An abridgement or suruey of poperie conteining a compendious declaration of the grounds, doctrines, beginnings, proceedings, impieties, falsities, contradictions, absurdities, fooleries, and other manifold abuses of that religion, which the Pope and his complices doe now mainteine, and vvherewith they haue corrupted and deformed the true Christian faith, opposed vnto Matthew Kellisons Suruey of the new religion, as he calleth it, and all his malicious inuectiues and lies, by Matthevv Sutcliffe.

CHAP. XXXII. That Popery is a doctrine of diuels.

THe diuel being the author of all vntrueth and falshood, it may well be said, that all the lying and false doctrine of papists is of the diuel. but beside this, there are particu∣lar reasons, why we call Popery the doctrine of diuels. for first diuers points of popish doctrine are specially said to pro∣ceed from the diuell, and next the best proofes and meanes which our aduersaries haue to maintaine their doctrine, are from the diuell.

The Apostle 1. Tim. 4. calleth the prohibition of mar∣riage, and lawes of abstinence from certaine meates, do∣ctrines of diuels. for speaking of doctrines of diuels after∣ward he specifieth the same, saying, forbidding to marry, and commanding to absteine from meats, which God hath created.

but Papists by law expressely forbid marriage to priests, and others that haue vowed single life, and the eating of flesh on fasting daies, and white soule in lent. neither can they excuse themselues, for that they doe not condemne mar∣riage as simply euill, or flesh as vncleane. for Thcodoret sheweth, that such came within the compasse of the Apo∣stles censure, as by law prohibited these things, further nei∣ther did the Encratites or Manichees absolutely forbid mar∣riage as vncleane, but as not fitting such as tende to perfe∣ction.

Epiphanius in haeres. 79. esteemeth the superstition of those women, that offred the sacrifice of a cake in the honour of the virgin Mary, to be diabolicall. totum hoc opus est diabo∣licum, & spiritus immundi doctrina. but Papists doe offer their masse cakes in the honour of our Lady, and of Saints.

Likewise he calleth it a doctrine of diuels, to giue diuine worship to dead men. but this is a common practise among Papistes. for by Saints they sweare, and to them they con∣fesse their sinnes, and in honour of them they build chur∣ches and altars, and say masses: all which are speciall points of diuine honour.

Further he sheweth, that the desire that men haue in making grauen images is a diuelish indeuor. simulachrificum studium diabolicus conatus. but where is there more labour bestowed in making images, then in the synagogue of Rome?

S. Chrysostome homil. 9. in epist. ad Coloss. saith, that the diuel first brought in the superstitious worship of Angels. diabolus su∣perstitionem angelorum introduxit. heere then we vnderstand, whence the Papists haue their worship of Angels.

From the diuell also hath the Pope learned to aduance himselfe aboue al that is worshipped, and to take vpon him, as if he were God. Apocalyps. 9. we read, that the smoke that darkned the sunne and the aire came out of the bottomlesse pit, and that locustes came out of this smoke. but this smoke is nothing else but the fumes of the errors of Popery, which haue long darkned the brightnesse of the truth, and the lo∣custes are the monks and friers, which with their poysoned

doctrine drawne from hell haue infected the mindes of sim∣ple people.

About the yeere of our Lord 1256. as Matthew Paris te∣stifieth, the friers published a booke entituled Euangelium aeternum, composed of certaine dreames of abbot Ioachim. and this, say they, exceeded the gospel written by the foure Euangelists, as farre as the Sunne the Moone, or the kernell the nut. but the author of the Romant of the Rose, where he speaketh of the hypocrisie of friers, testifieth, that this booke came from the great diuell.

Fut or baille (c'est chose voire) saith he, Pour bailler commun exemplaire, Vn liure de par le grand diable Dit l'euangile perdurable.

That the Popes haue serued the diuell, it appeareth by Iohn the 12. that called vpon the diuell, as he plaid at dice, by Syluester the 2. and Benet the 9. that were necromancers, by Gregory the 7. that2 confessed at his death, that by the counsell of the diuel he had stirred vp Gods anger against the world, and diuers others: but seruing the diuell, it is not like∣ly, but they learned somewhat of him.

Delrius lib. 4. de Magia. c. 1. q. 3. §. 5. testifieth, that the diuell appeared to a certaine abbot in forme of an Angell, and commanded him to say Masse. but he would not haue perswaded it, vnlesse he had well liked it. Dibdale a Masse∣priest in England coniured the diuell to tell him, whether Christes body was present in the Sacrament or no. he said it was. and this was a great satisfaction to the Papists present, as is said in a booke of miracles, that passeth from hand to hand.

In the 2. Nicene councell act. 4. a certaine monke proo∣neth the worship of Images by the testimony of the diuel.

I sengrenius in libro de Maria in veteri ottinga, prooueth that the virgin Mary, was to be worshipped by the witnesse of the diuel, that said his aue Maria.

In the 2. booke of conformities fruct. 2. they make proofe by the diuels testimonie, of the vertue of indulgences gran∣ted to the church of Assisium by the meanes of S. Francis.

Likewise lib. 3. conformitatum fruct. 8. a certaine ••i••el tolde one, as is said, how Angels were present at the death of S. Francis. daemon dixit cuidam angelos interfuisse in transitu B. Francisci. another told, how S. Francis his soule passed through Purgato∣ry. by the testimony of another diuel, they prooue that S. Francis had Christs wounds imprinted in his body, and that he and Christ onely of all that were in heauen had these markes. the wordes of the booke of conformities are these. diabolus dixit, quod Christus videns, quod Franciseus sibi da∣tus esset pro signisero tanti ordmis, ipsi suorum vnlncrum stigma∣ta impressit. and againe, diabolus adiuratus à quodam sacerdote de veritate dicenda, post plura per os mulieris apud Ranennam morantis nomime Zantese sic inquit, in coelo sunt tantum duo sig∣nati, scilicet Christus & slomachosus Franciscus.

Baronius in his 4. tome, prooueth Iohn and Paul to be mar∣tyrs by the diuels testimony. daemones clamantes ex corporibus obsessorum Ioannem & Paulum martyres esse testabantur. so heere we see whence the Papists haue the worship of Saints.

In the 77. lombard legend it is said, that Dioclesians sonne being possessed with a diuel, the same diuel cried out, that he wold not dislodge before Vitus came. lo heere a braue testimonie of the holinesse of S. Vitus.

Finally the massacres and cruell executions done by the Papistes of late yeeres vpon the Saints of God, haue procee∣ded from no other fountaine, then from the malice of the diuel. for he was a murderer from the beginning. and Apo∣calyps. 12. we read, that the great red dragon, that is, the di∣uel persecuted the woman, which was a figure of the church of God, and caused her to flie into the wildernesse. from the same fountaine also doe issue all the forgeries, lies, and calumniations of Papists, whereby they haue gone about to suppresse the truth. for the diuell is the father of lies, and from their father the diuel the lying friers and Masse-priests haue learned their lying deuises. who then is of God must needs hate this religion, that is partly inuented, and partly mainteined by the diuell.

Notes

• 2

  Matt. Paris in With. Conq.