang a custom, which the Popes coming after did observe and keep, that not for the faith and devotion of Christianity, but for the treasures of the Church, the Popes sought that honor, namely to enrich themselves and their friends, brothers, sisters, cosens, nephews, &c. About which time Polydor Virgil in his story of England observeth, that the Monks degenerated and the priests into tyranny, by means of their riches. This Platina can tell you that Sylvester the second came to his popedom by negromancie, and that Benedick the 8. after his death appeared upon a black horse, for hiding up money that was given for the poor. And Benedick the 9. sold his Popedom, and so also after his death appeared like a monster & horrible idol. Sylvester the third through money became Pope, & also Gregory the 6. for at this time this new learning was ruled by money and friends. Damasus the second occupied that room by force without the consent of the people and clergy: so the custom was, that the ambitious obtained the papacy. This Platina commendeth Gregory the seventh, although for that he telleth of him, he might rightly be called Hellbrand, for his presumption over his Lord the Emperor, & for his hellish and blasphemous bulls, wherein he maketh Peter his God, saying: O glorious Peter, prince of the Apostles, incline thine ear & hear thy servant, whom thou hast nourished up from his infancy, & preserved & kept from the hands of his enemies, unto this present time &c. And in his statutes, (a little after) he describeth the man that doth as appertaineth to a Christian, by this: To fear God & S. Peter. And in another curse he saith to Peter & Paul: I have not chosen you, but you have chosen me, & laid this most grievous burden upon my shoulders, &c. By these and such like he uttereth words of great dishonor to God, & maketh Peter in virtue & power & worship equal to God & Christ, which are new broached errors, & fearful in the ears of true Christians. And such as Peter would earnestly have detested, if he were alive who rebuked Cornelius in a less matter. And Paul would have rent his clothes & said: O men why do you these things, we also are men subject to the like passions as you are? He can tell us also of Urban the second, that he began the wares against the Sarasines and Turks. And that from thencefoorth the chiefest labors of Popes, have been in wars for Peters patrimony, deposing kings and Emperors, and translating of kingdoms and dignities. Out of which goodly root there sprang up the bloody factions of the Guelphes, and Gibellins, Florentines, Venetians, Genenois, Cecilians, &c. The Romans refuse to obey Urban the 4. And these garboiles grew so strong, that the Popes were fain to be nonresidents for seventy & four years, beginning at Clement the fifth, until Gregory the eleventh. Then out of this engendered another new thing, a schism of nine and thirty years, wherein were someime two sometime three Popes at once, till the council of Constance. And so this time in wars canonizing of Saints, breeding and enlarging of pardons and many other trumperies continued until the time of Luther. Here I ouerskip Boniface the 8. with his two swords, and his angels be set in the night to persuade Celestinus to surrender his pope seat, and John 23. a deuisor of new things, he would make and vnmake, Bishops of Abbots, and Abbots of Bishops, new canons & dignities in the church, and by and by in another fashion. And thus have they handled the religion of Christ. Like unto a potter, turning his wheel, who maketh the clay now of one fashion and now of another, that no certainty of truth and ancient godliness can be found in that sea. But as the Prophet Isaiah saith, Your turning devises shall it not be as the potters clay? If we read the wars, sedition, tumults, bonfires, massacres, rebellions, treasons, murders, and all manner of hurly burly: between Pope and pope Cardinal and Cardinal, between pope and Cardinals, Emperors, kings and people, between city and city, subject against their Lord's, and one nation against another. From the first arising of Hildebrands fire which he brought from hell until our time, which have been raised, procured, maintained and continued by that wicked generation, we may well say of them as the prophet Isaiah speaketh of the wicked The wicked are like the raging sea, that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

But he that would read Clemangis, Sigebert, Aeneas Siluius, Sigonius, Mathie Parrisius, and other such writers which lived in those times, shall find a great many more monsters, new borne in the church of Rome, then in this short treatise I am able to set down: yet for the further help of the reader I will lead him a word or twain from these story writers to the Counsels. If happily we may find some of this new brood of popery by them. The Nice council, summoned by Constantine the great, consisting of 318. Bishops out of all the parts of the world ordained (according to the custom of the church in those days) that the Patriarch of Alexandria and of Antioch, should have the like authority in their Bishoprics as the Bishops of Rome in his. This was as Gratian saith the first general counsel. Therefore when the pope is gotten to an higher presumption, he is in this respect of a new religion. About this time the counsel of Ancyra condemned those ministers, that did account flesh unclean and abominable. And the counsel of Gangrena a little after calleth them Anathema acursed, which condemn a man for eating flesh in faith. But this late counsel of Trent and Synagogue of Rome, do command abstinence from flesh upon reward or vengeance of God, and their practice of severity in punishing such for heretics, as eat flesh in days by them devised and canonized, we well know and remember. The same council of Gangrena doth accurse whomsoever, that put difference between a married priest or any other touching the service in the ministry: and also such as for virginity sake judge marriage abhominable. But all men know that the Romish Harlot is of a new learning, putting more holiness in single life and vows of chastity, especially in their priests, then in honest and honorable wedlock. A counsel at Antioch somewhat after ordained, such to be cast out of the Church, which entered the Church and heard the scriptures, and did not tarry to receive the communion with the rest of the people. And the like you may find to be the order of the church in ancient time, in the counsel of Agatha, a city of France. But now our new synagogue hath devised a private mass, that the priest should bless the people with the cup, & make them to worship his idol, and he himself eat all alone. A council at Laodicea, judged that the gospels and other scriptures were to be read on the Sabbath days; and that of the unlearned there ought not to be said in the Church, psalms made and vulgar (which as I judge were balads) neither to read books which are out of the canon, but only the canonical books of the old and new testament, and there they reckon up the books which we hold for canonical. But we know that the Romish Apostasy hath afterward brought in legends and other Apocrypha writings, to justle out the holy scriptures of God, keeping them secret in an unknown tongue. The 4. counsel of Carthage saith: Mulieres baptizare &c. Let not women presume to baptize. But we know by what devise the sea of Rome have brought in women to baptize. In the sixth counsel of Carthage, wherein was S. Augustine Bishop of Yppo, and Legate of the province of Numidia, it was tried and found out, that it was not (as Boniface Bishop of Rome would have usurped) lawful by the council of Nice to appeal to Rome, out of other Bishops provinces, but that they saw most wisely and justly, that all business was to be ended, where it was begun, neither should the grace of the holy spirit be wanting to any province whereby equity might be wisely seen of Christ's priests and constantly holden. And after that the Mileintane counsel forbad all people to appeal over the sea out of their province, but only to the counsel of Africa & the primates of their provinces: and who so did otherwise should not be received to the communion in all Africa. But we know that since that time, the pride of that wicked whore of Rome hath usurped jurisdiction, over all lands, that by any means they cold bring under their feet, & receive appeals from whom soever; insomuch that we read of a Synod in England, An. 1391. which because many were vexed for causes which could not be known at Rome, ordained that the authority of the pope of Rome, should stretch no farther then to the Ocean sea: & that who so appealed to Rome; beside excommunication, should be punished with loss of all their goods & perpetual imprisonment. In the same counsel of Mileintane, It was decreed against Pelagius: that without the grace of Christ we can do nothing, and that every man should know he hath sin in him, as saith Saint John Epist. 1. cap. 1. and that in many things we sin all, and that we must confess with the Psalm, enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no mā living be justified which thing is opened, by an Epistle of Aurelius B. of Carthage, unto the Bishops of the province of Bizanzena, and Arzignitanta, where having shown the error of Pelagius he declareth the faith of the Catholics to be thus. Sixthly to confess, the grace of God and his help to be given unto all singular acts, and the same not according to our merits that it may be true grace, that is, freely givē by his mercy, who said I will have mercy, on whom I will have mercy &c. And ninthlie to confess, when we fight against temptations and unlawful concupiscences, although we have there even our own will, yet not by that, but by the mercy of God we have our salvation: because otherwise it shall not be true, which the Apostle saith; it is not of the willer, nor of the runner, but that we be saved, it is of God which hath mercy. Tenthly to confess that pardon, is given to them that ask, according to the grace and mercy of God, not according to their merits; seeing the Apostle saith: that repentance it self is the gift of God, where he saith of certain men, least God should give them repentance: which catholic faith is contrary to the new religion of Rome in those things. First for the preparation unto grace and works of condignity: for they say then grace were no grace: Secondly for the concurrence of free will, to work with the grace of God, & so to merit, for they give all to God's grace, and all pardon and salvation to God's free mercy. Loe here Christian reader) thou seest, that the papists can tell us of the particular original of the most part of their trumpery, & that the old Christian churches in their counsels & determinations were protestants touching the authority of Bishops and provinces, touching marriage, eating of flesh, private mass, and receiving the communion; touching the holy scriptures and the reading of them; touching weomens Baptism and appeals to Rome, and touching the grace of God, freewill and merit: therefore the heresy of the church of Rome, being gathered since those primative times, must needs be of a new generation, & lately sprong up and come abroad into the world.

5, And that thou mayest, yet further see, how they have lost the very life and breath of all religion, and so are clean fallen away, from being any member in Christ's church, and to have no part in the communion of Saints, as in any sort to be called God's visible people; I will show thee five other points which are fundamental, and so far of the foundation of Christian religion, that without them, no man can be a menber visible nor invisible of the catholic church: wherein thou shalt see that the protestant was the ancient true primative Christian church of God: & the papist a very apostata, coming in deed of a contrary race even of the very stock of antechrist. The first is of adoring God only: the second of the condition of the covenant with God on our behalf: the third of the seals of the covenant: the fourth of the writings of the covenant: the fifth of the sovereignty and headship of Christ over his church. And that these are foundamental, consider with me, that in the first they break the spiritual wedlock with God, which give his worship and honor to idols and images: as thou mayst see God, in Ezekiel complaining and saying. Thou hast taken thy fair Jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and diddest commit whooredom with thē &c. In the second when they join works and the fulfilling of the commandments, with faith: for they shut themselves from the righteousness in the covenant, whereby they should rejoice with God: as the Apostle saith: If Abraham were justified by works he hath wherein to rejoice but not with God: yea they abrogate the grace of God, and make Christ die in vain, as the same Apostle teacheth saying, I do not abrogate the grace of God, for if righteousness be by the law, then Christ died without a cause. In the third they annihilate and overthrow Christ's institution in the seals of the covenant, by their transubstantiation and unbloody sacrifice adored, and make but a fanatical body of Christ and an imaginatie manhood: where as Christ saith, Do this in remembrance of me, and Saint Paul expoundeth it saying: As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye show the Lord's death till he come. For if he be contained in heaven (as Saint Peter saith) till the restoring of all things: and that this sacrament is to remember and show his death till he come: what is it but a new institution, when they say it is turned into his person and adore him as present? and what can that body or manhood, which is in heaven, be in the sacrament really and corporally, any otherwise, but in fancy and imagination, seeing in the same, (till he come to judgment) he is in heaven? In the fourth they blot out the writings of the covenant, when as Christ saith: They make the law of God of none effect by their traditions, while they equal their own devises with the written word of God, & make it in sufficient to salvation, and set the church which should be ruled by it and obedient to it, to be above it; the people above the law and the lady under the handmaid. Lastly they commit treason against the person of Christ when they set the pope in his place, without his assignment, that a mortal man should be head of the universal Church and body of Christ. For Christ only is called: The head in all things over his Church: and the foundation thereof excluding all other. Now then, seeing that there can be no foundation of Christianity, nor Church of God, where the covenant is broken by spiritual whoredom, and where there is no rejoicing with God: and the grace of God and Christ death is made vain: and where the seals of God's letters patentes, and his glorious image which is Christ is defaced, and his holy writings blotted and abased: and man advanced in the chair of the son of God and office of Christ: it must needs follow that they being guilty in these things there cannot be any part of the visible Church of Christ amongst them. I think it therefore good to take some more pains in these five points, that thou mayest see, howe that in the first primative ages, the Catholic truth was to be found, among the Christian protestants, and that the popish heresy in these pointes, came up afterwards to be openly seen, and closelie grew under them. Consider therefore (good Christian reader) what I say, and the Lord give thee the spirit of true discretion and wisdom in all that thou readest. First in the question of adoring God: the papist think they do not commit fornication; because they have a fine shift to say, they do not adore the image, as to account it their God, to put their trust in it, but only reverence it as a representation of God, by bowing before it, kissing it, praying before it &c. they adore him which the image representeth. And they think themselves very well discharged from idolatry, seeing their images are not dedicated unto devils and false God's, but unto the true God, Christ and his Saints. But this is verelie, but a mere sleight of Satan: for the truth of Christian religion is not so, neither was it so reputed in the primative ages of the church: but that to make such images to God and Christ was abominable, & the worshipping in that sort idolatrous. For to omit what Christ saith: that God is a spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and truth, and that of Saint Paul: For as much as we are the generation of God, we ought not to think that the godhead is like unto gold or silver, or stone graven by art and the invention of man. Thereby teaching that both matter and form in this cause is wicked and unlawful: what shall then the worship be, but plain idolatry? Let us here the first fathers speak. Irenaeus (who lived about Anno 170. being scholar to Polycarpus who was Saint John's disciple:) condemneth the heretics who called them selves Gnostici, having certain images painted, and certain also made of other matter saying that the form of Christ was made by Pilate, and also he taxeth the heretic Basilides, for using images and incantations and inuocations: and he calleth them Parerga: that is to say nothing to the matter: even as the prophet saith: Who hath made a God, or molten an image, that is profitable for nothing. But Origen which came somewhat after, namely about Anno 270. is more plain and full in this matter. For having to do with one Celsus who reproved the Christians (as the papists do us) because they tolerated no images in God's worship, accusing them to be like, the most barbarous nations, the Scythians, Lybians, and Syrians, which were without God; and the Persians he showeth that these nations might do so, either because they feared the devils might lurk in such places, and matter so framed and shaped, or for some other cause: but saith he: Christians and also Jews, when they hear: Dominum deum tuum timebis &c. thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve, and thou shalt have no strange God's, neither shalt thou make to thyself an idol, nor the likeness of anything &c. do not only abhor the temples, and alters and images of the God's: but if need be they do come more readelie even unto death, least by any excess and wickedness they should defile, that which they do very well and rightly think concerning God: Then a little after he blameth Celsus, for the same (which papist pretend) that they do not believe the images to be God: because the common people, by their example, whom they thought to be wise, did worship them as God, believing them to be God's, which all men reverence: so that they will not abide, to hear that any man should deny that to be God, which is worshipped by it self. And where as Celsus affirmed that the images were not counted God's, but dedicated to the God's: he answereth that to do and affirm such a thing, is very plainly apparent, to belong unto men, which err concerning the Godhead. But we do not so much as account those images to be of the divine likeness; because that we form (or can form) no image of God, who as he is invisible so he is without body. And last of all he taketh away the objection, that God made man after his own image, showing that, that is understood in regard of the virtues of the soul: Whereby you may perceive that the doctrine of the Christians in those days was, that no man could make any image and likeness of God, and therefore to make such images of representation, howsoever thereby to honor God, was far from Christians: not only left the people should have a godly opinion of those images, by wise men's example: but also that they might not defile their faith, in the knowledge of the invisible and incorporall God, the maker of all things: they were then, many degrees distant from our popish idolatry and new refined imagery, who would not so much as permit any such images to be made at all, least they should be defiled: The like we find in Lactantius Firmianus, who lived about Anno 335. For he showeth, that when the Christians blamed the gentiles, because they feared their works of their own hands: the answer of the Gentiles was ready (even the same of the Papists) that they feared not those images which they made, but them unto whose likeness they were made, and to whose names they were consecrated. Hereupon he confuteth this popish shift, by these reasons following. First, that God being in heaven they should lift up their eyes to heaven. Secondly, God being always present everywhere, and the images serving naturally to remember the absent, they should not worship images, then God being always living, such dead and insensible things, cannot be his image: and lastly, that cannot be the image of God which is framed with the fingers of men, out of stone, brass, or other matter, but man himself. But what need I to rehearse many particulars, seeing the papists themselves confess the antiquity of the primative church to be against them. First Polydor Virgil saith that Jerome testifieth, That not only they were void of our religion, but almost all the old holy fathers, did condemn the worship of images, for fear of idolatry, then which there can be no wickedness more execrable. For seeing no man at any time saw God, as John saith, what form shall we give unto him, &c. And so he disputeth out of Moses and others against such images: which testimony of Polydor is confirmed by Erasmus Roterodamus (whom Alphonsus de Castro, writing of heretics, would by no means leave out of the Romish fellowship, but bringeth the faculty Theological of Paris to speak for him,) for he saith, Vsque ad aetatem Hieronimi &c. unto the time of Jerome there were men of an approved religion, who suffered no images in the churches, neither painted, nor engraven, nor woven, no not so much as Christ's image, as I think because of the Anthropomorphites, yet by little and little the use of images crept into Churches. This Jerome lived about Anno 430. And to him joined Augustine, who lived as some think till An. 385. And after him lived Damascenus about An. 455. Of these two Stephen Durantus, writing from Rome can tell. First that S. August. de fid. & symbol. cap. 7. saith: that we must not think that God the father is circumscriptable with any human form. And again: It is wickedness to place such an image unto God in a Christian church. And Damasc. lib. 4. Orthod. fid. cap. 7. Who is there which can make the image of God, who is invisible, & without body & circumscription, & without figure? therefore it is extreme madness, to counterfeit & fashion the divine power. Guillermus Durandi helpeth us a little further, until An. 480. affirming that the council of Agatha forbad pictures to be made in the church, and that, that should be painted in the wales which is worshipped & adored. Now this Durandi & Durantus, with old father Gratian, do patiently abide and bear, that these images had little entertainment into the churches of Christians until An. 600. But then they are bold to bring forth Gregory, living about that time, that they might show the first original & decree of their error. Namely, that about this time there were images crept into the church, to be lay men's books, but not to be adored. For this Gregory reproveth one Serenus Bishop of Massilia, for breaking images in the church whē he saw them worshipped: but yet he commendeth him, that he would not have the people to worship them, wishing to teach the people not to sin by worshipping them, and yet to learn the story in the wales, which they could not read in books. So that it cannot be found, that unto this time of 600. years images got any further honor: but to stand or to be painted in the church, as books to teach the rude people: and then they began about that time, to forget the scriptures of God, which saith: They are vanity and the work thereof errors: there is no profit in them, but they are teachers of lies. But this Romish and hethenish idolatrous worship, which is now among the papists, had so many enemies of godly Christians, that from time to time it suffered the repulse, till about the year 785. And then in the second counsel of Nice it was hatched, hardened & made bold, to come abroad into open light, and to beard & to face down the pure adoration and service of God with this pretty devise and color to hide their idolatry, that they honor not the image it self, but in it, they worship him, whom the image doth represent. A thing so manifestly condemned by the ancient Christians, that this is the greatest and the strongest antiquity which the papists have, for the grounding and first full birth of their idolatry: as thou shalt very well perceive, if thou read the aforesaid authors of this matter, and the Antididagma of the reverend canons of Colen, and B. Boner upon the 10. commandments, and the counsel of Trent or any other, that declare faithfully the true story of antiquity. Therefore let the Christian reader judge if this be not of a new and late generation: and whether such dainty cloaks of human folly will shroud them well, and safely against the pouring showers of the fiery wrath of God, which hath once sworn by himself: saying, Every knee shall bow unto me, and every tongue shall swear by me. And again he saith: I am the Lord, this is my name, and my glory will I not give unto an other, neither my praise unto graven images. The second foundation is of the condition on our part of the covenant with God: wherein because the gospel requireth no other condition, but only faith in Jesus Christ, therefore the catholic religion, holdeth this principle: Faith in Jesus Christ, only, & without works doth justify. Which to be the ancient catholic belief of Christians: Eusebius Pamphilus, a very learned divine of the primitive age doth testify, he lived about Anno 325. who writing the story of the primitive Church, showeth that this was the faith of the Christians, from the Apostles unto that age. For speaking of the heresy of the Hebionites, (whose beginning was in the very first age of Christianity) he calleth them poor (alluding to their name) in the knowledge of the glory of Christ, and he telleth, that they were reputed erroneous in this, that they held, that the observation of the law was to be kept, and that faith only in Christ was not sufficient to salvation. Which is confirmed by Irenaeus who saith that Ebion refused Paul, calling him an Apostate from the law. Now if it were not the common and universal faith of the Church, that faith only justifieth, how could Ebion all that 300. years be accounted an heretic for holding the contrary? But this will more appear, if we hear the ancient fathers and elder protestants, (both before and after Eusebius time) to speak and utter their profession. Cyprian before Eusebius saith thus: Si Abraham Deo credidit &c. If Abraham believed God, & it was imputed to him for righteousness, truly whoseouer believeth God and liveth by faith, is found righteous. Origin a little before him speaketh thus, (upon the words of S. Paul Rom. 3. verse. 27.28.) He saith, the justification of faith only to suffice: So that whosoever believeth only is justified, although he fulfill no part of works. And to prove this he bringeth the example of the thief on the cross, namely: That no whit of good works is declared to be done by him in the gospel, but for his faith only Jesus said unto him, this day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Hilarius lived much about that time, or not long after Eusebius, and he saith upon Matthew: Fide sola iustificat, He justifieth only by faith. Basilius Magnus as it were presently after him saith: The Apostle saith, let him that glorieth glory in the Lord, where he said that Christ is made of God unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, that as it is written, let him that glorieth glory in the Lord: for that is perfect & every way glorying in the Lord, when a man is not extolled for his own righteousness, but acknowledgeth himself indeed void of true righteousness, and to be justified by only faith in Christ. Ambrose was not long after, when he wrote to one Irenaeus saying: Let no man glory in his works, because no man is justified by his doings, but he that is just hath it given him, because that after the washing he is justified: therefore it is faith, which delivereth by the blood of Christ, because he is blessed whose sin is remitted & pardoned. Jerome joineth close unto him and saith: God justifieth by faith only the wicked man, when he converteth, and not works which he hath not. And again upon these words, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, (he saith) so also unto you, only faith is sufficient unto righteousness. And a little after, Because that in the law &c. because no man keepeth it, therefore it is said that by faith only the believers are justified. S. Augustine standeth up as it were with him, and protesteth: No man is made just but of a sinner, as we have often song: blessed are they whose sins are forgiven, he said not: blessed are they which not committed sin, but blessed are they whose sins are forgiven them. For if thou ask who hath not committed, thou shalt find no man. Whereby then shall any man be blessed, unless he be pardoned that he hath done, and covered that he hath committed. And a little after: Think not that by thy merits thou art made such an one, because the grace of God hath made thee such an one. The Milenitane council doeth close up this faith, when it will have nothing given to man's will or works, but ascribeth all to the mercy & grace of God, as is shown but a little before. Petrus Chrysologus expoundeth this matter by the cause, where he saith: Non veni vocare iustos, (I came not to call the righteous but sinners) he putteth not back the just, but because that without Christ no man is counted just in the earth: (I came not to call the righteous but sinners) in so saying, he putteth not back the righteous, but because he findeth all men sinners: hearken to the Psalmist: The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, that he might see if there were any that understood or sought after God: all have gone out of the way &c. Let us be brethren, let us be sinners by our own confession, that by the pardon of Christ, we may not be sinners. Theophilact. cometh some pretty while after, and yieldeth to this verity saying, upon these words, And that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God &c. he hath therefore shown that men are made accursed by the law, and are under the curse: but the blessings are heaped up by faith: Now he doth plainly show, that very faith, yea even alone, hath in it self the virtue of justifying &c. The ordinary gloss upon the bible, joined with Lyra, being of later and more corrupted time, by evidence of truth is drawn to the same confession saying: Works follow him that is justified, but do not go before him that is to be justified: but by only faith without works going before, a man is made just. And again: Unto him who hath not time to work, if he believe, only faith is sufficient to righteousness. Bernard living some good time before this, finding the same truth in God's book, giveth like witness saying: Quisquis propeccatis compunctus esurit &c. Whosoever being pricked for his sins doth hunger and thirst for righteousness, let him believe in thee, who dost justify the wicked: & being justified, only by faith, he shall have peace with God. Here the Christian reader may see, that protestants flourished in the primitive church, and that the ages after did not want witnesses of this truth. Now if I be asked how the opinion of righteousness by works came into the Christian society, and corrupted it, I desire the reader to cast his eyes upon the matter it self, & consider with me, that the way of salvation is Christ only, & he is made ours by faith, for unless we learn & believe in Christ we cannot be saved. The devil therefore by all means hath labored to keep men from the knowledge of Christ: & first he drew away the wise & learned of all nations many ages together, that they thought themselves happy, by their wisdom, virtue, laws & works, with other devises, but knew not the true God and the righteousness & salvation which is by Christ: yet God having an eye to his elect whom he called, maugre the malice of Satan, this was otherwise in the church of God. And God called and taught Abraham the gospel, namely that men should be righteous by faith only. Here the Devil hath a new work, and in process of time under color of the righteousness of the law, he caused the church of the Jews to fall from God, by forsaking faith and seeking to be just by their works: for as Saint Paul witnesseth, Israel which followed the law of righteousness, could not attain unto the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. Here God resisted Satan, and opened the way of life unto all nations. For in the fullness of time, when the promise of the gospel unto Abraham, of justifying the gentiles through faith was now to be accomplished, God sent forth his son to be the light of the world, and he & his Apostles preached repentance to all nations, and taught them righteousness & salvation by faith in Christ only. And then as S. Paul also teacheth: The gentiles which followed not righteousness attained unto righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. Here the Devil bestirreth himself, and first even in the Apostles time, he raiseth up the Jews, who being zealous for Moses, fight eagerly for the law, and that the works of God's commandments be joined unto faith, or to be advanced above faith. Against which Saint Paul laboreth and writeth to the Romans and Galatians, most strongly proving, that only faith in Jesus Christ doth justify, & that God had so decreed it by his word: and the Apostles by a counsel determine that the Gentiles are free from the law of Moses. Afterward the devil prepared diverse heretics to this battle who in diverse sortes assailed this faith: some fighting against the person of Christ, as Simon Magus and Arius and their followers: some strove for their own perfection and righteousness: as Ebion, Pelagious, Donatus, Cathari, and such like. Against all which God stirred up learned, valiant and faithful men, who defended and maintained the faith, by the sword of the spirit and kept it found many years, so that the heretics prevailed not. But in this very time, and that unawares, a thing that Christian men suspected not, the devil had under hand a more cunning and sure way to overthrow the faith: namely he drave men into the wilderness and solitary places, which partly happened by persecution, and partly by a blind devotion, and so sowed the seeds of munkerie in the Church of Christ, which as far as I can read first ^e began in the deserts of Aegyt. These men gave them selves to holy meditation and religious contemplation of God's works, and leaving the perfect book of God written in the holy scriptures they read in another book, like the heathen, as nature and reason which is blind in God's causes, did lead them, and made a new Philosophy, having this principle, Veram beatitudinem in cultura dei & legum eius observation, that is: True happiness to consist in the service of God and keeping his commandments: which while men perceived not, howe it beat upon the foundation, they began to cast their eyes upon themselves, and by little and little (because by nature we are prone to think too well of our selves, and as men fond of their own children, we admire our devises) Christians fell in love with this new trade of life, & the piercing reflex of the glittering beams of their great and rare holiness, and new religious devotion, daseled the eyes of all sorts of men. Insomuch as very excellent men and great clearkes, Basilius magnus, Jerome, and Augustine, & diverse other, leaned toward this new religion, and began to make rules for the same. And so the devil coming as an angel of light, made his first entrance and their priuelie stale in this justifying by works vn espied. For these and other godly fathers in plain and evident places of scripture being by their conscience constrained, they frankly acknowledge the truth of Christ Jesus and avow it against heretics: yet oftentimes their eyes looking backwarde (like the peacocke) upon their own goodly rules and observations, do with the left hand rob Christ of that, which they so thankfully ascribe unto him with the right. Yet this meriting by works was not so bold and bravely attired in the first six hundred years, to assume and take such open authority and hie glory in the church; as it was afterward; when peace and wealth made men by wantonness to seek many devises. Some (as the climbing popes) set up decrees and decretals and made themselves men of renown, some by the knowledge of laws and canons strove for the lawrell crown of glory; some by school learning made themselves admirable, who drawing in Aristle and Philosophy, to make grounds in divinity, taught the reasonable way of righteousness by works and the congruity and condignity of freewill: some as fryers and cloisters by rules and orders made new religions and ways of salvation; here cometh up purgatory, pardons, pilgrimage, prayers for the dead, and a thousand new things of rare holiness & meritorious devotion. By all these did the devil make unto him self many mighty legions of resolute warriors, to face & weary out Christ, that he might leave the church, that he by his eldest son Antichrist, might reign and rule alone, and so he easily thrust out faith only for righteousness, and the true way of salvation. And brought in infinite traditions, unwritten verities, observations, customs, mysteries, devotions and revelations. If you would read Guillerimus Durandi rationale diuinorum, with Guido manipulus curatorum, Bonauentura de profectu religiosorum, Hieremias Buchius of the conformities of S. Francis with Christ, with such like and join there unto the counsel of Trent, with their mass, and all the books appendents in service to their Lady and Saints and heap unto them the thousands of commandments of the church in decrees, decretals and canons, brought in by popes, scholemen, canonists & ciuilians, it would make a man's heart to bleed, to think how little regard is had of Christ, and of his righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, redemption, name & glory. And that the Christian reader may the better perceive these things; let him mark but this one thing which is yet fresh in memory. When Luther stood up for the gospel, and took into his hand the spiritual sword of God's word, and stroke and hewed at one of the last growing sproutes of this new way of righteousness, namely pardons and indulgencies, and finding great resistance by the warriors before named, he began to arm himself with the armor of God, and by little and little both learning and teaching, the article of justification by faith only in Christ, by and by all this brave baggage and counterfeit galantnes and earthly glory of righteous by men's doeings, like a thick mystie cloud covering the air, did vanish away in the conscience of many thousands, by the bright shining power of the true sun of righteousness Jesus Christ in and by faith alone. And of this we have had almost one hundred years experience, that as Dagon of the Philistines could not stand before the ark of God: So all the whoorish devises of Romish Babylon could not stand before the doctrine of faith only in Jesus Christ, the Lord be praised. Now look we on the third point of the sacraments and seals of the covenant of mercy, and let us here whether the ancient fathers of the primative church were not protestants. First Tertullian offereth him self, a very ancient father, he telleth us only of two sacraments, and of the Lord's supper he saith: Non reprobauit panem quo ipsum corpus suum representat, he refuseth not bread whereby he representeth his body. Loe Tertullian an ancient protestant in the matter of the sacraments. Cyprian likewise showeth him self a protestant, saying. Mansio nostra in ipso &c. our abiding in him is eating and drinking, and as it were a certain incorporation &c. and a little after. That which meat is to the flesh, this faith is unto the soul; that which is meat to the body, that is the word to the spirit: and in his conclusion he addeth. As oft as we do these things, we do not wheat our teeth to byte, but with a sincere faith, we break the holy bread and devide it, while we distinguish and separate that which is divine, and that which is human &c. Origen steppeth in between them both and protesteth with us, saying: There is also in the new Testament a letter which killeth him, who marketh not those things which are spoken spiritually. For if thou according to the letter, follow this same which is said (unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood) this letter killeth. Saint Augustine followeth after and showeth him self a protestant in diverse places about this matter, denying transubstantiation with all the holy martyrs which suffered in Queen Mary's time, saying: Non hoc corpus quod videtis &c. ye shall not eat this body which you see, and drink that blood which they shall shed, which shall crucify me, I have commended unto you a certain mystery: which being spiritually understood, shall quicken you, and again: They eat not in the Sacrament alone, but in very deed the body of Christ, being set in his very body, showing thereby that there is no way of eatinge Christ, but spiritually, and that the wicked eat the Sacrament of Christ's body, but not Christ's body indeed, having no faith to be set in him: and as he knew no real presence in the sacrament, so he knew no adoration nor sacrifice but a memorial of thanksgiving, as where he saith: In this sacrifice there is thanksgiving and a remembrance of the flesh of Christ, which he offered for us: and again, the flesh and blood of this sacrifice before the coming of Christ was promised by the sacrifices of resemblances: in the sacrifice of Christ by the truth of the same: after the ascension of Christ it is celebrated by the sacrament of remembrance, what a marvelous protestant was he, whose sacrifice was a remembrance, his adoring was thanksgiving and transubstantiation in a mystery and not in deed. But me thinketh father Barnard will be a protestant also, for he saith that these words (qui manducat carnem meam &c. he which eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood hath life eternal) is as much as to say: who so doth meditate upon my death and by my example mortify his members, which are upon the earth, hath eternal life, that is, if you suffer together you shall reign together. But here I need not so much to trouble thee with fathers seeing this devise of transubstantiation was hatched less then 400. years a go, and that in a counsel of Lateran under pope Innocent the 3. there you shall find Francis and Dominic the head springs of two religions, to be great help to the pope, there shalt thou find auriculer confession, and mysterium fidei thrust into the institution in the mass. Hereupon Honorius the 3. espying (in looking upon this new glass of transubstantion) that Christ was made to come out of heaven into the sacrament, thought it reason to give him reverence; therefore he devised and ordained the Eucharist, should be lifted up and adored and reserved in reverent manner. But it is to be merueiled, that Honorius was so hasty, before it was perfectly resolved, whether the water were transubstantiated with the wine. For the forsaid Innocent the third doth but probablie conjecture that it is so, and he saith the schoolmen agree not whether it be so or no. But howsoever, it is apparent by these testimonies, that this filthy and abominable idol of transubstantiation, with his adoration, is a new borne monster, adored by them which turn the glory of God into things corruptible. Therefore God giveth them over into a reprobate sense, to believe lies, because they received not the love of the truth, & to trust in those things, which if they could see, they would be a feared of, their very table is made a snare and their prosperity their ruin. The fourth foundamentall point is of the writings of the covenant, namely the Holy scriptures inspired by God's spirit. Let us here what the ancient protestants professed in the primative flower of the Christian Churches among the Gentiles. Irenaeus Bishop of Lions in France a very ancient protestant: protesteth that the Scriptures are perfect, for they are spoken by the word of God and by his spirit: and again: The things which the Scriptures show (or teach,) cannot be shown but by the Scriptures. And he teacheth that No small punishment belongeth to them which add or take away from the Scriptures. And lastly he showeth that it is a shift of the heretics, when they are convinced by the Scriptures to accuse the Scriptures, and to say that by the Scriptures the truth cannot be found of them which know not the tradition. Here you see that Irenaeus maketh these boasting papists heretics, who under color of the insufficiency of Scripture do foist in their traditions, affirming that they ought not to interpret the scriptures by their sense or magisteriall power, but by the declaration of scripture it self, and lastly that they are to be punished for adding unwritten verities, traditions canons and decrees and such like tumperie to the perfect Scriptures. In the next age of protestants cometh up that great scholar Origen, and he protesteth against the popish doctrine thus: They which tear the Scriptures, sowing those things, do rent the words from the words and make feigned points of doctrine, do serve idols &c. and a little after. Let us follow no man, and if we will follow any, Jesus Christ is set before us, to be followed, the acts of the Apostles are described and we know the doings of the prophets by the holy volums (or writings) that pattern is sure, that example is sound, which who so desireth to follow doth walk without danger. In the next age of protestants standeth up Basilius Magnus, and with open mouth denounceth against the arrogant pride of Rome: If the Lord be faithful in all his words, and all his commandments faithful, established forever & ever, done in equity and truth: without doubt, this will be a most manifest argument of infidelity, & a most certain sign of prid, if any man will reject any of those things which are writ̄, or bring in any of those things which are not written. Seeing our Lord Jesus Christ hath said my sheep here my voice & a little before the same said, they will not follow a stranger, but will fly from him, because they know not the voice of strangers. In the next age Chrysostom steppeth forth & protesteth for the sufficiēcy of the holy scriptures saying: If we would diligently search the scriptures, we might be able to attain salvation. But Saint Augustine a little before him beateth down all writings of Bishops, provinces, and general counsels, as uncertain and imperfect, and such as may be amended; but lifteth up the scriptures and writings of the new and old testament, as the only sure and sufficient truth saying: Who knoweth not that the holy scripture as well of the old as of the new testament, is contained within certain bounds, and the same to be preferred before all the letters of the bishops coming after? as that there can be no doubt & dispute of (or about) it. But the letters of Bishops, which have been written after the confirming of the Canon, or are now written, may be reprehended, both by the speech (perauenture more wise) of any man more wise in the same thing, and by the graver authority of other Bishops, & prudency of learned men and by counsels, if perauenture anything in them do err frō the truth. Also counsels, which are holden in several regions or provinces are to give place without any staggering, to the authority of fuller counsels, which are holden of all the Christian world, and those very fuller councils, often the former may be amended by the latter, when as by any experience of things, that is made known which was hidden. Cyrillus in that very age showeth himself in this matter a very true protestant saying: All things which the Lord hath done are not written, but those things which the writers have thought sufficient, as well for manners as doctrine, that shining in a right faith and works and virtue, we may come to the kingdom of heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ. And Theophilact one of the later writers of the Greeks condescendeth to this doctrine, and saith: Nihil est quod nequeat scriptures dissolut, There is nothing, which cannot be assoiled by the scriptures. Here the Christian reader may see, that the ancient Christian religion was the same of protestants, holding the scripture for the only Canon of faith, the rule of righteousness containing all things necessary to salvation, most certain and sure to discern all truth, and able to assoil all dobts and questions, and that we ought to follow no man, because Bishops letters, & the most general and fullest councils may be amended, and that it is only the holy scripture whereof there can be no doubt or dispute: so that it followeth that it is a new doctrine to say, that the Churches authority is above the scripture, or that the Church judgeth the scripture, and not the scripture the Church, or that we need and must accept with equal reverence traditions or unwritten verities and canons of the church, without disputing, and such like blasphemies. Gratian also the compiler of the decrees who lived in the chiefest growth of corruption, did publish to all the world, as an ecclesiastical decree, the sovereignty of holy scripture. For speaking of divine laws, he showeth the determination of ancient fathers, to set the holy scriptures above all other laws whatsoever. And first above all customs in these words. If Christ only be to be heard, we are not to regard what any man before us thought meet to be done: but what Christ who is before all hath first done. For we must not follow the custom of men, but the truth of God, seeing God speaketh by Isaiah the prophet and saith, in vain do they worship me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men. Secondly, that it is proper and peculiar to the Canonical scriptures of the old and New Testament only, not to err, saying: I have learned to give unto those writings only which now are called Canonical this reverence and honor, that I believe that none of them have erred. And again, Do not desire (brother) to gather out of the writings of Bishops, cavils against so many, so excellent and undoubted testimonies divine &c. Whether they be ours or Hillarius, or Cyprian, and Agrippinus, before the part of Donatus was separated. And first this kind of letters is to be distinguished from the authority of the Canons, for they are not so read, as though a testimony were so brought out of them, that it is not lawful to think contrary, if in any place they understood otherwise then the truth doeth require. And again, Neither ought we to account the disputations of any men whatsoever, although Catholic and reverend men like unto the Canonical Scriptures, that it should not be lawful for us, saving the reverence due unto these men, to improve something in their writings, and to reject it, if happily we shall find that they think or imagine otherwise then the truth hath.

In the next age after Gratian I find Bonauentura a Franciscan, a man of great account in his time, with clear terms to teach the doctrine of protestants in these words: Nam quod ratio nostra lippa facta est &c. Whereas our reason is become as blear eied, & our understanding darkened through sin, that we cannot find the truth of our selves; God came down unto us, least we should be in error, and gave us the knowledge of the truth in the scriptures which he would have us believe, where we might find sufficiently and truly all things necessary for us unto salvation, that in them we should not follow our sense, but humbly submit our sense unto the rule of faith, if we will not err. Nicholas Lyra in the next age protesteth for the scripture in like manner saying: Sacra scriptura continet firmam &c. The holy scripture containeth the firm and inviolable truth, as in a merchants ship are carried diverse things necessary for man's life, so in scripture are contained all things necessary to salvation.

But that I ouercloy not the reader with many testimonies for the authority of holy scriptures, I will now turn to the other side, to trace the footsteps of the popish doctrine, how it came up, that the scriptures hath lost their first authority and honor. Surely by the witness of the papists themselves not in 400. or 600. years after Christ. For then saith the gloss upon Gratian, that about the times of Augustine: Augustina scripta & aliorū sanctorū patrum non erant autentica &c. The writings of Augustine and of other holy fathers were not autenticall, but now they are commanded to be hold̄ to the utmost Yod. And this Gratian sendeth us to Gelasius for the first founder of the authority of councils, fathers and decretals, epistles, so that by the papists own account and confession the holy scriptures reigned alone many ages together after Christ's ascension as Lady & Queen, to be the only law to rule judge and know the Church and whatsoever necessary to salvation. And the Church presumed not over the scriptures, but was squared & ordered by them. This Gratian showeth us that the Canons of the Apostles were pronounced by Isidorus, not to have been received of the Church, nor of the holy fathers, because they were known to be made of heretics under the name of the Apostles. After he telleth us, that Pope Nicholas giveth autenticall authority to the decretal Epistles of his predecessors. And that Pope Agatha first breathed out this blasphemy, that all sanctions of the Apostolical sea, are to be received, as confirmed by the divine voice of Peter. And Leo the 4. followed him in the same rebellion of God's word, pronouncing, that they who do not receive all their canons indifferently do not believe the Apostolical faith and the four Evangelists effectually as they should. And here the maker of the gloss is touched in conscience for the East churches that did not receive these decretalles all this while, whether they were not heretics. Much about this time came in the Legenda aurea, which is fathered upon Carolus Magnus. And after this, others in these things kept on this new devotion and presumption. But the battle was not full and strong, till Gratian himself came up and set them in array by compiling the book of decrees, containing more then half a legion; the Ciuilians and Canonistes muster themselves to make the first squadrant, then Lombardus his brother bringeth forth a second in four books of sentences, and in the rear ward march Thomas Aquinas, and Scotus Duns, with many Franciscans and Dominicans, and make a strong battle of distinctions, questions, philosophy, Aristotelians, and all the forces of reason, Gregory the 9. bringeth forth his barbed horsemen of decretal, as flanckers & to make incursions in five troops or books well armed with Apostaticall ordinance: and Boniface the eight added a sixth. Then come in the light horsemen of Clementines and extrauagantes ready for many services: amongst whom there cometh in a monstrous huge beast, to make way for the rest called Lingua Latina seu peregrina, that is, service and scriptures in an unknown tongue, which casteth such a mist into the eyes of God's people that they are brought under the antechristian bondage, and from the glorious law of liberty, which is the gospel of Christ Jesus before they be aware. By all these there came up such great and universal study of the Canon and Civil laws, and such honor of school learning amongst all the learned and wise men on the one side: and such palpable ignorance in the common people, that it was impossible, that the word of God could have his primative dignity, witness the council of Trent, who often clapped hands, and gave great applause to Thomas Aquinas. And that when Luther began to preach the gospel, his greatest adversaries fought against him, either by Canons decrees of some scholastical conclusion, and witness the conscience and knowledge of all men that have looked into the estate of religion. Thus is it easy to see what a strong force the devil had by this means to bring the holy scriptures of God into a base and low remembrance, and how in tract of time he hath made his own laws, traditions, decrees and counsels, not only equal, but far above them: And as justly complaineth Anthonius de Rampegolis (a man of their own side, who as Tritte then writeth flourished personally in the counsel of Constance ) many dishonored the holy scripture and made it obedient to philosophy, causing the handmaid to be mistress, and the mistress to be handmaid, and thus was fulfilled that which Hilarius wisely observing did say in his time: When the use of writing & innouating of faith began to be in ure, after it did rather begin to make new things, then keep that which it had received: it neither maintained the old, nor confirmed the new, and so faith became to be of the times, rather then of the gospels. That is to say, men leaving that which they received and learned by the scriptures, and writing themselves opinions and decrees of their own, it came to pass in time, that the faith of the Church was not that which the Gospel of Christ teacheth: but such as liked men of the several ages and times, such as counsels decreed, and Bishops ordained. Which thing Erasmus being a great Scholar did see to be happened unto the Church of Rome, and thereof giveth admonition to a great Bishoppe, and amongst other things touching human constitutions he saith: Haec primum obrepant honesti specie &c. These things first creep in by a color of honesty; after they overflow more abundantly then after a while, being confirmed by use, they reign as tyrants &c.

Now let us come to the last foundation of popery and banishing of Christ and his laws. Namely, the royal primacy of the Pope, clyming into the seat of Christ, and advancing himself above all that is called God. And let us examine whether it be Evangelical and of the Christian religion and ancient profession of the primative Church. First it is manifest and clear, that the first six hundred year never knew him, but they were all protestants allowing no universal Bishop, but Christ only: and honoring the Emperors and kings where they lived as Lord's and supreme governors over all persons ecclesiastical & civil, even as they had learned of Saint Paul, who did command every soul to be subject to the higher power: and of Saint Peter, who would have them submit themselves to the king, as the superior. And herein I will call for the papists themselves to be my witnesses. First Gratian telleth us out of Isidorus, that among the ancient fathers a priest and a Bishop were all one. And the same thing he affirmeth out of Jerome, with many reasons drawn from holy scripture, and he showeth that the first rising of one Bishop over another, was devised for a remedy against schism. And as concerning the preheminenc of the city of Rome, he addeth: Si authoritas quaereretur, &c. if authority be sought for, the authority of the world is greater then that of one city: wheresoever there is a Bishop, at Rome, or at Engubium, or at Constantinople, or at Rhegium, or Alexandria, or at Thebes, or at Guarmatia, it is of the same merit, it is of the same priesthood: which the gloss there doth interpret, that discreet learned and wisemen esteem all alike; but idiots and the common people despise a Bishop of a small or little city. And a little after he saith. As the elders (or priests) know that they by the custom of the church are subject to him which is set over them: So let the Bishops know, that they are greater then the prists, rather by custom then by the truth of God's ordinance, and that they ought to rule in common. Caesar Baronius, by the commandment of pope Gregory the 13. making a new legend called Martyrologiums after the order of their new callender, in his notes upon that book, teacheth us that this word Papa (pope) was first accounted to come of the Greek word Pappas, signifying a father, and in the same sense came to be a name of dignity, that the reverend clerks (or clergy men) were called by that name: Afterward the same name began to be peculiar unto Bishops that they were called Papae, that is popes or fathers, until An. 850. & then it began to grow & to fasten only upon the head of the pope of Rome, & at the length pope Grerory the 7. An. 1071. in a synod ordained, that there should be but one name of Pope in all the Christian world. This man also witnesseth that it was in times past the old custom of the church, that the Bishops were not only called Pontifices, prelates: but also summi pontifices, chief or highest prelates: because that the office of a Bishop was called the chief priesthood, this he proveth by express examples until the 6. counsel of Toletane, and he bringeth in Saint Augustine saying those words: what is a Bishop, but the first elder, that is the hyest priest? briefly he calleth them no otherwise then fellow Elders and his fellow priests. But after Baronius addeth that the latter custom obtained, that the Bishop of Rome should be called summus & maximus pontifex, the highest and greatest prelate or Bishop. Polydor vergill telleth us that the first honor, that was given to the Bishop of Rome, was this, that he might change his name, when he is created Pope, if his name be not handsome, and the author of this devise was Sergius, whose name was called os porci, that is, the mouth of an hog. But more near to our matter: Platina showeth, that the commandment of the Emperor, did sway all the matter in the choice of the pope until the time of * Pelagius the second. So that when by the extreme fall of waters, they could not go to the Emperor, the pope was fain to send Gregorious to make his excuse, because the election was nothing worth without the Emperors approbatiō. And after him in the election of Gregorious, the clergy & people, desired the Emperor that it would please him, to cōfirm the election which was made concerning Gregorius. And where as John Patriarch of Constantinople, obtained by a Synod the title Ecromenicus, that is, of universal Bishop. Gregory resisted him, not because (as Platina saith, it belongeth to Peters sea, (as they falsely call Rome) but because it was a new and blasphemous name; and such as none before them did ever allow of, or take unto him self. As Gregorious himself in diverse letters both to the Emperor, the Empresse, to diverse Bishops, to John himself doth write, whereof you shall hear some part. First to the Emperor he among other things saith. Quis est iste &c: who is this! that against the statutes of the gospel, against the decrees of the canons, presumeth to usurp to himself a new name? Would to God that without the diminishing of others there were one which desireth to be called universal: and a little after. But be it far from the harts of Christians, this blasphemus name, wherein the honor of all priests is taken away, while it is madly arrogated of one unto himself. And to the Empresse. It is a very heavy thing, that it should be patiently born, that all being despised, my foresaid brother & fellow-bishop, goeth about to be called Bishop alone: but in this his pride what other thing is shown, but only that the times of antechrist be at hand. And unto Eulogius Bishop of Alexandria and Anastasius Bishop of Antioch: None of my predecessors have ever consented to use this so profane a term or word. Because forsooth, if one be called universal patriarch, the name of patriarch is taken from others: unto which if you join that of the sixth counsel of Carthage: That all matters should be ended in the province where they began. And that of the Milenitane counsel: that no appeal should be made out of the province over the sea, you may easily & plainly perceive that unto this 600. years after Christ it doth so far appear, that the Pope had no supremacy over kings or Emperors, that his authority was not so much as over any minister, or private man out of his own diocese or province, and that to claim any such title as to be universal Bishop, was new, blasphemous, the overthrow of priesthood, not sufferable and a forerunning of Antichrist. And here thou mayest observe that in all this time, there was not yet any question of superiority, over the superior civil magistrate, but over the Bishops them selves. But how they came to crow over the civil magistrate, the story of the time following doth declare, wherein I might spend much time of the seed of these things, as the advancing of the honor of Peter (cunningly pretended to draw on the primacy upon the pope of Rome his counterfeit successor) & Constantine forged donation; but I shall not need to rip up every circumstance. For if neither these nor any other were able to cōpass this infernal primacy in 600. years, we must look further for it, & to the devils principal instrument: namely that after this time the emperor made the pope of Rome, high priest over all the Bishops of the world: and the pope in tract of time by this very authority of being aecumenical Bishop given them by the Emperor, rewarded him with this blessing and kindness, to make the Emperor to kiss his feet and to wait upon him as his vassal. The dignity of Bishops at this time was in iv. patriarchs, till after the death of this Gregory, then presently there arose a new contention, between Constantinople & Rome, which would be chief, & here Boniface the 3. by some sweat & labor obtained of Phocas (whose hands were yet blody with the slaughter of his L. Maurice ) to be this sovereign & chief Bishop of Bishops, & then came into the popes style. We will and command, and the next pope Boniface the 4. got of the Emperor the temple called Pantheon, & there made a church for the virgin Mary & all Saints, most lively showing that now they fell from God to all foul spirits, as the sequel after declared. For these were the beginnings of all manner of corruptions, yet all this while, the honor of the Emperor stood still, the first step to pull of the Emperors crown after this, was: that Constantine then Emperor granted to Benedick the second, that whom soever the people and clergy chose, should thence forth be pope. After him Stephanus the 2. of rare love was carried upon the shoulders of the people, and so the Bishops of Rome began to take that honor unto them. And Iustinianus a wicked Emperor, to flatter the pope was the first that kissed his feet, namely of pope Constantine the first. Yet were not the popes above the Emperors, all this while. For after this the Empire of Constantinople, being weak and not able to defend the pope, and leaving them to the spoil of the Lombards, they fled for succor unto France: First to Carolus Martellus and Pipine, and after to Carolus Magnus first Emperor of the west: to whom some said the pope gave the power of choosing & confirming the pope: but the french Chronicle saith he wan it as he did the imperial dignity, by his sword and law of arms. For then the popes had no power or authority in the city of Rome, but meddled only in the affairs of religiō, of ceremonies of the church & things pertaining to the soul. Therefore saith Polydor that the successors of Charles the great did use to confirm the election of popes. But last of all Pope Nicholas the second brought the election from Emperor, people, and Clergy to the Cardinals only, and so the pope of Rome became head of the church (as he saith) by consent of all nanations. And here indeed he began to tread down the Empire, For Hildebrand being called Pope Gregory the 7. deprived Henry the 4. of his imperial crown. Then did the Emperors begin to learn new manners, as to a light from his horse, and to do honor to the pope as to the vicar of Christ, as did Frederick to pope Adrian the 4. and being unaccustomed to such service (as some say) was blamed for holding the stirrup on the wrong side when the pope alighted from his horse. And the consuls of Rome learned to swear fealty to the pope as to Alexander the 3. Then could the Pope allow who should be Emperor, as Innocent the 3. did Otho, and maketh it as a law, that the right and authority to examine a person elected to be king and to be promoted to the Empire pertaineth to the pope, who doth anoint him, consecrate and crown him. Then could the popes make the people cross themselves to fight against their liege Lord the Emperor, as if it were against the Turk, under promise of eternal life. As Gregory the 9. against Freodorick the 2. And pope Innocent by decree and his counsel deprived him of his kingdom of Sicily, and so was established the authority of popes to depose Emperors, Kings, and Potentates. But for the better enthronising of the pope in this fresh and new shining primacy, herewithal came up the red hats and gay palfries and royal majesty and senate of Cardinals, the college of scribes and other officers (which Polydor for their ravening calleth Harpeis) and other annats and yearly scottes, peter pence, bulls, prices of pals, pardons, aduowsons, dispensations, appeals, cases papal, reservations, comendums, perogatives, and I cannot tell how infinite jurisdiction in heaven, in earth, in purgatory, & hell, they changed, invented, renewed, put down and lifted up whom, what, and when they would. And so the estate of the pope became an imperial majesty, far above all earthly monarkes and principalities, and thrones, and dominions. Now therefore good Christian reader thou mayest here observe that the order of this supremacy came up by degrees through the climbing pride of the clergy and had many years in growing. First contending for highness in dignity among themselves, and namely Constantinople against Rome, and secondly, when the Emperor had granted the title of universal Bishop to the pope of Rome, then he shifted the Emperors by little and little out of all dealing in Ecclesiastical matters, as namely and principally in the elections of Popes, and from this it grew to sovereign authority over all, even as a bramble, it took hold and grew up over the hyest ceders of Libanon and a fire came out of this bramble and consumed the imperial glory of the kingdom, and over grew the majesty of the temporal power. Here shalt thou see a very great change: Gregory the first proclaimeth the title of universal Bishop, to be blasphemus and not sufferable. Boniface the 3. and all his successors take it upon them, and make it their principal strength and glory: Adrian with a Synod of an hundred fifty and three Bishops gave unto Charles the great (as the papists say) the right and power to choose the pope: and granted him the Apostolical sea and dignity of Senatorship, moreover he desired that Archbishops and Bishops through every province should receive of him their investing, and unless the Bishop be invested of the King: he should be consecrated of no man, and this decree was established with a curse & confiscatiō of goods, Gregory 7. having shuffled away the emperor in the election of popes: by a contrary Synod of an hundred and ten Bishops did accurse all ecclesiastical persons which received their investing by the hand of any secular person. Pascal the first being chosen pope without the Emperors consent humbly excused himself and craved pardon: And Gregory the 4. as Platina saith was of so great prudency, and modesty, that he would not occupy the pontifical dignity although he were chosen of all, until he were confirmed by the Emperor which was then Lodouicus king of France. But in a while after pope Nicholas the first obtained of another Emperor, that no secular Prince or Emperor should thencefoorth be present in the counsel of the Church unless in question of the Christian faith: And in time it came to pass that Pope Paschal the 2. was fain to excuse himself from the stain of heresy for granting by constraint, to the Emperor Henry the 5. his right in this cause. In this very time god stirred up the eloquent & learned pen of Bernhard to admonish the Pope how far he was fallen from God, amongst many other things with these words, (where speaking of wealth, riches, and goods he saith to the Pope) vsus tamen horum bonus &c. yet the use of those things is good, the abuse evil: the care worse, and the gain more dishonest, be it that thou mayest challenge these things by any other way or reason whatsoever; but not by the apostolical right. For he could not give unto thee that which he had not; that which he had, that he gave, even the care as I said over the Churches. What did he give Lordship? hear him self speak; not being Lord's, (he saith) in God's heritage, but being made an ensample to the flock: and least thou shouldst think it spoken only for humility, and not also for truth; there is the voice of the Lord in the gospel. The kings of the nations do reign over them, and they which have rule over them are called gracious Lord's, and he doth infer, but you shall not be so. It is plain, that the Apostles are, forbidden Lordship. Go thou then & dare thou to usurp to thyself either a Lordly Apostleship or an Apostolical lordship. Thou art plainly forbidden both, if thou wouldest have both alike, thou shalt loose both: otherwise think not thyself exempted from the number of them of whom God complaineth: They have reigned & not by me, they were princes and I knew them not. Now if it please thee to reign without God: thou hast glory, but not with God. And the addition upon Lyra not a few years after affirmeth, that it is manifest, that in the primative Church from the time of the Apostles unto the time of Sylvester the Pope, when the faithful had no worldly power: then did the Church flourish most of all in spiritual things. And a little after: But when in process of time the faithful obtained great secular power, these virtues, (meaning faith hope, and charity) and if by the mercy of God they did not wholly decay, yet are they not commonly found to have the same power as they had in the primative. But behold a marvelous change Aeneas Sylvius affirming: Power, riches, and strength to be far better in the Apostolical sea then in any other secular throne whatsoever. And he calleth the Pope of Rome as Emperor of the Christian army, and a wise king, & saith, That the Senate of the Cardinals do bear the room of the world. And again he saith: Christ appeared poor & humble, not that we should be poor did he it, but that by that means he might redeem us &c. And a little after, Now the prelates of Rome ought to be rich men & potentates. after the same manner for our salvation: therefore he is bold to set forth the earthly majesty of the Pope, above the glory of all princes saying: And if thou didst see the Bishop of Rome to celebrate or to hear the divine service, thou wouldest truly confess, that there is no state, nor glory and majesty, but only the Bishop of Rome, when thou seest the Pope sitting on high in his throne; the Cardinals sitting at the right hand, the great Prelates, Bishops and Abbots, and protonotaries standing at the left hand, and the Orators of kings have their place, & the great states theirs. There the Judges and here the Clerks of the chamber: there the deputies of the states, and here the Subdeacons and Accoluthes, and the other multitude do sit on the ground. Truly thou wouldst say the court of Rome to be like an heavenly Hierarchy, where all things are honorable, and all things set in order, by a prescribed and settled manner. Loe here thou seest a glorious throne, but not of God. For which Stephen the fifth provideth a square stone whereon it might be set, when he ordained, That the laws and decrees of the Church of Rome, should be forever and without dispute to be observed. Clement the fifth provideth a stay for this throne, in that he decreeth that, they which were dissigned in Germany to be Caesar's, although they had the name of the King of the Romans, yet should they receive of the Pope, the right and name of the Empire. And Benedict the twelfth prepareth both matter and money: for on the one side, he challengeth the Imperial power, in the vacancy of the Emperor till a new be chosen, and on the other side usurpeth to himself and his successors the be stowing of Bishoprics prelacies and beneficies.

6. But see there ouergrowinges: for here they stay not. For they make the Church of Rome mother and head of all Churches, and confirmer of all religions: and under this power Allow men's wives to be common. And are not ashamed of this blasphemy: as by decree to say, Though the Pope draw with him innumerable souls into hell, no mortal man may presume to reprove him, who is judge of all men, and to be judged of no man. So much difference as there is between the Sun and the Moon, so much is there between the King and the pope the pope dispenseth against the law of nature and against the Apostle the Pope cannot be loosed at all nor bound by the secular power, seeing he is called God, and it is manifest that God cannot be judged of men. And they arrogate that no counsel should set a law unto the Romish Church, seeing (as they say) all counsels are both made and receive strength after the authority of the Romish church, and in their statutes the authority of the Bishop of Rome is particularly excepted. Where the wise Christian reader may see a marvelous ouerspreading growth, even the image of Antichrist, made equal with God and set far above all power amongst men, advancing it self above all that is called God. The noysomnesse of which over rank and shadowing branches keeping the earth bare, and the Sun from shining, the papists themselves found to be most grievous and intolerable, and therefore they are fain to lop & top it, and to pare away many untimely boughs and shaddowing boughs. For (that I speak nothing of the imperial, English or Frence laws) if you read the counsels of Constance, and of Basel, thou shalt find many proynings and cuttinges of this monstrous bryer: First three Popes at once as unprofitable heads chopped of and cast by. The papal dignity made to stoop under the general counsel, translations, procurations, exemptions, unions, fruit gathering, simony, dispensations, tenths, and other burdens of the Church, excommunications, interdictions, appeals, annuattes, possessions, reservations, and collaions of benefices, with the number and quality of Cardinals, partly lopped, partly proined, & partly set in order & limited, as the wisdom of that erring generation, being by much vexation and misery compelled, did think, for their own peace and worldly safety, to be most convenient. But all this did but little hinder his monstrous ouerspreading, for by and by Calixtus the 3. maketh a law, that no man appeal from the Pope to the general counsel. And Paulus the second sprowteth out this new sprig of blasphemy, that in the chest of his breast all right and law did rest, to ordain and abolish decrees as he listed. And Pope Julius the second, and Leo the 10. in a counsel held at Lateranum, undo all again, and set this brier to his climbing. And that we may plainly see that this is the very apostasy of which the scripture speaketh: This Julius being a great warrior and going out of the city with his army cast the key of Peter into the river Tiber, with these words. Because the key of Saint Peter is no more of worth, let the sword of Paul prevail. And this Leo the tenth being put in mind of the gospel of Christ by a certain Cardinal called Bembus, answered according to his place, and said: How much that fable of Christ hath profited us and our fellowship, it is sufficiently known to all ages. What Jew, what Turk, what Heathen, what Atheist could ever have been more blasphemous? But here God ariseth to maintain his own cause, and by Luther, Melancthon, and many others, he bloweth and blasteth, consumeth and beateth down the beauty and blossoms of this presuming bramble, with the powerful and piercing breath of his own mouth, which is his gospel contained in the holy scriptures of the old and new testament. Wherein we may see the divine providence of our most wise and gracious God, taking the matter into his own hand in a fit and necessary time: for now when they began like the tower of Babylon to reach up unto heaven, then did he confound them, & make their madness openly seen to all the world, whereof Erasmus giveth a very good advertisement, who living himself in the same time affirmeth saying: Now the common sort of Bishops heareth nothing of their learned flatterers, but lordships, dominions, swords, keys, powers, and hereof the stateliness of some is more then of a king, and their cruelty more then tyranicall. Now we flatter the bishop of Rome with great volumes, giving unto him a power equal to Christ, whereby it cometh to pass, that the Christian world one day will scarce abide the rule and ruffling, and scarce suffice the covetousness of him and his Cardinals. And this Erasmus (although the papists hold him as their own) complaineth not a little of the ouerspreading of this new learning. For he showeth that they spent their whole time, in frivolous and unnecessary which were more pertaining to learning to be unknown then known: For the Divines of those times made great adooe about both frivolous and wicked questions. Friuolous, as whether the grace wherewith God doth love and draw us, and wherewith we love him again, be the same grace. And how it can be, that the fire wherewithal the souls of the wicked shall be tormented seeing it is material, can work upon a thing without body. And wicked questions touching God, and touching the Pope: touching God, whether God can command every evil thing, even the hatred of himself, and forbid every good thing, even the love and worship of himself. Whether he can in act bring forth an infinite thing according to every dimension. Whether he could from everlasting make this world better then he hath made it. Whether he could bring forth a man, who by no means could sin. Whether God in anything from himself distinct, be one. Whether this proposition be possible, God the father hateth God the son; Whether the soul of Christ might be deceived: and many such like &c. Now of the power of the bishop of Rome, men dispute (he saith) in a manner more busily then of the power of God. While they do inquire of his double power, and whether he be the universal head of the whole Church, and whe- he be above the general counsel, and whether he may abrogate that which is decreed in the Apostles writings. Whether he may ordain any thing contrary to the doctrine of the gospel: whether he may make a new Article in the creed. Whether he have greater power then Peter or equal. Whether he may command the Angels; whether he may take away purgatory (as they call it) altogether. Whether he be a simple man or as God, or participate both natures with Christ. Whether he be more merciful then Christ was, seeing that he is not read to have called any man out of the pains of purgatory. Six hundred things (saith Erasmus) of that sort are disputed in great published volumes, and that by great divines, especially famous men for profession of religion, with these things are the schools of divines earnestly occupied. Mark here good reader, and consider what an ugly and fearful monster this would have been, if God had not come down and cut him off with this two edged sword of his holy word. For beside all these before, how many other new things came forth in the same generation? First because John Hus was put to death by the counsel of Constance against and contrary to the Emperors letters pattentes of safe conduit: there came forth this new head of blasphemy: Fides non seruanda haereticis, promise is not to be kept with an heretic. And no marvel, for Pope Alexander the sixth, having by three Cardinals in Latin, French, & Italian, given full remission of sins to all the army of the French under Charles the 8. coming into Italy for the recovery of Naples: against their return did way-lay them to have cut them off with Maximilian K. of the Romans, Ferdinand K. of Aragon, & Lodouich Sforce duke of Milan. Secondly, P. Pius the 2. made a new order of Scribes Abreuiators. Paul the 2. made a law that none should wear scarlet bonets but the Cardinals, and gave every Cardinal a piece of scarlet to cover their Mules. And he would have made their hattes of red silk, but that some sage Cardinals shown him, that the increase of the pomp of the Church destroyed the Christian faith. Sixtus the 4. ordained and increased many feasts. The conception of the virgin Mary, and the presentation, the feast of Anna the mother of Marie, the feast of S. Joseph, and of S. Francis. Nicholas Egmundanus, master of Louen and a Carmelite did teach and write, that the Pope was Lord of all things, in heaven, in earth and under the earth. And Paul the third Pope of that name, being an old man found out a new kind of religion, to the increase of God's worship he consecrated a little bowle of wood with his Popall blessing, to gratify a noble matron, that she might carry it, hanged it on her neck against diverse griefs. The late counsel of Trent hath hatched many new things. First that the vulgar translation in public readings, disputations, preachings, and expositions to be autenticall, whereof ariseth great disputation against the Greek and Hebrew text, contrary to the ancient decree which Gratian auowcheth: That the truth of the Old Testament should be examined by the Hebrew, and of the new, by the Greek. And with an heavy and pitiful curse they establish these school tricks: 1. That the Sacraments of the New Testament confer grace. 2. By Baptism, Confirmation, and orders a Charecter is imprinted in the soul. 3. The intention of the priest is required to the making of the Sacrament. 4. John's Baptism hath less virtue then that which Christ commanded his Apostles and such like: out of this forge cometh the new forging of the mass book, set forth by Pius the 5. and a new Callender which was done by pope Gregory the 13. wherein the times of the yere, and of the feasts, and the course of the Sun is set in his right order that we may know nothing in heaven and in earth to be safe from the presumption and proud arrogancy of this triple crowned beast, and this holy prelate hath made a new Martyrologe or Legend according to this new Callender. And for the better garding and keeping of their high tower of confusion, they have a set watch called Index expurgatorius to charm all writers both new and old, and to fray them that they lift not up their voice so much as one word against their superstitious folly, and here withal sprang up a new religion of armed soldiers to fight their battails, breeding secretly about Anno 1536. but show themselves openly in their college at Rome Anno 1553. and since in diverse places, and they go into all nations to stir up the kings of the earth, the princes and people to make war against the Saints our English soil hath been assailed by this new brood under the name of Jesuits and Seminary priests. But as the groweth of this monster is strange and fearful, and that in it new religions have risen up suddenly like padstooles) as Polydor virgill saith) so from 600. years after Christ until our time, it could not come to his full groweth, yea although the Trident Council, seemeth to lick him and shape him as the bear doth his whealps to some handsome form of perfection. For there are many things which are not yet come to their birth and many which stay at the very birth and are not yet delivered. As namely: first those 14. controversies of those two worthy doctors of their popish Apostasy, that is to say: the angelical doctor Thomas of Aquine and the subtle doctor Scotus the Duns. For one saith: God is unto us an end super natural, and the other saith: God is unto us an end Natural. The one saith that Blessedness is merely an effect, super natural, and cannot naturally be had. The other saith, that Blessedness may be had naturally, and that it is natural, and such like. Which a very worshipful Cardinal laboreth to reconcile, until the churches determination and mind may be known. And this very Cardinal addeth a very great increase of this new spawn, called directorium theologicum, which hath many worthy conceits of Logic and Philosophy, which perhaps one day may take life & being by their magisteriall power. There are in these schools deuines infinite and very deep questions, which their mother church hath not yet by determination brought forth and acknowledged as her children: as namely such as this is, whether Christ being very man, in the Ost or sacrament in one place, can see him self when he is made, being the very same Christ and man, in many other places, and whether that so many thousands made at one instant in many places might not be an army of men to meet and fight a battle in one field &c. Don John a Bononia professor of divinity in his book of predestination and reprobation, dedicated to Charles the Emperor and king of Spain, telleth us that the church hath not set down what is to be believed or received of all Christians, touching that doctrine, For there are many things which are not yet come which he thinketh it ought: (being a point wherewith our consciences are continually troubled, more then with other things) yet he doubteth not, but the masters of the church, (when their determination shall be hatched) will embrace his opinion or some such like. But I cannot a little marvel, that when in the same counsel of Trent, this mother Church brought forth so many goodly imps, that it forslowed the travail of so iolie a babe, as a very Zealous Franciscan did bring to the very birth before them all, when in his preaching amongst them and bitterly enueying against Luther, he did openly say to be S. Paul's meaning upon the second to the Romans. Namely: that they who have had no knowledge of Christ, and otherwise have lived honestly have obtained salvation. Here cometh Durandi with his rationale diuinorum, Guidonius with his Manipulus curatorum, Guiliermus parisiensis de septem sacramentis, tis, and infinite others both schoolmen, doctors and friers, (whose new learning I must needs confess I have not, neither have I known the deepness of Satan) and these have offered a marvelous great and goodly access and increase to his tale spreading mother of popish blasphemy, but they hange in the birth, neither borne nor buried, waiting the good hour, when the churches determination (without whose midwifeship they cannot be autentical children) shall acknowledge them & make them of their holy generation. Alfonsus de Castro, a learned minority, doth open unto us the reason of this matter namely: that we know many things now, which of the first fathers were either doubted or altogether unknown: by the change of things doth spring the change and varying of decrees: that the same which in times past was lawful is now unlawful, but these innovations of decrees cometh not of the newness of the things, but of the new knowledge of those things, which being found, the church taught by the spirit of God doth define, which definition being given, it is not lawful to doubt of that, where of it was before lawful to doubt: and he showeth an example saying in ^a another place: Some men say that the divine persons are set in a personal being (as they speak) respectively: others affirm that they are set absolutely, others again say that they are not set by any way, but to be them selves persons to them selves. Now saith he: who seeth not, someone of these to err, when yet everyone of them stick to his own opinion without punishment or note of heresy, and a little after: yet if the Church taught by the holy ghost shall define of that thing, without all doubt, the Church by her definition would not bring to pass that the persons should be so or so set: but would teach us, that which although from everlasting it were true, yet did not we know it; After which definition of the Church, it shall not be lawful to affirm which before was lawful: To whom accord the wise Rhemist saying: It is to be noted that the Bishops so gathered in counsel represent the whole church, have the authority of the whole church, & the spirit of God to protect thē from error as the whole church, and these make it a Maxim or ruled case: that all good Christians rest upon the determination of a general Council. Now gentle reader, if we may believe these great learned clarks, it must needs follow that Lombardus the father and all his children the schoolmen, and all other learned men's propositions, questions, and disputations, are no further autenticall popery, then as the Church of Rome hath all ready determined: and we unless they tell us what is the Churches determination cannot tell what to believe, to be of their religion. And this determination is hard to be found out, and very doubtful, whom to believe, that shall declare us the same. For it is not yet fully agreed amongst them, weather the pope or the Council be the hyest, that we might certainly know where this determination resteth. The counsels of Constance and Basel take authority above the papal dignity, whereby we might think with the Rhemistes and diverse others, that the determination is of the counsels. Pope Pius the second, although he have taken much pains for the honor and authority of the Council of Basel, yet hath he set forth a Bull, with the greatest curse, forbid and bar all appeals from the Pope to the general Councils, as though the pope were above the Councils: and the Rhemistes do help him where they make the Council to be of no authority, which is not confirmed by the pope, and they say that the Pope cannot err iudiciallie, although Alphonsus say he may err in matters of faith, and Platina showeth that those Bastarde Popes who came after Formosus, and altered by a new and evil custom the decrees of one another, did this by counsel judicially: If a man mark well this contradiction, he will hardly know where to find their churches determination. Again the counsel of Basil, would not be put down by Pope Eugenius, but constrained him for fear to confirm their authority; and after for his contumacy deposed him, and very orderly as Eneus Sylvius saith chose Felix in his room, but this Eugenius would not obey them, and so the schism of two popes continued til Nicholas the fifth: so that here was no obedience of the pope to the counsel, nor of the counsel to the Pope, what shall we think of their determination, where trow you. it may be found: may we not do as the German neuters did: who neither followed the Pope nor the counsel, but appealed as they thought to an higher and more certain determination. And whereas the Rhemist and Alfonsus with others affirm, that the holy ghost teaching the counsel (which is in steed of the whole church) their definition is the determination of the church, to which men ought to stand, we are yet more in doubt, upon other further weighty reasons and considerations. First because this is spoken but by private men; And the Archbishop of Florence is not a feared to term the counsel of Basel a conuenticle and a synagogue of Satan: Thirdly the last counsel of Trident cannot be found to be a free general counsel, because diverse men for speaking freely were thrust out, and the holy ghost that guided all their definitions, was brought in a portmanteau from Rome, namely that as they had instructions from Rome, so were their decrees framed and ordained. Beside this, all these latter counsels, have not been made with universal consent, but the church hath been divided into two parts East and West, until the time of this counsel of Basel, and then it was sewed together with rotten thread, and presently rent in pieces again as it were in a moment, and there was one counsel at Basel, and another set against it a Florence. Now I say seeing these counsels of Constance, Basil & Trident, (in which the most part and chiefest of Popery hath been in the most general manner determined & published for the acts and determination of the church) were but a very small part of the universal church: Namely of the Western parts, I know not howe they can assure us, that in them we have the churches determination; except they could prove these counsels ecumenical and universal of all Christian churches: as was the first general counsel of Nice under Constantine the great. Again the counsels for six hundred years after Christ, did not decree as they have done since: and the faith of the church was not the determination of the Church, but the sentence of holy scriptures: and many points of faith have been since determined, not by, but without holy Scriptures; what should we esteem, the ancient primative Churches to have erred in faith? or that they knew not, or held not the true faith, because that in very many articles they lacked the ecclesiastical determination. Lastly seeing that every day they bring forth new devises and sanctions, and the latter many times contrary to the former, who can tell when he is in the truth or out of the truth, or when the Church hath made her true and right determination? He that readeth over Gracian and the Tomes of the counsels, with the histories of the lives of the Popes, or do but well mark and consider that little which I have penned out of them in this Chapter, shall easily perceive, that they are ever learning, but never come to the knowledge of the truth, they dote about questions which are endless and strife of words, there is no certainty in their religion, little truth and incessant innovation. Therefore I may conclude, that as this monster is of a later generation, and a new continual conception: so no mortal man can tell, when he will come to his full birth, and be a perfect body, or when he will have his certain determination, right shape and proportion, and final growth and complete stature. I will leave him therefore to the high Judge and Lord of all flesh, until that great and fearful day, When the beast shall be taken and with him the false prophet, and they both cast alive into the lake of fire which burneth with brimstone. Come Lord Jesus come quickly.

CHAP. V. Here is shown that all men ought to fly popery. First, because of the exceeding danger it bringeth to them selves, to their seed and country. Secondly, It is of all heresies and Apostasies the most pernicious. Thirdly, It is not tolerable, or to be winked at, in any Christian common wealth. Fourthly, We of England have great cause to praise God, that we have nothing to do with it.

N O sooner had my pen concluded the former Chapter, but that me thought I heard the great comaunder of all the world, calling unto all Christians, concerning the Romish religion and saying Departe, depart, go out from thence and touch no unclean thing. For seeing that popery is so directly and manifold, differing from the true ancient and catholic religion, so agreeing with all filthy heresies, and lately sprung up out of the unclean brood of human invention and diabolical suggestion, bearing down all purity of faith and true holy worship of God, & that hereby the Romish Church is certainly found to approve it self to be that great Babylon, which is become the habitations of devils, and the hold of foul spirits, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird: I can no otherwise understand the duty of all Christians, but that they be obedient to that heavenly voice, which else where calleth us out of that profane synagogue of Rome, saying: Go out of her my people, that ye be not partakers in her sins, that ye receive not of her plagues. It behooveth therefore every soul to consider wisely of this thing, because of the danger that may happen to himself, to his seed, and to his country. For as it was no pleasant thing to Noah, to live among those proud and cruel people of the first world, whose destruction he knew to be most certainly approaching: and as Lot dwelling at the gate of Sodom, vexed his righteous soul in hearing and seeing their unlawful deeds, & his very life was hazarded in the destruction of the wicked, if God had not been singularly merciful unto him: So all men that fear God, cannot but know, that such wicked and filthy heresy, as popery is, must needs be as a canker that fretteth even unto destruction of the soul. For it not only draweth us unto many noisome and heretical prauities, but also to most abhominable idolatry, and the very overthrow of the covenant of grace and true faith; by which we stand in the favor of God and have the hope of eternal life by Jesus Christ. They which speak most fauourablie for papists, & seem willing to have them in some sort of the visible Christian Church: do endeavor the same by making their apostasy to be no greater then the apostasy of the ten tribes of Israel, after their falling away from the house of David, under the hand of Hieroboam. At which time they left the temple at Jerusalem, and the pure worship & word of God, and made them calves in Dan and Bethel, and worshipped God as it pleased the kings of Israel. But if men would consider the story of that good king Jehoshaphat, when he joined affinity with Ahab, they might easily see this thing, how near he was to leese his life for such fellowship: what loss he had of ships, and how God rebuked him saying: Wouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore for this thing the wrath of the Lord is upon thee. Loe here the Israelites are counted wicked & the haters of God; and such as for whose fellowship, God's wrath cometh upon his children. Therefore seeing the papists are (much more) worse, it must needs be very dangerous to have any fellowship with them. And if the soul be far, more precious then the body, then is the hazarde the greater. And doubtless no man is able to express the greatness of the mischief which that wicked brood may bring upon a man, for so much as they transgress the word of God, and follow not the doctrine of Christ, and have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their own abominations: For it is written: Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. And again: As the flame of fire devoureth the stubble, and as the chaff is consumed of the flame: so their root shall be rottenness, and the bud shall rise up like dust, because they have cast off the law of the Lord of hosts, and contemned the word of the holy one of Israel. If then it be a perilous thing and a misery to be without God, and to be as a rotten root and a bud turned into dust, to be devoured like stubble of the flaming fire: and that this cometh by forsaking the word of God: then woe and twice woe unto all them, that separate not themselves, from popery and papists, whose foundation is the forsaking of God's word, to follow the magisteriall power of men, and human traditions and inventions. Again, what soul is there that hath learned Christ, who doth not see, what a mischief and inconvenience this bringeth on his posterity. And if you forget it, or consider it not, remember Solomon the wise, who was called Jedediah, that is beloved of the Lord. Behold what a breach his idolatry made in his kingdom & glory: which befell in his son Rehoboams days, & continued in his posterity forever: he lost the ten tribes of Israel, and his gold was turned into brass. And of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat it is said, that he walked in the ways of the kings of Isràel as did the house of Ahab, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife, & he did evil in the sight of the Lord. And whē God stirred up Jehu to root out the house of Ahab. For his abhominable idolatry and bluddie cruelty: by this affinity which came through Iehoshaphates folly, Ahaziah king of Judah, son of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat being found in the company was slain with Jehoram king of Israel wicked Ahab's son, and forty and two of Ahazias brethren coming to visit the sons of the wicked. Therefore all wisemen considering these and such like judgments, upon the houses of God's children for their fellowship with the wicked, will know very well, that it behooveth them to take heed as of a poisoned serpent, and to be wary of these Scorpion-like popish Locusts: whose sting being in their tails, do bring such great wrath of God upon all that are infected with their heresy: For they know who hath said: Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but even reprove them rather: If there come any unto you & bring not this doctrine, receive him not to house, neither bid him God speed. Take heed that no man fall away from the grace of God: let no root of bitterness spring up and trouble you, lest thereby many be defiled. Now as for a man's country consider only the story of Micah. Into whose house by his mothers superstition, when images had entered: it was an occasion & means of the corrupting of the whole tribe of Dan with idolatry. And that of ^g Gideon. Who of the earings and jewels that were given him of the spoils of Midian, making a Ephod (a small thing in comparison of popish imagery) and putting it in Ophrah his city, brought a marvelous inconvenience and corruption to the whole land, and to his own house, as may appear by this that it is said: All Israel went a whooring after it, which was the destruction of Gideon and his house.

2 But if you mark it well this is not all. For of all heresies & apostasies, which have happened from the beginning of the world, this popery is the most pernicious. For all other have contented themselves to lead the people from God to idolatry, and by continuance of sin have drawn the fierce wrath of God, upon countries & nations, and in fine great desolations and overthrows. But popery as it is equal at the least in all these evils, with all other wickedness and abominations whatsoever: so it hath a certain excellency in doing evil, above all other infections. Namely, that it overturneth the very course of nature. For we read in all stories of Assyrians, Chaldeans, Meades, and Persians, Grecians, & Romans, that their superstitions did make them strangers from God indeed, & worthily deserved they & suffered they his heavy judgments: yet the civil magistrate was honorable among them, and the beauty of the common weals, was the freedom to punish wickedness, as murder and uncleanness: & the people might live in some reasonable liberty, under the pure and honest obedience of their Lord's kings or Emperors. But the Church of Rome taketh away all authority and power from the civil estate & translateth it to the ecclesiastical, upon every trifle dischargeth the people of their obedience to the civil sword, and keepeth them in most strait slavery to themselves, openeth the way to all wickedness, murders, and uncleanness, and utterly weakeneth the estate of all princes, coningly making them vassals and slaves to all folly & dishonor. All this the Christian reader may see (before I proceed) if he call to mind the latter part of the last Chapter. How be it I will help him a little, that he may the more plainly discern what I say and the true effect thereof. Three things I observe in a flourishing common wealth: 1. The good virtuous and commendable living of the people. 2. The wealth and peace of the country. 3. The honor and safety of the prince and civil state. Where these three are taken away, there the common wealth must needs be turned upside down: and this doth the very nature of popery bring to pass, as it were the very bane of the civil state and common wealth. First look we upon their single life of their priests, Munkes, Friers, and Nuns, and see what this doth bring to pass. These do naturally diminish the number of people, when so many men and women are kept from marriage, and these being privileged persons are exempted from civil service: so that it weakeneth the strength of the realm: as Solomon saith: In the multitude of the people is the honor of the king, and for the want of people cometh the destruction of the prince. Secondly, these have brought forth most horrible uncleanness, not to be named amongst Christians, and infinite murders of poor innocents, such as I am ashamed to explain as it deserveth: only I will show the reader as it were through a lattice, some part of this evil and chiefly what the papists themselves say: namely that the inconvenience of this single life was such, that when the priests by Gregory the seventh were forbidden marriage, there never was a greater schism in the Church in the time of any heresy, few men keeping themselves chaste, some feyning continency for gain and boasting, and many increasing their incontinency with perjury and diverse sortes of adultery. It is recorded that Gregory the first, did among the first command single life unto priests: but after finding that they did commit filthiness secretly, & that thereof many children conceived were murdered, he did abrogate that commandment and said, it was better to marry then to give cause of slaughter. For when on a time, he sent to fish in a ponde, there were found in the same six thousand heads of drowned children, which he seeing to come of this constrained single life, mourning and sighting from the depth of his heart, did forthwith revoke his decree. He that readeth the lives of popes, if it were only in popish writers or could travel and learn the guise of Rome, or could but understand what the commishioners of King Henry the eight of noble memory, found and saw in putting down of Abbeys, he would easily in this point believe the papist Krantius, where he saith: That in the city of Rome Continencie is more rare then a white Swan among secular men. And this soar is grown grievous, that everywhere it is complained of. So that their very champions and defenders are forced to confess, that the popish bishops do not only wink at the beastly filthiness of their priests: but also take money to suffer such wickedness: yea they are not ashamed to face it out, with this whoorish boldness as to say: It is a much more grievous sin for a priest to have a wife, then to keep many whores at home. This sin of uncleanness shall you also find to be nourished by shrift. For beside many other things, we read that Nectarius Bishop of Constantinople, finding by experience, how apt this confessing to a priest, was to breed and nourish whoordome, took it utterly away in those Greek Churches. But in the Latin churches remaining still, one example may suffice to show what a rich and fat dunging unto a single life this shrift hath been and is, to bring forth such unclean and beastly fruit. We read of the Spanish inquisition, that on a time it pleased the Lord's inquisitors of the holy house, to cause proclamation to be solempnly pronounced in the province of Siuill, that whosoever knew of their certain knowledge or by report, that any Monks or other religious or spiritual persons had abused their holy sacrament of confession to any such abhominable use, or that any ghostly father had dealt in any such sort with their shrift children; they shall signify it to the house of inquisition. But this proved to be so great and plentiful an harvest to that holy house: (for so many, so sundry women of all sortes, yea of the graver matrons, were touched in conscience to inform the holy fathers as obedient children) that they were fain for very shame to leave it of as they began, and secreatly to hang up these holy men which heard confession, by their purses, whom they durst not for the multitude call into open question for their adulterous and filthy living. But this shrieft, if you mark it is not only naturally fit to foster this kind of filthiness, but also all treasons and sedition and all license to every kind of wickedness noisome to the common wealth. For howe think you was the Pope able to wrestle with the Emperors and Kings of the world, if he had not all the ghostlie fathers at commandment, who under Benedicite might and did lead the people whither they list: and who is it, that being so easily (as by confession) pardoned of all his sins, which would not be encouraged to run after the like or greater exces. Moreover what thing could be kept secret from his beastly holiness, when his servants were the princes confessors & councellors? To maintain thieves, murderers, and traitors, they have sanctuaries, cloisters and monasteries, to hide & keep them from the civil power. Their imagery & keeping their service in an unknown tongue, with conceiling of holy scriptures, kept the people in such awe and motherly devotion, that they might easily carry the people not only against their liege Lord's on earth: but even against the Lord God of heaven. Their holy days and fasting days grew to such numbers, that the meaner people could not tell howe to live. Their merits, prayers for the dead, oblations, sacrifice of the mass and such like superstitions, stale away the riches of the comminaltie, and made many good heirs beg a crust at their religious monasteries. Of all these things not only stories and experience, but also the Lawyers can certify, by the statutes that have been made against incest, buggerie, appeals, holy days and dead men's devotions. But the thing that I will specially stand upon is this: that beside all these, which do naturally in that religion afflickt and keep under, the comely and honorable estate of the common wealth, there are other things in the lordlynesse and spiritual preeminence, of the prelacy, and especially of the Pope, that make the civil state as no state, except as a mere slave: and they tread under foot all earthly kingdoms. First I observe the popish doctrine as it was suffered by the Emperor, by his ouergrowing to have weighed down the imperial authority, namely by granting to Boniface the third, the title of universal Bishop, he lost his authority over the pope and clergy, as is before at large declared. And when in the second Council of Nice, the Empire condescended to images, it was presently so weak that it had no more power to hold out in Italy: And lastly when the Greeks agreed more generally unto popery at the Council of Basel: The Turk by and by overcame Constantinople; and so the Empire of the East was utterly abolished. Secondly though Charles the great rose up about that time Emperor in the West, and so from thencefoorth, the Pope hath seemed to allow and maintain an Empire in the west: yet all men know that the wars raised against the Emperors by the Popes, for the Primacie, in their investing of Prelates and such like, hath made it a very poor thing, for that it was in the days of the said Charles. For though popery use the civil sword for her defense, yet it suffereth not the glory and power of the civil magistrate, to have any further strength, then as the Pope and his Prelates may well rule: that they may always have them at their command. And this is done by contention, avarice and her daughter extortion, to keep them always weak and poor: and by falsehood and pride, whereby they are spoiled and subdued, and their authority made captive, and as it were slain and buried. For contention read Krantius Metropolis; and you shall find, that Bishoprics were governed by arms, they strove for their bounds and limittes, they joined in conspiracy with the son against the father, yea when no cause was, Rodolphus taketh arms to deprive his Lord of his Empire, and Henry the fifth wageth war against his own father: of which came all manner of evil, murders, rapins, burnings, spoiling of Town and country, Anno 1184. The Emperor Freoderick making a marriage for his son: when in procession on Pentecosts day, he had the archbishop of Mentes on his right hand, and the Archbishop of Collen on his left. The Abbot of Fulda, striving to have one of their places did so trouble the company: that if the Emperor had not wisely ordered the matter there had been war and bloodshed upon the same. But what miserable troubles, these contentions have been to the kings of England, he that only readeth the elections of the Bishop of Canterbury shall see sufficient: that I speak nothing of munkes against secular priests, abbots against their munkes, friers against friers and such like deadly fewds: which hath caused great ado in many places. Nay if I should speak of the Saxons and Almains, of the Guelphes, and Gibellins, Florentines, Venetians and people of Millaine; and I know not how many other cities and nations, which upon popish iars have been brought, by factions and devisions into a formal war & continual steam of slaughter & butcherie one upon another: I might make a great volume. And it filleth my soul with wrestles sorrow, to think: that the unthankfulness of men, not believing the truth of God, but harkening to foolish fables, should provoke the heavy wrath of GOD, to heap such infinite and unspeakable miseries upon them. Now for their avarice and exactions how naturally, they lie in their religion, and how they keep under the people and nations, and preserve their diabolical supremacy; only let me rehearse the stories what they say: First one saith Multae & magnae concertationes doctorum &c. Many and great discentions were there of learned & good men, and if they had bridled avarice, they might have easily found a measure or end: and again. Exorbitabat eo tempore supra modum Romana curia in exhauriendo prouincias auro &c. At that time the court of Rome went out of square above measure in robbing the provinces of their gold, through the bestowing of indulgences not heard of, and graces incredible. And the apostolical Courtiers or suitors which obtained, were miserably tossed: they strove or sued before the Auditor or judge: two judgments wer given for one party. In the third instance the Judge is commanded, that he put the one party to perpetual silence, neither needed letters to be dispatched by the Chauncerie: there was a shorter way hy the chamber, by giving that which sounded and shined. A thing at that time new, but in our age well waxen old, that, that age might be thought to have found out that which this our age doth now use. But we complain of these things in vain. So complained Albertus Krantius being himself a papist, whose story endeth An. 1501. And in another place showing how a youth of 17. years of age obtained a bishopric of the pope, he saith: The Apostolical sea showeth it self liberal to suitors, changing lead for gold: which being spoken in the old world, how much that liberality hath grown unto this day, they do easily understand who have doings in things. So doth an other papist tell us, that when Anselmus the Archbishop entreated the Lord Pope, for certain Bishops and Abbots of England, who were degraded: That the same most gracious sea, which never faileth any man (so as some white or red thing be mediator) restored the same bishops & Abbots to their dignities. And an other papist can tell you of their instruments & bulls, & of the college of Catchpoles or Harpies (that is to say) scribes & notaries of the Apostolical treasures, which could skil how to make an office, which at the first was sold for 500. crowns, to be at a thousand or two or three thousand: and how the annuates and yearly fruits, palles and appeals, have soaked up many countries, and made the pontifical sea of great power. The effect of which Apostaticall devises of these lordly Popes, may appear by the complaints of all nations, which thing may clearly be seen unto all men, that shall read the council of Basel, which made many provisions by decrees against the ravening of the Popes court, by reservations, appeals, instances, annates, collations, and many such like: which decree the King of France Charles the 7. Anno 1438. did confirm, by an edict commonly cailed Pragmatica Sanctio, Which when pope Pius the 2. labored with Louis the 7. to undo: the Senate of Paris declare unto the king, what great prosperity the Realm was in by that Edick, in the days of many his forefathers, and what great affliction it was now fallen into by such exactions, that thereby France would be bare of people and empty of money, and unless he did hold fast the sanction of his father, every year there would go out of France unto Rome, ten hundred thousand crowns, beside diverse ways that they had to impoverish his kingdom. One John Rufus the popes legate at one time wrested out of the poor Irish men's devotions 8000. marks. The Germains amongst other greeuances, require three things to be amended. First, that they hindered the princes in their right; 2. That they pulled and made Germany wast and without wealth and riches. 3. And bondmen with great bondage. But speaking sparing of other countries: by the pattern of England our own country, you shall guess very much, what spoil and havoc they made of all lands. The greeuances of England have been these. First by complaint in a parliament there are seven things mentioned, to weaken and empouirish the state of the land. The Pope was not content with his subsidy of Peter pence but exacteth most grievous contributions, more and more of the clergy, and that without the kings consent and assent, the Patrons cannot give the benefices, but they are wrested out of their hands and given to Romans, who know not our language and by transporting of money greatly empouerish our land, by provisions in pensions, by trial of causes they are drawn out of the kingdom by apostolical authority, against the statutes and laws of the Realm, by manifold coming of that infamous messenger, Non obstante, by whom the reverence of an oth, the ancient customs the virtue of Scriptures, the authority of grants and the statutes, laws, and privileges are weakened and made void &c. Also they caused the prelates to find them soldiers, some ten, some five, some fifteen well furnished with horse & armor, and that one whole year. They have had such extreme exactions of payments, that they have been fain to sell or to lay to pawn their chalices, and other holy vessels to feed the popes desires. Also he exacted the fifth part of all the goods of the revenues of the clergy of England. The Bishop of Lincoln being astonished at the covetousness of the Romans, caused the revenues of strangers to be counted, and found that they had 70000. marks, when the mere revenues of the king was not esteemed to the third part. And that which of all is most past shame and color of honesty: the pope sent for his factors, certain friers dominickes and minorites, who preaching among the people and proclaiming pardons: did sign with the cross all sorts of people, men women, & children, old, young, sick & whole, and by and by after for a piece of money did absolve thē of the vow of their peregrination. Thus you see that the church of Rome had many ways to draw out the wealth of all the world into their coffers, and keep the kings and people in low estate & great slavery. For which cause as other nations had their sanctions which they called Pragmaticke, so England guarded themselves with the law of provision commonly called de Praemuniri. Touching falsehood; this Romish religion is thereof naturally such a nurse, that no common wealth can promise themselves safety, where that heresy reigneth, or where it can come near to have any meddling: for if they maintain all traitors against magistrates, and by dispensations make men shameless in forswearing and breaking promise: what think you is the domage of all Christian kingdoms, or what is the privilege of the popish kingdoms? Let Pope Pius Quintus bull sent against our Queens most excellent Majesty, to stir up all her subjects against her: and the manifold practices out of Italy, & Spain, from time to time, against both Ireland and England, testify: yea the supplies which he sent of soldiers to help the Duke du Meine, and the traitors of France against their liege Lord and king; as also the murderous and bloody knife of James Clement of the order of the Dominic friers, being blessed for good speed by Pagorola the Popes legate, wherewith the late French King being a Papist, was traitorously killed, by the conspiracy and instigation of many and great popish traitors: may be instead of a thousand witnesses. Duke Alba 1569. by a public edict forbiddeth traffic in the low countries unto English men: that no man under pain of confiscation, bring in or out merchandise: and that it might be the more sharply executed, he appointed searchers and informers, who should have the one half of that which was confiscated. Now all these were English fugitiues papists, and amongst them the chiefest one William Parkins had Doctor Story for his deputy: mark here what witness this is that papists are naturally traitors, most sharp against there native country of England, by the very nature of their religion. And beside this their seminaries are erected at Rome and at Reims, and at Vallesoletum in Spain, out of which the traitorous priests and Jesuits are sent by dosens in diverse and disgised attire to seduce the Queens Majesty's subjects from their obedience, and to disturb the peace of this Realm. Yet see a little further how this natural popish falsehood in dispensations hath hurt the very obedient children. Louis the third being Emperor, warred against one Aldalgisus, which was of the remnant of the Lombards, and by ambush being taken was bound by oath never to bear arms against him anymore. From this oath John the 8. absolved Louis, who being caught again in like manner, for the same cause lost his eyes, and in his absence in Italy the Hungarians wasted Bavaria, Sueuia, Saxonia, and carried a very great multitude of people captive especially out of Saxonia. An other time the Hungarians being Christians, having a goodly victory against the Turks, granted to a truce of ten years, upon the Turks suite and upon the knowledge of their own strength, finding it better to get strength in peace, then to waste all by continual war: and this truce was confirmed by oath on both sides. But the Pope Eugenius taking it grievously, never left both by entreaty and threatening, till he had caused the truce to be broken by his dispensation and apostolical authority. But what came of this perjury. The war was renewed, and God rewarded this papal Romish falsehood, with a most lamentable effusion of Christian blood, by a shameful foil and overthrow by the same Turk. Now let us go a little higher, and consider of their pride and Seraphical tyranny. What if herein we look but upon our own country of England? Into what slavery and bondage think you, hath the stately primacy of Rome brought this realm unto. First let the reader be put in mind, that Henry the second, reigning in England about Anno 1154. being desirous to annex the realm of Ireland unto the imperial crown of England, sent solemn embassage to Rome to Pope Adrian, that by his license & favor he might enter that Island in hostile manner, that he might subdue it and bring those beastly people to the faith and obedience of truth. Unto which the Pope by a special bull gave him license, provided that of every house be paid unto Peter the yearly pension of a penny, and the foundation of this grant in the said bull is built upon this, that the Pope therein most arrogantly, without any authority from God, challengeth saying: Sane omnes insulas &c. Surely, all Islands, upon whom the sun of righteousness shineth, & have received the doctrine of the Christian faith, without doubt doth appertain to the right of S. Peter & of the holy church of Rome. Behold a wonderful arrogancy, & a marvelous awe of a king to a proud prelate. And not only was he thus in awe of the pope (a thing abhorrent from a free kingdom) but also Thomas Archb. of Canterbury, being one of his own subjects, did very greatly curb him. For beside many other cross dealing, whereas An. 1164. the Archbish. Bishops, Abbots, priors, the clergy, Earls, Barons, and all the nobility, did swear and firmly promise, in the word of truth, to keep and observe to the king & his heirs in good sooth, without any ill meaning forever, sixteen points of customs or liberties, recognised and acknowledged to be to him, and namely of the ancestors of the king, for the avoiding of dissensions and discord often arising between the clergy and the Justices of the Lord the king and the peers of the Realm which were as touching aduowsons, and presentations of Churches, of Clerks accused, or convicted, of the going of Archbishops, Bishops, &c. out of the land without the kings license, of excommunication and of lay men accused to be done by lawful and honest accusers and witnesses: that such as held of the king should not be excommunicated, or interdicted without the kings knowledge, that appeals should not go further then the Archbishop, without the kings consent: that Archbish. Bishops and all persons, holding lands of the king in Capite, should have their possession as a baron and do service therein, as other Barons accustomablie did and such like. This Thomas after his solemn oath, repenting himself without the kings license or knowledge, travaileth and maketh suite to the Pope of Rome, not only to be discharged of his oath, but to overthrow the whole liberty of the realm, and that against both the king, nobles, prelates, and the whole state of the land: and of them he excommunicateth many, & causeth very great disturbance to the king and all the realm. Thereof are many appeals, diverse meetings, of clergy, states, sometime of Cardinals, sometime of the French king, to compound or determine the cause. At length by the means of the French king, the matter being taken up, & Thomas sent peaceablie home, was no sooner warm in his seat, but by bulls from the Pope he fell to excommunicate and curse the other Bishops and others who had offended him. Whereupon there was kindled such indignation and wrath in the heart of certain resolute persons, that because he remained obstinate in his former crossing of the king, as they took it, laid violent hands upon him, as upon the kings enemy, and slew him. The king hearing thereof, being much grieved, did humble himself in sackcloth and ashes, protesting by solemn oath, his ignorance and innocence of the fact, sending Ambassadors to Rome of his defense & submission to the order of the Church, which had such strange entertainment, that neither the first nor second messengers could come into the popes sight, and had much ado to keep the land from interdicting, but at the length by swearing that the king would stand to the judgment of the Pope & his Cardinals, that great curse was avoided. Howbeit the king although by oath he sware earnestly that he was not privy nor acquainted with the fact, yet because in his anger he had spoken some words unadvisedly, and had brought up such wicked soldiers as would be revenged upon the kings traitor the Archbishop, and so slew him: therefore the king for remission of his sins was enjoined by the Pope, to give so much money as would maintain 200. soldiers a year, and suffer appeals, and let go all his customs and liberties of his ancestors, before spoken of, and recognised by oath of all his subjects. And after this (a thing not be seeming any Christian, much less a king) returning into England, and coming near to the city of Canterbury, he alighted from his horse, and putting off all kingly majesty, barefoot like a pilgrim penitent and supplyant with sighs, groans, and tears, he cometh to the tomb of this Thomas, & casting himself down in all his body, & spreading his hands to heaven, remained in prayers, and after other popish ceremonies, because of his unadvised words, he took upon him this penance: he asked absolution of the Bishops then and there present, & laying open his naked skin to the discipline of rods, he received of every religious man, whereof there was a great multitude, three or five ierkes. Let any wise man knowing the word of God, consider whether this were not a shameful slavery both of body, soul, king and kingdom. King Richard the first, going about to fortefie the out borders of his country in Normandy, was marvelously confounded and ouerstreightned, by the Archb. of Roan his subject: Who therefore interdicted all the country, so that men's bodies being dead, lay unburied in the streets of the cities and villages, very greatly annoying the living with their stench: yet had the king no way to relieve himself, but by appeal to the court of Rome (loe here the king appealeth from his subject) by whom it was ordered, that by exchange of so much for so much, as belonged to the Archb. & chapter of Roan the interdiction was stayed, and the Archbishop appeased toward the king. And who hath not heard of the unspeakable thralldom that king John was wrapped in, because he allowed not the choice of an Archbishop made by the pope without his consent, but used his royal authority against them which agreed to such choice, wherein his Majesty was excluded. First his land was accursed so that no Churches opened to their manner of service. Secondly he was excommunicated and lastly deposed of his kingdom, and his kingdom given to the French King to win from him by force of arms. And by this he was driven to commit himself to the Popes pleasure, and to resign his crown and kingdom into the Popes hands, & received it again in fee, and under homage, paying a thousand marks yearly, & swearing himself the Popes vassal forever. What a lamentable case was it in England, when king Henry the third, being humbly moved by his subjects, to stand upon his privilege, that his people should not be made a pray to the Romish exactions: did answer directly and say: Neither will I, neither dare I gainsay the Pope in anything. But most woeful is that which is reported of Frederick the Emperor, being so outrageously tossed, and turmoiled by the Pope, that he did most comfortless lament, most plentifully and bitterly weep and his eyes did run with tears, which was a miserable sight in a man of so great authority and age: who bewailing and wringing his hands he said: Woe be unto me, against whom mine own bowels do fight: Peter whom I believed to be the rock and the half of my soul, hath prepared for me the snares of death. Behold the Lord Pope, whom the Empire under my noble ancestors hath created and enriched of nothing, goeth about to pull down the same, & deviseth the destruction of me, who am ruler of the same Empire now ready to fall. Whom shall I trust? where may I be safe, where joyful hereafter? &c. And thus did that angelical pride, so batter and bring down the civil power and dominion in all places, that it is a most manifest thing, that in the time of Luther ( as he very wisely and truly noteth) the doctrine of the magistrates office and his authority, was as it were dead and buried: and all power and dominion stole from them by this most horrible Apostaticall sea of Rome. And that no marvel, for it is ^e said of Pope Boniface the eight, that the round world was not big enough for his mind, who put on his head, the pontificiall and imperial myter, testifying that both swords were in his hands. What shall we say then? If that popery be naturally such a nurse and mother of all kind of sin, fornication, whoredom and all filthiness, treachery, rebellion, contention, war, murder, oppression, and all kind of cruelty: if it weaken all common wealths, by exactions, extortions, usurpation, and arrogancy, and open the gate to all villainy and falsehood, by dispensations and sanctuaries, and make all authority of the civil magistrate of most vile estimation, and without reputation, use and profit to God's people: leading all sorts of men into most vile slavery of filthy idolatry and human inconstancy, let their own mouth be judge against themselves. For thus Pope pius the second saith, Vana est religio quae sceleri locum facit: Vain is that religion, which is a maintainer of wickedness: which if all papists would consider, how it agreeth with popery (whereof I have given them here a little light) they would quickly forsake that house of vanities & tower of confusion.

3 I would then demand of any honest man and wise Christian, who feared God and believed in Jesus Christ, and did look for his appearing and the last judgment, how that we of the true religion, now publicly taught and professed in England, could be made to like of the popish service, to be tolerated or winked at in our country, or that we could find a way to reconcile both religions? whether it were not, as if one imagine, that life & death, water and fire, light and darkness, hell, and heaven, might rejoice and comfort each other. For it is not possible for a true Christian protestant to have peace joy or comfort, in the fellowship of a true heretical papist: they are in all things as is aforesaid so contrary. What mixture is there of the feet that are partly Iron and partly earth: so is the everlasting, most ancient and unchangeable faith of God's elect professed in England, likely to agree with the earthly new borne superstition of the Romish synagogue. Set me the believer and the infidel, the true Christian and the heretic in one fraternity, how will they agree? Even as Cain was kind to Abel, & Ishmael honored Isaac, & Esau sought the safety of Jacob, and Saul loved Daued, so will the papists be kind and faithful unto us. And let all men know, that when God hath said, I will put enmity between the seed of the woman, & the seed of the serpent. There can be no peace nor reconciliation between us. It had need be a very fine wit, (but certesse no wise man) who can show how these may agree: one saith thou art Antichrist, and the other answereth, thou art an heretic: this man saith, thou art an idolater; the other saith to him again, thou art a schismatic: the one abhorreth all images, pardons, purgatories, merits, sacrifices, monkerie, latin service &c. The other hath all his hearts delight in them, and careth not what murder he commit, to maintain such trumpery. Can these agree or be reconciled? The persecutions, prisons, burnings, war, murders, massacries, villainies, and cruelties, which now have continued & daily be practiced by that sea of Rome, in all ages and countries, do warrant a miserable peace & reconciliation. They may lie, swear, and forswear, kill and rebel, and do anything for advantage, and yet by absolution, pardon or dispensation be holy children. They may dissemble & pretend contentment and obedience (as they are not ashamed to profess) until they be strong enough to overcome, & for advantage, break promise & catch at all occasions: in what case are we if we should trust them to assemble together? Think we that if they might have but the least entrance or toleration, that they would not quickly frame some great mischief, which now continually labor with such plots of treachery to undermine the state: notwithstanding that laws are in some measure (God be thanked) pressed upon them: and the eyes of many wise counsellors watch over them and prevent them. Ciuil men and politicians know, that it is dangerous to have a natural enemy near thee, and that leagues and agreement amongst enemies and with the wicked, are but baits, snares and nets to destroy thee: so much more is it impossible that a Christian common wealth can have any good by tolerating of Antechristian observations or doctrine, except to make them to be goads in their sides, & pricks in their eyes, always ready to rise up against them unto mischief: as the Canaanites were unto Israel. As a Wolf will play with a lamb, and a Fox with a Goose, and a Lion with a Kidde: so may all they which fear God, & believe to be saved by only faith in Christ, abhorring idols and loving the right and just authority of the magistrate, find favor and peace at the hands of papists, if once they wink at their religion. For (though I say nothing of God's hand, which is always heavy against his Church, when they are friends with idolaters) we have too many hundred years experience, what this new religion of popery hath brought into this world, and how solitary it hath made the tents of God's Saints. I verily think, that no Christian prince, knowing his own right from God, and the uncertainty of his standing under that scarlet whore: that (if he have any courage or power in his hands) will give any countenance to such as he undoubtedly knoweth will never be faithful, but always undermine his estate, & bring his life in hazard.

4 And sithence we have had now above forty years trial of the sound truth of the Gospel, and of God's notable hand in protecting and defending the state of this land receiving and embracing the same all this while, against most strong force, & very many marvelous cunning treasons: how wonderfully he hath blessed us with peace and prosperity, and made us so much the more happy, by how much our enemies have labored most wisely & strongly against us: he hath made the winds and seas to fight for us: & the Popes curse hath he manifoldly turned upon his own head, and his abettors have never prospered: and in all things the Lord declared himself to be our God, by multiplying our peace and the days of our gracious prince, in all perils standing by her as his dear handmaid: we may boldly say that the more we be estranged from popery: the nearer we are & the dearer unto the Lord our God, and the less agreement we have with the popish apostasy, the more his grace, mercies, goodness, and shielding power doth watch over us to feed, to foster, to keep & deliver us. Therefore we Christians, who have been begotten with the pure seed of God's holy word, and felt & found most sweet and sound nourishment by that sincere milk, under the most gracious happy and prosperous reign of the Lord's blessed anointed servant Elizabeth our liege Lady and Queen, and knowing what occasions to godliness, abundance of peace and wealth, and joyful liberty of body and soul, we have had and enjoyed, cannot cease night nor day to praise God for his blessing and mercy, which we have had in and by her most constant faith and godly reign: continually praying his divine goodness, to increase his blessings and graces upon her both bodily and ghostly, to strengthen and enlarge her heart, in all Christian virtues, princely wisdom and courage, to defend her against all her enemies: and prolong her days more and more, in all joy, honor, wealth prosperity and heavenly comfort in Christ: to his own glory & the daily good of his Church and this realm of England: even for Jesus Christ's sake: To whom be praise & glory forever, Amen.