Exomologesis, or, A faithfull narration of the occaision and motives of the conversion unto Catholick unity of Hugh-Paulin de Cressy, lately Deane of Laghlin &c. in Ireland and Prebend of Windsore in England now a second time printed with additions and explications by the same author who now calls himself B. Serenus Cressy, religious priest of the holy order of S. Benedict in the convent of S. Gregory in Doway.

CHAP. IV.

Perjury how frequently, and how hey∣nously committed in England since the Schisme.

1. THen for the crying destructive sinne of Perjury, the guilt thereof so often, so heynously, so manifestly against conscience repeated hath almost universally seised upon the whole Kingdome. Indeed this sinne, as well as the former of Sacriledge, is the ordinary and al∣most necessary attendant of Schisme and Haeresie. That great Patriarch of both, Calvin, would not vouchsafe to impart his skill in these two qualities to them of Geneva, till they had by a solemne publique oath obliged themselves indi∣spensibly to embrace whatsoever doctrines he should establish among them, and till they had charged a curse upon themselves and their po∣sterity for ever, if afterward they did repent themselves of that Perjury and Rebellion against their lawfull Prince and Bishop.

2. Concerning England, the poore subjects there, ever since Schisme and Haeresie found en∣trance, have beene as of course accustomed to be constreined to forsweare themselves by pub∣like Order and in a most solemn fashion, when∣soever either the lusts or interests of their Prin∣ces have moved them to introduce any novel∣ties among them. First, Henry the eight, without giving his subjects leave or space to studie the point of Controversie (which yet indeed was then no controversie at all) with forced consent of

his Parliament constreined them generally to renounce one Article of that Faith (namely, O∣bedience to the Visible Universall Pastour of the Catholique Church) wherein they and their An∣cestors for many ages had been bred, a doctrine introduced, and generally embraced there ever since the Nation was converted from Heathe∣nisme by their glorious Apostle S. Augustine, the Benedictin Monke delegated thither by the more glorious Pope S. Gregory the Great. To ef∣fect which Perjury, the meaner sort of people were forced by Tyranny, and the Great-ones allured by partaking in the spoiles of Sacriledge.

3. After his death, those sacrilegious persons who governed the Kingdome during the reigne and minority of his Son, caused the Parliament a second time to impose upon the whole Nation a yet greater Perjury, namely entirely to sweare away a great part of that Faith which made them Christians. And though they willingly re∣pented their former Perjuries and impieties, re∣turning to their ancient Beliefe and Obedience during the short reigne of that Catholique Prin∣cess Q. Mary: Yet, the interests of her sister & suc∣cessour Q Elizabeth prevailed so far, as to make them repent their repentance, and to sweare over againe all their former Perjuries, her cun∣ning Counsellours by all unlawfull wayes of violence and allurements surprising the Parlia∣ment, corrupting the Cleargy, and violencing the consciences of the subjects, and so contri∣ving their designs, as that they confidently ima∣gined that Schisme and Haeresie were established in England irremoveably, being setled by a law, as irrevocable, as that of the Medes and Persians.

4. But in vaine: For Schisme and Heresie, wanting firme and reall foundations, and being built only upon secular interests, when those in∣terests come to faile (as all worldly things must in time) naturally sinke lower and lower into that gulfe which hath no bottome. For it is re∣markable that Heresie being the ruine of Faith, as Schisme is of Charity, all changes that are made in them are still to the worse. Faith is con∣tinually more and more undetermined, and Charity more and more cryed downe and made unlawfull. A fearfull example of this hath been represented to the world in this late Schisme in England from a former Schisme: For heretofore the English Protestants pretended that by their Separation from the Catholique Church there was made a rent only in the semelesse garment of Christ, but yet so that the parts hung together still, allowing the Catholique Church to be a true Church of Christ, but preferring their part of it as better cleansed and washed than the o∣ther. But now Christs garment is torne by them into I know not how many rags, all pluck'd en∣tirely from one another, and this with such vi∣olence and injusitice, as Mahomet himselfe would have abhorred.

5. But to returne to Perjury, a most usefull and necessary engine in Schisme; certainely ne∣ver any Carthaginian or Barbarian hath given such prodigious Examples, as the Presbyterian Calvinists. For Persons, who make it a foun∣dation of their Sect to acknowledge a private spirit to be the only judge of Scripture and points of Religion, renouncing all externall Ec∣clesiasticall authority as to such a purpose, for

such men, I say, to force other men without any new information or instruction to forswear whatsoever the law of God (as they believed) and most certainly the lawes of the Kingdome then in force obliged them to, is an attentat most horrible: But by a new oath, and that expli∣citely commanding persons to preserve their loyalty to their Prince, and to maintaine the Lawes and Religion of the Kingdome, by such an oath I say, to oblige the same Per∣sons at the same time to seeke the destruction of their Prince and of the same Lawes and Re∣ligion, and to spend their fortunes and lives in the defence of a Religion not yet in being, but promised to be contrived no man knowes when, nor by whom, and to sweare that that unknown Religion yet in the forge was true and only conformable to the word of God: What name can be found out for such〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉an ex∣ecrable renouncing of God, as this? And yet all this hath been in the face of the sun, and this must in England be stiled a Reformation, and such an one as might deserve to be purchased with that Sea of blood which hath lately flowed there.

5. Surely this one example alone may suffice to advertise all those who have seperated from the unity of Christs Church, what are and probably will be the dire effects of Schisme. Let them not cast their eyes so much upon those frequent seditions and Rebellions, and those rivers of Christian blood, which under a pre∣tence of Reformation have been shed in Chri∣stendome since Luthers Apostacy: But let them rather consider this as a judgement more terri∣ble

then all the former, namely that for a punishment of Schisme, and such crimes as are the naturall fruits of it, Almighty God has given up England to this more then Athei∣sticall, wanton, petulant contempt and defiance of his heavenly Majesty.

7. Therefore such abominations as these, Sacriledge and Perjury, then which no Hea∣then could imagine any more abomina∣ble, and these so great abominations exalted to the utmost degree and circum∣stance of aggravation, having thus uni∣versally infected and envenomed all the severall Orders and degrees of men in England, could I possibly, remaining a Christian, or not becoming a profest A••heist, escape feare∣full apprehensions that the end of such things would be yet more terrible, and that such execra∣ble crimes would require a long time for expia∣tion?