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. IX. A catalogue of diuers notorious impicties and bla∣sphemies contained not onely in Popish bookes, but also in the corps of Popish religion.

IF it be no small sinne to take the name of God in vaine, how haynous a sinne is it to blaspheme the holy name of God? all sinnes compared to blasphemy saith Strabus in Isaiae c. 18. may seeme light. so grieuous it is, that the scriptures sometime auoid the naming of it, and in liew thereof vse the word ofa Benediction. yei is blasphemy so common in the mouthes and writings of Papists, that al the rest of their impieties, though otherwise intolerable, seeme small in comparison. hardly can they speake without blaspheming. the Roman catechisme in the exposition of the third com∣mandement, or the second as the Papists recken, confes∣seth against them this abuse. quis non videat, say the authors of the catechisme, omnia iureuirando affirmari, omnia impreca∣tionibus & execrationibus referta esse? that is, who seeth not that all things are affirmed with oathes, and that all mens mouthes are full of cursings and execrations? whosoeuer hath beene conuersant among Papists knoweth this to be true. they teare God in peeces, and neither respect the lawes of God nor man; albeit the emperor in the law ne quis luxuri∣etur &c. calleth this tearing and blaspheming vnnaturall luxurie.

They teach, that the body of Christ is in the Sacrament blood, flesh, and bone, and call it their Lord and God, and yet like Canibals, they cate and swallow downe their Lord and God, and make no bones of it.

Blasphemously also they affirme, that a dogge or a hogge eating a consecrated hoste, doth eat Christs true bodie. If a dogge or hogge,b saith Alexander Hales, should eat a consecrated hoast, I see no cause, but the Lordes body should go therewithall in∣to

to that dogges or hogges belly. and Thomas Aquinas 3. p. sum. where some of his fellowes were ashamed of this error, re∣prehendeth them for it, allowing this beastly deuouring of Christs body.

Gregory the seuenth, as we read in Beno Cardinalis, consul∣ted with this God of paste; & when he could receiue no an∣swere threw him into the fire. Ioannes Portuensis, as he repor∣teth, disclosed the matter. tale quid fecit Hildebrandus, vn∣de deberemus viut incendi, saith he. this fact, saith Beno, was, that he threw the sacrament of the lords body into the fire, be∣cause he could receiue no answere of it against the emperor.

Pius the fist cast one agnus Dei into the water of Tiber, another into the fire, as saith Hierome Catena in Pius his life. Cresciuto il Teuere. saith he, pio vi gittò vn agnus dei, & il fuo∣co appreso in vna casa piena di fieno, vi si git to vn altero. if then latria be due to the images of Christ; then did Pius cast that into the fire and the water, that he worshipped as God.

Clement the sixth in the chapter vnigenitus ext. com. de poenit. & remiss. maketh the Romanistes thus to cry to the Pope, domine aperi eis thesanrum tuum fontem aquae viue. Lord open to them thy treasure, the founteine of liuing water. as if the Pope had with him a treasure of graces, and as if his indulgences were the water of life. The Masse-priests euery day sell Christ, and that for meere trifles. Brigit therefore, as one reporteth in a treatise called onus ecclesiae. c. 23. saith they are worse then Iudas, for he sold Christ for good mony: these sell him for euery commoditie. pro omni mercimonio.

The honour of God they ascribe to the Virgin Marie, and to Saints. Confessing their sinnes they ioyne Mary with God, and leaue out Christ, saying consiteor deo omnipo∣tenti B. Mariae semper virgini &c.

Likewise in a certaine prouinciall constitution beginning authoritate dei omnipotentis de sent. exc. they pronounce ex∣communication by the authority of God and our lady, and vouchfase not once to name Christ.

Against the breakers of their lawes they denounce the anger of Peter and Paul, as appeareth commonly in late

decretales. Christ they quite forget.

Horatius Tursellinus in an epistle to Peter Aldobrandini pre∣fixed before the history of our Lady of Loreto, and allowed much by the Iebusites, saith, that God made the Virgin Mary, as much as could be companion and partaker of his power and Maiesty, and gaue to her the rule both of heauenly things, and of men on earth; and that God himselfe, as sarre as is requisit for mans defence, doth at her pleasure gouerne the earth, the sea, the heauens, and nature, and at her becke giueth diuine treasures and heauenly gifts. matrem suam praepotens ille dens diuinae maiesta∣tis potestatisque sociam, quatenus licuit, asciuit. huic olim cae∣lestium mortaliumque principatum detulit, ad huius arbitrium, quoad hominum tutela postulat, terras, maria, coelum, naturam{que} moderatur. hac annuente, & per hanc diumos the sauros morta∣libus, & coelestia dona largitur.

Bernardinus likewise in Mariali doth say, that all graces come downe from God by Mary, as sense and vigor de∣scend from the head to the other members of the body.

Bonauenture, or rather some wicked falsary vnder his name, hath transformed the praises and honor of God set out by the Prophet Dauid to the Virgin Mary.

Commonly they giue power to the Virgin Mary ouer her sonne. iure matris, saie they, impera redemptori.

In the Roman Breuiary she is called dulcis amica dei, and the happie gate of heauen, and to her they pray, to haue their bands loosed. In the missal of Sarum they pray thus, per te ma∣ter aboleri filiorum slagitamus crimina, nosque omnes introduci insempiterna paradisi gaudia, as if she were the sauiour of the world.

The missals and breuiaries are full of impieties. for beside the confession of sinnes made iointly to Angels and Saints with God, first they offer the Masse-cake, as they say; for the redemption of their soules, pro redemptione animarum suarum. secondly, they make the Priest a mediator to God for the body and bloud of Christ, as if by his praiers God did accept his owne and onely begotten sonne. supraquae propitio ac se∣reno vultu respicere digneris, say the Masse-priests speaking of

Christs body and bloud. thirdly, they compare Christ to brute beasts, and the sacrifice of Christs body and bloud to the sacrifice of Abel, that offered brute beasts. digneris accep∣ta habere, saie they, sicut accepta habere dignatus es mu∣nera pueri tui iusti Abel. fourthlie they desire God that Angels maie carie Christes bodie into Heauen. fifth∣ly they make God oftentimes a mediatour or intercessor to Saints, as appeareth by this praier, praesta quaesumus, vt quem doctorem vitae habuimus in terris, intercessorē habere me∣reamur in coelis. the same is also proued, for that Saints know nothing done in earth, as some of them suppose, vnlesse it please God to reucale matters vnto them; which if he do, then is God a mediator betwixt the Papists and Saints. sixthly they pray to the crosse for increase of iustice, and par∣don for sinne, augepijs iustitiam, reis{que} dona veniam. seuenthly in coniuring salt, they pray it may be salt exorcised for the saluation of them that beleeue, vt essiciaris sal exorcisatnm in salutem credentium. it were infinite to report all their blas∣phemies, and these may serue for a tast. only this may not be forgotten how praying before a certeine counterfet pic∣ture of Christs face giuen, as they say, by Christ to Veronica, they pray thus, salue sancta facies impressa panniculo, nos ab omni macula purga vitiorum, atque nos consortio coniunge bea∣torum. haile holy face, printed in a cloute, purge vs from all blot of sinne, and icine vs to the companie of blessed spirits in heauen.

Bellarmine alloweth this common saying of Friers spea∣king to the crucifixe, thou hast redeemed vs, thou hast reconci∣led vs to thy father, as we may read lib. 1. de cult. sanct. c. 23.

That the Gospell is a rule of perfection they denie. but they doubt not to giue that honour to the rules of Benet, Brendan, Francis, Dominicke and such authours of sects. of the holy scriptures they speake more blasphemously, than the Turkes and Saracens. for they honour the bookes of the old testament, albeit they oppugne the Christian faith: wher∣as the papists professe the faith, but speake euil of scriptures. some call them a nose of waxe, others a dead letter, the Rhe∣mists

call them a killing letter. Stapleton in his doctrinall prin∣ciples end enoureth to proue that all heresies proceed from scriptures. the surueying Kellison p. 158. of his suruey, saith the diuell doth wrap himselfe from top to toe in scriptures: as if scriptures were the habit of the diuell. pag. 41. he saith the letter of scripture with a false meaning is the word of the diuell. Turrian writing against Sadeel doth cal scriptures Delphicum gladium, or an instrument to all purposes. Bellarmine de ver∣bo Dei accuseth them as imperfect and insufficient. neither is there any swad amongst them, but he hath somewhat to say against scriptures.

To the images of the crosse and crucifixe, they giue as much honour as they giue to God. they giue the same also to the images of the Trinity, teaching their followers, that it is but one honour, that is giuen to the image & the thing represented by the image. but the things being two, and that so different, as there is no proportion betwixt them, they must needs blaspheme giuing the name and honour of God to these base creatures

The Pope aduanceth himselfe aboue all that is worship∣ped, and refuseth not the name and titles of God. in the chap. satis, dist. 96. he is called God. and heereupon Steu∣chus in his treatise for defence of Constantines donation: au∣dis, saith he, summum pontisicem à Constātino Deum appellatum & habitum pro Deo? In the chap. quoniam. de immunitate in 6. he calleth himselfe the spouse of the church. in the chap. inter corporalia. de transla. praelat. we read these words, quando Pa∣pa dissoluit matrimonium, vnletur quod Deus solus dissoluit ma∣trimonium. he is called a God in the earth by Felin. in c. ego N. de iureiurādo. and by Baldus m l••g. vlt. C. sententi••e reseindendae. Abbas Panormitanus expresly saith, that Christ and the Pope haue but one consistory. the glosse in c. cum interextr. Ioan. 22. de verb. signif. doth call the Pope our Lord and God.

Further he maketh a scorne of Christian religion. Iulius the second, vpon Easter day sought with the French at Ra∣uenna. Gregory the seuenth his armie vpon their good Fri∣day fought with Henrie the 4. in S. maries church he sought

to murther the Emperour by throwing downe a stone vpon his head from a vault. Sixtus the fourth his agents at the e∣leuation of the sacrament indeuoured to murther Laurence and Iulian de medicis, as Volaterran Geograph. lib. 5. testifieth. that of Gregory is written by him that wrote the Emperours life, and by Beno Cardinalis. Leo the tenth called the gospel a fable. commonly the Popes send the sacrament before them, together with their baggage and the scullery.

And as if Christ had giuen vs no sufficient rules of re∣ligion, so he inuenteth and confirmeth daily new religions, as for example of late the religion of the Iebusites, and in former times the rules of Benet, Francis, and Dominike.

His followers fall downe like beasts before him and wor∣ship him as God. Paulus Aemilius lib. 2. telleth how the Ambassadors of Sicily cried thus to the Pope, thou which takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercy vpon vs, thou which takest away the sinnes of the world giue vnto vs peace. and Simon Begnius bishop of Modrusa in the Councell of Lateran ses. 6. calleth Leo the 10. his sauiour. te beatissim•• Leo saluatorem exspectauimus, saith he. Stapleton writing to Gregory the 13. calleth him, supremum numen in terris. his epistle is extant before his doctrinall principles. they call him the vicar of Christ, the monarch of the church, the head, the spouse and foundation of the church, most blasphemously ascribing to him the honor due to Christ.

Most shamefully also they racke scriptures to apply them to the Pope. Thomas Waldensis that fleering frier in his pro∣logue before the first tome of his works; turneth the words which the apostle spoke to Christ, to Martin the fift. Domine saith he, salua nos, perimus. Lord saue vs, we perish. declaring that the Pope is the sauiour of friers. Cornelius bishop of Bi∣tonto in the conuenticle of Trent, vttereth these blasphe∣mous speeches, the Pope the light is come into the world, but men loued the darknesse more then light.

Antoninus part. 3. doth compare Dominike with Christ, and saith he wrought more miracles then Christ. dominus Christus, saith he, est dominus absolutè & authoritatiuè, Domi∣nicus

possessiuè. that is, Dominicke is Lord of the world by posses∣sion, Christ by authoritie and absolutely. likewise the booke of conformities of Christ and Francis doth conteine nothing, but blasphemous comparisons betwixt them two. Francis they call the figuratiue Iesus, and in heauen they say, he and his company is kept in Christs side. To S. Dominike & his company they giue a place vnder our Ladies gowne. Ful∣bertus bishop of Charters saith Radulphus niger, was nouri∣shed with our Ladies milke. they tell also blasphemous tales of Alane de rupe the author of our Ladies Rosary, and say that he was very familiar with the blessed virgin.

Finally it is no maruell, if Romish religion be full of im∣pieties and blasphemies, seeing the same was deuised by Popes, that were most impious and great blasphemers. Be∣net the 9. and Syluester the second, gaue themselues to the di∣uell, as Beno testifieth. Gregory the 7. in a solemne Councel was condemned for a sotthsayer, a necromancer and a wicked fellow. the Councell of Pise, as Theodoric à Niem lib. 3. c. 44. reporteth, condemned Gregory the 12. and Benet the 13. as notorious wicked men. Alexander the 6. as is said, be∣leeued not that there was a God. Iohn the 23. in the Coun∣cel of Constance was conuinced, that he beleeued not the resur∣rection. Leo the 10. and Clement the 7, by Papistes them∣selues were reputed atheistes. Paul the 3. was a great magi∣cian, and very familiar with Cecco d'ascoli. Iulius the 3. called for his gambon of bacon al dispet to di dio, that is, in despite of God, and said that he had more reason to be angry for a pea∣cocke, then God for an apple. Boccace in his second nouell bringeth in a Iew maruelling, how Reme could stand, in which there was no religion at all.

If I should report all the blasphemies of particular au∣thors, I should fill vp a whole volume with them. onely thus much I thought good to say, for to giue you an assaie of greater matters. Faber in his booke aduers. anatomen mis∣sae fol. 25. compareth Christ to the drunken Silenus. annon saith he, mirisi••us Silenus suit Christus? in another place he calleth Christ an iuchanter. Bellarmine lib. 1. de sanct. beat. c.

13. alledging a place out of Iustine martyr, but most falsely, placeth angels before the holy ghost, and would haue them worshipped together with the holy Trinitie. to the Pope al∣so in his Preface before his bookes de Pontif. Rom. and in his booke de Pontif. Rom. c. 31. he giueth the proper titles of Christ. but I cannot in this short treatise report all. he that list to see diuers examples of Parsons his impieties and blas∣phemies, let him read my answer to his Warneword, and 3. conuersions. Kellison is conuinced of the same crime in my answer to his Suruey.

Notes

• a

  Iob. 1.
• b

  p. 4. q. 45.