A Retractive from the Romish Religion, Motive 2

A Retractive from the Romish Religion · Motive 2

p. 37MOTIVE. II. That religion, which maintaines by the grounds thereof things forbidden, by all lawes both of God, of Nature, and of Man, cannot be the true religion: but ſuch is the religion of the Romane Church: Ergo.

THe firſt propoſition in this reaſon is vnqueſtionable andMAIOR. without controuerſie: for the law of God is one part of p. 38true religion, as the Goſpell is the other: and therfore whatſoeuer contradicts this law, is oppoſite vntounto true religion, and ſo cannot be true religion it ſelfe: for truth is not oppoſite vntounto truth, but falſhood: and the lawe of nature is nothing but the law of God, engrauen in the hearts of all men by the inſtinct of nature, which Tullie calleth a lawe engendred, notCic. pro Milon. Lex nota non data. impoſed, borne with vsus, not laid vponupon vsus. And the poſitiue laws of men, if they be good, are nothing els but extracts out of the law of God, & characters of the law of nature. That religion therefore that croſſeth all theſe lawes by allowance of ſuch things, which are by them all condemned, cannot in any wiſe be the true religion, but muſt needs ſtand guilty of falſhoode and errour. Now, that the Romiſh religion is ſuchMINOR. (which is the ſecond propoſition in the reaſon) that is my taske to proue, and I hope I ſhall by inuincible arguments make good the ſame.

1. And firſt, what can bee more contrary to the lawes ofI. God, of Nature, of Man, then treaſon and rebellion againſt Princes? for the lawe of God commandeth ciuill obedience to the Magiſtrate, by the firſt precept of the ſecond Table: and our Sauiour in the Goſpell biddeth to giuegive to Caeſar thoſe Matth. 22. 2….Matt 22:2things that belong vntounto Caeſar: and Saint Paul chargeth eueryevery ſoule to be ſubiect to the higher powers, becauſe all power is of God: Rom. 13. ….Rom 13euen tyrannicall power, as our Sauiour confeſſeth to Pilate: Thou hadſt no power ouer mee, except it was giuen thee from aboue: Ioh. 19. 11.John 19:11where he acknowledgeth, that Pilates power (though he was a tyrant) was of God; and therefore ſubmitteth himſelfe vntounto it. As for the law of nature, it requireth as much of all; for as in the bodie naturall, all the outward members and inward faculties are gouerned by reaſon, reſiding in the head, and in the body oiconomike, all the familie is directed by the Father or Maſter thereof: ſo in the body politique, all the members of a Common-wealth muſt by natures decree be obedient to the King or gouernour, whom to reſiſt, is to rebell againſt nature, as it is againſt nature for the member to mutiny againſt the head; or for children and ſeruants to be diſobedient to their Fathers or Maſters: Neither are the p. 39lawes poſitiue any whit behinde: for no offence by lawe is more ſeuerely puniſhed, then crimen laeſae Maieſtatis, that is, high treaſon againſt the Kings perſon or State: and that not onelyonly in this our Kingdome, but in all others, as is ſufficiently knowen.

2. Now, that the Romiſh doctrine and religion is a ſupporter of treaſon, and an animater of traytors againſt their Soueraignes; I call to witneſſe, firſt, their owne principles, and ſecondly, their practice. Their principles are theſe: As Toll. Inſtr. Sacer. lib. 1. cap. 13.long as the Prince continueth excommunicate, the Subiect is freed from the oath of ſubiection: this is the Poſition of a Cardinall, whoſe authority was ſo great in the Church of Rome, that whatſoeuer he wrote, was allowed as ſound and authenticall, without examination or ſupervizing. To him I adde aSimanc. Inſt. lib. 23. Sect. 11. Biſhop, whoſe writings, after ſuperviſion and examination, were approued as Catholique doctrine, and to containe in them nothing contrary to the receiued faith of the Romane Church: his Poſition is this, Aſſoone as a Chriſtian King becomes hereticall, forthwith people are freed from their ſubiection. The condition in the firſt Poſition is, if the King be excommunicate: in the ſecond, if he be hereticall; which though different in termes, yet in ſubſtance are all one, for eueryevery heretique is excommunicate, quatenus apertè haereticus, in thatVal. Ieſ. tom. …. in Them. diſp. 1. qu. 12. he is an open heretique, if not by name, yet in deed, and by right, and ſo Subiects may lawfully deny him obedience, ſaith another Ieſuite: and what is an hereticke in their diuinity,Alph. de Caſt. l. 1. de iuſt. punit. haer. cap. 10. I pray you? Marry, Whoſoeuer maintaineth any doctrine expreſly condemned by the Church of Rome, hee is to be accounted (ſay they) an obſtinate hereticke. To theſe adde the ſentence of another Cardinall, euen our owne Countriman Al- in his Apology for Stanlies treaſon, who ioyneth both theſe two conditions together as two twinnes. By reaſon (ſaith he)Cardinal Allen. of Queene Elizabeths excommunication and hereſie, it was not onelyonly lawfull for any of her Subiects, but euen they were bound in conſcience, to depriue her of any ſtrength, which lay in their power to doe, and to deliuer her Armies, Townes, or fortreſſes into her enemies hands, ſhe no more being the right owner of them. But p. 40all this while we hauehave not the pillar of Popery, Bellarmine, it may be he is of another mind: heare therefore his reſolution. Non licet Chriſtianis tolerare, &c. It is not lawfull for Bell. de Rom. pōt. lib. 5 cap. 7.Chriſtians to tolerate a King that is an infidell, or an heretike, if he endeuour to draw his Subiects to his hereſie or infidelity. This is braue Bellarmines reſolution of this caſe. Neither doth he barely ſet it downe, but laboureth to proue it by many arguments throughout that whole Chapter: indeed he pinneth it all vponupon the Popes ſleeue; he muſt pronounce the King to be an heretike, and they like ſheepe muſt auoyde him as a wolfe; he muſt forbid them to obey, and they muſt forthwith fall to rebellion: that whole ſeuenth Chapter is worth the reading, if any deſire to know the full and compleat doctrine of the Romiſh Church, concerning the poynt of rebellion and treaſon againſt Princes. And that this was the doctrine not of ſome few among them, but of all in generall: Let a Fryer ofSigebert. Chron. Anno 1088. their owne teſtifie about three hundred yeares ſince; Sigebert mencioning the Popes proceeding againſt Henry the Emperor, thus writeth; Be it ſpoken with the leaue of all good men, this nouelty, that I ſay not hereſie, had not as yet ſprung vp in the world, that Gods Prieſts ſhould teach the people that they owe no ſubiection to euill Princes, and though they hauehave ſworne allegeance to them, yet they owe them no fidelity, neither ſhall hee be accounted periur'd which thinketh againſt the King, yea, hee that obeyeth him ſhall be counted for excommunicate, and he that doth againſt him ſhall be abſolued from the guilt of iniuſtice and periurie. Here we may behold the doctrine of that age, and withall, that by this Fryers iudgement concurring with vsus, it is not onelyonly nouelty, but a point of hereſie to diſſolue the bond of allegeāce, which Subiects owe vntounto their Princes, vponupon any pretence whatſoeuer.

3. But all theſe are but the opinions of priuate men, and not the decrees of the Church: heare therefore what the Church ſpeaketh, by the pretended head thereof the Pope, who (as they affirme) cannot erre whileſt he ſits in the chaire of Peter, to determine matters of faith. Gregory the ſeuenth,Gratian. …. 15. q. 6. alias, Hildobrand, thus determineth, We by Apoſtolicall authority p. 41doe abſolue all from their oaths which they hauehave giuen to perſons excommunicate. And another Pope of later time, in his Bull againſt Queene Elizabeth, thus; We abſolue all Subiects from Bulla Pij Quin.their faith they hauehave plight with Elizabeth their Queen. A third Pope Paulus Tertius did excommunicate Henry the Eight,Pet. Math. Cem. in bul. Pij Quin. King of England, and commanded his nobles to beare armes againſt him: and to make vp the full ſquadron of Popes, when as the Vniuerſite of Salamanca determined, that all Catholiques which did not forſake the defence of the Engliſh, and follow the traytor One all in Ireland, did ſinne mortally, and could not obtaine euerlaſting life, except they ſhould deſiſt: Pope Xiſtus giueth this cenſure of their determination,Lib. de iuſta abdic. Hen. 3. pa. 370. Thoſe Diuines (ſaith he) hauehave done the parts of good Lawyers, Confeſſours, and Doctours. Many more teſtimonies to this effect might be accumulated, but theſe are ſufficient (becauſe wee ſhall hauehave occaſion to ſpeake hereof more at large hereafter) to all that are not either bewitched with the enchantments of the whore of Babylon, or blinded with preiudice, to ſhew how both in their principles and their practice, they maintaine treaſon and rebellion againſt Princes, contrary to the lawes of God, of nature, and of man.

4. A doctrine Couſin german vntounto this, & of the ſame kind,2. though not of the ſame degree, is that their Poſition touching the diſſoluing of all bonds of naturall and ciuill ſociety: wherby they reſolue, that no communion or fellowſhip is to bee held with heretiques, that is, with Proteſtants, by whatſoeuer bond of nature or ciuility they be obliged therevnto: and therefore the Father is bound to diſ-inherite and caſt off his Sonne, the Sonne to deny and diſobey his Father, the wife is forbidden to render due beneuolence to her husband, the ſeruant is commanded to diſobey his Maſter, the debter to deny payment to his Creditor, the Countriman to deny his owne Country, the kinſman to diſclaime his kindred, if any of theſe be heretiques, that is, be Proteſtants. What a religion is this, that not only choaketh the breath of humane ſociety, but euen ſtifleth the life of nature it ſelfe? Hee that deſireth to ſee theſe things proued, let them reade Doctor Mortons p. 42firſt Booke of Romiſh poſitions and practices of rebellion, and alſo his reply vntounto the moderate anſwere, where he ſhall find them largely and foundly diſcouered and confirmed.

5. Againe, by their doctrine of equiuocation, they teach and maintaine open and notorious lying and periury, ſuch as the very heathen of ſtricter life and ſimpler iudgement abhor'd: their doctrine is this; A man (ſaith Tollet) is not alwaies Toll. li. 4. de Iuſt. Sacerd. ca. 21.bound to anſwere according to the meaning of the asker, but may ſometimes vſe equiuocation, and deceiue the hearer: this is lawfull (ſaith he) whē the Iudge requireth an oth againſt iuſtice, or when he is not a competent Iudge (as another ſpeaketh:) as for example, if the Iudge demand, Haſt thou done this? he may anſwere, I hauehave not (though he hauehave) with this ſecret meaning, to tell it thee, or at this time, or ſome ſuch like things. And if an husband aske his wife whether ſhee be an adultereſſe, ſhe may anſwere no (though ſhe be) with this mentall reſeruation [to reueale it to him] and if a man be conſtrained to ſweare that he will take a woman to his wife, he may doe it ſafely although he neuer meane it, with this cloſe clauſe in his mind (if ſhe ſhall after pleaſe him.) Thus farre Tollet.

6. Now of late dayes, one hath divulged a whole Treatiſe in defence of this monſtrous doctrine; to the which Blackwell the Arch-prieſt hath giuē this ſolemne approbatiō, that it is a very godly, learned & Catholique Tractate, & worthy to be publiſhed in print, to the comfort of the afflicted, & inſtructiō of the godly. The author of this Tractate thus concludeth, If a Catholike or any other perſon ſhal be demanded vponupon his oath before a Magiſtrate, whether a Prieſt be in ſuch a place, he may (though hee know the contrary) ſecurely in conſcience anſwere, No, without periury, with a ſecret meaning reſerued in his mind, namely, that he is not there, ſo as a man is bound to reueale him. Againe, if one ſhall aske me whether ſuch a ſtranger lyeth in my houſe, I may anſwere, he lyeth not in my houſe (albeit he do) meaning Non mentitur: this laſt is verball equiuocation, the former is mentall reſeruation, which are the two approued kindes of their equiuocating art.

7. If this filthy ſtrumpet be not the mother of two foule p. 43daughters, Lying, and Periury: lying, if by a bare aſſeueration; periury, if ioyned with an othe: let all that hauehave but common ſenſe and reaſon iudge, and let the Enqueſt that ſhall enquire into this matter be, firſt, heathen Philoſophers; ſecondly, the Popiſh writers themſelues; thirdly, the Fathers and Doctours of the Church; and fourthly, which is of greater moment then all the reſt, the holy Scripture of God diuinely inſpired, and cannot deceiue, nor be deceiued. Let vsus heare the Philoſophers verdict; A Lye, ſaith Tully, is a falſe Tullie.enunciation of words, with an intent to deceaue: and againe, he defines dolus malus, that is, deceit to be, when one thing is Cic. de offic. 3.pretended, another acted; this is a falſe action. So, in like manner a falſe diction, which is, a lye, muſt needs bee when one thing is ſpoken by the mouth, another vnderſtood in the heart: therefore the ordinary Grammaticall notation of this word mentiri, to lye, is quaſi contra mentemire, as it were to goe againſt the minde: and Ariſtotle ſayth, that ſpeech is ordained Ariſt. de interpr.for this cauſe, to ſignifie and expreſſe the ſecret conceptions of the mind: therfore when the mouth and the mind are at variance, then the law of nature is peruerted, and in ſtead of a naturall and true-borne childe Truth, a baſtard, to wit, a lye is produced: But they which equiuocate, pretend one thing, and intend another; they ſpeake one thing, & meane another; their heart and their tongue, like vntuned ſtrings, are at iarre with themſelues, and therefore by no meanes can they be excuſed from open and notorious lying.

8. Now, if an oath bee mixed, then a fouler monſter isToll. de Sept. peccat. cap. 54. brought forth, euen Periury; for what is periurie, but according to their own diuinity, a lye made in an oath? and is not equiuocating, when the equiuocator is ſworne to ſpeake the truth, periury? Let Tully determine this doubt, if it bee a doubt, Not to ſweare a falſhood, is to bee forſworne, but not to Cic. de offic. 3.performe or make good that which thou hast ſworne according to thine owne meaning, as cuſtomably it is conceiued by thy words, is periury: all the world cannot more directly cut the throat of all equiuocation then this doth.

9. But I leaue the Philoſophers, and come to their owne p. 44Schoolemen. To lye (ſaith Lumbard) is when a man ſpeaketh Lum. l. 3. diſt. 38any thing contrary to that which he thinketh in his mind. It is a lye (ſaith Aquinas) when a man will ſignifie another thing, then Aqui. 2. 2. q. 111. art. 1. Lum. l. 3. diſt. 39that which he thinketh in his mind. Againe, Lumbard. Whoſocuer vſeth craft or ſubtiltie in an oath, defileth his conſcience with a double guilt, for he both taketh the name of God in vaine, and alſo deceiueth his neighbour. And Aquinas, their great Doctor, condemneth in expreſſe words this equiuocating tricke of theirs: If a Iudge (ſaith he) ſhall require any thing which he Aqui. 2. 2. 4. 69. art. 1.cannot by order of law, the party accuſed, (what, may he equiuocate?) No. he is not bound to anſwere (in deed) but either by appeale, or ſome other meanes, may deliuer himſelfe; but in no caſe may be tell a lye, or vſe falſhood, or any kind of craft or deceit. This was then good diuinity: but now the Ieſuites, our pretended reſiners of Popery, hauehave coyned a new kind of diuinity; but like counterſet ſlips, it will not abide the tryall. Heare what Scotus ſaith, another Schooleman, Dicere non feci, Scotus lib. 5. de inſt. q. 6. art. 2.&c. To ſay I did not that, which I know I hauehave done, although I ſpeake it with this reſeruation (that I may ſignifie it to you) is not equiuocation, but a plaine lye. To conclude with Maldonate, Mald. Com. in Luc. vl…. v. 28.Quiſquis fingendo, &c. Whoſoeuer (ſaith he) by ſaining doth goe about to deceiue another, although he intend ſome other thing in his mind, without doubt, lyeth; for otherwiſe there would be no lye, which might not by this meanes be defended.

10. Thus we hauehave the verdict of diuers of their own Writers, touching this monſtrous doctrine. Let vsus heare now what the Fathers thinke of it, and let Saint Hierome ſpeake firſt: None is a lyer (ſaith he) but he that thinks otherwiſe then Hieron. in 1. ad Corinth. ca. 4.he ſpeaketh. Therfore the equiuocator is a lyar, for he thinketh otherwiſe then he ſpeaketh: as when he affirmeth (I am no Prieſt) when he is one, he thinketh hee is that which he ſaith he is not. Is Saint Auguſtine of a contrary minde? no, hee agreeth with Hierome in this, though they iarred in ſome other things. He that ſpeaketh (ſaith he) falſly againſt his conſcience, Aug. li. contramend. cap. 5.doth properly lye, but ſo doth our equiuocator. And for Periury, This (ſaith Auguſtine) is the very forme of Periurie, Idem Serm. 28. de verbis Apoſl.to thinke that to be falſe which thou doſt ſweare. Thus doth p. 45the equiuocatour, for when hee ſweareth hee knoweth not a man, and yet knoweth him, doth hee not manifeſtly thinke that to be falſe which he ſweareth? his mentall reſeruation cannot ſaue him from the pillory; ſeeing, as Iſidore ſaith, God Iſi lor. de ſummo bono. li. 1. ca. 13.doth valew an oath not by the ſenſe of the ſpeaker, but according to the ſenſe of him to whom the oath was made. Thus by the verdict of theſe three Fathers, their doctrine of equiuocation is guilty both of lying and periury.

11. And that I may leaue them without a ſtarting hole, let them heare what the Iury of Life and Death ſaith, I meane the holy Prophets and Apoſtles, yea, what GOD the Iudge himſelfe ſaith. Thou ſhalt not (ſaith he) Beare falſe witneſſe againſt thy Neighbour: No, nor of thy neighbour: therfore much leſſe againſt thy ſelfe, or of thy ſelfe: but the equiuocatour doth both: firſt, againſt his Neighbonr, when by a falſe ſuggeſtion he perſwadeth him to beleeue an vntruth; and of his neighbour, when hee reporteth that of him which is vntrue: and ſecondly, of, and againſt himſelfe, by confeſſing himſelfe to be that which he is not, or denying himſelfe to be that which hee is. Equiuocation then is a plaine breach of this Commandement, and therefore a lye at the leaſt. The Prophet Ieremy interpreting this precept, as the manner of the Prophets was, giues it affirmatiuely thus, Thou ſhalt ſweare in Ierem. 4. 1. Pſal. 15.Jer 4:1Ps 15truth, &c. And the Prophet Dauid ſaith, that the righteous man ſpeakes in truth. Now, what is it to ſweare or ſpeake in truth, Azorius the Ieſuite will tell vsus, that It is either for the confirmation Azor. li. 11. mor, cap. 2.of a truth, or in a probable opinion of that to be true which we ſweare or ſpeake. But the equiuocatours ſpeach or oath is neither for the truth, nor from the truth, and therefore a lye, if not groſſe periury. Againe, the Prophet Dauid ſets downe this as one note of a righteous man, that he ſpeakes the truth Pſal. 15. ….Ps 15from his heart: but the Equiuocatour either ſpeaketh not the truth at all, or at leaſt ſpeaketh not from the heart, whereby he is euidently conuinced to be none of thoſe that ſhall dwell in Gods Tabernacle, or aſend into his holy Mountaine. Laſtly, when as Saint Paul was taxed by ſome falſe brethren to be carnally minded, becauſe promiſing to come to Corinthus, p. 46he came not, doth he excuſe himſelfe by equiuocation, ſaying, that he promiſed one thing and minded another? no, but he proteſteth that he was minded as hee ſpake, and that his 2. Cor. 1. 13.2 Cor 1:13word was not yea, and nay, but ſimply yea: which proueth, firſt, that all our ſpeach muſt be ſimple and plaine, without equiuocation: and ſecondly, that ſuch as abuſe their ſpeach in ſuch ſort, are fleſhly minded men, full of lightneſſe and vanity. And thus we hauehave a full verdict of Philoſophers, Popiſh diuines, Fathers, and Scriptures: and therefore why may not ſentence bee pronounced, and the equiuocator adiudged guilty both of lying and periury, two ſinnes which the law of God, of Nature, and Men, hauehave alway condemned?

12. Againe, what more contrary to the lawe of God and4. man, then adultery and fornication? But the religion of the Church of Rome doth directly maintaine and allow both theſe, by tolerating Stewes, places of common whoredome, & open and knowne Strumpets proſtituted to filthineſſe, and that not onelyonly in all other places of the Popes Dominion, but euen in Rome, vnderunder his Holineſſes owne noſe, and by his authentical approbation; neither can this be imputed vntounto them as a corruption in manners onelyonly, and not as an errour in doctrine: for they not onelyonly vphold theſe places and perſons of infamy by their practice, and winke at them by neglect of due execution of iuſtice, but they are growne to that impudency, that they allow, maintaine, and approue them by their doctrine, as things neceſſary and commodious in a Common wealth: and albeit they condemne them generally as ſinnes, yet they approue them againe as neceſſary and profitable: as if there were any neceſſary profit, or profitable neceſſity of ſinnes, which Saint Paul calleth the vnfruitfull workes of darkneſſe, Epheſ. 5. 11. And thus with their owne mouthes they condemne themſelues in that which they allow, being Iudges ofRom 14. 22.Rom 14:22 themſelues, and proclaimers of their owne ſhame.

13. Their doctrine is this, that a leſſer euill is to bee permitted, to the end that a greater may be auoyded, and therefore brothel houſes to be ſuffered, leſt all places ſhould bee filled with filthy luſts: and this their poſition they defend; p. 47firſt, by the teſtimonie of Saint Auguſtine in his Booke De Ordine; ſecondly, by deprauing and corrupting that place of Scripture, where it is forbidden that there ſhould bee anyDeut. 23. 17.Deut 23:17 harlot in Iſrael; thirdly, by diuers reaſons, to wit, if harlots were ſuffered to be free and at liberty, without theſe Stewes, they would ſinne more licenciouſly, and that by their firſt reſtraint to that one place, they may be made aſhamed, and ſo at length conuerted, and that knowne harlots are to be tolerated, leſt violence ſhould be offered vntounto honeſt Matrons; and laſtly, they are not aſhamed to reckon whoredome and fornication amongſt thoſe things which of their owne nature are not euill, becauſe the Apoſtles place it among things of thatActs 15. 20.Acts 15:20 nature, to wit, bloud, things ſtrangled, and things dedicated vntounto Idols. Theſe bee their goodly reaſons whereby they maintaine Stewes; but no maruaile if they maintaine them, ſeeing their holy Father the Pope is in ſome ſort maintained by them. The Romiſh harlots pay (ſaith Agrippa) vntounto the Pope Agrippa de vanit. cap. 64.eueryevery wecke a Iuly (which is a certaine kind of Coyne) for their liberty, they prophane Gods word by a filthy Comment: for take away (ſay they) harlots out of the Common-wealth, and all places will abound with whoredomes: whereas, neuertheleſſe the Common-wealths of Iſrael endured long without that ſtain, where notwithſtanding an harlot was not permitted. It is recorded alſo, that the harlots in Rome pay vntounto the Pope a yearely penſion, which amounteth ſometimes to thirtie thouſand, ſometimes to fortie thouſand Ducats. Pope Paulus the third is ſaid to hauehave had in his Tables the names of 45000. Curtezans, which payd a monethly tribute vntounto him. And therefore not without great cauſe (if gaine may be a ſufficient cauſe) did Pope Sixtus build a noble or famous Stewes at Rome, as Agrippa Agrip. ibid. nobile lupanar Romae.witneſſeth: for, ſeeing ſuch large reuenewes ariſe to the holy Fathers purſe, by the meanes of ſtrumpets, why ſhould they not be there maintained? where, not as Saint Paul ſaith, godlineſſe is gaine, but gaine is godlineſſe, and all Religion is turned into lucre, as Mantuan a Fryer Carmelite of their owne ſaith,

p. 48Ven alia nobisMant. lib. 3.

Templa, ſacerdotes, altaria, ſacra, coronae,

Ignis, thura, preces, coelum est venal…, Deuſque.

With vsus are all things to be bought and ſold,

Prieſts, Altars, Temples, Sacraments new and old,

Crownes, Incenſe, Prayers, yea, Heauen and God for gold.

Adde to theſe Whoredome, Sodomitry, and Inceſt, and all manner of ſinne, and then there is a full ſquare number. But I would faine know how theſe holy Fathers can free themſelues from the name and imputation of notorious bawdes; ſeeing he is by all law eſteemed a bawde, that maintaineth harlots, expoſing them to the luſt of others for gaine, then which, what can be more vilde and baſe?

14. As touching the teſtimony of Saint Auguſtine, and their other reaſons, I anſwere in a word; firſt, that when Saint Auguſtine wrote that Booke, he was but Catecheumenus, a nouice in Religion, not well inſtructed in Chriſts Schoole: and beſides that, it doth croſſe the doctrine both of himſelfe in other Books of more mature iudgement, and alſo of the holy Scripture; for he himſelfe affirmeth elſewhere, that the good which commeth of euil as a recompence, muſt not be admitted, and the Scripture condemneth to hell all thoſe (marke, you Romaniſts) that ſay, Let vsus doe euill, that good may come thereof, Rom. 3. 8.Rom 3:8whoſe damnation is iuſt.

15. Their other reaſons are vaine and idle: for what greater liberty can they deſire, then to be authorized by the head of the Church, who cannot erre as they teach, and to follow their filthy luſts by letters Patents frō his vnholyneſſe? (for ſo here it iuſtly deſerueth to be tituled.) And is this the way to reclaime & conuert them frō their filthines, to dwell in gorgious houſes, to ride opēly in goodly chariots, to be apparelled like Princes, to hauehave attēding on them men clad in braue attire, with chaines of gold and coſtly ornaments, yea, to be maintained by the Pope, and often viſited by his Holyneſſe and his great Cardinals? if this be the way to reclaime them, p. 49let all men of ſound ſenſe and reaſon iudge indifferently.

16. Laſtly, whether it be a meanes to ſtoppe the courſe of luſt, and to refraine whoredomes from ſpreading farre and wide: let vsus againſt Auguſtine oppoſe Saint Baſill, Baſil. commen. in Pſalm.who expounding theſe words of the Pſalme: And hath not ſit in the chaire of peſtilence, ſaith, That whoredome ſtayeth not it ſelfe in one man, but inuadeth a whole Citie: for ſome one comming to an harlot, taketh to himſelfe a fellow, and the ſame alſo ſeekth another fellow: and ſo, as a fire being kindled in a Citie, ſtayeth not in the burning one houſe or two, but ſpreadeth farre and wide, and draweth a great deſtruction with it: ſo this miſchiefe being once kindled, rangeth ouer all the Citie. Oppoſe alſo to him Saint Ambroſe, who writingAmbr. omment in Pſal. 119.Ps 119 vponupon the 119. Pſalme, thus ſayth; Who can nouriſh burning …ales in his boſome, and not bee burnt with them? So how can harlots be nouriſhed in a Citie, and young men not bee corrupted with wheredome? Yea, oppoſe Tertullian alſo, whoTertul. de anim… affirmeth plainely, That all Brothel-houſes are deteſtable before God. And laſtly, Iuſtinian the Emperour, who in hisJuſtin. Authent. tit. de Lenouth. Authentikes, in the Title De Lenonibus, willeth that harlots ſhould bee vtterly baniſhed out of the Citie: and ſorroweth, becauſe hee ſaw Brothel-houſes ſo nigh vntounto the Churches of God. And indeed, if it were true, that it is a meane to reſtraine whoredome, why is it not then reſtrained at Rome, by that meanes? I am ſure they hauehave their Stewes: And yet Mantuan doubteth not to affirme, that for all their Stewes confined into one place, Vrbs estiam tota lupanar: The whole Citie was become a Stewes. To conclude all in one briefe Sylogiſme, That Religion which is contrary to the Religion of God, cannot bee of God, but of the Deuill; but the Romiſh Religion in this one poynt is contrary to the Religion of God; for the Scripture ſaith, There ſhall be no whore Deut. 23. 17.Deut 23:17in Iſrael; the Romaniſts ſay, There muſt be whores in Iſrael, that is, in the Church, for the auoyding of a further miſchiefe (then which what can be more contradictorie?) therefore the Romiſh religion cannot be of God, but of the diuell, I meane, in thoſe poynts wherein it thus croſſeth the truth of God.

p. 5017. But doe they ſtay at adultery and ſimple fornication?5. No, their religion maintaineth open and notorious inceſt, and ſuch as the better ſort of the heathen abominated; and this they doe by three doctrines: firſt, by that which giueth allowance, at leaſt wiſe toleration to common Stewes and brothel-houſes, for the auoyding of a further miſchiefe, as I hauehave declared in the former Section: for Stewes cannot be tolerated, but inceſt alſo needs muſt not onelyonly be occaſioned, but euen after a ſort approued; the reaſon is, becauſe often it commeth to paſſe, that the Father and the Sonne, or two brethren and neere kindred are defiled with one and the ſame woman, and ſo vnnaturall and horrible inceſt, prohibited by the lawes of God and man, is commited. And albeit, oftentimes this is a thing ſecret and vnknowne vntounto them: yet it doth not waſh their conſciences from the guilt of this foule crime, becauſe they are bound to know in what degree ſhe is vntounto them, of whome they dare preſume to hauehave carnall knowledge. And beſides, the act it ſelfe being meerely vnlawfull, doth take away all excuſe; together, with a ſecret ſuſpition they ſhould hauehave, if they be not wilfully ignorant, that ſuch a thing might be. For if that rule of Saint Auguſtine beeAuguſt. de ciuit. lib. 15. good, Ʋitandum eſt licitum propter vicinitatem illiciti: that which is lawfull is often to be auoyded, for the contiguity and neereneſſe it hath with that which is vnlawfull: how much more is this true, that a thing vnlawfull in it owne nature is to be prohibited and auoyded, not onelyonly becauſe it is vnlawfull; but much more if it bring with it apparāt feare of a greater miſchiefe? Now that affinitie is contracted, and therefore inceſt committed, not onelyonly by lawfull marriage, but alſo by vnlawfull copulation: I thinke no man doubteth, ſeeing that Saint Paul plainely affirmeth, That hee which cleaueth to an … Cor. 6. …6.harlot, is made one fleſh with her. And their owne law ſayth, that it skils not whether the kindred deſcendeth from the lawfull Digeſt. lot derit. …up…. leg. 54.marriages, or otherwiſe.

18. Their ſecond doctrine maintaining Inceſt, is their opinion touching the Popes power in diſpenſations: for they hold, that hee being Chriſts Vicar on earth, may diſpenſe in p. 51degrees expreſly prohibited by Gods law, and ſo hath andOccaſio L…cri. doth, if occaſion be offered: by vertue of this diſſipation, (ſo it may better be termed with Saint Bernard, then diſpenſation) the King of Spaine, and Charles the Arch. Duke of Auſtria, married each of them their ſiſters daughters. And Petrus Aluaradus married two ſiſters at once, and ſuch like, as you may ſee more at large in the former demonſtration. What is this, I pray you, but to allowe and authorize inceſt? when as they aſcribe vntounto their holy Father the Pope authority to diſpenſe with it: for according to the old rule in Logike, Cauſa cauſae, est cauſa cauſati, which is, the cauſe of the cauſe, muſt needes bee alſo the cauſe of the effect: when as their doctrine therfore vpholds the Popes power to diſpenſe, and this power to diſpenſe, brings forth Inceſt, a baſtardly brat; by conſequēt their doctrine muſt neceſſarily ſtand guilty …f being the firſt moouer thereof.

19. The third doctrine by which this ſoule ſinne is authorized, is the generall opinion of the Church, touching the extent of degrees of Conſanguinity prohibited in marriage: for, albeit in former ages it was forbidden to marrie within the ſeuenth degree: yet in the Councill of Laterane, Concil. Later. cap. 10.that Pontificall conſtitution was abrogated and the prohibition of marriage reſtrained to the fourth degree incluſiuely: ſo, that beyond the fourth degree it might be lawfull for any to marry without exception. Which conſtitution is at this day held for Authenticall, and is of force in the Romane Church: now this doth giuegive manifeſt allowance vntounto Inceſt. for whether the ſupputation be made after the rule of the Ciuill law by generations, or of the Canon law by perſons: yet ſo …e caſes cannot be cleared from Inceſt; for this is the rule of ſupputation by the Canon law, which is moſt fauourable to them; Quo gradu remotior distat à communi ſtipite, eodem etiam inter ſe diſtant. In what degree the perſon furth…ſt remoued is diſtant from the ſtock…, in the ſame degree they are diſtant from one another. Now put the caſe after this manner.

p. 52ABRAHAM.

ISAAC.

IACOB.

IVDA.

PHARES.

ISCAH.

ISMAEL.

Here in this Scheme or figure, Iſcah is by their own rule in the first degree from ISMAEL: and therefore by their doctrine, ISMAEL may marry ISCAH, which is moſt notable and apparent Inceſt: for brethren and ſiſters are but one fleſh; and ſo Iſaac and Iſmael are both one fleſh; as Iudah ſaid of Ioſeph, Frater noſter eſt. caro noſtra est: he is our brother and our fleſh▪ And therefore Iſmael is vntounto all Iſaacs poſterity as it were their Father; and they vntounto him in ſtead of Children: and ſo by conſequent cannot marrie, not onelyonly within the fourth degree, but euen vntounto the thouſand degree, if it were poſſi…le. For Adam, if hee were now aliue, could not find a woman in the whole world to marry lawfully withall, without committing Inceſt: neither is this a conceit of our own deuiſing, but the expreſſe rule of the word of God: for Leuit. 18. 12. 13. wee are forbidden to vncouer the ſhame of our Fathers ſiſter, or of our Mothers ſiſter: but all our predeceſſours in the right line are our fathers and mothers, though they he neuer ſo ſarre remooued; and therefore to marry with their brothers or ſiſters, ſtands guilty of Inceſt by … law. For which cauſe alſo Iuſtinian decreeth,… 1. …t. …it. 10. that Amitam licet adoptiuam, &c. It is not lawfull to marrie our Fathers adopted ſiſter, nor our Mothers adopted ſiſter, becauſe they are held in place of Parents: and the law in the DigeſtsDigeſt. deritu …. Leg. 17. is plaine and pertinent. Amitam quoque & materteram item magnam amitam. & materter am magnam, prohibemur vxorem ducere, quamisis amita magna, & ma…rter a magna quarto gradit ſunt. We are forbidden to warry our Auxt either by Father or Mothers ſide: yea, our great Aunt, though ſhe be in the fourth degree. Thus by all …awes the Popiſh doctrine, that it is lawfull for any to marry beyond the fourth degree, is a plaine maintenance and allowance of Inceſt.

p. 5320. Againe, who knoweth not but that theft is condemned by all lawes, except it be by the lawes of Platoes imaginaries Cōmon-wealth, or the Anabaptiſtical poſitions of ſome later heretikes, who would hauehave propriety of goods taken away, and a communitie of all things brought vp? but the Papiſts by their doctrine not onelyonly tolerate ſome kind of theft, but euen maintaine and allowe it as lawfull: For, thus writeth Maldonate a learned Ieſuite, and of great authoritie; Poore Mald. in Sum. q. 8. art. 3.men (ſaith he) doe not commit theft, when being preſſed with extreame neceſſity, they take that which is another mans; becauſe (marke his Anabaptiſticall reaſon) the thing at ſuch a time is not properly another mans, but common to the life of man being in danger, &c. And to prooue this, hee abuſeth an excellent ſentence of Saint Ambroſe, who ſpeaking of the communitieAmbroſe. of charitie, and not of propriety, ſaith, Eſurientis pauis eſt, quem … retines; nudorum veſtimen…ū eſt, quod … recludis; miſerorum paecunia eſt, quam tu in terram defodis. It is the poores bread which thou retaineſt, his garment which thou lockeſt vp, and his money which thou hy deſt in the ground. But he ſpeaketh, as any man may ſee, not to encourage the poore to lay hands vponupon rich mens ſubſtance, but to ſtirre vp the rich to the workes of charitie: neither to excuſe a poore man from theft, if he ſteale from the rich, but to accuſe the rich of theft, if out of his wealth he do not powre forth to the neceſſitie of the poore. Neither is this the opinion of one Ieſuite onelyonly, but it is backed and barred by the approbation of another of no meane credite: For thus writeth Emanuel Sa: in his Aphoriſines.Eman. Sa. aph. page …66. Ego, inquit, &c. I (ſaith he) am of the ſame mind with them, which thinke that it is lawfull for a poore man priuily to purloine from a richman, which is bound to helpe him and doth not. Here be two brethren in euill, concurring in the defence of one and the ſame ſinne; for if to ſteale, be not an offence for a poore man, why doth the law ſay in generall, Thou ſhalt not ſteale? Let them ſhew the exception and exemption of the poore from the law; or let them confeſſe to their eternall ſhame, that they are maintainers of thoſe that breake Gods law. Beſides, if (as Saint Auguſtine, and all other learned Diuines confeſſe) p. 54it bee not lawfull to lye, though it bee to the ſauing of our Auguſt. de mendac. ca. 13.liues: then it muſt needs follow, that it is not lawfull for a poore man to ſteale, though it be for the ſauing of his life: for theft is a ſinne that bringeth more damage with it, then an officious lye can doe, which is vttered not for hurt of another, but for the preſeruation of our ſelues.

21. Beſides theſe, Cardinall Tollet another Ieſuite, a man of high dignity and authority in the Romane Church, approueth by his verdict another kind of theft, worſe then thoſe before ſpecified; for he alloweth in ſome caſes the vſe of falſe ballances, and falſification of wares, his words are theſe. There Toll. deſept. pec. …a. 49. pa. 744.is (ſaith he) a man that either by reaſon of vniuſt dealing of the Magiſtrate, or the malice of the buiers conſpiring together to pull downe the price, or ſome other reaſonable cauſe, cannot ſell his wine at a iuſt price: when the caſe thus falleth out, then may this man either leſſ…n his meaſure, or mingle water with his wines, and ſo ſell it for pure wine, and require the full price, as if the meaſure were compleate: prouided that he doe not lye, which neuertheles if he doe, it is no pernitious lye, nor mortall, nor binding to reſtitution. In like manner, it is lawfull to ſell other ſilke in ſtead of Granado ſilke, and Italian in ſtead of Greeke: and ſo after the ſame proportion all other wares. Theſe bee the braue poſitions of that renowned Cardinall: wherein how apparently hee doth contradict the written word of God, let any indifferent vmpier iudge, by comparing this his doctrine with theſe ſentences of the Scripture here enſuing. Diuers weights are an Prou. 20. 2….Prov 20:2abomination to the Lord, and deceitfull ballances are not good. A true weight and a ballance are of the Lord, and all the weights of Prou. 16. 11.Prov 16:11the bagge are his worke. Diuers weights and diuers meaſures, both Prou. 20. 20. Leu. 19. 35. 36.Prov 20:20Lev 19:35Lev 19:36theſe are euen abomination to the Lord: yee ſhall not doe vniuſtly in iudgement, in line, in weight, or in meaſure; yee ſhall hauehave iuſt ballances, true weights, a true Ephah, and a true Hin. I am the Lord your God, &c. Thou ſhalt not hauehave in thy bagge two manner Deut 25. 13. 14 15.Deut 25:13Deut 25:14of weights, a great, and a ſmall; neither ſhalt thou hauehave in thy houſe diuers meaſures, a great, and a ſmall; but thou ſhalt hauehave a right and a iuſt weight, a perfect and a iuſt meaſure. Let no man oppreſſe or defraude his brother in any matter. How1. Theſ. 4. 5.1 Thess 4:5 p. 55contradictory theſe plaine precepts and enunciatiue propoſitions of Gods word, are vntounto the poſitions of the Cardinall, no man can but diſcerne that is not bewitched with the ſo… cerie of Iezabel: either therefore let him ſhew out of holy writ ſome exception from theſe generall rules, or let him acknowledge his Doctrine and Religion, to be the vpholder of moſt groſſe and palpable theft.

22. If any man ſay that theſe be the opinions of priuate men, and not the doctrine of the Church: I anſwere, that this is a moſt friuolous conceit, for none of their bookes are admitted to the preſſe, before they be examined by certaine Cenſurers deputed to that purpoſe by the Church: and if any thing diſlike them or ſeeme to ſauour of hereſie (as they call the trueth) preſently it is either gelded out, or corrected at their pleaſures. And that which goeth for currant, hath his allowance ſubnexed. That it containeth in it nothing contrary to the Catholike faith of the Church of Rome. Theſe poſitions then of theſe Ieſuites ſtanding thus approued by the common conſent of their Cenſurers, and priuiledged to be both printed and read of all men, as containing nothing contrary to wholeſome doctrine, cannot be thought to be the vnaduiſed opinions of priuatemen, but euen the doctrine and religion of their Church.

23. Laſtly, that I may conclude this ſecond argument,7. they maintaine alſo the prophanation of the Sabboth, which the Lord hath enioyned to be ſanctified with ſo great and vrgent a precept: Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabboth day. Adding … m…men…o before, and fencing it with ſo many reaſons after, that it might not ſeeme a light matter, but a cōmandement of great conſequence; yet theſe impudent preuaricators make it a matter of no moment, yea, giuegive liberty to the open breach and tranſgreſſion of it. For thus writeth Cardinall Tollet. Homo tenetur, &c. A man (ſaith he) is bound Tollet. lib. 4. Inſtruct. 5. acc…t. 9. c. 24.vponupon paine of a mortall ſinne to ſanctifie the Sabboth, but is not bound vnderunder the ſame paine to ſanctifie it well. As if forſooth it could be ſanctified at all, if it be not well ſanctified: or as if the prophanation of the Sabboth were the ſanctifying of it: p. 56for not to ſanctifie it well, is nothing elſe but to prophane it: howbeit, if this were all the iniurie hee doth to Gods Sabboth, it might be borne withall: but the bold Cardinall taketh vponupon him to breake in pieces the barres thereof, and to expoſe it being the Lords day, and therefore fit to bee employed onelyonly in the Lords worke, to moſt vile and baſe offices; for thus hee writeth in the ſame booke. Licet iter facere, &c. It is lawfull to take a iourney on the feaſt day: (with this caueat, that diuine ſeruice be firſt heard.) It is lawfull to hunt, and doe ſuch like things. It is lawfull for Iudges, eſpecially rurall, to giuegive iudgement on the feaſt day: it is no ſinne for a Barber to exerciſe his trade on the feaſt day for commodity, if he had no leaſure to doe it at another time: they are excuſed alſo which ſell fleſh, kill beaſts, and ſell neceſſary victuals on holy dayes: And if the occaſion of a great gayne would otherwiſe bee loſt, as in fiſhing for Herring and Tunnes, which come not but vponupon certaine dayes, it is lawfull to fiſh on the holy day. In publique ſolemnities it is lawfull to prepare the wayes, and to build for ſpectacles. This is the doctrine of that renowned Cardinall, whoſe writings are ſo approued of the Church of Rome, that whatſoeuer hee ſpeaketh, is held for trueth. But here it may be anſwered, that he nameth not the Sabboth, but the feſtiuall or holy day: to which I anſwere: Firſt, that the title of that Chapter is de Sabbath…: and therefore if he meaneth not that, hee ſwarueth from his purpoſe. Secondly, that the expreſſe words and drift of the whole Chapter demonſtrates, that vnderunder the name of the feſtiuall or holy day, he includeth alſo the Sabboth. And thirdly, how could he giuegive inſtructions touching the caſes of the Sabboth, if he intended not the Sabboth, ſeeing all his rules runne vnderunder this generall terme, on the feſtiuall or holy day? This therfore is but a miſt to blinde mens eyes, that they might not ſee their impietie.

24. Can this Religion (thinke you) be of God, which in thus many points croſſeth and trampleth vnderunder foote the law of God? Doth not the head of that congregation euidently ſhew himſelfe to be foreign, that outlaw, which S. Paul ſpeaketh of, 2. Theſſ. 2. that is, ſuch an one as oppoſeth himſelfe p. 57to the law of God? Doe not the necke and ſhoulder which are ſupporters of that head, I meane, the Cardinals and Biſhops, ſhew themſelues to be of the ſame nature and diſpoſition with it? and the whole body, which is quickned by the life of his doctrine, to be meerely Antichriſtian? He that ſeeth not this, is blinde, and cannot diſcerne a farre off; hee that ſeeth it and confeſſeth it not, is careleſſe of his owne ſaluation. Let vsus leaue them therefore, either to bee conuerted, which God graunt for Chriſt his ſake, or to bee confounded, if they continue in their errours.