The Grand Sacrilege of the Church of Rome, Dedication 2
TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.
THe people of Germany (as Illyricus writeth of them) aboue an hundred yeeres agoe, complained, that aCatal. Test. ver. lib. 19. pag. 1912. olim fuerunt lignei calices, & aurei sacerdotes, nunc contra sunt aurei calices, & lignei sacerdotes.in old time there were in the Church woodden Chalices, but golden Priests, but now, say they, we hauehave golden Chalices, but woodden Priests. A iust complaint against the ignorant Cleargie of Rome, in the latter Ages, especially before the happie Reformacion of late in our time. Yet the ignorance of Priests was not so blameable, as their sacrilege was damnable. For these wooden Priests tooke away from the peoples vse those golden Chalices, and robbed them of that, which is farre more precious, the heauenly liquor contained in them, which is sacramentally (as wee say, but as they beleeue substantially) the blood of our Sauiour, the inualuable price of mans Redemption. The Heathen Strobilus in the Poet vsed not his Goddesse, Fides, worse, then they doe the deuout Laietie. bPlaut. in Au…i Sireperco, Fides, mulsi congial…m ple…am tibi faciam fideliam: id adeo tibi faciam, sed ego mihi bibam vid. Eras A…g. Delphis sacrisicans ipse comedit carnes.If I finde my treasure, saith hee, I will offer vntounto thee a gallon of sweet wine. Trust me, Faith, I will offer it to thee, but I will drinke it eueryevery drop my self. In like sort the Romish Masse-Priests vponupon a thousand Altars offer many flagons of wine, as they pretend, for the people, as well as themselues: but they drinke it all themselues. And yet I know not whether more impiously, or ridiculously in their priuate Masses, and publike Communions they rehearse the words, Bibite Missale Rom. in Can. Miss.ex hoc omnes, Drinke yee all of this, that is, in their sence and practise, Drinke yee none of this, but we onelyonly, that are Priests. Verily of all the abuses in the Masse, which is nothing else but a huge heape, and masse of idolatrous, and superstitious rites, there is none more grosse in the doctrine, or impious in the practise, or absurde in the defence, then this of halfing the Communion, by with-holding the Cup from the people. For it is an open violence offered to our Lords last Will and Testament, a violation of the words of the Institution, a mutilation of the blessed Sacrament, a sacrilegious detention of an holy Legacie from the Sonnes of God. In other points of difference, our aduersaries lay Concil. Constan. s…ss 13. Tho…gh Christ did in s…tute in both …ds, and the … …ch did so …minister, &c.claime to the Primitiue Church: but in this they yeeld it vsus. Against other of their errors wee hauehave frequent testimonies in the former and purer Ages, for fiue, or sixe hundred yeeres after Christ: but few in the later. Against this vnsufferable enormity wee abound in passages of good Writers in all Ages. In other controuersies, the Romanists, like Sampsons Foxes, are tyed fast by the tailes: in this they are loose, and parted asunder, and they take direct contrary courses. They disproue their own proofes and approoue our disproofes of them. Penelopes telam texunt, & retexunt, they doe and vndoe. There is no argument of ours against them, which is not confirmed by some of them, no obiection of theirs against vsus, which is not solued by some of their owne side; as thou mayst see through the whole, but especially in the last Chapter of this Discourse. Into which I Imbarked my studies the rather vponupon this occasion.
About two yeeres since I was desired by a person of qualitie, to conferre with a L. a little before that time seduced by deceitfull guides, who first lead the party out of the right way into the Arminian tract, and afterward into the high rode of Popery lying not farre off. VponUpon the first motion, I made some difficultie of giuing the party a meeting: because I suspected there might be shifted into the company, after their manner, some disguized Priest lying in subsidijs, or in Ambush as it were, that he might suddenly rush in vponupon the least shew of aduantage. Yet after the messenger had assured mee, that there were none in the Ls companie, but such as sincerely affected the truth of the Gospell, I made then no scruple, but presently accompanied him to the Honorable personages house. Where I found, notwithstanding that the L. was prouided of a second, and that the L. mouth was vsed onelyonly as a trunke to shoote out those poysoned bullets, which M. Euerard the Priest, and Confessor to this person, had chammed before with his teeth. Aspis à vipera sumit venenum: the Aspe, according to the Prouerb, borrowed poyson of the Viper. The Priest, in a few passages of speech vnawares discouered himselfe, tanquam sorex suo iudicio; whereupon I drew backe, and was very desirous to breake of further conference, because I expected nothing lesse, then sincere dealing in a meeting, that was contriued by fraud, and began to be acted in a masking manner. Yet when I obserued, that M. Euerard grew very insolent, and audacious vponupon my withdrawing my selfe, and diuerse Knights and Gentlemen there present, religiously deuoted to the Truth, both aduised, and intreated me not to bee wanting to the necessarie defence thereof: (Cassium enim hunc sufflaminandum esse) at their instance, I vndertooke Master Euerard, and for many houres sometimes opposed, and sometimes answered in diuers points, but especially in the question most desired by both parties to bee particularly debated, touching the necessity of Communicating in both kinds. The conference ended, I thought to hauehave heard no more of it, because it being on my part casuall, and extemporall; I conceiued it of little importance either way. But being since informed by an ho nourable Lord, that M. Euerard after that encounter had not only with his tongue licked all his wounds whole, but also with a venemous tooth fastned many slanders vponupon me, I thought fit to send him the ensewing relatiō of the Cō ference, requiring him to adde, or alter, what he thought conuenient in his owne arguments, and answers, and then to consigne it with his subscription, as I meant to doe the rest with mine also. VponUpon the receit hereof, he promised to returne me an answer with speed: but after many moneths failing thereof, being vrged againe and again, and vpbrayded with his tergiuersations, in the end he sent me a flat denial by S. P. L. and therein shewed himselfe to be of the nature of the Crocodile, or of those barbarous souldiers, of whom Muretus obserued, that they Plin. nat. hist. l. 8. c. 25. Terribilis haec contra fugaces bellua, fugax contra insequentes. Muret. Orat. Barbari cedentibus instant, instantibus cedeunt.furiously charge them that yeeld, but presently yeeld vntounto them that charge them: pursuing hard vponupon a retiring enemie, but flying with all speed from a pursuing. Now, lest that this my Antagonist should take D. Weston, and M. Fisher, for two Enfant perdues, or forelorne hopes, for his presidents; who, when they ought mederi capiti, and answer to the maine, touching the visibilitie of a Church, professing the Trent Faith 500. yeeres after Christ, reduuiam curarunt, and leauing quit the matter of Faith, shaped some colourable answer to impertinent circumstances of fact, and that of no great consequence either way: I hauehave therefore premised a Challenge to M. Euerard, as also to M. Fisher, to deale with me in this principall Controuersie; and I hauehave set downe the state thereof, and added thereunto such proofes for the truth, as the holy Scriptures, and the prime Authors in all ages hauehave offered vntounto me. All which I submit to thy diligent examination, and iudicious censure.