A Pleasant Purge for a Roman Catholic, Epigram 4
On, and againſt Popiſh Crucifixes, and adoring them with Latria.
VVHat, Chriſt ſtill hanging on the Croſſe? not yet
Quite dead? or doth he his pains ſo forget
As to take pleaſure thus to hang, not dye
For ſundry ages? or are none there by
To take him downe, if dead; that he thus ſtayes.
So long upon his Croſſe, both nights and dayes?
Is he not yet interred, Rais'd againe,
Aſcended into heav'n there to remaine
At Gods right hand? and ſo i1 Cor. 15. 15. to. 20. Rom 4. 24. 25. c. 8. 34.our Faith, Hope, gone;
Salvation loſt, and our poore Soules undone?
Is not the iMat. 27. 57. 58. Mar. 15. 42. 43. Luc. 23. 50. 51. Joh. 19. 31. 38. to 42.Evening come him downe to take?
No Sabbath nigh? hath Joſeph yet not ſpake
To Pilate for to take him downe? Shall He
Thus on his Gibbet alwayes hanging be?
Not among Jewes in Jury, but in Rome,
His Spouſe, ſome ſay; O where's her love become?
Hath Peter now for ever and a day
kMat. 26. 56. 58. 69. to 75.Renounc'd his Maſter, and fled quite away?
I feare he hath, elſe Chriſt had long ere this
Beene taken off the Croſſe by him, or his.
But once tooke downe; Popes hang him up againe
Upon it, there notlMark. 15. 25. 33. 34. few houres to remaine
As at the firſt; but from age unto age.
This is ſmall ſhew of love, no doubt 'tis rage;
Yea, greater malice farre than ought we finde
In Pilate, Jewes, High-Prieſts, who were ſo kind
As not to ſuffer Chriſt to hangmMat. 27. 57. to the end. Joh. 19. 31. to the end. one day
Ʋpon his croſſe, when firſt they did him ſlay.
Rome's turn'd Jew, Judas, High-Prieſts, worſe than all;
Their malice joyn'd, of hers farre ſhort doth fall:
They nayl'd him onelyonly to one Croſſe; no more;
She to ten hundred thouſands, paſt all ſcore
And number; taking pleaſure and delight
To ſee Chriſt ever hanging in her ſight.
They on a croſſe of nAct. 10. 39. c. 13. 29. Gal. 3. 13. 1 Pet, 2. 24.wood hang'd Chriſt alone,
Rome upon Croſſes of gold, ſilver, ſtone,
Tin, Lead, Braſſe, Copper, Glaſſe, Wood, Tapeſtrie,
Waxe, Bricke, Paſt, Leather, Paper, Chriſt hang, tye;
And leaſt ſhe ſhould not him ſufficiently,
On all theſe Croſſes, kill and Crucifie;
She doth it in as manyoSee Bellarmine De ſacrificio Miſſae, and others. Maſſes more
Each day. O bleſſed Jeſus what great ſtore
Of Croſſes, Tortures, deaths doth Rome provide
To pierce thy hands, feete and thy bleſſed ſide?
And kill thee every day oft times afreſh;
Nay eate thy body,pCorpus Christi poſſe in Sacramento ſenſualiter frangi, & fidelium dentibus atteri, Gratian: Decret: pars 3. De Conſecratione; Deſt. 2. cap. Ego Berengarius. teare and gnaw thy fleſh?
Is this thy Vicars, Spouſes Love to thee,
Thus worſe than Pilate, Jewes, High-Prieſts to be?
But this their malice makes notorious,
That they deeme all this qBellarmine, and others De Sacrificio Miſſae: Tho. Beacons Reliques of Rome. … ol. 3 f. 366. 367.meritorious;
No doubt it is ſo if they gloſſe it well;
It doth deſerve the deepeſt place in Hell.
But why doe they thus fixe thee to the Croſſe?
Becauſe Romes Pope elſe ſhould ſuſtain… great loſſe;
He could not elſe poſſeſſe thy throne, and reigne,
Not as thy Vicar but thy Soveraigne;
Thy Lawes elſe muſt be kept, thy word obey'd,
Thy will by him fulfill'd, and not gaine-ſayd:
All which Popes doe againſt, beſide thy word
Should then be voyd, and by all men abhor'd;
They muſt be Peter then in Truth, not name,
Elſe thou wouldſt thruſt them from his chaire with ſhame.
Good reaſon have they then to nayle and tye
Chriſt to theſe Croſſes for Eternity.
In this they ſhew their peereleſſe faith, and love,
To bind Chriſt faſt that he ſhould never move
From off theſe Croſſes, to oppoſe their-will,
They doe ſo love his precepts to fulfill.
If this be love, I may then truely ſay,
The Jewes in love did Crucifie and ſlay
Chriſt at the firſt; were Popes but loved ſo,
They would all Crucifixes damne, forgoe,
And never more the Croſſe, nayles, ſpeare adore
For Saints, which kil'd Chriſt, and his body tore:
But whilſt they thus adore theſe, they imply
That to kill Chriſt, deſerves a Deity:
The Souldiers than and Jewes who Crucifi'd
Him more than theſe, muſt now be deifide,
And worſhipt withrAquinas Summae: pars. 3. qu. 25. Art. 3. Azorius Inſtit. Moralium. Tom. 1. l. 9. c. 6. Thomas Waldenſis. Tom. 3. Tit. 20. c. 159. Latrie; like nayles, ſpeare, Croſſe,
By which Hell, Devills, ſhall receive great loſſe;
Since none to Hell can damned be, if they
Demerrit Heav'n, and Latry, who Chriſt ſlay.