The suruey of popery vvherein the reader may cleerely behold, not onely the originall and daily incrementes of papistrie, with an euident confutation of the same; but also a succinct and profitable enarration of the state of Gods Church from Adam vntill Christs ascension, contained in the first and second part thereof: and throughout the third part poperie is turned vp-side downe.

The answere.

The true intelligence of this storie, will bring great light to the whole matter of confession. For which respect, I will proceede so methodically in answering this obiection, as pos∣sibly I can. I therfore say first,* 1.1 that Nectarius the B. of Con∣stantinople, vtterly abolished the law made for confession, & that to auoide the great vices, which ensued thereupon. Which being so, it must folow of necessity; that confessiō was not com∣manded by the law of God. For otherwise it shuld be in mans power (which no wise man will grant,* 1.2) to disanull the law of God. Againe, neither the holy B. Nectarius, would euer haue attempted so to abolish gods ordinance; neither would so ma∣ny famous bishops, haue imitated his fact. And yet is it cer∣taine, that all the bishops of the east church did follow his opi∣nion; yea, euen S. Chrysostome,* 1.3 who succeeded Nectarius at Constantinople, that goodly patriarchall seat of the world. So saith Nicephorus.

Now for the proofe of the principal point, to wit, that Nec∣tarius abandoned confession simply and wholy,* 1.4 (which is the point that the papists do and must denie, or els forsake their po∣pery:) I proue the same first, by Thomas Waldensis a papist highly renowmed among them; who affirmeth the story so ab∣solutely, as our Iesuite Bellarmine cānot deny the same; & his reasons to the contrarie, are ridiculous and childish. For first,* 1.5 he saith, that pope Nicholas calleth Nectarius y^e mighty aduer∣sarie of heretikes, and the defender of the church. Secondly he saith, that saint Chrysostome and many other bishops approued

Nectarius his opinion. Ergo, saith our Iesuite, he could neuer take away auricular confession. S. Chrysostome and all the bi∣shops of the East, practised the same that Nectarius appointed, and Thomas Waldensis a zealous papist vnderstandeth it of confession generally; and yet Nectarius because he was a godly man, could not abolish popish confession, saith our Iesuite. But I weene, I may better conclude; that because Nectarius was an holy man,* 1.6 and sawe great knauerie vsed by reason of con∣fession; to wit, whoredom between the deacon and the confessio∣nist; therefore hee iustly abolished that lawe, which was only made by the power of man. For our Iesuite taketh that as graunted, that is in controuersie; which is a great fault in the Schooles, called Petitio principij. For I am so far from gran∣ting his auricular confession to be of God, that I haue copious∣ly [ 2] disproued the same already. I prooue it secondly, by the ma∣nifold testimonie of S. Chrysostome,* 1.7 who was the next successor to this holy Nectarius. In one place he hath these words; Pecca∣ta tua dicito,* 1.8 vt deleas illa. Si confunderis alicui dicere, quia peccasti; dicito quotidie in anima tua. Non dico vt confitea∣ris conseruo tuo, vt exprobret. Dicito Deo, qui curat ea. Tell thy sins, that thou maiest blot them out. If thou be ashamed to confesse them to any man, because thou hast sinned; confesse thē dayly in thy mind. I say not this, to cause thee to confesse them to thy fellow seruaunt; that hee may vpbraid thee. Confesse them to God,* 1.9 that cureth them.

Againe, in another place he saith thus: Condemnasti peccatū tuum? deposuisti sarcinam. Quis haec dicit? ipse iudex tuus. Dic tu peccata tua prior, vt iustificeris; cur igitur te quaeso pudescis & erubescis dicere peccata tua? caue enim homini dixeris, ne tibi opprobret. Ne{que} enim conseruo confiteris, vt in publicum profe∣rat, sed ei qui Dominus est, ei qui tui curam gerit, ei qui huma∣nus est, ei qui medicus est ostendis vulnera. Ne{que} enim ignorat, etiamsi tu non dixeris; qui sciebat etiam antequā perpetrares. Quidigitur causae est, quo m••nus dicas: non enim ex accusatione fit grauius peccatum, imò mitius magis ac leuius: & ob hoc ipsū, Deus vult te dicere, non vt puniaris, sed vt relaxeris: non vt ipse sciat peccatum, cur enim id postulet, quum iam sciat? sed vt tuscias, quantum tibi debitum remittatur. Ideo verò vult te scire beneficii magnitudinem, vt perpetuò gratias agas, vt seg∣nior

fias ad peccandum, vt ad virtutem promptior. Nisi dixeris debiti magnitudinem non agnosces donationis eminentiam. Non inquit, cogote in medium prodire theatrum, ac multos adhibere testes: Mihi soli dic peccatum priuatim, vt sanem vlcus, te{que} do∣lore liberabo. Hast thou condemned thy sin?* 1.10 then hast thou dis∣charged thy selfe of thy load. Who saith so? euen thine owne iudge. Tel thou thy sins first, that thou maiest be iustified. Why therefore I pray thee art thou bashfull, and ashamed to tell thy sins? beware to tel them to man, least he vpbraid thee. For thou doest not confesse them to thy fellow seruant, that hee may tell them abroad; but to him that is thy Lord, to him that hath care of thee, to him that is gentle, to him that is the phisicion doest thou shew thy woundes. For neither is he ignorant of them, al∣though thou tell them not, who knew them before thou diddest them. What then is the cause, that thou maiest not tel them? For the sin is not made greater for cōfessing it, but rather more light and easie. And for this cause will God haue thee to tell it: not for to punish thee, but for to acquite thee: not that he may know thy sin; for why should he require it, since he knoweth it already? but that thou maiest know how much debt is forgiuen thee, & therefore will he haue thee to know the greatnesse of the benefite, that thou maiest alway giue thankes, and be more slow to sinne, and more propense to vertue. Vnlesse thou tell the greatnesse of the debt, thou shalt not know the excellencie of the gift. I doe not (saith he) compell thee to come forth into the middest of the theatre, and to bring many witnesses. Tell thy sinne to mee alone priuately, that I may heale thy disease, and I will deliuer thee from thy griefe.

Againe, in another place, hee writeth thus; Non tibi dico vt te prodas in publicum neque apud alios te accuses:* 1.11 sed obe∣dire te volo prophetae dicenti, reuela Domino viam tuam. Ante Deum ergo tua confitere peccata, apud verum iudicem cum ora∣tione delicta tua pronuntia, non linguâ sed conscientiae tuae me∣moria, & tunc demum spera te misericordiam posse consequi. I doe not bid thee come forth in publicke,* 1.12 neither to accuse thy selfe before others: but I would haue thee to obey the pro∣phet when he saith; reueale thy way to God. Before God ther∣fore confesse thy sinnes, before the true Iudge in prayer

pronounce thine offences; not with thy tongue, but with the me∣mory of thy conscience, and then hope to haue mercie.

Againe in another place, he hath these wordes: Vos oro, fra∣tres charissimi,* 1.13 crebrius deo immortali confiteamini, & enume∣ratis vestris delictis veniam petatis & numen propitiū. Non te in theatrum conseruorum tuorum duco, non hominibus peccata tua detegere cogo: repete coram deo conscientiam tuam, & ex∣plica: ostende Deo medico praestantissimo tua vulnera, & pete ab eo medicamentum: ostēde ei qui nihil opprobret, sed humanis∣simè curet. Cur taces quae optimè ille nouit? dicat{que} enumera, vt fructum maximum consequaris. I desire you my deere bre∣thren,* 1.14 to confesse your sinnes often to God almightie: & when you haue reckoned vp your sinnes, then to craue his pardon and mercie. I doe not leade thee into the theatre of thy fellow ser∣uauntes, I doe not compell thee to disclose thy sinnes to men. Repeate before God thy conscience, and vnfolde it; shewe to God thy woundes, and aske him a medicine for the same: shew them to him y^t neuer vpbraideth, but cureth with all humanitie. Why doest thou conceale those things, which he knoweth right well? tell and number them, that thou maiest reape the great fruite thereof.

Againe in another place, he writeth in this maner; Confunde∣ris & erubescis peccata tua effari;* 1.15 atqui oportebat maximè a∣pud homines eadicere & inuulgare. Confusio enim est peccare, nō est confusio confiteri peccata. Nunc autem ne{que} necessarium praesentibus testibus confiteri: cogitatione fiat delictorum exqui∣sitio, abs{que} teste sit hoc iudicium. Solus te Deus confitentē videat. Thou art confounded & ashamed to vtter thy sins, but somtime it behooued to tell and publish them, especially before men. For it is confusion to sin, but it is no confusion to confesse our sins. And this day it is not necessarie to haue witnesses present,* 1.16 whē we confesse our sins. Let vs examine our sins in thought and cogitation, let this iudgment be without any witnesse, let God only see thee when thou confessest. Thus saith S. Chrysostome, whom I haue alledged at large, the rather to confute the Ie∣suite Bellarmine. Whom whether I haue confuted, or no, let the indifferent reader giue his censure, when he hath heard my discourse to the end. Our Iesuite wil needs saue the life of his

popishe auricular confession, though himselfe spend the best bloud in his body, in defense of the cause. In regard hereof, hee imagineth that in the time of Nectarius, not onely publique confession; but also priuate Romishe enumeration was in vse. This graue Iesuiticall consideration premised; hee telleth vs sagely, if we will beleeue him, that S. Nectarius abandoned onely publicke confession, permitting Romishe auricular con∣fession, still to remaine in force. This is the whole scope of the Iesuite, it cānot be denied.* 1.17 And because S. Chrysostome was the next bishop in Constantinople after this holy Nectarius, & cō∣sequently must needs best know his practise; the Iesuite per∣force wil haue S. Chrysostome only to speake against publick cō∣fession, & not at al to disproue their priuate Romish mumbling.

I therefore note first, out of S. Chrysostomes wordes; that he [ 1] doth not indeed speake expressely of Romish priuate confessiō, (as which was not hatched in his time;) though virtually he do in manifest termes condemne the same. I note secondly, that he [ 2] earnestly in euery place exhorteth to confesse our sinnes to God: and withal laboureth to perswade vs; that that is enough to at∣taine remission at Gods handes.

I note thirdly, that albeit he speake an hundreth times of cō∣fession to God, yet doth he not once wil vs to confesse our selues [ 3] to man. I note fourthly, that S. Chrysostome vtterly disswadeth from confessing our sins to men. For first, hee willeth vs not to [ 4] confesse to our fellow seruants: Secondly, not to confesse with our tongue. Thirdly, not to haue any witnesse of our confession. Fourthly, to confesse only within our selues, and in our own se∣cret cogitations. Fiftly, to confesse in such maner,* 1.18 as only God heareth vs. By all which waies and reasons, he opposeth that confession which is made to God; against that auricular confes∣sion, which our Iesuite would haue to be made to man. I note fiftly, that he saith, we are freed from confessing our sinnes to [ 5] men; which somtime we were bound to do. Where no doubt he vnderstandeth that time, in which Nectarius had not abando∣ned the law of confession. And consequently, that if we were still bound to popish auricular confession, he would haue made some mention thereof;* 1.19 and not haue said generally and without al ex∣ception, y^t we are made free frō confessing to man. For no man

doubtlesse is free from confession, that still remaineth bound [ 6] vnto the same. I note sixtly, that if Nectarius had abandoned but one kinde of confession, and not another; S. Chrysostome being so wise and so learned, and speaking so often and so much of the one, would haue spoken at the least some one word of the other; which yet he edid not, because there was no such thing [ 3] in his time. I prooue it thirdly, because Nectarius did not on∣ly displace,* 1.20 and put out of office the penitentiarie-priest; but withall left it to the free iudgement of euery one to come to the holy communion without confession, as euerie mans conscience mooued him. Which could no way be true; if the penitentes had bin stil bound to popish auricular confession. For (as I said before,* 1.21) the late Romish confession at that time, was not heard of in the world. This determination of Nectarius is witnessed, not only by Socrates & Sozomenus,* 1.22 but also by Cassiodorus and Nicephorus. I wil only alledge Nicephorus for al, whose words are these: Nectarius statuit suadentibus illis, vt cui{que} permitte∣retur, pro conscientiâ & fiduciâ suâ communicare, & de imma∣culatis mysterijs participare. Nectarius determined by their ad∣uise, (he meaneth Eudaemon of Alexandria and his complices, as writeth Socrates,) that euery one might communicate & be par∣taker of the holy mysteries, as his own conscience and faith di∣rected him. Ergo neither publicke nor yet priuate confession [ 4] was required at that time. I prooue it fourthly, because both Sozomenus and Cassiodorus after him doe say;* 1.23 that sinnes did more abound, by reason that confession was taken away. For the confession of al sinnes, must needs bridle sin more then the confessiō of a few sins; specially of such sins as were known before. These are Sozomenus his own words: Siquidem anteà vt ego existimo, minora erant peccata, tum ob verecundiam eo∣rum qui sua ipsorum delicta ipsi enuntiabant,* 1.24 tum ob seueritatē eorū qui iudices eius rei constituti erant. For before, as I deem, lesse sinne was done, aswel for their bashfulnesse that confessed their sins, as for their seueritie that were the iudges therof. Lo, the bashfulnes of confession was taken away by the determina∣tion of Nectarius, Ergo auricular confession, that of necessitie discloseth al sin, could by no meanes remaine. For small bash∣fulnesse, or rather none at all, proceedeth of confessing sins al∣ready

known: but confession of secret sinnes though to one only priest, bringeth great bashfulnes with it; yea,* 1.25 such intollerable bashfulnesse & feare also, as many haue concealed many sinnes for many yeares togither. This is so manifest to euery popishe confessary; as if any denie it, his own conscience will confound him. To this it is consectary: that many haue done the same, al the daies of their life. And yet is it certain by Bellarmines own graunt, that secret sinnes were neuer confessed publickly.

I say secondly, that in the auncient church before the heresie of Nouatus, as I haue prooued out of Tertullian, Origen,* 1.26 and [ 2] Cyprian; the penitentes both made election of their confessary, and of the sins which they did confesse. The Canons only vr∣ged them to this, to confesse publicke faultes publickly. This was the practise of the primitiue church, for the space of 250. yeares after Christes ascension.

I say thirdly, that after the heresie of Nouatus, which began [ 3] vnder the persecution of the Emperour Decius,* 1.27 about the yere of our Lord two hundreth and threescore: the godly bishops for discipline sake, made an addition to the ecclesiasticall Canon,* 1.28 as Socrates termeth it. That is to say, that in euery church there should be one speciall priest designed, to whom the peni∣tents should secretly confesse their publicke and greeuous sins; and after onely to confesse openly such faultes, as that wise priest shuld think cōuenient, & fit for edificatiō. For as Sozome∣nus saith, it seemed an odious thing to confesse sins publickly:* 1.29 and as Origen writeth, the Ethincks did often deride such con∣fessiōs: therfore the church appointed, y^t not al publick sins shuld be cōfessed publickly, but such only as seemed good to the peni∣tentiary priest. I say fourthly, y^• Nectarius did abrogate this ad∣ditament (whatsoeuer it was) wholly, euē by Bellarmines own [ 4] grant, which is seriously to be obserued.* 1.30 For as Socrates recor∣deth, this appendix or additiō conteined all those sins, which the penitents did or were bound to confesse: and consequētly,* 1.31 it wil follow of necessitie, y^t Nectarius did abolish al confessions made to man, & the confessions of al sins totally. I proue it,* 1.32 because both Socrates & our Iesuite doe say; that whatsoeuer the peni∣tents did confesse, the same was done to the penitentiarie priest.

[ 5] I say fiftly, that this appendice to the old Canons, whereof Socrates speaketh,* 1.33 which conteined al the sins great and small y^t the penitents did confesse, was abrogated by Nectarius S. Chrysostomes predecessour, about the yeare of our Lord three hundreth ninetie foure,* 1.34 throughout the East Church. Neuer∣thelesse, the former constitution made in the time of Decius a∣gainst the Nouatians, was still of force in the Romaine church. Which by degrees receiued superstitious augmentations,* 1.35 vn∣till it got y^e Romish new no perfection, which this day is in vse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Primo principal.
• * 1.2

  The story of Ne∣ctarius must be well marked.
• * 1.3

  Nicep. li. 12. c. 2••
• * 1.4

  The first proba∣tion.
• * 1.5

  Bellarm. de poe∣nitent. lib. 3. c. 15
• * 1.6

  Our Iesuite is driuen to vse pe∣titio principii.
• * 1.7

  The second pro∣bation.
• * 1.8

  Chrysost. hom. 2. ••n Psal. 50. tom. 1.
• * 1.9

  Chrys. de Lazar. ••ac Din. hom. 4. ••om. 2. pag. 1359.
• * 1.10

  What can more plainly be said, a∣gainst Romish confession?
• * 1.11

  Chrysost in epis. ad Hebr. hom. 3••. tom. 4.
• * 1.12

  No confession made to the priestes.
• * 1.13

  Chrysost. de in∣compreh. dei nat. contra Anomaeos hom. 5. tom. 5.
• * 1.14

  Confession to God, but not to man.
• * 1.15

  Chrysost. de p••••∣nit. & confess. tom. 5. p. 905.
• * 1.16

  Confession was once made to man, but after that taken away.
• * 1.17

  The scope of the Iesuite must be marked.
• * 1.18

  All confession is abandoned, none at all is excepted
• * 1.19

  A man made free, is still in bondage with our Iesuite.
• * 1.20

  The third proba∣tion.
• * 1.21

  Histor. trip. lib. 9. cap. 35.
• * 1.22

  Socrat. lib. 5. c. 19 Sozo. lib. 7. c. 16. Niceph. lib. 12. cap. 28.
• * 1.23

  The fourth pro∣bation.
• * 1.24

  Sozo. lib. 7. c. 16. Can. lib. 9. ca. 35.
• * 1.25

  No place left to auricular confes∣sion.
• * 1.26

  Secundo princi∣paliter.
• * 1.27

  Tertio principa∣liter.
• * 1.28

  Ann. Dom. 260
• * 1.29

  Sozom. & Orig. vbi supra.
• * 1.30

  Quarto principa∣liter.
• * 1.31

  Socr••. lib. 5. c. 19.
• * 1.32

  A deadly blow to the Iesuite.
• * 1.33

  Qu••nto principa∣l••ter.
• * 1.34

  Anno Dom. 394
• * 1.35

  Nicephorus. Socrates, Sozomenus.