The Accomplishment of the Prophecies, Chapter 2 · Part 20
The second Policie serving to gaine.
IN the second place, Popery hath made religion serue, as a meanes to gather vp riches;
1 This is the reason why they hauehave made a new article of faith, which overthrowes the whole gospel: to wit; that Iesus Christ by his passion hath not satisfied for the paine due to our sinnes which wee commit after Baptisme, but that it lieth vp on vsus to satisfie for them, by doing pennance in this life, and after this life by beeing in the fire of Purgatory; a fire, seauen times more hot then common fire is, and wherein a man shall fry for many ages togither. But such is the mercy of his Holinesse, that hee pardoneth a great deale of this time to some, whither it be by iurisdiction, or else by way of suffrage.
2 To the same end is it, that they tie their pardons to certaine churches, and hang them on certaine altars; to which this priviledge is granted, that whosoeuer shal cause a Masse to bee said there, on such a day, shal hauehave his choice to free what soule he will out of Purgatory; but this is neuer done without paying; And in the buls of Indulgence there is this clause ordinarily inserted, that this priuiledge is for none, but Manus porrigentibus adiutrices, for such as shall put to their helping handes, that is to say, for such as shall giuegive some thing to the Church, or which shall put some thing into the poore mans boxe, which for this purpose is set before the church dore where the pardons are hanged. Wherein wee may note a notable point of subtilty, for the Pope sending his Iubilee into Fraunce, sendeth it but onlie into two or three places of the Realme, & not thorough the whole Country, for so it would be hard for him to gather in the cō tributions; and the summes of mony being dispersed must needs be much diminished in passing through so many mens hands.
3 With the like cūning is it, that they vse to make the people institute obits, and yearely masses to bee said for their soules, which are bought at a deare rate. For to hope to hauehave Masses without mony, were but a folly; it is no reason that a mā should die cheape; yet this is one commodity that in this happy age, eueryevery one is received into paradice for his mony; it cannot be imagined what profit they reap hereby: seeing that there is no mā which would not gladly giuegive all … he were worth, to bee delivered from a fire that should torment him but for halfe an howre, how much more to be freed from a fire wherein hee should lie burning I know not how many hundreth years; these were the meanes by which this shamefull gaine beganne first to encrease, whereby bodyly pennance, is turned into a pecuniarie mulct; they cannot hauehave the earth broken vp for them to be buryed in, nor the bels rung out, nor be named in the Memento without mony; yea & the masses are solde for more and lesse according to the degree of the solemnitie that they are set out in; there are none but the poore in a bad taking when they die. The 4. orders of the Friars Mendicant never come to visit them vponupon their death beds, neuer accompany them to church at their funerals, nor do them any other seruice. For the Taxe booke in the chapter of matrimoniall dispensations, in the 23. leafe, doth put for an vndoubted maxime, that Hae gratiae non cō ceduntur paup ribus, quia non sunt, ideo non possunt consolari. These favours are not grā ted to the poore, because they are not, therfore they cannot bee comforted. For as thē they thought thēselues to stand on so sure ground, that they might scoffe at the people without any danger, and bragge how they had abused them.
4 The inuocation of Saints, and miracles, and supposed reliques, hauehave, and still do serue to the same end; for if one Saint be in credit, every one carieth his offrings to him; The Curate liues by this, & the village fareth the better for it; And when the people come to kisse the reliques, the basen is never farre of. To go away without casting any thing into it, would bee thought to hauehave beene done in contempt, and be censured for an vncivill part; Their solemne feastes are daies of collection, which for this reason, hauehave beene so much the more multiplied; On such times as these, the Saints are better clothed then they vse to bee ordinarily, and the Virgin Mary doth change her attire.
5 To the same end is it that the Pope hath invented a thousand inhibitions for certaine meats, As also that hee hath forbidden marriage in the third & fourth degree, & in spirituall parentage, & in Lent, &c. Because look how many the more inhibitions there are, by so much the greater need hauehave we to seeke for more dispensations, which do alwaies bring some profit.
6 The Clergie it selfe is not exempted hence, vponupon whom the Pope doth raise yearely payments, and contributions, and makes every Archbishop amōgst them to buy his Pall at a deere rate, which is a white Pall; 4 fingers broad, with buttons of lead, covered over with blacke silke, made of the wool of certain Lambs which are bread at S. Agnes in Rome, according as it is related in the 1 booke of holy page missing vate designes of princes; If any one bee intended to trouble a state, and to make the people take armes against their King, his next way is to fall in with the Father confessours, that so he may knowe howe they are inclined, and by confession egge them on to rebellion.
5 Absolution after confession doth adde no lesse authoritie vntounto them; For by this it is that they hauehave vsurped a temporall dominion, yea ouer kings and princes; The pope will absolue a King, but vponupon some tyrannicall conditions; to wit, if hee will submit himselfe to be ierkt, & to take a certaine number of lashes by the handes of Monkes; or goe in pilgrimage, or make his land tributary to the pope, holding it as from S. Peter, or send so many souldiers to such or such a country, for the service of his Holinesse; whereof we hauehave produced many examples aboue.
6 In publike ceremonies, in Masses, in Sittings, & Feasts, they hauehave taken vponupon them to be princes superiours, and exact slavish submission at their hands; The Kings must serue popes at the Masse vponupon their knees; They must hold his stirrup as he is getting vp to horse; They must hold his horse by the bridle as he is going; or else help to beare vp his chaire with their shoulders; they must wait vponupon him at the table. And at the popes feast the chiefe Cardinall Bishop, is to sit aboue the highest prince of Christendome; and it is a notable maxime, and infallible rule, which is mentioned in the 3 booke 1. sect. and 2. chap. of popish ceremonies; to wit; Note that the Pope doth never doe reverence to any man.
7 If there bee any fountaine that is good against the stone, or to comfort the stomacke, and strengthen the sinnewes, presently there is the statue of some Saint or other sent, and erected hard by it; as if this were done by some miracle and by vertue of the Saint, that so they may the more confirme superstition.
8 They hauehave also yet more exalted themselues by their works of supererogation, by vertue of which, they obtaine a degree of glory in Paradice aboue the common Saints, which had no other sanctitie but to obay God; wheras these squires do more then God hath commāded; their superaboūdant satisfactions serue for others, & the Monckes which hauehave suffered more paines their sinnes deserued, are in a manner our redeemers, as Bellarmin saith in the 4. chapter of his 1. booke of Indulgences.
9 The cases of marriage also hauehave bin a great helpe to encrease their power; for they hauehave remoued all matters of this nature from the courts of ciuill Magistrates. Whence it comes to passe that men repaire to Rome from all parts of Europe, for the disanulling of marriages, and for dispensations to marry in forbidden degrees; the children that are borne out of which marriages, are boūd of necessity to defend the Popes authority, seeing that such marriages as these, depend altogither vponupon his permission.
10 Of the same rancke is their common service which they cause to be said in the Latin tongue. For as the Romanes did plant their language in the coūtries which they conquered, and the king of Spaine vseth the Indians to speake spanish, because it is a marke of soveraignty, and a meanes to make them the more his owne. So the Pope hath made all the churches which are vnderunder him glad to yeeld their necks to this yoke, & hath giuen thē the Roman tongue, for a marke of subiection to the bishoppe of Rome.