THat any man , having the use of their Reason , and all the powers of their Soul vigorous and active , should be so hardned , as in the great and last hour of Death to out-face Truth , and with amazing Imprecations proclaim themselves Innocent of any Fact , which by sufficient Evidence and Circumstance hath been proved against them , is a thing so incredible to all sober Christians , that the Protestations and Asseverations of the late Priests in this kind ( who suffer'd as so many Malefactors ) have been ready to leave upon the minds of some men , as well as you ( even Protestants ) such impressions as these ; that doubtless they spake Truth at Death , were wrongfully Condemned , died for that of which they were not Guilty ; and consequently , that the Kings Evidence who swore against them , are highly perjured , and deeply guilty of their Innocent Blood : For who can imagine they should dare to go before the Great and Eternal Judge of all the World with a Lye in their mouths ? But if we consider the Principles and Practices of these men , this may seem no wonder at all , for what we call a Lye , they count none ; or if it be so , yet tell us 't is both lawful and necessary at some times to lye , and out-face the Truth , even with Oaths : We must believe that every of these men received Plenary Absolution for all their sins , from their Birth to that day upon which they died ; upon which Absolution they may affirm themselves as free from , and as Innocent of any Crime laid to their Charge , as the Child unborn , because whatever the Crime is , 't is forgiven : And supposing they did sin in their Declaration of their Innocency at the place of Execution , which the former Absolution could not reach , yet they might safely do it , having a power to absolve each other just as they were going out of the World , as 't is believed they did when they laid their Heads together in the Carts ; which Absolution sends them perfect Innocents to Heaven , in their Opinion . Moreover , if to rob , spoil , kill Protestants , burn their Cities , &c. if to depose Heretical Princes from their Crowns and Kingdoms , and absolve their Subjects from their Allegiances , ( to which by Oaths they stand fast bound ) if these be no sins ( as in their account they are not ) then they may declare themselves Innocent , though never so guilty in our esteem and judgment . Now that such Trayterous and bloody designs and undertakings are not only not sinful , but good and lawful , we will bring some of their own Party to justifie . — For they tell us , 't is no sin for Romanists to take from those whom they count Hereticks all that they have , all they have being by Sentence of Law confiscated : This is concluded by a whole Council ; Bona ipsorum ( scil . Haeret . ) ipso facto applicantur fisco . Concil . Later . sub Innoc . 2. And Sylvester saith , that all whoever may rob and spoil Hereticks , and if it cannot be otherwise accomplished , it may be done by force of Arms ; his words are , Si aliter feri non potest , manu armata sunt eis omnia bona auferenda . Sylvest . n . 23. q . 3. c . 1. And that we may be sure this is lawful , one of their Popes ( who is held Infallible ) hath thus determined , that all Prelates and Princes , even Kings and Emperours that are Hereticks , should be , and should be understood to be deprived of all their Benefices , States , Kingdoms , and Empires , without farther Declaration , and uncapable to be restored to them , even by the Apostolick See ( old Hold-fast ) and their Goods , States and Kingdoms shall be understood to be common , and to belong to those Catholicks who can get them : A Constitution of Pope Paul 4. declares this : And you may see more of this in Hist . Conc . of Tr. lib . 5. p. 409. and in Institut . Cathol . Tit . 45. Sect . 13 : so that whatever Misdemeanours or Treasons they act or contrive against the King , or his undoubted Rights , or against his Subjects , being convicted and condemned as Traytors , they may safely deny it , and proclaim themselves innocent ; that is , not guilty of Treason ( laid to their charge ) because they cannot be guilty of any such thing against an Heretical King , or Prince , whose Crowns and . Kingdoms are not his own , but theirs , if they can catch them : Besides , if these men may dally with Oaths , swear , and yet not hold themselves bound by any Oath , if the breach of it may make for their advantage , why should we wonder to hear them deny the Truth , where the confession of it might do them and their Cause some injury : As to that of Oaths , let us hear what their Writers say , Licet jurare cum aequivocatione , D : Tho : Scotus , Paladanus , Gabriel , Sylvester , Soto , and multitudes more of their Writers justifie this : But more fully , let us hear what another saith to this point ; Qui alio sensu jurat quam alter intelligat , non peccat , modo justam babet causam ita jurandi — justa autem causa utendi his verbis ( amphibologicis ) est necessitas aut utilitatis corporis , aut honoris , aut verum familiarium — Ex quo sequitur , non esse illicitum uti verbis amphibologicis , addendo restrictionem aliquam in mente retentam , quoties aliquid incommodi , vel injuriae nobis impendet loquendo ad mentem in ●●rrogantis , adest enim justa causa ita loquendi , Bonacin : Tom : 2 : disp : 4 : quest : 1 : pun●t : 12 : n : 2 , 3 , 4 : Now should Gavern , Whitebread , and the rest have confessed there was a Plot going on against his Majesties Life and Government , and that they were guilty Actors in it , this would have done great damage to their Party and Religion amongst us ; and seeing they may obviate that evil , and make the credulous World believe they are Innocent of all such Principles and Practices , by a single Lye , why should we think they should stick at that , when they may swallow Oaths , and swear what they please for their Commodity , and to avoid injury , and yet be justified as Innocent Persons by their Heads and Guides : And 't is as much to be admired , that so knowing a Jesuit as Gavern was , should affirm the Papists allowed not the deposing of Kings , Absolution from Oaths , &c. as that he was Innocent of the Fact or Crime for which he died : For whether he spake truth in the latter , I am not able to say ; but that the former is false , every one that is at all read in their own Schoolmen and Doctors can testifie ; and if he made no Conscience to lye in the one ( as we are sure he doth ) I can see no reason to think he did in the other , especially since we are told that mendacium si alium non habet maculam quam falsitatis , non est mortale , ( Patet , saith the Author ) quia non est contra Religionem ( Romanam ) Soto : l : 5 : q : 7 : art : 4 : p : 168 : And to vanquish all wonder of these mens justifying themselves , and to shew that a Lye will never choak a Popish Priest , it is a standing Precept among all their Doctors , that a Priest being asked by a Judge , whether he knows such a thing by Confession ? he may answer no , though he doth know it , and the revealing of it be necessary to save a Prince or a Nation from ruine : Take it in their own words ; — Certum est obligationem hujus praecepti tantam esse , ut in nulla Casu , & propter nullam finem , etiam pro tuenda tota repub . ab ingenti malo temporali aut spirituali , violare illud liceat : Sic ait Durand : Scotus , Palud . Major : Capriol : Gabriel , Alensis , Adrian , Cajetan , Lodsman in Suar : Tom : 34 : disp : 33 : Sect : 1 : n : 2 : Et sic doce●t omnes Theologi contra unum Altisiod : Here is not only a permission , but a strong Precept and Injunction for Priests to deny the Truth , to elude Authority by Equivocation , blaspheming God , lying and swearing in open Court , though it be to the temporal or spiritual ruine of the whole Republick , and they shall be justified in it by all their rare Saints , and learned Doctors ; and if in open Court , why not at place of Execution ? where a free and ingenuous Confession might have caused the apprehension of many more Priests and Confederates , and utterly obstructed their farther Progress in altering the Government of the Kingdom , and have given such a Blow to Popery , as it should never have been able to have held up its Head again in this Nation , or so weakned it , that all future endeavours to bring it in , must have proved abortive . And is this to be expected from them at any time in Life or Death , who come hither with full Commissions , and fixed Resolutions , to promote it , and hazard their lives to accomplish their ends ? No , they must rather stifle the Truth , and like Romes Champions , out-brave Death and Judgment , and sacrifice Soul and Body to the Churches Interest , than do so great service for Hereticks , as to prevent their ruine , either Temporal or Spiritual , by a cowardly confession of Truth at last . As a sincere Christian would ( and ought to ) die rather than betray the Truth and Church of Christ into the Enemies hands ; so these Heroes of Rome will rather suffer a thousand Deaths , than disclose the Popes designs against such Dogs , Wolves , Serpents , as we ( Hereticks ) are glorying as much in their sufferings , as any true Martyr of Christ can ; and for this their Fidelity and Magnanimity in the Cause , even to Death , shall be Sainted and Canonized by their Holy Father : In my Opinion it would be much more strange , to hear any Priest or Papist confess himself guilty of any evil against Protestants , than to deny it ; since they do not look upon us equally worthy to live with bruit Beasts , most worthy of the greatest destruction , and a laudable work in them to hasten it upon us : Could we see one of them really converted to Protestantism , and the true Religion , we might expect a discovery at death of the Popish designs : But so long as they declare they die Romanists , 't is mighty folly once to dream of any Confession from them in favour of us , or by which our Church may reap the least benefit or safety ; for this were in one moment to tumble down , what for many years they have been rearing up , and had rather than their lives should be carried on to perfection ; viz. to bring this Kingdom once more to the Pope's Lure , that once more that monstrous Beast of Rome might ride us : And do you think , now he is gotten so high , that one lift more had thrown him into the Saddle , they will , by a Confession of his and their own Villany , pull the good old man back ? no , They honour him and hate us too much to do any such thing : Therefore however those men behaved themselves , or whatever they affirmed or denyed at death , let us not be so over-credulous as to think their Brethren ( those Wolves that yet remain amongst us ) are a Company of innocent Lambs , and have no designs against us ; who doubtless Glory in the confidence and faithfulness of those that are gone before , and are carrying on a most cruel and horrid design and Plot against us , against our Gracious King , ( whom God preserve ) his Government both in Church and State , and against the lives of his Protestant Subjects : And yet should any of them hereafter be brought to the like condign punishment for their Murderous and Traiterous Projects and Proceedings ( as we hope they will if they go on ) you shall find they will declare themselves as innocent and guiltless as any of the former ; for such is their Zeal for the Cause , and confidence in his Holiness , : that they had rather dye with the Pope's Pardon , than live with his Majesty's .

With them a simple Lye is a venial sin , and they say a man may resolve to continue in venial sin till death , and yet be saved .