Sermon Preached 14 February 1607, Part 11
The eleuenth Wounde.
ANd heerunto I will adde another wound, because it is so neer to this, in popish consang…inity.21The eleuēth wound; Granting of Indulgences & thousands of yeares, and deliuerance of Soules out of purgatory, to Beades, Medals, Crosses, Pictures & such like toyes being blessed & hallowed by the Popes holy hands.
The wiser sort of Popes, & the rest of the craftier polititians in that hierarchie, perceiuing that all the Nations of the earth, (many of them being so far distant) could not come to their market of Indulgences being kept in Rome, therfore lest they should lose their traffick into those parts, they deuised a way, that seeing a greate part of the world could not come to Rome, Rome should send to them: To which end, out of his bounty and spirituall liberality, for the incredible good of mens soules, the Pope ordained that certaine Crucifixes, and Medalls, and Agnus dei bThe principall of all these toyes i… the Agnus dei, which eueryevery one may not make, but onelyonly the Pope: not he alwaies, but onelyonly at E…nor at eueryevery Easter but the first next his entrance, and eueryevery seauenth Easter after: nor of any matte…, …in any manner, but precisely of such simples, & with such: ceremonies as are prescribed for that purpose; which together with the prayers (or rather coniurations) then to be vsed are to be seene in the booke called Caeremoniale pōtif. lib. 1. And hee that hath not that booke, let him looke in the Commentaries of Peter Mathew vppon the Constitutions of Gregorie the 13. Constit the 1.and holy Beades and other such …ewels, should bee first consecrated and hallowed by the hands of his Holinesse, and hauehave all the holinesse powred vponupon them that hee can spare, and further should hauehave annexed vntounto them all those mighty Indulgences, or the like, that are graunted vntounto the Churches & stations at Rome: and by this meanes they could sell an Agnus dei, that is, a little peece of white wax… or a Crucifixe of a little metall, it may be brasse or copper (such as the Iesuites of late sent into England by thousands at once, as good inough to serue the English Catholickes), or a little medal, or a little beade or bugle, or other matter of no more value: these toyes and trinkets, I say they can sell by this meanes, and eueryevery daie doe vtter at a higher rate then the Ieweller can his pearles or his diamonds.
Thus did not only the former Popes gull the people of elder ages in those times of ignorance, making them beleeue that these toyes so hallowed and blessed by them, were of such vertue as Christs bloud it selfe could be of no more; as one of them sending an Agnus dei to an Emperour, shamed not to write to him, that This Agnus dei breakes off sinnes euen as the bloud of Christ:
But euen in these times of light and knowledge, these owles dare still flie abrdade: and euen of late, nay eueryevery yeere, the Pope shameth not to sette his trumperies to sale, annexing vntounto thē such large and liberall Indulgences, as Christs owne bloud can hauehave no more22The eleuenth wound not healed.. I could insist vponupon late and notorious examples practised euen at home and vponupon our owne Nation: but I spare them at this time, because the proofs thereof tho neuer so certaine to vsus, are not so authenticall to thē, as bee these two examples, I shal now produce; one of them touching Poland, the other France.
For Poland: Not many yeares agoe,22The eleuenth wound not healed. Pope Clement the eight granted as followeth, as is to bee seene in printed coppies.
dVide libiū inscriptum E…uangel…um …omanum, edit. anno. 1600.Indulgences graunted by the Holinesse of our most Holy Father, Pope Clement the eight, At The Instance of the most Illustrious and most reuerend Lord Cardinall Radziuillius, Bishop of Cracowe, and Legate in Polande, VntoUnto Certaine Holy Beades, Crosses, Medals and Images.
1. Whosoeuer, hauing one of these holie beades &c. shall say ouer the Rosarie, being confessed, or hauing a purpose to confesse once a month, shall for eueryevery time hee doth so, obtaine v. yeares of pardon.
2. But if hee doe eueryevery day after examination of his Conscience, say three Pater nosters and three Aue Maries &c. shall hauehave ten yeeres.
3. But if hee vse euerie daie to saie ouer the Psalter of our Lady, shall for euerie Saturday weekelie obtaine a hundred yeeres.
4. Hee that shal thrice in a weeke say ouer the Rosary of our Lady, and confesse and communicate, and pray, shall obtaine a plenarie, that is, a ful remission of all all sins.
5. And whosoeuer in the houre and point of death shall but say in his heart, when hee cannot speake with his tongue, the name Iesus, shall hauehave a plenarie and full forgiuenes of all his sins: prouided that he hauehave one of these blessed & holy Beads, Medals, Crucifixes or Pictures.
*All these Indulgences may bee procured and obtained, by hauing either about a man, or lying before him one or more of these holy Medalles, Crosses, Beades, or Images, and obseruing what is afore appointed: and his Holinesses will is, that they shall be of force to all kinde of men and in eueryevery place.
Printed at Rome by the Printer of his Holinesses priuie Chamber, Paulus Bladus, 1592.
Lo here how Babylon is healed: If a man at the point of death, canne in his minde but thinke of Iesus, hee shall hauehave full forgiuenesse of all his sinnes, if hee hauehave one of these holy Crosses, or Beades about him. And is this the Diuinitie of the Romish Church? is this procured by a Cardinall & graunted by the Pope? then answere mee but one worde: Shall the thinking or naming of Iesus, without true faith and repentance, saue him tho hee hauehave a hundreth of these holie Graines about him? or if he doo truely repent and beleeue in CHRIST, though he hauehave not one of these, shall hee not bee saued?
If those both be true; (as who dare denie them?) then phie vponupon these Impostors and deceiuers, who by these their Atheisticall mockeries expose religion to all contempt: and these thinges beeing so common & notorious, no maruell tho Italie, where (these are ri…est) be so full of Atheists.
Concerning France: Of late yeeres Peroun the French Cardinall, hauing made a costly Iorney to Rome, comming home, procured of the Pope (for the bearing of his charges) to bee the bearer of certaine hallowed & holy matters, consecrated and blessed by the Pope, in such a fashion, as if that were true the Pope saith, he were more then madde that would not (as the wise Merchant) sell all he hath to buie one of them.
(d) Indulgences graunted by the Holinesse of our most Holy Father, Pope Clement the eight, VntoUnto Holy Beades, Rosaries, Crosses, Crucifixes, Medals and Images, being hallowed and blessed by his owne holie hands, At the Instance of the Reuerende Father and Lord, Iames Dauie, Bishop of Eureux, Counsellor to the King in his Councell of Estate, and also of his priuate Counsell and principall Almoner to his Maiestie. 1.1. A hundreth yeares of pardon, at an easie rate. *Whosoeuer hauing one of these beades, &c. shall do any worke of mercy corporall or spiritual, or heare a Masse or a Sermon, or shall but doe reuerence to the Sacrament, or to a Crosse, or to a holy Image, shall obtaine a hundreth yeares of pardon. See what a bountiful, father, the Pope is. Who would offer lesse for a hundreth yeares? surelie hee that wil not do thus much, he is worthy to lye and fry in purgatorie. 2. Whosoeuer shall confesse & communicate, or being a Priest, shall besides his masse, say deuoutely one Pater noster, or one Aue Mary, for the Catholick Church, or for the holy Father, or for the King of France, or for the peace of France, or for the conuersion of Heretikes, or other sinners: shal hauehave for eueryevery time he doth this a plenarie indulgence, and remission of al his sins; so as he hauehave about him one of these holy beades, grains, or Crucifixes.
And what if one want all these trumperies, shal he not hauehave forgiuenesse, if he do truly beleeue and repent? Oh when wil Babylon be ashamed of such abhomination? 3. Whosoeuer shall kisse one of these beads, &c. with deuotion, shal hauehave for eueryevery time he doth so, ten yeares of pardon. 4. Whosoeuer hath one of them about him, and praieth for the successe of the Catholick Romish religion, or for the K. of France, shall be (so oft as he doth so) partaker of al the Sacrifices, Prayers, & Fasts and other good workes done in any Abby, as well as if he were a particular member of the same society. 5. Hee that hath one of these about him, if hee bee in danger of death, or in the battel, or in any place where he cannot go to confession, and shall with contritiō but repeate these words, Lord Iesus receiue my spirit, or name the holy name Iesus, shal hauehave forgiuenesse of all his sinnes, and be discharged both à poena & à culpa. *His holinesse graunts that these indulgences shall be good for all men, and in all places; but conditionally, that those that be not French-men, shal pray for the King and Realme of France: Except alwaies the holie Beades; for those are limited to belong onelyonly to France, and to bee good to none but onelyonly French men. Imprinted at Rome with licence, &c.
I hauehave named some, but not all; look for the rest in the book: but in them all let it be obserued, that there is not the least mention of faith in Christ, nor once so much as the name of it, nor any relation to Christ, nor his holy merits. No, these are well if they may be vnderstood: and yet these men (if they be not Atheists) doe knowe that all these their large promises are but winde; and their Indulgences but fome and froth, if there be not liuely faith and true repentance: and if these bee in a man, then let vsus see that Pope, Cardinall, or other Papist, who dare say that hee shal not hauehave full remission that neuer saw nor touched one of their blessed beades nor hallowed Graines. Thus we see how farre Babylon is from being healed in this point.
The twelfth and last wound, concerning the first Table, shal be cōcerning the Sacraments: both which are horribly peruerted & profaned by Romish doctrine and practice.