The Bee Hive of the Romish Church, Part 1 · Chapter 7
The vii. Chapter. VVherin is declared, that the Church of Rome can likevvise helpe her selfe vvith the opinions and doctrine of the olde Heretikes, in follovving the same, vvhen it serues for her purpose.
NOwe, so farre it is from our deare mother the holy Church, to be afraid to spring ouer the pales of the holie Scripture,holy church helpes her selfe with the opinions of heretikes. auncient Fathers, Councelles, and Decrees: that often times she will go and solace her self in the pleasant medowes and greene fieldes of the olde heretikes, which hauehave alwayes bin extreeme enemies and directly contrarie to the holy scripture and the Fathers: and of them doeth she borrowe very many goodly iewelles,Reade Augu…t. in the boke of Heresies, and where he writes against the Pelagians Ephes ….8. Phil. 2.13. too furnishe & beautiefie her Gabanet, or bee Hiue withall, For it is wel knowen and euident, that she hath learned of the Heretike Pelagius, That we (notwithstanding the fall of Adam) do still possesse a free will, and hauehave power to Iustifie our selues, and to fulfil al the commaundementes of God, if we our selues will: and That it is not the onelye grace of God, whereby we are iustified,Rom. 3.24. as Paule doth teache: but an helper only, after that we of our selues hauehave prepared our selues therevnto. Also,In the coū cel of Trent in the 7. sess. Can. 10. & in the 14. ses. can 8. That Christ did by his death merit: for original sinne onelyonly: and that for all other our daily sinnes, we our selues must answere and make sufficient amendes. Of the Messalians, or Euchites: & likewise of the Pelagians, Theodoret. in the 4. boke of the Heretikes.she hath gathered, that baptisme alone, doth not make vsus perfect Christians: but is onelyonly necessarie to washe away our originall sin, & to helpe vsus out of our first shipwracke.Cap. omnes fideles. dis. 3. cap. …. de poenit. dis▪ and in the 4. boke of the Sent. in the 14. dist. ca. 1 But if we fal againe, & so run in danger of a second shipwracke, thē we must seke for another plāke to helpe vsus out of hazard. Shee hath likewise sucked out of ye breasts of ye Messaliās, to mumble out her Mattines, The seuen Psalmes, and the Pater noster by▪ number vponupon a paire of beades, and with a burning candle: pretending thereby to obteine great pardones, and to doe vntounto God great seruice. Also, whereas she doeth vse spittle in baptizing after that the diuell is coniured:Theodoret. in his 4. booke cont. haeret. that shee tooke of the Messalians, who did teache, That men might driue away the diuel with spitting. Of the Saturnialles, Ebeonites, Tatians, and Encratites; shee hath learned, That the state of Mariage is vncleane and spotted: and that such as wil please God, and be cleane purified, must wholy refraine them selues from it. Also, That there is great holinesse in absteining from eating of fleshe, and vsing of certeine other meates: although she hath set the things out vnderunder another colour, to the ende men might not knowe frō whence they come. Besides this, she hath borrowed of the Montanistes manie newe fasting dayes,Apollonius in his booke against the Montani…s. and Euseb. in his 5. boke, cha. 1… which she hath commaunded and cō firmed, to be obserued, vponupon pa…ne of great punishment: and beside that, on or cemēts. In the schoole of the Coloredlanes, shee hath learned to praye to the holye Virgine Marie,Theodor. in the 3. booke Epipha…. in the seconde part of 3. boke in the 51. Heresie. Theodor in the 1. booke and to immolate or offer vp her oblations. Of Marcus the sorcerer and Heretike, she hath learned to vse in her seruice, & sacrifices, certeine strange wordes, in Hebrewe, and other languages. Of the Anthropomorphites, to painte God the Father in the forme of a man, wt a gray beard. Of the Gnostikes, and Carpocratians, to set vp images of Christ, and other Saints,Irinaeus in the 1. booke against Heresies in the 24. Chap. and to worship the same with censing, and other maner of deuotions: vnlesse men will say (as Eusebius in ye 7. booke of histories in the 18. chap. doth declare) that this erecting of images did first spring from ye Heathen. And last of all, she hath learned of Simon the sorcerer, & father of al Heretikes,Act. 8.19. to giuegive Bishoprikes, & Benefices, Masse, Mattius, and Sacraments for money, and yet not to sell them. For it is but a simple bargaine or contract, which the Lawyers call, Do, vt des: I giuegive, that thou mayest giuegive againe: Euen like to Simon, who would giuegive money, to receiue ye holy ghost. So that it is very plaine & apparaunt, that shee can helpe her selfe well ynough with the doctrines and opinions of Heretikes: and sucke out of them, what shee thinkes good, to carie into her Bee hiue. Yea, shee doeth in manie things agree with the Alcaron of Mahomet, and with the Turkes religion:Azoar. 1. as specially, in many pilgrimages, in praying vntounto dead Saints, in the obseruing of fasting dayes, in diuers sortes & orders of Monkes, and particularly, in the doctrine of Freewill, and iustification by workes. Now, whether they hauehave borrowed that of Mahomet, or he receiued it from them, by reason he had a holy Monke, one Sergius, for an assistent & companion: I referre that to the iudgement of the Doctors of Louen. Thus much once by the waye, that it is easie to be noted, that it is all one per dominum, and all diet in one fatte: and that she is like to a cunning spinner, which can make good thred of all sortes of flaxe.