Against Popery, Treatise · Argument 4
THE FOVRTH ARGVMENT touching the forme of true religion.
THat which hath beene ſaid of the matter of poperie in reſpect of the matter of that religion, which is commended in the ſcriptures may be ſaid of the forme. God is a Spirit, and therefore to be vvorſhipped in ſpirit and truth, Ioh. 4. 24. But poperie preſcribeth ſuch a carnall and fleſhly forme and manner of worſhip, as if God were all fleſh and no ſpirit. God oftentimes commaundeth himſelfe to be worſhipped onelyonly according to his owne word. And truly if Princes may lawfully require obedience and ſeruice of their ſubiects according to their owne lawes, with much more equitie may God the Prince of princes require ſeruice according to his owne ſtatutes and ordinances. Therefore he doth iuſtly refuſe the traditions, precepts, and doctrines of men in his worſhip, Iſa. 29. 13. Math. 15. 3. and in many other places doth he alſo condemne wil worſhip, and ſuch as is forged onelyonly in the forge of man his wit: but poperie preſcribeth a forme of God his worſhippe principally according to the doctrines of men, and leaſt of all according to the doctrine of God himſelfe. Yea to ſpeake according to truth, they hauehave brought ſuch a darke cloud of the precepts of men into the worſhip of God, that a man can hardly diſcerne whether they worſhip God according to any of his owne precepts. Yea to ſpeake yet more plaine, they make ſo many images, croſſes, reliques of ſaints, they make ſo many praiers to Saints, and offer ſo many gifts vntounto them, they hauehave ſo many pilgrimages in their honour, they repoſe ſo much truſt and confidence in all theſe things, they beſtow ſo much coſt vponupon them, they ſo preciſely and ſuperſtitiouſly obſerue daies conſecrated vntounto them, &c. that a man cannot well ſaie that they worſhip God in any manner at all. As for their fooliſh diſtinction digged onelyonly out of that colepit, from whence they hauehave digged their Images, reliques, and inuocation of Saints, &c. as none of their learned ſort hauehave euer bene able to defend it, ſo not one of fiue thouſand of the vulgar people doe know or vnderſtand it. How then can they regard it, or tell when they giuegive that vntounto God, which they giuegive vntounto ſaints, and images, &c. or that to theſe things, which they ſhould by their owne doctrine onelyonly giuegive vntounto God.
2 Neither doe they onelyonly worſhippe theſe things, but alſo a peece of bread, which as ſoone as they hauehave adored, goeth into the mouth, from their mouth into the ſtomacke, from the ſtomacke into the paunch, and from the paunch out againe of the bodie, all men know whither. That this is ſo (whatſoeuer the ignorant are perſwaded to the contrarie) is manifeſt, becauſe that if a man were driuen to that neceſſitie, that he had no other meate to eate then their conſecrated hoſt (as they call it,) as ſometime Dauid was forced to eate of the ſhewbread, I am ſure they could not denie, but that their hoſt ſo eaten for a weeke or a monethmonth together would nouriſh the naturall man as well as other bread; ſo as that their ſhould be as good digeſtion, and egeſtion of that, as alſo of other bread or meate: if it be ſo, can the nature of it be ſo altered according to their doctrine, and by their inchanting ſorceries, as that there ſhould remaine nothing but accidents of bread? It is moſt abſurd, it is moſt ridiculous. For how can meere accidents nouriſh a materiall ſubſtance, and make a materiall egeſtion? If they ſaie that all this is done by the ſubſtance of Chriſt his very bodie, they ſpeake the more groſſely, in making that foode for this natural life, and the more blaſphemouſly in ſaying that that goes into the draught. Againe, in ſuch a caſe I demand alſo, whether a man forced to liue onelyonly by ſuch meanes for a time, or ſo liuing voluntarily by getting ſome way or other all the Hoſts to himſelfe in a cuntrie, could liue by them alone without drinke? Certenly by their doctrine, for the adminiſtring of the ſacramēt in one kind onelyonly, it ſhould be ſo. For they ſay that one kind onelyonly is ſufficient, becauſe the blood of Chriſt is alwaies with the bodie per concomitantiam. So then, by this reaſon a man that ſhould hauehave nothing but their hoſt for a weeke or monethmonth, or longer time to liue vponupon, ſhould not onelyonly hauehave meate, but alſo drinke. For they muſt as wel grāt the blood of Chriſt to be ſufficient to quench thirſt, as his fleſh to ſatiſfie hunger. Yet for all this, let one of them trie but ſo litle a time to liue in this manner, I meane onelyonly feeding vponupon nothing but vponupon breade conſecrated by ſome Papiſt, and I doubt not but that he will be glad to aske his neighbour a cup of ſome other drinke beſide that ſpiritual drinke which he hath by concomitance (as they ſpeak) of his foode. Yea if ſome Papiſt would trie this way, to liue but a little while, he ſhould quickly finde the knauerie of tranſubſtantiation, and conſequently alſo the impietie of all poperie.
3 Nowe to returne from whence we hauehave made this digreſſion, the Papiſts doe not onelyonly worſhip the croſſe, reliques, and ſuch like things; but ſuch as are no reliques of the Saints, & peeces of woode in ſtead of peeces of the croſſe whereon Chriſt was nailed. For if ſo many Churches ſhould hauehave ſuch large thongs of the very croſſe of Chriſt as the Papiſts ſay they hauehave, all gathered together would load the beſt ſhippe in England: then no maruaile indeede though Chriſt were wearie of bearing his croſſe, & what a gyant was Simon of Syrene whom they compelled to beare ſuch a burthen? O, ſay they, you doe not vnderſtand the myſterie. For the croſſe of Chriſt was not ſo heauie, as al the peeces now laid together would be. How ſo? becauſe euer as one peece was cut off, the remainder did grow to the former greatnes, and was neuer a whit leſſe then at the firſt, but notwithſtanding all the peeces cut off, it ſtill remaineth whole. Let him that liſt beleeue this; my name is Thomas, and I will not beleeue it, till I ſee it, therefore I ſhall neuer beleeue it. Touching their worſhip of reliques, he that will hauehave ſport, let him read M. Caluin of that matter; I meane his little booke of reliques: where amongſt other reliques, he ſhall finde Chriſt his foreskinne cut off when he was circumciſed, his ſhooes, the earth that laie vnderunder his feete, when he raiſed vp Lazarus from the dead, the title ſet ouer his head at his crucifying, his thornie crowne, the diſh wherein he did eate the paſchall lambe, the napkin about his head when he was buried; yea the very taile of the aſſe whereon he rode, and many ſuch morſels.
4 By theſe things hitherto ſpoken, we ſee how contrarie poperie is vntounto the religion commended in the Scriptures, both in matter and alſo in forme. Who therefore that knoweth the conſtant, immutable, and ſpirituall nature of God can be perſwaded in any reaſon, that poperie ſhould be acceptable vntounto God? If out of one fountaine cannot come both ſweete and ſowre waters, can two religions ſo contrarie come from one and the ſame God? If God approoue that religion which is commended in the Scriptures, then he muſt needes diſalow of that which is contrarie thereunto: or if he allow of that religion which is contrarie to the Scriptures, then he muſt alſo diſallow of the religion commended in the Scriptures. If therefore no man dare thinke that God diſalloweth of the religion commended in the ſcriptures, let no man dare to thinke that he alloweth poperie ſo contrarie thereunto. Now as touching our religion, both matter and forme agree with the Scriptures. We commend knowledge, we commend and teach all that the ſcriptures commend and teach, we ſaie alſo and prooue by moſt ſufficient arguments that the Scriptures are ſufficient of themſelues, and conteine all things pertaining to the worſhippe of God and ſaluation of men. Therefore alſo ſo nigh as we can, we frame the manner of our worſhip of God according onelyonly to the Scriptures. If therefore the matter of the Scriptures, if the forme of God his worſhip, preſcribed in the ſcriptures be acceptable vntounto God, then alſo is our religion: but the former cannot be denied, therefore alſo the latter muſt be graunted.