Oppositions of the Word of God, Part 2
Certaine points held in the Romane Church, which they would hide from thoſe, whom they meane to drawe to their faction,
THE Romane Church holdeth and teacheth, that a man cannot onelyonly fulfill the Law, but alſo doe more then the Law doth preſcribe, and doe better things and more perfect then GOD hath commaunded, which they call works of Supererogation.
Item, that a man may ſuffer more in this life then is neceſſary, and more then is due to ſatisfie God for the paine due vntounto his ſinnes; which they call ſuperabundant ſatisfactions.
Item, that theſe ſuperabundant ſatisfactions of Saints,Bellar. lib. 1. de indul. cap. 2. Monks, and Martyrs, may be transferred to others, as well dead, as liuing, & turned into ſatisfactions for their ſinnes.
Item, that the Pope doth heape vp theſe works, and ſuperabundantExtra. vag. Papa Clemens 6. can. vnigenitus. ſatisfactions in the treaſure of the Church, and mingling them with the ſuperabundant merites of Ieſus Chriſt, doth diſtribute them by indulgences.
That the indulgences of the Pope extend themſelues, euen to them that are dead, in ſuch ſort that the Pope doth draw ſoules out of Purgatory, by applying to them the merits and ſatisfactions of Saints.
And theſe pardons extend themſelues to a hundreth thouſand, or two hundreth thouſand yeares: at Rome in the Church of S. Bibiane, there are ſixe hundred thouſand yeares pardon on the day of all Saints, for thoſe that will make ſome voluntary offer: there are found as yet greater Pardons then theſe in other Churches; as is to bee ſeene in the booke ofBy Marcel. Franke a. 1599. Romiſh indulgences, printed at Rome by the authority of Leo the tenth, &c.
Item, in the Romane Church they teach that wee muſt adore images, this is to bee ſeene in the Councell which they name the ſeuenth, or the ſecond of Nice: and in Cardinall Bellarmine, and others: alſo they picture GOD againſt the manifeſt prohibition made in the law of God in the ſecond commandement, which therfore they hauehave cut off from their Houres and breuiaries againſt the expreſſe prohibition made in the fourth of Deuteronomy Ch. 4. Verſ. 15. and 16.Quorum meritis precibuſ que concedas.
Item, to this day by the conſentment, and approbation of the facultie of Diuinitie in Paris, in the yeare 1602. they hauehave reprinted the Pſalter of the Virgin Marie, where ſhe is called the firſt cauſe of Saluation of the world, the Inuentreſſe of grace, the Diuine Maieſtie, ſhe in whom wee alone place our hope, ſhe which doth appeaſe the indignation of Ieſus Chriſt, when he is incenſed againſt vsus, the Spouſe of God, &c.
In the Maſſe the Prieſt demaundeth the fauour of God, through merites of Saints: which is a language or manner of ſpeech, which a Subiect dare not vſe to his Prince. In the Breuiaries oftentimes ſuch prayers are read: for the merit of ſuch a Saint or a Sainteſſe, giuegive vsus life euerlaſting: and the Prieſt bowing himſelfe before the Altar, demandeth that it would pleaſe God to bee fauourable vntounto him, for the merits of thoſe Saints, whoſe reliques are vnderunder the Altar.
In the Church of Rome they teach that a man ought to Purchaſe the Kingdom of God by his own merits: nay which is more, they attribute to man merits ex condigno, that is, of themſelues worthy, which may be a price worthie ſo excellent a purchaſe, as is life euerlaſting.
Item, they there teach, that vnderunder the earth there are foure ſtages, of which Hell is the loweſt, next to that Purgatorie, next the Lymbus of little Children, which die without baptiſme, and who are depriued of euerlaſting ſaluation; and aboue all thoſe is Lymbus of the fathers, dead before the comming of Ieſus Chriſt in the fleſh.
Item, they there teach, that Ieſus Chriſt did not deliuer vsus by his death from all puniſhment, due to our ſinnes committed after Baptiſme.
Item, they there teach; that the true bodie of Ieſus ChriſtConcil. Trident. Can. 12. ſi quis dixerit, & Andradius in hunc locum. Bella. li. 1 de purg cap. 7 & Io. 2. de conſecra. can. Ego Berengarius. is truely, and ſenſibly broken, and bruiſed in the Maſſe by the teeth of the faithfufull, and yet they teach, that if the Wafer were broken into a thouſand peeces, that in euerie peece the bodie of Ieſus Chriſt is whole, with all his parts, and members, as great, and as tall as he was vponupon the tree of the Croſſe: alſo they teach, that that which the Prieſt breaketh is no lōger bread, although S. Paul ſaith, The bread which wee breake, &c. They teach that the bodie is in the Cuppe, ſo that the Prieſt drinketh the bodie of Ieſus Chriſt; & although euerie one ſaith that hee eateth God, and carrieth God, and that in the Maſſe he receiueth his Creatour; notwithſtanding there hath not been any one hitherto that hath dared to ſay, that he drinketh God, or that God is in the Cup.
From the beginning of Maſſels, or Maſſe-bookes, there areHanc oblationem quam tibi efferimus in bonorem beatae virginis & omnium ſanctorum. found Caueats, or rules of the Maſſe, in the which among many other Rules, it is commanded, that if a man hauing receiued the hoſt, doe chance to caſt it vp againe, that then he muſt licke it vp, and eat it once more as preſuppoſing God to be in the thing which is vomited, but if it happe that a man hath not the heart and ſtomacke ſo to doe, he is then commanded to burne this vomited-ſtuffe, and to turne the aſhes thereof into Reliques: the ſame alſo is commanded concerning rats, and wormes, who hauehave knawen, and eaten the ſacred hoſt.
In the Maſſe the Prieſt ſaith, that hee offreth Ieſus ChriſtHac munera accepta habera digneris, ſicut accepta habere. dignatus es munera pueri tui Abel. Jube haec perferri per manus ſancti Angeli tui. Corpus tuum Domine quod ſumpſi adhaer eat viſteribus meis. to God in a Sacrifice truely propitiatorie, and ſatisfactorie for the ſinnes, as well of the liuing, as of the dead; yea, he offers him vntounto God in honour of the Saints, as the words are expreſſely ſet downe in the maſſe, and prayeth to God, that it would pleaſe him to receiue the ſacrifice which he maketh, to wit, Ieſus Chriſt with as gracious and fauourable an eie, as in times paſt he receiued that of Abel, that is to ſay, a Sacrifice of beaſts.
He prayeth that the Angell may carrie his Sacrifice to the celeſtiall Altar, then he eateth it, and hauing eaten it, he prayeth that the bodie which hath eaten, may remaine cleauing to his entrailes or bowels.
And theſe Meſſels or maſſe-bookes ſerue for all vſes, euen for corne and heards of cattell; in theſe meſſels or maſſe-bookes are to be found maſſes of women great with childe, maſſes of Virgins, whereof S. Paul contenteth himſelfe to ſay, The Supper of the Lord. As concerning ſinnes, the maſſe is not but for veniall ſins, and for the mortall ſins which a man hath forgotten.Lib. Sacrar, cerem cap. de benedictione enſis. Can. 5. Papa diſt.
Alſo in the Church of Rome it is held, that the Pope cannot become an Heretike, and though hee ſhould ſend ſoules by troupes and cart-loads into Hell, yet no man ought to repine at him for ſo doing: he nameth himſelfe God, the ſpouſe of the Church, his holyneſſe, and his words Oracles, that is to ſay anſweres of God, and his Decrees, canonicall writings: he giueth and taketh away Kingdomes, hee diſpenſeth with oathes and vowes made to God, he ſayes that he cannot bee made an Heretike.Can. fundamentale elect in. 6. …. 19. in Canon. … titulo. Sixtus Quartus lib. ſa…ar. cer. Tom. … cap. excuſ. …tijs 1518.
His ordinances, as to forbid to eate fleſh in Lent, are more ſtraightly obſerued then the commandements of God, as the prohibition to ſweare, and whore: he boaſteth that all power is giuen him both in heauen and earth: hee taketh away the ſecond commaundement from the Law of God: he hindreth the people from reading the holy ſcriptures, the which ſome of his faction, call inſufficient to declare the truth, it being but part of the rule: and that the other part is the word not written, which muſt be learned of him, and thoſe to whom he hath giuen charge, and vocation to it: ſo that no man can reprooue him, except hee be authorized and approouedCauſa 25. qu…; can. Ideo. by the Pope, and to bring his Tyrannie to a head, he ſaies, that the Pope giueth Lawes to the Church, to the which neuertheleſſe he is not ſubiect, as being maiſter of the Law.
FINIS.
End of the text · Peter du Moulin Jr, Oppositions of the Word of God (1610)