The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 7 · Robber 1
THE FIRST ROBBER IS the Popish Seminarie obscuring from the child of God, that shining Lanterne of Gods written word (presented before him for leading of him towards the heauens his Fathers house) vnderunder an vnknowne language.
HE is not sensible of God who reading that third of Genesis, ô my soule, laments not that Euah hearkening vntounto the Serpent, should hauehave so easily condescended to neglect, and forget that vndoubted true solid lesson brought to her eares by the louing voice of God, her gracious maker, and onelyonly true friend; and contented her selfe, first to hauehave hearkened vntounto a lying lesson, and thereafter to embrace it, brought from his deceitfull lippes who prooued her deadly foe; first betraying her, and then destroying her. When we reade the 13. and 16. Chapters of Iudges, we all cōdemne Samson of folly & rashnesse, who knowing that Almighty God had ordained no rasor to come on his head (but that he should remaine a Nazareth to the Lord) was moued by the importunate dealing of his deceiuing Dalilah, to shew her, that if he were shauen his strength would go from him, and that he would be weake and like vntounto other men. And yet when shall we begin, ô my soule, to pitie not one Euah, but a world of Euahs: not one Samson, but a very world of Samsons: who content themselues in these our dayes, alas, to passe by and neglect, yea, to despise and reuile those onelyonly wholsome, and onelyonly true sauing lessons which flowes from the mouth of yt their Father, which neither can deceiue, nor lie; hearkening in the meane time …o those poysoned and poysoning lessons, inuented by the deceitfull heart of that man of sin, and his followers, and vented by the treacherous, smooth, yet slaying lippes of his busie agents; yea, not onelyonly hearkening to them when they come towards them, but longing for them, yea, waiting for them, if they appeare to stay for any space from them, and which is more, heartily contented to begger their children, and ruine their houses, to the end they may feed and nourish them Knowest thou not, ô my soule, that Satan by that serpent the Pope, and his agents, by that Dalilah the Pope, and his suffragants (knowing what fruite is able to feed the child of God, and what fruite doth slay him; what wil make the child of God strong and able to withstand him, and his vncircumcised confederates, and what will make the child of God first weake, and then a prey to him that in the end he may mocke him) these many yeares by-past, hath bene withdrawing the world from the mouth of God, and the mouth of God from the world,The light of the word couched by the Papists vnderunder an vnknowne language. speaking to it by holy written Scripture, by couching this cleare Lanterne of Gods word vnderunder an vncouth and vnknowne language: and yet he hath so farre preuailed by this his busie double dealing, that now our Euahs, that is, our women who would be reputed noble and wise; that now our Samsons, that is, our men who would be accounted valorous; cannot be moued to looke vponupon that sacred Booke of God, being translated in their mother tongue, but abhorre to see it, to reade it, or to heare it read vntounto them, as if it were the inditement of some infernall spirit: for do these men or women abhorre so much any vaine or profane pamphlet, as they do the Bible in the vulgar tongue? But will our God, informing vsus by Scripture, subscribe with the Pope his aduersarie (exalting himselfe against all that is called God,…. Thes. 2. 4. or is worshipped, so that he doth sit as God in the Temple of God, shewing himselfe that he is God) in this point?Our God speaketh to the Iewes in the Iewish language. no, no, our God, saith Scripture, is to speake to his people the Iewes, & hath them to instruct and direct about his worship, and their saluation: alwayes in what language will he speake vntounto them? by what language will he instruct them? those who hauehave read the writings of Moses, the Psalmes and the Prophets, yea, in a word that whole volume of the old Testament, do know and must confesse that our wise God spake to the Iewes in the Iewish language, and instructed the Iewes by the Iewish language; for tell me, ô effronted Seminarie, in what language were these oracles of God,Rom. 3. 2. committed by God, vntounto the circumcised Iewes sounded, yea put in Register. When the fulnesse of time comes, our God hath not onelyonly the Iewes to speake vntounto, and to instruct, but the Gentiles also. Alwayes will he speake to them in the Hebrew & Greeke language. O robbing Seminarie, readest thou euer, considerest thou euer, that direction with the warrant thereof giuen by our Maister vntounto his disciples, Act. 1. 4. Considerest thou euer that which according to this promise befell the disciples▪ Act. 2. 1. 2. 3. 4? Iesus (blessed for euermore) who came into the world to saue Jew and Gentile, and so who by perswading Iaphet to dwell in the tents of Sem, to make of both one, must hauehave some men to be witnesses both in Ierusalem, and in all Iudaea, and Samaria, and vntounto the vttermost part of the earth. But must these men speake one language or two? or onelyonly these three canonized by the Pope, Hebrew, Greeke, and Latine, which the lying Papist doth hold that our God hath separate for his sacred and heauenly things? Not so, not so, ô my soule, I trow, for in the day of Pentecost not onelyonly were the Apostles heard by the Iewes in the Iewish tongue, by the Grecians in their tongue, by the Romanes in their tongue, but by the Parthians, Medes, Elemites, Inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia,Act. 2. 9. 10. 11. Pamphilia, Egypt, Lybia, Cyren, Cretes, and Arabians: all these, saith Scripture, heard the Apostles speake the wonderous workes of God in their owne tongues.Wherefore were the Apostles gifted with the gift of tongues. And so it pleased our God that day miraculously (yet most graciously) to gift the Apostles his seruants with the gift of tongues, to the end that they by speaking eueryevery language, might be able to discouer the hid mysteries of Gods blessed word to all people of euerie language, to the end they might be saued.Obiect. But I know that here the robbing cunning Seminarie will alledge, that we do him great wrong, and lye vponupon him grosly, saying: We neither condemne the vulgar translations of Scripture, neither debarre we men from the reading of them. Remember thy selfe, ô tricking Seminarie,Answer. so shalt thou finde that while thou appearest by the one hand slowly to put holy Scripture in the hands of Gods children, translated in their own mother tongue; thou forgettest not with both thy hands subtilly to pull it from them againe. Know I not, ô Seminarie, that these blind leaders of that troubled conuenticle at Trent,The decree of the Cō uenticle at Trent about the vulgar trāslation. in their 22. Session, and by the 8. and 9. Canons pronounced in it, will not forbid the vulgar translation of the Scripture, and yet they forget not to forbid the diu…lgating of these translations? And can any vulgar translation possibly hauehave any vse, to the benefit of Gods people, vnlesse it be di…lgate, and so spread abroad to the world, to the end it may be heard and read?VponUpon what condition grant the P…pists libertie to reade the vulgar trāslation. I know also beside this, ô my soule, that the same blind leaders giues libertie to the people to reade this vulgar translation tolerated by them. But to what people, ô my soule, I pray thee is this libertie granted? not vntounto all people indifferently, but onelyonly vntounto such who profitably & without hurt may & can reade thē. And who be these I pray thee? The parts of the ordinance of Trent about this matter be foure, ô my soule: first, that it is lawfull to none to reade the Scriptures in the vulgar tongue, but vntounto them who hauehave liberty gra…ted vntounto them by their Bishop and Inquisitor.… Secondly, that the Bishop giuing libertie, they take aduice and counsel of their ordinarie professors. Thirdly, that the Bishops suffer them not to reade indifferently all vulgar translations, but those onelyonly which Catholicke Romanes hauehave set forth. Fourthly, that libertie be not granted to all men to reade those, but to such as by the iudgement of their confessor will receiue no hurt by them, that is, to be plaine with the cunning Seminarie, but to such whom they hold as obstinate Papists, bond slaues to the Pope, and auowed aduersaries to the sauing truth of God, as they themselues be. Now of these foure grounds layed by the Tridentine councellers, two things do follow: first, that these blind leaders of the Romish Synagogue admit verie few to reade the vulgar translations of the holy Scripture. Secondly, that those whom they admit to reade them, are none beside their owne sworne men, who refusing to heare the voice of that true shepheard Iesus, hauehave sold themselues to depend vponupon these mercenary cruell wolues, in the verie matter of their saluation. O ancient Iewes, were you thus limited and bounded by that doctrine which Moses learned of God in the mountaine of God,The papists conditions are not by Scripture. and which he brought from the mountaine to you? O you sometimes the auditors of that great Bishop of your soules, Iesus, were you thus marked by that great Bishop? yea, ô you ancient hearers of Paul, who held backe from Gods people, name of God, his sauing counsell, were you thus tyed? I know that Philip heard the Eunuch alacke, as the Papists speake reading a portion of the Prophet Isaiah, but I heare not Philip either magnifying him by what Bishop and confessors aduice did he that, or reprouing him for doing of it. Yea, what shall I …ay, ô my soule, I wonder if those noble Bereans aduised with any Bishop, Inquisitor, or confessour, before they attempted not onelyonly to reade the Scripture, but by reading of it euen to trie whether those things spoken to them by the Apostles were conformable to Scripture, or no? for well had they learned these two directions, the one giuen by Iesus: Search the Scriptures, for in them ye thinke to hauehave eternall life, for they are they which testifie of me. The other giuen by Iohn Iesus his dearest disciple in Iesus name:Ioh 5. 39. Dearely beloued, beleeue not eueryevery spirit, 1. Ioh. 4. 1.but tri… the spirits whether they are of God. O fathers of the families of the Iewes, how are ye charged by the Lord your God, are ye drawne by him from Scripture as the Papists now do,God sends his to Scripture. or driuen by him towards Scripture which the Papists cannot suffer? from Scripture I am not driuen, but towards Scripture I am driuen by the Lord my God, would these fathers say, for be they not thus directed by him: And these words which I command thee this day, Deut. 6. 6. 7. 8. 9.shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt rehearse them continually to thy children and shalt talke of them when thou tarriest in thine house, and when thou walk…st by the way, and when thou lyest downe, and when thou risest vp: and thou shalt bind them for a signe vponupon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets betweene thine eyes, also thou shalt write them vponupon the postes of thine house, and vponupon thy gates. And againe: Therefore shall ye lay vp these my wordes in your heart, Deut. 11. 18 21.and in your soules, that your dayes may be multiplied, and the dayes of your children, in the land which the Lord sware vntounto your fathers to giuegive them, as long as the heauens are aboue the earth. O Iosuah, (no Church-ruler but a ciuill man) how art thou directed by the Lord thy God? art thou not thus counselled, and charged by him.Iosua. 8. 1. Let not the booke of the Law depart out of thy mouth, but meditate therein both day and night, that thou mayest obserue and do according to all that is written therein: for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou hauehave good successe. Yea, tels not the Psalmist me, ô my soule, that I cannot be possibly one of those whom God hath blessed, vnlesse I be acquainted with his Law, thinking vponupon it continually; for be not these his words. Blessed is the man whose delight is in the Law of the Lord, and who doth meditate in his Law both day and night. The Iesuite is a Iebusite.Be ashamed ô Iesuite of thy proud blasphemous lying title, and be content hereafter to call thy selfe a Iebusite, for whilst thou banishest men and women from Scripture, thou hearest blessed Iesus, sending men and women to Scripture, yea, commanding them to search Scripture, for be not these his words:Iohn. 5. 35. Search the Scriptures, for in them you thinke to hauehave eternall life, and they are they which testifie of me. Heare I not Iesus faithfull seruant charging the Colossians thus: Let the word of God dwell in you plentiously. Where the Spirit of God will hauehave the whole elect of God, men, women, old, and yong, learned, and vnlearned, to be as it were as so many buildings; & this blessed word of God contained in Scripture to be as a guest not lodging for one night but dwelling alwayes to the end in them. That famous Bishop Chrysostome handling this text at Constantinople, tooke occasion thereupon to deale with his people, to prouide themselues of Bibles, at the least of the new Testament, to the end that the husband with the wife, and the parents with the children might conferre at home vponupon the misteries of their saluation, praying them not to lay the whole burthen therof vponupon his shoulders. For Chrysostome had not learned to blindfold the babes of God so, that they could thinke themselues sufficient certified of life eternall, if they could beleeue as the Church beleeued, albeit in the meane time they knew not what the Church beleeued.Theod lib. 5. de cor. grec. affec. Theodoretus hath a worthy place to this purpose. Ye may cōmonly see that our doctrine is knowne not onelyonly of them that are doctors of the Church, and ministers of the people, but also euen of the Taylors, and Smithes, and Weauers, and of women, and that not onelyonly of learned, but of vnlearned, and labouring women, and sempsters and seruants, and hand-maids, neither onelyonly the citizenes, but also the countrie folkes do verie well vnderstand the same. Ye may find euen the verie diggers, and the neat-heards, and the gardeners, disputing of the holy Trinitie, and of the creation of all things. Were these holy Fathers, (who sometimes sed the babes of God with the holy truth of God) liuing now? I thinke they would condemne these hellish foxes, who by their cruell hands slay the bodies of the babes of God, and by their lying lippes murther their soules.Hieron. ad dem. I heare Hierom saying, ô my soule, Ignoratio Scripturarum, ignoratio Christi est; ama Scripturas sanctas, & amabit te sapientra: vt magis est voluntatem Domini facere quam …osse, The hurt cometh by the ignorance of Scripture.ita prius est nosse quam facere. The ignorance of the Scripture, is the ignorance of Christ; louelove holy Scriptures, and wisdome shall louelove thee: as it is a greater thing to do the will of God, then to know it, so it must be first knowne before it be done. I wonder how the Iesuite taketh that speech of Augustine. Si Scripturas diuinas aut non legimus ipsi, aut legentes alios libenter non audimus, ipsa nobis medicamenta conuertantur in vulnera, & inde habemus iudicium vnde potuimus habere remedium. If either we our selues reade not holy Scripture, or gladly heare not others reading them vntounto vsus, our verie medicine shall be turned vntounto woundes vntounto vsus: and of that we shall reape condemnation, of the which we might hauehave found health and saluation. Obiection.I am not ignorant, ô my soule, that the Popish seminarie keeping vp holy Scripture from the common people,That alledged benefit of ignorance & hurt, of reading Scripture remoued. and thereby detaining them within the darke schoole of ignorance, alledgeth most clearely (euen against his conscience, albeit with a brasen countenance) that he doth this for the singular spirituall benefite of the common people: for is not ignorance (if we may tell the Seminarie) the mother of Deuotion? and doth not the reading of Scripture bring simple people vnderunder fearefull heresies? Hearken neuer, ô my soule, vntounto the deceiuing and male-pert, lying Priest making this allegation.Answer. Iohn 4. Ignorance a fearefull mother of vile superstion & vncouth be resi…. For I assure thee, being clearely taught of God, that howbeit ignorance hath bene the onelyonly mother of abominable idolatrie, and superstitious deuotion, making poore soules with the deceiued Samaritans to worship that which they know not, and with the superstitious Athenians to set vp an altar vntounto an vnknowne God, yet ignorance was neuer, neither euer shall be the mother of that true religious deuotion commanded by God, allowed of God, and comfortable for the soule of man. Ignorance hath bene, and euer shall proue the mother of heresie, drawing men from the true God, yea making men (who professe themselues to know the true God) to worship and to seeke him falsly.Esay 8. 19. 20. O Isaiah was this doctrine vented by thy cleane lips which were touched with that coale which was taken of ye altar of God, which now the vncleane lips of the foule Seminarie toucheth, who hath his conscience feared with a hot iron heat in the fire of the bottomles pit. No, no, for I heare Isaiah speaking thus to me: Should not a people inquire at their God; from the liuing to the dead, to the Law and the testimonie, if they speake not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. And so Isaiah here, ô my soule, maketh ignorance to be the manifest and direct mother of vile heresie. Doth blessed Iesus that true teacher of the truth of God speake of ignorance as the false Iesuite speaketh of it? not I thinke: for heare I him not thus speaking to the Saduces: You erre not knowing the Scriptures and the power of God. Teaching them therby that the ignorance of the Scripture made them to denie that rarest article of the beleefe, euen the resurrection of our bodies; and consequently that ignorance is the vile mother of vile heresie. Yea hearest thou not, ô my soule, that holy one thy Sauiour crying thus on the Crosse:Mat. 22. 19. Father forgiue them, for they know not what they are doing: Lact. lib. 5.resoluing vsus hereby, that Ignorance is the fierce mother of bloudie persecution. Lactantius was not of the Papists opinion, albeit he writ that with his penne which the Seminaries conscience must subioyne vntounto: for giuing his reason wherefore so few of the world did consent vntounto the onelyonly true sauing truth of God, he saith; Multi ob…urant se contra manifestam veritatem, non cogitant quare sint nati; haec enim prauitatis est causa, ignoratio sui: Manie do harden their hearts against the manifest truth of God: they consider not wherefore they were borne. For this is the cause and ground of wickednesse, and shreudnesse, when a man knowes not himselfe, and how can he know himselfe possibly, who out of Scripture hath not learned to know God and himselfe. Bernard w…o liued in a very corrupt time was of another iudgement then the Iesuites now be of: for he could write thus touching ignorance. Pessimae matris ignorantiae pessimae itidem filiae duae sunt; falsitas, & dubitatio, illa miserior, haec miserabilior, perniciosa illa, ista molestior. Cum loquitur Spiritus …adit vtraque, & non est solum veritas, What moued the Pope to be so carefull to hauehave the holy Scripture kept vp from the babes of God.sed & certa veritas. There be two most mischieuous daughters of that mischieuous mother, Ignorance; Falsitie, and Doubting, that more miserable, this more to be pitied, that pernitious, this troublesome. When the spirit speaketh, they both do fall to the ground, and then not onelyonly is a truth, but a certaine truth. Now in all their respects may it not be asked (euen with admiration) what should moue the Pope with his followers to be so earnestly, & carefully, to hauehave that sacred volume of holy Scripture kept vp from the babes of God. Hearken, hearken, ô my soule, well know they what holy Scripture is, and what is to be found in it: and therefore therefore they cannot suffer, they will not suffer the babes of God to hauehave it, lest they (led by Scripture) should be made to know that which they know, Scripture cannot but leade them vntounto. What thefe approaching a house of purpose to breake it, desires to heare the crow of the cocke, or the barke of the dogge, to see any candle, or to be brought before any gallous? for well knowes he that the crow of the cocke, or the barke of the dogge may waken some one within, and so hinder him of his intent: and he cannot be ignorant that the candle will deceiue him, & the gallous destroy him. Now no lesse clearely knowes the Papist, Scripture to be that to him (in case it were knowne by the common people) which the crow of the cocke, the barke of the dogge, the light of the candle, aud sight of the gallous is to these. This moued Chrysostome long ago thus to write touching Heretickes.Chrysost op. imp. Hom. 44. Heretici sacerdotes, claudunt ianuas veritatis. Sciunt enim si manifesta esset veritas quod ipsorum ecclesia esset relinquenda, & ipsi de sacerdotali dignitate ad humilitatem venirent popularem. Hereticall Priests do close vp the gates of the truth of God: for they know that if that truth were made manifest, and cleare to the world; that their Church would be forsaken, and that they themselues would be cast downe from their priestly dignitie vntounto the meanest estate of the basest people. Hireom. in Esa. lib. 9. cap. 30.This moued Hierome also thus to write touching Heretickes. Sagittant in obscuro rectos corde, istitantam sibi assumunt authoritatem, vt siue dextra doceant, siue sinistra, id est siue bona, siue mal…, nolunt discipulos ratione discutere, sed se praeceptores sequi; tunc hi qui prius decipiebant nequaquam vltro ad eos volebant accedere, postquam se senferint intellectos. They shoote their darts in secret at the vpright in heart. These men challenge so great authoritie to themselues, that whither they teach right, or wrong, that is, good or euill; they will no wayes hauehave their disciples to trie, or examine that they teach but to follow their maisters blindnesse: then these who first deceiued the people, would not afterwards come to them knowing that they were vnderstood and taken vp. I perswade my selfe, ô my soule, were that worthy man Petrus Ferrariensis liuing to day, he would (directing his speech to the Princes of the world and specially of Europe) crie out as he did of old. O miseros imperatores & seculares Principes! qui haec & alia sustinetis, & vos seruos ecclesiae facitis, & mundum per eos infinit is modis vsurpari videtis, nec de remedio cogitatis, & quia prudētiae & sapientiae non attēditis. O miserable Emperours and Princes of the world! who suffer these & other things, & make your selues seruants of the Church, and see the world innumerable wayes abused by them, and yet do thinke vponupon no remedie, because you hearken not vntounto prudence and wisedome. For sure it is if the Princes and people (misled this day by the Papists) knew what God offers to them by Scripture, what God craues of them by Scripture, and how their leaders should carrie themselues towards him, they would not be misled any longer by them. No, no, Iehu was neuer more forward in destroying the altars of Baal, 2. King. 10.then they would be readie to pull downe all their idolatrous monuments.Acts 16. Those men of Ephesus were not more willing to burne their costly curious bookes, after they hard and beleeued, then the Kings, the Princes and the men, the women; now blindnesse followes the blind Papists, would be to burne all those pamphlets and monuments of poperie put in their hands by thē. And to conclude this point, sure I am were Augustine liuing this day,Aug. Epist. 167. he would direct his speech, against the Popish Seminaries as he directed it long ago against the Donatists. Puto quod ipse diabolus, si authoritate Iudicis quem ipse eligeret, toties vinceretur, non esset tam impudens vt in ea causa persisteret. In my iudgement if the diuell himselfe were so often ouercome by the authoritie of the Iudge whom he had chosen to himselfe, he would not be so impudent as to persist in that cause. The Papist is bewitched by foure intising Dalilaes so that he cannot be reclaimed.But alas, but alas, ô my soule, these sonnes of that sonne of perdition, be so bewitched by these foure entycing and perswading Dalilaes to the which by fearefull oathes they hauehave married themselues the onelyonly builders and vpholders of that their Babel, (Auaritia, Superbia, Ignoratio Scripturae, falsorum Prophetarum admiratio. Couetousnes, Pride, Ignorance of the Scripture, admiration of false teachers) that nothing can reclaime them. For my owne part, I pray God for the sonne of his loues sake,Lact. lib. 4. cap. 30. when it shall please him to enlighten the eyes of the Papist Seminaries to see that, and to open their mouthes to confesse that euen before the simplest of the babes of God which Chrysostome confessed to be most true touching holy Scripture.Chrysost, hom. 3. de Lazaro. Magna aduersus peccatum munitio est Scripturarum lectio, magnum praecipitium, profundum barathrum scripturarum ignoratio: magna salutis perditio de diuinis legibus nihil sc…re, eares haereses peperit, ea vitam corruptaminuexit, hoc sursum deorsum miscuit omnia. The reading of holy Scripture is a great fortresse against sinne. The ignorance of holy Scripture is a verie fearefull downefall to the deepest and most dangerous dungeon. It is a great losse of saluation to know nothing of the Lawes of God: this hath bred heresie; this hath brought in corrupt life, and vile manners; yea, this hath turned all things vp and downe.