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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A
LETTER
VNTO THEM
<HI>of</HI>
The Romi&s;h Church,</P>
<P><HI>By</HI> PETER <HI>du</HI> MOVLIN, Mini&s;ter
in the reformed Church at
<HI>Paris.</HI></P>
<P>Together with a true Iubile or generall
<HI>Pardon of Indulgence by the</HI>
&s;ame Author.</P>
<P>LONDON,
Printed by <HI>H. L.</HI> for <HI>Mathew Lownes,</HI>
dwelling in Paules Church-yard.
1621.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO
The right wor&s;hipfull,
Ma&s;ter VVILLIAM
HAKEVVILL, E&s;quier, R. G. Wi|&s;heth
(as in dutie he is bound) all in|crea&s;e
of grace and true
happine&s;s.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Sir:</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THis little but excellent tract
of <HI>Mon&s;ieur du Moulins</HI>
being giuen mee to tran&s;late
by your worthie brother
(who formerlie, as your Wor&s;hip may re|member,
did once &s;et me aworke in the like
kinde vvith no ill &s;ucce&s;&s;e) and being de|&s;irous
<PB REF="3">
to haue it patronized by &s;ome
good friend as the custome is, I &s;oone
bethought mee how it might verie ac|ceptablie
pa&s;&s;e vnder your name, if
&s;o it would plea&s;e you to grace my poore
endeuour, which in all humblenes I glad|lie
offer vp vnto you: fir&s;t, as a thank|full
remembrance of your manie charita|ble
fauours towardes mee; and then as
an earne&s;t of my willingnes to bee doing
as I am able.</P>
<P>The di&s;cour&s;e of it &s;elfe in the origi|nall
is of worth enough to giue all good
men content, which loue Gods true Re|ligion
together with the propogation and
increa&s;e thereof, and (as I hope) hath
receiued no greate &s;oile or blemi&s;h by
pa&s;sing through my handes.</P>
<P>It &s;eemes it was intended by that fa|mous
man the Authour, e&s;peciallie for
his owne countriemen of the Romi&s;h
Church: but alas who are &s;o deafe as
they that will not heare, or blind like
them that will not &s;ee? Yet as hee &s;aith
in the end of his di&s;cour&s;e, that <HI>Ani|mam
&s;uam liberauit</HI> in ca&s;e it worke
<PB REF="3">
not among&s;t them his wi&s;hed effect; So
likewi&s;e if it pa&s;&s;e into Engli&s;h vnder your
<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">au<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1+ letters">ur, <HI>vous aurez au&s;&s;i Mon&s;ieur ad|<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1+ letters">nc&egrave; une
bonne oeuure.</HI> So trusting to
our Wor&s;hips gentle acceptance, I cea&s;e
further to trouble you in your mo&s;t
worthie employments for the
common good; and re|maine,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your wor&s;hips mo&s;t hum|ble
and euer much bounden,<LB>
<HI>Ry. Goring.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>A Letter to them of the
Romi&s;h Church, by Peter
du Moulin, Mini&s;ter of GOD's
Word in the Reformed
Church of Paris.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Tran&s;lated into Engli&s;h out of the French
Originall.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Masters:</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THE things that I have to
repre&s;ent to you, would
perhappes bee more ac|ceptable
from any other
hand than from mine: and yet I may
bee bould to &s;ay, that never did any
man &s;peak to you more void of ha|tred,
or more de&s;irous of your good
<PB N="2" REF="5">
and &s;alvation. The Word of God,
from whence wee draw our Religi|on,
commands us to love tho&s;e that
hate us, and to beleeve that tho&s;e
which doo per&s;ecute us doo thinke
they doo God good &s;ervice. Every
&s;pirit, which &s;eeketh after the truth,
ought thus to be di&s;po&s;ed. Without
this, it is impo&s;&s;ible to gather anie
fruit by our communication: for,
never doth any wound cloze up a|gain,
during the inflammation. And
even as in a hou&s;e which is on fire,
tho&s;e which &s;peake are not under|&s;tood:
&s;o &s;hall we never under&s;tand
one another, whil'&s;t our &s;pirits doo
burne with hatred and &s;pleen. The
&s;tudy of the &s;acred Word of GOD
requireth a quiet &s;pirit, which wi&s;e|ly
waigheth things without excepti|on
again&s;t any mans per&s;on: for,
what rea&s;on is it to hate any bodie
becau&s;e hee goeth a&s;tray, or becau&s;e
wee think wee &s;ee more cleere than
hee?</P>
<P>Now then, even as blinde-men
<PB N="3" REF="5">
are commonly wranglers and cho|lerick;
&s;o al&s;o &s;uch as are mo&s;t vio|lent
receive lea&s;t in&s;truction: there|fore
hee that &s;hall remedy this igno|rance,
&s;hall likewi&s;e appea&s;e this fu|riou&s;ne&s;&s;e.
But, the evill is without
remedy in him that endeavoureth
to be ignorant, and feareth to know
the will of God, le&s;t hee &s;hould bee
&s;o much the more obliged to follow
it. This is (my Ma&s;ters) the di&s;ea&s;e
of this Age: in which, people make
profe&s;&s;ion of following without
knowing, and to beleeve his Church
without knowing what the Church
ought to beleeve; and re&s;teth upon
the faith of other, being ignorant of
the rule of faith, which is the Word
of God: as if tho&s;e that lead us ought
to bee our warrants again&s;t GOD's
judgement, or as if it were a vertue
to beleeve in God by Attorney.</P>
<P>Indeed, people ought to obey
their Guides, in ca&s;e God bee their
Guide; and beleeve that which they
teach, if &s;o bee that which they de|liver
<PB N="4" REF="6">
bee drawne from the Word of
God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Index of bookes forbidden, together with the rules which were made by the fa|thers that were cho+&s;en thereto by the Tre~t Synod. The fourth rule. In as much as it is plainly &s;een by experi|ence, that if the Bible bee every where &s;uffe|red to bee read in the vulgar tongue without a|ny re&s;traint, more hurt then good will thence ari&s;e, by occa&s;ion of mens ra&s;hnes. Hee that without &s;uch like licence &s;hall pre|&s;ume to read or have the Bible, may not have an ab&s;olution of his &s;innes, vnle&s;&s;e hee fir&s;t deliver it up into the hands of the Or|dinary.</NOTE> The which if they hide from
the people, and hinder the reading
thereof, it is a &s;igne that they find
them&s;elves guilty; or that, in &s;tead of
&s;ubjecting them&s;elves to this rule,
they will have the &s;overaign rule to
bee their authority. For, wherefore
&s;hould the Word of God, contained
in holy Scriptures, bee a &s;u&s;picious
thing unto us, and as it were a dange|rous
book? Wherefore &s;hould not
children bee permitted to &s;ee their
fathers Te&s;tament? The Apo&s;tle
Saint <HI>Paul</HI> hath written his Epi&s;tles
to the people of Rome, of Corinth
and Ephe&s;us, to the end they might
read them: wherefore then &s;hould
Chri&s;tian people at this day bee de+prived
of the reading of them? The
<PB N="5" REF="6">
Catholike Epi&s;tles of Saint <HI>Iames,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Where it is to be noted, that there it is &s;poken of Bibles tran|&s;lated by Catholick Roman Au|thors.</NOTE> S.
<HI>Peter,</HI> and Saint <HI>Iohn,</HI> are written to
all the faithfull in generall: where|fore
then &s;hould not Chri&s;tian peo|ple
read tho&s;e Letters which are ex|pre&s;ly
directed unto them, and are
written for their in&s;truction? wher|fore
may they not read the writings
of the Prophets, as well as the peo|ple
of Berea? which, coming from
Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> Sermon, went and con|ferred
it with the Scriptures. To
what end are Texts alleaged in Ser|mons,
if it bee not lawfull for the
Auditor to goe home and &s;ee in the
Scriptures,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17. 11</NOTE> whether they bee truely
alleaged or no? A horrible thing,
that in tho&s;e Countries where the
Inqui&s;ition raigneth, it is a crime
worthy the fire to have a Bible in
the vulgar tongue; whil'&s;t not one|ly
the reading of fables is tolerated,
but whoredome al&s;o e&s;tabli&s;hed
there by law and politick regiment.
If &s;o bee the Tran&s;lation bee not
thought true by the Pope, his Holi|ne&s;&s;e
<PB N="6" REF="7">
&s;hould give order for a Tran|&s;lation
fitting his judgement.</P>
<P>To &s;ay, that &s;ome abu&s;e this rea|ding,
is to accu&s;e the Apo&s;tles of fol|ly
to have written their<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The A|po&s;tles did write in a language mo&s;t pub|likely un|der&s;tood.</NOTE> Epi&s;tles
to chri&s;tian people, without fore&s;ee|ing
that they might abu&s;e the &s;ame:
by the &s;ame rea&s;on, they might for|bid
the preaching thereof, becau&s;e
many doo abu&s;e it. Men abu&s;e even
the very goodnes of GOD. Nay,
which is more, it was never &s;eene,
that any of the people did ever forge
any Here&s;ie through reading of the
Scripture. All our Here&s;iarchs have
been per&s;ons that have had place in
the Church. Now, if to reade the
holy Scripture, wee mu&s;t have &s;pe|ciall
leave given us, is it not a mi&s;e|rable
thing that wee may not obey
God but upon &s;ufferance, and that
God can have no &s;ervants without
the Bi&s;hop of Romes permi&s;&s;ion? Or
if they &s;ay, it is not for ignorant peo|ple
to read them: I an&s;wer, that all
men are ignorant in religion before
<PB N="7" REF="7">
they read them, and that men may
not without impiety a&s;cribe any skil
unto them&s;elves in religion, be&s;ides
or without the Scripture.</P>
<P>Shake off then (my Ma&s;ters) this
&s;crupulous feare, by which God is
wronged, as if his Word were con|tagious,
and a &s;nare laid for weake
con&s;ciences; le&s;t upon you bee ac|compli&s;hed
the Prophecy of <HI>E&s;ay,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay 5. 13</NOTE>
<HI>My people are in captivity, becau&s;e they bee
without knowledge:</HI> and the &s;aying of
our Saviour, <HI>You erre, not knowing the
Scriptures.</HI> Let not this pretious trea|&s;ure
bee wrung out of your hands;
this contract of our &s;pirituall marri|age
with the Sonne of God: hould
them as &s;u&s;pected per&s;ons, who du|ring
this night of ignorance do hide
this heavenly Light, and in the mean
time light up their owne candles at
high-noon. Hope not to bee &s;aved
by the faith of others: for, God de|clares
unto us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab. 4. 2</NOTE> that <HI>The iu&s;t &s;hall live
by his owne faith:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 15. 14</NOTE> and that <HI>If the blinde
lead the blinde, they &s;hall both fall into the
ditch.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="8" REF="8">
Now, that you may knowe that
they take the Scriptures away from
you, not to keep you in &s;obriety, but
to detaine you in ignorance; con&s;i|der,
that in the Roman Church they
read publikely unto you &s;ome chap|ters
of the Bible in a tongue which
you under&s;tand not. If in the&s;e chap|ters
GOD were &s;poken unto, one
might excu&s;e it; &s;aying, that GOD
under&s;tands all languages: but the&s;e
chapters are divine Lectures, in w^c^h
God &s;peaketh unto men. Tell me in
con&s;cience, wherefore &s;hould God
bee a Barbarian unto us, and &s;peak to
us in an unknowne tongue? Where|fore
&s;peaks hee unto men, but to the
end they &s;hould under&s;tand him?
Wherefore &s;hould tho&s;e things, w^c^h
every where el&s;e would be e&s;teemed
ridiculous and again&s;t co~mon &s;en&s;e,
bee thought good and comely in re|ligion?
But, is it not a &s;leight of the
enimy of our &s;alvation; that he might
make Chri&s;tianity ridiculous, and
hinder the Word of God from bee|ing
<PB N="9" REF="8">
under&s;tood of you? to the end
likewi&s;e that the threatning may be
accompli&s;hed which God u&s;eth to
a people with whom hee is angry,
<HI>I will &s;peak to this people by men of other
language,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 14. 21.</NOTE> <HI>&amp; in a &s;trange tongue, and &s;o
they &s;hall not under&s;tand mee.</HI></P>
<P>This evil hath produced another:
for, in taking away from you the ho|ly
Scriptures which make men lear|ned,
they have given you Images,
which they call the books of igno|rant
men, becau&s;e they nouri&s;h igno|rance:
therewithall they bu&s;ie the
people, in &s;tead of in&s;tructing them;
in &s;tead of teaching them, they make
them pa&s;&s;e-time. But becau&s;e that
again&s;t this &s;ame, the &s;econd of Gods
commandements is expre&s;&s;e, which
forbids in matter of Gods &s;ervice to
make any Image, and to fall downe
before any repre&s;entation of anie
thing in Heaven or earth; and that
his Law, pronounced with thunde|ring,
affrighteth even to this day this
&s;uper&s;tition: the&s;e Doctours have
<PB N="10" REF="9">
impo&s;ed &s;ilence unto this Lawe of
God, and dare to raze out this com|mandement
out of tho&s;e books, prai|ers
and &s;ervice-bookes, which they
appoint them to u&s;e: A thing wher|in
wee may &s;u&s;pect our owne eyes,
and hardly beleeve when wee &s;ee it,
that very wormes of the earth have
made &s;o bould as to correct the Law
of God pronounced with his owne
mouth; yea, that &s;ame Lawe, by
which they &s;hall bee judged at the
la&s;t day.</P>
<P>Vnto &s;uch enterpri&s;es the holie &amp;
&s;acred name of Church &s;erveth as a
cloak. It is &s;aid that the Church can|not
erre; that &s;he is &s;overaign Iudge
of the points and doubts of faith;
that &s;hee is the faithfull interpreter
of the Scripture. By which Church,
is under&s;tood not the Greek, nor the
Syrian, nor the African (although
more ancient &amp; more pure than the
Romane); but onely the Romane
Church, which, having never been
but a particular Church, cals her&s;elf
<PB N="11" REF="9">
the Vniver&s;all. By this meanes the
Church of Rome is becomne Iudge
in her own cau&s;e. The Greek Chur.
more ancient than the Roman, com|plaineth
that the Roman Church is
revolted and &s;eparated from her,
producing again&s;t her her chaires,
her &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, her antiquity. In this
conte&s;tation, the Romane Church
vanteth her&s;elf to bee Iudge, and &s;o
will bee both Iudge and Party. In
the que&s;tion whether the Romane
Church can erre, &s;hee her&s;elfe will
be Iudge; and (which is more) whe~
there is que&s;tion of deciding what
the Churches duty is, the Romane
Church will bee &s;overaigne Iudge,
to the end &s;hee may have no other
lawes but of her owne e&s;tabli&s;hing,
and what &s;hee will carve out for her
owne &s;elf. And, moreover, when the
&s;en&s;e and interpretation of the Lawe
of God lieth at the &s;take, &s;hee e&s;tee|meth
her&s;elf the infallible expoun|der,
and reputes her owne interpre|tation
of equall authority with the
<PB N="12" REF="10">
Law of God; yet is it certaine, that
by this Law &s;hee &s;hall bee judged at
the later day. Now, there is no ra&s;h|nes
&s;o extravagant, as to put &s;inners
for infallible judges of the &s;en&s;e of
the Lawe, by which their &s;innes are
to be judged. What obedience think
you is the Soveraign Ma&s;ter to look
for, if his &s;ervants may &s;ay unto him,
Thou ha&s;t indeed commanded us
that &s;ame, but wee interpret it thus,
and doo judge that thy commande|ment
ought thus to bee under&s;tood;
and thou knowe&s;t, that wee are un|doubted
judges in &s;uch matters, and
that our interpretations are of equal
authority to thy commandements?
By this reckoning, it were better to
bee &s;ervant than Ma&s;ter. By which
of the&s;e two (thinke you) &s;hall the
Prelates of the Church of Rome be
judged at the la&s;t day? whether by
the Law of God, or by their owne
interpretations? I referre this to the
judgement of any man that hath but
the remainder of common &s;en&s;e left
<PB N="13" REF="10">
him, or any &s;park of free and unpre|ocupate
conceipt, which of the two
ought rather to be &s;upream Iudge in
religion: whether God, ruling and
teaching the Church by his Word;
or the church, that ought to receive
this Word, and obey him. Who &s;hall
rather be Iudge, the &s;cripture which
co~mands there &s;hould be a Church,
and giveth it lawes; or the Church,
which onely giveth atte&s;tation that
that is the Scripture? &s;pecially con|&s;idering,
that even this te&s;timony
may be given by a corrupt Church,
and di&s;obedient to this Scripture.
Who &s;hall bee rather Iudge, the
Scripture which is one, and judgeth
without pa&s;&s;ion; or the Church,
which is divided into co~trary chur|ches
which cannot bee a&s;&s;embled,
and who&s;e Pa&s;tors are &s;ubject to am|bition
and avarice, and fitter to bee
had in &s;u&s;picion when there is anie
que&s;tion of their profit or authority?</P>
<P>Heere (my Ma&s;ters) it is ea&s;ie to
&s;hewe you, that they lead you in a
<PB N="14" REF="11">
way by which it is altogether im|po&s;&s;ible
you &s;hould bee &s;aved: for,
you are taught &s;imply to beleeve the
Church of Rome, and without far|ther
enquiry to depend entirely up|on
her authority; and yet you are
deprived of all means to know whe|ther
this Church, whereunto you
give credit, bee pure, and teacheth
true doctrine. For, how &s;hould you
knowe that? &s;hould it be by the ho|ly
Scriptures? yea, but this book is
not permitted you. At Rome and in
Spaine, to read in it, is no le&s;&s;e than
burning at a &s;take: or would you
knowe it by the Antients? tho&s;e are
greek &amp; latin books which the peo|ple
under&s;tand not. What knowes
an artificer, or a woman, or an hu&s;|bandman
among&s;t you, whether the
Church teacheth conformably un|to
the Scripture? or if their church
bee &s;uch as it was &s;ome 12. or 1500.
years &s;ince? or whether of a long li&s;t
of Popes pictured, the fir&s;t have be|leeved
as the la&s;t, and that the times
<PB N="15" REF="11">
have altered nothing? In briefe, you
have no other proof of the purity of
your church, but the witnes of your
Church it &s;elf: who&s;e Prelates, van|ting
them&s;elves that they cannot
erre, in the meane time deprive you
of all means to di&s;cern of error from
truth; by hiding from you the rule
of truth, which is the holy Scrip|tures.
But wherfore &s;hould the Ro|man
Church rather have this perfe|ction,
that the Greek or the Syrian
(more antient and more pure than
the Roman) founded by Ie&s;. Chri&s;t
him&s;elfe, and by his Apo&s;tles; and
who al&s;o brag to have Saint <HI>Peters</HI>
chair? Doth the Scripture give un|to
the Roman Church any preroga|tive
above others? or doth it give
her the priviledge of not erring?</P>
<P>From hence doe en&s;ue two things
as cleere as the day: the one, that
your faith is grounded onely upon
the authority of men, and by con&s;e|quent
that your religion is a humane
religion and not divine. Who&s;oe|ver
<PB N="16" REF="12">
&s;aith, I beleeve the Go&s;pell and
the Word of GOD, becau&s;e the
Church ordaineth it, maketh the
Church more credible than God.
To doubt of Gods truth, is a le&s;&s;e
crime, than to make it depend upon
men. The other is, that, of all hu|mane
witne&s;&s;es, you ground your
&s;elves upon the wor&s;t and mo&s;t un|certain:
for, you &s;ay, your Church
is good becau&s;e &s;hee &s;aith it, and &s;o
doo make her Iudge in her owne
cau&s;e; not con&s;idering, that by this
word Church, you under&s;tand not
Chri&s;tian people, nor the generality
of Pa&s;tors, but the Pope and &s;ome
fewe Prelates who&s;e rules are called
Church-rules, although they tend
onely to the profit of the Clergie,
and the advancement of the Empire
of the Bi&s;hop of Rome.</P>
<P>And you poor &s;oules, whom God
hath framed after his owne Image,
whom hee hath redeemed with the
blood of his Son, whom God &s;olli|citeth
by his Word, will you lan|gui&s;h
<PB N="17" REF="12">
alwaies in this captivity? will
you heap up unto your &s;elves the
wrath and indignation of the Lord,
by rejecting the &s;alvation which is
propo&s;ed you?</P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e, that the Roman Chur.
in certain points alleageth &s;cripture,
and that between her and us there is
&s;trife about the interpretation: but
we make u&s;e of the Scripture in ano|ther
manner than tho&s;e which teach
you.</P>
<P>For fir&s;t, they are afraid the peo|ple
&s;hould read the Scriptures: but
we exhort men thereunto.</P>
<P>Secondly, they per&s;wade you, that
the Scripture is ob&s;cure and ambi|guous:
but we &s;ay, all things nece&s;|&s;ary
unto &s;alvation are therein layd
downe with much clearne&s;s.</P>
<P>Thirdly, they &s;ay that the Scrip|ture
is an unperfect rule, they will
needs have another unwritten word,
and traditions of the Church equall
in authority to the Scripture: wee
(on the contrary) &s;ay, that the holie
<PB N="18" REF="13">
Scripture can make us wi&s;e unto &s;al|vation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 15. 1</NOTE>
and that wee ought not to bee
wi&s;e beyond what is written;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6. 4</NOTE> and
that in that which is cleare in the
Scriptures, and needeth no interpre|tation,
are co~tained all the doctrines
nece&s;&s;ary unto &s;alvation.</P>
<P>Fourthly, when wee alleage the
Scripture, we alleage it as &s;overaign
Iudge, and as it that ruleth the Chur.
and giveth her her authority: but
the Romane Church alleageth the
Scripture as a doctrine authorized
by the Church, and that you ought
to receive it becau&s;e the Church
hath ordained it.</P>
<P>Fiftly, when wee interpret the
Scriptures, wee give not out our in|terpretations
for lawes as doth the
Roman Church, nor call our &s;elves
judges or infallible interpreters of
the holy Scriptures.</P>
<P>Finally, when wee interpret the
Scriptures, wee draw our interpre|tations
from the Scripture it &s;elf: but
the Roman Church draw their in|terpretations
<PB N="19" REF="13">
from the unwritten
word and from tradition. For ex|ample:
wee expound tho&s;e words,
<HI>This is my body,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">He took the bread, gave it, &amp;c. Do this in remem|brance of me.</NOTE> <HI>By the bread which I give
you is the commemoration of my body;</HI> the
which expo&s;itio~ is found in the text
it &s;elf of the in&s;titution of the &s;acra|ment:
or by the&s;e words of the A|po&s;tle,
1. <HI>Cor. 10. 16, The bread which
wee break is the communion of the body of
Chri&s;t.</HI> Your Teachers do not thus
interpret the Scriptures: for, they
draw their interpretations from the
unwritten word and from tradition.
When the Lord &s;aid to <HI>Peter, I have
prayed that thy faith fail not;</HI> they &s;ay,
that by the&s;e words Saint <HI>Peter</HI> and
the Popes of Rome, his &s;ucce&s;&s;ours,
were promi&s;ed the vertue that they
could not erre: but the Scripture
&s;peaketh not of Popes or of Bi&s;hops
of Rome, nor grants unto Saint <HI>Pe|ter</HI>
any &s;ucce&s;&s;or in his Apo&s;tle&s;hip.
So <HI>Malachie</HI> &s;peaketh of a pure ob|lation
which was to bee made in all
places;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 1. 11</NOTE> This oblation, according to
<PB N="20" REF="14">
the interpretation of the&s;e Ma&s;ters, is
the Ma&s;&s;e; in which they &s;ay the bo|dy
of Chri&s;t is really &s;acrificed. But
this interpretation is taken out of the
unwritten word: for, the holy &s;crip|ture
&s;peaketh not of any Ma&s;&s;e, nor
of the &s;acrifice of the body of Ie&s;us
Chri&s;t, nor e&s;tabli&s;heth any &s;acrifi|cers
in the Church to &s;acrifice the
Son of God. So, when the Scripture
&s;aith, <HI>Thou &s;halt wor&s;hip one God, and
&s;halt &s;erve him alone;</HI> The interpretati|ons
of the&s;e Ma&s;ters is, that God for|biddeth
onely the wor&s;hip of <HI>Latria,</HI>
but not the adoratio~ of <HI>Dulia,</HI> which
is an inferiour religious &s;ervice. But,
the Scripture &s;peaketh not of the a|doration
of <HI>Dulia,</HI> nor of any other
religious &s;ervice then that which is
due unto God. The&s;e are interpre|tations
which the Romane Church
draweth from the unwritten word,
which is at the di&s;cretion of the Ro|mi&s;h
Church, nor can bee learned
but from her mouth: for, I doo not
think there is any that ever hath &s;een
<PB N="21" REF="14">
all the in&s;tructions of this unwritten
word reduced into one body;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Bellar. in Barkl. c.</HI> 3. He thinkes not rightly of the chur. of the chur. of Chri&s;t, that admits nothing but what hee reads ex|pre&s;ly to have bin al|ledged or practi&s;ed in the old chu. as if the Church of later time either cea&s;t to be a chr. or hath not authority to expre&s;&s;e and declare, to decree al&s;o, and co~ma~d tho&s;e things which con|cern faith &amp; Chri&s;tian manners.</NOTE> and
that becau&s;e this word changeth ac|cording
to the age, and is fitted unto
the time, and that the Romi&s;h Chur.
hath power al&s;o to adde new articles
thereunto even in the points of faith.</P>
<P>The greate&s;t mi&s;chief is, that the&s;e
traditions and in&s;tructions of the un|written
word are not only additions
unto the Scripture, but al&s;o manife&s;t
oppo&s;itions thereunto: whereof, the
Ma&s;s alone doth furni&s;h us with ma|ny
examples. 1. For, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,
admini&s;tring the holy Sacrament of
the <HI>Eucharist,</HI> &s;pake in a tongue un|der&s;tood
of the &s;tanders by: but the
Prie&s;t in his Ma&s;&s;e &s;peaketh in an un|known
language. 2. Ie&s;us Chri&s;t ad|mini&s;tred
to all there pre&s;ent: but
the Prie&s;t oftentimes eateth &amp; drin|keth
him&s;elfe alone. 3. Ie&s;us Chri&s;t
communicated the cup unto all, and
willed that all &s;hould drink thereof:
but the Prie&s;t drinketh alone, and de|nieth
the chalice unto the people. 4.
<PB N="22" REF="15">
Ie&s;us Chri&s;t offred nothing to God:
but the Prie&s;t prayeth in the Ma&s;&s;e,
that God would be plea&s;ed with his
oblation. 5. Ie&s;us Chri&s;t made no e|levation
of the ho&s;te: but the Prie&s;t
houldeth up an ho&s;te to bee adored.
6. In the in&s;titution of this holy Sa|crament
there is no &s;peech of a &s;a|crifice,
nor of &s;acrificing the body of
Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: cleane contrary, the
Prie&s;t pretendeth the &s;acrificing of
the body of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in a reall &amp;
propitiatory &s;acrifice for the living
and the dead al&s;o. 7. Vnder the Ta|ble
of our Lord there were no re|liques
hid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">We be&s;eech thee, Lord, through the merits of the Saints, who&s;e re|licks wee have heer, and for the merits of all the Saints be&s;ides, that thou woul|de&s;t vouch|&s;afe to par|don all our &s;ins.</NOTE> nor the bones of any Pa|triarch
or Prophet: on the contrary,
the Prie&s;t hath under the &s;tones of
his Altar the bones of the dead, with|out
which reliques an Altar cannot
bee con&s;ecrated: and &s;o according|ly
the Prie&s;t in his Ma&s;&s;e craveth &s;al|vation
by the merits of tho&s;e Saints
who&s;e bones lie hidden under that
Altar; a thing that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t ne|ver
thought of. 8. Ie&s;us Chri&s;t wit|ne&s;&s;ed,
<PB N="23" REF="15">
that it was the fruit of the
Vine that hee drank: but the Prie&s;t
denies that it is &s;o. 9. Ie&s;us Chri&s;t
will, that we make commemoration
of him: but the Prie&s;t pretendeth to
make Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf. 10. Saint
<HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith foure times, that we eat &amp;
break bread: on the contrary, the
Prie&s;t maintains, that we neither eat
nor break bread. 11. The Lord in&s;ti|tuteth
a Sacrament: but the Prie&s;t
celebrateth a Sacrifice. In a word,
the one admini&s;treth the Communi|on;
the other &s;ingeth Ma&s;&s;e, expre&s;ly
made to di&s;-figure the holy Supper
of our Lord.</P>
<P>The&s;e Ma&s;ters thinke them&s;elves
well fen&s;ed with u&s;ing a childi&s;h re|crimination
in objecting unto us, that
&s;eeing wee will imitate our Lord, we
ought all to celebrate the Commu|nion
after &s;upper, &amp; in a high cham|ber,
and not to admit of women: but
neither the place, nor the houre, nor
the &s;ex of the a&s;&s;i&s;tants, is either part
or e&s;&s;ence of the action; and without
<PB N="24" REF="16">
any of the&s;e the action remaineth in|tire,
nor hath Ie&s;us Chri&s;t touching
the &s;ame given any rule, or forbid|den
any circum&s;tance. But the cha~ge
which wee object again&s;t them, is in
things e&s;&s;entiall, and which change
the nature of the action; &s;eeing that
thereby is introduced an adoration
not commanded nor practi&s;ed by
the Apo&s;tles; and a &s;acrifice e&s;tabli|&s;hed,
which our Lord hath not or|dained;
and an authorized &s;uper&s;ti|tion
about dead mens bones; and a
publike repa&s;t changed into a private
Ma&s;s; and the people fru&s;trate of un|der&s;tanding
their ordinary &s;ervice;
and in&s;tructed to take God, and to
eat their Creator, &amp; adore the crea|ture;
and deprived of one halfe of
the Sacrament, to wit the cup, wher|of
Chri&s;t hath &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8. 11.</NOTE> <HI>Drink ye all of this:</HI>
as al&s;o the Apo&s;tle commandeth the
people of Corinth to take the cup as
well as the bread.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Let a man prove him|&s;elf, and &s;o eat of this bread, and drink of this cup.</NOTE></P>
<P>Whereupon wee propo&s;e a means
of agreement, which cannot bee re|fu&s;ed
<PB N="25" REF="16">
but by him that loves di&s;cord,
or is thir&s;ty of Chri&s;tian blood, or
which will war again&s;t God: for, all
Chri&s;tians confe&s;&s;e that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t
hath done well, and that there is no|thing
ami&s;&s;e in his in&s;titution, and
that even when it might bee lawfull
to celebrate the holy Communion
in &s;ome other fa&s;hion then hee did;
yet all agree, that it would not bee ill
done to follow his example, &s;peak as
hee &s;pake, and doo as he did. Now,
this is that which wee demand: and
certaine it is, that the Pope might
make an end of all conte~tions &s;prung
from this point, which trouble and
divide Chri&s;tendome, if hee would
re&s;tore the holy Communion unto
the form in which our Lord did ce|lebrate
it; laying a&s;ide all di&s;putes, &amp;
binding the people unto the example
of the Son of God. What incommo|dities
or inco~veniences &s;oever might
bee alleaged again&s;t the &s;ame, could
not bee put in balance again&s;t the o|bedience
which wee owe to Ie&s;us
<PB N="26" REF="17">
Chri&s;t, &amp; again&s;t the peace of Chri|&s;tendome,
and the re-union of that
rupture and &s;eparation of people,
which hath cau&s;ed &s;o many troubles,
and &s;pilt &s;o much blood, and which
goareth the &s;ide of the Ro. Church
as well as ours, expo&s;ing it to the vi|olence
of Turks and Infidels.</P>
<P>Every &s;pirit that is not preoccupa|ted
will ea&s;ily acknowledge, that this
is the language of truth: wherewith,
le&s;t your con&s;ciences &s;hould bee tou|ched,
they u&s;e a device, namely, to
repre&s;ent unto you our religion alto|gether
other then it is, and paint it
out unto you like a hideous mon&s;ter,
and to make us &s;peake things wholly
again&s;t our beleef. And thereupon,
many among&s;t you are of &s;o ea&s;ie be|leef,
as to chu&s;e rather to learne what
our religion is by our enemies invec|tives,
than by our owne confe&s;&s;ion;
yea, after wee have prote&s;ted, not to
beleeve any thing of all they father
upon us, yet would they make us per|&s;wade
our &s;elves, that wee beleeve
<PB N="27" REF="17">
that which wee beleeve not: where|in
they ju&s;tifie us before they bee a|ware.
For, thereby they privily con|fe&s;&s;e,
that our religion truely propo|&s;ed
cannot bee encountred; and that
if it were repre&s;ented in as true co|lours,
at the very fir&s;t it would make
a &s;trong impre&s;&s;ion in the minde of
the Auditor through the evidence of
the truth thereof. They tell you, 1.
that our religion teacheth, that good
works are not nece&s;&s;ary; 2. that the
Elect may without danger licence
them&s;elves to doo evill; 3. that God
gives no recompen&s;e to good works;
4. that God con&s;traineth our willes,
and forceth them unto good; 5. that
we accu&s;e God of inju&s;tice, as having
given us a law which wee cannot ac|compli&s;h;
6. that wee are enemies to
the Saints and the Virgin <HI>Mary;</HI> 7.
that for the under&s;tanding of the
Scriptures, every one of us vanteth
to have a particular in&s;piration; 8. and
that wee deny the Almightine&s;&s;e of
God in the Euchari&s;t.</P>
<P><PB N="28" REF="18">
Is not this all fal&s;e, and contrary to
our beleef? 1. Our religion teacheth,
that good works are nece&s;&s;ary unto
&s;alvation: for, men goe not to Hea|ven
by the way of hell, nor unto the
Kingdome of God by &s;erving the di|vell.
2. Our religion teacheth, that
the prede&s;tinated unto &s;alvation
are al&s;o prede&s;tinate to live holily.
To &s;ay, <HI>I may abandon my &s;elf unto evill
&s;eeing I am elected,</HI> it is the language of
a reprobate, who will be bad becau&s;e
God is good, and who makes of the
grace of God, which is a &s;purre unto
vertue, a pillow to &s;leep upon in all
vice. 3. Our religion beleeveth, that
God rewardes good works, but with
a &s;alary freely given. 4. We beleeve
that God con&s;traineth not our wills,
but bendeth them, and cau&s;eth them
to give them&s;elves willingly unto
good. 5. We e&s;teem it not a thing un|ju&s;t
that God &s;hould demand at mans
hands that which hee cannot, when
man doth owe it, and when his una|blene&s;&s;e
commeth of his owne de|fault.
<PB N="29" REF="18">
fault. 6. We honor the Saints as they
honoured the Saints that were be|fore
them. 7. For the under&s;tanding
of the Scriptures, wee content our
&s;elves with that which we finde clear
in them, and leave particular in&s;pira|tions
to frantick per&s;ons. 8. Wee de|ny
not the omnipotency of God in
the Euchari&s;t, but rule our &s;elves ac|cording
to his will: wee u&s;e the Sa|crament
of the Communion, not to
make Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, but to honor him;
not to make his body de&s;cend unto
us, but to elevate our hearts to him.
Wee undertake not to take GOD in
this life, but content our &s;elves that
hee take us at our deaths. Wee feare
not, that God can fall to the ground,
or be &s;tolne away, or gnawn by mice,
or eaten by his enemies. We beleeve
not that the Son of God and the di|vell
could enter both together into
<HI>Iudas;</HI> nor that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t did eat
him&s;elf, &s;eeing it was nothing nece&s;|&s;ary
for our &s;alvation.</P>
<P>Our religion is a religion which
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page"><PB N="28" REF="19">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page"><PB N="29" REF="19">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page"><PB N="28" REF="20">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page"><PB N="29" REF="20">
<PB N="30" REF="21">
acknowledgeth no other head of the
Church but Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, nor other
rule of faith then his Word, nor o|ther
propitiatory &s;acrifice then his
Death, nor other purgatory then his
Blood, nor other merit than his O|bedience.</P>
<P>It is a religion, which would have
the people to read the word of God,
becau&s;e we fear not to finde our con|demnation
therein; and which &s;pea|keth
in a knowne tongue, for that it
is not a&s;hamed of her beleef.</P>
<P>It is a religion, which holdeth fa|&s;ting
to bee in ab&s;tinence, and not in
di&s;tinction of meats: wee fa&s;t for ex|erci&s;e
of humility, and not in opini|on
of merit or &s;atisfaction: wee bor|row
not other mens &s;atisfactions; but
wee beleeve with the Apo&s;tle, <HI>That e|very
one &s;hall bear his owne burden.</HI></P>
<P>It is a religion, which di&s;tru&s;ting
her owne works beleeveth in Gods
promi&s;es, which preacheth the a&s;&s;u|rance,
and not the doubt of her &s;alva|tion,
recommendeth an humble a&s;&s;u|rance,
<PB N="31" REF="21">
and not an arrogant perplexi|ty,
by which they that &s;et forth their
merits, make a profe&s;&s;ion to doubt of
their &s;alvation.</P>
<P>It is a religion, wherein men con|fe&s;&s;e
they have often don that which
God hath forbidden, farre from ha|ving
done more than hee hath com|manded;
&s;o farre from dooing over|much,
as that they faile even of that
which is nece&s;&s;ary: they pretend not
to make God a debter by their works
of &s;upererogation, but confe&s;s them|&s;elves
debters through their di&s;obe|dience.</P>
<P>It is a religion, which, in &s;tead of
forming of &s;tones to the likene&s;&s;e of
man, endeavoureth to reforme man
unto the image of God; which, in
&s;tead of adoring a wooden cro&s;&s;e, ad|oreth
the crucified, tru&s;teth in his
pa&s;&s;ion, and glorieth in his reproach.</P>
<P>It is a religion, which beleeves not
that God taketh plea&s;ure to torment
the &s;oules of his children in burning
fire, and to puni&s;h them for faults al|ready
<PB N="32" REF="22">
ready pardoned, and for which Ie&s;us
Chri&s;t hath fully &s;atisfied by puni&s;h|ment;
which &s;erveth not to amend
the &s;inner, but to content the Iu&s;tice
of God.</P>
<P>It is a religion, which maketh not
her praiers by count, nor placeth the
power of it in the number of the re|petition
of one &amp; the &s;elf &s;ame prai|er;
but in the faith and di&s;po&s;ition of
the heart.</P>
<P>It is a religion, which holdeth that
faith con&s;i&s;teth not in ignorance, but
in knowledge: which equally di&s;tri|buteth
holy things to rich and poor;
not like as in the Romane Church,
who&s;e di&s;pen&s;ations &amp; letters of ab|&s;olution
are &s;old, and particular Ma&s;|&s;es
never &s;aid for him that hath no|thing
to give.</P>
<P>Briefly, it is a religion which hath
le&s;&s;e &s;plendour without, but more &s;o|lidne&s;s
within; which will endure
narrow &s;ifting; which ordaineth few
ceremonies, but giveth much in&s;tru|ction.</P>
<P><PB N="33" REF="22">
You wil heer &s;ay, But the&s;e things
are new. How new, &s;eeing Ie&s;us
Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles have thus
taught? Indeed the&s;e are new to per|&s;ons
brought up in an inveterate er|rour;
and you knowe, that healing is
alwaies newer than &s;icknes: but wee
mu&s;t alwaies goe up to the &s;pring|head
of truth; in compari&s;on of w^c^h,
all ould errour is new. Never did a|ny
man oppo&s;e him&s;elfe to any roo|ted
errour &s;ettled by long cu&s;tome,
who hath not been accu&s;ed of novel|ty.
And this reproach of novelty is
very un&s;eemly in their mouthes who
hide from the people the true Anti|quity,
which is the holy Scriptures;
and who to this day maintaine, that
the Church can make new ordinan|ces
touching faith; and, by the
Church, under&s;tand no other but the
Roman, who in the very fir&s;t time af|ter
the Apo&s;tles cannot &s;hewe one
man of their religion; &amp; who knowe
that in all Antiquity there is no men|tion
made of excluding the people
<PB N="34" REF="23">
from the cup, nor of forbidding from
the reading of the Scriptures, nor of
reading the Scriptures unto them in
an unknowne tongue which they un|der&s;tand
not, nor of picturing the
Trinity, nor of adoring Images, nor
the Ho&s;te, with the adoration of <HI>La|tria,</HI>
nor of private Ma&s;&s;es, nor of the
Bi&s;hop of Romes Court, nor of his
Indulgences and Church-Trea&s;ure,
nor of his power to depo&s;e Kings, &amp;
draw &s;oules out of Purgatory, nor of
many other new corruptions which
they plai&s;ter over with the fraudu|lent
title of Apo&s;tlique traditions,
as if they came from the Apo&s;tles.</P>
<P>The them&s;elves, who thus vaunt
of Antiquity, are tho&s;e which u&s;e the
antient Doctours mo&s;t cour&s;ely, cen|&s;uring
and condemning them upon
&s;light occa&s;ion: who will that the
Fathers &s;hould be interpreters of the
Scriptures, in ca&s;e they them&s;elves a|lone
may be the fathers interpreters,
and the Iudges of Antiquity; &amp; who
not only condemn every Father per|&s;onally,
<PB N="35" REF="23">
but al&s;o whole Councels
where the Fathers &s;peake in com|mon.</P>
<P>Three univer&s;all Cou~cels did con|demn <HI>Honorius,</HI> Bi&s;hop of Rome, for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cotton in the preface of his Ca|tholique in|&s;titution &s;peaks thus of the&s;e two univer&s;all Councels.</NOTE> an heretique: but, at this day they
maintain, that tho&s;e Councels mi&s;|took them&s;elves.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Greece be|gan in the year 388. to rebell a|gain&s;t the holy Sea, &amp; to thwart the Bi&s;hop of Rome, giving him the Bi&s;hop of Con|&s;tantinople for a Se|cond.</NOTE> At the fir&s;t Coun|cell
of Con&s;tantinople, in the yeare
381. there were a hundred and fiftie
Orthodox Bi&s;hops, and 630. in the
Councell of Chalcedon, the yeare
450. Neither this great number, nor
their great Antiquity, hindreth our
adver&s;aries from condemning all
tho&s;e Fathers, for equalling the Bi|&s;hoppe
of Con&s;tantinople to him of
Rome in eccle&s;ia&s;ticall matters.</P>
<P>And it is marvelous how the&s;e men
dare &s;peak of Councels,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Afterwards in the year 450. they &s;aid they had the &s;ame privi|ledges.</NOTE> &s;eeing they
knowe, the day &amp; night are not more
contrary than the ancient Councels
and the new, in which the Pope ru|leth
and ordaineth all: but the other
bi&s;hops give their opinion only, with
<PB N="36" REF="24">
bowing of the head in &s;igne of appro+bation.
At the beginning of which,
they lay down the holy Scripture at
the Popes feet; in witnes, that the
Word of God is &s;ubject unto him:
where the Pope is &s;eated on a high
Throne, having the Emperor &s;itting
at his feet. In brief, wee may &s;ee by
the practice of the&s;e later Councels,
and above all by the Councel of Flo|rence,
and the la&s;t of Lateran, and by
the book of &s;acred ceremonies, that
a Councell now within the&s;e few A|ges
is no other than a papal con&s;i&s;to|ry,
though with more &s;oleminity:
whereas in the antient Councels, the
bi&s;hop of Rome dur&s;t not be pre&s;ent,
and his deputies ordinarily had no
precedencie there nor authority; far
from ordaining, that no book &s;hall be
canonicall without the Popes autho|rity,
and that all Kings &s;hould ki&s;s his
feet; and to declare, that there is no
other name under Heaven but that of
the great Bi&s;hop:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Annal. Baron.</NOTE> which are the de|crees
of the Roman Councell under
<PB N="37" REF="24">
<HI>Gregory</HI> the &s;eventh,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Anno. 1078</NOTE> the yeare 1076.
Briefly, it is certain, that they which
buzze in your eares the Fathers and
Councels, do it not becau&s;e the An|tients
are favourable unto them; but
becau&s;e they knowe that the people
can knowe nothing of them, and that
they mu&s;t needs in tho&s;e things re|ferre
them&s;elves unto them. But, as
for the Scripture, which you ought
to knowe, and which ruleth all the
Fathers, it is that which is forbidden
you. In &s;umme, yeares are no rules,
and lying is ever &s;ince the beginning
of the world. The Church is not in
a Countrey, of cu&s;tome; but, where
the written truth is. There is no pre|&s;cription
again&s;t divine truth: yea, e|ven
in the time of the Apo&s;tles the
my&s;tery of iniquity was a-brewing;
how far ought it now then to bee ad|vanced?
And indeed as wel the peo|ple
as the pa&s;tors of the Ro. Church
have the&s;e many Ages cried out, that
their Church had need of reformati|on.
In the Councell of Py&s;a, held in
<PB N="38" REF="25">
the yeare 1411, Pope <HI>Alexnder</HI> the
fift, in the twentieth Se&s;&s;ion, promi|&s;ed
&s;olemnly to intend the reforma|tion
of the Church, and to a&s;&s;emble
for that purpo&s;e the mo&s;t learned of
all Nations. A while after, was held
a Councell at Senes, the yeare 1423.
where the propo&s;ition of the refor|mation
of the Church was revived,
and then put off to another time: for,
they &s;aw they could not &s;tir this &s;tone
without &s;haking the papall &s;eat.</P>
<P>That which the great ones would
not doo, God hath performed by the
hands of little ones; u&s;ing unhoped
for means to expo&s;e unto the view of
the world the doctrine of &s;alvation
maugre al the machinations of Satan.</P>
<P>Vnto tho&s;e that have endeavored,
and do yet endeavour to perfect this
work, you are thus much beholding,
as that the holy Scripture, which
the people &s;aw not heertofore, is now
tran&s;lated into the vulgar tongue, and
that the Spirit of God &s;peakes it; &s;o,
as none can be ignorant of the Word
<PB N="39" REF="25">
of God, but he that hood-winks him|&s;elf
le&s;t hee &s;hould &s;ee the light. You
are al&s;o thus much more beholding
unto them, that the Pope doth le&s;&s;e
tyrannize over you than he did &s;ome
foure or five hundreth yeares &s;ince,
and that your &s;ervitude is by a quar|ter
le&s;&s;e burden&s;ome.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Such Buls are found in Math. Pa|ris, and in the 3. Tome of Coun|cels, at the end of the Councell of Lateran vnder In|nocent the third.</NOTE> For, in tho&s;e
daies the Pope gave to the French,
which armed them&s;elves for him and
at his commandement, be&s;ides the
remi&s;&s;ion of all their &s;ins, a degree of
glory in Paradi&s;e above others:
whereas now if he &s;hould &s;end them
to goe into a farre Countrey upon a
Croy&s;ada, to fight again&s;t Hereticks,
or to take-in &s;ome Townes of their
neighbours to the Popes u&s;e, as was
done not very long &s;ince, you your
&s;elves would mock at his comman|dement.
In former times, when any
King angred him, his cu&s;tome was to
interdite his Kingdome; and &s;o put
(as far as in him lay) many millions
of per&s;ons out of the communion of
the Church, cau&s;e all divine &s;ervice
<PB N="40" REF="26">
to cea&s;e in a large Countrey, cau&s;e
the Bels to bee &s;till, hinder Burialls,
and to expo&s;e the Countrey in preie
to him could fir&s;t conquer it. Eng|land
was &s;ix years and a half in this e|&s;tate,
in the time of King <HI>Iohn:</HI> but,
now-a-daies he drawes no more that
weapon; le&s;t, be&s;tirring him&s;elfe too
hard, hee overturne his owne chair,
which the doctrine of the go&s;pell
hath already much &s;haken.</P>
<P>You owe them moreover this ob|ligation,
that you &s;ee not (as in the
time of <HI>Boniface</HI> the ninth, and <HI>Leo</HI> the
tenth) Pardoners to run from hou&s;e
to hou&s;e through France, who for
half a crown &s;ould every one remi&s;&s;i|on
of all their &s;ins, and deliverance of
a &s;oule out of Purgatory.</P>
<P>The time hath bin, that in France
there was no &s;peech but of miracles,
and of Saint <HI>Anthonies</HI> fire, and of the
apparition of damned &s;oules, or o|thers
returning from Purgatory: of
which illu&s;ions the greater part is va|ni&s;hed
at the Sunne-ri&s;e of the holy
<PB N="41" REF="26">
Scriptures, which the night of igno|rance
had hidden. And if now they
doo any petty miracles, it is in &s;ecret,
and never in our &s;ight: for, before a
man that feareth God, and knoweth
him, Satan is as it were afflicted, and
lo&s;eth his fen&s;e-play; yea, even your
owne Magi&s;trates have puni&s;ht the&s;e
deceivers.</P>
<P>There bee but a few among&s;t you
that doo wholly beleeve your owne
religion, but doo finde &s;ome fault in
the Romi&s;h Church: for indeed, it
would be a hard matter to endure the
decrees and glo&s;&s;es which &s;ay, that
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Tit. 8 de Praebend. cap. Propo|&s;uit. According to the ful|ne&s;s of our power we may lawful|ly di&s;pen&s;e above law. Where the Glo&s;&s;e al&s;o; The Pope doth di&s;|pen&s;e a|gain&s;t the Apo&s;tle; as al&s;o again&s;t the old Te|&s;tament, as al&s;o in ano|ther. Glo&s;&s;a. di&s;t. 34. can. lector. The Pope can di&s;pen&s;e again&s;t the Apo&s;tle. Et cau&s;a 23. qu. 1. can. Sunt quidam, The Glo&s;&s;e hath it thus: Hee (the Pope) di&s;pen&s;eth in the Go&s;|pell, by interpreting it.</NOTE> the pope is above law and right, and
that <HI>he can di&s;pen&s;e again&s;t the Apo&s;tle,
and against the go&s;pell;</HI> and which cals
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Glo&s;&s;a extrav. Cu~ inter. Our Lord god the Pope.</NOTE> the Pope, god; and<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Concil. Lat. ultimum &s;e&s;&s;. 9. The countenance of thy divine Maje&s;ty. Bellarm. in Barkl. c. 31. Chri&s;t gaue to Pe|ter, in a good &s;en&s;e, power to make of &s;inne no &s;inne; and of no &s;inne, &s;inne.</NOTE> the divine ma|je&s;ty:
<PB N="42" REF="27">
or tho&s;e fabulous Legends,
which compare and equall in many
things, S. <HI>Dominick</HI> and S. <HI>Francis</HI> with
Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; or the opinion of tho&s;e
which muffle them&s;elves with the
habit of S. <HI>Francis</HI> when they are on
their death-beddes, ready to give up
the gho&s;t, becau&s;e (&s;ay their Doc|tors)
that this garment is as good as
a&s;econd bapti&s;me: nor the gadding
of poor people 200. leagues off, after
pardons, &s;eeing the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins
is offered to us at home by the prea|ching
of the go&s;pell: nor tho&s;e that
teach, that the Pope can make that
which is &s;in to bee no &s;inne, and that
which is no &s;in to be &s;in. And certain
it is, that though wee &s;hould hould
our peace, yet the truth doth &s;peake
in the con&s;ciences of many which
are held in this captivity for feare of
men, and for their dome&s;tick affairs:
for, the divell tickles men by the
panch, and rockes them a &s;leep with
plea&s;ures and honours; from whence
it coms to pa&s;&s;e, that the &s;parks of the
<PB N="43" REF="27">
knowne truth are &s;mother'd in them;
or, if they be not quenched in them,
they burn &amp; torture the con&s;cience,
and make them more culpable, not
onely for having buried their talent
of the knowledge of God, but even
for having di&s;&s;ipated it; for having
bin a&s;hamed to confe&s;s the Sonne of
God before men, and not defending
his cau&s;e in time of need; for beeing
more afraid of mens di&s;plea&s;ure, than
to offend God, who&s;e promi&s;es are
certain, his threatnings horrible, and
judgements eternall and inevitable:
who having now in our daies done &s;o
many marvellous things, to build up
again the ruines of his Church, will
not &s;urely leave unpuni&s;hed tho&s;e
which endeavour to trouble his work,
and who go purpo&s;ely a&s;tray at high|noon.</P>
<P>All this di&s;cour&s;e (my Mai&s;ters)
proceedeth from nought el&s;e but a
&s;ervent de&s;ire that wee have of your
&s;alvation, and that God might be &s;er|ved:
for, wee have heerein no other
<PB N="44" REF="28">
intere&s;t but your happine&s;&s;e; &s;eeing
that for defending this cau&s;e we are
like to purcha&s;e nothing but trouble,
hatred and di&s;commodity. Wee ra|ther
de&s;ire a great deale more to live
in peace and amity with our fellow-citizens
under one &s;elf-&s;ame religi|on,
if wee might doo it without of|fen&s;e
to God. Nor cea&s;e wee to be|&s;eech
the Father of mercy, who&s;e
compa&s;&s;ions &s;urmount our iniquties,
that hee would pardon tho&s;e which
hate us, that hee would touch their
hearts with repentance, and inligh|ten
their under&s;tandings with his
light, to knowe the day of their vi&s;i|tation,
and the way of eternall &s;alva|tion;
le&s;t in the end he turn away his
favour fro~ a people which turn their
backs upon him; and pour out a dark|nes
more thick than the former upon
a nation enraged again&s;t the light of
the go&s;pell.</P>
<P>If the&s;e con&s;iderations &s;hall move
any one, it will bee a great joy unto
mee, and an ample reward for my la|bour:
<PB N="45" REF="28">
if it &s;hall happen otherwi&s;e,
wee &s;hall have at lea&s;t delivered our
owne &s;oules, freed our con&s;ciences,
and born witnes in this hart-harned
Age, until the Son of God com from
Heaven to heare our griefs, and
deliver his children, and re|ward
every one accor|ding
to his worke.
To him be glo|ry
world with|out
end.
Amen.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="46" REF="29">
<HEAD>THE
Great Iubile and Pardon
of full remi&s;sion for all
true Chri&s;tians.</HEAD>
<P>_THe true pardon and re|mi&s;&s;ion
of all &s;innes is
made <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 word"> the aboundant
mercy of God, who par|doneth
vs all our &s;innes by one alone
Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in the &s;hedding of his
bloud.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1</NOTE><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 14</NOTE><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma. 1. 2. 6</NOTE></P>
<P>For hee is the propitiation of all
the &s;innes of the world, and hath
manife&s;ted him&s;elfe by taking our
fle&s;h vpon him, al&s;o dying and bea|ring
our &s;innes in his bodie to abo|li&s;h
<PB N="47" REF="29">
them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 1</NOTE> (to the end hee might
purge vs from the &s;innes vnto the
which wee were bound) beleeuing
in him who is the Lamb without
&s;pot once offered for all. In &s;uch
&s;ort as no oblation of &s;acrifice is
now anie more needfull heereafter
to ab&s;olue vs from our &s;innes.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Parali. 3</NOTE> The
which Lamb hath been made to vs
of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 1</NOTE> wi&s;edom, Iu&s;tice, &s;anctifi|cation
and redemption, by which he
hath aboli&s;hed and whollie brought
to nought our folly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoca. 1. 4</NOTE> iniu&s;tice,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 4. 1.</NOTE> abomi|nation
and obligation with w^c^h God
the father hath giuen vs all things.
Vnto which pardon he him&s;elf doth
inuite vs a&s;wel by his Prophets as by
his Euangeli&s;ts, &s;aying; All yee that
be athir&s;t com vnto the great &s;pring,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tim. 1</NOTE>
and who haue no monie make ha&s;te
to com,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 18 <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> buy yee, drin yee, and eate
yee.</P>
<P>Item, If anie bee adrie, Let him
come to mee and drink.</P>
<P>Item,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11. 28</NOTE> Com vnto me all ye that are
wearie and heauis loden, and I will
<PB N="48" REF="30">
refre&s;h you.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 16. 23</NOTE> And for our a&s;&s;urance
&s;aith thus vnto vs: If your demande
anie thing of my father in my name
he will giue it you. And of whome
the Apo&s;tle &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7</NOTE> Wherefore al&s;o he
can fully &s;aue them which come
neere vnto him, alwayes lyuing to
make interce&s;&s;ion for them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 4.</NOTE> Saint
Peter &s;aith there is no other name
giuen vnder heauen vnto men, by
which wee mu&s;t bee &s;aued,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gala. 1</NOTE> nor is
there &s;aluation in any other:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 8</NOTE> where|of
the Bull followeth.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The&s;e are the great Pardons and indul|gences
of full remi&s;sion of &s;inne and
puni&s;hment, giuen vnto all the Church
and Hou&s;e of God, that is, to all faithfull
Chri&s;tians, vnder heauen.</HEAD>
<P>BY the authoritie and vertue of
the Commaundements of our
holie Father God the Creator our
&s;overaigne Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 109</NOTE> &amp; by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t
our &s;oueragine Pa&s;tor &amp; euerla&s;ting
Bi&s;hop,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 16</NOTE> you are commaunded and
<PB N="49" REF="30">
expre&s;ly enionin'd by your holy obe|dience,
that you reade,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luc. 9. 10</NOTE> vnder&s;tand, &amp;
giue notice vnto euerie one, of the
great priuiledges, remi&s;&s;ions, &amp; par|dons
of &s;in &amp; puni&s;hment giune for
euer by God the father,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 18</NOTE> to al faithful
&amp; true &s;eruants of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t who
with al their hartes will render them
&s;elues vnto him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 3. 4. 5. 6</NOTE> faithfullie belee|uing
and hoping for euerla&s;ting life
by his mo&s;t precious bloud:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luc. 11. &amp; 28</NOTE> who
hath &s;ent his Apo&s;tles through all
the world to preach and declare his
holie go&s;pell and good tidings con|teyning
the remi&s;&s;ion of our &s;innes,
confirming their wordes by mira|cles
which the Lord wrought by
them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37</NOTE> by the which wee haue full
Iubile &amp; generall pardon of puni&s;h|ment
and &s;inne;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 23</NOTE> as his mo&s;t holie Fa|ther
had ordained euen before the
creation of the world and promi&s;ed
by his Prophets;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3</NOTE> That at all and e|uerie
time and tymes, in all places &amp;
as often as we mi&s;erable &s;inners &s;hall
acknowledge our pouertie and &s;in|fulnes,
<PB N="50" REF="31">
beleeuing in him without
doubting,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5. 8</NOTE> &amp; crauing pardon of him,
wee &s;hall haue what wee de&s;ire: and
all to &s;hew his maruelous bountie
and mercie which hee intendeth to|wards
vs for his &s;onne Ie&s;us Chri&s;t
his &s;ake,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5. 9. 7. 8 &amp; 12</NOTE> how great &s;inners &s;oeuer we
bee; who beeing mooued with pit|ty
con&s;idering the bottomle&s;s gulfe
of all euill in the which wee were
held by the diuell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pet. <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> and &s;ubjects and
&s;laues vnto him by our owne wills,
did &s;end his &s;onne Ie&s;us Chri&s;t at
that tyme which hee had appointed
when all wickedne&s;&s;e raigned,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6</NOTE> and
that all the world through &s;in were
his mortall enimies;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 3</NOTE> and that to make
vs knowe what great charitie hee
bore to vs his enemies that we might
bee iu&s;tified and made cleane by his
bloud,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Collo&s;. 1</NOTE> and to pre&s;erue vs from his
great furie.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 2.</NOTE> By the which Ie&s;us
Chri&s;t our true Pa&s;tor and Bi&s;hop,
the father of mercy hath opened the
ine&s;timable Trea&s;ure of grace <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 5</NOTE> and
mercie <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1</NOTE> which is the Trea&s;ure of all
<PB N="51" REF="31">
faithfull Chri&s;tians vnder Heauen,
to the end that all tho&s;e which tru&s;t
and firmely beleeue that this bloud
was &s;pilt for the remi&s;&s;ion of their
&s;innes, might be &s;aued and deliuered
from the &s;nares of the diuell.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1</NOTE> And &s;o
hereafter in &s;teed of &s;inning wee
might doe good works like vnto our
Redemers, in louing our neighbours
yea euen our enemies, euen as Ie&s;us
Chri&s;t hath loued vs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 2</NOTE> which were
his enemies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 1</NOTE> &amp; therefore gaue him|&s;elfe
vnto death for vs;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 9</NOTE> and that we
&s;hould bee helpfull vnto all in all we
can,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22</NOTE> with as free and good a will as
hee hath done good vnto vs, not ha|uing
re&s;pect vnto the rewarde, but
onelie vnto Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. And to the
end ye &s;hould not thinke that the&s;e
Pardons and Indulgences bee fal&s;e
&amp; counterfeit, we will hereafter fol|lowing
recite the witne&s;&s;es which
were pre&s;ent when they were gran|ted,
beeing all credible per&s;ons, and
who were all expre&s;&s;ly comman|ded
to beare witne&s;&s;e therof vnto all
in generall.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="52" REF="32">
<HEAD>The Witne&s;&s;es of the Premi&s;&s;es.</HEAD>
<P>FIr&s;t, as concerning the ould Te&s;|tament:
Moy&s;es witne&s;&s;eth in
his booke of Gene&s;is, and other
following, in divers places, That by
Ie&s;us Chri&s;t (of the &s;eed of <HI>Abraham,
I&s;ack, Iacob, Iuda,</HI> and <HI>Dauid)</HI> all people
&s;hall receiue ble&s;&s;ing and &s;aluation.</P>
<P>Item,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 19. 2 33. 35. 43. 18. &amp; 53</NOTE> <HI>E&s;aie, Ieremie, Ioel, Mi|chay,
Malacky,</HI> doe witne&s;&s;e, That
the &s;aluation of I&s;raell and of the
elect people of God is in Ie&s;us
Chri&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioel. 2</NOTE> Secondly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> that in the new
Te&s;tament,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mala. 2</NOTE> Saint Mathew witne&s;|&s;eth
that our great Bi&s;hop Ie&s;us
Chri&s;t &s;aith, I am not come to bee
&s;erued, but to &s;erue, and to giue my
life for the redemption of manie.
Item,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9. 20. &amp; 26</NOTE> Behould my bloud which
&s;hall bee for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes.
Item, hee &s;aid vnto one &s;icke of the
Pal&s;ey that he &s;hould beleeue in him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 9. &amp; 16</NOTE>
and his &s;innes were forgiuen him.
The like vnto the &s;ick woman, vnto
<PB N="53" REF="32">
the Leper, vnto the Blind and o|thers.
Saint Marke witne&s;&s;eth al&s;o,
that Ie&s;us &s;aid vnto the father of the
Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, If thou can&s;t beleeue, all
things are po&s;&s;ible vnto him that be|leeueth.
Item, in another place,
Who&s;oeuer will beleeue and bee
bapti&s;ed &s;hall bee &s;aued. And
in manie other places, Saint Luke
witne&s;&s;eth, &s;aying: Ble&s;&s;ed bee the
Lord God of I&s;raell: for hee hath
vi&s;ited &amp; redeemed his people.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luc. 12. 24</NOTE> Item
Behold I bring you tidings of great
ioy vnto all people, to wit, that this
daie is borne the Sauiour which is
Chri&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 13. 5</NOTE> Item, it is written, So it be|houed
that Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;uffer
death and ri&s;e againe, and &s;o enter in|to
his glorie, and that men &s;hould
preach euerie where in his name re|pentance
and forgiune&s;s of &s;innes.
Saint Iohn witne&s;&s;eth that Saint
Iohn Bapti&s;t did publicklie approue
Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;aying: Behould the
Lamb of God which taketh awaie
the finnes of the world. Item who|&s;oeuer
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belueeth in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t the
&s;on of God, he hath euerla&s;ting life.
Item, Verclie I &s;aie vnto you, who|&s;oeuer
heareth my word and belee|ueth
in him that &s;ent mee, hee hath
euerla&s;ting life, and commeth not in
to iudgment,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 2</NOTE> but pa&s;&s;eth for~ death
vnto life.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 1</NOTE> Item, Wee haue an aduo|cate
vnto God the father euen Ie&s;us
Chri&s;t: and he is the propitation for
our &s;innes, who hath loued and
wa&s;hed vs from our &s;ins in his bloud.
And in manie places of the go&s;pel, &amp;
in the Epi&s;tles of Saint Paul he wit|ne&s;&s;eth
in manie texts: &amp; namely to
the Hebrewes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1.</NOTE> where hee &s;aith, Ie&s;us
purgeth awaie &s;inne;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actas <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> Saint Peter al&s;o
&s;aying: It is Ie&s;us Chri&s;t by whome
wee haue remi&s;&s;ion of our &s;innes.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Conclu&s;ion of the&s;e Pardons.</HEAD>
<P>OVr holie father God the crea|tour,
who euer hath been and
&s;hall bee: hath confirmed all the
graces,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudith 1</NOTE> pardons and priuiledges of
<PB N="55" REF="33">
tho&s;e reuerend Legats aboue menti|oned:
and excommunicateth all hin|derers,
murmurers and gain&s;ayers of
tho&s;e &s;aid pardons and indulgences.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 18.</NOTE>
Hee which &s;hall not heare my great
Prophet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1</NOTE> &s;hall bee raced out of the
booke of life. And Saint Paul: If we
or an Angell from Heauen preach a|nie
other thing then that which wee
haue declared and preached, let him
be accur&s;ed. And therfore we reco~|mend
vnto you this noble and mo&s;t
certaine pardon:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 2.</NOTE> for it is that true
pardon which maie be got without
gold or &s;iluer by a liuelie faith which
kindleth a charitie in all tho&s;e which
attaine vnto it, and &s;tirreth them vp
to giue almes vnto all in want, and
render to each one that which ap|pertaineth
vnto them:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4</NOTE> vnto this al&s;o
tendeth the lawe and the Prophets.</P>
<P><HI>Giuen</HI> in the &s;upreame &amp; &s;oueraine
Court of Paradi&s;e, euer &s;ince the
fir&s;t beginning of the world.</P>
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<PB N="54" REF="34">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="55" REF="34">
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
