An Antilogy, Section 10
THE ANSWERE TO THE TENTH Section of the Authors defence to all inferior subiects.
The Apologie.
THe summe of the Epistlers defence here is this, to perswade the inferior sort to embrace Poperie, Because all their auncestors were of the same religion, they liued by pensions, farmes, annuities, almes of religious houses: no fines or enhanced rents, &c. no forfeitures, turning out of farmes, destruction of woods, &c. no wife to prouide for ioynture, no daughter to endowe, &c. no elder sonne to enrich with new inheritance▪ not so many iarres and quarels in lawe.
The Antilogie.
THis Popes Pedler openeth his pack to eueryevery one, and is odious in obtruding the same wares: for like a tired hackney, he keepeth his old tract, and still treadeth in the same steps: He hath said nothing in this Section, which is not alleadged before: he broacheth the same stale stuffe, wearying his reader with his vaine repetitions, and long periodes: that I may say to him, as Hierome against Iouinian, Quotiescum que …um legero, vbicunque me defecerat spiritus, ibi est distinctio: totum incipit, totum pe…det ex altero, totus sermo omni materiae conuenit, quia nulli conuenit: As often as I reade him, I finde no distinction, till I want breath: eueryevery sentence begins, and yet hangs vponupon another: whatsoeuer he saith, is fit for eueryevery matter, because it fitteth indeede none. But to answere this babler and Battist: although not all, yet most of our Auncestors were popish, what then? So were their Auncestors Paganes. Few of the Apostles Auncestors were of their faith. If this Achitophels counsell had taken place, neither the Apostles should hauehave receiued Christ, and refused the Elders traditions, nor England hauehave embraced the Christian faith at their first conuersion from Paganisme. Indeede Stephens obstinate hearers did well follow this popish counsell, Ye hauehave alwayes resisted the holie ghost, as your fathers did, so do you, Act. 7.51. Thus this Popeling would perswade the people of England, to resist the truth, because their forefathers did so.
2. They had pensions, farmes frō Abbeies, without fines or forfeitures: a great matter: whereas they were before farmers and pensioners, now they are owners and possessors of Abbey lands. They gaue almes to maintaine idle vagabond and lewd persons: and made a great rabble of impudēt beggers, besides their mendicant friers: And was it so great a matter for Abbeies to do all this, when they possessed the third part of this land? Concerning raising of fines, enhauncing of rents, destruction of woods,Of raysing of fines, cutting downe of woods, &c. these are no fruites of the Gospell: they which professe it in sinceritie, are as far off from these oppressions as any Papist: and is it so charitable a worke to preserue woods, and destroy and dispeople townes, as some of your friends in Northamptonshire and other places hauehave done? Is more cōpassion to be shewed to trees then men? to woods then townes? And it is no maruaile, if many tooke no great care, to prouide iointures for their wiues, dowers for their daughters, inheritance for their children: for the Monks had inough to aduance their owne kinred: and because they were so kind & louing to mens wiues & daughters, it had been an vnnaturall part to neglect their children.
3. What hath he alleaged here for Poperie, which the Pagane Idolaters might not pretend for themselues? thus the superstitious women reasoned in Ieremies time, When we burnt incense to the Queene of heauen, &c. then had we plentie of victuals, and were well and felt none euill: But since we left off to burne incence, &c. we hauehave had scarcenes of all things, and hauehave been consumed with the sword and famine, Ieremy. 44.17.18. Thus Symmachus reasoned for the Paganes, Secuta est factum fames publica, quando in vsum hominum concussae quercus, quando vulsae herbarum radices: Publike famine followed the fact (when the Idols were destroyed) whē was it heard of before that men did shake downe acornes, and pull vp rootes for foode? Thus many simple people were wont to say,Plentie and abundance no good argumēt of religion. it was a merry world whē we might hauehave 20. egs for a penie, a bushell of corne for six pence. All this while they cōsidered not, that while they had abundāce of earthlie things, they were pined for wāt of spirituall: though they sate by their flesh-pots, & had bread their bellies full, as the vnthankefull Israelites murmured Exod. 16.3. yet they considered not, that all this time they were held in the spirituall bondage of Egypt.
Therefore we frankelie professe, though the Gospell should bring scarcitie, trouble, warre, penurie with it (and yet it hath florished with all temporall blessings, with peace, abundance, plentie) yet had we rather with Moses suffer affliction with Gods people, then to inioy the pleasures of sinne; to possesse all the pleasures and riches of the world with an euill conscience and corrupt religion: And we say with the Prophet Dauid, Thou hast giuen me more ioy of heart, then when their wheate and wine increased, Psal. 4.7. We reioyce more in the truth of religion, then all prosperitie & abundance whatsoeuer: and as Hierome well sayth, Nudam crucem nudus sequar, nec lucra seculi in Christi quaeras militia, I will follow Christs naked crosse my selfe naked: the worlds gaine must not be sought in Christs seruice. It is memorable which is reported of Agesilaus, who when the Thasians, as he passed by with his armie, brought him meale, fat geese, fine cakes, with other iunkets, he refused them all, the meale onelyonly excepted, giuing this answere, That those things which delighted seruile minds, foreign.free men abhorred: So these things whereby Papists measured religion, as riches, prosperitie, externall glorie; Protestants, whom the Gospell of Christ hath freed frō popish superstition, do hold them too light waights, to waigh against the truth.