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<DATE>2014-02-05</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE VOLVNTARIE CONVERSION, AND SEVERALL RECANTATI|ons, of foure great learned men, <HI>pro|fe&s;&s;ed Fryers in &s;undry Mona|&s;teries of Fraunce,</HI> FROM THE ERROVRS OF IDOLATRIE and Poperie, to the true Religion e&s;tabli&s;hed in the <HI>Reformed Church.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Ma&s;ter <HI>Iohn Le Vager,</HI> a Prie&s;t in the <HI>Romane</HI> Church, conuerted at <HI>Mauns, Ianuary</HI> 6.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Ma&s;ter <HI>Iohn Forent,</HI> a Fryer Carmelite, in the Couent of <HI>Morthe|mard,</HI> conuerted in the Reformed Church of <HI>Poictiers, Iune,</HI> 9.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Ma&s;ter <HI>Denis Boucher,</HI> a Franci&s;cane Fryer, in the Couent of <HI>Noi&s;y,</HI> neere <HI>Paris,</HI> conuerted in the Reformed Church of <HI>Paris, Iuly.</HI> 6.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Ma&s;ter <HI>Daniell Du&s;ert,</HI> a Franci&s;can Fryer at <HI>Mello,</HI> conuerted in the Church of <HI>Mello, December,</HI> 22.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>&para; All conuerted this la&s;t yeare, 1603. as their &s;euerall di&s;cour&s;es following at large doe te&s;tifie, vnder their owne hands.</P>
<P>Truely tran&s;lated, out of the French printed Copies.</P>
<P>&para; Imprinted at <HI>London</HI> by <HI>Richard Bradocke,</HI> for <HI>W. Iones,</HI> dwel|ling at the &s;igne of the Gun, neere Holborne Conduit: and are to be &s;olde by <HI>W. A&s;pley,</HI> in <HI>Paules</HI> Church-yard. 1604.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO HIS WORTHILIE RESPECTED KINDE FRIEND, Ma&s;ter <HI>George Gib&s;on,</HI> Citizen and <HI>Mar|chant Taylor of London.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_IN regard of your many kindne&s;&s;es, and no other meanes remaining in mee of requitall, except &s;uch as my condition alloweth: I &s;end you this &s;mall labour of mine, being the &s;euerall conuer&s;ions of foure learned men, from Popi&s;h errour and blinde &s;uper&s;tition. The fame of them hath beene farre extended, in regard of the learned handling of each di&s;|cour&s;e: which, vpon con&s;ideration, I am &s;ure good iudge|ments both haue, and will confe&s;&s;e no le&s;&s;e. I de&s;ire you to accept my good will, and burie all defects in the hone&s;tie of mine intent toward you, till better occa&s;ion may afford me a larger mea&s;ure of loue on your behalfe. This &s;hould haue been acco~panied with another excellent Treati&s;e, of a great Duche&s;&s;es conuer&s;ion in the kingdome of <HI>France,</HI> a learned Epi&s;tle of hers to her Lord and hu&s;band, declaring her &s;ouls high comfort in her for&s;aking Idolatry, and the maine Pa|radoxes of Popery very learnedly di&s;couered: but wanting
<PB REF="3"> lea&s;ure, in regard of other very &s;erious imployments, I am enforced to let it re&s;t till more apt opportunitie. But I hope within short time to perfect it: which (then) shall helpe to &s;upply what wanteth in this toward you. Till when, as heretofore, &s;o shall I &s;till remaine your poore wel-wi&s;hing friend, any way by you to be v&s;ed or commanded.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A PROFESSION OF FAITH, MADE IN THE reformed Church of MAVNS, the &s;ixt day <HI>of</HI> Ianuary, 1603. <HI>by Master</HI> IOHN LE VAGER, &s;ometimes a Prie&s;t in the Church of <HI>Rome.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_AS it is vndoubtedly true, that God mo&s;t powerfully (by his infinite goodne&s;&s;e) hath cal|led vs all to the knowledge of his holy name, to be his people and his Church, whereon on|ly he hath be&s;towed the trea|&s;ures of his mercies, and out of which there is no &s;aluation at all: &s;o certainly, if wee be de&s;i|rous of this goodne&s;&s;e, and would participate of his ble&s;&s;ings and mercies, it behooueth vs to trauaile and &s;tudy, in the &s;earch of this Church, to ioyne and incorporate our &s;elues into the &s;ame. And therefore let vs not imitate the heretique EVTICHVS, who &s;aide; <HI>That as he had learned of his Fathers, and beleeued in the Faith wherein he</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Concil. Cal|ced. Act. 2.</NOTE> <HI>was borne, euen &s;o hee de&s;ired to dye.</HI> Or as AVXENTIVS the
<PB N="2" REF="4"> <HI>Arrian,</HI> who &s;aid: <HI>That as he had learned from his infancie, &s;o</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hillarius in 1. Epi&s;t. ad Aux.</NOTE> <HI>hee beleeued, and would doe &s;till.</HI> Or as the Iewes, thus &s;peaking to <HI>Ieremie: Wee and our Fathers haue done thus.</HI> Or as our ad|uer&s;aries <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 44. 17.</NOTE> at this day doe, who tels vs, that thus our fathers li|ued and beleeued. To all which, God thus an&s;wered by his Prophet <HI>Ezechiel: Walke not yee in the ordinances of your Fa|thers, neither ob&s;erue their waies, nor defile your &s;elues with their</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 20. 18. 19.</NOTE> <HI>Idols. I am the Lord your God, walke in my Statutes, and keepe my iudgements, and doe them. Search the Scriptures,</HI> &s;aith our <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 5. 39.</NOTE> Sauiour Chri&s;t to the Iewes. And in the Go&s;pel of <HI>S. Matthew</HI> al&s;o, foretelling vs of the euil times which now are come vpon vs, he doth aduerti&s;e vs, that there &s;hall be a de&s;olation and re|uolt in his Church, and <HI>that many fal&s;e Prophets &s;hall ari&s;e, who</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 24. 11.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hall come di&s;gui&s;ed in &s;heepes cloathing:</HI> as now adaies wee &s;ee the like doone, by our Monkes, Capuchines and Ie&s;uites, who di&s;gui&s;e them&s;elues in habits of &s;implicitie, of pouerty, of &s;anc|titie &amp; humilitie, and leaue their owne common garments, the better to &s;educe &amp; beguile poore &s;imple people, who &s;uffer the~|&s;eues willingly to be led, by their outward appearances, accor|ding to the example of the ancient hypocritical Phari&s;ies, <HI>with their Philacteries</HI> and outward ceremonies. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 23. 5.</NOTE></P>
<P>We haue a further admonition yet, that when wee &s;ee this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 24. 5.</NOTE> co~fu&s;ion among&s;t fal&s;e Prophets, they wil &s;ay, <HI>Heere is Chri&s;t; others, there is Chri&s;t,</HI> as the&s;e di&s;&s;emblers now v&s;e to doe, &s;ay|ing: He is heere vnder the Cabinet, in our faire guilded Tem|ples, where he yet workes &s;trange miracles. See heer the Iewes <NOTE PLACE="marg">Fal&s;e miracles among the Fryers in Pa|ris, in Italy, and el&s;where. Math. 24 16.</NOTE> Launce that pearced his pretious &s;ide, it is heere on this Altar: See heere a handkercher or napkin, coloured with his bloode. But I &s;ay, that God commandeth vs in this confu&s;ion of decei|uing Prophets, not to beleeue the~, but <HI>that we &s;hould fly to the mountaines.</HI> By which mountaines, he in&s;inuateth vnto vs, that we &s;hould withdrawe, &amp; make diligent &s;earch in the &s;acred Scriptures, on the foundations whereof hee hath builded his Church. So doth &s;aint <HI>Iohn Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> in&s;truct, &s;peaking v|pon that place, <HI>When yee &s;hal &s;ee the abhomination of de&s;olation, &s;tanding in the holy place:</HI> the Lord commandeth vs (&s;aith he) <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 24. 15. <HI>Chri&s;o&s;t. in ope|re imperfect.</HI></NOTE> <HI>that al Chri&s;tians, &s;uch as de&s;ire to holde a firmne&s;&s;e in true faith
<PB N="3" REF="4"> &s;hould retyre them&s;elues to the holy Scriptures: for if they goe to any place el&s;e, they will be &s;candalized and peri&s;h, as not vnder|&s;tanding what the true Church is,</HI> and &s;o may ea&s;ily fall in|to the abhomination of de&s;olation, crept into the holy places of the Church.</P>
<P><HI>Origen</HI> in like manner &s;aith, <HI>Tho&s;e &s;oules that are ignorant of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Origen in Mat. C. 24.</NOTE> <HI>the word of trueth and iu&s;tice, and by that occa&s;ion are ea&s;ily &s;e|duced, cannot abide without &s;eduction, at the verie &s;ight of the abhomination of de&s;olation, in the holy place.</HI> Saint <HI>Hierome</HI> likewi&s;e &s;aith, <HI>At the comming of the Me&s;&s;ias, the people that had &s;lept vnder their teachers en&s;tructions, went to the mountains</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hierom. in Prophet. C. 3.</NOTE> <HI>of the Scriptures, and there found the old mountaines, the moun|taines of the Prophets, and the mountaines of the new Te&s;tament.</HI> And euen as fle&s;h and bloud hath not reuealed Ie&s;us Chri&s;t vn|to vs, but the Father which is in heauen: &s;o ought wee not to &s;eeke for his Church, according to our corporal &s;en&s;e, but with the eyes of faith in the holy Scriptures, wherein God him&s;elfe &s;peakes vnto vs, and teacheth vs the will and league hee hath made with his people, which wee &s;houlde alwaies haue before our eyes, on our foreheades, and in our handes, to meditate thereon both day and night, to accompli&s;h the &s;ame on our behalfe.</P>
<P>As concerning my &s;elfe, I acknowledge and confe&s;&s;e, that I haue beene trained vp in the <HI>Romane</HI> Church, and haue fol|lowed the errours and &s;uper&s;titions therein v&s;ed: being cari|ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">His prote&s;ta|tion concer|ning him&s;elf, and the er|rors wherein he hath liued long.</NOTE> only by cu&s;tome, regarde of antiquitie, and the goodly out|ward &s;hew deliuered. For looking and contemplating it with the eye of fle&s;h, it appeared to me to be to be the true Church, erec|ted for perpetuall continuance, defended on all &s;ides: as being rich, potent, cloathed with golde, purple, and &s;carlet; tryum|phing ouer all her enemies &amp; aduer&s;aries; adored by the Kings and Princes of the earth; commaunding Emperours, holding dominion ouer many nations, and pro&s;pering euen again&s;t the children of God, thru&s;ting the true Church into the de&s;ert wilderne&s;&s;e: But all this was according to the Prophecie of <HI>S. Iohn</HI> in his <HI>Apocalip&s;e,</HI> where he at large de&s;cribeth Antichri&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. Chap. 11. &amp; 12.</NOTE> and his <HI>Babilon.</HI></P>
<PB N="4" REF="5">
<P>Now in this perplexitie, in this conflict of opinions, which we daily &s;ee about the matter of Religion: according to the commandement of God, I con&s;ulted with the diuine Oracle, and withdrewe my &s;elfe to the mountaines of holy Scripture. By who&s;e te&s;timonie, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t repul&s;ed the Tempter, and confirmed his Apo&s;tles after his re&s;urrection. By them, our Fathers &s;toned all heretiques, and (be&s;ides them) what&s;oeuer is &s;poken, is here&s;ie and execration, although it be an Angell that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Galat. 1. 8.</NOTE> deliuers it, or an Apo&s;tle, according as Saint <HI>Paule</HI> teacheth vs. <HI>God will haue obedience by them, and not &s;acrifice. Hee will not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut 12. 4. 2 Sam. 15. 22. Math. 15. 6. Iohn. 10. 4. 5.</NOTE> <HI>be &s;erued, according to the commandement and traditions of men. He acknowledgeth them to be his, that abide in his worde.</HI> He tels vs al&s;o, <HI>that &s;uch as are of his flocke, doe heare his voice and knowe it, and will not li&s;ten to a &s;trangers.</HI> See heere the in|fallible markes of the true Church indeed. But the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> in &s;teede of li&s;tening to this word, and obeying it, in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Of the church of Rome.</NOTE> &s;teede of following the kings high way (which is taught vs by the afore&s;aid mountaines) reuolts &amp; turnes after her owne waies, following her owne fanta&s;ies, and not the commande|ments of the Lord. And &s;o hath quitted her alliance, that wee may iu&s;tly &s;ay of her, that which the Prophet &s;pake of the holy citie of <HI>Ieru&s;alem: How is the faithfull citie become an harlot? She was full of equitie, and iu&s;tice lodged in her: her gold is tur|ned into dro&s;&s;e, and her wine is mingled with water.</HI></P>
<P>And fir&s;t of all, for example, &s;he will needes haue Idols and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Idols and I|mages.</NOTE> Images, contrarie to the commandement of God; and to &s;hift off this &s;inne with an excu&s;e, &s;he glo&s;&s;eth a difference between an Idoll and an Image. And yet the prohibition extendeth, Not to make any re&s;emblance of any thing, <HI>which is in heauen a|boue,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 20. 4. 5.</NOTE> <HI>neither in the earth beneath, nor in the waters below, to &s;erue or wor&s;hip them.</HI> And &s;o them&s;elues doe cut their owne throats; for they &s;ay, that the Image which they place in their Temple, is the &s;imilitude of that &s;ame partie in heauen aboue. And if there be any difference betweene Idoll and Image, an Image is for ornament repre&s;ented in an hi&s;tory: an Idoll, that which is propo&s;ed in the Temple to bee wor&s;hipped, euen as their pretended Images are. THOMAS AQVINAS, one of their <NOTE PLACE="marg">Thomas Aquin.</NOTE>
<PB N="5" REF="5"> greate&s;t Doctors te&s;tifieth the &s;ame, in 3. <HI>Sentent. di&s;t. 2. That</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">in 3. &s;entent. Di&s;t. 2.</NOTE> <HI>the Image ought to be honoured with the &s;elfe &s;ame adoration, as the partie that it repre&s;enteth.</HI> And in the booke tearmed <HI>De|ci&s;iones</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deci&s;io Rotae,</NOTE> <HI>Rotae,</HI> where the que&s;tion is demanded, to wit; whether the Image in the Image-makers &s;hoppe, be to be wor&s;hipped or no: <HI>He an&s;wers plainely no; for it is expo&s;ed there to publick &s;ale: but in the Temple it is placed to be wor&s;hipped;</HI> and the &s;elfe &s;ame in&s;truction is giuen, by the <HI>C. venerabiles de Con&s;. di&s;t.</HI> 3. <NOTE PLACE="marg">C. Venerabiles de Con&s;. di&s;t. 3.</NOTE></P>
<P>Vpon the afore&s;aid holy mountaines, we finde but one God onely, to call vpon in our afflictions and nece&s;&s;ities; And Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elfe &s;aith vnto vs; <HI>Come vnto me all yee that are wearie and heauie laden, and I will ea&s;e you.</HI> The Church of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 11. 28.</NOTE> <HI>Rome</HI> &s;ends vs to &s;o many hee-Saints and &s;hee-Saints, as there be daies in their Calender: and though it be written; <HI>I wil not impart my glorie to any other:</HI> yet dare they communicate, to all &s;uch Saints as them&s;elues haue canonized, the office of an in|terce&s;&s;our or mediatour betweene God and vs, which office is onely proper to Chri&s;t, and dependeth vpon his eternall &s;acri|fice made. For as Saint <HI>Paule</HI> &s;aith: <HI>He is entred into very hea|uen,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9. 24.</NOTE> <HI>to appeare now in the &s;ight of God for vs. If any &s;inne</HI> (&s;aith <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn. 2. 1.</NOTE> &s;aint <HI>Iohn) we haue an Aduocate with the Father, euen Ie&s;us Chri&s;t the Iu&s;t.</HI> In like manner, <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, by one onely &s;acri|fice, made once vpon the Cro&s;&s;e, hath aboli&s;hed the &s;innes of all</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10 14.</NOTE> <HI>beleeuers for euer:</HI> &s;o that there is no further neede of &s;acrifi|cing, being once made thus perfectly. But the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> as if the &s;acrifice of Chri&s;t were imperfect and in&s;ufficient, hath ordained another, for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes both to the dead and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma&s;&s;es for the liuing and the dead.</NOTE> liuing, which they cal the Ma&s;&s;e: and hath &s;ub&s;tituted &s;o ma|ny &s;ucce&s;&s;ours, for the &s;acrificing againe of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, as there be Prie&s;ts that v&s;e to &s;ay Ma&s;&s;e. Contrarie to that which is written: <HI>Thou art a Prie&s;t eternally for euer, after the order of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7. 21.</NOTE> MELCHISEDEC, not hauing any &s;ucce&s;&s;our at all in his &s;acrifice, as the &s;ame ble&s;&s;ed Apo&s;tle <HI>Paule</HI> teacheth vs.</P>
<P>And &s;o in other points of our Religion, the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> hath wholly peruerted the~, namely in Chri&s;ts in&s;titution of his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Peruerting of the Sacra|ments. Of Bapti&s;me.</NOTE> Sacraments. As in Bapti&s;me, they make an addition thereto, of Oyle, of Salt, and of Spettle, &amp; transferre (by meere mockery)
<PB N="6" REF="6"> this holy my&s;tery to bels, Baptizing them, as if they were of Gods elect, and to be ranked among the faithful. Likewi&s;e, the holy Supper which Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in&s;tituted, to make a &s;erious <NOTE PLACE="marg">Of the Lords Supper.</NOTE> commemoration of his death and pa&s;&s;ion, whereby he purcha|&s;ed eternall life for vs, bearing the cur&s;e of our &s;ins vpon him|&s;elfe, and in that re&s;pect, after his benediction made, he brake the bread, &s;aying: <HI>This is my bodie,</HI> to the end we might there|by <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22. 19.</NOTE> be in&s;tructed, that as bread nouri&s;heth our bodies, euen &s;o his wounded bodie, deliuered vp vnto death for vs, doth nou|ri&s;h our &s;oules vnto eternall life, receiuing the &s;ame by Faith, and as a Sacrament. The Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> of this foode for the &s;oule, would make foode for the bodie; teaching, that this was not &s;poken of the bread, which Chri&s;t held in his hands, when he pronounced tho&s;e words <HI>(This is my body)</HI> for the bread was then no more bread: but fanta&s;tically forge certaine accidents without &s;ub&s;tance, of <HI>indiuidua vaga;</HI> and &s;ay, that that is the true bodie of Chri&s;t, which de&s;cended into the bowels of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">C. tribus gradi|bus de con&s;ec. Di&s;t. 2.</NOTE> earth, <HI>et per aqualiculos in &s;ece&s;&s;u~.</HI> And that Rats, Mice, &amp; dogs may eate the bodie of Chri&s;t: as they teach in their <HI>Cautelae Mi&s;&s;ae,</HI> and <HI>S. Thomas,</HI> and other Schola&s;ticks, be&s;ide a thou&s;and other bla&s;phemies. They &s;ay al&s;o, that this propo&s;ition (that the bread is the bodie of Chri&s;t) is hereticall, and S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Part. 3. de Eu|chari&s;t. Quae&s;t. 79. Art. 3. Ger&s;on contra. floretis. 4. <HI>Iohn.</HI> 651.</NOTE> (by con&s;equent) an hereticke, who &s;aith: <HI>That the bread is the bodie of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in the &s;acrament.</HI> And by con&s;equent al&s;o, Chri&s;t him&s;elfe &s;hould be an heretique too, who &s;aith in Saint <HI>Iohn: The bread that I will giue you is my fle&s;h.</HI> Thus make they God imperfect in power, becau&s;e it is impo&s;&s;ible, that two bodies &s;houlde bee in one &s;elfe &s;ame place, as they &s;ay.</P>
<P>I will rehear&s;e vnto yee, how the &s;aide Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> hath gotten together all the auncient here&s;ies: as that of <HI>Montanus,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eu&s;eb. Hi&s;t. Eccl. 8. Ca. 18.</NOTE> who forbad mariage, and made lawe for fa&s;ting: That of <HI>Pela|gius,</HI> who taught, that we may doe diuer&s;e meritorious works. The here&s;ie of the <HI>Euchites</HI> or <HI>Me&s;&s;alians,</HI> who vnder the co|lour of praying to God, and liuing in contemplation: liued in idle &s;lothfulne&s;&s;e, without doing any thing, <HI>deuouring widowes</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 20. 47.</NOTE> <HI>hou&s;es, vnder pretext of long praying,</HI> according as Chri&s;t repro|ued
<PB N="7" REF="6"> the hypocriticall Scribes. Of whome S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> writeth, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Augu&s;t. de ope|re Monach.</NOTE> <HI>that they pray &s;o long, as it is incredible to them that heare them recount them.</HI> And they &s;ay, that it is not lawfull for Monks, to labour for their owne &s;u&s;tenance, but commend their idlene&s;&s;e, and repute them thereby to be pre&s;eruers and keepers of the Go&s;pell. And <HI>Theodoret</HI> &s;peaking of them, &s;aith: <HI>that Failing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Theod. heretic. Fabul.</NOTE> <HI>at prayers, they &s;leepe the greater part of the day,</HI> and &s;o are al|lowed to doe: the Authour whereof, was one <HI>Simeon Ab|beus.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;aid Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> doth teach vs a purgatorie, with the Paganes: And giue vs <HI>Aqua lu&s;tralis,</HI> which they tearme <NOTE PLACE="marg">Purgatory.</NOTE> <HI>Holy water,</HI> which was the inuention of <HI>Numa Pompilius</HI> the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Holy water.</NOTE> Idolater. They bring in the Pagan and Iewi&s;he pompes, in magnificent habits: as Stones, Luminaries and Proce&s;&s;ions. I conceale the re&s;t, for breuitie &s;ake: onely I &s;ay, that as the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> hath willingly changed the ordinances of God, and of his Sacraments: euen &s;o as willingly hath &s;he got|ten an other head and hu&s;band, then Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, to wit, the Pope, who calleth the &s;aid Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> his Spou&s;e, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cap. quoniam de immuni. in 60. C &s;unt qui|dem dicentes cau&s;. 2. 5. quae&s;t. 1. et ibi glo&s;&s;a.</NOTE> guides her according to his owne fanta&s;ie, giuing her new Lawes; and &s;aith, hee hath power &s;o to doe, <HI>in C. Sunt quidam dicentes.</HI> And the glo&s;&s;e approued and allowed by the &s;aide Church, &s;aith; <HI>That he may di&s;pen&s;e again&s;t God, and again&s;t his holy Go&s;pell.</HI> In the doing of which, hee declares him&s;elfe to bee hee, of whome &s;aint <HI>Paule</HI> &s;peakes to the <HI>The&s;&s;aloni|ans: That hee exalteth him&s;elfe again&s;t all that is called God.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 2. 4,</NOTE></P>
<P>For, is not this to exalt him&s;elfe again&s;t all that is called God, boldly to dare, to change his Lawes and his Go&s;pell, to adde thereto, or dimini&s;h thence, as hee &s;aith hee hath power to doe, <HI>In C. Ideo. &s;&s;. erat?</HI> Al&s;o hee &s;aith, that hee is <NOTE PLACE="marg">C. ideo. &s;&s;. erat.</NOTE> God, <HI>C. &s;atis euidenter, Di&s;t.</HI> 96. And &s;o hee makes him&s;elfe to bee, by the adoration done vnto him, and ki&s;&s;ing of his Pantofle. Wee may likewi&s;e beholde his Monkes, Capu|chines and Ie&s;uites, to bee daily &s;ent abroade from him, as his Apo&s;tles and Prophets, to preach his newe Go&s;pelles, and that newe Article of Faith, the extrauagant deui&s;e of BONIFACE the eight, <HI>Vnam &s;anctam Eccle&s;iam.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Vnam &s;anctam Eccle&s;iam.</NOTE>
<PB N="8" REF="7"> And that it followes on nece&s;&s;itie of &s;aluation, to &s;ubmit, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Vnam &s;anctam Eccle&s;iam.</NOTE> obey the Pope in all things, holding and ob&s;eruing his ordi|nances as heauenly. <HI>C. &s;ic omnes. Di&s;t.</HI> 19. And &s;ay, that his di&s;|cipline <NOTE PLACE="marg">C. Sic omnes Di&s;t 19. C. Sors non e&s;t cau&s;. 26. Quae&s;t. 3. C. Honoratus Di&s;t. 74.</NOTE> is more perfect, then the Go&s;pell practi&s;ed and preach|ed by the Apo&s;tles, <HI>C. &s;ors non e&s;t cau&s;. 26. Q.</HI> 3. Al&s;o, to com|pell his vnderlings, to the ob&s;eruation of his lawes, which hee prizeth more then the word of God, as it is to bee &s;eene in <HI>C. honoratus Di&s;t.</HI> 74. And for the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of his lawes and commandements, to be burned aliue, as we haue &s;eene many, for eating fle&s;h on a day by him forbidden: but for bla&s;phe|ming the name of God, or whordome, there needs no more but a little holy water, one <HI>Pater no&s;ter</HI> and one <HI>Aue Maria,</HI> to wa&s;h away the guilt of that offence.</P>
<P>Now by the cariage of him&s;elfe in this manner, hee cannot be Apo&s;tolique, as he vaunts of him&s;elfe, nor yet the &s;ucce&s;&s;our of Saint <HI>Peter:</HI> for doubtle&s;&s;e he &s;its not in Saint <HI>Peters</HI> chaire, that neither holdeth nor confe&s;&s;eth the doctrine, preached by Saint <HI>Peter</HI> and the other Apo&s;tles, who neuer were Law-ma|kers in the Church of God. <HI>For there is but one Law-giuer, which is God.</HI> But there haue beene Amba&s;&s;adors and interpre|ters, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames. 4. 12.</NOTE> as Saint <HI>Paule</HI> in&s;tructeth vs, &s;aying; <HI>That we may be e&s;tee|med as the mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, di&s;pen&s;ers of the &s;ecrets of God.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 4. 1. 2.</NOTE> And Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, &s;ending his Apo&s;tles forthe to preach, &s;aid vnto them; <HI>Goe and teach all nations, baptizing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 28. 19. 30</NOTE> <HI>them in the name of the Father, and the Sonne, and the holie Gho&s;t, teaching them to ob&s;erue all things what&s;oeuer I com|maunded you.</HI> He gaue them then no power, to make newe lawes, as the Pope licen&s;eth his men to doe.</P>
<P>I am not willing to extend this di&s;cour&s;e any further, be|cau&s;e I knowe it hath alreadie beene amply entreated on, by verie learned men of the&s;e times: but will conclude, that &s;ince he is not obedient to the Go&s;pell, but puts in place thereof o|ther doctrines and Go&s;pels, that he can bee no other, but e|uen hee of whome &s;aint <HI>Paule</HI> foretolde, in his Epi&s;tle to the <HI>The&s;&s;alonians,</HI> and as hee is de&s;cribed by &s;aint <HI>Iohn</HI> in his A|pocalip&s;e. And &s;o con&s;equently, his Church, wherof he tearms him&s;elfe to be the &s;pou&s;e and head, is not that Church, out of
<PB N="9" REF="7"> which there is no &s;aluation, and whereto are made &s;uch grati|ous promi&s;es; but rather it is the true <HI>Babylon,</HI> out of which we are commanded to depart, if wee will not partake in her ab|hominations <NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoca. 18. 4.</NOTE> and plagues.</P>
<P>Which I haue done, according to my duety, and the de&s;ire <NOTE PLACE="marg">Concerning him&s;elfe.</NOTE> I haue of mine owne &s;aluation, which is no where offered, but in the true Church: and that is it, which followeth her Spou&s;e where&s;oeuer he goes, and heares his voice, and li&s;tens to no &s;trangers: that is to &s;ay, what&s;oeuer is be&s;ide the doctrine con|tained in canonicall Scripture. For we ought to hold him (who|&s;oeuer) accur&s;ed, that &s;hall preach any other Go&s;pell to vs, ac|cording as Saint <HI>Paule</HI> adui&s;eth vs.</P>
<P>And we &s;ay with TERTVLLIAN, to them of the Romi&s;h <NOTE PLACE="marg">Tertullian.</NOTE> Church: <HI>That they mu&s;t &s;hew their doctrin, written in tho&s;e cano|nicall bookes, or el&s;e let them expect that malediction to fal vpon their heads, due to &s;uch as eyther adde or dimini&s;h from that do|ctrine.</HI> For as for other mens traditions, whereon their Church is grounded, and not vpon the Apo&s;tles foundation, nor the holy mountaines of &s;acred Scriptures: tho&s;e traditions are fal&s;|ly called Apo&s;tolicall, as <HI>Nicephorus,</HI> whom they haue among <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nicephorus in lib. 12. C. 33. 34. &amp; 35.</NOTE> them, doth plainely approue to them the contrarie, in his book the 12. C. 33. 34 &amp; 35.</P>
<P>God open their eyes, by the illumination of his holy &s;pirit, that they may &s;ee the brightne&s;&s;e of his Go&s;pell, to betake them&s;elues to the afore&s;aide mountaines, whereon the true Church is builded, and to reforme their doc|trine, which is to the contrary. Giue vs al&s;o his grace, to per&s;euer in his &s;acred vocation, to his glorie, and our owne &s;al|uation. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Iohn Le Vager.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<PB REF="8">
<PB N="11" REF="8">
<HEAD>A CHRISTIAN DECLA|RATION, OF IOHN FORENT, HEER|tofore a religious Fryer of the order of the <HI>Carmelites, in the Couent of</HI> Morthemard, <HI>and</HI> Curate of <HI>Ca&s;tell Lu&s;ac.</HI> Made publickly in the refor|<HI>med Church of</HI> Poictiers, <HI>on Sunday the 9. of Iune.</HI> 1603.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>2. Cor. 6. 18.</BIBL>
<Q>Come forth from among the Infidels, and &s;eparate your &s;elues, &s;aith the Lood and touch no vncleane thing: And I will receiue you. And I will be a Father vnto you, and yee &s;hall be my Sonnes and daughters, &s;aith the Lord Al|mightie.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_AS all the &s;tones that are to build one hou&s;e, are not brought together in one in&s;tant; and they likewi&s;e, laide readie on a heape, will hardly &s;erue for the con&s;tructure therof, til by good and skilfull workemen, they be di&s;po&s;ed and made meete, each one to &s;erue in his due ranke or place: Euen &s;o our Lord God, doth not gather his elect, of whome he buildeth and erecteth his Church, all at one in&s;tant time or &s;ea&s;on, but according as his prouidence and prede&s;ti|nation hath concluded in his eternal coun&s;ell, and purpo&s;ed for acco~pli&s;hment therof, in &amp; at al times. He cals one while &s;ome, at other &s;ea&s;ons others, and day by day (by his ble&s;&s;ed &s;pirit)
<PB N="12" REF="9"> of rude and vnapt members, he fa&s;hioneth and di&s;po&s;eth them, to enter into the building of his &s;acred Temple: whereof his dearely beloued &s;onne is not onely the foundation, whereon it is builded, but al&s;o the ma&s;ter and corner &s;tone, knitting to|gether the two walles of the &s;euerall people, Iewes and Gen|tiles, into one &s;ole building, which is his true Church.</P>
<P>It is now twelue yeares and more, &s;ince it plea&s;ed God to be|ginne, to make mee li&s;ten to his inward calling, which from one day to another he confirmed to mee by the &s;acred Scrip|tures, whereby continually hee &s;olicited mee, to come out of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and enter into his cele&s;tial <HI>Sion.</HI> But vntil this in&s;tant, there en&s;ued many repugnancies on mine owne behalfe, taking it not to be expedient for my &s;aluation: for an infinite number of humane con&s;iderations, and vaine &s;cruples oppo&s;ed them|&s;elues again&s;t my de&s;ire, pre&s;uming to counterchecke tho&s;e iu&s;t rea&s;ons, which the &s;pirit of God &s;ugge&s;ted to mee; and e|uen like dreadfull Gyants, or furious mon&s;ters, guarding the pri&s;on gate wherein I was enclo&s;ed, gaue me many great ap|prehen&s;ions, and &s;till continued me in the terrible a&s;&s;aults, euen when I be&s;t hoped to e&s;cape away from them. But in the end, it plea&s;ed the mercy of him (who deigned to chu&s;e me among the number of his liuing &s;tones, for entrance into the building of his &s;anctuarie,) by little and little to free mee from tho&s;e feares, by a&s;&s;uring my courage, arming me with his grace, and furni&s;hing me with &s;tones to beate downe the one, and with weapons to cut off the heades of the others. So that now (by the meanes of his ayde and fauour) I &s;ee mine enemies confou~|ded, my pri&s;on doore opened, and the way laide wide open for mee, to enter into the hou&s;e of my father. Further a&s;&s;uring me, that albeit I haue greatly prouoked his anger, in &s;o long time of abu&s;ing his graces for mine enlargement, and therefore I &s;hewed my &s;elfe the more vnworthy, to beare the title of his &s;onne: yet that he is &s;o pittifull, as he will be mooued in com|pa&s;&s;ion towards mee, and allow for acceptable, the repentance wherewith he hath touched my heart; and &s;o, if not as a &s;onne; yet to receiue me into his hou&s;e as one of his &s;eruants.</P>
<P>For now I will take no more delight in tho&s;e &s;pirituall bro|thelries:
<PB N="13" REF="9"> the pure cha&s;titie of his vndoubted Church hath inui|ted and drawne me to her communion. I will now &s;wallow no more of tho&s;e bitter-&s;weete baites, which haue &s;o long time abu&s;ed my ta&s;te, as now appeareth by this contrarie heauenly &s;auour. I de&s;ire in the company of the Children of God, to feede on liuing bread in the hou&s;e of the Lord. The Onions, Leekes and Garlike of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> haue &s;eemed mo&s;t odious and &s;tinking to me, &s;ince I ta&s;ted of the cele&s;tiall <HI>Manna,</HI> which the heauens haue rained downe vpon vs. Too long haue I &s;uckt the putrified and venemous blood, i&s;&s;uing from the impure dugges of that cruell woman, made drunke with the bloode of the Martyres, <HI>Apoc. 17. 6.</HI> High time was it therefore, to reli&s;h now (hence forward) the &s;weete milke, di&s;tilling from the pure pappes of our deare&s;t mother. Too long time hath the deadly cup of abhominations, deliuered daily abroad by that horrid &s;trumpet, beene ouerlaui&s;hly quaffed on: now therefore it be|hooueth the more carefully, to experiment the &s;weete liquour of life, in the Cuppe pre&s;ented to vs by the mode&s;t &s;pou&s;e of Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Hauing then hitherto borne the heauie burden, which the tyranny of Antichri&s;te charged my &s;houlders withall, I holde it rea&s;onable, &s;ince it hath plea&s;ed God &s;o gratiou&s;ly to deliuer me: that all the re&s;t of my life &s;hould be imployed thus, to lay my neck vnder the &s;weete and plea&s;ing yoake, of the iu&s;t rule and gouernment, belonging to my legitimate and Soueraigne king.</P>
<P>And my tongue al&s;o, which heretofore hath beene loo&s;e, &amp; vnbound to bla&s;phemies, as al&s;o the preaching of dreames and lyes: &s;hall henceforth doe his office, in &s;inging the maruels of my God, to ble&s;&s;e his holie name, in the congregation of his Saints, to preach his worde, for the edification of his Church, (if it &s;tand with his good plea&s;ure, to render mee worthy and capable thereof) and al&s;o to giue him thankes, for that it hath plea&s;ed him (after hee gaue me knowledge of his trueth) to deliuer me out of the denne of Lyons, &amp; lodge mee in the fold among his owne flocks. Moreouer, to craue pardon of him, for my hainous tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions committed, in that &s;ince the time
<PB N="14" REF="10"> when hee gaue me a ta&s;te of his truth, I &s;toode out like a Re|bell to the light thereof, re&s;i&s;ting the ble&s;&s;ed Spirit, and defer|ring ouer-long the time of my conuer&s;ion.</P>
<P>But to the end, that &s;uch as haue hitherto heere held mee for a member of the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> may not preiudicately conceiue, that I haue thence di&s;membred or cut off my &s;elfe lightly, and without a great rea&s;on or &s;ubiect: it is expedient, that I deliuer the principall cau&s;e which heerunto hath moued me, and that is nothing el&s;e but this &s;ole rea&s;on; <HI>That out of the Church of God there is no &s;aluation.</HI> For euen as during the time of the Deluge, all tho&s;e men that found them&s;elues to bee out of <HI>Noahs</HI> Arke, were drowned: euen &s;o, all they that are out of the Church &s;hall peri&s;h, and no one per&s;on &s;hall obtaine the eternall inheritance, if fir&s;t of all he haue not God for his Father, and there is no man can haue him for his Father, ex|cept he haue the Church for his Mother.</P>
<P>And fora&s;much as the &s;pirit of God hath giuen mee to knowe, that the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> is not his Church, but on|ly this the true reformed Church: de&s;iring to bee &s;aued, I haue quitted the one, to enter into the bo&s;ome of the o|ther.</P>
<P>And although I can by many rea&s;ons approue and cleare|ly &s;hewe, that the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> is not the Church of God: yet for auoyding of prolixitie, I will produce but three onely, the verie lea&s;t whereof, is &s;ufficient to per&s;wade mee vndoub|tedly, and all &s;uch as are endued with the vnction which teacheth all thinges, that that Church can not any way bee it.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is, that euery congregation which aboli&s;heth the commaundementes of God, to e&s;tabli&s;h other that are con|trarie to them: doth (by this meanes) breake the affinitie which it had with God, and for&s;aking the &s;ame, can no way bee the Church of God. The Church of <HI>Rome</HI> hath abrogated or abo|li&s;hed the commaundements of God, and hath e&s;tabli&s;hed o|thers quite contrarie to them: by which meanes &s;he hath bro|ken the band of alliance with God, and &s;o for&s;aken God. It en&s;ueth then, that it cannot be the Church of God.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="10">
<P>Now for better iu&s;tifying the minor of this argument, wee neede to regarde nothing el&s;e, but what God hath required of a Church, for approbation to bee his, by the two fir&s;t com|mandements of the Lawe.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t, he will bee knowne of her to bee God onely, and as &s;uch a one to bee &s;erued, honoured and adored, forbid|ding to haue any other Gods before him, or to giue them any part of his glorie. <HI>Exod.</HI> 20. 3.</P>
<P>The Church of <HI>Rome</HI> hath &s;o farre failed in the keeping of this commaundement, as &s;hee hath altogether practi&s;ed the contrarie, receiuing an innumerable multitude of Gods, vn|der the name of Saints by the Pope Canonized: which is as much to &s;ay, as Deified, and to them hath attributed and rendered, the &s;elfe &s;ame honour, &s;eruice and adoration, which onely ought for GOD to bee re&s;erued. For &s;hee in|uokes and calles vpon them, makes vowes to them, buildes Temples to them, erectes Altars, ordaines fea&s;tes, celebrates diuine honour and &s;eruice to them; all which thinges doe appertaine to none but God onely. And &s;hee is not conten|ted, to forge &s;traunge Gods in this maner, of the Saints &s;oules, whome they beleeue to bee in heauen (although a great number of them, helde by her for Saintes, may bee buried in hell) but &s;hee delves into the bowels of the earth, and o|pens Sepulchers, where their &s;uppo&s;ed bodies are interred, to make her newe Gods of their bones, of their hayre, of their habites, and other &s;uch like tra&s;he, which &s;hee hath cau&s;ed to bee encha&s;ed into golde and &s;iluer, and &s;o &s;et v|pon Altares, or caried about on their &s;houlders in proce&s;|&s;ions, and make the people to ki&s;&s;e them vpon their knees. Wherein a&s;&s;uredly &s;hee hath exceeded the Iewes, who albeit they were maruellou&s;ly enclined to the forging of &s;traunge Gods: yet were they neuer &s;o bruti&s;h, as to canonize the holy Prophets, neither to giue any honour to the bones of deade men, for what &s;anctitie &s;oeuer they might haue beene com|mended in their liues. Perhaps they builded goodly Sepul|chers, to honour their memorie: but they neuer did any religi|ous &s;eruice to them.</P>
<PB N="16" REF="11">
<P>The bones of <HI>Eli&s;eus</HI> might haue prophecied after his death; if by their touch a deade bodie had beene rai&s;ed: yet all the ho|nour done to them, was to couer them with earth, there to a|waite the &s;ound of the Trumpet, when the &s;oule which before had giuen life to them, &s;houlde returne againe to reinue&s;t them.</P>
<P>If &s;he haue &s;howen her &s;elfe impious and ridiculous, in the&s;e matters already recyted, then well may &s;he be iudged altoge|ther &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e, in tra~&s;lating the diuinity into a mor&s;el of bread, adoring it for Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, &amp; creating to her &s;elfe daily a milli|on of new Gods.</P>
<P>If &s;he haue thus tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t the fir&s;t commande|ment, it will appeare &s;he hath carried no more re&s;pect to the &s;econd, whereby God expre&s;&s;ely forbiddeth the making of any grauen Image, or the re&s;emblance of any thing what&s;oeuer, ei|ther aboue in heauen, heere belowe on the earth, or in the wa|ters vnderneath the earth; nay more, not to fall downe before them, or v&s;e any manner of &s;eruice to them. <HI>Exod.</HI> 20. 4. 5. But this charge hath &s;he taken from the peoples remembra~ce, and mo&s;t maliciou&s;ly hath cut it quite away from the number of the commandements, in the <HI>Houres,</HI> which is a booke of prai|ers, by her mini&s;ters prouided for the vulgar &s;ort: and yet to the end, that there might &s;till remaine the full number of ten, they haue &s;euered the la&s;t, and made two of it. All her Temples hath &s;he filled, &amp; charged her Altars with the Images of men, of Diuelles, of hor&s;es, of hogges, of dogges, and other re&s;em|blances, and to them hath made incen&s;ings, offerings, &s;et ca~|dels burning before them, and her adherents haue pro&s;trated the~&s;elues before them. Nay, &s;o &s;tra~gely hath &s;he herein procee|ded, that in the &s;econd Coun&s;ell of <HI>Nice,</HI> &s;he cau&s;ed it there to be ab&s;olutely decreed, that the&s;e Images &s;hould be adored, &amp; excommunicated al &s;uch as did, or beleeued the contrarie, and that decree doth &s;hee ob&s;erue to this pre&s;ent day. Wherein a|peareth a contrarietie mo&s;t manife&s;t, betweene God, who forbiddeth flatly the adoration of Images, and the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> that commaunds men to adore them. Now as &s;he doth excommunicate euery one that doth not wor&s;hippe them, &s;o
<PB N="17" REF="11"> on the other &s;ide, God cur&s;eth all &s;uch as doe &s;o, or fall downe before them <HI>Deut.</HI> 27. 15. Let euery man then in this point be well adui&s;ed, which malediction ought mo&s;t to be feared: ey|ther that of God, or the other of the <HI>Romane</HI> Church. And though I &s;hould con&s;ider no other rea&s;on, to per&s;wade me that &s;he is not the true Church of God, yet this alone were more then &s;ufficient.</P>
<P>But now another pre&s;ents it &s;elfe before me, which is of no le&s;&s;e weight and &s;ub&s;tance, and that is it which Saint <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith: <HI>Who&s;oeuer tran&s;gre&s;&s;eth and abideth not in the doctrine of Chri&s;t, hath not God. He that co~tinueth in the doctrine of Chri&s;t, hee hath both the Father and the Sonne. If there come any to you, and bring not this doctrine, receiue him not into your hou&s;e, neither bid him, God &s;peede. 2. Iohn. 9. 10.</HI> And Saint <HI>Paule</HI> &s;aith: <HI>Though wee, or an Angell from Heauen doe preach vnto you otherwi&s;e, then that which wee haue preached vnto you, let him bee accur&s;ed, &amp;c. Galat.</HI> 1. 8. 9. The Church of <HI>Rome</HI> hath not continued in the doctrine of Chri&s;t, but hath announced &amp; receiued another Go&s;pell, contrarie to that which the Apo&s;tles preached. Therefore &s;hee hath not God, &s;hee ought not to be receiued nor acknowledged, nor yet to be &s;aluted, but held as execrable and accur&s;ed. Wherefore then, if &s;he haue not God, &s;he is not the Church of God, euen no more then the bodie of a man, when the &s;oule is &s;eparated from it, can then be called, or &s;aid to be a man. If al&s;o &s;he be accur&s;ed, &s;he is not the Church of God, becau&s;e the Church of God is euermore ble&s;&s;ed: and therefore who&s;oeuer will bee &s;aued, ought nece&s;&s;arily to for|&s;ake her, and ranke him&s;elfe there where God abideth.</P>
<P>It &s;hall be ea&s;ie for mee to approue the a&s;&s;umption of this ar|gument, by the conference of the doctrine of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t which the Apo&s;tles preached: with that which the Pope, and all his doctors and preachers Romani&s;ts, doe holde and preach in the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> and I wil begin at the very fou~dation of the Church.</P>
<P>The doctrine Apo&s;tolical teacheth, <HI>Other foundation can no man lay, then that which is laide, which is Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. 1. Cor.</HI> 3. 11. Whereupon, him&s;elfe was de&s;irous to build his Church,
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<PB N="18" REF="13"> &s;aying: <HI>Vpon this Rock</HI> (which is Chri&s;t, the &s;tone which the <HI>Romane</HI> builders haue a&s;well refu&s;ed, as the <HI>Iewes</HI> did) <HI>will I build my Church. Math.</HI> 16. 18. The Church of <HI>Rome</HI> hath ta|ken her &s;elfe from vnder this foundation, and will needes bee grounded on that of Saint <HI>Peter.</HI> But I referre to their opinion, who cannot bee &s;o vnprouided of iudgement, how well the Church &s;hould bee defended again&s;t the powers of hell, if &s;hee had not a more &s;olide foundation then that of Saint <HI>Peter:</HI> who at the voice of a &s;illy young mayden, was in &s;uch &s;ort &s;ha|ken, as all that was builded on him was neere hand ouerturned. If &s;o weak a winde did totter that foundation, what then could the terrible &s;tormes do, which Sathan and his Angels (which are the powers of the ayre) vented out of hell again&s;t the Church of God.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tles taught: <HI>That wee are &s;aued and iu&s;tified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, by Faith in his bloud. Rom. 3. 24. 25. And not by workes, lea&s;t any man &s;hould boa&s;t him&s;elfe. Ephe&s;.</HI> 2. 8. 9. which are the three cau&s;es of our iu&s;tification and &s;aluation: the efficient whereof, is the grace or mercie of God: the materiall, is Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in his bloude: and the in&s;trumentall, faith in him. The Church of <HI>Rome</HI> doth dogmati&s;e the quite contrarie: that wee may acquire iu&s;tice and Paradi&s;e, by our good works, and be iu&s;tified before God by them.</P>
<P>The doctrine Apo&s;tolicall te&s;tifieth: <HI>That by the bloude of Chri&s;t wee are redeemed. 1. Pet. 1. 19. Apoc. 5. 9. purged, Hebre. 1. 3. wa&s;hed and clean&s;ed from all our &s;innes. Iohn. 1. 29. Apoc.</HI> 1. 6. The Church of <HI>Rome</HI> holdes, that wee may re|deeme our &s;innes by almes, fa&s;tings, pilgrimages, celebrati|on of Ma&s;&s;es, and &s;uch like thinges. That there is another pur|gatory, be&s;ide the bloud of Chri&s;t, whereby hee &s;ati&s;fied to GOD, for the paines which were due vnto vs, and where|in wee are purged, clean&s;ed and wa&s;hed from all &s;oyle of &s;inne, to appeare pure and vnpolluted before the face of God.</P>
<P>The &s;ame doctrine of the Apo&s;tles, propo&s;eth vnto vs one &s;ole Mediatour, Aduocate and Interce&s;&s;our, betweene God &amp;
<PB N="19" REF="13"> men, to gaine grace and remi&s;&s;ion of their &s;innes, to wit, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. 1. <HI>Tim. 2. 5. 1. Iohn. 2. 1.</HI> the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> doth attri|bute this office to Saints.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tles taught, that before the comming of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, there were many Prie&s;ts or &s;acrificers made, becau&s;e by death they were impeached from enduring, &amp; &s;o &s;ucceeded one another. But Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>becau&s;e he endureth euer, hath an euerla&s;ting Prie&s;thode. Hebre. 7. 23. 24.</HI> and becau&s;e he had no neede of any &s;ucce&s;&s;our, therefore there was no neede al&s;o, to offer daily &s;acrifices for &s;inne. For he did it once for all, of|fering vp him&s;elfe, and by this oblation onely (the efficacie wherof is daily recent before God) he hath con&s;ecrated, to per|petuitie, tho&s;e that &s;hal be &s;aued. <HI>He. 9. 10.</HI> The Romane Church holds the Pope for &s;oueraigne &s;acrificer, as if Chri&s;t, to whom this office onely appertaineth, were dead, and he of nece&s;&s;itie ought to be his &s;ucce&s;&s;our. She acknowledgeth al&s;o, all the Prie&s;ts of Popery, not only to be &s;acrificers, who&s;e office (&s;hee faith) is daily to offer &s;acrifice in the Ma&s;&s;e, for the &s;ins of the liuing and of the dead: but likewi&s;e (O bla&s;phemie, aboue all bla&s;phemies the mo&s;t execrable) &s;he cals them creatours of the Creator. <HI>Stella clericorum.</HI></P>
<P>The Apo&s;tles deliuered te&s;timonie, <HI>That Chri&s;t was the Prince of Pa&s;tors, and Prince of the Kings vpon earth. 1. Pet. 5. 2. 4. Apoc. 1. 5.</HI> Attributing to him the &s;oueraigne authoritie, as well &s;piritually ouer the Church, as temporally ouer the kingdomes vpon earth, expre&s;&s;ely allowed and giuen him the Father, <HI>The heathen for thine inheritance, and all the ends of the earth for po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. P&s;al. 2. 8.</HI> him&s;elfe al&s;o declaring, when he was to a&s;cend vp into heauen, <HI>that all power is giuen vnto me, both in heauen and earth.</HI></P>
<P>The Church (&s;o much as in her lyeth) de&s;poyleth him of this authoritie, and giues it to the bea&s;t mounted vpon the earth, which repre&s;enteth the Pope, acknowledging him, <HI>to haue two hornes like vnto tho&s;e of the Lambe. Apoc. 13. 11.</HI> to wit, &s;oueraigne authoritie &s;piritual ouer the Church, when &s;he pro|claimeth him vniuer&s;all head of the Church, &s;oueraigne high Prie&s;t, &amp; prince of Bi&s;hops, receiuing the lawes &amp; ordinances
<PB N="20" REF="14"> proceeding from the Dragon, &amp; preferring them before tho&s;e of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, who proceeded from the eternall Father. Shee hath al&s;o graunted him, &s;oueraine authoritie temporall ouer the Kingdoms of the earth, in regard &s;he beleeueth, that it is in his power, to di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e kings of their thrones, and to giue them to others: that all kings doe hold their Realmes, by faith and homage to the Sea of <HI>Rome,</HI> and that the Emperour, him&s;elfe ought not to be held as a lawfull Emperour, if hee be not fir&s;t approued &amp; confirmed by the &s;aid Sea, that he haue fir&s;t ac|knowledged &amp; made ordinarie &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions to the bea&s;t, adored him, and falling downe before his feete, ki&s;&s;ed his Pantofle.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tles taught, <HI>That &s;uch as prayed in a &s;trange tongue, not vnder&s;tanding the &s;ame, although they prayed in &s;pirit, yet their intelligence was neuerthele&s;&s;e fruitle&s;&s;e. 1. Cor. 14. 13.</HI> The Church of <HI>Rome</HI> forbiddeth praying in the Church in any o|ther language then in Latine, wherein the greater part of the people, and many of of the Prie&s;ts them&s;elues, doe vnder&s;tand nothing, therefore their intelligence mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;itie bee fruitle&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The doctrine Apo&s;tolical holdes, <HI>That mariage is honorable among&s;t all, and the bed vndefiled, but whoremongers and adul|terers God will iudge. Heb. 13. 4.</HI> And that, <HI>To auoide fornicati|on, let euery man haue his wife, and let euery woman haue her own husband. 1. Cor. 7. 2. That the Bi&s;hoppe &s;hould be the hu&s;band of one wife, and the Deacon likewi&s;e. 1. Tim, 3. 2. 8.</HI> Hee pronoun|ceth them al&s;o <HI>Apo&s;tates from the faith, abu&s;ers, lyers and hy|pocrites, as &s;hall forbid mariage. 1. Tim. 4. 1. 2. 3.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Romane</HI> doctrine &s;aith, that mariage is pollution, appro|uing and allowing the opinion of one of her Popes, <HI>Siricius,</HI> who qualifying the ca&s;e in this maner, prohibited and forbad mariage to Bi&s;hops, Prie&s;tes and Deacons, tolerating notori|ous whoredomes to the whole worlde, and permitting publick Stewes or Burdelles, that daily pay trybute therefore to the Pope.</P>
<P>By all the&s;e Antithe&s;es, we may ea&s;ily iudge the difference, that is betweene the doctrine of Chri&s;t, and that of the <HI>Romane</HI> Church: and by the&s;e meanes, di&s;cerning it to bee a Church
<PB N="21" REF="14"> without God, execrable and accur&s;ed, thinke it meete, that all &s;uch as woulde bee &s;aued, &s;houlde &s;eparate them&s;elues from it.</P>
<P>Now after &s;hee had thus tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t the comman|dements of God, and in&s;tituted others quite contrarie to them in their places. After &s;he hath renounced the doctrine of the Sonne of God, deliuered by his Apo&s;tles, and cau&s;ed (in their &s;teede) the traditions and con&s;titutions of men, meerely oppo|&s;ite to them all, to be wholly embraced and receiued: There then remained no more, but to make a breach of the Sacra|ments, which our Lord Ie&s;us did leaue to his Church, to con|firme and &s;eale (by them) in the hearts of the faithfull, the truth of his promi&s;es, and vnder the &s;ignes of vi&s;ible thinges, to exhi|bite and giue them (intirely) all his be&s;t ble&s;&s;ings.</P>
<P>Now if &s;hee &s;hewed her &s;elfe &s;o audacious and bolde in the two former points, it will appeare, that &s;he hath declared her &s;elfe no le&s;&s;e pre&s;umptuous and head&s;trong in this third. For ouer and aboue her annihilating the Sacraments, e&s;pecially that of the Lords Supper, aboli&s;hing the &s;ignes, without which it can be no Sacrament, three things being required in all Sacra|ments; to wit, the word, the &s;igne, and the thing &s;ignified: She hath contaminated and prophaned the &s;ame, by her additions or diminutions, She hath added to the water in Bapti&s;me, Salte, Spettle, Oyle and Creame, without any one worde of God to warrant the &s;ame. She hath cut off from the Laitie (as &s;he tearmes them) the Cup, the moitie of the Sacrament of the Supper, and which be&s;t repre&s;enteth vnto vs the death and pa&s;&s;ion of our Lord, which wee ought to remember, and the wa&s;hing of our &s;oules from &s;inne, which we ought to &s;eeke af|ter, &amp;c. contrarie to his owne expre&s;&s;e worde, that &s;aith: <HI>Drink yee all of this.</HI></P>
<P>Now God hath mo&s;t exactly enioyned vs, that wee &s;hall haue care of fulfilling what he hath commaunded vs, and that we &s;hall not be &s;o bolde, as to adde any thing, or dimini&s;h a|ny thing: this was not a temporall commaundement, giuen to the Iewes onely, for his enduring is eternall, and hee addre&s;&s;ed the &s;ame to his Church, euen to the end of the worlde. If it
<PB N="22" REF="15"> were not lawfull to adde to, or omit any of the ceremonies or|dained by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> concerning the eating of the Pa&s;chal Lamb, which was one of the Sacraments to the Iewes: why &s;hould it bee permitted now on the behalfe of our Sacraments? And, if any one that mi&s;pri&s;ed the Lawe of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> dyed the death without any mercie: what farre wor&s;e torments then doth hee de&s;erue, that &s;hall treade the &s;onne of God vnder his feete?</P>
<P>The Church of <HI>Rome</HI> tramples with her foule feete vpon him; when &s;hee addeth to, and dimini&s;heth from his worde, when &s;he de&s;pi&s;eth his doctrine, and deliuers another; when &s;he prophanes his Sacraments; and when &s;o enormou&s;ly &s;hee tran&s;gre&s;&s;eth the commaundements of God. It followes then, that &s;hee is to expect mo&s;t rigorous puni&s;hments: and &s;uch as will not participate in her plagues, mu&s;t keepe them&s;elues from partaking in her &s;innes, and, lea&s;t they bee infected, to quit them&s;elues of her in due time.</P>
<P>I adiure then all tho&s;e, in who&s;e &s;oules re&s;ides any &s;parke of pietie, of zeale to the glorie of GOD, and of affection to their owne &s;aluation: that they, weighing the&s;e rea&s;ons, and not beleeuing euery &s;pirit, but <HI>approuing the &s;pirites, whether they bee of GOD or no, propo&s;e to them&s;elues, that many fal&s;e Prophets are come into the world. 1. Iohn. 4. 1.</HI></P>
<P>And fora&s;much, as by the &s;acred Scripture, which is as a candle &s;et vpon a candle&s;ticke, to illuminate all tho&s;e that en|ter into the Lords hou&s;e, (and whereby all fal&s;ities, Idola|tries, bla&s;phemies, here&s;ies, &s;acriledges, abu&s;es, &s;uper&s;titions heerein alreadie &s;pecified, and infinite other follies and gro&s;&s;e ab&s;urdities, which the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> hath concei|ued in her crazed braine, voide of all wi&s;dome, yet after &s;hee hath once infanted them, they are nouri&s;hed &amp; brought vp in &s;o greate an e&s;tate, as they haue almo&s;t ob&s;cured the true &s;eruice of GOD, and euen very neere hand &s;uffoca|ted the whole doctrine of &s;aluation) &s;hee may bee ea&s;ilie&s;t di&s;couered: yet notwith&s;tanding &s;hee hath beene &s;o &s;ubtile, as to forbid the people the reading of them, knowing verie well, that if they bee read, the pot of Ro&s;es would be di&s;|couered, and all the world abandoning her, would &s;ende
<PB N="23" REF="15"> forth an open cry vpon her, as after an enraged wolfe, that hauing broken the pales of the Churches Parke, &s;ought to loo&s;e and de&s;troy the poore flock of the Lord.</P>
<P>Neuerthele&s;&s;e, &s;hee could not &s;o cunningly prouide for her owne affaires, but GOD di&s;couered her parts of &s;hame, and laide open her abhominations to the whole worlde: for the light of his Go&s;pell now &s;hining euery where, all the nookes and corners are wide open, and the ma&s;que, where|with &s;hee &s;hadowed her deformed countenance, hath beene rent off from her face, and there is no one (if hee bee not wilfully blinde) but may &s;ee and perceiue her tur|pitude.</P>
<P>And yet for all this, beeing thus publikely knowne, quite contrarie to the imitation of all &s;hamele&s;&s;e &s;trumpets, perceiuing they can no longer bee couered: yet &s;hee hath ca&s;t downe all &s;hame, and contemning all what&s;oeuer, &s;uffereth her &s;elfe to bee carried into the depth of all ini|quitie.</P>
<P>Shee is become like to her owne Images, that haue eyes, yet &s;ee nothing, eares, and heare nothing at all. Shee hath &s;topt her eares like the Adder, as not willing to heare the voice of her hu&s;band, who called her to better vnder&s;tanding, by the admonitions of &s;uch as bemoned her mi&s;happes, &amp; de&s;ired her reconciliation. She hath altogither &s;hut her eyes, becau&s;e &s;he would not &s;ee the light of trueth, taking nothing el&s;e more op|po&s;ite again&s;t her hart, then the bright &s;plendour thereof. Bee|ing no way comparable to the noble Eagles, who looke with wide open eyes (without winking) vpon the glorious Sun: but rather re&s;embling Moules, that delight them&s;elues to dwel perpetually in the darke bowels of the earth, making no ac|count at all of the light. And although they haue no eyes whereby to di&s;cerne it, yet notwith&s;tanding are they &s;uch e|nemies thereto: as the lea&s;te opening they feele, for ap|pearance of any of his beames, or the ayre that may yeelde &s;ome glimmering to them, makes them neuer cea&s;e, vntil they be vnderneath a great ma&s;&s;e of earth, that light may not any way haue pa&s;&s;age to them.</P>
<PB N="24" REF="16">
<P>In like maner, when God hath plea&s;ed to make &s;ome ope|ning, whereby to cau&s;e &s;ome penetrating or &s;plendour of the faire beames of truthes cleare light into the Church of <HI>Rome:</HI> yet in regard &s;he affecteth nothing more then dreames, wherin &s;he hath long time beene nou&s;led, and v&s;ed them as a common habit, &s;he hath imployed all her earthly forces again&s;t it, that no way it may haue entrance to her. And perceiuing that to dart her thunder bolts of exco~munication, hath growen little to her auaile, &s;he makes her recour&s;e now, to execute her de&s;|&s;ignes by the power of kings, by murdring Canons, &s;wordes, and Armes: &s;he hath practi&s;ed al the rigours of the ciuil lawes, &s;eruing her turne with bani&s;hments, pro&s;criptions, impri&s;o|nings, libbitings, burnings, and other cruell inflictions. Shee hath oppo&s;ed the decrees of her Popes, the traditions of her fa|thers, the Canons of her Councels, the headie opinions of her Schollers, with the fallacies of her Sophi&s;ters. Shee hath not forgot, to &s;et (as marching in her formo&s;t rankes) her venerable antiquitie, her innumerable multitude, her continued &s;ucce&s;&s;i|on of Pa&s;tours, her inuented miracles, her precious &s;anctitie of Reliques, her mo&s;t holy &s;plendour of Ceremonies, the beautie and ine&s;timable riches of her ve&s;&s;els and golden ornaments, &amp; the thundring noy&s;e of her belles, as al&s;o the maruellous buil|ding of her churches: whereby &s;hee makes her&s;elfe amiable to all &s;uch, as are deaffe to his voice that cals them to &s;alua|tion.</P>
<P>All which things, are like &s;o many cloudes gathered toge|ther, to hinder by their thick darkne&s;&s;e, that the bright &s;unne might not iu&s;tly &s;hine among them: like &s;o many heapes of earth, onely to &s;uffocate and burie trueth in, if &s;he but offer to enter vpon them: or as &s;o many illu&s;ions, to make her affrigh|ted, if (of her owne nature) &s;he were any way fearefull. But al|beit the &s;unne doe tardie time a while, yet his ari&s;ing &s;urmou~|teth tho&s;e cloudes, and a vehement winde di&s;per&s;eth them a|broade, a great floud of waters de&s;cending from heauen, quite beares away all tho&s;e heapes of earth, and the bright pre&s;ence of the Lord makes all tho&s;e feigned illu&s;ions to vani&s;h. And in de&s;pight of all the policies of Antichri&s;t, hee will enter, to
<PB N="25" REF="16"> vi&s;ite them that de&s;ire his companie, and to comfort them that mourne after him, and powerfully deliuer them out of the bloudie wolues fangs, that call vpon him for their helpe.</P>
<P>God al&s;o (in the end) will puni&s;h the bla&s;phemies, which this &s;trumpet hath ca&s;t forth again&s;t his glorie, the contempt of &s;aluation by him freely offered, but by her mo&s;t impudently reiected, and will reuenge the outrages, done by her to his cho|&s;en and faithfull; which alreadie he had executed, &amp; quite con|founded her in the bottomle&s;&s;e depth, but that his mercie at|tendeth the re&s;t of his elect, who like good corne, are mingled among the darnell: and to the end they may not peri&s;h with the chaffe, and be ca&s;t into the quenchle&s;&s;e fire, he will (in his good time) &s;elect them into his Garner. For euen as while <HI>Lot</HI> was in <HI>Sodome,</HI> he deferred the puni&s;hment of the wicked: &s;o, while one of his elect &s;hall abide in the polluted Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> God (with ouer-great patience) will endure her abho|minations, and day by day augment the light of his trueth.</P>
<P>Which that hee may in his exceeding loue and mercie &s;till vouch&s;afe to doe, vpon my knees I hartily entreate of his diuine Maie&s;tie: And pray you all heere pre&s;ent, to beare te&s;timonie of mine vnfained conuer&s;ion, imploring al&s;o your continuall prayers, for my con&s;tant per|&s;euerance vnto my liues end.</P>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Iohn Forent.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<PB REF="17">
<PB N="27" REF="17">
<HEAD>A DECLARATION AND PROFESSION PVBLICKLY made, in the reformed Church of <HI>Paris, gathered together at</HI> ABLON.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>BY MASTER DENIS BOVCHER, SOME|time a Monke of the Order called Saint <HI>Frances,</HI> in the Couent of <HI>Noi&s;y,</HI> neere <HI>Paris.</HI> On Sonday the &s;ixt of <HI>Iuly 1603. of his conuer&s;ion to the true Apo|&s;tolike Religion; and abiuration of the Popi&s;h errours, &s;uper&s;titions and Idolatries.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_MY Ma&s;ters, it is no newe thing, neither ought it to be ac|counted &s;trange, to &s;ee &amp; heare rebellions and bla&s;phemies a|gain&s;t God, or per&s;ecutions and here&s;ies again&s;t his Church and holy trueth: for &s;uch matters haue held place, euer &s;ince the beginning and creation of the worlde, as the &s;acred Scrip|tures &s;ufficiently doe te&s;tifie. The wicked &s;pirit, &s;hadowed with the Serpents skinne, would neuer cea&s;e, till he had &s;educed and withdrawne our fir&s;t pa|rents, from their obedience to God and his commandements. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;. 3.</NOTE> In the daies of <HI>Noah,</HI> who was at that time a great Patriarke and Prophet of GOD, as al&s;o an Heralde of his iu&s;tice, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;. 6.</NOTE>
<PB N="28" REF="18"> there aro&s;e ouerbold audacious Gyants, giuen to all filthine&s;&s;e and corruptions: wherby they fell to make war again&s;t God, and in &s;uch &s;ort prouoked him, as they drewe his iu&s;t iudge|ment again&s;t all the inhabitants on earth, and the vniuer&s;all Deluge of waters, wherein all fle&s;h was drowned and pe|ri&s;hed.</P>
<P>After the Deluge, <HI>Nimrod</HI> and his a&s;&s;ociates, puffed vp al&s;o with an ambitious head&s;trongne&s;&s;e, no way willing to depend <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 10.</NOTE> vpon God, were the fir&s;t that e&s;tabli&s;hed tyranny and violent dominion in the world, and enterpri&s;ed to &s;ignalize them&s;elues for pride, in building of the Tower of <HI>Babell:</HI> but God made a mockerie of them, and euen confounded them in their owne enterpri&s;e, by the confu&s;ion of their languages.</P>
<P>Wee &s;ee throughout the whole booke of <HI>Exodus,</HI> how God, (after hee had with long patience toward <HI>Pharaoh</HI> the king of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> &s;hewed that he forgot not his people by him per&s;ecu|ted, nor yet his bla&s;phemies committed again&s;t his Maie&s;tie) in the end, by a &s;trong hand deliuered his people, drowning the &s;aid <HI>Pharaoh</HI> and all his followers, in the waters of the red Sea. Many other &s;trangers did bandie them&s;elues again&s;t God, and likewi&s;e per&s;ecuted his people, as the <HI>Chaldeans, Babilo|nians, Per&s;ians</HI> and other people, whome God (at length) did vtterly ruinate.</P>
<P>Which examples doe declare vnto vs, that there is no power nor prudence, neither any coun&s;ell what&s;oeuer, that can pre|uaile again&s;t the Lord our God. But when hee once awakens him&s;elfe (as after a profound &s;leepe, to v&s;e the Prophets owne words) hee knowes how to reuenge him&s;elfe on tho&s;e that dur&s;t lift vp them&s;elues before him, and oppo&s;e their weakne&s;&s;e again&s;t his glorie.</P>
<P>The Hi&s;tories Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall and prophane, as well auncient as moderne, giue vs a&s;&s;urance and proofe hereof, in many great and generall per&s;ecutions, and other particuler occa&s;ions be|&s;ide, rai&s;ed vp by the Romane Emperours, with other great kings, Princes and Infidel Potentates, again&s;t God, his Church and &s;acred trueth: wherein (neuerthele&s;&s;e) hee hath in the end &s;howne him&s;elfe mo&s;t magnificently victorious, euen ouer all
<PB N="29" REF="18"> his enemies, protecting and defending all tho&s;e that put their tru&s;t in him. Which al&s;o was the ble&s;&s;ed aduerti&s;ment and a&s;|&s;ured con&s;olation, that &s;ometimes our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t gaue to his Apo&s;tles, when hee &s;ent them forth to preach his word, &s;aying. <HI>I &s;end yee forth as &s;heepe and lambes among Wolues. Yee</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hall haue manie enemies, that &s;hall put yee to much paine and trauaile in the world: But bee yee of good courage, for I haue o|uercome the world.</HI> And further a&s;&s;urance of victorie hee gaue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 21.</NOTE> them, by meanes of a mouth filled with wi&s;dome, which none &s;hould be able to re&s;i&s;t or &s;peake again&s;t. Vndoubtedly then, it is a mo&s;t extreame folly, for men to thru&s;t them&s;elues forward, or to enterpri&s;e any thing what&s;oeuer again&s;t his wi&s;dom, be|cau&s;e he is euermore too &s;trong for them, and he will maintaine his right again&s;t all power what&s;oeuer.</P>
<P>In this re&s;pect (my worthy &amp; iudicious Ma&s;ters) becau&s;e now daies it &s;eemes, that the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> is mightily aduan|ced, by the multitude of her &s;uppo&s;ts and fal&s;e Pa&s;tors, who in &s;tead of the true heauenly foode, pre&s;ent nothing el&s;e but ve|nemous hearbes and fal&s;e doctrines, therewith to feede the &s;oules, of men: Although (I &s;ay) it appears, that this Synagogue of Sathan do daily beare vp &s;aile, God &s;paring and delaying his iudgements again&s;t her. Yet notwith&s;tanding, at length hee will let loo&s;e the arrowes of his indignation and fierce anger, again&s;t her bla&s;phemies, &s;o that &s;hee &s;hall no way be able to endure the weight of his di&s;plea&s;ure: but &s;hall altogither re|maine confounded and ruined. Whereas on the contrary part, hee will defend, pre&s;erue and encrea&s;e (day by day) his little flock, as we may perceiue, that many (being guided and con|ducted by his holy &s;pirit) haue for&s;aken the accur&s;ed foulde of Popery, to ranck them&s;elues among&s;t the members of his true Church.</P>
<P>And heere (my ma&s;ters) I pre&s;ent my &s;elfe before you, as one of them, who although I was one of the lea&s;t members of that great Popi&s;h bodie: yet did I not de&s;i&s;t from per&s;ecuting to my vttermo&s;t, the true Church of our Sauiour, and the verity of his Go&s;pell, which I impugned by diuer&s;e here&s;ies, which I learned in the infectious Cloy&s;ters of &s;undry Mona&s;teries,
<PB N="30" REF="19"> publickly preaching and pronouncing them, vnder&s;tanding and corrupting mo&s;t vilely the holy Scriptures, arming and &s;er|uing mine owne turne, with infinite other &s;ubornations, only to contradict the trueth withall. I did intirely oppo&s;e my &s;elfe again&s;t that goodly and bright &s;plendour, &s;hining mo&s;t glori|ou&s;ly in the word of God: And (to &s;peake truely) I made a &s;pare of nothing, which I imagined might &s;erue for mine owne con|&s;eruation in the e&s;tate of lying. But yet at length, when God made me to know, that it was ouer-hard for me to kick again&s;t the prick, and that I had wilfully &s;hut vp mine eyes before, on|ly becau&s;e I would not looke on the bright Sunne of iu&s;tice, which vouch&s;afeth to illuminate all the world, God then (I &s;ay) in mercie looking vpon mee, did let mee plainely perceiue, that I de&s;erued no le&s;&s;e cha&s;ti&s;ement, then the verie&s;t wretch in the whole worlde. And, to the end I may make a more par|ticular declaration of his grace be&s;towed vpon mee, receiuing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 8.</NOTE> and likewi&s;e deliuering to you a &s;ound &s;ubiect of him, to ren|der all prai&s;e and thankes with mee to him therefore, as al&s;o on the other &s;ide, that mine example of entring now among&s;t you, may the more re&s;oluedly confirmeyee in the trueth: I wil &s;peak and deliuer vnto yee in very fewe words, the grounds of tho&s;e cau&s;es, which moued and incited mee to for&s;ake Antichri&s;tes <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.</NOTE> part of <HI>Rome,</HI> to followe the trueth of God, and ioyne my &s;elfe to the bodie of his Church.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t of all, the word of God teacheth vs, that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is our &s;oueraigne Prophet, King and Prie&s;t, and that at one time onely, he offered vp him&s;elfe a &s;acrifice to God, for vs who were vtterly lo&s;t, the children of wrath, &s;inne and death. That by one oblation onely hee hath &s;anctified vs, &amp; bought vs from the cur&s;e of the Lawe, euen when hee made him&s;elfe a cur&s;e for vs. Now the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> confe&s;&s;eth, that al|beit Ie&s;us Chri&s;t did die for vs: yet his death is not profitable to vs, except wee doe &s;ome good workes, to apply vnto our &s;elues matter of merit thereby. As if hee had not offered vp him&s;elfe to his Father, but rather is to be offered vp by the Sa|crifices and Doctours of the Lawe: And that his oblation is not meritorious only, except the &s;ame be daily reiterated in the
<PB N="31" REF="19"> Ma&s;&s;e, which (they &s;ay) is propitiatorie to God, both for the liuing and the dead. That Chri&s;t hath not throughly deliuered vs from the cur&s;e of the Lawe, but that (to bee &s;aued) we ought in our &s;elues to accompli&s;h the Lawe. Wherein they contra|dict manife&s;tly the &s;acred Scriptures, and namely that place taught by &s;aint <HI>Paule,</HI> in the &s;econd Chapter of his Epi&s;tle to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2. and other places.</NOTE> the <HI>Ephe&s;ians.</HI></P>
<P>The holy Scriptures al&s;o doe en&s;truct vs, that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is the alone Mediatour betweene God and man, as al&s;o the on|ly <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 2. 1. Iohn. 2. Iohn. 10. Phil. 2. Colo&s;. 1.</NOTE> Aduocate and interce&s;&s;our. That hee is the good Sheepheard: that God hath &s;ubiected all things vnto him, and made him the head of his Church. The Pope, oppo&s;ing him&s;elfe again&s;t all the&s;e, commaunds, that prayers mu&s;t be made to he Saints and &s;hee Saints, as mediatours betweene God and men, and in regard that they haue beene men, they haue the more com|munication with our nature, and are more enclined to com|pa&s;&s;ion of our mi&s;eries, then Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. And yet notwith|&s;tanding, it is hee that &s;aith: <HI>Come vnto mee all yee that are heauie laden, and I will ea&s;e you.</HI> Be&s;ide, <HI>What&s;oeuer you de|maunde</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 11. Iohn. 14.</NOTE> <HI>of the Father in my name, you &s;hall obtaine it.</HI> The Pope auoucheth, that although Ie&s;us Chri&s;t bee the heade of the Church, yet (&s;aith hee) that he him&s;elfe is the mini&s;teriall head thereof in earth, and that all things are as wel &s;ubiected to him, as vnto Chri&s;t. That all, what&s;oeuer hee doth or &s;aith, ought to be helde and reputed, as comming euen from God him&s;elfe. That in things which concerne Religion, he cannot erre: &amp; yet notwith&s;tanding, many Popes haue bin found to be heretikes, witne&s;&s;e <HI>Liberius, Marcellinus</HI> and others. Hee &s;aith al&s;o, that his commaundements ought to bee executed equally with them belonging to God. In breefe, hee would make the world beleeue, that the Church of GOD is a mon&s;ter with two heades, before which (equally) all knees ought to bowe and bend.</P>
<P>God did likewi&s;e expre&s;ly forbid his people, and &s;o con&s;e|quently to all men, to make any grauen Image, of any thing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 20.</NOTE> what&s;oeuer, to v&s;e any &s;eruice thereto, or fal downe before it. The Pope on the contrarie part, hee will haue Churches to
<PB N="32" REF="20"> be filled with &s;tatues, Images, Idols, and pictures: whereto in|cen&s;ings and honours mu&s;t be done, and before whome they mu&s;t fall pro&s;trate, although they be vaine things, &amp; the works of mens hands.</P>
<P>Finally, the holy Spirit doth a&s;&s;ure vs, that the &s;acred Scrip|tures are diuinely in&s;pired, that they are apt to en&s;truct, correct <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 3.</NOTE> and conuince, and that they can make a man wi&s;e before God to &s;aluation. The Pope and his partakers, taking them&s;elues to bee more wi&s;e then the holy Gho&s;t, doe not onely &s;ay, that the &s;acred Scriptures are ob&s;cure, but al&s;o that they be in&s;ufficient, and like vnto a &s;word cutting with two edges. That they haue a no&s;e of wax, which heretikes forme after their owne plea|&s;ure, and wherewith they &s;erue their owne turne, to confirme their here&s;ies. The&s;e are &s;uch bla&s;phemies, as none but a di|uell dur&s;t vtter: con&s;idering that Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, in many places, doth authori&s;e the holy Scriptures, referring all to their <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 5. Luke. 4.</NOTE> &s;ubiectionhat ought men then to doe, but followe his ex|ample in all things, which concerne religion, and the &s;eruice of God?</P>
<P>VVhich if they of Popi&s;he &s;pirit would doe, &s;o many tradi|tions and humane doctrins &s;hould not be &s;een, directly again&s;t the word of God: As is that of Purgatorie, prayer for the dead, Indulgences, vowes and pilgrimages, auricular confe&s;&s;ion, and others, &s;o full of &s;uper&s;titions and Idolatries; and neuer were heard &s;o many bla&s;pemies. Namely, as when the title of ho|nour of the holy Father, or of his holine&s;&s;e, which appertai|neth to none but God onely, is attributed and giuen to a mor|tall man, a poore and mi&s;erable &s;inner. The Sacraments of the Church, which are but two, in&s;tituted by our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: are they not broken and prophaned, when we &s;ee them to bee augmented, and added vnto, with fiue other ba&s;tard Sacrame~ts? All which, hauing no in&s;titution, commaundement or promi&s;e in the word of God: we cannot, neither ought wee to make any v&s;e of them.</P>
<P>My ma&s;ters, the&s;e things, with many others, haue incited me to for&s;ake the places where they are taught and comman|ded, to leaue the large and &s;pacious way, which leadeth to per|dition, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7.</NOTE>
<PB N="33" REF="20"> to follow the hard and narrow path, full of thornes and afflictions, which conducteth men to our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, at the end whereof, vn&s;peakable felicitie is found. I &s;et downe my re&s;t then (the grace of God a&s;&s;i&s;ting me) to imbrace with you the profe&s;&s;ion of true Chri&s;tianitie, and therein purpo&s;e to liue and die. VVhich I &s;weare, prote&s;t and promi&s;e before God, and all this holie a&s;&s;embly. And to renounce, as at this in&s;tant I haue renounced altogither, al the fal&s;e doctrines, &s;uper&s;titions, and Idolatries of Poperie: namely, that fal&s;e, counterfaite and bla&s;pheamous &s;acrifice of the Ma&s;&s;e, quite contrarie to the me|rits, death and pa&s;&s;ion of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Vpon whom only I wil lay the foundation of my faith, and ca&s;t Anker there, with vndoubted hope of life eternall and perpetuall ble&s;&s;ed|ne&s;&s;e. I pray God (with all my heart) to grant me grace heer|in, and entreate you all my Ma&s;ters, according to your charitie, to bee helpefull heerein to mee with your holy praiers to him: To whome with the Sonne, and the holy Gho&s;t, bee all glorie and honour for euermore. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>This pre&s;ent declaration was with a loude voice pro|nounced, in the pre&s;ence of the whole reformed Church of <HI>Paris,</HI> congregated at <HI>Ablon,</HI> after the end of the Sermon: On Sunday the &s;ixt day of this pre&s;ent moneth of <HI>Iuly,</HI> 1603. By me <HI>DENIS BOV|CHER,</HI> and thus &s;igned.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>D. Boucher.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<PB REF="21">
<PB N="35" REF="21">
<HEAD>A DECLARATION MADE BY MA|&s;ter DANIELL DVSERT, a natiue of <HI>Cinte-gauelle neere to</HI> Tholou&s;e, <HI>and heretofore a Religious Fryer,</HI> ac|cording to the Order of Saint <HI>Frances.</HI> Contayning his abiura|tion of the Doctrine of the <HI>Romish</HI> Church, and his prote&s;tation to liue and dye in the Faith of the reformed Church. Made publickly by him&s;elfe, in the Church of <HI>Mello,</HI> the 22. day of December, 1603.</HEAD>
<P>_I Render thanks to God, that af|ter &s;o long time of wauering in faith, and plunging in the er|rours of the <HI>Romane</HI> Church, being altogither led by the cu~|ning Doctours of that profe&s;&s;i|on, and brought into &s;uch an e|&s;tate, as being wholly &s;ubiected vnder the power of the Prince of darkne&s;&s;e: hee hath yet at length (by the vertue and effi|cacie of his ble&s;&s;ed &s;pirit) giuen me to knowe, that the doctrine preached in the &s;aid <HI>Romane</HI> Church, is as farre off from the true Euangelicall doctrine, as earth is from heauen, &amp; that &s;uch as follow that track, are out of the way of their &s;aluation. For proofe whereof, it is a matter mo&s;t certaine, <HI>That out of Chri&s;ts Church there is no &s;aluation at all.</HI> Now, that is the Church of Chri&s;t, which heares his voice: therefore, &s;ince the voice of Chri&s;t (that is to &s;ay, his word) is not heard among them of the <HI>Romi&s;h</HI> Church, it mu&s;t needs follow, that they are neither of his Church, nor yet of his flock. And to &s;hew apparantly, that the voice of Chri&s;t is not heard in the &s;aide <HI>Romane</HI> Church, we will proceede in approuing the &s;ame, by the manife&s;t Anti|the&s;is and oppo&s;ition, which is betweene the <HI>Romi&s;h</HI> doctrine, and that of Chri&s;t, contained in the &s;acred Scriptures.</P>
<PB N="36" REF="22">
<P>And fir&s;t of all, the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> teacheth, that the holy Scriptures doe not containe all the doctrine of our &s;aluation. Which is quite contrarie to the Apo&s;tles in&s;truction, who plainely &s;aith: <HI>That hee had knowen the holy Scriptures of a childe, which are able to make wi&s;e vnto &s;aluation, through the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 3 15.</NOTE> <HI>faith which is in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. For the whole Scripture is giuen by diuine in&s;piration, and is profitable to teach, to conuince, to correct, and to in&s;truct in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. That the man of God</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. eod., v 16. 17.</NOTE> <HI>may he ab&s;olute, being made perfect vnto all good workes.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> It appeareth then that they erre, in teaching, that, be&s;ide the doctrine of holy Scripture, the traditions of men are nece&s;&s;arie to &s;aluation. Directly contrary to our Lord &amp; Sauiours in&s;truc|tion, where he &s;aith: <HI>In vaine they wor&s;hip me, teaching for doc|trine,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 15. 9.</NOTE> <HI>the traditions of men.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> They teach al&s;o, that the &s;ame Scriptures are &s;o ob&s;cure and doubtfull, as we cannot clearely gather the doctrine of &s;alua|tion by them. Contrarie to Saint <HI>Peters</HI> &s;peaches, &s;aying: <HI>Wee</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 2. 19.</NOTE> <HI>haue al&s;o a mo&s;t &s;ure word of the Prophets, to the which yee do wel that yee take heed, as vnto a light that &s;hineth in a darke place.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> They &s;ay moreouer, that it is not lawfull for Lay men (as they v&s;e to call &s;uch as are of other condition, then Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall per&s;ons) to reade or meditate in the holy Scriptures. Again&s;t the commandement of Chri&s;t, who ex|horteth all men generally in this manner: <HI>Search diligently the Scriptures, for in them yee thinke to haue eternall life, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 5. 39.</NOTE> <HI>they are they which te&s;tifie of mee.</HI> And Saint <HI>Iohn</HI> doth not hee addre&s;&s;e his Epi&s;tle to all &s;ortes of ages, &s;aying: <HI>Little children, I write vnto you, becau&s;e your &s;innes are forgiuen yee for his</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Iohn. 2. 12. 13. 14.</NOTE> <HI>names &s;ake.</HI> Againe, <HI>I write vnto you Fathers, &amp;c.</HI> Al&s;o, <HI>I write vnto you young men, &amp;c.</HI> And then, <HI>I write vnto you, babes.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5"> Doe they not likewi&s;e teach, that it is not lawfull to reade the holy Scriptures, as al&s;o, not to pray, or cal vpon the name of God, but in the Latine tongue? and make a very &s;trict ob&s;er|uation thereof? And is not this contrarie to the &s;pirit of God? &s;peaking thus by his ble&s;&s;ed Apo&s;tle: <HI>I had rather in the church, to &s;peake fiue words with mine vnder&s;tanding, that I might al&s;o</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 14. 19.</NOTE> <HI>in&s;truct others, then ten thou&s;and words in a &s;trange language.</HI></P>
<PB N="37" REF="22">
<P><MILESTONE N="6"> In the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> they al&s;o teach, that &s;ome others (be&s;ide Ie&s;us Chri&s;t) haue beene exempted from &s;inne, but doe they not lye in &s;o &s;aying? when the Apo&s;tle, &s;peaks thus: <HI>Wher|fore, as by one man &s;inne entred into the world, and by &s;in death,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5. 12.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;o death went ouer all men, fora&s;much as all men haue &s;inned.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="7"> Be&s;ide this, they maintaine, that man hath free will, as ea&s;ily to &s;aue him&s;elfe, as to peri&s;h, contrary to the in&s;truction of &s;aint <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> &s;aying: <HI>A man can receiue nothing, except it bee giuen him from heauen.</HI> And the Apo&s;tle al&s;o &s;aith: <HI>It is GOD</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 3. 27. Phil. 2. 13.</NOTE> <HI>which worketh in you, both the will and the deede, euen of his own good plea&s;ure.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="8"> Moreouer, they erre greatly, teaching that our workes are meritorious to &s;aluation before God, again&s;t that which the Prophet <HI>E&s;ay</HI> &s;aith: <HI>All our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is like the filthy</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 64. 6.</NOTE> <HI>clouts of a men&s;truous woman.</HI> And again&s;t that al&s;o which <HI>Da|mel</HI> &s;aith: <HI>Wee doe not (O Lord) pre&s;ent our &s;upplications before thee, for our owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, but for thy great tender mer|cies.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 9. 18.</NOTE></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="9"> Do not they likewi&s;e maintaine, that wee are iu&s;tified and &s;aued by the workes of the Lawe, and not by faith, and the mercie of God onely? Contrarie to the Apo&s;tles wordes: <HI>By</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2. 8. 9.</NOTE> <HI>grace are yee &s;aued through faith, and that not of your &s;elues, it is the gift of God. Not of workes, lea&s;t any man &s;hould boast him|&s;elfe.</HI> Contrarie al&s;o to this to <HI>Timothie, That God hath &s;aued vs, and called vs with an holy calling, not according to our works,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 1. 9.</NOTE> <HI>hut according to his owne purpo&s;e and grace, which was giuen to vs through Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, before the world was.</HI> Contrary like|wi&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3. 28.</NOTE> to this to the <HI>Romanes: Therefore we conclude, that a man is iu&s;tified by faith, without the workes of the Lawe.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="10"> Is it not common &s;peach al&s;o, as well in their writings, as al&s;o in their preachings, that we ought to &s;tand doubtful of our &s;al|uation? Contrarie to Saint <HI>Paule</HI> to the <HI>Hebrewes,</HI> &s;aying: <HI>Let</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4 16.</NOTE> <HI>vs goe boldly to the throne of grace, that we may receiue mercie, and finde grace to helpe in time of neede.</HI> Contrarie al&s;o to his writing to the <HI>Romanes,</HI> where he &s;aith: <HI>For I am per&s;waded, that neither death, nor life, nor Angels nor Principalities, nor powers, nor things pre&s;ent, nor things to come, nor height, nor</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 38. 39.</NOTE>
<PB N="38" REF="23"> <HI>depth, nor any other creature &s;hall be able to &s;eparate vs from the loue of God, which is in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us our Lord.</HI> And contrarie al&s;o to his writing to the <HI>Corinthians: That God hath &s;ealed vs,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 1. 22.</NOTE> <HI>and hath giuen the earne&s;t of his &s;pirit in our hearts.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="11"> Doe they not defend, and manife&s;tly again&s;t the worde of God, thas we haue other Mediatours and Aduocates, then Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t, to wit, both hee-Saints and &s;he-Saints? Contrarie to Saint <HI>Paule,</HI> writing thus: <HI>For there is one God, and one Me|diatour betweene God and man, which is the man Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 2. 5.</NOTE> Contrarie likewi&s;e to the Euangeli&s;t Saint <HI>Iohn,</HI> in two &s;eueral places of his Go&s;pell: <HI>What&s;oeuer yee &s;hall aske the father in my</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 14. 13. Iohn. 16. 23.</NOTE> <HI>name, he will giue it vnto you.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="12"> Thus falling from errour to errour, they ordaine &amp; appoint, that we mu&s;t call vpon tho&s;e Saints, and declare to them our mi&s;eries and nece&s;&s;ities: which no man can do, but meerely in vaine, becau&s;e both he-Saints and &s;he-Saints can take no acknowledgement of our wants, according to the &s;aying of the Prophet <HI>E&s;ay: Abraham is ignorant of vs, and Iacob knowes vs</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 63. 16.</NOTE> <HI>not: thou (O Lord) art our Father, and our Redeemer, thy name is for euer.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="13"> How doe they labour likewi&s;e, to per&s;wade the world, con|cerning the nece&s;&s;ity of prayers for the dead, or tho&s;e faith|full &s;oules, which (they &s;ay) are enclo&s;ed in Purgatorie? directly contrary to our Lord and Sauiours owne words, as the Euan|geli&s;t &s;ets downe: <HI>VVho&s;oeuer beleeueth in the Sonne &s;hall not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 3. 18.</NOTE> <HI>be condemned.</HI> And in the fir&s;t Chapter of the &s;ame Go&s;pell: <HI>Verily verily I &s;ay vnto you, he that heareth my word, and belee|ueth</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 5. 24.</NOTE> <HI>in him that &s;ent mee, hath euerla&s;ting life, and &s;hall not come into condemnation, but hath pa&s;&s;ed from death vnto life.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="14"> Continually they preach, that there is another kinde of Pur|gatorie, then that which is contained in the bloud onely of our Lord and Sauiour Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Quite contrarie to the ble&s;|&s;ed Apo&s;tle, writing thus: <HI>If we acknowledge our &s;innes, hee is faithfull and iu&s;t, to forgiue vs our &s;innes, and to clean&s;e vs from all vnrighteou&s;ne&s;e.</HI> And as it followeth in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn. 1. 9.</NOTE> &s;econd Chapter of the &s;ame Epi&s;tle: <HI>We haue an Aduocat with the Father, to wit, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t the Iu&s;t. And hee is the pro|pitiation</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn. 2. 1. 2.</NOTE>
<PB N="39" REF="23"> <HI>for our &s;innes, and not for ours onely, but al&s;o for the &s;innes of the whole world.</HI> Why then it is mo&s;t fal&s;e, that there is a third place, be&s;ide Paradi&s;e and hel, where the &s;oules of the faithfull, departing from this world, are to be tormented, be|fore they can be brought to heauen. Contrarie to the Prophet <HI>E&s;ay,</HI> who &s;aith: <HI>The iu&s;t man dying, enters into peace and re&s;t.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 57. 1. 2.</NOTE> And in the wi&s;dome of <HI>Salomon,</HI> it is written: <HI>The &s;oules of the righteous are in the hand of God, &amp; no torment &s;hall touch them.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Sapi. 3. 1.</NOTE> Al&s;o &s;aint <HI>Iohn</HI> the diuine, &s;aith in the Apocalip&s;e: <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 14. 13.</NOTE> <HI>the dead, which hereafter die in the Lord. Euen &s;o &s;aith the Spi|rit, for they re&s;t from their labours, and their workes follow them.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="15"> In like manner they teach, that to obtaine remi&s;&s;ion of our &s;innes, we mu&s;t make an account of them, and number all our &s;innes in auricular confe&s;&s;ion: by which helli&s;h cordes, they &s;trangle the con&s;cience, binding it to impo&s;&s;ible things. Ac|ding to the &s;aying of the Prophet <HI>Dauid: That his &s;innes &s;ur|mounted</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 40. 12.</NOTE> <HI>in number, the haires of his head.</HI> Again he &s;aith: <HI>Who can vnder&s;tand all his faults? clean&s;e me (O Lord) from my &s;ecret</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm, 19. 12.</NOTE> <HI>faults.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="16"> Yet not thus contented, they teach be&s;ide, that by the great|ne&s;&s;e of our bodies puni&s;hments, and contritions, we may gain remi&s;&s;ion of our &s;ins, &amp; life euerla&s;ting. Again&s;t that which S. <HI>Paule</HI> writeth to the <HI>Romans: For I count that the afflictions of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 18.</NOTE> <HI>this pre&s;ent time, are not worthy of the glory, which &s;hal be reuea|led to vs.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="17"> They erre al&s;o, in teaching the &s;uper&s;titious ob&s;eruation of certaine daies, contrarie to the reprehen&s;ion, made by the A|po&s;tle to the <HI>Galathians,</HI> &s;aying: <HI>Ye ob&s;erue daies, and moneths,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Galat. 4. 10.</NOTE> <HI>and times and years.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="18"> And a mighty abu&s;e they commit, teaching the &s;uper&s;titious di&s;tingui&s;hing of meats, di&s;agreeing with the Apo&s;tles doctrin to the <HI>Colo&s;&s;ians,</HI> where he &s;aith: <HI>Let no man condemne you in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Colo&s;. 2. 16.</NOTE> <HI>meat, or drinke, or in re&s;pect of an holy day, or of the new Moone, or of the Sabaoth daies.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="19"> They deceiue them&s;elues al&s;o, in forbidding mariage to Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall per&s;ons, contrarie to that which the &s;pirit of God &s;peakes, without exception of age, degree or condicion
<PB N="40" REF="24"> what&s;oeuer, &s;aying: <HI>Mariage is honorable among all, and the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13. 4.</NOTE> <HI>bed vndefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will iudge.</HI> And this we adde hereto of the Apo&s;tle: <HI>Now the &s;pirit &s;pea|keth euidently, that in the latter daies, &s;ome &s;hall depart from the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 4. 1. 2. 3.</NOTE> <HI>faith, and &s;hall giue heede vnto &s;pirits of errour, and doctrines of diuels: Which &s;peake lyes through hypocri&s;ie, and haue their con|&s;ciences &s;eared with an hote Iron: Forbidding to marrie, and com|maunding to ab&s;taine from meats.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="20"> They pile errour vpon errour, teaching that there are &s;ea|uen Sacraments in the Church. For it is mo&s;t certaine, that in regard the Sacraments are Seals of the mercies of God to &s;al|uation: it nece&s;&s;arily en&s;ueth, that none other can giue vs or promi&s;e vs &s;aluation, neither doth it appertaine to any, but to God onely, to &s;eale vs the &s;ame promi&s;e, which he hath ratifi|ed to vs by tho&s;e &s;peciall &s;eales. Wherefore, hauing none other but Bapti&s;me, and the Supper of our Lord, to confirme &amp; &s;eale &s;o great a benefit vnto vs: it followes in meere iu&s;tice, that we ought to acknowledge none but the&s;e two onely, for Sacra|ments. And not to make any addition to them, of Confirma|tion, Mariage, Penance, Orders and extreame vnction: con&s;i|dering, that the&s;e things, hauing no vi&s;ible &s;igne of Gods ordi|nance, neither any promi&s;e annexed to them of eternall &s;alua|tion (which are the e&s;&s;entiall conditions of Sacraments) cannot be reckoned to be any &s;uch.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="21"> And how ridiculous likewi&s;e doe they &s;hewe them&s;elues when they teach, that the vertue &amp; efficacie of the Sacrame~ts doth depend vpon the intention of him that is to admini&s;ter them? when as (quite contrarie) the power and &s;trength of them, depends only vpon the ordinance of God, &amp; on the faith of him that is to v&s;e them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="22"> Moreouer, their in&s;truction al&s;o is very erronious, that the pretended Sacraments of Confirmation, and of the Orders Ec+cle&s;ia&s;ticall, are more worthy and excellent, then either Bap|ti&s;me, or the Lords Supper. Becau&s;e (&s;ay they) that by Com|mation &amp; Orders, the indclible, or neuer to be razed out Cha+racter (as they call it) is thereby imprinted in the &s;oules of them that receiue them. And likewi&s;e, becau&s;e they are admin+&s;tred
<PB N="41" REF="24"> by per&s;ons much more excellent, to wit, by Bi&s;hops only: whereas both Bapti&s;me, and the holy Supper, doe imprint no Character at all, and may be mini&s;tred by &s;imple Prie&s;ts.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="23"> Ouer and beyond all the&s;e, they teach, that the bodie and bloud of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, are co~tained vnder the&s;e kinds, that is to &s;ay, the accidents of Bread and Wine, contrarie to the Article of our faith, which &s;aith: <HI>That Chri&s;t &s;hall not de&s;cende at all from heauen, but when he comes at the latter day, to iudge both the quicke and the deade.</HI> And contrarie to that which <HI>S. Peter</HI> &s;aith in the Actes of the Apo&s;tles: <HI>That the heauens mu&s;t containe him, vntill the time that all things be re&s;tored.</HI> But by <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 3. 21.</NOTE> this doctrine, they will haue Ie&s;us Chri&s;t to be enclo&s;ed vnder the natures of Bread and Wine, and make him thereby inui|&s;ible, impalpable, and filling many places at one and the &s;ame in&s;tant, whereby they rob him of his humane nature, wherein (&s;inne onely excepted) hee was made in all thinges like vn|to vs.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="24"> On the other &s;ide, taking away vniu&s;tly from the Lay people, to wit, &s;uch as are not Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall per&s;ons, the Cup of the Lord, which hee prote&s;ted to bee the newe Te&s;tament in his bloud, &s;hed for the remi&s;&s;ion of many: goe they not again&s;t the vniuer&s;all commaundement of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, where he &s;aith: <HI>Drinke yee all of it?</HI> and do they not thus violate the te&s;tamen|tarie <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 26. 27.</NOTE> in&s;titution of the Sonne of God?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="25"> But the errour of errours, thru&s;t into this Sacrament, is, when they teach, that in the Euchari&s;t in their Ma&s;&s;e, there is a &s;acri|fice <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9. 25. 26.</NOTE> expiatorie, for the liuing and for the deade; Ie&s;us Chri&s;t be|ing euery day crucified againe, infinite times, by the hands of the Prie&s;t. Contrarie to that of the Apo&s;tle, in the <HI>Hebrewes: Not that he &s;hould offer him&s;elfe often, as the high Prie&s;t entred into the Holy place, euery yeare with other bloude. For then mu&s;t he haue often &s;uffered &s;ince the foundation of the world: But now in the end of the world, hath hee appeared once, to put away &s;inne, by the &s;acrifice of him&s;elfe.</HI> And in the tenth of the &s;ame E|pi&s;tle, hee &s;aith: <HI>Loe, I come to doe thy will, O God. By the which</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 9. 10.</NOTE> <HI>will wee are &s;anctified, euen by the offering of the bodie of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t once made.</HI> Whereby we learne, that the &s;acrifice which
<PB N="42" REF="25"> our Lord Ie&s;us once onely offered, is alone &s;ufficient, &s;oly per|fect, and of perpetuall continuance to expiate our &s;innes, with|out any reiterating or renewing: as hauing no imperfection what&s;oeuer, neither can (by length or &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of times) be|come fruitle&s;&s;e or vnprofitable: as they would gladly make vs beleeue, who, according to their owne doctrine, doe daily cru|cifie the Lord anew.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="26"> And what nature can but iu&s;tly complaine, when they main|taine, that we ought to fall downe and pro&s;trate our &s;elues be|fore Images? contrary to the &s;econd commandement, giuen by God him&s;elfe: <HI>Thou &s;halt make thee no grauen Image &amp;c. Thou &s;halt not bow downe to them, neither &s;erue them, &amp;c.</HI> But aboue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 20. 4. 5.</NOTE> all, he that hath any care at al, of the glorie of his Lord and ma|ker, cannot but feele him&s;elfe &s;tirred with holy zeale, when he lookes into their ouerdaring boldne&s;&s;e, that they dur&s;t and yet dare, cut quite away the &s;econd Commandement, from the Lawe of the Soueraigne Creatour both of Heauen &amp; earth.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="27"> In briefe, &s;ince in the <HI>Romane</HI> Church, vnder the Popes au|thoritie, &s;o many errours are defended and maintained (both by fire and bloud) again&s;t God, his holy word and commaun|dements, and (beyond al other) again&s;t the merits and benefits, en&s;uing onely by our Sauiour Chri&s;t Ie&s;us: wee may &s;eriou&s;ly enter into con&s;ideration, if he de&s;erue not truely to bee called, the man of &s;inne, the &s;onne of perdition, that oppo&s;eth and ad|ua~ceth him&s;elfe, again&s;t all that is called God, or tendeth to his honour. <HI>For he &s;itteth as God, in the Temple of God, &s;hewing him &s;elfe as if hee were God,</HI> as &s;aint <HI>Paule</HI> writeth to the <HI>The&s;&s;alo|nians</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 2. 4.</NOTE> of him. For fir&s;t of all they &s;ay: That he hath right aboue right, and beyond right, that he may di&s;pen&s;e again&s;t the foure <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Dic. Non. dec de la Ro|&s;e. Ex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">r. de. M. 12 2. Clement. 5. Clement. 3. Can. &s;i papa. 4 In Con&s;tale Boni&s;. Ex de Maior, et obe|dien. S. 10. 6.</NOTE> Euangeli&s;ts, the Epi&s;tles of Saint <HI>Paule,</HI> and the foure fir&s;t ge|nerall Councels. Secondly, that he can command the Angels, to open and &s;hut the heauens, to giue pardon for many hun|dreds and thou&s;ands of yeares. Thirdly, that he hath a charter of condemning &s;oules into hell. Fourthly, that he hath the two &s;words, temporall and &s;pirituall, whereby hee may conferre of kingdomes and E&s;tates: di&s;pen&s;e with &s;ubiectes oathes of fi|delitie: commaund ouer kings and Emperours, and make them
<PB N="43" REF="25"> to fall before his feete. Is this any thing el&s;e, then to lift him|&s;elfe aboue all that is called God, or that is wor&s;hipped? So by con&s;equent, hee makes him&s;elfe no Lieutenant of Chri&s;t, who &s;aide: <HI>That his kingdome was not of this world,</HI> and fled away <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 19. 14.</NOTE> when they would haue made him king. In briefe, is this the beeing of S. <HI>Peters</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;or? who cared neither for gold nor &s;il|uer, as he prote&s;teth of him&s;elfe in the Acts of the Apo&s;tles. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 2. 45. 1. Pet. 5. 1. 2. 3 4.</NOTE> And who prayed in all mode&s;tie the Elders: <HI>To feede the flocke of Chri&s;t. Not as if they were Lords ouer Gods heritage, but that they might be examples to the flocke. To the end, that when the chiefe &s;heepeheard &s;hall appeare, they might receiue an incorrup|tible crowne of glorie.</HI> It followes not (by his behauiour) that he &s;hould be the Vicar of Chri&s;t, nor the &s;ucce&s;&s;our of Saint <HI>Peter:</HI> much le&s;&s;e then is he worthy, to &s;it in the Temple of God, and make him&s;elfe honoured as a God.</P>
<P>Therefore, before I conclude, addre&s;&s;ing my &s;elfe to you my Ma&s;ters of the <HI>Romane</HI> Church: Beholde heere the important motiues and grounds, which haue moued me, to for&s;ake your &s;aid Church, following the Lords commaundement, in the Re|uelation: <HI>Goe out of Babilon, my people, that yee bee not parta|kers</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 18. 4.</NOTE> <HI>of her &s;innes, and that yee receiue not of her plagues.</HI> And not (as I prote&s;t here before God) on any incon&s;tant humour doe I this, for affection to noueltie, for reuenge again&s;t any one of you, neither to auoide any puni&s;hment to bee inflicted on my &s;elfe: as (in your own &s;oules) you are my faithful witne&s;&s;es. Nor yet to procure any repo&s;e, or carnall liberty to my &s;elfe: but on|ly for giuing the glorie due to God, &amp; to attaine the &s;aluation of mine owne &s;oule. Praying to the Almighty, who hath deig|ned thus to vi&s;ite mee in his mercie, that it would plea&s;e him to extend the &s;ame goodne&s;&s;e towardes you, and deliuer you out of that deadly &s;inck of ignorance. And &s;o, to him that is King of Kings, immortall, inui&s;ible, and our onely wi&s;e God, bee all honour and power a&s;cribed eternally. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>D. Du&s;ert.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<PB N="44" REF="26">
<P>WE, who&s;e names are hereunder written, the Pa&s;tour and Elders of the reformed Church of <HI>Mello</HI> in <HI>Po|ictu,</HI> doe te&s;tifie, that this day, being the 22. day of <HI>December,</HI> 1603. Ma&s;ter <HI>Daniell Du&s;ert,</HI> (a na|tiue of <HI>Cincte-gauelle,</HI> in <HI>Languedoc,</HI> and heretofore a Religi|ous Fryer, of the Order of Saint <HI>Frances,</HI> called the Reformed Order in the Couent at <HI>Tholou&s;e)</HI> did come (of him&s;elfe) before vs, and declaring, that hee, hauing taken good notice of the er|rours of the <HI>Romane</HI> Church, being contrarie to the conformitie v&s;ed in the Church reformed, and the &s;acred Scriptures, de&s;ired that we would lend him a hand, to entertaine him among the nu~|ber of that holy flock. Vpon this declaration made, we examined him on the principall Articles of true Religion, and finde in him, that he comes not any way polluted among vs, nor &s;uffers him&s;elfe to be tran&s;ported in in this his change, by giddie incon&s;tancie: nor &s;eekes to exempt him&s;elfe from the au&s;terities, v&s;ed in the Reli|gion he profe&s;&s;ed before: nor yet to procure him any Licence to car|nall libertie. In breefe, he hopes not to attaine among vs, any ho|nours and trea&s;ures of the world: Chri&s;t calling his followers here on earth, to the Communion of the Cup of his Cro&s;&s;e, and his &s;uf|ferings. To the&s;e prote&s;tations, he hath added withall, that hee hath no other aime, but the quiet of his con&s;cience, and &s;aluation of his &s;oule. And after he had publickly made his abiuration of the doctrine of the <HI>Romi&s;h</HI> Church, and &s;olemnly prote&s;ted, to liue and die in that of the Church reformed (according to the Articles before openly pronounced) we receiued him as a member thereof, and gaue him this pre&s;ent atte&s;tation, to &s;tead him vpon any neede thereof. Giuen at <HI>Mello,</HI> the day and yeare aboue written.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM>B. Manceau, Pa&s;tour of the &s;aide Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Ren&eacute; de la Court, E&s;quire, Lord of <HI>Boullay.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>D. Chollet, created at <HI>Mello.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Gracian, Lord of <HI>Vergne Nourry.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>P. Tauerneau. Elders.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="26">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
