Heresiography, Description of sect 14 – Description of sect 15
Of the Iesuites.
This sor… or Order is of a latter Edition then the Anabaptists, and therefore not to be om…tted.
In descrebing of them I purpose to set downe:
1. Their Originall.
2. Their Government.
3 Their Errors, in which they doe not agree with other Papists.
4. That they are of all Sects most pernicious and dangerous.
1. FOR their Orignall, the first Foundation was one Loyola, a Spanish Souldier, who was maimed by the French at the siege of Pampelona, his right leg being broken by a shot, and his left leg with a stone cast from the wall.
This Order boasteth much of heavenly visions, and divine revelations (not unlike the Coetanij the Anabaptists) is that the blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Ignatius, with her Son Iesus in her armes: perswading him to erect this Order, to which she promised to be propitious. They will tell you that Ignatius was rapped up into heaven and that Almighty God shewed him the … or frame by which he created the world, with many such like fancies. Moreover, whereas other orders beare the name of their founders; as the Dominicans of Dominicke; the Franciscans of Francis, they beare the name of Jesus: whereas (saith my Author) they came from the devill, the father of lyes, they being the last Engine and device of Satan to supplant the truth. This Order was confirmed Anno 1540. by Paul the third Bishop of Rome. Gregory the 13. Bishop of Rome, gave to the Iesuites a place in Rome called the Island, in which they demolished many houses, turned many widdowes out of their dwellings and built themselves a most magnificent and sumptuous Colledge. It is reported, that it cost in building 25. Tun of gold, in which the Pope placed 500. Jesuites of severall nations.
2. For their government, the Jesuites have a chife, whom they call their Generall, who attendeth upon the Pope in Rome, their late General was Claudius Aquaviva, his Office is to governe the whole Order, and to make new orders: and their Generalls commands the Jesuites receive as divine oracles. They believe and obey their Generall as Christ himselfe.
Next their General they have foure Assistants, who, as their Generall attendeth the Pope, so doe they attend their Generall. The office of these four are to promote the Popes authority into the foure quarters of the world. The Iesuites their Emissaries abroad, signifie unto them in writing how Princes stand affected to the Church of Rome.
Moreover, theie office is with the Generall to send Governors, Visiters, Recters, and preachers to the whole Order, and to send forth the inferiour Jesuites into all places of the world, who take upon them all manner of fashions: to doe mischiefe among souldiers they are arrayed like souldiers: in Princes Courts like Noble-men, attending forraigne E…bassadors: in Ci…ies like Merchants; yea, sometimes they beg of Protestant Ministers, as men banished for religion: And all this to dive into the secrets of State, and to disclose the Counsells of Princes.
3. For their Errors, Chemnitius setteth downe 26. some sew of which I purpose to relate, and especially those in which they differ from other Papists.
First, they presumptuously arrogate to themselves the name of Iesus, which is a name above all names.
2. They place their Generall in equall authority with Christ, saying, the voyce of our Generall is the voyce of Christ.
3. The Jesuites generally maintaine the Popes temporall power, as well as spiritual, that he may depose Kings, and dispose of their kingdomes, which the French Papists doe not allow of, viz. Their decree set forth, Anno 1611. and among us, Hart, Bartley, Preston, and others disclaime this power given by the Jesuites to the Pope.
4. They deny the lawfulnes of the Oath of Allegiance, which the secular Priests doe all generally allow and take: See Blackwell, Howard, Widrington, and the Author of the Safe guard from Ship wrack.
5. The Jesuites also teach it to be not onelyonly lawfull▪ but also meritorious to lay hands upon the Lords Anoynted, and to murther Heretick Kings after the Pope hath declared them to bee such: see Mariana, Anti-Cotton; but the secular Priests disclaime and abhor this doctrine.
6. The Jesuites hold that the Pope is onelyonly Iure Divino, a Bishop, and that all other Bishops hold from him: but the Cardinall of Lorraine, and the French Bishops, with many other, hold Bishops to be Iure Divino: see the History of the Councel of Trent.
7. The Jesuites with the Franciscans beleeve the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, which the Dominicans and other Papists doe deny.
8. The Jesuites with the Pelagians & Arminians, hold that God worketh in our conversion onelyonly moraliter, by way of swasion; but Jacobites and other Papists, especially the Spaniards, (as we may see in Alvares and others) maintain with all Orthodox Divines, that God worketh Physically, & per modum physici agentis by powerfull inclining the faculty of the will.
For confutation of these errors, so many books are written against them in English, and some of them are confuted before, so that I may save my labour.
These are the most pernitious and dangerous sort of all others. These are not ignorant Sots, like the Anabaptists, and others, but educated and brought up in all manner of humane learning, and so more able to doe mischiefe.
These take upon them to justifie all the Errors and abhominations of Antichrist; yea, their Idolatries, and Sodomiticall uncleannesse they will defend and maintain.
And have they not for this cause, (a thing most abhominable to be spoken of) corrupted the writings of the ancient Fathers, and new printing of them, make them speak as they wou'd have them, and also written many books in their names to beare witnesse with them of their novelties? A volume will not containe their cumbustions that they have raised in kingdoms and States. Their plotting of Treasons, and especially the Powder-treason, a divillish designe, not to be beleeved in ages to come. Their murthering of Princes, & all these under pretence of holines. O God, that art in heaven, dissipate their Councells; O Christ, the Redeemer of thy Church by the grace of thy holy Spirit, deliver England from these wicked Ass…ssians, and remove them far from our dwellings.
One thing I will adde, to shew what impostors they are. I will set downe, how by a pretended delusion of theirs, a few of them had almost perverted a whole kingdome of Christians, in which there is a Patriarke and eighteen Bishops. In the year of our Lord, 1614. Tenurazes being King of the Georgians, the Persian Army entred his Countrey, spoyled divers Towns, carryed away many prisoners, & among others Ceteba the Kings mother out of the City Cremon. The old Queen refusing to become a Mahom…tan, and speaking ill of Mahomet, was put to death, and her body cast out into the fields, left unburied to be eaten of wild beasts. There being at that time certaine Jesuites in Persia, they sought for her body but found it not, (for Moacla, a late servant of liers, who was slave to a Persian, got leave of her Master to bring home the body and embalme it) the Jesuites found a dead mans head, and embalming it, travelled towards Georgia with it: and drawing neare, they sent a messenger to the King, to let him understand that certaine Roman Christians were come out of Persia who brought with them the head of the holy Martyr Cetaba his Mother, which had delivered them out of many dangers. The Prince hearing this went a dayes journey with a great troop of his Nobility and Clergy, and brought the holy Relique to Chachete▪ & with great honor and celebrity placed it in the Church of the holy Martyr St. George of Aberdall, and used them with all respect, and sent them great gifts, which they refused, saying that they had vowed poverty: Infinite miracles were wrought dayly, great offerings they had, the sick resorted to them. Those that were past cure, they told them that their sins were great, and they needed a long time of Penance which they prescribed them, and after to returne, before which time they usually dyed: others of whom they had hope of recovery, they used means, being Physitians, & attributed their health to the holy Relique, and to the Bishop of Rome, whom loving Jesus had left his Vicar here upon …rth: by this means they enticed many to the R…mish Religion of the Nobility, and had great hopes of the King himself; but in the middest of all this came Leue…s from Moacla his Mothers Maid, that the King might ransome his mothers body which she had with the other prisoners. The King agreeing with the Persian King▪ had home his mothers body and many captives, which manifestly knew it to be his Mothers body with her head on. At the same time came also certaine Muleters cut of Persia, who affirmed that they were in the Jesuites company, when they cut off the head of a Malefactor, as they supposed, and embalmed it: whereupon the King commanded the Jesuites to prison, who were delivered at the … of some of the Nobility. This History is written in Greek by Gregorius Hieromonachus, the Patriarchall Exa…ch from Tr…pazunt, An. 1626. By this …eanes the Jesuites had almost perverted the whole Countrey of Georgia. From this Sect the Lord deliver us.
There are many other Sects among us, as they …ultiply dayly. There is but one truth, but errors are infinite. I will conclude with the Prayer that … Mother Church hath taught us: That it would please Almighty God to bring into the way of truth all such as have erred and are deceived: Which God grant for his blessed Son Jesus Chris…s sake.
Sir Thomas Overburies Character of a Iesuite.
A Jesuite (saith he) is a larger spoone for a Traytor to seed with the Devill than any other Order. Unclasp him, and he is a gray Wolfe with a golden star in his fore-head. So superstitious, he follw…eth the Pope that he forsaketh Christ in not giving Caesar his due. His vowes seem heavenly, but with medling with state businesse he seemeth to mixe heaven and earth together. His best Elements are Confession and Pe…ance; by the first he findeth out mens inclinations, and by the latter heaps wealth to his Seminary. Hee sprang from Ignatius Loyola, a Spanish Souldier, and though he had long since found out the invention of the Canon, he thought he had not done mischiefe enough. He is a false key to open Princes Cabinets, and pry into their Counsells; and where the Popes Excommunication thunders, he holds the de-crowning of Kings to be no more sin, then our Puritans doe the suppressing of Bishops. The Order tis full of irregularity and disobedience, and ambitious above all measure; for of late dayes in Portugall and the Indies he rejected the name of Jesuite, and would be called Apostles Disciple. In Rome, and other Countries that give him freedome, he weares a maske upon his heart: In England he shuffles in, and puts it upon his face. No place in our Climate hideth him so secretly as a Ladies Chamber. The modesty of the Pursevant hath onelyonly forborne the bed, and so mist him.
There is no disease in Christendome that may so properly be called the Kings evill. To conclude, will you know him beyond the Sea? In his Seminary he is a Fox; but in the Inquisition a Lyon Rampant.
Since the printing of this Book, I hear of an assembly wherein one preacheth against the Deity of Christ: and of another great Congregation of Familists, and of atheisticall books published.
I most humbly entreat Almighty God for Jesus Christs sake in mercy to look upon us, and to keep our poore Church from these Doctrines of the Devill, Amen.
Of the Pelagians.
WRicing of the Hereticks and Secta…ies of these times, … thinke it not amisse, to write somewhat of the Pelagians; their ancient Errors reviving among us. Pelagius was a Welch-man: and he is usually stiled Pelagius the Briton, to distinguish him from Pelagius the samosatensian Bishop; a man learned and Orthodox: Luther saith, he was called Pelagius of Pelagus the sea; his errors like the Sea over-flowing in a manner the whole world. His name in Welch was Morgan, which signifieth the sea. He lived in the time of the Emperor Theodosius the younger, about the yeare of our Lord, 416. His Errors were condemned in the Synod of Carthage, An. 425. in which there assembled 217. Bishop…; and among other Saint Argustine: And also in the Melivitan Councell held in Africa: His Errors are set downe by Augustine, Hierome, Ambrose, Bontanus Catal. Haeret….Isidore, Prosper, and Fulgentius. Pontanus setteth them downe to be twelve.
1. He taught that Adam had dyed, although he had not sinned by the Law of nature, and so sinne not to bee the cause of death.
2 Adam… sin to b… noxious to himselfe onelyonly, and not to his posterity; and th…re to be no original sinne.
3 Lust and co…cupiscence being naturall not to be evill, but rather good; and sin not to be propagated by generation.
4. The former being granted, children to have no originall sin from their Parents.
5. The children of the faithfull, though not batized, to be saved, and to enjoy everlasting life, but not in heaven.
6. Men to have now free-will, even after sin, which is sufficient and fit to doe well without Gods grace.
7. Gods grace to be obtained by the merit of our workes.
8. The word grace in holy Scripture, not to be meant the gracious remission of sin and the donation of the Holy Ghost, but the p…omulgation of doctrine.
9. Faith to be the knowledge of the Law and History as they call it, not a speciall worke and our perseverance in faith.
10. The Law of God to be satisfied by externall obedience, neither it to be impossible for a man to keep.
11. The prayers of the Church for sinners, that they may be converted; and for the faithfull to persevere to be made in vai…e: because it is in the power of our owne free-will. A…d wee need not aske that of God that we have power to d…e our selves.
12. They doe mocke and scoffe at the doctrine of Predestination… explo…ing it out of the Church.
These Errors need no confu…ation, being so opposite to the holy Scripture.