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.

[ 1] I say first, that it is not lawful to adore religiously any saint in heauen, no not the blessed virgin Marie the mother of God & man; much lesse is it lawefull to adore stockes and stones, and other like sensles creatures, as the papists would guileful∣ly,

enforce vs to do. Neither doe I barely say this of mine own head, but with the vniforme consent of the holy fathers. Thus writeth S. Epiphanius, Sed neque Helias adorandus est,* 1.1 etiam∣si in viuis sit, neque Ioannes adorandus, quanquam per pro∣prias preces suas dormitionem suam admirandam effecerit, imò potius ex deo gratiam acceperit: sed neque Thecla, ne{que} quisquā sanctus adoratur. Non enim dominabitur nobis antiquus error, vt relinquamus viuentem, & adoremus ••a quae ab ipso facta sunt. Infra, sit in honore Maria••pater, & filius, & spiritus san∣ctus adoretur. Mariam nemo adoret, non dico mulierem, imò ne{que} virum. Deo debetur hoc mysterium, ne{que} angeli capiunt talē glo∣rificationem: deleantur quae male scripta sunt in corde deceptorū: tollatur ex oculis cupiditasligni: conuertatur rursus figmentum ad dominum: reuereatur Eua cum Adam, vt deum colat solum, ne ducatur serpentis voce, sed permaneat in dei praecepto; ne comedes de ligno: & erat lignum non error, sed per ipsum lignum facta est inobedientia erroris: ne comedat quis de errore, qui est prop∣ter S. Mariam: nam etsi pulchrum est lignum, sed tamen non ad cibū: & si pulcherrima est Maria, & sancta, & honorata, at nō ad adorationem. Neither is Elias to be adored, though he be among the liuing: neither S. Iohn must be adored, though by his praiers his death was wonderful;* 1.2 yea hee rather receiued grace from God: but neither Thecla, neither any saint is to be adored. For the olde error may not ouerrule vs, that we forsake the liuing god and adore the works of his hands. Let Mary be in honor; let the father, & the son, & the holy ghost be adored; let no man adore Marie, I do not say the woman, but neither the mā. This mistery is due to god, neither are the angels capable of such glory: let such errors be blotted out, as are wickedly en∣grauen in the harts of deceiued soules; let the concupiscence of the wood be taken out of our sight; let the worke return again to the workeman; let Eue haue reuerence with Adam; let her worship onely God; let her not be seduced with the voice of the serpent, but let her abide in Gods commandement; thou shalt not eate of the wood: and it was wood indeede, not errour, but by the wood came disobedience of errour: let none eate of that error, which is for holy Mary. For though the wood be faire, yet is it not for meate: although Marie be most beautiful

and holy, and honoured, yet not for adoration. Out of these gol∣den words I note first,* 1.3 that in the time of S. Epiphanius, (who liued more then 370. yeres after Christ,) it was reputed great superstition and flat paganisme to adore any Saint or angel in [ 1] heauen; much more to adore men yet liuing on earth; and most of all to adore woode, stones, and sencelesse things. I note se∣condly, [ 2] that religious honour or worship is due to God alone; and that neither saintes nor images, nor the mother of God, is capable thereof. I note thirdly, that to thinke that Saintes or [ 3] Angels may be adored, is an old damnable error, receiued from the gentiles, wherewith some of the vulgar and common peo∣ple were deceiued, euen in the daies of Epiphanius. I note fourthly, that by the iudgement of this holy, learned, and anci∣ent [ 4] father, to teach vs to adore saints religiously (for ciuilly I graunt it may be done,) is to induce vs to erre with Eue.

S. Ambrose is consonant to Epiphanius, as who hath these expresse wordes;* 1.4 Age, numquid tam demens est aliquis, aut sa∣lutis suae immemor, vt honorificentiam regis vindicet comiti, cum de hac re si qui etiam tractare fuerint inuenti, iure vt rei dam∣nentur maiestatis? & isti se non putant reos, qui honorem nomi∣nis Dei deferunt creaturae, & relicto domino conseruos adorant, quasi sit aliquid plus quod reseruetur Deo. Go to, is any man so mad, or so carelesse of his life, that he will giue to a Lord, the honour of the king or soueraigne? when such as are knowne to deale in such a matter, are iustly condemned of treason? and yet these men doe not thinke themselues guiltie, who giue the honour of Gods name to a creature, and leauing God adore their felow-seruants, as though there were any thing els reser∣ued for God. Out of these words I note first, that S. Ambrose, [ 1] after hee had sharpely reprooued such as worshipped images, affirmeth them to forsake God, that adore his saintes their fel∣low-seruantes. [ 2] I note secondly, that such as adore Gods crea∣tures, be no lesse guiltie of treason against God, then they that rebel against their earthly prince. I note thirdly, that religious [ 3] worship, is so proper to God, as if it be giuen to his creatures, nothing is reserued for himself. S. Augustine agreeth iumpe with S. Epiphanius and S. Ambrose,* 1.5 and vttereth his minde plainly in these wordes; Non sit nobis religio cultus hominum

mortuorum; quia si pie vixerunt, non sic habentur vt tales quae∣rant honores, sed illum à nobis coli volunt, quo illuminante lae∣tantur meriti sui nos esse consortes. Let not the worship of dead men be our religion: for if they liued well, they are not of that account that they seek such honour, but they would haue vs to worship him, by whose inlightning they reioice that we be their fellow-seruants in well doing.* 1.6 The good Iew Mardocheus would not adore Haman the kings lieutenant, and that not of pride, malice, or presumption; but lest he should giue that to man which was due to God alone. I say secondly, that there is [ 2] great disparitie betweene the adoring of a footestoole, and ado∣ring before a footestoole: for your owne pope Gregorie the great, sharply reproued, and bitterly condemned the worship∣ping of Images, and for all that allowed prayer and worship done before the same.

I say thirdly, that the place truely translated is thus; [ 3] 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 according to the Hebrew; Bow downe your selues at the footstoole of his feet,* 1.7 he is holie: so that the sence is not to adore the temple, (which is meant by the word Footestoole) but to adore and worshippe God in his temple at Ierusalem, the place which God had ap∣pointed for his worship: and therefore it is not said, It is holy, but, He is holy. Yea, so is it also in the greeke, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, be∣cause he is holy. I say fourthly, that Saint Augustine and [ 4] Saint Hierome doe expound this text of Christs sacred huma∣nitie, which is as the footestoole of his diuinitie. These are Saint Hieromes expresse wordes▪* 1.8 Multae sunt de scabello opi∣niones, sed hic propheta corpus dominicum dicit, in quo maiestas diuinitatis tanquam super scabellum stat. There are many opi∣nions of the footestoole, but the prophet heere vnderstandeth Christs body or humanitie, in which his diuinitie standeth as vpon a stoole. Yea, S. Austen was so far from the opinion of our late Papists and Iesuites, that hee was troubled howe to vnderstand this text; and that for this respect onely, because it seemed to command him to adore some creature, which he durst not doe: these are his owne words;* 1.9 Terra scabellum pedum meo∣rum; anceps factus sum, timeo adorareterram, ne damnet me qui fecit coelum & terram••rursum timeo non adorare scabellum

pedum Domini mei, quia Psalmus mihi dicit, adorate scabellum pedum eius. The earth is my footestoole. I am doubtful what to doe, I feare to adore the earth, least hee condemne me that made both heauen and earth. On the other side, I feare not to adore his footestoole,* 1.10 because the Psalme saith, adore yee his footstoole. Loe, S. Austen found in the prophet Esay, that the earth was Gods footstoole, and hee knew well that it was not lawfull to adore creatures, and consequently neither the earth, (least he should be damned in so doing, as himselfe here saith;) and therefore was hee sore troubled, what to vnderstand by the word (footstoole) in the Psalme. But if he had been a Romish Iesuite, hee woulde neuer haue stumbled at any such thing. Whether therefore we interprete the word (footestoole) by the literall Hebrew phrase, or with S. Austen and S. Hierome; it will not follow thereupon, that any pure creature may be ado∣red. I say (anie pure creature) because Christes body or hu∣manitie is a creature, but not a pure creature. For the vnspea∣kable hypostaticall vnion, maketh it to subsist in the person of God; by which Christ is aswel God as man.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Epiphan. haer. 79. cont. Collyti.
• * 1.2

  ••opish adoration confuted and confounded.
• * 1.3

  Anno. Dom. 370.
• * 1.4

  Ambr. in cap. 1. ad Rom. prope finem tom. 5.
• * 1.5

  August. de vera religione. cap. 55. ••om. 1.
• * 1.6

  Hest. 3.5. cap. 13.15.
• * 1.7

  Psal. 99. vers. 5.
• * 1.8

  August. & Hier. in hunc locum.
• * 1.9

  August. vbi supr. in Psal. 98.
• * 1.10

  Esai▪ cap. 66. v. 1