The Papists Reasons of State and Religion, Part 2
The Auctors Teares and humble Petition vntounto Almightie GOD.
ALAS, alas deare GOD! Be there yet any left that pleade for Baal! Haſt thou not taught vsus, & revealed vntounto vsus the impietie and iniquitie, the infidelitie and irreligion of the Profeſſion now vrged! HaueHave not we, after diligent inquirie, deprehended it to be Idolatrie, Blaſphemie and Prophanation of thy name: as appeareth by the worſhip of Idols of bread, wood, ſtone; by their iuſtifications through their owne workes, and ſo many other by meanes beſides that only ſweete Sacrifice of thy Sonne; and by their falſe worſhip, which is not a Service preſcribed by thy worde, but a meere deviſe of vnpure, carnall, profane and divelliſh wits! Have not we founde the doctrine and practiſe of it, as a Sea of Sin, to be the cauſe of all diſloyaltie, diſhoneſtie and wicked converſation amongſt men: as appeareth in that Antichriſtian Supremacie, whereby the Man of Sinne, in the divelliſh pride of his harte and ſeate, challengeth vntounto himſelfe fulnes of power, and ſoveraignety of iuriſdiction to doe what pleaſeth him in heaven, in earth and in hell, to diſpenſe with what he liſt! What greater encouragement can there be to ſinne, then that a man may be ſure for a little money, to hauehave a ſealed pardon, not onelyonly for any wickednes cōmitted, but alſo for al he ſhal cōmitte during his life & many hundred yeeres after? So abſurdly wicked is their doctrine & practiſe. If by going on pilgrimage, ſaying ſo many times over his beads, faſting ſo many daies, giving ſo much vntounto Monkes & Friers, or maintaining ſo many Maſſes, a man may ſatisfie for his ſinnes, and appeaſe thy wrath, ô GOD, againſt the ſame; who will be reſtrained from any wickednes, or be carefull for amending his life? But no marveile though ſo infinite a power of the Pope be ſo great a cauſe of ſinne; ſeeing the auctoritie of abſolution, which every Popiſh Prieſt hath, is ſo fruitful in this kind, to the incouragement and increaſe of wickednes. we hauehave but too many woefull examples, of ſuch who abſolved their diſciples before hand, to poyſon and to murder the ſacred perſons of our Kings and Princes, thine Anoynted, If every Prieſt hath ſuch a power to abſolve from ſinne, what wickednes is there which theſe Abſolvers will not diſpenſe with; and what ſecurity for an… Prince or State, where ſuch Prieſts and Abſolvers may be enduted? What ſhall I ſpeake of the diſhoneſtie and vncleanes of their ſecrete Confeſſions? of their Stewes? of their orders of Monkes and Friers▪ vnlawfull vowes, and ſingle life, which are cauſes of hypocriſies, adulteries, fornications, and a thouſand abominations of vncleannes? What ſhal I ſpeake of their Sāctuaries, priviledged places, exemptions, immunities, appeales and protections, which muſt needes, by impunity, provoke men vntounto all wickedneſſe? It is as cleare as the Sunne▪ both through thy Iuſt…ce▪ ô moſt righteous GOD, who canſt not but from heauen reveile thy wrath vponupon ſo great vngodlines, & the very nature & practiſe of Popiſh Religion, that it muſt needes be an enemie to all good policie (whoſe end is to repreſſe ſinne) and ſtarke poiſon & certaine ruine of all kingdomes & States where it is eſtabliſhed
How long, ô Lord, how long wilt thou endure theſe Lovers of Babylon! How long wilt thou ſuffer them to profane thy name, to defile thy ſanctuarie, and to ſeduce thy Children! We, thy poore Servants in the Vniverſities, may write til our ſtrength faileth vsus, preach yea cry out till we hauehave loſt our voices, and mourne till our hartes breake, in defence of thy eternall truth, againſt Popiſh Antichriſtianiſme: Yet vntill the Miniſtrie of thy Word be eſtabliſhed in every part of our Land, the bitter rootes therof wil never be cleane pulled vp. Thou knoweſt, ô GOD, that ſome of the Ambaſſadours of thy Sonne are ſufficiently provided for; and we ſee and feele to our great griefe that our Miniſtrie in many, yea in moſt places, is vnprouided, contrary to thy commandement, and to the iuſt cauſe of feare of thy indignation againſt vsus for it, if it bee not ſome way in time relieved. But this ſpecially ariſeth of the ſpoile which the children of Babylon in times paſt hauehave made by impropriating and annexing the living of ſo many particular Churches to the maintenance of their Cloyſters, Abbeyes and dignities, by their Antichriſtian diſpenſations: Whereby they hauehave left the Miniſtrie ſo marveilouſly vnprouided and ſo beggerly, as that in ſome places there are to be found many Pariſhes togither, wherof all the livings, that now remaine to them, are not ſufficient for the competent maintenāce of one Man and his familie. Which lamentable eſtate of our Church deterreth many from vndertaking that holy and honorable Function, vvho having ſufficient giftes, ſeeing the Miniſtry oppreſſed with beggery, and ſubiect to other diſcredit and inconveniences ariſing thereof, beſtovve themſelues in ſome other lawfull calling, wherein they may bee able to liue in wealth and credit. By which meanes the vnſufficient and vnlearned Miniſtry ſeized vponupon the poſſeſſions of the Church, to the infinite hinderance of the Goſpell, to the increaſe & ſtrengthening of Poperie, and the loſſe of thouſands of Soules, which CHRIST IESVS thy deare Sonne hath bought with his precious blood. Alas, alas that the poore Pariſh, according vntounto thy ordinance, giveth the Tithe of al they hauehave, to hauehave a Man of GOD amongſt them, who may teach them the righte way to ſerue and honor thee, and to ſaue their ſoules: alas▪ I ſay, that this Tithe ſhould be taken away and ſtill detained by the greedy Nabals & hold-faſt Labans of the world, and applyed to profane vſes; leaving the poore ſpoyled of their goods, and the whole pariſh vnfurniſhed of one, who ſhould be their guide to everlaſting life: By which devilliſh covetouſnes they make themſelues guilty, not only of the horrible ſin of Sacriledge, and of the robbery of the goods of the people; but alſo (queſtionleſſe) of the deſtruction of many th uſand Sou…es, in taking & detaining from them the meanes whereby they might be taught vntounto ſalvation. Alas, that for any cauſe, ſo many ſoules of thy People ſhould periſh. Thou doſt not delight in the death of a ſinner, and thou canſt doe whatſoever thou wilt both in heaven and in earth, thou mannageſt the hearts of Kings, & commandeſt the Rulers of the pe…ple: Incline, I beſeech thee, the royall hart of our KING, ô Lord, and of the Peeres and Nobles of this kingdome now aſſembled togither, to take pitty vponupon the miſerably-diſtreſſed Soules of thy children, that by thy ſpeciall favour and grace they may finde out ſome reaſonable meanes, whereby every Pariſh may recover their owne againe, to the mainetenance of a worthy Miniſter amongſt them. Behold, ô heauenly FATHER, thy CHILDREN in many places of this land cry for bread, even for the bread of life, and there is no man that breaketh it vntounto them; the tongues of many cleaue to their roofe for thirſt being ready to periſh, and no man giveth them the water of life to quicken their ſoules. Wee cry vntounto thee, ô Lord, thou art our FATHER, harken vntounto the teares of thy CHILDREN, and graciouſly grant our requeſt, even for thy deareſt Sonne IESVS CHRIST his ſake, who hath ſhed his moſt precious hart-blood for our Redemption: ſo ſhall the ſaved Soules of thouſands praiſe thee togither with thy Sonne, and the Holy Ghoſt for evermore.
Revelat. 7.12.
Amen. Praiſe, and Glorie, and VViſedome, and Thankes, and Honour, and Power, and Might, be vntounto OVR GOD for evermore. Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Gabriel Powel, The Papists Reasons of State and Religion (1604)