The Ancient Faith of the Romans and the Romish Religion, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
NOW beſides theſe things, which this degenerat Romiſhe Synagogue teacheth and doth, contrary to the Doctrine and practice of the godly, in the firſt and purer age of that auncient Church of Rome: there are alſo many other things reckoned now in the Romiſhe Church, for ſome principall poyntes of religion, the denial or very doubting whereof, would be puniſhed among them with death and diſtruction, which were not then among the godly once named or thought vponupon: nay rather which doe mightely and manifeſtly impugne that which they taught. But becauſe my purpoſe is in this treatiſe only to ſhew how farre vnlike that auncient fayth of the Romanes, is to this new religion of the Romiſh Church, by comparing that olde faith, with this newe Religion, (which hitherto I hauehave ſiucerly doone:) it ſhall be ſufficient onelyonly to name theſe doctrines and doings, which now they hauehave inſo great accompt (as I can remember them) vntill they prooue out of ſuch hiſtories of that Romane faith as are of good record, that they were vſed in that primitiue Roman Church. Firſt for that their gaynefull market and faire of Purgatorye fire: where doe they finde it in the fore named writings?Purgatory. In what place of S. Paules Epiſtle to the Romanes? in what text out of S. Peter or S. Marke? Out of S. Paule to the Romans they will not ſo much as dreame of anie proofe, neither yet dare the learneder ſort of them, alleadge any thing out of ſaint Peter. But yet the Rhemiſtes woulde fayne make the ignorant beleeue, that there is ſomewhat in ſaint Peter, 1. Pet. 3. 19for proofe of deliuering the ſoules out of ſome place of torment after this life. What that place is they dare not tell vsus confidently: that it is Limbus patrum, (the place where they imagine the faythfull Fathers before Chriſt after death were kept) they will not affirme. And they doe the more wiſely. For ſaint Peter there ſaith onelyonly thus much,20 that Chriſt (who was alwayes preſent with his Church) Preached in ſpirit (not going downe in ſoule) to the ſpirits or ſoules that are nowe in priſon, which were in time paſt diſobedient: nowe this preſence of Chriſt, beeing but in power of his ſpirit, to wit of his diuinitie of godhead. Agayne it was to the deſtruction of thoſe diſobedient and ſtubberne men, that would not heare Noah his preaching (for but viii. ſoules onelyonly were ſaued:) and therefore howe little this will helpe, their Purgatorie now or Limbus patrum then, it is eaſie to ſée. But on the contrarie S. Marke doth plainly wring from them, one of the places which eſpecially they reſt vppon for proofe of their purgatorie. For whereas our Sauiour Chriſt in ſainte Matthew ſpeaking of the ſinne againſt the holy Ghoſt ſaith,Math 12. 32 It ſhall not be forgiuen him, neither in this world, not in the world to come. (Therefore ſay they, there are ſinnes that are forgiuen after this life, which muſt needs be in purgatory.) Saint Marke who commeth after ſaint Matthew, and hearde belike his Maiſter ſaint Peter expound Chriſts meaning concerning that manner of ſpeech (for out of S. Hierom, and Clemens of Alexandria, Arg. in Evang. Marci.the Rhemiſtes themſelues confeſſe, that S. Marke was Peters interpretor, and according to that hee had heard of the mouth of S. Peter, wrote at Rome a briefe Goſpell, at the requeſt of the brethren, which Peter alſo approoued and allowed of.) S. Mark I ſay who had ſuch a teacher, doth thus teach vsus to expound or vnderſtand thoſe words of S. Matthew, that hee that ſinneth againſt the holy Ghoſt,Mark. 3. 29. Hath not forgiuenes for euer, but ſhalbe guiltie of eternall death. So that if S. Peter him ſelfe be of that minde that S. Marke his diſciple was, we ſée hee did not once dreame of any remiſſion of ſinne in another world, by theſe words of our Sauiour Chriſt, but expoundeth S. Matthew his ſence to be (for the latter muſt expounde the former, when M. Bellarmine hath doone what he can to the contrarie) that ſuch ſinne ſhal neuer be forgiuen.De purgat. li. 1. cap. 4. And then I truſt our aduerſaries will not thus reaſon, The ſin againſt the holy ghoſt ſhall neuer be forgiuen, therefore ſome ſinnes ſhall after this life, or in an other worlde bee forgiuen, for then the children would ſpit and laugh at their folly. And yet out of theſe words, thus by S. Marke expounded, all the Prieſtes at Rome and Rhemes cannot otherwiſe prooue this their concluſion. Neere a kinne to this purgatory▪ is their Limbus puerorum, where they place children not baptiſed,Limbus puerorum. but let them ſhewe what warrant they hauehave for the ſame, what proofe that it was then beléeued, when the Faith of the Romans was commended.Pilgrimages. Their Pilgrimages,Pardons. pardons, and indulgences; are very holy things, if we will beléeue the Popiſh Church, that now is called the Catholike Church of Rome. But where doth Saint Paule commend them to the Romans? Where doth S. Peter (that had as good power to giuegive pardons as any Pope could hauehave) either practiſe it,Agnus deies. or where doth he or his diſciple commaund ſuch things?Bleſſed graines. And beſides ſuch pedlary ware, Agnus dei, bleſſed graines, and ſuch paltry ſtuffe, ſent abroad in great packs into all places to abuſe the world, are thought to hauehave many vertues, and to be of great efficacie for many good purpoſes: But I pray you my Maſters of Rome, when did S. Peter beſtow his time in making ſuch trifles, or in packing vp ſuch wares (to ſell vntounto Chriſtians all Chriſtendome ouer) as it were in pedlers packs?Croſſes. And how neceſſarie they will accompt the croſſe to be, in all their ceremonies and ſeruices, he that readeth their books cannot but ſée. And whatſoeuer antiquitie they wil pretend for the ſame: yet they cannot teach, that S. Paule, and S. Peter either taught the Romans to vſe it, or themſelues made any either vponupon themſelues or other.Reliques. Reliques they louelove ſo well, that if they cannot get the boans or reliques of good men and women, yet any other ſuch like, be they of men or wemen neuer ſo bad will ſerue their turne, ſo that they be ſaid to be the Reliques of ſuch a Saint. Wherby it commeth to paſſe, that ſome men and wemen, who while they liued, were like others, hauing no ſuperſlous lymmes of their bodie, now when they are dead, are by theſe Romiſh charmers turned into ſuch monſters, as that they hauehave ſome many heads, others many legges, others great numbers of armes: and ſo the parts of their bodies are multiplied excedingly, (belike they were buried in a fruitfull ſoyle) and yet eueryevery Prieſt, that ſheweth theſe reliques, commend that they hauehave to be the true relique, & ſome miracle, or viſion, eueryevery one of them alſo would commonly faine, to proue that which they ſaid of their relique to be true. And yet many of them muſt néedes be falſe: For one man or woman had but one head, two armes, and ſo of the reſt accordingly. And therfore all beſides that one head, or thoſe other true parts of the bodie muſt needes be falſe. It is written that one of our Kings of England named Edward, was euill troubled with the toothache. And who knoweth not that Saint Apolines teeth, are a préeſent remedie for the ſame diſeaſe, yf their lyes may goe for true reportes. King Edward therefore belike, being deſirous to hauehave the true teeth of S. Apoline, to aply to his teeth, commaunded that the teeth of S. Apoline, that were in all the Churches through the Realme kept for reliques, ſhould be ſent to him, which being brought, were ſound mo then would goe into ſome greate Hogſheades or veſſels. And yet I warrant you yt in eueryevery Church they were perſwaded, that they had in deed S. Apolines teeth. But in the auncient faith of the Romans, what mention is made, or what example is found,Shrift. of any ſuch reliques. To theſe may be added their ſhrift and Satiſfactions,Satiſfactions very iniurious to Chriſt his death, and that ſatiſfaction which he in his body, hath made for vsus, by that one onelyonly ſacrifice, which vponupon the altar of the croſſe he offered to his father.7 Sacraments. Their number of ſeven Sacraments, hath no warrant out of any of theſe writings.Praying in an vnknowen tongue. And to be ſhort their prayer in an vnknowen tongue, and ſtrange language, not vnderſtoode of them ſelues that do pray, I would hauehave them to ſhew how this together with their halfing of the … of Chriſts bodie and bloude and many ſuch like things, can be proued to be taught by word or deede vntounto that primitiue Church of Rome by S. Paule, S. Peter, or S. Marke, which thing they can neuer doe. If then in all ſuch poynts as are in controuerſie among vsus, wherof we find anie thing deliuered to vsus, by theſe holy men & meſſengers of God, the Church of Rome (if ſhee teach not cleane contrarie) wandreth verie much from that auncient Romane faith, as in the 19. firſt chapters of this treatiſe it doth (I truſt) appeare: And if in theſe latter points of religion mentioned in this laſt chap. which they alſo make gret accompt of,) they hauehave neither word nor example of theſe Apoſtles or S. Marke, to commende vntounto the world, ſuch doctrines & deuiſes: what cauſe is there I pray you, why that apoſtolicall Church of Rome, that hath ſo manyfeſtly reiected that old faith, and ſo wholy corrupted the auncent religion that ther was taught, ſhould ſo confidently term her ſelfe the Apoſtolicke and Catholicke Church of Chriſt. With what face dare they tel vsus, that the faith of Rome is commended, when as nothing doth more conuince them of Apoſtacy, then to try the leaden religion that now is there taught, by the touchſtone of that faith that then was there preached. And with ſhame enough may they tell vsus, that that faith of the auncient Romans is commended, which moſt cruelly and ſtubbornly condemne the ſame, & perſecute it moſt bloodily in Chriſt his members, as our faith ſo wholy and perfectly agréeing with the Apoſtles doctrine, yet purſued of them with an immortall hatred, intollerable rage, and tirannicall violence doth plainly proue. We ſay therfore, that that auncient faith of the Romans was worthely prayſed. By it we can and doe confirme our doctrines: By it we may and hauehave diſprooued their errors. If wee ſwarne one iot from that faith, we craue no credite, to our words or writings,Pſa. 52. 11. ver. 50. &. 51. no preſence or acceſſe to our temples. And becauſe they hauehave forſaken it,2. Cor. 6. we hold them as Antichriſtian Apoſtates, and forſake their wil worſhipings and ſuperſtitious aſſemblies, according to the prophetes preciſe and ſeuere prohibition, and thappoſtles comfortable application thereof. Beare not the yoke with, vnbeleeuers, but come out from among them, and ſeparate your ſelues ſayth the Lorde, and touch no vncleane thing and I will receaue you, and I wil be a father vntounto you, and you ſhall be my ſonnes and daughters ſaith the Lord God Almightie. Whoſe aſſured and vndoubted kindneſſe becauſe wee cannot but accept off, ſéeing we know him to be a moſt louing Father, therefore we dare not but deteſt and hate, the ſeducing wayes of the Church of Rome, becauſe ſhée is a deceauing and a mercileſſe ſtepmother. Whoſe pathes doe lead to death, and they that walke in her wayes ſhall finde deſtruction: the remembrance whereof if it be fearfull to vsus the Lord ſtrengthen vsus with his grace to ſtriue to auoyde it.
FINIS.
End of the text · Francis Bunny, The Ancient Faith of the Romans and the Romish Religion (1595)