Against Popery, Addition · Part 8
THE EIGHT PART.
I HaueHave not gathered theſe, neither written any other thing of the deuotion of the papiſts towards the virgin, to diſgrace her: farre be it from me, and from all other Chriſtiſtians: whome God hath cōmended as bleſſed, him or her muſt no man diſgrace. Yea, as God hath pronounced her bleſſed aboue all other women, in regard that he honoured her with being mother to our Sauiour: ſo muſt all men yeeld her that prerogatiue. Not with ſtanding as we muſt not denie her any thing that God hath granted her; ſo alſo muſt we take heede, that we be not more liberall vntounto her, then God himſelfe hath beene. Eſpecially we muſt beware, that we make her not rich with the ſpoiles of God. And this is the great fault of the Papiſts, both towards the virgin & alſo towards her ſaints, yea towards them that were neuer ſanctified: yea ſometime towards ſuch, as whom they can not prooue by good demonſtration, euer to hauehave bin in the world. All theſe they thinke that they neuer honour ſufficiently, till they take the crowne from Gods head, and from the head of his ſonne Chriſt Ieſus, & ſet it vponupon their head. And ſo, as they doe moſt extreame wrong to God & to Chriſt Ieſus: ſo alſo they doe not honour, but highly diſhonour them, whom they pretend moſt to honor. For what greater diſhonour can there be then mockerie? and what greater mockerie is there, then to giuegive to any perſon greater honour, then of right belongeth vntounto him?
2 As this is manifeſt of them by many other things, ſo eſpecially the ſame appeareth moſt euidently by theſe miracles which I hauehave here ſet downe, & by many other partly contained in that booke from whence I took theſe, & partly diſperſed in other books, & not comprehended in the former. For we hauehave ſeen how they make the virgin a patroneſſe of many notorious ſinnes & impieties. We hauehave ſeene how they make her to make more account of one Aue Maria, and of one waxe candle offered vntounto her, then of all duties belonging vntounto God, in as much as ſhe hath ſaued them (as they ſay) that hauehave honoured her, though they had committed neuer ſo many, and neuer ſo great and hainous ſinnes againſt God. We hauehave ſeene how they make God to be mutable, in as much as he hath at her word oftentimes reuerſed his owne ſentence, & ſaued them whō before he had condemned. Finally we hauehave ſeene, how flatly they contradict the Scriptures in moſt of theſe miracles: for the Scripture expreſſely Luk. 16. 26.ſaith, that betwixt heauen and hell is ſuch a great gulfe or diſtance, that they which would goe from one place to an other can not: but they make this to be an ordinarie matter, both for the virgin Marie, & alſo for the angels, yea likewiſe for the ſoules of men.
3 Further concerning thoſe miracles, which the Papiſts ſo falſly aſcribe vntounto the virgin Marie, they are to be conſidered, not onelyonly as a part of the matter of poperie: but alſo as a meanes and chiefe pillar whereby eſpecially the worſhip of the virgin in poperie, hath bin vpholden and maintained. The ſame is likewiſe to be ſaide of the like miracles of their other ſaints. For wherefore hauehave they read them, and preached them in their churches? hath it not bin to keepe the people in the more deuout worſhip of them, and to make them to thinke them halfe as good at the leaſt, as God himſelfe? verily it can not be denied.
4 Now what vſe are we to make of all theſe things thus added to my former treatiſe? The vſe of the …ddicion.Are we onelyonly to laugh at them, and to make our ſelues merrie with them in a carnal maner? It may be ſome will make none other vſe of them; it may be ſome will buie this whole booke, onelyonly for that purpoſe: but truly ſuch ſhall greatly peruert my meaning. We may indeed (as before I hauehave ſaid in the treatiſe) laugh at them in ſome ſort, ſo we doe it in an holy manner with the ſpirit of Eliah, as he skorned the fooliſhnes or rather extreame madnes of the prieſts of Baal: but beſides this, we are to applie theſe thinges many other waies, which I will onelyonly briefly note, leauing the further conſideration of them to the godly reader.
5 Firſt therefore, ſith all theſe things doe moſt liuely ſhew the extreame follie, & high abominatiō of poperie: how ought all papiſts to be aſhamed of their religion? How ought all Proteſtants that ſometimes hauehave bin papiſts, to be grieued for their poperie? How ought they likewiſe to mourne for any of their friēds, yea for any other yet remaining in that eſtate, & yet ſhut vp in the ſhadow of death? How ioyfull likewiſe and thankfull ought we to be, that God hath opened our eies to ſee theſe things, that he hath not ſent his angel onelyonly into our houſes (as ſometime he did into the houſe of Lot, to take him & guide him out of Sodō, before fire came frō heauen to deſtroy that citie) but alſo hath giuē vsus his holy ſpirit in our hearts, & thereby deliuered vsus frō ſo ridiculous, ſo groſſe, & ſo horrible a religiō.
6 Further we ſee by theſe things, how dangerous it is not to beleeue the truth, and how blockiſh we are, if we be left vntounto our ſelues. Verily there is no errour ſo fooliſh, ſo abſurd, ſo groſſe, ſo abominable, & ſo monſtrous, but that if God doe forſake vsus, if he take his ſpirit from vsus, if he leaue vsus to our ſelues, we are readie to beleeue it as truth; yea to be zealous therein; yea farre more zealous, then any of Gods owne children are in the truth.
7 O therfore let vsus not deceiue our ſelues: late vsus hate poperie as ſuch a monſter ought to be hated: let vsus make that account of the truth, & giuegive ſuch credit & obediēce therūto, that for our contēpt & light account thereof, God neither giuegive poperie any returne againe vntounto vsus. Let vsus earneſtly pray, let vsus keepe watch by night & ward by day, let vsus alwaies with all carefulnes looke vntounto our ſelues, let vsus take heede of all Ieſuits, ſeminatie prieſts, yea of all papiſts, and likewiſe of all other meanes, whereby we may be entangled with this filthie & ſottiſh religion, and be drawne thereunto. Let vsus delight in the communion & fellowſhip of al them that louelove the truth, and are able to confirme, ſtrengthen, & helpe vsus forward in this religion which now generally we profeſſe; vſing all other good means commended vntounto vsus for the ſame end. Let vsus take heed, not onelyonly of the maine ſtock of poperie; but alſo of eueryevery bough, branch, twigge, yea of eueryevery leafe; for there is d…ungerous (if not deadly) poiſon in th… leaſt patch of poperie. And as the whole ſubſtance of popiſh doctrine was not hatched all at once, but now one egge laide laide and then an other; now one chicken, and then an other; now one opinion and then an other; vntill all the whole brood was come forth: and when it was throughly hatched & brought forth, it had not all the ſtature, nor all the feathers, nor all the ſtrength the firſt day, but crept and got vp by litle and litle: ſo the deuil being ſtil as ſubtil as he was, and ſeeing poperie now to be baniſhed, and grieuing that it is forced to liue ſo long in exile, therefore daily laboureth (as alas by too great experience we daily ſee) by litle & litle againe to winne vsus thereunto. Priuately indeede in many places of this land (and it is to be feared in too many. I pray God alſo that it be not in too great places, and with too great perſons) he laboureth, where the whole body of popery doth remaine, there to vphold it; and where it is not, there alſo wholly to bring it in againe. For we ſee many now to be Papiſts, euen of both ſexes, yea ſome to be recuſant papiſts, whoſe fathers: were little more then borne in the beginning of the raigne of her moſt excellent Maieſtie. But although Satan the olde aduerſarie, where he thinketh he may be bold, and where he hath fitte inſtruments to worke by, hath in ſome priuate places, euen in this flouriſhing time and bright light of the goſpel, drawne ſome to the whole doctrine and religion of pope…ie: yet he will not as yet be ſo bold as to attempt this publikely. Notwithſtāding he goeth about it by degrees, & by litle & litle tunning (as it were) and filling his veſſels here & there, one with ſtrōg popiſh drink & an other with ſmall, that is, one with a maine point of poperie, & another with a ſmal point; yea not onelyonly tunning & filling thē ther with, but alſo tapping & broching thē ſo filled, & giuing of the drink of thē by whole kannes to other to drinke. And this he doth according to his old ſubtiltie, hoping the more eaſily to bring in & to broach all againe & ſo to make all drunkē againe with the cuppe of fornications that is in the hād of the whore & ſtrumpet of Rome.
8 Wherefore in the feare of God, & in the tender louelove that I beare vntounto the ſoules of all, I doe admoniſh all to take heede of this euil. Whatſoeuer hath bin accounted poperie, & by good reaſon ſhewed to be repugnāt to the truth, & cōmon conſent of all churches reformed held as erronious & heretical: let all diligētly take heed they neuer cōceiue any good liking thereof again. If we feare any more to embrace all poperie, let vsus take heede that in the mean time we neuer entertain any one opinion therof, though neuer ſo litle. If we feare to be drunken with the ſtrōgeſt drink, or with many cups of poperie, let vsus refraine from taſting therof. For as with them that delight in ſtrong drinke, one cup draweth on an other; ſo alſo may we feare it wil be with thē, which begin to ſmel of any one point of poperie. It is dangerous, it is dangerous to drinke in any one errour of poperie, though neuer ſo ſmall, eſpecially to perſiſt in the liking thereof & to ſay when we hauehave taſted it, This is good: and moſt dangerous it is to cōmend the ſame to other, & to make them to drinke of the ſame cup with vsus: all this is very dāgerous, whither we doe it for ſome good liking of the thing it ſelf, or in regard of our own eſtimatiō, or in any other reſpect whatſoeuer. For we may feare, leaſt the Lord harden our hearts, euen to like of thoſe errors which as yet our ſoules abhor.
9 I write not this to gal or gird at any, or to diſgrace any one particular perſon (my heart hateth all ſuch hatred, & delighteth in louelove & peace, & as wel in the credit of other, as of my ſelfe) but in a general louelove, I do generally admoniſh all to take heede in this behalfe. The Apoſtle ſpeaketh in the like generall māner, not admoniſhing ſome onelyonly, but alſo eueryevery one to take heed, leaſt at any time there ſhould be in any an euill & vnfaithful heart to fal away Hebr. 3. 12.frō the liuing Lord. Yea after that he had teſtified vntounto thē that he was perſwaded good things Hebr. 6. 9.of thē, & ſuch as did accompanie ſaluation; yet he ſpeaketh as generally, exhorting thē to take heede that no man did fall away frō the grace of Hebr. 12. 15.God. Adding further as a ſpecial means to take heede thereof, that they ſhould not ſuffer any roote of bitternes ſo much as once to spring vp amongſt thē: where by the root of bitternes all men know he meaneth errours and hereſies. Finally he addeth theſe reaſons, fitſt that ſuch roots or root would trouble thē, & ſecōdly that it would defile thē. There is none therefore ſo ſtrōg in the grace of God, but that he may fal (though not finally as hath bin ſhewed in my treatiſe) if he be ſecure, & take not great heed … himſelfe. There is none ſo well … with the ſweet & precious liquor of Gods truth, but that he may becom bitter, by ſuffering ſuch bitter rootes to ſpring vp in his heart. There is none at ſuch peace with men and with his owne conſcience, but that he may be diſquieted, diſturbed, and troubled. There is none ſo well was waſhed & clenſed by the pure water of Gods holy ſpirit, but that he may be polluted & defiled. There is none therefore that may thinke this mine admonition of taking heede vntounto himſelfe, to be ſuperfluous and needles for him.
11 To conclude, I do again in all hūble mā ner beſeech all whōſoeuer, both all the reuerend fathers & gouernours of our church, & alſo all other my learned and good brethrē, as well remaining vnderunder our mothers wings in the Vniuerſities of Cambridge and Oxenford, as alſo alreadie called forth to labour in the miniſterie of the word in particular churches, all theſe, I ſay, I doe hūbly beſeech, & earneſtly exhort, to be feruent in ſpirit in behalfe of the truth, and with all zeale to vpholde, defend, maintaine, and daily in the places where we liue, and in the hearts of the people ouer whō the holy Ghoſt hath made vsus ouerſeers, to further, to encreaſe, and to enlarge that ſound and wholeſome doctrine, which hitherto hath bin taught by vsus, and heard like wiſe and in ſome meaſure receiued by thoſe amongſt whome we hauehave laboured.
THE ENDE.
End of the text · Thomas Stoughton, Against Popery (1598)