be true nor the liberty therein allowed lawfull but wantonly licentious and damnable THE XXV CHAPTER Tbe 33. 34. Articles examined an in whatsoeuer repugnant to the doctrine of the Church of Rome thus condemned THeir 33. next article intituled of excommunicate persons how they are to be auoided containeth nothing contrarie to the doctrine or practise of the Church of Rome as is manifest in these the verie words thereof That person which by open denuntiation of the Church is rightly cut of from the vnity of the Church and excommunicate ought to be taken of the whole multitude of the faithfull as an heathen and publican vntill he be openly reconciled by pennance and receaued into the Church by a Iudge that hath authority thereto Therefore I passe it ouer and come to the next 34. article intituled Of the traditions of the Church and followeth in these words It is not necessary that traditions and ceremonies be in all places one or vterly like for at all times they haue beene diuers chaunged according to the diuersity of contries times and mens manners So that nothing be ordained against Gods word Whosoeuer through his priuate Iudgment willingly and purposely doth openly breake the traditions and ceremonies of the Church which be not repugnant to the word of God and be ordained and approued by common authority ought to be rebuked openly that others may feare to doe the like as he that offendeth against the common order of the Church and hurteth the authority of the magistrate and woundeth the consciences of the weake brethren Hitherto this article seemeth to haue litle or no opposition to the Church of Rome but it may be passed ouer with silence The rest of it immediatelie thus followeth Euery particular and nationall Church hath authority to ordaine chaunge and abolish ceremonies orrites of the Church ordained onely by mans authority So that all things be done to edifying This clause is euidentlie false and prophane in itselfe for making euery particular Church many thousands such being in the world to be supreame iudge sentencer not onely to ordaine chaūge abolish ceremonies and rites of the vniuersall Catholike Church but to haue ouerruling authority to decree and commaund what is fit or fittest for edification taketh away all possible hope of edification and bringeth most certaine destruction confusion and desolation by making so many thousands of Supreame Iudges in these doubts as there be particular Churches which is a thinge most foolish and irreligious to affirme and vnpossible to be acted Further it is directly opposite repugnant to their owne 19. and 20. articles before of the Church and authoritie thereof In the 19. article they teach that all particular Churches euen the cheifest haue erred not onely in their liuing manner of ceremonies but also in matters of faith Therefore by these Protestants wee may neither admit so many or any one such erring false Iudge in such things Neither by their doctrine may wee stand to the censure of any particular nationall Church but onely of the one Catholike militant Church of Christ which as it is euer by that article of our Creede I beleeue the holy Catholike Artic. 19. Church holy and vnspotted from errour so by these men in the same article it is thus assigned to be our onely true Iudge in these affaires The visible Churcb of Christ is a congregation of faithfull men in the which the pure word of God is preached and the Sacramēts be dayly ministred according to Christs ordināce in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same And in their next article of the same one onely Church thus they decree in these words of the authority of the Church The Church hath power to decrecrites or ceremonies and authority in Controuersies of faith And their best writers haue published with their common and best allowance this sentence in this Question The primatiue Councels haue condemned Couell Mod. exam p. 65. them as heretikes onely for being stiffely obstinate in this kinde of denying the ceremonies of the Church They exemplifie thus in Aerius Aerius Feild l. 3. cap. 29 pag. 138. Couel exam pag. condemned the custome of the Church For this his rash and inconfiderate boldnesse in cōdemnig the vniuersall Church of Christ was iustly condemned The custome ceremonie and tradition which this heretike denied and was therefore by these men iustlie condemned was as they confesse naming the deade at the altare and offering the sacrifice of Eucharist for them This is but a ceremony by them because they contend it is not contained is scripture nor may be proued thereby as they likewise haue pretended for all other things which their Articles before haue reiected both in Sacraments and other doctrines and customes which I haue proued against them and doe leaue them as alterable ceremonies vpon that feeble and vaine pretence Vnder this pretence they haue taken away all our Missals or orders of holie Masse vsed in all Churches with their religious ceremonie from the Apostles time as I haue proued before So they haue done by all rituals and ceremonials about the ministring the Communion Booke and Booke of Consecrat of King Edu 6. Franc. Mason and the Prot. of their consecrat in Mat. Parker Prot. art 36 infra Stat. in parlamento an 2. Eduardi 6. holy Sacraments and brought in their places the childish and womanlie deuises of a named communion booke by yong King Eduard 6. and Queene Elizabeth and an other named and stiled by them The forme and manner of making and consecrating Bishops Preists and Deacons quite omitting all other orders euer vsed in all Churches from Christs time and these fashions neuer vsed before by their owne cōfession by anie Christian Britans Saxōs French or others in this Kingdome or all the world but to vse their owne words in these articles lately set fourth in the time of Eduard the sixt and confirmed at the same time by authority of Parlament the second yeare of the aforenamed King Edward He then being about eleuen yeares old a farre to yonge censurer Iudge and condemner of all Churches with their holie vniuersallie receaued ceremonies to bring in so straunge and childish an Innouation We are assured by the Apostolike men of this first age and others that euen from the Apostles there were manie particular ceremonies deliuered to be immutably vsed in all Churches Thus S. Clement and S. Dionisius the Areopagite Clem. Rom. Apost const lib. 8. cap. 29. Dion Areop Ecclesiastic Hierarc c. 2. with diuers others deliuer of hallowing oyle and water to heale diseases driue away deuils and and like effects settinge downe the verie manner how to sanctifie them Domine Deus Sabaoth Deus virtutum qui dedisti aquam ad bibendum oleum ad exhilarandum faciem in exultationem laetitiae ipse etiam nunc sanctifica per Christum hanc aquā oleum ex nomine eius qui obtulit tribue
ei vim sanandi depellendi morbum fugandi daemones expellendi insidias per Christum spem nostram And by Apostolike Alexander Pap. 1. epistol omnes orth authority commaunde those ceremonies especially of holy water to be perpetuallie vsed by Preists in all Churches aquam sale conspersam populis benedicimus vt ea cuncti aspersi sanctificentur purificentur Quod omnibus Sacerdotibus faciendum esse mandamus So auncient was this holie ceremonie of sanctifying water and salt so coÌ„tinuall generall and inuiolable which our Protestants themselues thus acknowledge Alexander Romanus aquam admixto Robert Barn l. de vit Pont. Roman in Alexandro 1. sale precibus benedicendam eamque in templo domi ad Satanam propellendum ad peccata tollenda seruari iussit So it was in hallowing the water of baptisme S. Clement and others deliuering the verie manner thereof deprecetur Sacerdos instante baptismo Et dicet Clem. const Apost l. 7. ca. 43 l. 8. c. 35. Aspice è Coelo sanctifica hanc aquam tribue gratiam vim qui baptizatur secundum mandatum Christi cum eo crucifixus commortuus consepultus consufutatus sit in adoptionem quae in eo fit vt mortuus quidem sit peccato viuat autem iustitiae There he deliuereth Cap. 42. also the forme and order of hallowing Chrisme to annoint the baptized Benedicitur oleum à Sacerdote in remissionem peccatorum There he deliuereth the abrenuntiation which was made before baptisme Abrenuntiatio sathanae Cap. 41. operibus eius pompis cultui Angelis machinationibus eius omnibus quae subipso sunt He deliuereth Cap. 23. ep 3. const Apost l. 3. c. 16. 10. Iustinus quaes 137. Missa S. Marci Clem. coÌ„st Apost l. 8. c. 12 Ciprianus ep 63. Miss S. Iacob Alexand. 1. ep 1. Iustin orat ad Ant. pium Ireneus l. 4. c. â—7 lib. 5. cap. 2 Dion Areop l. Eccl. Hier. c. 43. Clem. const Apost l. 3. c. 6. Ignat. epist ad Eph Iren. l 4 c. 20. c. 34. Euarist apud Burchar l. 1. cap. 27. Pius r. apud eund l. 5. c. 47 l. 3. c. 72. Tom. 1 conc c. Clem. can Apost 72. ep 2. the annointing of the baptized vnges oleo sancto caput eorum qui baptizantur siue viri sint siue mulieres It was Dominica Traditio the Tradition euen from Christ that in the chalice water should be mixed with the wine to be offered ne quid aliud fiat à nobis quà m quod pro nobis Dominus Priorfecerit vt calix qui in commemorationem eius offertur mixtus vino offeratur The Apostolike writers of this age assure vs there were altars and they consecrated to consecrate and offer vpon them the blessed and perpetuall sacrifice of Christs body and blood and how they were consecrated as now they are with holy oyle Diuini altaris consecrationem sanctissimorum mysteriorum lex sacratissimi vnguenti castissimis infusionibus perficit And deliuer the verie manner with incense and other ceremonies Pontifex vbi orationem sanctam super diuinum altare peregit ex ipso incensum adolere inchoans omnem plani ambitum circuit Demum ad sanctum altare iterum rediens psalmorum incipiens melos Qui verò ipsius ordinis praecipui sunt vnà cum Sacerdotibus sanctum panem benedictionis calicem sanctis altaribus imponunt So they write of chalices patens and veales hallowed vas aureum vel argenteum vel velum sanctificatum nemo amplius in suum vsum conuertat hoc enim fit contra ius contra leges So of the holie vestiments of Bishops Preists Deacons Subdeacons and others of the Cleargie Sacris induti vestimentis So our Protestants themselues Clem. ep 2. Anac ep 1. Robert Barnes l. de vit Pontif Rom. in Anacleâ—o confesse Anacletus Sacerdotem sacrificaturum ministros vestibus sacris indutos contestes custodes sibi adhibere ordinauit Episcopus verò vt plures ministros sibi in sacris faciendis adiungat I haue spoken of diuers others before and shall remember more in the 36. of consecration of Bishops and ministers hereafter And our auncient monuments are witnesses that as other nations so all the Churches of Britaine did in the Britans time receaue and followe these manners and ceremonies euen by authoritie of the Romane Church Omnes Britannicae Ecclesiae modum Manuscr an t in vit S. Dauidis Capgr Catal. in eodem regulam Romana authoritate acceperunt Therefore most certaine it is that euerie particular and nationall Church hath not against this article authority to ordaine chaunge and abolish such ceremonies or rites of the Churche as the Protestants of England haue done THE XXVI CHAPTER The 35. 36. articles intituled of homilies and of consecration of Bishops and ministers thus examined and condemned THeir next 35. article intituled of homilies doth onely receaue and allowe to be read in their Protestant Church 2. Bookes of homilies one set fourth in the time of King Eduard the sixt the other in the beginning of Queene Elizabeth her Reigne Of which the reader may easilie giue censure according to that is said and proued in the former articles for wherein soeuer either of those 2. bookes any homilie in them on anie part point or doctrine in anie one of them all doth differ from the first Apostolike Catholike true doctrine inuinciblie proued before those bookes homilies parcels or assertions of them are vtterlie to be reiected and renounced Which the verie times themselues of their publication the condemned erroneous dayes of that King and Queene and their Protestanâ— composers and publishers likewise condemned for their false teaching and writing doe manifest vnto vs. Their 36. article of Consecration of Bishops and ministers is thus The booke of consecration of Archbishops and Bishops and ordering of Preists and Deacons lately set for the in the time of Edward the sixt and confirmed at the same time by authoritie of parliament doth conteine all things necessary to such consecration and ordering neither hath it any thinge that of it selfe is superstitious or vngodly And therefore whosoeuer are consecrated or ordered according to the rites of that booke since the second yeare of the a forenamed King Edward vnto this time or here after shall be consecrated or ordered according to the same rites we decree all such to be rightly orderly and lawfully consecrated and and ordered Hitherto this article which in euery part thereof is fully confuted before in my Examination of their 23. Article intituled of ministring in the congregation Where I haue demonstratiuely proued that they neither haue any true lawfull Iurisdiction or ordination among them But to do a worke of Supererogation in this so much concerning the standing or ouerthâ—owe of our Protestants whole religion quite ouerthrowne by this one dispute if they haue no rightly orderly and lawfully consecrated Bishops Preists or Deacons I further thus
his councell King Iames Prot. Lords Bish. Doct. in Confer at HaÌ„pt Court p. 13. 18. 35. 36 10. 11 Couell ag the plea. of the Innoc. p. 104. Barlow Serm. before the K. Sept. 21 an 1607. part 3. cap. 2. Protestant Bishops and best learned Doctors assembled in publike confereÌ„ce haue left thus concluded The particular and personall absolution from sinne after confesson is apostolicall and a very Godly ordinance That baptisme is to be ministred by priuate persons in time of necessity is an holy Tradition Bishops and Archbishops be diuine ordinations confirmation iâ— an apostolicall traditioÌ„ And in their publike Rituall their communion booke they testifie that confirmation was a Tradition of the Apostles hath an externall signe also vsed by them and giueth grace which by the 25. Article of their religion maketh â— Communion booke of Engl. Protest Titul Confirmation §. Almighty Prot. of Religion art 25. a Sacrament So that to insist onely vpon these graunted Traditions not contained in Scripture by these Protestants and yet so necessary to saluation as they by their greatest allowance and authority deliuer wee may not say as this Article doth Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary for saluation These men also deliuer vnto vs with greate approbation Articul 6. supr makinge the Author of that worke and for the same a Bishop certaine sure rules to knowe such true Thraditions by in these words Rules by which wee may Iudge which are true and Indubitate Feild Books of the Church l. 4. pag. 242. August l. 4. contr Donat. c. 23. Traditions The first rule is deliuered by Sainct Augustine Quod vniuersa tenet Ecclesia nec Conciliâ—â— Institutum sed semper retentum est non nisi authoritate apostolica traditum rectissimè creditur Whatsoeuer the whole Church holdeth not ordained by Councels but beinge euer holden it is most rightly belieued to haue beene deliuered by Apostolike authority The second Feild supr l. 4 c. 21. p. 242. c. 5. pag. 202. Kinge Iames and Confer at Hampton Couel def oâ— Hooker Ormer pict pap p. 184 Down l. 2. Antichr pag. 105. Sutcliffe Subuers pag. 57. rule is whatsoeuer all or the most famous and renowned in all ages haue constantly deliuered as receaued from them that went before them no man contradictinge or doubting of it may be thought to be an Apostolicall Tradition The third rule is the constat Testimony of the Pastors of an Apostolike Church successiuely deliuered Amongst Apostolike Churches the Church of Rome is more specially to be obeyed reuerenced and respected The Church of Rome is our mother Church it was a rule to all both in doctrine and ceremonies when it was in her florishinge and best estate The Church of Rome was the cheife and onely Church It was a note of a good ChristiaÌ„ to cleane vnto the Romane Apostolicall Church Euery Church ought to haue respect to the Church of Rome for her eminent principality And our English Protestant antiquaries and Diuines haue generally giuen their allowance that the Church of Rome both in this and the next age when Britayne did receaue the most pure Religion of Christ from thence was most holy and vnspotted free from all error Therefore whatsoeuer wee doe or may bringe in generall or particular for vnwritten traditions either from this so renowned Apostolike Church in this time from the whole Church or the most famous and renowned in this age beinge our Protestants owne allowed rules and to be denied by none must needs be euidence and testimony vndeniable in this and all others their questioned Articles Frst I exemplifie in the Apostles Creede stiled by our Protestants before a sundry comprehension of the cheife heads of Christian Religion Protest supr Ruffin in exposit Symboli alij a rule of the Churches faith This was deliuered by the Apostles by tradition not by Scripture but before the Scriptures of the new Testament werâ— written as both they and the auncient Fathers by â— common consent of the whole Church of Christ are witnesses And the same consent of Christ Church with these our Protestants in these their Articles so conclude of Sainct Athanasius and the Art 8. of prot Religion Nicen Creede in these words The three Creeds Nicen Creede Athanasius Creede and that which is commonly called the Apostles Creede ought throughly to bâ— receaued beleeued And so generally they obserue although the reason which they immediatly yeelâ— thereof for they may be proued by most certaine warrants of holy Scripture is childish and impertinentâ— for being confessed that the Apostles Creede waâ— deliuered onely by tradition of the Apostles and by that authoritie receaued before the Scriptures either receaued or written this Creede could not possibly be receaued by the written warrant of Scriptures but vnwritten tradition and warrant of thâ— Apostles And although the Nicen and S. Athanasius Creeds were written longe after this time yâ— they were both written receaued in the Churcâ— before the Scriptures were generally allowed anâ— receaued as both the auncent Fathers and Protestants haue acknowledged before and it is testifie by the publike warranted Protestant glosse vpoâ— Prot. Glosse by authority of Church of Engl. in Art 8. these their Articles that very many both old anâ— late writers euen whole sects and professionâ— namely to vse their owne words Ebionites Trâ—theits Antitrinitarians Apollinarians Arians Mâ—nichies Nestorians Origenians Familists and Anâ—baptists with others are Aduersaries vnto and deniers that these Creeds may be proued by holâ— Scripture Much more doe they and many other both Catholiks and Protestants themselues deny that all and singular their articles necessary to saluation may so be proued And to come to the holy and happy Apostolike writers and Saincts which liued and wrote in this first age and first hundred of yeares to wit S. Linus Sainct Clement Sainct Denys the Areopagite S. Martial Sainct Ignatius Sainct Policarpus or any other of whom any worke is extant I shall make it S. Ignat. epist ad Smyrn Theod. dialo Euseb l. 3. c. 31. Hieraâ— lib. de vir Illust S. Bern. Serm. 7. in ps 9. Marc. Michal Carnoten lib. de vir illustr Dion Carth. ad l. Areop de diuin nom Sint Sin lib. 2. Ignat. ep ad S. Ioh. 1. 2. ad B. Mar. Virg. B. Mar. epist ad Ignat. S. Ignat. epist ad Smyrnen Euseb hist l. 3. ca. 33. â— Chrisost orat de traÌ„sl S. Ignatij Foelix Rom. ep ad Zenon Imperat synod S. Constant Theodoret. Immutabil dialog 1. euident that in euery Article in this Protestant Religion contained in their booke of the Articles thereof they dissented from these Protestants and they and the Apostolike Church then vniuersally agreed in and professed the same doctrine which the present Roman Church doth at this day in all points This will plainely appeare in euery Article hereafter and therefore in this place I will onely cite Sainct Ignatius as a sufficient pawne or pledge
anathematizing all gaynesayers vnto it Omnes quâ— ausi fuerint dissoluere definitionem Sancti magâ—â— Concilij quod apud Nicaeam tongregatum est anathematizamus Et dixerint omnes placet Things concluded and confirmed for the whole Church by so many and greate authorities and their deniall so seuerely punished must needs be of highest and vnfallible truth The Apostles themselues in their Councels before haue giuen vndoubted testimony to this if they Ignat. epist â—d Polycarp epist ad Her had not by their Councels prefigured and giuen testimoy to the infallible verity of the decrees of generall Councels Their so many assembles and Councels might haue beene spared for whatsoeuer any one of them did or should haue decreed was without question true in matters of faith otherwise wee might call all their sacred writings the whole new testament into question The Apostolike men of the first age haue giuen like euidence before And among them S. Ignatius who would haue such councels often kept Crebrius celebrentur Conuentus Synodique doth make their decrees and constitutions of so greate and vnquestionable power and authority that he which doth otherwise although he is in other things worthy of credit although he fasteth although he liueth in virginity doth miracles and prophesieth is to be accompted for a wolfe which vnder a sheeps skin bringeth destruction and bane to the sheepe Quicunque dixerit quippiâ—â— praeterea quae constituta sunt tamet si fide dignus 〈◊〉 quamuis ieiunet quamuis in virginitate degat qâ—amnis signa edat quamuis prophetet pro lupo illum â—â—â—eas qui sub oninae pelle exitium pestemque adfert â—â—ibâ—â— So vnpossible he maketh it that such decrees should be vntrue And the first Nicen Councell Concil Nic. in Symbolo apud Ruffin l. 1. hist Eccl. c. â— Socrat. l. 1. hist c. 6. declaring that a generall Councell is the Catholike Church and reason so warrantinge by errour of such a Councell the whole Church might erre in articles of faith And that article of our Creede I beleeue the holy Catholike Church euer most true might be false at sometimes which is a thing most prophane and Antichristian to be affirmed For if a generall Councell representing the whole Church ruling gouerning and teaching it in the cheifest Bishops and Pastours there present might erre the whole Church both the Gouernours and gouerned therein must needs be in the same desolate estate And our Protestant Bishops and Doctours Engl. Protest in Bilson Suru p. 82. Morton part 2. Apolog. p. 340. l. 4. c. 18. feild p. 228. with their publike allowance and approbation doe thus giue warrant vnto vs. The authority of generall Councels is most holsome in the Church A generall Councell is highest Iudge Bishops assembled in a generall Councell haue authority to subiect euery man that shall disobey such determinations as they consent vpon to excommunication and censures of like nature Wee must receaue and respect the authority L. 4. c. 5 pag. 202. of all Catholike Doctours whose doctrine and writings the Church alloweth wee must more regard the authority of Catholike Bishops more then these the authority of the Apostolike Churches amongst them more especially the Church of Rome of a generall Councell more then all these False it is that wee admitte no Iudge but Scriptures Sutcliff ag D. Kell pag. 40. 42. for wee appeale still to alawfull generall Councell This being thus generally written with authority and in the name of all Protestants especially in England they must needs graunt that generall Councels be of infallible IudgmeÌ„t in articles of religion otherwise there is no meanes left to finde the truth but wee might and must wander from one false deceitfull rule to an other without end And seeing euery Court and Consistory froÌ„ which appeales are or may be made is inferiour more vncertaine and of lesse authority then that Seate of Iudgment to whom it is appealed it is most certaine by these Protestants themselues that they which neuer had haue or as before can haue hereafter any generall Councell to which they must appeale as they doe cannot haue any possible title to true religion for themselues or the least colour or pretence of Iustice or Religion for such monstrous and horrible penalties and cruelties as are inflicted to enforce the Catholiks so many generall Councels consisting of diuers hundreds of learned and holy Bishops or to perswade them to embrace their Protestant professions which neuer had any lawfull Bishop according to this fift Councell Illud generaliter clarum est quod si quis praeter Concil Nic. can 6. Ruffin l. 1. hist Eccl. in Concil Nicen. sententiam Metropolitani fuerit factus Episcopus eum magna Synodus definiuit non esse Episcopum That is generally manifest that if any man is made a Bishop against the will or likeing of the Metropolitane this greate Councell doth define that he is no Bishop And so can make no Bishop or Preist So by this most holy Councell so often and authoritatiuely receaued by our English Protestants as is before declared they neither haue nor possibly hereafter by their proceedings can haue any one Archbishop Bishop Preist or Clâ—â—â—gy man among them for if their pretended â—â—â—ner of constitution were true which wee haue inâ—â—ncibly proued otherwise yet they themselues and all other writers confesse they had not the assent but vttermost dissent and disagreement of any domesticall or forreine Metropolitane for their new Religion or consecratioÌ„ But this sacred Councell euen in those Canons which our Protestants Nicen. Conâ— can 14. receaue doth vtterly condemne the pretended consecration and ministry of England erected against the Catholike sacrificing Preisthood assuring vs that true Preists did offer sacrifice and this Sacrifice was the body of Christ Presbyteri offerendi sacrificij habeÌ„t potestatem Offerunt corpus Christi It maintained the Popes Supremacy as before It receaued more Scriptures then Protestants doe librum Iudith Synodus Hieron praef in librum Iudith Concil Nic. can 11. 13. 14. Can. 3. Nicaena in numero Sanctarum scripturarum legitur computasse It approueth Indulgences in 4. Canons and giueth authority to Bishops in such cases It forbiddeth Clergy men to keepe any women in their howses but mother Sister grandmother Aunt They declared it to be the old tradition of the Church that Ecclesiasticall men might not marry and so commaunded Qui in clerum ante ascripti Socrates hist l. 2. c. 2. Sozomen hist Eccles l. 1. c. 22. erant quà m duxissent hi secundum veterem Ecclesiae traditionem deinceps à nuptijs se abstinerent By which the Protestants Church is vtterly disabled and ouerthrowne by their owne rule and article before neither hauing the true word preached Sacraments duely ministred Church rightly gouerned nor any one man among them to performe most needfull functions and duties by their owne definitiue sentence Their conclusion of this article Things ordained by
to be made by that councell if it be truely related nothing concerneth this article onely speaking of Marriage of such men after holie Orders taken and not when they were lay men Yet that citation of Sacrates in this poynt wanteth not suspition of vntruth For the same Socrates speaking vpon his owne certaine Socrat. Hist Eccl. l. 5. cap. 21. knowledge affirmeth it was the receaued custome in Thessalia Macedonia and other parts of the Greeke Church that if a clergie man kept companie with his wife that he had married when he was a lay man he was to be degraded Ipse in Thessalia consuetudinem iuualuisse noui vt ibi qui clericus sit si cum vxore quam eum esset Laicus ducebat post quam clericus factus sit dormierit clericatu abdieatus sit eadem consuetudo etiam Thessalonicae in â—acedonia in Hellade seruatur And saith that all the renowned Preists and Bishops also in the easte absteyne from such wiues Omnes illustres presbyteri in Oriente Episcopi etiam ab vxoribus abstinent And he confesseth that the absteyning of clergie Socrat. Hist Eccl. l. 1. c. 8. supr men from theâ—â— formerly married wiues when they were lay 〈◊〉 was so religious iust and necessarie in the Iudgement of the whole generall councell that they determined to make a decree and canon thereof visum erat Episcopis legem in Ecclesiam introducere vt qui essent sacris initiati sicut Episcopi Presbiteri Diaconi cum vxoribus quas cum erant Laici in matrimonium duxissent minimè dormirent And it seemeth by the Arabike Concil Niâ— can 78. Arabico copie of that councell that this or the equiualent lawe and decree was then made si vxorem duxit adhuc vxor viuit cum eo habitat debet imponi duplex panitentia Idem seruandum de Diacono And the third of those canons of this councell which both Catholiks and Protestants commonly receaue forbiddeth all Bishops Preists Deacons Concil Nic. can 3. and clergie men to dwell with any woman but their mother sister grandmother or Aunt sister to their father or mother Nisi fortè mater aut Soror aut auia aut amita aut matertera sit And the second councell of Arles held about the same time in the dayes of S. Syluester Pope and Constantine Emperour plainely forbiddeth all cohabitation or meeting with wiues married before vnder payne of excommunication Si quis de clericis à gradu Concil Arel 2. can 3. Diaconatus in solatio suo mulierem praeter auiam matrem sororem filiam neptem vel conuersam secum vxorem habere praesumpserit à communione alienaâ— habeatur Here the wife marryed before except conuersa professing chastitie as the husband now doth is forbidden his companie and he from her and most plainely in the canon before a married man is disabled to be a Preist except promising and professing chastitie Assumi ad Sacerdotium non potest in vinculo coniugij constitutus nisifuerit promissa conuersio In this councell our Archbishop Const Magn. epist Eccles Socrat. Hist Eccl. l. 1. c. 6. of London Restitutus was present and subscribed vnto it for this Kingdome which with Fraunce where this councell was kept Spayne Italy and other contries of the west presently receaued the Nicen councell Eusebius Caesariensis present at the councell of Euseb demonst Euang. l. 1. c. 9. Nice and writing after it is plaine that married men receauing holie Orders were bounde to chastitie Oportere dicit sermo diuiuus Episcopum vnius vxoris virum esse Veruntamen eos qui sacrati sint atque in Dei ministerio cultuque occupati continere deinceps seipsos à commercio vxoris decet And S. Epiphanius also a grecian and liuing at that time and writing in that age testifieth plainely that the holie Church of God where the canons were sincerely kept did admitt none to be eyther Bishop Preist Deacon or Subdeacon but such as absteyned from their wiues if marryed before or in single and chaste life And if it was otherwise vsed in any place wheresoeuer it was an abuse this being the custome of the Church directed by the holie ghost euer from the beginning that Ecclesiasticall men married or not married should euer liue in chastitie Adhuc viuentem liberos gignentem Epiph. Haeâ— 29. in compendiar vnius vxoris virum non suscipit sancta Dei Ecclesia sed eum qui se ab vna continuit aut in viduitate vixit Diaconum Presbiterum Episcopum Hypodiaconum maximè vbi sinceri sunt Canones Ecclesiastici At dices mihi omnino in quibusdam locis adhuc liberos gignere Presbyteros Diaconos Hypodiaconos At hoc non est iuxtae Canonem sed iuxta hominum mentem quaeper tempus elanguit Nam quod decentius est id semper Ecclesia per spiritum sanctum bene disposita videns statuit apparare vt cultus diuini indistracti Deo perficerentur And he maketh this a commaundement in scripture Si populo praecipit â— Cor. 7. Sanctus Apostolus dicens vt ad tempus vacent orationi quanto magis Sacerdoti idem praecipit vt indistractus sit inquam ad vacandum secundum Deum Sacerdotio quod in spiritualibus necessitatibus ac vsibus perficitur But if we should allowe which these holy Fathers both of the Greeke Latine Church would not doe that the chastity of Bishops Preists and Deacons is not commaunded in scriptures but that the scriptures onely commend it for the more perfect and better duly to execute those sacred functions as all both Catholiks and Protestants agree it is without question that the vniuersall Church of Christ hath euen by these Protestants most religiously decreed and commaunded Ecclesiasticall men to liue in chastity And they contradict and condemne themselues herein in their next article Prof. Artic. â—4 but one in these words whosoeuer through his priuate Iudgment willingly and purposely doth openly breake the traditions and ceremonies of the Church which be not repugnant to the word of God and be ordained and approued by common authority ought to be rebuked openly as hee that offendeth against the common order â—â— the Church Therefore the continent and chaste life and profession of the Cleargie being confessed by all both Catholiks and Protestants not to be repugnant to the word of God but most conformable vnto it And both commaunded generally receaued approued Couel Exam. p. 64. 65. 114. feild pag. 138. l. 3. cap. 29. Middleton Papiston p. 134. and practised not onely by all commaunding cheife Churches but through out the whole Catholike world must needs be maintained And our Protestants confessing this and with priuiledge writinge the auncient Fathers so receauing it from theÌ„ that went before them taught That vowes of chastitie and single life in Preists is to be obserued by tradition The doctrine taught in the article cannot
Marc. Protestant consent so proue and deriue it S. Denis Anton. l. 2. de Republ. Eccl. caâ— 2. is so plaine that they plainely thus confesse it Areopagitae Dionysio tributum opusculum vnctionem ponit expressè So they confesse of S. Anacletus made Preist by S. Peter the Apostle addit vnctionem capitis Anacletus quae est antiquissima The words which he vseth deducing his doctrine Anacl ep 2. and practise from the Apostles be these Bishops are to be made by Imposition of hands of Bishops with the ghospels which they are to preach and holie vnction by the example of the Apostles because all sanctification consisteth in the holie ghost whose inuisible power is mixed with holie Chrisme and by this Rite solemne Ordination is to be celebrated Where we finde by this greate Apostolike authoritie that the grace of this Sacrament and power Episcopall is giuen by this Rite And these Protestants as by this they must and Prot. supr in Marc. Anton. are enforced confesse so of the holie fathers following both in the Greeke and Latin Church that they were consecrated Bishops by holie vnction Gregor Nazianc orat 20. de laudib Basil orat 5. ad Basil part Sim. Metaph. in vit Crisost Petr. Chrisolog Ser. de S. Seuero Isidor l. 2. de offic Eccl. c. 25. S. Iuo Ser. de reb Eccl. Steph. Aduen Sacr. alt c. 9. So of S. Basile vnctione sacrâ adhibitâ est ordinatus So of S. Gregorie Naziancen me Pontificem vngis So were S. Iohn Chrisostome and S. Seuerus Of S. Augustine S. Gregorie with others I haue spoken before To which we may ioyne S. Iuo Stephanus Aduensis and other auntient writers and expositours of holie mysteries and all Orders of Consecration By this it is euident how certayne and vndoubted a thing it is That the consecration vsed in the Romane Church is most true holie and honourable both for Order and Iurisdiction euer as is demonstrated before both in this and other nations from the Apostolike Roman see and in the old Orders of consecration the Bishop to be consecrated protesteth obedience to the Popes of Rome And how the case standeth with the Protestants both of England and all others it is as lamentable to know their desolate condition THE XXVII CHAPTER The 37. article intituled of the ciuill Magistrates thus examined and whosoeuer against the Roman Church condemned THeir 37. and next Article is intituled of the ciuill Magistrates And thus followeth The Kings Maiestie hath the cheife power in this Realme of EnglaÌ„d and other his dominions vnto whome the cheife gouernment of all estates of this Realme whether they be Ecclesiasticall or ciuill in all causes doth appertaine and is not nor ought to be subiect to any forraine iurisdiction The Bishop of Rome hath no IurisdictioÌ„ in this Realme of England The rest of this article containeth an excuse of ProtestaÌ„ts that they did not giue to their temporall Prince power to preach and minister Sacraments as some interpreted their opinion and other things not questioned betweene Catholiks and English Protestants but betweene these Protestants and some other new sectaries among themselues and be these The lawes of the Realme may punish Christian men with death for heynous and grieuous offences It is lawfull for Christian men at the commaundement of the Magistrate to weare weapons serue in the warrs These positions are graunted and allowed by all Catholiks The first part of this article giuing vnto the King a temporall Gouernour and Ruler cheife gouernment ouer all estates in all causes Ecclesiasticall or ciuill as also their statute and oath of Princes Supremacy in spirituall things fighteth with and contradicted it selfe for thus it addeth we giue not to our Prince the ministring either of Gods word or of the Sacraments the which the Iniunctions also sometime set fourth by Elizabeth our late Queene doe most plainely testifie Therefore seing Kings be not Teachers preachers Doctours Pastours and sheephards in the Church and fould of Christ to giue them some place therein members of it and not to be quite excluded from the name and number of Christians we must needs say they be of them which be taught preached vnto instructed sheepe and subiects fedde ruled and gouerned by them which haue authority and spirituall power in such things And these our Protestants haue accordingly this defined the Church before in these their articles The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithfull men in the which the pure word of God is preached Protest art 19. sup and the Sacraments be duely ministred according to Christs ordinance They to whome the word is preached and Sacraments be ministred and neither haue power to preach nor minister Sacraments which this Article confesseth of their Protestant Kings and temporall Rulers cannot possibly in the respect be cheife Gouernours of theÌ„ to whome God himselfe hath power and preeminence The holy Scriptures do in many places commaund obedience both to temporall spirituall Rulers but obedieÌ„ce in matters of Religion in feeding and ruling soules the flocke of Christ gouerning his Church and such spirituall emnencies is onely appropriated in theÌ„ to spirituall gouernours Qui benè praesunt Presbyteri duplici honore digni sunt Pascite qui in vobis est gregem 1. Tim. 5. 1. Petr. 5. Ioh. 21. Act. 20. Hebr. 13. Dei pasce agnos meos Pasce oues meas Attendite vobis vniuer so gregi in quo vos Spiritus sanctus posuit Episcopos regere Ecclesiam Dei quam acquisiuit sanguine suo Mementote praepositorum vestrorum qui vobis locuti sunt verbuÌ„ Dei. Obedite praepositis vestris subiacete Ipsi enim peruigilant quasi rationem pro animabus vestris reddituri Where we see neither king nor Prince if he will belonge to the Church of Christ haue his soule purchased with his blood a care had of it and accompt made for it can be free from this obedience much lesse can he clayme it for himselfe from them to whom it so infallibly belongeth by the highest authority The Apostolike men of this first age haue testified this at large before in the examination Ignat. epist and Anâ—ioch Ep. ad Smyrn Epist ad Philadelph Magnesian Trallian of the last precedent article S. Ignatius hath taught vs a Bishop is aboue all principality and power Episcopus omni Principatu potestate superior est No man is more honorable then the Bishop Nemo Episcopo honorabilior Preists and Deacons all the clergy together with the people and Souldiars and Princes and the Emperour also must obey the Bishop Cum populo militibus at que Principibus sed Caesare obediant Episcopo Be subiect to the Bishop euen as to our Lord for he watcheth for your soules and is to make accompt for them Therefore it is needfull that you doe nothing without the Bishop No man may doe any thing that belongeth to the Church without the Bishop Sine
for defence of the Catholike Faith and Iastlie by your Maiestie our last Queene MARIE by whom this land is blessed by a royall issue and as we hope shall in time be madâ— happie by restitution of the Catholike Religion ether in your owne oâ— your childrens dayes And the ratheâ— when England shall see by the Iudgement of the Apostles that the Catholike religioÌ„ aggreeth in all point with the religion taught deliuereâ— by the Apostles and first Apostolicalâ— preachers and that the Protestant religioÌ„ is discouÌ„tenaunced discarded condemned by them This shall appeare by this booke which I youâ— Maiesties most humble subiect aâ— old student in holie learning doe iâ— all dutifull manner present vnto youâ— wishing to your Gracious Maiestie and to our noble Souueraigne your deare Spouse a long and happie raigne in our great Brittainie such a temporall raigne amongst your subiectes as you may both raigne in heauen eternallie with God his Saintes and Angelles Your Maiesties most humble and deuoted subiect R. B. APPROBATIO CVm mihi constiterit ex testimonio fide digni S. Theol. Doctoris in hoc libro cui tituluâ— Apostolorum iudicium c. nihil inueniri Catholicae fidei aut bonis moribus contrarium sed multâ— quae ostendunt religionem Catholicorum esse Apostolicam haereticorum verò Apostaticam censuâ— vtiliter praelo committi posse Actum Duaci die 23. Iunij 1632. GEORGIVS COLVENERIVS S. Theol. Doctor Regius ordinariusque Professor Gollegiatâ— Ecclesiae S. Petri Praepositus Duaâ— censis Academiae Cancellarius librorum Censor THE FIRST CHAPTER CONCERNINGE THE FIRST 5. PROtestants Articles not differinge from the Apostles Religion and the Roman Church BEEINGE to enter into the Examen and comparison of the parlament protestant Articled Religion of England with the Religion of the present Church of Rome and â—e whole Christian world named Catholike â—or profession whereof the Catholiks of England â—y the protestants thereof haue longe tyme suffâ—red and still most constantly endure most bitter persecutions by the first knowne and confessed â—ue Christian Catholike Apostolike Religion â— the Apostles and that their happy age wee finde â—t in the first fiue Articles of this new Religion â—y difference or difficulty to be thus decided both â—atholicks and parlameÌ„tary protestants agreeing them all and they all beeing ordeyned by these proâ—tants against other Sectaries so soone within 4. â—ares of the beginning of Q. Elizabeth her Reigne reâ—eing old condemned heresies amongst them as their â—tories and registers remember and therefore it will â—re suffice onely to recite the Titles of these arâ—les to giue notice thereof The contents and title â— the first article are Of faith in the holy Trinity The second of the word or sonne of God which was made verymaÌ„ The 3. Of the going downe of Christ into hell The 4. Of the Resurrection of Christ The 5. Of the Holy Ghost The whole Article the Title being subiect to doubt is The holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the sonne is of one substance Maiesty and glory with the Father and the Sonne very and eternall God Hitherto wee finde nothing against the doctrine of the Catholike Church Which noâ— vnlikely these men did rather to winnesome crediâ— at their entrance to be thought louers of truth then that they hated the enemies of these articles not yet suppressed among them THE SECOND CHAPTER Examining their 6. Article about Scriptures and traditions and condemning it by the Apostles and Apostolike men and doctrine of their age THEIR next sixt Article intituled of the sufficiency of the holy Scriptures for Saluation â— thus holy Scripture containeth all things necessary â— saluation Soe that what soeuer is not read therein nâ— may be proued thereby is not to be required of any maâ— that it should be beleeued as an article of faith or â— thought requisite or necessary to saluation By the naâ— of holy Scripture wee doe vnderstand those canonicâ— bookes of the old and new testament of whose authâ—rity was neuer any doubt in the Church And from tâ— number of those bookes which there they allowâ— to be canonicall They doe in expresse words aâ— tearmes reiect The booke of Tobias the booke of Iuditâ— the rest of the booke of Esther the booke of wisdomâ— Iesus the sonne of Sirach Baruch the Prophet the songe of the three children the story of Susanna of Bel and the Dragon the prayer of Manasses the first and second Bookes of the Machabees Concerning the new testament thus they adde all the bookes of the new testament as they are commonly receiued wee doe receiue and accompte them for canonicall This their Article is in their proceedings as the grounde worke and foundation whereupon their Religion is wholy framed and builded and yet so weake Feeble totteringe ruinous arid deceitefull that not any one true certaine and infallible point of doctrine as euery Article in true religion is can be framed vpoÌ„ it or from it so deduced by the expresse graunt of this article it selfe and of all English Protestants professed and sworne maintainers of it For whereas they sentence and define In the Art 6. supr name of holy Scripture wee doe vnderstand those canonicall bookes of the old and new testament of whose Field Booke of the Church lib. 4. cap. 5. wotton def of perk pa. 442. Couell ag Burg. pag. 60. def of Hooker pag. 31. 32. 33. proâ—â—st glosse on the 6. art Tho. Rogers ibid. authority was neuer any doubt in the Church They plainely make the Iudgment of the Church to be the highest tribunall in spirituall questions euen of the scriptures themselues And thus their best and cheife writers published by authority doe glosse and expound this article And of necessity so they must say except at their first entrance they will plainely confesse their religion and congregation their Church of England as they terme it to be erroneous or hereticall and to haue noe power or warrant at all to doubt deny or determine and propose what bookes be or be not Scriptures canonicall either of the old or new testament Or what one chapter or sentence in them is part or not part of such canonicall and vndoubted holy Scriptures for this power and prerogatiue being onely committed to the true Church by their Article and professors before if these men doubt or Iudge otherwise in this case then the true confessed Church hath hitherto done They can be noe part or members of that true Church And whatsoeuer is read or may be deduced from vntrue or doubted Scriptures cannot be possibly any certaine and vndoubted article of faith and religion For noe conclusion can be more certaine and vndoubted then the Maximes and authorities from which it is concluded but as the light of nature common law and vndeniable Maxime of true reasoning teacheth all men and all men truely acknowledge for a verity most certaine it euer followeth the weaker part euer erroneous doubtfull vncertaine or false if both or
any of the propositions from which it is deduced be or is of that nature Nothing can giue that to an other which it selfe wanteth and by noe meanes hath to giue A lying false or vncertaine humane witnesse or assertion can by no meanes possible make a constant and certainely true probation in any thing whatsoeuer much lesse in supernaturall matters articles of faith aboue mans capacity and therefore to be proued by diuine testimony which possibly cannot deceaue vs. And in this miserable and desolate estate and condition is the Protestant congregation of England in and for euery article pretended by them to be of faith which they hold against the Roman Church at this day and so they censure themselues by their owne definitiue sentence in this their owne cheefest Article and publikely authorized glosse thereof with diuers others of their Religion allowed and recommended writers among them Artic. 6. supr Confessio Wirtemberg cap. de Scriptura Protest glosse in art 6. p. 1. Willet Synop quaest 1. of scripture pag. 2. 3. â—dit an 1594. holnish chron f. 1299. Stowe hist an 1579. in Q. Elizabeth Io. BreÌ„t Apolog confess Wittemberg histor Dauidis Georg. Display Art 6. Magdeburg hist cent 3. ca. 11. In their Article receauing onely for canonicall bookes neuer doubted of in the Church and in the others to vse their owne authorizing words perused and by the lawfull authority of the Church of England allowed to be publike plainely manifestly deliuering from all kinde of Authors Greeke and Latine old and late Catholike and Protestant That euery booke in particular not one excepted which they allowe for canonicall Scripture either â—n the old or new testament haue both beene â—oubted of and by their owne men Protestants deâ—ied for such Therefore it remaineth without question conâ—rary to this Protestante Article euen by themâ—elues and their best authority that neither all nor â—ny one of those bookes which vpon this vayne â—retence they haue blotted forth from the Canon â—f holy Scripture and the Roman Church still reâ—eaueth may be denyed by that Title of sometimes â—eing doubted of for wee should haue noe Scripture â—nonicall at all all bookes thereof hauing beene â—us doubted of By that colour wee might deny â—l Articles of faith which sometimes doubted of â—ue beene concluded and agreed vpon against the â—est heretiks that euer were and all their heresies â—th might and ought to be reuiued againe Sainct â—ul and Sainct Thomas Apostles were thus to â— denied Apostles and thrust out of heauen beâ—use they had doubted wee might and ought to â— that no conuerted Christian first doubting â—as â—rue Christian neither our first brittish Christian â—nge Sainct Lucius nor Kinge Ethelbert among our Saxons nor any of their first doubting and afterward conuerted Subiects and soe of the whole Christian world doubting or denying before it receaued the law of Christ All Courts Consistories Tribunals and Seates of Iustice and Iudgment ecclesiasticall and ciuil to decide and determine must be ouerthrowne no sentence or decision though of Kings Parlaments or any community is to bâ— obeyed no doubt no Controuersie hitherto eueâ— was or hereafter can or may be finally determined nothing but doubtes quarrels Controuersies anâ— contentions as wee see among Protestants nâ— peace quiet or vnion must be left vnto vs. Therâ— fore this Protestant paradoxe and presumption iâ— reiecting so many bookes of holy Scripture again both the Latine and Greeke Church onely vndeâ— colour of being sometime and by some doubteâ— of being thus grosse and absurd by their owâ— Iudgments and proceedings let vs examine whâ— this first pure and Apostolike age did Iudge of thâ— And first to begin with the scripture it selfe of tâ— The new testament by Protest â—râ—st published by King â—ames authority Matth. 6. 2. Cor. 9. Luc. 14. Ioan 9. Hebr. 5. 1. Cor. 1. Hebr. 1. new Testament euen as our Protestants receaâ— and translate it King Iames his new testament the 6. chapter of Sainct Matthew his ghospell aâ— the 9. chapter 2. Corinth citeth Ecclesiasticus â— two seuerall places In the 14. chapter of Saiâ— Luke the 4. chapter of Tobias is cited And in â— 10. chapter of Sainct Ihon the 4. chapter of the â— booke of Machabees And in the 5. chapter to â— Hebrewes the second booke And 7. chapter the Machabees In the 1. chapter 1. Corinth Tâ— first chapter of the booke of wisdome is cited chapter to the Hebrewes citeth the 7. chapter wisdome And the 9. chapter thereof is cited Roâ— Rom. 11. cap. 11. And yet wee shall scarcely finde any Text of diuers bookes of the old Testament which our Protestants allowe for canonicall to be cited at any time or place of their new testament as the 4. Booke of the Kings the 1. and 2. of Paralip the booke of the Iudges Ruth Esdras 1. and 2. Esther Ecclesiastes Cantica canticorum Abdias Sophonias Therefore wee are as well warranted by this argument of concordance of Scriptures and that holy authority to receaue for canonicall Scriptures of the old Testament all those bookes which our Protestants haue excluded as those they haue receaued The Canons ascribed to the Apostles and published by Sainct Clement per me Clementem Concil gener 6. can 2. Successour to S. Peter in this age are plainely acknowledged by the sixt generall Councell to haue beene receaued by the holy Fathers before them as deliuered from God firmi stabilesque maneant qui à sanctis patribus qui nos praecesserunt susceptiac confirmatisunt atque à Deo nobis etiam traditi sunt sanctoctorum Apostolorum nomine 85. Canones These doe Canon Apostolor can 85. vlâ— â—n the last Canon expressely receaue the books of â—he Machabees Esther and the booke of Ecclesiasticus for holy Scriptures of the old testament Veâ—erandi ac sacri libri veteris Testamenti In the very same maÌ„ner as they doe the others which our Proâ—estants allowe for such Sainct Clement often ciâ—eth Clem. epist 1. 2. Apostolic constitut li. 2. c. 4. cap. 21. c. 49. 51. cap. 63. l. 3. cap 3. l. 6. c. 19. 23. 29. l. 8. l. 7. and alloweth for bookes and parts of the old Testament Baruch Ecclesiasticus Sapientia Toâ—ias The prayer of Manasses the history of Suâ—anna the booke of Esther those parts of Daniel which our Protestants reiect the bookes of Maâ—habees and others Sainct Ignatius receaueth the booke of Daniel which our Protestants deny Ecclesiasticus Sainct Policarpus approueth Tobias Ignat. epist ad Philadelph epist ad maynesian epist ad Heron. Polycarp epist ad Philippen Dionis l. de diu nom cap. 4. Ecclesiast Hier. c. 2. de diu nom c. 7. Sainct Denys the Areopagite conuerted by Sainct Paul alloweth the booke of wisdome calleth the part of Daniel excluded by our Protestants diuine Scripture Diuina scripta These be all or the chiefest writers especially by Protestants allowance in this first age and consideringe how few of their works are
preserued to posterity and how briefe they are It is rather to be wondred that they should cite and allow so many of those books of the old testament and parts of them so often aâ— Eleuther ep ad Lucium Reg. Rritan apud Gal. Lambrrt l de leg S. Eduardi Stowe hist fore tom 1. Godwin CoÌ„uers of Brit. Hollinsh hist of Eng. Speed Theat of Bit. Matth. park antiq Britan. Matth. park antiq Brit. p. 69. Io. Gosc hist Eccl Dauid poiuel in Annot. in l. 2. c. 1. Girald CaÌ„br Iâ—iner CaÌ„br Bal. l. 1. Script Brit. cent 1. in August Rom. l. 2. de Act. Pontif Rom. in Greg. 1. they doe then that they should omit any And although wee doe not finde any Antiquity of Britaine which in this age entreateth of such things yet the most auncient which our Protestants will graunte vnto vs beinge the Epistle oâ— Pope Eleutherius to Kinge Lucius wee finde there in that he makinge mention that Britaine had receaued both the Testaments of holy Scripture although in particular he citeth so few bookes oâ— them that out of the new testament he citeth nâ— more then onely the 23. chapter of S. Matthew from the old testameÌ„t but three texts two of them beinge out of the Psalmes 45. 55. the third is thâ— booke of wisdome disallowed by these ProtestaÌ„nâ— in this Article but allowed by him and our primatiue Christian Britans of that time and so from ouâ— first receauing of holy Scriptures And if I may but write what all our Protestant Antiquaries generally affirme for a constant and vndoubted truth that our Christian Britans did neuer vntill Saincâ— Augustines cominge hither change or alter any oâ— materiall point in the holy ReligioÌ„ which they receaued in the Apostles time I must needs auouchâ— that those Scriptures of the old testament which Godwyn CoÌ„uers of Brit. pag. 43. 44. fore pag. 463. edit an 1576. Holinsh. hist of Engl. cap. 21. l. 4. fulke answ to a couÌ„terf cath pag. 40. harr descript Brit. c. 9 Gild. ep de excid conq Britan. this Article refuseth Were receaued both in Britaine and in other nations as Italy and Rome whence our conuersion came with other contries in that happy Time for Sainct Gildas our most auncient and allowed Historian both in many manuscripts and bookes published by Protestants their warrant for his wisdome Surnamed Sapiens the wise doth very often in one short worke allowe and cite for holy Scriptures diuers of those bookes especially Ecclesiasticus many times and the booke of wisdome vsinge the authority thereof 8. times in one page and lesse And vnto what time persons or place soeuer wee will appeale for Triall wee shall in noe age contry councell or auncient particular writer finde any one person which agreeth with this Protestant Article in the nuÌ„ber bookes of canonicall Scripture It citeth S. Hierome but both hee himselfe and these Protestants Kinge Iames his Protestant Bishops in their publik dispute at Hampton Court with others proue that Conference at Hampton Court pag. 60. Couelag Burges pag. 87. 8. 86. 88. 89. 90. 91. S. Hierome spake onely against the bookes which these Protestants reiect not in his owne opinion but what the Iewes obiected Most of the obiections made against those bookes were the old cauils of the Iewes renewed by S. Hierome in his time who was the first that gaue them that name of Apochryphe which opinion vpon Ruffinus his challendge hee after a sort disclaymed and the rather because a generall offence was taken at his speaches in that kinde They are most true and might haue the reconcilement of other Scriptures If Ruffinus be not deceaued they were approued as parts of the old testament by the Apostles S. Hierome pretendeth that what hee had spoken was not his owne opinion but what the Iewes obiected And for his paines in translating the booke of Iudith which this article reiecteth he giueth this reason because wee reade that the Councell of Nyce did reckon it in the number of holy Scriptures And Sainct Hierome is plaine both for this booke of Iudith and the rest that he did not deny them for first of Iudith hee saith the Nicen Councell which he and all Catholiks euer honored receaued it Hunc librum Synodus Nicaena Hieron Tom. 3. oper praef in Iudith Ruffin inuectit 2. in Hieronym in numero sanctarum Scripturarum legitur computasse And for the other books beinge chardged by Ruffinus to speake in his owne words to be the onely man qui praesumpserit sacras Sancti Spiritus voces diuina volumina temerare Diuino muneri Apostolorum haereditati manus Intulerit Ausus est Instrumentum diuinum quod Apostoli Ecclesijs tradiderunt depositum Sancti Spiritus compilare To haue herein abused the words of the holy Ghost and diuine volumes To haue offered violence to the diuine office and Inheritance of the Apostles And to speake in Protestants Couel sup pag 87. translation to haue robbed the Treasure of the holy Ghost and diuine Instrument which the Apostles deliuered to the Churches Sainct Hierome neuer denieth any of those things for true which Ruffinus spake Ruffin supr of the authority of those books of Scriptures that the Apostles deliuered theÌ„ for such to the Churches and no learned man euer denied it and that S. Peter at Rome deliuered them to the Church Petrus Romanae Hier. Apol. 2. aduers Ruffin Tom. 4 oper praef in libros Machul Ecclesiae per viginti quatuor annos praefuit Quid ergo decepit Petrus Apostolus Christi Ecclesiam libros ei falsos tradidit But onely denieth that he wrote in his owne but in our Enemies the Iewes opinion non enim quid ipse sentirem sed quid illi contra nos dicere soleant explicaui And writinge to Pope Damasus plainely testifieth that he ioyned with the Catholike Church in this busines nouum vetus testamentum recipimus in eo librorum numero quem sanctae Catholicae Ecclesiae tradit authoritas And Feild l. 4. of the Church cap. 23. pag. 245. Act. 6. Gloss ordin Lyra. in eund locum our Protestants from Antiquities acknowledge thus The Iewes at the cominge of Christ were of two sorts some named Hebrews commorant at Hierusalem and in the holy land properly named Hebrewes others named Hellenist that is Iewes of dispersion mingled with the Greeks these had written certaine bookes in Greeke which they made vse of together with other parts of the old Testament which they had of the translation of the Septuagint But the Hebrews receaued onely the 22. bookes before mentioned Hence it came that the Iewes deliuered a double Canon of the Scripture to the Christian Churches And in this second Canon of the Iewes as these men write were those bookes of the old Testament which this article denieth And whereas some Protestants would excuse this Article by some old Authorities of Melito Sardensis Origen the
Councell of Laodicia S. Cyrill of Hierusalem Sainct Gregory Nazianzen and Amphilochius There is not any one of them which ioyneth with this Article but they all differ from it in the very places which they cite Melito Sardensis Melito Sard apud Euseb hist Eccl. l. 4 cap. 25. Origen in p 1. Euseb his Eccl. li. 6. cap 24. receaueth the booke of wisdome which this Article reiecteth and omitteth Iudith Origen onely citeth the books of the old testament according to the first Canon of the Hebrews sicut Hebraei tradunt And yet in the end addeth the books of Machabees praeter istos sunt libri Machabaeorum qui Inscribuntur Sarbet Sarbaneel And doth not agree with them in the books of the new testameÌ„t The Councell Conc. Laodic can 60. of Laodicia differreth from this article in omittinge Esther in the old and Apocalips in the new Greg. NaziaÌ„z de vir Gorm sacrae scrip l. 6. Amphil l. ad SeleÌ„cum Cyrill Hierosolim Catech. 4. Tho. Rogers vpon this 6. Art Confess Gallic c 3. 4. Confess Belg. c. 4. 5. Testament otherwise then this article doth S. Gregory Nazianzen so likewise numbreth as Amphilochius also Sainct Cyrill omitteth the Apocalips So this Article hath no authority from any old writer Iew or Christian Greeke or Latin in this so greate and with them most important Question whereupon they grounde all Religion And as litle concordance amonge themselues for amonge 13. or 14. Confessions of Protestant Religion they onely cite and haue noe more then two of France and Belgia Rebels and Traytors to their temporall Kings in ciuill matters as they are in spirituall to God and his holy Church and these for want of other authority founde this their error as the rest vpon the hereticall conceipt of internall reuelation and their spirit so tellinge them extestimonio intrinseca Spiritus Sancti reuelatione By the one and the other quod Spiritus sanctus nostris conscientijs testetur illos à Deo emanasse And by this Spirit they are at such harmony and agreement amonge themselues as in other places so in EnglaÌ„d as I haue related none of them agreeinge together herein But by the suggestion of this false spirit and their exploded doubt of Scriptures doe leaue all Scriptures and questions of Religion to be deduced from them doubtfull which Bilson a Protestant â—ilsoÌ„ Suruey â—ag 664. Bishop of winchester one of the best learned they euer had thus proueth The Scriptures themselues were not fully receaued in all places no not in Eusebius time He saith the Epistle of Iames of Iude the second of Peter he second and third of Iohn are contradicted The epistle to the Hebrews was coÌ„tradicted The Church of Syria did not receaue the second epistle of Peter nor the second and third of Ihon nor the Epistle of Iude nor the Apocalipse the like might be said for the Churches of Arabie Will you hence conclude that these parts of Scripture were not Apostolike or that wee neede not receaue them because they were formerly doubted of The same reason is of all the books of the old testament which this Article reiecteth vpon the same surmise â—or Eusebius ouerliuinge Constantine and writinge Euseb de vit Const lib. 3. hist c. 22. l. 3. cap. 3. Concil Cart. 3. can 47. â—is life and deathe deliueringe this doubt of so many bookes of new Testament liued neere the â—ime of the Councell Chartage of 428. Bishops in which both these bookes of the new Testament contradicted in his dayes but receaued by our Proâ—estants and all those bookes of the old Testament which in this Article they disable are by all those Bishops in one and the same tenor of words with â—he rest decreed to be Canonicae scripturae canonicall Scriptures This Canon and Catologe of Canoniâ—all Concil Cart. 3. supr bookes is confirmed by the Pope of Rome â—hen beinge and other Bishops absent as appeareth â—y the same Councell Pope Innocentius deliuereth Innoe 1. epist ad ExuperiuÌ„ Tholosanum Episc August lib. 2. doctr Christ c. 8. in speculo â—he same Canon of holy Scriptures Canonem sacraâ—um Scripturarum S. Augustine hath the same as â—eceaued by all Churches Scripturae Canonicae quae â—b omnibus accipiuntur Ecclesijs Catholicis And saith â—hat all which feare God receaue them in his omniâ—us libris timentes Deum pietate mansueti quaerunt â—oluntatem Dei Pope Gelasius with a Councell of Gelas Tom. Concil â—o Bishops declareth that to be the Canon which â—he holy Catholike Roman Church receaueth â—nd reuerenceth quem Sancta Catholica Romana Alcim Auit l. ad Soror de consol Cassiodor lib. 1. diu Iust c. 13. â—uscipit veneratur Ecclesia So hath Alcimus Aâ—itus Cassiodorus and others And this may suffice for this place of this Question And it further proueth how feeble and weake the rest of this Protestant Article of the sufficiency allowance of onely Scripture and disableinge Traditions is for if so many Canonicall bookes of Scripture in both testaments were doubted of vntill so greate a time aboue 300. yeares in the lawe of Christ were passed and Religion generally and in all questions necessary to saluation planted and receaued how were or possibly could all these necessary things be reade in Scripture or proued thereby which is the rule of this Article when so many bookes were not then receaued for certaine and vndoubted holy Scriptures Things and euidences doubtfull and vncertaine can make nothinge certaine in morall certainty much lesse with certainty of true and infallible faith which aboue all others is and must needs be most certaine SecoÌ„dly as Sainct Ireneus disputeth Ireneus l. 3. cap. 4. and proueth vpon his certaine knowledge and experience That many nations which had not receaued the Scriptures or any part of theÌ„ did truely beleeue in Christ by vnwritten traditions whicâ— the Apostles doliuered to the Churches Quid si nâ— que Apostoli scripturas reliquissent nobis nonne oportebat ordinem sequi traditionis quam tradiderunt iâ—â— quibus committebant Ecclesias cui ordinationi assentiunt multae gentes barbarorum eorum qui in Christâ—â— credunt sine charta atramento veterem traditioneâ— diligenter custodientes This he writeth both of thiâ— first age and the second in which he died by martyrdome And it is most euident both by holâ— Scriptures and other antiquities that many nations not onely of the barbarous which were withouâ— learninge but of the learned did thus beleeue before any Scriptures of the new Testament in Rom. 1. 1. Cor. 1. 2. Cor. 1. Gal. 1. Ephes 1. Phil. 1. Colloss 1. Thess 1. 2. 1. Tim. 1. 2. Tim. 1. Tit. 1. Epist ad Philem. Hebr. 1. Iacob 1. 1. Petr. 1. 2. Pet. 2. Ioh. 1. Io. 2. 3. Iud. 1. which and by which Protestants necessitate vs to reade and proue our Religion were written This is manifestly proued by all the epistles
and Sainct Luke they were not all thought able â— condemne those named hereticks which S. Ihâ— confounded Amonge the Epistles onely that of â— Paul to the Romans was sent into these parts â— was in a language wee did not vnderstand aâ— written after the faith of the Romans was spreâ— both in Britaine and all the world as Sainct Pâ— witnesseth fides vestra annuntiatur in vniuâ— Rom. 1. mundo The two Epistles of Sainct Peter accordiâ— to antiquity were written in Rome and after Bâ—taine had receaued the faith especially the last aâ— the first being longe doubted of was sent quite coâ— â—rary from Britayne vnto the contries of PoÌ„tus Gaâ—atia 2. Petr. 1. Capadocia Asia and Bithynia in the easterne â—arts Wee finde no memory after of Scripture reâ—eaued here vntill longe time after in the second â—ge expressed in Pope Eleutherius his Epistle to our â—ing Lucius And yet all our ProtestaÌ„t antiquaries â—ue before assured vs that Britaine had in the Aâ—stles time and longe before any Scripture came â—ther or probably was written and possibly in â—orall Iudgment could come hither receaued the â—ith of Christ so fully purely and sincerely that it â—euer changed it in any materiall point after the â—riptures were receaued here nor diuers hundreds â— yeares after And if wee will be directed by Scriptures in this â—int those which our Protestants allowe for such â—e testimony to vnwritten Traditions in many â—ces To exemplifie onely in Sainct Paul which â—ote most in the new Testament hee chargeth S. 1. Tim. 6. â—mothy and all others in him to keepe obserue â—ngs so deliuered without writinge O Timothee 2. Tim. 2. â—ositum custodi This in his first Epistle not haâ—ge written vnto him before And in his second â—stle hee giueth him commaund that the things â—ich he had heard froÌ„ Sainct Paul he should deâ—er vnto others fit to teach them Quae audisti a me â— multos testes haec commenda fidelibus hominibus â—idonei erunt alios docere And expressely comâ—undeth 2. Thessal 2. the Thessalonians and in them all in â— second epistle to them to obserue and keepe the â—aditions which they had learned either by word â— writinge State tenete traditiones quas didiciâ— siue per sermonem siue per epistolam nostram â—hich the Fathers expound of the necessity of keepinge vnwritten traditions as Catholiks now doe Hinc est perspicuum quòd non omnia per epistolaâ— Chrisost in 2. Thess orat 4. tradiderunt sed multa etiam fine scriptis eaquoque sunt fide digna Quamobrem Ecclesiae quoque traditionem censeamus esse fide dignam Est traditio nihil quaeras amplius And expoundinge that of S. Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians hoâ— they kept his commaundements by word beforâ— he wrote vnto them sicuttradidi vobis praecepta mâ—tenetis he doth inferre the doctrine of Traditions ergo fine literis mult a tradidâ—rat quod alibi saepe meminit And Sainct Hierome vpon the same words Hier. in eadem Verba Tom. 9. quasi legem praecepta meatenetis scientes illum in â— spiritum loqui qui in lege locutus est prophetis Thâ— like hath S. Ambrose vpon the same and S. Epphanius Ambros in 1. Cor. Epiph. haeresi 69. oportet traditione vti non enim omnia diuina Scriptura possunt accipi Quapropter aliqua â— traditione Sancti Apostoli tradiderunt Quemadmdum dicit Sanctus Apostolus Sicut tradidi vobis â— alibi sic doceo sic tradidi in Ecclesijs Thus the best learned both Greeke and Latiâ— Fathers expounded these to inferre a necessity Traditions and their equality with Scriptuâ— Which our best Protestant writters with thâ— common allowance thus confirme Our aduer sarâ— Feild l. 4. c. 20. pag 238. meaninge Catholiks make traditions equall with words precepts and doctrines of Christ the Apostâ— and Pastors of the Church left vnto vs in writinge â—ther is there any reason why they should not so doe they could proue any such vnwritten verities for not the writinge that giueth things their authority the worth and credit of him that deliuereth thâ— though by word and liuely voyce onely Thus tâ— confesse and the reason which they giue so enâ—ceth them the worth and credit of the reuealer and deliuerer or proposer of holy misteries supernaturall being the motiue and cause of mans assent so firme and vnmoueable in articles of faith not to be proued by humane reason and not the writinge or not writinge being fallible and subiect to many casualties corruptions and vncertainties which we are sure are not to be found in Christ the reuealer nor his holy Church the vndoubted true proposer of his mysteries and reuelations And both these are the same and as certaine in traditions not written such as Catholiks maintaine as in the written Scriptures For wee doe not defend any one vnwritten tradition that it should be beleeued as an Article of faith or to be thought requisite necessary to saluation which be the very words of this Protestant Article of Religion but wee produce the Artic of Protest Relig. 20. highest authority in their owne publike Iudgment also in these their Articles the true primatiue Church of Christ to warrant it The which Church hath power and authority in controuersies of faith That euery tradition came from Christ and his Apostles to be receaued professed in Christian Religion As to instance in some and those which most concerne euen in our Protestants proceedings and by their owne confessions and testimonies vnwritten Traditions are necessary For first in this Engl Protest Rel. artic 6. very article they haue giuen their finall sentence in the very first words thereof that the holy Scriptures are of this nature Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary for saluation So that whatsoeuer is not read therein nor may be proued thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be beleeued as an Article of faith or to be thought requisite necessary to saluation And yet in the immediatly following words they plainely declare and professe that wee haue noe warrant in Scripture for any booke chapter or sentence of Scripture to be such holy Scripture but for euery least percell thereof wee must resorâ— to Tradition and the Churches Iudgment In thâ— name of holy Scripture wee doe vnderstand those canonicall bookes of the old and new testament of whose authority was neuer any doubt in the Church Where weâ— are assured from these men that the Church anâ— Tradition vnwritten is supreme Iudge of all questions in Religion euen of the Scriptures themselues And so necessarily they must say confesse or els leaue no Religion or Scripture at all to bâ— proued or proue vnto vs. For it is vnquestionablâ— that no part of Scripture doth propose vnto vs anâ— Catalogue or Canon of Scriptures Which the thus further testifie in their publikely approueâ— Feild l. 4. pa. 238. c. 20.
writers much coÌ„ntention there hath beene about tradâ—tions some vrginge the necessity of them and others râ—iectinge them For the clearinge whereof wee must oâ—serue that wee reiect not all for first wee receaue tâ— number and names of the Authors of bookes diuine aâ— Couell cont Burg pag. 60. whitaker ib. Wotton def of Perk. pag. 442. Couell def of hook pag. 31. 34 32. 33. feild l. 4. c. 5. pag. 203. Ormer pict Pap. pag 93. Sutcliffeag the 3. conu pag. 79. canonicall as deliuered by tradition This tradition wâ— admit The number Authors and Integrity of the partâ— of these bookes wee receaue as deliuered by tradition Tâ— Church of Christ according to her authority receaued â— him hath warrant to approue the Scriptures to acknoâ—ledge to receaue to publish and commaunde vnto â— children The Church of Rome teacheth noe badde opâ—nion to affirme that the Scriptures are holy and diuiâ— in themselues but so esteemed by vs for the authority the Church That the Scriptures ar true wee haue it froâ— the Church Wee say that wee are taught to receaue â— word of God from the authoritie of the Church wee see her Iudgment wee heare her voyce and in humility subscribe vnto all this The Church hath fower singular offices towards the Scripture First to be of them as it were afaithfull register Secondly to discerne and Iudge betweene false and adulterate and that which is true and perfect The third to publish and diuulge to proclaime as a Crier the true Edict of our Lord himselfe The last is to be an Interpreter and in that followinge the safest rule to be a most faithfull Expositor of his owne meaninge Wee thinke that particular men and Churches may erre damnably But that the whole Church at one time cannot so erre for that the Church should cease vtterly for a time and so not be Catholike beinge not at all times Christ should sometimes be without a Church The Church is called a pillar because it is like vnto a pillar For as a pillar doth support and vnderproppe a buildinge and maketh it more stable firme and stronge So the Church doth sustaine and supporte the truth for the truth is no where preserued but in the Church Christs true Church is a diligent and wary keeper of doctrines committed to her and changeth nothinge at any time diminisheth nothinge addeth nothinge superfluous looseth not her owne nor vsurpeth things belonginge to others And this is publikely warranted in Protest Reli. of Engl. Art 19. these their Articles and Rule of their Religion where thus they define the Church The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithfull men in the which the pure word of God is preached And the Sacraments be duely ministred accordinge to Christs ordinance Art 8. Catech. com Booke Iniunct Canons feild l. 4. c. 20. pag. 238. 239. in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same Secondly those men in their Rules of Religion and their priuate writers affirme that the Apostles Creede which by all Antiquity was by them deliuered to the Church and by these Protestants as Rule of faith before the Scriptures of the new Testament were written is an vnwritten Tradition yet by their words a summary comprehension of thâ— cheife heades of Christian Religion a Rule of thâ— Churches faith And yet it is constantly maintaineâ— by many Protestants that diuers articles thereoâ— as our Ladies perpetuall virginity natus ex Marâ— Virgine Christs descending into hell descendit aâ— inferos The communion of Saincts and forgiuenesse of sinnes Sanctorum communionem Râ—missioneâ— peccatorum and others by diuers others Protestantâ— are not contained in any Scripture written beforâ— or after And this Creede deliuered by word anâ— tradition onely by the Apostles before the new tâ—stament written this Scripture could not possiblâ— be a rule or direction vnto it but rather otherwisâ— for euery rule hath priority to the thinge ruled anâ— the things ruled posterity to their rule Matters aâ— done without rule when there is no rule vntill aftâ— they be acted These Parlament Protestants proceede furthâ— Feild supr pag. 239. in this question and plainely say with greate aâ—lowance The third kind of Tradition is that somme â— Christian doctrine and explication of the seuerall parâ— thereof which the first Christians receauinge of the saâ— Apostles that deliuered to them the Scriptures coâ—mended to posteritie This may rightly be named a tradâ—tion for that wee neede a plaine and distinct explicatiâ— of things which are somewhat obscurely contained the Scripture The fourth kinde of tradition is the contâ—nued practise of such as neither are contained in tâ— Scripture expressely nor the example of such practiâ— expressely there deliuered of this sorte is the Baptisme of Infants which is therefore named a tradition because it is not expressely deliuered in the Scripture that the Apostles did baptize infants nor any expresse precept there founde that they should doe it Which their rule of Religion in these Articles thus further iustifieth The Baptisme of yonge children is in any wise to be retained Art of Engl. Prote Relig. Art 17. CommunioÌ„ Booke Tit. Baptisme The. Rog. in Art 27. Q. Elizab. and k. K. Iames Iniunct and Canons in the Church as most agreable with the institution of Christ Where they plainely in their publike rule of Religion make it a tradition and no Scripture article And by the coÌ„mon practicall of their religion their communion booke so they practise baptizinge all infants and sayinge all Christian Churches allowe of the baptisme of infants And these Protestants are onely baptized when they are infants and not after and yet confesse it is most necessary to saluation And whereas they reiect all other Sacraments besides Art of Relig. art 25. this and the Eucharist or the CoÌ„munion as they terme it confessing that these Sacraments be necessary to saluation And yet denyinge the Eucharist to be as Catholiks professe the true body and blood of Christ and sacrifice for the lyuinge and deade they contradict themselues for that they confesse that in this sinse it was generally vsed in Kinge Iames and Casanb resp ad Card. per. pa. 51. 52. 20. Middleâ— Papistom 20. p. 92. 113. 49. 137. 138. 47. 45. Feild l. 3. cap 29. p. 138. Couell Exa pag. 114. primitiue Church that the Apostles so deliuered it by tradition all Churches so obserued it and it was heresie to deny it Their words be The sacrifice of the altar and vnbloody sacrifice were vsed in the primitiue Church The primatiue Church did offer sacrifice at the altar for the deade sacrifice for the deade was a tradition of the Apostles and the auncient Fathers Aerius condemned the custome of the Church in naming the deade at the altar and offeringe the sacrifice of Eucharist from them and for this his rash and inconsiderate boldenesse and presumption in condemninge the vniuersall Church of Christ he was iustly condemned Their whole congregation Kinge Iames
ad Mar. Cassob chastity in castitate exegiâ— hanc vitam Whicâ— he affirmeth of other Apostolike Preists and Bâ—shops of that age Sainct Timothy Sainct Titus â— Epist ad Philadelph Euodius his predecessor at Antioche of himselâ— in diuers places So that then neither the Preists â— the Latine or Greeke Church Antioche beinge thâ— cheifest and where the name of Christians fiâ—â— began were maried but continually liued aâ— â—heir life time in chastity in castitate exegerunt hanc vitam And therefore they were honored in those dayes â—nd the holy Maydens which had professed virgiâ—ity were compared to the Preists in this point â—f perfection and for it honored as they were â—as quae in virginitate degunt in pretio habete velut Epistol ad Tarsens Christi Sacerdotes It is manifest their were Colâ—edges or Nunneries of such vowed and professed â—irgins and Nonnes then Saluto Collegium virgiâ—um Epistol ad Philippen Epistol ad Smyrn Epistol ad Polycarp And they liued in perpetuall virginity Saluto â—as quae in perpetua degunt virginitate They were â—rofessed by the Bishop whether men or women â—i quis potest in castitate permanere ad honorem carms â—ominicae sine iactantia permaneat si idipsum statuatur â—ne Episcopo corruptum est And of this profession â—onsecration of virgins he further putteth them â—nd all in memory in this manner virgines agnosâ—ant Epistol ad Antiochen cui seipsas consecrarunt And he proueth That it is in the power and free â—ill of man to doe these and all holy duties in a Christian life by the grace of Christ and noe man â—ecessitated to sinne heauen and hell good and bad â—n the free will and election of man Decet non modo Epistol ad Magnes vocari Christianos sed esse nec enim dici sed esse beaâ—os facit Obseruationi proponitur vita mors inobedienâ—iae singuli qui hoc aut illud delegerunt â—n eius quod â—nuenerint locum abituri sunt fugianius mortem eliâ—amus vitam In hominibus enim geminas not as inueâ—iri dico hanc esse veri numismatis illam vero advlterimi Pius homo numisma est à Deo excusum imâ—ius ementitum adulterimum illegitimum non à â—eo sed à diabolo â—ffectum Non quòd velim dicere â—uas esse hominis naturas sed vnum esse hominem qui iam Dei iam diabolisit Si quis pietati studet Dei hoâ— est si impiè agat diaboli est non id factus per naturaâ— sed animi arbitrium He proueth that concupiscenâ— Epist ad Ephesios without consent condemneth not nor is sinne aâ— protestants hold Cum nulla in vobis sit conscupisceâ—tia quae vos inquinet supplicium adferat secunduâ— Deum viuite Non vos laedet aliqua diabolica cogitatiâ— si vt Paulus perfectam habueritis in ChristuÌ„ fideâ— charitatem He hath before in one place spokeâ— of foure Sacraments Baptisme the Sacrament oâ— Christs blessed body and blood Orders and Confirmation by al expositors Baptizant Sacrificanâ— Epistol ad Heron. Eligunt manuâ— imponunt He hath asscribed iustification vnto pennance and so allowed it in that degreâ— and although he hath so dignified the virginall life and saith it is better praestantius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epist ad Philadelph then wedlocke he giueth so much honor vntâ— Marriage that it was not to be performed withouâ— the Bishops assent and allowance Decet verò vâ— Epist ad Polycarpum ducentes vxores nubentes cum Episcopi arbitrio coniugantur vt nuptiae iuxta Domini praeceptuâ— sint non autem ad concupiscentiam Our protestants generally and absolutely deny these holy Christian doctrines and practises to be contained in Scriptures or to be proued by them Therefore they must needs yeeld that that primatiue and Apostolike Church by so greate and liuing then witnesse held and professed them by tradition and certaine it is that many bookes of Scripture were neither generally receaued nor written when the things were so generally vsed and professed not onely in the commaundinge Greeke Church of Antioch where Sainct Peter S. Paul S. Euodius and Sainct Ignatius professed and practized them Pauli Petri fuistis discipuli ne perdaâ—â—s Epist ad Antiochen depositum Mementore Euodij beatissimi Pastoris vesâ—â—i qui primus vobis ordinatus est ab Apostolis Antistes Where the disciples were first called ChristiaÌ„s when Sainct Peter and Sainct Paul came thither and there founded the Church Antiochiae primum Epist ad Magnesian discipuli appellati sunt Christiam cum Petrus Paulus fundarent Ecclesiam But in all the renowned Churches before remembred and in all the whole Christian world at that time by the preachinge and tradition of the holy Apostles as the same Apostolike man thus witnesseth Scribo ad vos moncoque Epist ad Philadelph vt vna praedicatione vna Eucharistia vtamini Vna enim est caro Domini nostri Iesu Christi vnus illius sanguis qui pro nobis effusus est vnus item panis omnibus confractus vnus calix qui omnibus tributus est vnum altare omni Ecclesiae vnus Episcopus cum presbyterorum collegio diaconis Quandoquidem est vnus est ingenitus Deus Pater vnus vnigenitus Filius Deus verbum homo vnus Paracletus Spiritus veritatis vna praedicatio fides vna vnum baptisma vna Ecclesia quam suis sudoribus laboribus fundarunt Sancti Apostoli à fimbus terrae vsque ad fines in sanguine Christi Vos itaque oportet vt populum peculiarem gentem sanctam omnia perficere concordibus animis in Christo And directly Epistol ad Heron. concludeth that whosoeuer shall teach otherwise then the Traditions of the Church be he is to be accompted a wolfe amonge sheepe though he be otherwise a man of credit fasteth liueth chastely doth miracles and prophecieth Quicumque dixâ—rit quippiam praeter ea quae constituta sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tamet si fide dignus sit quamuis signa edat quamuis prophetet pro lupo illum habeas qui subouina pelle exitium pestemque aedfert ouibus Wee may addâ— vnto these greatest solemnities and festiuall dayeâ— of the Cristians receaued in the Church in thâ— time by tradition and not Scripture and by thâ— same authority of tradition without Scripture thâ— feasts highest festiuities of the Iewes euen thosâ— which were solemnely set downe and commauÌ„deâ— in Scripture to be religiously obserued quite euâ—cuated and vtterly reiected The Sabbath which is now our saterday waâ— with greate ceremony and solemnity deliuered iâ— Scripture to be kept euery weeke and that whicâ— wee call sonday was commaunded to be a working day Yet all Christians in this time by tradition diâ— celebrate that old working day next after the olâ— Sabbath for our Lords day consecrated
to Christâ— resurrection as the cheifest of all dayes Post Sabbatum Epistol ad Magnesianos epist ad Trallian omnis Christi amator Dominicum celebret diem resurrectioni consecratam Dominicae Reginam principem omnium dierum in qua vita nostra exorta est per Christum mors deuicta as all Christians now also doe The feast of Easter was also chauÌ„ged with other solemnities and they were accompted as cursed persecutors of Christ and his Apostles which obserued otherwise or kept any festiuity oâ— the Iewes although before commaunded in Scriptures Si quis cum Iudaeis celebrat Pascha aut Symbolâ— Epist ad Philadelphenses festiuitatis corum recipit particeps est eorum qui Dominum occiderunt Apostolos eius He proueth plainely that both the principall feasts and fasts also oâ— the Church as Lent and others were then in vse by this authority of Tradition Festiuitates ne dehonestetis Epistol ad Philippen quadragesimale iciunium ne spernatis contineâ— enim imitationem conuersationis Dominicae Post Passionis Doâ—â—â—iâ—ae hebdomadam ieiunare quartis sextis 〈…〉 negligatis Si quiâ— Dominicam diem ieiunarit â—ic Christi interfector est He often there remembreth the perpetuall virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mâ—ry Mariae Virginitas admitanduâ— ille partus Virginem esse quae parit The forme and manner of offering the holy Sacrifice of Christs body and blood of consecrating Bishops Preists and other Clergy men of ministringe so many Sacraments as he hath remembred the publike Church seruice to which he bindeth all the order of receauing peniâ—ents the custome and limitation of their vsed fâ—sts and whatsoeuer almost appertaining to the holy vse and exercise of Christian Religion in that Apostolike age was knowne and practized by this blessed disciple and all Apostolike men which was deliuered and vsed onely by tradition and so descended to later ages and posterities no Scripture prescribing Christians any such requisite instruction in so necessary and essentiall parts of Religion or the true practise and profession thereof to which all true Christians vnder paine and daunger of euerlasting damnation were bound And as Sainct Ignatius so also testifie the other holy and Apostolike writers of this age as I shall most clearely proue and cite them in euery particular article questioned by these Teachers For this present it will be more then needfull to remember what they write hereof in generall termes Sainct Denis the Areopagite conuerted by Sainct Paul the Apostle writinge of Christian necessary doctrines saith plainely that the Apostles deliuered some of them by tradition onely without writinge as they did some by writinge partim scriptis partim non scriptis suis institutionibus ex Sacrosanctis legibâ— Dionysius Areopag l. Eccles Hierarc c. 1. nobis tradiderunt And proueth that in this Apostolike time the ChristiaÌ„ mysteries were neither communicated by writing nor word for their greate reuerence but to holy and perfect Christians Vide â—â— Sancta Sanctorum enunties sed reuereberis ea patius quae occulti Dei sunt cognitiâ—ne mentis â—nimi â— honore habebis ac preteo ita tamen vt ea minus perfectis non tradas cum ijs folis qui Sancti erunt cuâ— Sancta illustratione pro sacrarum rerum dignitate communices And setteth downe expressely That thâ— Apostolike Church then did not permit Cateâ—hâ—mens Energumens or penitents to be present at the the holy misteries Catechumenâ—s Energâ—menos Cap. 5. quique in poenitentia sunt Sanctae Hiererchiae mos paâ—itur quidem audire sacram psalmorum modulationem diuinamque sacrarum Scripturarum recitationem aâ— sacra autem operae quae deinceps sequuntur at que mysteria spectanda non eos comiocat sed perfectos oculâ—â— eorum qui digni sunt And testifieth what greate Cap. care the Christians then had to conceale their ceremonies Sainct Timothy also as this holy writer proueth Dionys supr c. 1. S. Dionys l. de diuin nomin cap. 3. Clem. Rom. ep 1. 2. 3 4. 5. l Recog l. coÌ„stitut Apost Chris hom 49. in Matth. Euseb histor Eccl. Cedren Nicephor Callist hist l. 2. Epiphan in panar Ruffin praef in Clem. Bed in cap. S. Luc. Freculp Lerouien Chron. lib. 2. Synod Sext. in Trullo Ruffin praef translat oper S. Clement S. Proclus Patriarch Constant l. de tradit diuinae Liturg Nichol. Episcopus Methonen l. de vero Christi corp in Eucharist Marcus Ephes l. de corpore sang Christi Bessar l. de Sacr. Eucharist Manuscript Gallic antiq an D. in S. Clem. Manuscript Brit. antiquis Protest CollectioÌ„ of priuate prayers An. 1627. p. 147. 125. 107. 87. 35. Mat. Park antiquit Brit. pag. 47. was of this opinion and practise S. Hieroth eus also Tutor to Sainct Denis did write a booke of Christians holy traditions Hierotheus clarissimâ—s praeeeptor noster elementa Theologica magnacâ—m laâ—de collegerit And this before S. Denis write The Apostolike Traditions collected together and committed to writinge by Sainct Clement Successor to Sainct Peter at Rome as both he himselfe with other auncient and approued Authors Greeke and Latine and generall councels witnesse are so many that a short volume containeth them â—ot yet in all things condemne Protestant Reliâ—ioÌ„ not approuing it in any one Article wherein it â—ifferreth from Catholiks and the doctrine of the â—resent Roman Church as will be made euident â— the particular articles hereafter manifestly â—nowne and confessed by Ruffinus his translation â—nd testimony to haue bene then and from the beginninge contained in his workes and aggreable â—oth with the Apostolike doctrine of this age and â—ther confessed vnspotted times after as in the â—ourth hundred yeare of Christ wherein Ruffinus â—ued the Church of Rome at this time wherein â—ee now liue I will onely in this place exemplifie â— the publike liturgy Masse or Church sacrifice puâ—lished by him vnto the Church of Christ Greeks â—atines French and our old brittesh antiquities our Protestants theÌ„selues confesse That as Peter â—t Antioch S. Marke at Alexandria Sainct Iohn â—nd S. Andrew in Asia So Sainct Clement wrote â—nd published a forme of Masse and generally all Churches embraced it Omne sque vniuersae Ecâ—esiae vbicumque sint per eam quam Sanctus Cleâ—ens conscripsit liturgiam tradiderunt In this so old â— vniuersall so approued wee finde protection of â—e Angels Angelorum tutelas honor to all Saincts â—atriarks Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confesâ—ors c. Sanctis Patriarchis Prophetis Iustis Apoâ—olis Martyribus Confessoribus Sanctorum martyrum â—emoriam colamus Prayer for the faithfull deceased â—roijs qui in fide quieuerunt oremus The Ecclesiaâ—icall orders which I haue before remembred from â—ainct Ignatius That the holy sacrifice was offered â—r all Seruants of God Offerimus tibi pro omnibus â—ui à saeculo placuerunt tibi Wee finde virgins and liuers in professed chastity Pro virginibus castitâ— seruaÌ„tibus The sacrifice of
the dead reueâ—nced the signe of the crosse other holy Images â—d sacred Reliks said or heard Masse and praâ—ized other Christian rites and duties which proâ—stants deny to be contained in or proued by â—cripture Tertullian lyuing and writing as many testifie â—en Protestants before Pope Eleutherius time Tertull. l. de praescription Magdeburg Centuâ— 3. col 34. c. 4. col 240. 241. Sutcl subu p. 4. Whitg def Respon pag. 96. â—d witnessing Britayne had in his dayes receaued â—e faith of Christ euen in those parts thereof wheâ—er the Pagan Romans could neuer come loca â—omanis inaccessa speaketh of the traditions before â—membred as both his owne works Catholiks â—d Protestants proue in these words Tertullianus â— genere de doctrina suae aetatis inquit eam consentire cum Ecclesijs Apostolicis eamque consensum câ— cordiam communem esse omniuÌ„ Ecclesiarum in Europâ— in Asia in Africatestatur That this the doctrine his time did agree with all Apostolike Churches thaâ— was the common consent and concordance of all â— Churches in Europe in Asia in Afrike And thouâ— wee assigne a somewhat later time to Tertullian others doe in the later end of the second age â— when he so confidently and generally assignâ— this common consent of all Churches of Britaiâ— Fraunce Spaine Italy all Europe Asia and Afriâ— in these holy Christian doctrines thus impugned Protestants hauing therein the consent of all Aâ—stolik Churches wee must needs say whether tâ— were receaued and professed from Scriptures Traditions being longe before any generall Coâ—cels kept by the generall confessed rule of the â—thers and Protestants before they must needâ— deliuered by authority of the Apostles non â— authoritate Apostolica traditum certissimè crediturâ— And the first receauing of the holy Scriptureâ— Britayne which wee finde in Antiquities was in â— time of Pope Eleutherius and from the Churcâ— Rome the same Catalogue of Scriptures it tâ— vsed and still vseth as wee finde in the epistlâ— Eleuth Pap. epist ad Lucium Regem Britan. Godwin CoÌ„uers of Brit. in epist Eleuther Stow. hist Romans that holy Pope to Kinge Lucius suscepistis nâ— miseratione diuina in Regno Britaniae legem fiâ— Christi Habetis penes vos in Regno vtramque pagiâ— You haue there in your Kingdome both testamentâ— our Protestants translate it or both parts of Scripturâ— THE THIRD CHAPTER The 7. 8. 9. 10. Articles examined and wherein they differ from the present Romane Church condemned by this first Apostolike age HAVING thus absolutely and at large confuted and ouerthrowne by the Apostolike â—ge the last Article the erroneous ground of all â—rotestant Religion wee may be more breife in â—he rest being all at the least generally confuted â—nd ouerthrowne in their false foundation so deâ—royed And vntill wee come to their 11. Article â—tituled of the Iustification of man It may be queâ—ioned whether any of them doth in common and â—robable construction and meaninge oppose the â—oman Church or no. And for the two next the 7. â—nd 8. Articles it is most certaine and euident the â—rst of them being intituled of the old testament only â—acheth The old Testament is not contrary to the new â—nd the other stiled of the three Creeds is in tâ—e â—me condition onely affirming The three Creedes â—icene Creede Athanasius Creede and tâ—â—â—â—hich is â—mmonly called the Apostles Creede ought throughly â— be receaued and beleeued But the reason hereof â—hich thus they yeeld for they may be proued by most â—rtaine warrantes of holy Scripture is both before â—onfuted very friuolous for neither is the Scripâ—re the compleate Rule of Religion neither was â—e Scriptures of the new testament written when â—e Apostles deliuered their Creede to the Church â—or the Scriptures agreed vpon vntill after both â—e Creedes of the Nicene Councell and Sainct Athanasius were generally receaued and professâ— by all Catholiks as is already made manifest eueâ— by Protestants themselues aswell as other Authoâ— of more worthy credit The next Article is intâ—tuled of Originall or birth sinne And was expresseâ— concluded by them against the Pelagians denyiâ— originall sinne in man as they expouÌ„d themseluâ— naming the Pelagians and their heresie there wiâ— a confutation of it in their proceedings holdiâ— that Originall sinne in those that be not baptizeâ— deserueth Gods wrath and damnation Yet in the lâ— and concluding words of the Article their phraâ— of speach hath perhaps giuen occasion to some pâ—ritane Nouelists to thinke they held as these mâ— Caluin and such doe that concupiscence withoâ— assent is sinne The words be Although there is â— Artic. 9. supr condâ—mnation for them that beleeue and are baptizâ— yet the Apostle doth confesse that concupiscence lâ— Thomas Rogers in Articul 9. Confes Helu 2. c 9. Saxon. ar 2. 20. hath of it selfe the nature of sinne A Puritane glosser vpon this place saith Conâ—piscence euen in the regenerate is sinnâ— Among foâ—tâ—ene Protestant Confessions he citeth but two fâ— his opinion by his owne exposition And so seauâ— to one by his owne argument of Protestant authâ—rity he is deceaued And the Puritan Heluetian â—sembly Protest Engl. Art art 10. Caluin lib. 1. Instit c. 5. l. 2 c. 2. 3. a. lib. l 3. c. 3. Ant Wotton against D. Bish pa. 112. ruled by Caluine holdeth this besides tâ— other errour which our English Protestants deâ— in ther next article that man hath not free will â— doe well or fly sinne And he plainely confesseâ— that all the primatiue Fathers sufficient for tâ— purpose are against him holding concupiscenâ— without assent to be no sinne Omnium sententâ—â— So do our English Puritans also which hold thâ— errour acknowledge and it is apparant euen â— â—e words of this article before related that the Enâ—ish Protestants doe no otherwise terme coÌ„cupisâ—nce sinne then materially as the Apostle doth â—hose onely authority they vse in that matter and â—ot properly and formally as sinne is truely and â— right sense vsed and taken hauing liberty and â—nsent of minde annexed vnto it otherwise Inâ—nts Ideots frantike madde men without iudgâ—ent and men sleepinge doinge the materiall part â— things sinfull should also sinne or if the flesh of â— selfe the vegetatiue or sensitiue power abstraâ—ing from reason could sinne creatures onely haâ—ng beeing vegetation and sense might and should â—nne equally as those that be reasonable Beasts â—shes fowles plants herbes and trees would be â—oth capable and guilty of sinne And our English Protestants in their commuâ—on booke of as greate credit and approued by as â—reate authority with them and their Religion as â—ese articles acknowledge that the baptized are deade Communion Booke Titul ministrat of publike Baptisme And Catechisme â— sinne And the whole body of sinne is vtterly aboliâ—ed in them They promise and vowe to for sake the â—uill and all his workes the carnall desires of the flesh â—d not to followe and be ledde by them obediently to â—epe Gods commaundements
sectaries doe want though it is so necessary â— saluation that no King Prince Prelate Potenâ—te or whosoeuer can be iustified and saued withâ—ut it yet of it selfe without hope charity and loue â—f God and our neighbour which bringeth all â—ood vnto vs and the keeping of Gods commaunâ—ements such faith neither saueth nor iustifieth â—emo erret nisi crediderit Iesum Christum in carne â—nuersatum crucem illius confessus fuerit pasâ—nem Epistol ad Smyrnen sanguinem quem effudit pro mundi salute â—n assequetur vitam aeternam siue Rex fuerit siue Saâ—dos siue princeps siue priuatus homo siue Dominus â—e seruus siue vir siue foemina Qui capit capiat qui â—dit audiat Locus dignitas diuitiae neminem efferant â—obilitas paupertas neminem deijciant Totum â—mque praecipuum est fides in Deum spes in â—ristum fruitio eorum quae expectamus bonorum â—aritas in Deum proximum Diliges enim Domiâ—m Deum tuum extoto corde tuo proximum tuum â—ut teipsum Et Dominus inquit haec est vita aeterna â— cognoscant te solum verum Deum quem misisti â—um Christum Et mandatum nouum do vobis vt diâ—atis vos mutuo In his duobus mandatis pendet tota â— Prophetae Sainct Clement teacheth the same â—ctrine assuring vs that Christ was so farre from â—ching that man is to be iustified onely by faith â—he lawe of the ghospell that he tyeth vs to more â—ct lawes and commaundements then vnder the â—e of Moyses Qui tunc homicidium interdixit nunc â—am iram tâ—nere concitatam qui tunc adulterium nunc prauam quoque cupiditatem lâ—gem naturalâ—m â—sustulit Clem. Rom. l. 6. constit Apost cap. 23. sed confirmauit Qui dixit diliges proxiâ— tuum idem in Euangelio ait renouandi gratia maâ—tum nouum do vobis vt diligatis inuicâ—m And â—ching the way and meanes how wee should â— made friends with God and so be iustified heâ—leth vs that this friendship is to be procured by â—uing well and obaying his will which is the laâ— all liuing men vt tendamus ad amicitiam Conditâ—amicitia Clem. Rom. l. 1. recognit autem efficitur benè viuendo volâ—â— eius obediendo quae voluntas omnium viuentium â— est The like hath Sainct Martiall vtterly condâ—ning all such presumption as is in the pretenâ— Protestant iustifying faith teaching and directâ— to obay the will of God in holy words and gâ— workes Vobis est testis scutator renum cordiuâ— eius S. Martial ep ad Tolosan cap. 17. obedientia nihil arroganter nihil superbè nihâ—â— merè praesumere sed tanquam pusillus grex Dei â— luntatem eius adimplere studete in verbis Sanctiâ— operibus honis Where wee euidently see that â— will of God is not fulfilled nor iustice wroughâ— onely faith but holy speaking and doing gâ— workes Sainct Denis the Areopagite saith that â— knew well and therein agreed with the diâ— Scriptures that euery one was to be rewarded â—cording to his worthinesse or deseruing Probè◠Dionys Areo. Eccl. Hierar cap. 12. scriptis diuinis assentiens vnumquemque praeâ— accepturum pro dignitate And addeth that euery shop or learned Preist being the Interpretor oâ— nine things doth learne from holy Scriptures â— euerlasting life and happenesse is with most â— measure giuen vnto men according to their dâ—â—ings and merits Diuinus Antistes interpres diuiâ—orum iudiciorum didicit à scriptis quae diuinitùs proâ—ita sunt clarissimam diuinamque vitam pro dignitate â—c meritis iustissimis lancibus tribui Sainct Polycarpe in his Epistle which Sainct Irenaeus l 3. c. 3. Euseb l. 3. hist c 36. Polycarp epist ad Philipp â—eneus Eusebius and others cite and approue doth â—istinguish faith and iustice in Christians and â—heweth that holy men that are saued obtayned â—lory by such distinct iustice and sufferings for Christ Hi omnes qui non in vacuum cucurrerunt sed in â—de iustitia ad debitum sibi locum cum Domino â—ui compassi sunt abierunt And this glory was â—ue vnto them for such iustice and sufferings Sainct Iustine in his publike Apologie for all Iustin Apol. 2 pro Christianis ad Anâ—on Pium Imper. post med Christians to the Emperour protesteth that all â—ood Christians euer from the beginning so held â—ued and practised that men were punished or reâ—arded according to the worth and dignity of their â—eeds and the Prophets before the Apostles so â—aught Hoc etiam explicamus nos supplicia poenas â—tque praemia pro dignitate actionum redditum iri à â—rophetis didicisse idque vere enuntiamus That this article of Catholike Religion was proâ—essed and practiezed here also it is euident being â—he vniuersall doctrine and profession of the whole Catholike Church as before appeareth And for â—hat this Kingdome being so remote a nation â—rom Hierusalem Rome Antioch and other cheife â—laces where Christian Religion then most floriâ—hed and those glories of the world whose authoâ—ities I haue cited and such others as then florished â—ust needs receaue their faith from them and â—hence and be of the same minde and opinion with â—hem herein And to examplifie onely in particular in thâ— which our Protestant antiquaries confesse to hâ— beene Christians of or in this nation in this agâ— Sainct Beatus a noble Britan Sainct Ioseph of â—romathia who buried Christ and his holy compâ—nions which conuersed with the Apostles and tâ— Speed Theater of greate Britaine li. 6. Pantal. de vir Illustrib German Antiquitat Glast tabulis affir Guliel Makn l. de antiq caen Glaston Cupgr in S. Ioseph Arom Apostolike Doctors remembred they thought â— faith onely to be it by which men were iustifiâ— as these Protestants hold but liued in most strict â— penitentiall life all their dayes in watchings fâ—stings and prayers so seruing God the blessâ— Virgin Mary with other Saincts and Angels Vâ—gilijs Ieiunijs orationibus vacantes Deo Beâ— Virgini deuota exhibentâ—s obsequia Their reuerenâ— which they vsed to the holy reliks which thâ— brought with them spoken of before and to tâ— crosse and other Christian Images ther building â— chappell in honour of the blessed Virgin Mary â— the admonishment of S. Gabriell the Archangeâ— Archangeli Gabrielis admonitu their poore chastâ— and obedient religious life foresaking all euâ— their wiues Sainct Ioseph bringing his wise iâ— Britaine as these antiquities say and leauing hâ— and all wordly comforts for the loue of Chrisâ— proue sufficiently vnto vs they were not of oâ— Protestant profession that onely faith did iustifâ— and that there was no Iustice merit or reward bâ— and for good workes holynesse and perfection â— lyuinge well THE V. CHAPTER The 12. Article examined and in whatsoeuer differing from the present Romane Church condemned by the Apostolike age So of the 13. and 14. Articles AND by
Luther Iohn Caluine Thomas Crâ—mar or whosoeuer in any time or place aâ— preacher of the coÌ„trary truth as Protestants woâ— haue it yet this man being but one could not malâ— a congregation of faithfull men which must neâ— be a number nor preach the pure word of God â— â—â—ongregation of faithfull men nor duely minister â— the Sainaments according to Christs ordinance no sâ— Protest CoÌ„f. Helu Gallic Angl. Scotic Belg. PolonuÌ„ Argent Augustan Saxonic wittemb Palatin Bohemich Parliament Henric. 8. Edw 6 Eliz. Can Comm. bookes Iniunct CanoÌ„s faithfull men or congregation yet being to preaâ— and minister them vnto which is a generall aâ— vnanswearable demonstration by this Protesâ— article it selfe that the Church could neuer so â—nerally erre nor their new pretended congregatâ— be any part or parcell of the true Church Whâ— is also manifest by their fourteene fifteene or mâ— seuerall Protestant confessions and pretended â—gregations euery on of them different from otâ— and with it selfe also as here in England the â— Church of Kinge Henry VIII King Edâ—â— Queene Elizabeth King Iames and King â—harles at open warrs with themselues both in â—ctrine and Sacraments as their seuerall approued â—wes Parlaments proclamations Synods Caâ—ns Iniunctions Litanies communion bookes â—thorized Orders of prayer conferences and deâ—ees are too great witnesses And to quench the â—ey malice of the ProtestaÌ„ts against the Church of â—ome our Mother Church as lately King Iames â—ed it they saying in this article the Church â— Rome hath erred in matters of faith The Apoâ—like men which liued this age will teach the â—ntrary First whereas all agree that Sainct Peter was Biâ—op liued and died there Sainct Dionisius the Aâ—opagite saith hee was the most auncient and â—eifest head of diuines Petrus maximum antiquissiâ—mque Dionis Areopag l. de diu nom cap. 3. Eccles Hierarch c. 9. Ignat. ep ad Rom. in â—itul Theologorum columen And testifieth plaineâ— that without doubt he was Prince or cheifest of â—e Apostles Ipse discipulorum facile princeps Sainct Ignatius proueth the Roman Church â—s the sanctified and ruling Church Ecclesia sanâ—ficata quae praesidet in loco Regionis Romanorum That was the Church which was sanctified ilâ—minated by the will of God who created all â—ings which belong to the faith loue of Christ â—sus God our Sauiour the Church worthy of â—od most decent to be blessed praysed worthy â— be obtained most chast and of excellent charity â—ioying the name of Christ and his father and reâ—enished with the holy Ghost Ecclesia sanctificata â— illuminata per voluntatem Dei qui omnia creauit â—ae pertinent ad fidem charitatem Iesu Christi Deo â—gna decentissima beatificanda laudanda digna quae quis potiatur castissima eximiae charitatis Chrâ— patris nomine fruens spirituque plena And plaiâ—ly of the Christians of Rome that they vâ— ioined in body and soule to all the commaunâ—ments of Christs and replenished with all graâ— Spiritu corpore coniunctos omnibus mandatis Iâ— Christi repletos omni gratia Dei absque haesitatione repugnatos ab omni alieno colore Without all doâ—ting freed from all errour Sainct Clement is â—â—nesse Clem. Rom. epist 1. that Sainct Peter was made the foundatâ— of the Church Simon Petrus veraefidei merito â—tegrae praecicationis obtentu fundamentum esse Ecclâ— definitus est And was cheifest ruler among the â—postles Nec inter ipsos Apostolos par institutio fâ—sed vnus omnibus praefuit And calleth him the â—ther Clem. Rom. epist 2. of all the Apostles and that he receaued tâ— keyes of the Kingdome of heauen Beatum Petrâ— Apostoluni omnium Apostolorum patrem qui clâ— regni caelestis accepit And relating how Sainct Peâ— a litle before his constituting him his successourâ— the presence of the whole Church in auribus toâ— Ecclesiae committed his chaire and Apostolike supreâ— power vnto him alone as it was by Christ commâ—cated and giuen vnto him In auribus totius Eccleâ— haec protulit verba Clementem hunc Episcopum vâ—â— ordino cui soli meae praedicationis doctrinae câ—â—â—dram trado Ipsi trado à Domino mihi traditam potesâ—tem ligandi soluendi vt de omnibus quibuscâ—â— que decreuerit in terris hoc decretum sit in coelis And this is not denied by our Protestant Anâ—quaries Robert Barnes lib. de vit Pontif. Rom. â—â— Clement 1. but affirmed from the same authoritâ— Clemens Romanus à Petro apprehens â manu institâ—â— est Romanus Pontifex si Epistolis Clementis credendâ— est Acknowledging those epistles to be the worâ— â— Sainct Clement which so testifie In which and â—ers other bookes he giueth lawes for the whole â—hurch which he himselfe sufficiently often witâ—sseth writing and sending his decrees to be kept â—d obserued to and by all Bishops Preists all â—ergy men and all Princes greater or lesse and â—nerally vnto all beleeuers Clemens vrbis Romae Clem. epist 3. de offic Sacerd Clericor â—iscopus omnibus Coepiscopis Presbyteris Diaconis â— reliquis Clericis cunctis Principibus maioribus â—noribusuè omnibus generaliter fidelibus This epiâ—e traÌ„slated by Ruffinus is intituled of the office â—d duty of Priests Clergie men de officio Sacerdotis Clericorum for the whole Church of Christ The â—e commaunde and generall authority of his Sea â—postolike he hath in diuers other bookes Sainct Anaclet epist 1. 2. 3. â—acletus also is so cleare for this primacy and inâ—libility of the Church of Rome that our Proteâ—nts confesse it thus as plainely To proue that the Ormer pict Pap. p. 78. Robert Bern. l. de vit pont Rom. in Anacleto â—urch of Rome hath the preeminence ouer all Churches â—eadgeth math 16. vers 18. vpon this rocke will I â—lde my Church and he expoundeth it thus super â—c Petram id est super Ecclesiam Romanam vpon â—s rocke that is vpon the Church of Rome will I â—ld my Church Anacletus writeth that the primacy of the Church of â—me ouer all Churches and ouer all Christian people â—s graunted by our Lord himselfe because saith he said to Peter liuing at Rome vpon this rocke will I â—ild my Church Ab ipso Domino primatum Romanae â—clesiae super omnes Ecclesias vniuer sumque Chriâ—ani nominis populum concessum esse asseruit quia inâ—it Petro agenti morieÌ„ti Romae dixit tues Petrus â— super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam Sainct Euaristus writeth the like calling the Euarist ep 1. Church of Rome the head â—â—put of Churches â—lexander Alex. 1. ep 1. affirmeth that Christ committed thâ—â—posing of the greatest causes and busines â— Churches to Sainct Peter Prince of the Apâ— and to the Apostolike Roman Sea as head of tâ— Middleton Papist p. 200. Cui sanctae Apostolicae sedi summarum disposâ— causarum omnium negotia Ecclesiarum ab ipsoâ— mino tradita sunt quasi
euidently proued against this their Article that the Church of Rome in euery age as they haue before declared assisting and directing the Christian Britans here and concurring and agreeing with them ineuery point and article of Religion neither did nor could be said to haue erred in matters of faith And this these Protestants expressely confesse when they generally acknowledge as all Antiquities doe that there was then no materiall or essentiall difference in matters of faith betweene the Christian Britains except some Pelagian heretiks among them and Sainct Augustine with his company being sent from the Church of Rome the Pope then being a greate S. Gregory the most learned and holy Pope that euer was by these mens Testimony Gregorius magnus omnium PoÌ„tificum Romanorum Balaeus l. 2. de Act. Rom. Pontif. in Gregorio Mâ—gâ—â—o doctrina vita praestantissimus And therefore by them and all holy writers stiled Gregory the greate And wherein soeuer any difference though ceremoniall obseruing of Easter any ceremony about the ministering of Baptisme or giuing holy Orders was betweene the Roman Church and the Britains all writers both Catholiks and ProtestaÌ„ts proue the Roman Church professed the truth And the Britains were in the errour and so they freely and publikely in their first meeting coÌ„fessed as Sainct Bede and our Protestants themselues Bed hist Eccles l. 2. c. 2. with others acknowledge Tum Britones confitentur quidem intellexisse se veram esse viam iustitiae quam praedicaret Augustinus and this was inuincibly proued vnto them both by vnanswearably humane arguments and diuine testimony and miracle And they afterward generally corrected and conformed themselues to the Romane Church in all things formerly questioned betweene them as all Antiquaries Brittish English Forreine domesticall Catholiks and Protestants agree neuer contending about any question moued by Protestants against the present Roman Church but both the Romane Church then and our Britains as the whole Christian world also iointly agreing in euery article against this new Protestant Religion And this is manifestly proued particularly already in all articles yet examined and so will be in all that followe Therefore it is manifestly false by all testimonies auncient later forreine domesticall Catholikes and Protestants euen in their publike decrees and Confessions that which this Article so desperately hath deliuered The Church of Rome hath erred in matters of faith and the contradictory that it hath not so erred nor shall at any time so erre is euidently true by all witnesses This will be yet more euidently manifested in the two next following examinations and others THE VIII CHAPTER The 20. Article thus examined and in whatsoeuer contrary to the Church of Romè thus condemned THEIR 20. and next article intituled of the authority of the Church is this It is noâ— lawfull â—or the Church to ordaine any thinge contrary to Gods word written neither may it so expound one place of â—cripture that it be repugnant to another Wherefore â—lthough the Church be a witnesse and a keeper of holy â—rit yet as it ought not to decree any thing against the â—ame so besides the same ought it not to enforce any â—hing to be beleeued for necessity of saluation In this article no thing needeth other answeare or confutation then is made before in their article of Scriptures and traditions where the pretended sole necessity of the written Scriptures heretikely insinuated is most plainely confuted both by the Apostolike doctrine and practise of this age and otherwise And the supreame power and authority which here they giue vnto the Church to be a witnesse and keeper of holy writ and the cheifest expositour thereof and as their common glosse â—â— this article is the Church hath authority to Iudge and determine in controuersies of faith doth vtterly disable and condemne those Protestants to haue any colour or pretence to hold the truth in any one article they maintaine against the Roman Church either concerning Scriptures Church or anâ— thing else for the Church which onely was and â— visible as they haue described the true Church before hath in all and euery article condemned aâ— such Protestant Innouation And for these men to say as they haue done â—â— their 19. Article that the Church is a congregatiâ— of faithfull men in which the pure word of God â— preached and the Sacraments be duely ministred anâ— to make it an article of faith as they doe in theâ— publike profession of the Creede that this Church one holy and Catholike doth so continue for 〈◊〉 without interruption or corruption in ministriâ— Sacraments and preaching doctrine and the things are in their censure should onely be take from the written word and Scriptures It is vnpoâ—sible in such proceedings that the Church shoâ— ordaine any thing contrary to Gods word writteâ— or so expound on place of Scripture that it be repugnant to an other For otherwise it should neither be one holie or Catholike but diuers different vnholy particular no pillar of truth but a forge of falsehood no howse of God no spouse of Christ no saluation to be had or hoped for in any Iudgment Catholike or Protestant but in the true Church of Christ To this the Apostolike men of this age giue Ignat. epist ad Philadelp Ephes Trall Magn. Antiochen Ignat. ep ad Philadelp euident testimony Sainct Ignatius doth make the Iudgment of the Church both supreame and certaine and receauing penitents and saith Christ hath firmely builded his Church vpon a hile by spirituall building without help of mans hands against which the floods dashing and windes puffing could not ouerthrowe it nor any spirituall wickednesses shall euer be able to doe it but they shall be weakened by the power of our Lord Iesus Christ. Iesus Christus secundum propriam voluntatem suam firmauit Ecclesiam super Petram adificatione spirituali citra humanarum manuam operam in quam collisa flumina venti non potuerunt eam subuertere nec id valcant vnquam spirituales nequitiae sed infirmentur virtute Domini nostri Iesu Christi And saith plainely as there is but one flesh and blood of Christ shedd for our sinnes one Euchariste one Altare one Priestly order one God the Father one God the sonne one holy Ghost so there is but one preaching and one faith and one baptisme and one Church which with their sweate and labours the holy Apostles haue founded in the blood of Christ from the one end of the earch to the other vnapraedicatio fides vna vnum baptisma vna Ecclesia quam suis sudoribus laboribus fundarunt sancti Apostoli à finibus terrae vsque ad fines in sanguine Christi Sainct Clement Câ—em Rom. Const Apost l. 1. c. 1. saith the Catholike Church is the plantation of God and his chosen vineyard which cannot be digged vp or destroied Dei plantatio est Catholica Ecclesia vinea eius electa So that no other can be planted or chosen by
nuncupamus quod sit vniuersalis diffundatur per omnes mundi partes ad omnia se tempora extendat nullis vel locis inclusa vel temporibus Seing alwayes there is onely one God one mediatour of God and men Iâ—sus the Messias also one Sheepheard of the vniuersall flocke one heade of this body to conclude one holy Ghost one saluation one saith one testament or league it necessarily followeth that there onely is one Church Which therefore wee name Catholike because it is Vniuersall and diffused through all parts of the world and extendeth it selfe to all times not concluded within any places or times This holy Church of God is called the house of the liueinge God builded of liuely and spirituall stones and seated vpon an vnmoueable rocke and vpon a foundation on which no other thing can be placed and therefore it is called the pillar and supporter of truth Haec Ecclesia Dei sancta vocatur domus Dei viuentis extructa ex lapidibus viuis spiritualibus imposita super petraÌ„ immotaÌ„ super fundamentuÌ„ quo aliud loc ari noÌ„ potest ideo nuncupatur etiam coluÌ„na basis verit atiâ— 1. Tim. 3. The Lutheran Religion or confession of Wittemberge saith credimus confitemur quod vna sit Confess Wirtemberg cap. de Eccl. sancta Catholica Apostolica Ecclesia iuxta Symbolum Apostolorum Nicaenum Quod haec Ecclesia â— Spiritu sancto ita gubernetur vt conseruct eum perpetuo ne vel erroribus vel peccatis pereat Quod in hac Ecclesi asit verapeccatorum remissio Quod haec Ecclesia habeat ius iudicandi de omnibus doctrinis Quod haec Ecclesia habeat ius interpret and aescripturae Ecclesia habet certam promissionem perpetuae praesentiae Christi Cap. de Concilijs gubernatur à Spiritu sancto Wee beleeue coÌ„fessâ— that there is one holy Catholike and Apostolike Church according to the Creede of the Apostles and Nicen Councell That this Church is so gouerned by the holy Ghost that he preserueth it for euer that it perish not either by errours or sinnes That in this Church there is true remissioÌ„ of sinnes thâ—â— this Church hath authority to Iudge of all doctrines That this Church hath authority to interpret the Scripture The Church hath certaine promise of the perpetuall presence of Christ and is gouerned by the holy Ghost By this it is euident by all Testimonies of this Apostolike age and these Protestants themselues that the true Church of Christ neuer did shall or can erre in any Iudgment decree sentence or profession in matters of faith but is pure Catholike and Apostolike in all such in all times and places And this article either denying or doubting of such power and prerogatiue in the true Church is very Idle or Antichristian taking away all certaine and holy Religion of Christ As also that the Church which was when these heresies began euen Catholike and vniuersall in all places and had beene so in all times before hath beene so euer since and still so continueth and florisheth is that true holy Catholike Apostolike Church which the holy Scriptures Fathers of this age and the Article of our Creede giue testimony vnto And the Protestant particular Confessions and congregations of Heluetia Fraunce England Scotland Belgia Poland Argentine Ausburgh Saxony Wittemberge the Palatine of Rheine Boheme and perhaps some others being onely of particular Contryes or Townes and onely of some and not all persons of them cannot be possibly Catholike for place and as vnpossibly for time the eldest of them by their owne testimony and confession vnknowne vntill the yeare of Christ 1530. the Confession of Ausburge first began not printed vntill the yeare 1540. the Confession of Boheme 1532. Heleutia 1536. Saxony 1551. England 1562. Scotland 1581. the like of the rest These nor any of them by the same reason can be Apostolike arising so many hundreds of yeares after the Apostles time None of all these can be that one Church which was euer those being diuers from that among themselues at warres both for Sacraments discipline doctrine None of their coÌ„gregations or coÌ„fessions yet hath brought forth any one man or woman knowne which in their owne Iudgment or senteÌ„ce is honoured or calendred for a Saint though their calenders chronicles and histories be full of Saints which were of the Roman Church and Religion They haue taken away and ouerthrowne many thousand foundations of holynesse and piety their owne first foundation in such kinde is yet to begin this cannot be the one holy Catholike and Apostolike Church of Christ which our Creeds doe teach vs being in all respects diametrically opposite or rather contradictory to whatsoeuer is or can be defined or described as they themselues define the true Church by those attributes properties or distinctiue differences to be one to be holy to be Catholike and vniuersall in all times places and points of doctrine and Sacraments and to be Apostolicall continued without intermission from the Apostles in sound and Apostolicall Christian Religion in all articles and matters of faith And thus it was confessed and professed by our Christian Britains from their first couersion in the Apostles time as these men themselues haue before deliuered THE IX CHAPTER The 21. Article so examined and condemned THE Article which followeth 21. in number is intituled of the authority of generall Councels And in these their words Generall Councels may not be grathered to gether without the commaundement and will of Princes And when they be gathered for asmuch as they be an assembly of meÌ„ whereof all be not gouerned with the spirit and word of God they may erre and some time haue erred euen in thinges pertaining vnto God wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to saluation haue neither strength nor authority vnlesse it may be declared that they be taken out of holy Scripture Hitherto this English Protestant Article The first part of it requiring of necessity the commaundement and will of Princes for the validity of Councels is singular not onely against Catholiks but all Confessions of Protestants not any one consenting in this matter with our English Protestants as is euident in those confessions Neither doe the Protestants of Britaine agree herein but all they whom they terme Puritans or Disciplinarians are quite of an other opinion And the Parlament Protestants themselues of best Iudgment doe euen with publike allowance condemne it Thus with such approbation they write of themselues Protestant relation of Religion cap. 47. The Protestants are seuered bandes or rather scattered troopes each drawing diuers wayes without any meanes to pacifie their quarrels to take vp their controuersies No Prince with any preeminence of Iurisdiction aboue the rest no Patriarcke one or more to haue a common superintendance of care of their Churches for correspondancy and vnity no ordinary way to assemble a generall Councell the onely hope remaining euer to
recognit l. 1. he relateth it in the name of the Apostles a Councell which they kept at a feaste of Easter Cum nos duodecim Apostoliad diem Paschae cum ingenti multitudine conuenissemus ingressi Ecclesiam fratrum quae à nobis per loca singula gesta sint breuiter exponimus So of that their holy Councell wherein they decreed and composed the Creede which the Church euer since professeth and our Protestants before receaue as composed by them the history of it is expressely set downe by Sainct Clement Ruffinus and others Christo resurgente ascendente in coelum Clem. epist 1. Ruffin l. de expos Symb. misso sancto Spiritu collata Apostolis scientia linguarum adhuc in vno positi Symbolum quod fidelis nunc tenet Ecclesia vnusquisque quod sensit dicendo condiderunt vt discedentes ab inuicem hanc regulam per omnes gentes praedicarent And reciting the contents thereof concludeth that the Apostles penned it by instinct of the holy Ghost Hoc praedicti sancti Apostoli inter Clem. Const Apost l. 6. c. 14. 15. 16. 17. c. se per Spiritum sanctum salubriter vt dictum est condiderunt Diuers other such sacred Councels of the Apostles and Disciples of Christ wee might recite from approued writers and yet none of them was by the commauÌ„de or allowance of any temporall Prince or Potentate but otherwise And to make it manifest to all posterity that Princes teÌ„porall were not to haue any commaunde in such affaires as Protestants in this article pretend the same holy Apostles in their Canons by some readings in the 36. by others the 37. and by others 38. do thus decree that Bishops should twise Canon ApoÌ„stol can 36. 37. vel 38. in the yeare keepe councels and among themselues examine the decrees of religion and compose such Ecclesiasticall Controuersies as should arise first in the fourth weeke after Pentâ—cost and the second the 12. day of October Bis in anno fiat Episcoporum Synodus inter se examinent decreta religionis incidentes Ecclesiasticas controuersias componant semel quidem quarta hebdomade Pentecostes iterum autem Hyperbâ—retaei duodecimo And S. Clement from the same Apostles teacheth Clem. Apost constit l 2. c. 30 c. 26 in al. exempl further that Episcopall power and dignity was the greatest on earth Bishops were Mediatours betweene God and men in things belonging to diuine worship The Bishop is the Master of piety and Religion the Father of Christians vnder God their Prince their Leader their King their Ruler After God the earthly God who ought to enioy honour the Bishop must gouerne being adorned with the dignity of God whereby he hath power ouer the Cleargy and ruleth all the people Qui Episcopus est hic est minister verbi scientiae custos Mediator inter Deum homines in ijs quae ad eum colendum pertinent hic est magister pietatis religionis hic est secundum Deum pater vester hic Princeps Dux vester hic vester Rex praefectus hic post Deum terreus Deus qui honore vâ—stro frui debet Episcopus vobis praesideat vt dignitate Dei cohonâ—status qua clerum sub potestate sua tenâ—t toti populo pâ—aeest He tellâ—th vs againe by the same Apostolike warrant Cap. 11. that a Bishop representeth the example of God to men and ruleth all men Preists Kings Magistrats parents children and all subiects Stude Episcope vt mundus purusque sis locum tuum dignitatemque tuam actionibus declara vt pote qui exemplar Dei repraesentas praesidendo omnibus hominibus Sacerdotibus regibus Magistratibus parentibus filijs pariter cunctis Cap. 12. subditis And iudgeth with power as God doth Iudica Episcope potestate fretus tanquam Deus And as Moses by God was called a God so a Bishop Cap. 30. c. 34. 37. 13. is to be honoured as God By how much the soule is more excellent then a Kingdome Wee must loue a Bishop as a Father feare hym as a King honour him as Lord. It is graunted onely to Preists to Iudge in spirituall causes Lay men must obey the Bishop is Steward and dispenser Cap. 40. 39. of Ecclesiasticall things Wee must not aske an accompâ— of him nor obserue how he performeth his dispensation when with whom where well or ill or conueniently He hath God his Iudge who hath committed this dispensation into his hands Without a Bishop wee must do Cap. 31. nothing If any man doth any thing without the Bishop he doth it in vaine A Bishop is the heade and must noâ— Cap. 17. obey the foote a lay man but onely God He must rule hiâ— subiects not obey them The sonne doth not rule the Father nor the Seruant his Lord nor the Scholler his mastor nor the Souldier the King so the lay man must noâ— commaund the Bishop Si de parentibus secundum carnem lex diuina inquit honora patrem tuum matrem tuam quanto magis de spiritualibus parentibus vobâ— praeceptum est vt eos honoretis diligatis tanquam bâ—nâ—ficos ligatosque ad Deum Hos venerabiliter colite varijs honoribus Hos Principes Reges vestros pâ—tatote tributa tanquam Regibus penditote Si aliquid orationi addendum est plura hic Episcopus quam ille Rex olim Ille enim rem militarem tantum administrabat belli pacisque moderator ad tuenda corpora hic verò Dei Sacerdotium administrans corpus animam periculis liberat Quanto igitur corpore est excellentior tanto Sacerdotium Regno praestat Ligat enim id soluit supplicio vel indulgentia dignos Ideo Episcopum diligere debetis vt patrem timeré vt Regem honorare vt Dominum Non est aequum caput cum sis ô Episcope caudae obsequi hoc est laico homini seditioso in alterius perniciâ—m sed soli Deo Imperare enim debes subditis non parere nam neque filius imperat patri secundum originis rationem neque seruus Domino secundum potestatis rationem neque discipulus magistro neque miles Regi ita neque laïcus Episcopo The like he hath in diuers other places and in S. Ignat. epist ad Smyrnen ample manner S. Ignatius is as plaine in this point He telleth vs that all without exception of any must followe the Bishop as Christ his Father And none must doe any thing in matters belonging to the Church without the Bishop Omnes Episcopum siquimini vt Christus patrem Sine Episcopo nemo quicquam faciat eorum quae ad Ecclesiam spectant He manifestly maketh the Authority of Bishops greater then any regall or other on earth in these matters the Princes of Preists representing the Image of God and next to him to be honoured and obeyed and declareth it for a greater treason and disobedience to resist the Bishop then the
generall Councels as necessary vnto saluation hâ—â—e neither strength nor authority vnlesse it may be declared that they be taken out of holy Scriptures This is aboundantly before confuted where I entreated of their article of Scriptures So it is by that is deliuered in this Councell which they wholy and without any the least exception admit For in denyall of marriage vnto Cleargy men it hath done it by the old Apostolike tradition of the Church Can. 6. 7. secundum veterem Ecclesiae traditionem So they doe in the true gouernment of the Church by the Pope and Patriarkes Antiqua consuetudo Antiqua mores Mos antiquus Seruetur Seruentur Consuetudâ— obtinuit antiqua traditio Yet true gouernment of the Church is with them an essentiall property of the true Church vnseperable and so necessary to saluation So is the true Cleargy and consecration as also the holy Sacrifice Sacrament of the altar really containing the body of Christ yet by these men not to be declared by Scriptures they finding no such thing in them And these Protestants themselues with publike Protest of Engl. in feild libr. 4. of the Church pag. 228. allowance write Bishops assembled in a generall Councell haue authority to interpret Scriptures and by their authority to suppresse all them that gaine say such interpretation Therefore if there were question of truely interpreting Scripture Protestants must yeeld to generall Councels and not these to them particular Churches if the Protestant was such must of duty and necessity submit themselues to the vniuersall and Apostlike Catholike such as a generall Councell is as the first Nicen Councell in the Creede thereof which Protestants receaue doth declare it selfe and such generall Councels to be and so inflicteth censures Anathematizat Caâ—â—olica Symb. Niceâ— Ruffin lib. 1. hist c. 5. Soc. l. 1. hist c. 6. Apostolica Ecclesia Therefore wee are sure a generall Councell cannot erre in expounding Scriptures or any decree of faith That our Christian Britains were of this minde opinion and profâ—ssion their Bishops with longe and tedious labours present at the greate primitiue Councels of Arles Sardice Ariminum and others by all witnesses and with our King and Emperour at Nice in most probable Iudgment also Rome and the sacred Nicen Councell here then authentically receaued and embraced by all holy writers giue aboundant testimony THE X. CHAPTER The 22. Article thus likewise examined and condemned THE next article the 22. in number is intituled of Purgatory And is thus The Romish doctrine The doctrine of Purgatory prayer and other satisfaction for the true faithfull deceased practised in this first agâ— concerning Purgatory pardons worshipping and adoration aswell of Images as of reliques and also inuocation of Saincts is a fond thing vainely inuented and grounded vpon no warranty of Scripture but rather repâ—gnant to the word of God Much matter in few words many things peremptorily affirmed nothing proued All false and foolish also where as they would haue all thing grounded vpon warranty of Scripture so many times by theÌ„ affirmed and as often by me before confuted And to take their assertions in order beginning with their first about the Romish their phrase doctrine concerning Purgatory This is thus set downe in the Councels of Florence and Trent If men truely ponitent depart this life in the loue of God before they haue satisfied for their sinnes their soules are purged with the paines of Purgatory And that they may be releiued from such paines the suffrages of the saithfull aliue to wit sacrifice of Masse prayers and almes and other offices of piety which by the faithfull are vsed for other faithfull people according to the instituâ—â—ons Concil Flor. Concil Tâ—id Sessione 4. can 30. of the Church doe profit them Definimus si verè poenitentes in Dei charitate decesserint antequam dignis poenitentiae fructibus de commissis satisfeâ—eriâ—â— omissis eorum animas paenis Purgatorij purgari Et vt à poenis huiusmodi releuentur prodesse his viuorum fidelium suffragia Missarum scilicet sacrificio orationes eleemosynas pietatis officia quae à fidelibus proaijs fidelibus fieri consueuerunt secundum Ecclesiae institutae Nor is this the Romish onely but also the Greekish and Catholike doctrine of the Church of Christ So is affirmed by Gennadius their learned Patriarke in his defence of the recited Councell of Florence The doctrine of Purgatory prayer and Sacrifice Gâ—nad Schol. in defens CoÌ„cil Floraent def â— cap. 3. for the deade was a tradition of the Apostles That which the Laâ—â—nes call purgatorium purgatory they of the Greeke Church name catharterion a purging place They were onely Scismaticorum Sectatores followers of Scismatikes which denied it This is likewise confessed Relation of Relig. c. 53. 54. 55. by our English Protestants and knowne vnto all trauaylers either into the contries or writers of the Greekes Now let vs see whether it was the doctrine of the Apostolike age or noe The Greeke Patriarke hath before affirmed it So will our Protestants hereafter And the Apostolike men of this age affirme and proue it Sainct Clement saith his Master and predecessour Sainct Clem. Rom. Epist 1. Peter among other things did teach mortuos sepelire diligenter corum exequias peragere proque eis orâ—â—e eleemosynas dare To bury the deade and diligently performe their funerals and pray and giue almes for them He deliuereth further how in their publike Constitut Apost l. 8. c. 19. Church seruice and Sacrifice of that time among their prayers for other necessaries they prayed for the faithfull departed out of this world Pro ijs qui infide quieuerunt oremus And from Iames Alphaeus named the Brother of our Lord frater Domini he setteth downe the manner how the Deacon vsed publikely to giue warning in the time of the holy Sacrifice to pray for the soules of the faithfull deceased deliuering the very prayer commonly vsed in such cases directly proueing a place of Purgatory and prayer for the deliuery of the faithfull departed from thence with a remission of all punishment they had deserued and were to suffer vntill they were by such meanes freed thereof Pro defunctis qui in Christo requieuerunt L. 8. supr cap. 47. iuxt al. 40. 41. postquam Diaconus edixit orandum esse adiunget etiam haec oremus profratribus nostris qui in Christo requieuerunt vt Deus summae erga homines charitatis qui animam defuncti suscepit remittat ei omne peccatum voluntarium non voluntarium propitius illi factus collocet eam in regione piorum qui laxati sunt in sinu Abrahae Isaac Iacob cum omnibus qui à saeculo condito Deo placuerunt vnde fugit dolor maeror gemitus And againe ipse nunc respice hunc seruum tuum quem in aliam sortem elegisti assumpsisti condona ei si quid tum volens tum
buried Wee finde in the old antiquities of landaffe a Publike Charter of King Mauricus in S. Dubritâ—â—â— his time Manuscript antiq de primo statu Landauen Ecclesiae that it was the old custome and duty of Churches daily to pray for the soules of the benefactours deceased and all the faithfull departed out of this life oratione quotidiana Ecclesiastico seruitio pro anima â—â—â—us animabus parentum suorum Regum Principum Britanniae omnium fidelium defunctorum So is the charter of King Arthur to the schoole of Cambredge proremedio animarum antecessorum Chart. priuileg Reg. Arthuri apud Caium l. 1. antiquit Cantabrig pag. 60. 70. Caratoc hist M. S. de vita S. Gildel Probus l. 2. de vit S. Patricij Caius l. 1. sup p. 147. 148. l de vit SaÌ„ct Walliae in S. Iltuto vneorum Regum Britanniae Sainct Gildas our oldest writer and greate diuine did daily pray for the foule of his brother being slaine Orabat pro spiritu fratermp quotidie Sainct Patrike prayed for the dead orauit pro anima eius S. Iltutus appointed 50. of his schollers to pray for the soules of the deade continually Constituit quinquaginta fratres qui continuam animarum memoriam haberent And as I haue spoken before how the first Christians at Hierusalem had a particular Church founded and employed to that holy vse So our Christians Britans insisting in the same deuotion from the beginning had diuers such foundations and Churches especially to offer sacrifice and pray for the deade One of them was at london Ecclesiam Galfrid Monum hist Reg. Briton l. 12 c. 13. aedificauerunt in quo pro ipso Rege fidelibus defunctis diuina celebrantur obsequia And this is sufficient for this question The next exception which is taken by our Protestants The Catholike doctrine of pardons Indulgences in this article is against the Catholike doctrine about pardons or Indulgences saying as they haue done already of Purgatory that the Romish doctrine concerning pardons is a fonde thing vainely inuented and grounded vpon no warranty of Scripture but rather repugnant to the word of God The Councell of Trent setteth downe the Catholike doctrine in this point which these men call the Conc. Trid. seff 9. in decreto de Indulgentijs Romish doctrine that power of graunting indulgences was by Christ graunted to his Church and the Church in the most auncient times vsed it by so great warrant and therefore declareth the vse of Indulgences to be retajned in the Church as necessary for Christian people and allowed by the authority of holy Councels anathematizing them which affirme them to be vnprofitable or deny there is power in the Church to graunt them Cum potestas conferendi Indulgentias à Christo Ecclesiae concessa sit at que huiusmodi potestate diuiniâ—â—s tradita antiquissimis etiam temporibus illa vsa fuerit Sacrosancta Synodus indulgentiarum vsum Christiano populo maxime salutarem sacrorum conciliorum anthoritate probatum in Ecclesia retinendum esse docet praecipit eosque anathemate damnat qui aut inutiles esse asserunt veleas concedendi in Ecclesia potestatem esse negant The same holy CouÌ„cell with all good Catholiks as much coÌ„demneth abuses in pardons or IndulgeÌ„ces and as wisely preuenteth them as any enemy of Indulgences doth euer did or can desire That there this power of graunting pardons and Indulgences for remitting the temporall punishment due to sinne is first euident by that is said of the paines and punishment of purgatory before For no man will or can deny but if the Church hath power or meanes to remit paines to them that be deceased and out of the state of meriting in themselues much rather it hath such power and remedies for the liuing which by themselues may and doe merit and are in all respects parts and subiects of the militant Church of Christ Secondly whereas this Protestant article saith pardons haue no warranty of Scripture but rather repugnant to the word of God The Apostolike Fathers of this first age haue taught vs otherwise before euen of the paines of Purgatory And the Scripture is cleare both that Christ did graunt this power to his Church and the Church practized it in the Apostles time Of this power of remitting sinnes and their punishment Christ must needs meane when he said to S. Peter he would giue Matth. c. 16. vnto him the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen and whatsoeuer he should loose on earth should be loosed in heauen Tibi dabo claues regnicaelorum Et quodcumque solueris super terram erit solutum in caelis So when he said to all his Apostles Whatsoeuer Matth. 18. you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heauen Quaecunque solueritis super terram erunt soluta in Ioh. cap. 20. coelo And againe whose sinnes you forgiue they are forgiuen vnto them Quorum remiseritis peccata remitiuntur ets And that wee may be assured these words and warrants of Christ did carry this construction and giue this power and not onely to the then present Apostles but their Successours and Rulers in his Church for euer first Sainct Paul who was not an Apostle Preist nor Christian then at the giuing of this cominission nor there present did thus expounde it and practise it For first excommunicating the wicked Corinthian which had committed 1. Cor. 5. sinne with his Fathers wife his mother in lawe a sinne both in Catholiks and Protestants Iudgment deseruing greate and longe pennance and punishment he soone after wrote vnto them againe to giue him pardon and indulgeÌ„ce for the punishment thereof donetis or condonetis cui donastis or condonastis ego ego donaui or condonaui in persona Christi S. Paul gaue pardon in the person of Christ and the Church of Corinth did the same by the 2. Cor. 2. same warrant and authority So the learned holy Fathers after expound it Primasius in c. 2. epist 2. ad Corinth Aug. l. 2. coÌ„tr epist parmen c. 11. Chrys Homil. 5. de verb. Isaiae vidi Dom. l. 3. de Sacerdoâ—io Euseb Emissen hom in dom 19. post Pentecost Hilar. can 18. in Matth. PaciaÌ„ epistol 1. ad Simpronian Nouatian Aug l. 50. homil hom 40 27. l. 20. ciuit cap. 9. Engl. prot Booke of Ordinat with the Churches approbation cui aliquid donastis Pro donaueritis ego Sicut vobiscum vindicaui ita vobiscum dono Nam Et ego quod donaui Non in mea persona sed Christi qui dixit quae solueritis in terra erunt soluta in coelo Si quid donaui propter vos Nâ— grauemini In persona Christi Quia personam gerimus Christi And both the Greeke and Latine Church euer from the beginning expound those words of Christ in the Ghospell before cited as I haue done And our Protestants themselues doe the like making those
words of Christ in S. Ihons Ghospell to be the forme and manner to make their pretended Bishops and ministers their pretended coÌ„secratours saying to all such at their admittance these words Take the holy Ghost whose sinnes you forgiue they are forgiuen vnto them and whose you retaine they are retained And thereby claime as ample warrant and power as any Priest Bishop Prelate or Pope doth or euer did both to absolue from sinnes and pardon and giue Indulgence for all paine and punishment in any wise due or belonging to any sinne or sinnes how many or enormeous soeuer they be and by the greatest authority in their Religion presume to practise it in such manner For absolution and pardoning of all sinnes they haue the warrant of as many Parlaments as they haue kept since Queene Maryes time all the Reigne of Queene Elizabeth King Iames and Charles all their books of articles Canons Iniunctions and generall practise of their congregation Protestant in England now about 70. yeares allowing and exercising publikely their communion booke vtterly and vnder greate penalties forbidding all other Rituals or Church seruice in this euery minister doth may or is bound thus to say to men confessing their sinnes vnto them Our Lord Iesus Christ hath lest power to his Protest CommunioÌ„ booke Titul visitation of the Sicke Church to absolue all sinners which truely repent and beleeue in him and by his authority committed to me I absolue thee from all thy sinnes in the name of the Father and of the sonne and of the holy Ghost Amen King Iames Supreame heade of their Church in his Prouinciall Councell or conference with his Protestant Bishops and Doctours thus defineth or declareth The particular and personall absolution King Iames and Protest Bishops at Hampton confer p. 13. from sinne after confession is Apostolicall and a very godly ordinance Where wee see that euery Parish pretended Preist or minister with our Protestants for so their directory is may and ought by their Religion attempt to giue plenary pardoÌ„s and Indulgences in as ample or rather more ample and illimited manner then any Pope did For by their religion this is to be or may be executed by any minister to any penitent whomesoeuer without any restriction and from all sinnes and punishments due to them which is most manifest by their last assertion and doctrine of denying purgatory and prayer for the deade onely constituting two places for the deceased hell and heauen and teaching that euery penitent so absolued and receauing Indulgence from them so dying doth immediately goe to heauen and so of necessity by their doctrine and practise they must needs hold that they giue plenary Indulgence to euery such confessing penitent This they confirme further proue practise in all their Ecclesiasticall Courts where they inflict and continue or at their pleasure forgiue pardon and giue Indulgence of all punishments and paines for sinne This they protest and declare with their publike authority in their Church seruice diuers times in the yeare their publike direction and commaunde openly in their Churches thus pronouncing Brethren in the primatiue Church Protest CommunioÌ„ booke Tit. a Commination against sinners there was a goodly discipline that at the beginning of lent such parsons as were notorious sinners were put to opeÌ„ pennaÌ„ce punished in this world that their soules might be saued in the day of the Lord and that other admonished by their example might be the more afraide to offend it were much to be wished the said discipline may be restored againe And this booke of articles it Protest artic of Relig. art selfe in the 33. article hath how after temporall pennance arbitrary by a Iudge hauing authority who may assigne more or lesse longer or shorter remit and pardon some or all the greatest sinners euen excommunicated are to haue Indulgence pardon and absolution Our Protestant ParlameÌ„ts Parlament 1. Elizabeth and Religion doe expressely receaue the first Nicen Councell wherein the doctrine of Indulgences Concil Nic. 1. c. 12. 11. practise of them is as expressely approued and calleth it the auncient and canonicall law antiqua canonica lex seruabitur and to be obserued and they leaue it in the power of the Bishop to be Iudge when and how they are to be vsed licebit Episcopo hâ—manius aliquid de â—is statuere And their priuate writers both in their publike sermons and bookes published with authority and for which some haue beene made Bishops among them doe thus confirme it As there is a death in Theoph higg ser 3. Mart. an 1610. sinne and a death to sinne so there is a double resurrection the first à culpa from sinne the second à poena from the punishment which followeth thereupon The Feild bookes of the Church l. 1. c. 17. p. 33. true Church admitteth and receaueth all that with sorrowfull repentance returne and seeke reconciliation how greate soeuer their offences haue beene not forgetting to vse due seuerity which yet she sometime remitteth The auncient Bishops were wâ—nt to cut of greate parts of enioyned pennance which remission and relaxation was called an Indulgence The like haue others and among other reasons Feild supr l. 1. c. 17. 1. Cor. 2. v. 8. 9. 10. and authorities for this old custome and doctrine they cite and expounde as Catholiks doe the practise and place of S. Paul to the Corinthians before alleadged Therefore hauing so ample and euident testimony and confession of our Protestants in this point wee may be more breife in relating the Fathers of this Apostolike age the doctrine in question being by all euen aduersaries thus confessed to haue beene deliuered by Christ Apostolicall and Godly First to begin with the See of Clem. Rom. epist 1. Leo 2. in epist decret Marian. Scot. l. 2. eâ—at 6. Flor. WigornieÌ„ chron in Siluan Oâ—ho Cons Rome Sainct Clement and many others are worthy witnesses that Sainct Peter the Apostle left vnto him his Successour in the Roman See this power in as ample maÌ„ner as Christ communicated it vnto Sainct Peter and calleth it a rule of the Church Ipsi trado à Domino mihi traditam potestatem ligandi soluendi vt de omnibus quibuscumque decreuerit in terris hoc decretum sit in coelis Ligabâ— enim quod oportet ligari soluet quod expedit solui tanquam qui ad liquidum Ecclesiae regulam nouerit And for all Bishops he setteth downe from the Apostles order that all Bishops should vse mercy humanity and indulgence towards penitents Primum Clem. Const Apost lib. 2. c. 13. 12. Cap. 18. potestate reum iudica deinde cum misericordia humanitate indulgentia eum concilia promittens ei salutem si morem mutauerit ad paenitentiam redierit Oportet poenitentes libenter admittere gaudentes illorum causa cum misericordia humanitate iudicantes eos qui deliquerunt He setteth downe the Cap.
Ihon the Apostle making the signe of the Crosse ouer poyson drunke it without hurt Faâ—to signo Crucis venenum sine laesione bibit S. Ephrem in his Sermon intituled of the most holy S. Ephrem Sermon de Sanctissima Cruce Domini Crosse of our Lord. De sanctissima Cruce Domini speaking of the glory thereof boldly affirmeth that the holy Apostles armed therewith draw all nations to adore it Hac Crucis armatura muniti saâ—cti Apostoli omnem inimici potentiam conculcarunt 〈…〉 gentes suis sagenis ad huius adorationem 〈◊〉 congregarunt S. Basil speaking of traditions of the Apostles Basil l. de Spiritu sancto c. 27. Tertull. l. de coron mil. c. 34. Cyrill Hierosolim catech 13. Basil de Spir. 5. c. 1. Hier. ep 22. ad Eust Theod. l. 3. hist c. 3. Martial epist ad Burdegal c. 8. nameth this for one Vâ— signo Crucis eos qui spem 〈◊〉 in Christum signemus So hath Tertullian and others that it was a tradition to vse it in all actions Ad omnem progressum atque promoâ—um ad â—â—nem aditum exitum ad vestitum calceatum ad â—â—â—â—câ—ra ad mensas ad lumina ad cubilia ad sedilia quaecumque nos conuersatio exercet frontem Crucis signaculo terimus Traditio tibi praetendetur auctrix consâ—etâ—do confirmatrix fides obseruatrix He liued soone after this first age and S. Martiall conuersing with Christ and his Apostles confirmeth it Crucem Domini semper in mente in ore in signo tenete Crux enim Domini armatura vestra contra Sathanam galea custodiens caput lorica protegens pectus clypeus tela maligni repellens gladius iniquitatem Angelicas insidias peruersae potestatis sibi propinquare nullo modo sinens Hoc solo signo coelestis victoria data est nobis per Crucem baptismo Dei sanctificatum est The Crosse of Christ is euer to be in our minde our moâ—th and signe It is an armour against Sathan a Sallet defending the heade a breasteplate defending the breast a sheild repelling the darts of the deuill a sword keeping vs from his iniquity and deceits The signe by which celestiall victory is giuen vnto vs by the Crosse baptisme is sanctified Sainct Clement from the Apostles witnesseth that the Bishops and Preists in the beginning of the sacrifice of Masse armed themselues with this signe on their forehead Episcopus splendidam vestem indutus vnà cum sacerdotibus stans ad altare facto manu in fronte trophaeo Crucis dicat The history ascribed to S. Linus Successour to S. Peteâ— Hist S. Petri Petri ascript S. Lino testifieth that Sainct Peter standing by the Crossâ— wonderfully commended and honoured it for the misteries thereof defending vs representing ouâ— redemption vnto vs vsed in the sacred misteries driuing away the poison of the serpent S. Ignatius Ignat. epist ad Philippen Vincent specul l. 10. vit S. Andreae per Presbyter Diacon Achaiae Breuia Rom. in festo S. Andr. Breu. Sarisbur ibid. Author l. de duplici Mart. inter opera S. Cypriani Metaphr in S. Andrea S. Iuo Carnat serm de Sacram. ser 4. Remig. Antisiod in psal 21. 4. Bern. ser de S. Andr. Lanfran cont Berengar Miss S Chrysost SS Petri Iacobi Marci Dionil Areop Eccl. Hierarch c. 2. c. 5. part 2. part 3. saith it is a Trophy or signe of victory against the deuill he trembleth when he seeth it and feareth when he heareth of it Trophaeum est contraipsius potentiam quod vbi viderit horret audiens timet The history of Sainct Andrew that greate Apostle written by the Cleargy of Achaia where he suffered martyrdome then present or liuing and both confirmed by many other old writers and receaued by the Churches authority is wonderfull for his worshipping of the Image of the Crosse Adductus Andreas ad locum martyrij cum Crucem vidisset longe exclamare caepit ô bona Crâ—â—â— quae decorem ex membris Domini suscepisti diu desiderata sollicitè amata sine intercessione quaesita aliquando cupienti animo praeparata accipe me ab hominibus redde me magistro meo And he is accompted first composer of the Masse now called S. Chrysostomes Masse wherein the signe of the Crosse is vsed with greate honour So it is diuers times in the Masses of S. Peter S. Iames S. Marke and others S. Denis the Areopagite witnesseth it was honorably vsed in the holy mysteries Sacraments and ceremonies of the Church in this age Pontifex trino Crucis sanctae signaculo vnctionem inchoat Cuilibet ipsorum à benedicente Pontifice Crucis imprimitur signum Signi vitalis impressio omnium simul carnalium desideriorum vacationem vitamque ad Dei imitationâ—m effictam signat Prochorus and others write â—hat S. Iohn the Apostle did diuers miracles with this holy signe Sanctae Crucissignaculo muniuit Sanctae Prochorus in S. Ioa. c. 3. c. 31. Petr. Maffaeus in S. Thoma epist Indic Gulielm Eisengren cent 1. part 5. dist 7. Gul. Eiseng supr fol. 93. 130. 138. 139. 142. 143. 144 147. 149. 149 150. 153. 157. 163. 163. 167. 168. Authour Cosmogr discript gent. Edw. Grymston Booke of Estates p. 261. Tradit de S. Cruce Guliel Eisengr cent 1. dist 1. f. 42. The first Christian Britans of this profession Girald CaÌ„br descr Cambr. cap. 18. Crucis signo dixit infirmo in nomine Domini nostri Iesâ— Christi surge vade in domuni tuam sanus 〈◊〉 surrexit aeger sanus The like is written of S. Thomas the Apostle and there still remaineth to this day from his time an Image of the Crosse engraued in stone vpon a tombe where he preached among the Indians The recitall of others in this age committed to writing by credible Authours would be longe and tedious in so manifest a truth Gulielmus Eisengrenius in his fift CeÌ„tenary hath gathered many there to be seene This holy vse and custome was transported euen in this time by all humane Iudgment euen into the new world as some call America for both Catholike and Protestant Authours and eye witnessing trauaylers assure thus In Acuzamil an Ilande neare vnto Iucatan they founde a Crosse two fadoms high to which they of the contry had recourse as to acclestiall and diuine thinge Which must needs be erected by Christians there in this primatiue time this being a plaine and geometricall Image and paterne of the Crosse of Christ by tradition fifteene foote longe Crux sancta quindecim erat longa pedes And to come home to our Britans here their auncient learned Bishops and Antiquaries assure vs that from their first conuersion they vsed deuoute reuerence and gaue farre greater honour to the Image and signe of the crosse and such representatiue holy signes then any other nation Christian did Cruci deuotam reuerâ—ntiam exhibere longeque magis quam vllam gentem honorem deferre videmus And wee finde in the
inferioribus prospiciant vt consulant paria autem vt inter se societate iungantur inferiora verò vt se conuertant Dionys l. caelest Hierâ—â—â—h cap. 9. ad superiora And the same S. Denis saith plainely both that the Angels are Rulers of nations euen all nations Angeli vnicuique nationi praefecti And that God hath coÌ„mitted all men to his Angels for their Saluation and this is the prouidence of God Vna quidem de omnibus altissimi prouidentia omnes homines cap. 3. patr 3. ante med salutis causa Angelis suis ad se deducendos distribuerit And he plainely saith that the prayers of holy people and Saincts both in this world and in heauen are profitable to them which be worthie of them Iustorum etiam in hac vita ne dum post mortem ijs dumâ—axat prosint qui sacris precibus dignisint vere oraculorum traditiones nos edocent S. Clement is also witnesse and citeth it from S. Peter the Apostle his mouth that the Angels Clem. Rom. l. 2. Recognit haue the care and custody of men and euery nation hath an Angel to whome it is committed by God Est enim vniuscuiusque gentis Angelus cui credita est gentis ipsius dispensatio à Deo And proueth that not onely God the holy Trinity but all Saincts and l. 8. Constitur Apostolic cap. 11. administring Angels do so and behold our Actions on earth and exemplifieth in the election of Bishops Coram Iudice Deo Christo praesente etiam Spiritu sancto atque omnibus Sanctis administratorijs l. â— cap 8. edit Turr. Graec. c. 7. Latin l. 8. c. 33 spiritibus And coÌ„maundeth to honour Saints and Martirs De Martiribus praecipimus vobis vt in omni honore sint apud vos And prescribeth diuers of their festiuities to be kept holy with honour The short historie of S. Paule ascribed to S. Linus Successour to S. Peter who by all Antiquitie wrote the Martyrdome of S. Paule doth testifie in the name of S. Plantilla who ministred to S. Paule and was present at his death that this glorious Apostle soone after his martyrdome appeared to that holy woman in glory with an Innumerable company of heauenly creatures innumerabilium candidatorum S. Linus hâ—st S. Paulâ— caterua comitatus and sayd vnto her that as shee had done holy offices to him on earth so he in heauen would remember her and shortly returne to bring her thither and there shew her the glory of God Which was soone after performed at her Martyrdome Tu mihi Plautilla in terris absequium prestitisti ego tibi quam primum ad Regna pergenti officiofissimè obsequar in proximo namque pro tereuerâ—ar tibi Regis inuicti gloriam demonstrabo This is proued by the auncient Masses ascribed to the holy Apostles in which there is expresse prayer not onely to God to be assisted and helped by the prayers of the blessed Virgin Mary and other Saincts libera nos quâ— fâ—inâ—s Domine ab omni Missa S. Petri Marci Iacobi Minor Mat. Missa S. Iacobi Maioris malo prasente acfuturo intercessionibus Iminaculâ—â— Gloriosae Dominae nostrae Deiparae Semper que Virginis Mariae But to the very Saincts themselues commemorationem agamus Sanctissima Immaculata Gloriosissimae benedictae Dominae nostrae Matris Dei semper Virginis Mariae atque omnium Sanctorum Iustorum vt precibus intercessionibus corum omnes misericordiam consequamur It is manifest in histories that in all places where Christ was preached Martiâ—l epist ad Burdegal c. 3. Petr. de Nat. lib. 6. c. 151. Vinc. l 9. c. 99 feq Ant. part 1. Titul 6. c 20. Petr. Masseus in Cat. Episcop Colon. Annal. Colonien Annal. Tungren in S. Materno Annal. Treu. Churches and Altars were founded and dedicated in honour of Saincts which dyed in this age And they ther ly and are honoured S. Martial then liuing and writing so testifieth of S. Stephen S. Martha with allowance of S. Maximus Bishop there builded a Church in honour of the blessed Virgin Mary betwene Aâ—les and Auinion S. Maternus sent into Germany by S. Peter founded a Church at Bonna in honour of S. Iohn Baptist and an other at ColeÌ„ in honour of S. Mathias the Apostle And an other at Tungers in honour of the blessed Virgin S. Eucharius an other of S. Peters disciples in this time dedicated a Church at Treâ—erâ— honour of S. Iohn the Euangelist S. Sauiâ—â—â—â—â— sent by S. Peter into France builded there 〈◊〉 Churches one in honour of the blessed Virâ—in Mary a second in honour of S. Iohn Baptist â—he third in honour of S. Stephen constructis tribus â—cclesijs in honorem Virginis Mariae Iohannis Baptistae S. Sâ—ephâ—ni And S. Altinus one in honour of our â—ady The Churches which were thus founded and The first Christian Britans thus professed and practised deâ—iâ—â—ted to Saincts in this age in histories are too 〈◊〉 to recite confessed to be so in all places hathby Catholik and Protestant Antiquaries So it was here in Britayne as the first knowne Church thereof at Glastenbury witnesseth ereâ—â—â—â— and dedicated to our blessed lady both by â—eâ—uâ—â—ly and earthly warrant The Angel of God so directed S. Ioseph and his holy company And to make euident to all that to dedicate Churches then to the honour of Saincts was in them to honour Saincts and pray vnto them and by them to be protected it is so proued of hese our primatiue founders in Religion of this first age that they prayed vnto the blessed Virgin and honoured her and Antiquitat glast manuscript Tabul ligneis fix Gal. Malmesb l. de antiquit Caenobij glaston M. S. Capgran catal in 6. Ioseph S. Patric in episto Hâ—storia apud S. Edmundum she protected them as the most auncient monuments of that place and other Antiquities clearely proue praedieti Sancti in eodem deserti conuer santes per Archangelum Gabriâ—lem in visione admoniti sunt Ecclesiam in honore Sanctae Dei Genitricis perpetuae Virginis Maria caelitus demonstrato construere duodâ—cim igitur Sancti in eodem loco Deo Beatae Virgini deuota exbibentes obsequia vigilijs Ieiunijs orationibus vacantes eiusdem Virginis Dei Genitricis auxilio in necessit atibus suis refocillabantur These antiquities say this was the first Church which the Christians builded in this country and it was a greate honour vnto it to be dedicated bâ— Christ to his mothers honour Et cumhaec Ecclesâ— in hat Regione prima fuit ampliori cum digâ—iâ—ate Dâ— filius insigniâ—it ipsum videliceâ— in honore sâ—ae 〈◊〉 dedicando All agree that this Church was buildeâ— by S. Ioseph and his Associats And yet the same antiquities and other Historians euen Protestants who alleadge the Authoritie of S. Augustine termed the Apostle of the English nation to the same purpose are witnesseâ— that there was a Church miraculously
buildeâ— before S. Ioseph and his holy companians caâ—â— hither and here founded by them wholly finished Antiquitat glast tabulis fix sup S. Augustinus in Ecclesia S. Edmundi Matth. parker Anâ—iquit Britan. c. 2. p. 3. edit Hanouiae an 1605. and perfected dedicated also to the blessed Virgiâ— Many Primi Catholicae legis Neophyta antiquaâ— Deâ— dictante repererunt Ecclesiam nulla hominion arte vâ— referunt constructam immo â—umanae saluti à Deo pâ—â—atam quam postmodum ipse caelorum fabricator mâ—ltis mirâ—culorum gestis multisque virtutum mysterij◠〈◊〉 Sanctaeque Dei Genitrâ—ci Mariae se consecrasse monstrauit This was in the â—1 yeare after the Passion of Christ and after the assumption of our lady 15. Anno post Passionem Domini 31. post Assumptioâ—eâ— Gloriosa Virginis 15. When few other Saincts in the lawe of Christ were deceased this life and then in heauen Thus were our Two first Churches dedicated here by greatest warrant to the honour of the blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God where shee assisted and protected her Suppliant Seruants and petitioners there And S. Bede with all Antiquaries Catholiks Protestants consenteth that the Britans kept their first faith inuiolate and whole vntill the cruell persecution of Dioclesian Bed histor Eccl Angl. l. 1. cap. 4. susceptam fidem Britanni vsque in tempora Dioclesia◠〈◊〉 inuiolatam integramque quieta in pace seruaâ—â—â— And when this Kingdom was generally â—â—â—â—erted which happend in the succeding age all â—â—â— Temples before founded to false Gods were by common and greatest authoritie in all opinions 〈◊〉 now whatsoeuer of the holy pope S. Eleuâ—â—â—â—iâ—s his legats and our holy kinge S. Luâ—â—us câ—â—â—nged into Christian Churches dedicated to God and his Saincts Templa quae in honore plurimoâ—â—â— Galfrid histor Briton l. 4. c. 19. Matth. west an 185. Deorum fundata fuerant vni Deo eiusque Sanâ—â—â—â— dedicanerunt So they dedicated Churches to â—â—â— holy Angels namely S. Michael the Archangel â—â—â—oured and prayed vnto him and he protected Antiquitat glaston manuscript epistol S. Patricij Capgr catal in S. Patric Ioseph Bed hist l. 1. c. 7. Matth. westin An. 303. Manuscript Antiq. Iacob gemen in vit S. Amphibali Cap grau in eod in S. Alban Gradual antiq miss Sarisb in festo S. Albani litan Angl. antiq ante bapt commend animâ— â—â—em Phaganus Damianus Oratorium aedificauerunt in honore S. Michaelis Archangeli quatenus ibi ab hominibâ—â— haberet honorem qui homines in perpetuos honores iâ—â—ente Deo est introducturus So they prayed vnto the Saincts as is euident in the Examples of Sainct Heraclius our Martyr at the death of our fist Martyr S. Alban praying to him and heard and helped by him And S. Amphibalus that conuerted Saint Alban thus prayed vnto him both to be assisted by him and the holy Angels Sancte Albane Deum nostrum depreceris vt mihi Angelum bonum obuiam mittat ne mihi praedo truculentus obsistere nec Iter meum pars iniqua valeat impedire So it was in all after times which I am not to speake of in this place but thus may end this tedious and confused Article stuffed with so many fulshoods and aunciently condemned heresies I may be more breife in the rest of their followeing Articles not conteyning so many particulars THE IX CHAPTER The 23. article examined THeir next Article the 23. in number is this â— is not lawfull for any man to take vpon him â—â— office of publik preaching or ministring the Sacrameâ—â— in the Congregation before he be lawfully called â—â— sent to execute the same And those wee ought to Iudgâ— lawfully called and sent which be thosen and called â— this worke by men who haue publik authoritie giuâ— vnto them in the Congregation to call and send miâ—â—sters in the Lords vineyard This is the whole Article wherein there is no controuersie with or againâ— the Church of Rome neuer allowing any foâ— Preists or publike ministers of the holy Sacraments but such as are duely and truely consecrateâ— in the Sacrament of holy orders onely ministreâ— by lawfully and Canonically Sacred Bishops aâ— the doctryne and practise of this Apostolike agâ— was as I haue proued before and S. Ignatius witâ— S. Ignatius epist ad Smyrnen others thus proue vnto vs Non licet sine Episcopâ— baptizare neque offerre neque sacrificium immolâ—â—â— neque Dochen celebrare sed quodcumque illi visâ—â— fuerit secundum beneplacitum Dei vt tutum raâ—â—â—sit saci at is No Sacrament could be ministred nothing done in the Church without the Bishopâ— authoritie and approbation No man could be â— Preist minister Sacraments or exercise any Ecclesiasticall order or function but onely such as werâ— Epistol ad Heron. consecrated thereunto by lawfull Bishops Nihâ—â—sine Episcopis facito baptizant sacrificant eligâ—â—â— manus imponunt And these Protestants themselueâ— both in their Booke of their pretended consecration Protest Booke of consecrat pref per tot artic 36. infra prot glosse vpon the same canons Iniunctious c. and their 36. Article hereafter intituled of Consecration of Bishops and Ministers as also their publik glosse therevpon and common practise do thus testifie The Superioritie and authoritie which Bishops and Archbishops do exercise in ordering â—â—d consecrating of Bishops and Ecclesiasticall ministers iâ— grounded vpon the word of God From the Apostles dâ—â—es hither to there neuer wanted à Succession of Bisâ—ops neither in the East nor westerne Churches And from the first nursing of their Religion here in England they euer by their publik proceedings allowed that consecration which was in the Romane Church and most willingly without any addition or ceremony allowed such as were so consecrated to be Preists Ministers and Ecclesiasticall men among them if they would in wordly respects and in externall shew giue any allowance to their Religion And at this day they contend to deriue their owne pretended Bishops and Ministers by Consecration from our Catholik Roman Bishops This Article as their glosse expoundeth it seemeth to haue beene made agaynst the Mancerians Them Rogers Analis vpon the b. of Articles art 23. allowed by the lawf authoritie of the Church of Engl. Anabaptists family of loue and such others risen vp in their ProtestaÌ„t Schoole denying externall Ordination and calling of cleargie men But being well examined it doth both free the Roman Church as is proued and they confesse and condemneth all Protestants in the world First for forreyne Protestants none of them take or clayme ordination true or pretended from eyther true or pretended Bishops and so by that is already saide are vtterly condemned by this Article And for our English Protestants which pretended a calling and ordination by Bishops they are in the same case by their owne decree in this Article for therein they say that men lawfully called and sent be onely they which be chosen and called by men who haue publike
authoritie giuen vnto them in the congregation Churche they meane to call and send ministers in the Lords vineyard But I haue proued before in particular and euery of their Articles more then halfe of them in order without excepting any one inuincibly confuted proue the same that these men art no part parcell or congregation of the true Church of Christ and so no men among them can pretend to haue authoritie publike or other to send Ministers in the Lords vineyard being themselues no members or parsons commaundeing or to be commaunded consecrating or to be coÌ„secrated therein much lesse to haue such publike authoritie in it as this Article appointeth for this busines Secondly there were no men amonge them at the makinge of these Articles nor at the birth of thir Religion here in the first yeare of Queene Elizabeth which had or possibly in their proceedings could haue any such publik authoritie to call and send Mininisters in the Lords vineyard For their whole congregation consisted of a woman Queene Elizabeth their pretended cleargie and others confessed meerely temporall men Lette vs take all these eyther ioyntly togeather as in parlament or by themselues seuerally and no such publik authoritie will be founde in them The Queene a woman by Sexe was neyther men nor man haueing such authoritie and their 37. Article denyeth any such prower in her eyther 〈◊〉 â—â—â—selfe or others All their pretended Bishops â—â—â—re by all Consistories Ecclesiasticall Tempoâ—â—ll euen the parlament and Iudgements in the Temporall lawe adiudged to haue no such authoâ—iâ—ie The first parlament of Q. Elizabeth which reâ—iued Stow hist in Q. Mary an 1. an 1. of Q. Elizabeth Parker Ant. Brit. in Tho. Cranmar Godwin Catal. of Bish. solpe Hollin hist of Engl. in Q. Mary Statutes of Q Eliz. K. Iames and K. Charles make Preisthood treason their Religion had not one true or pretended Bishop that had voyce in parlament that consâ—nted vnto it but all the Bishops which had and oâ—ely had such publik authoritie did disclayme â—nd disagree to that change the Temporall Lords â—â—ights and burgesses neyther had nor could giue which they had not such authoritie No forreyne Pope Patriarke Archbishop or Bishop did or could giue it here by their owne lawes For Q. Elizabeth King Iames and K. Charles by their parlaments and Statutes haue made holy preisthood Treason And this new Protestant Queene Elizabeth her Religion beginning here in the yeare 155â— and 1559. in her first parlament neuer had 〈◊〉 knowne publike allowed square rule forme â—â—nner Order or fashion whatsoeuer for any to hâ—ue publik authoritie to call make send or sette forth any pretended Minister vntil the yeare 1562. when their Religion was 4. yeares old and these The new Protestant booke of Consec an 2. Eduardi 6. in Parlam statut an r. Mariae Booke of arâ—icles an 1â—62 art 36. Articles were made in them the booke of King Edward the 6. about 10. or 11. yeares old when he sette it forth by parlament was first called from death werewith it perished in the first yeare of Queene Mary It hath beene pretended from a new borne Register of Matthew parker that hee was made a Bishop by Barlowe Scorye and 3. others by vertue of a commission from Queene Elizabeth and this new worke was acted on the 17. day of December but alas they had then no forme our order to do such a busines if they had beene such publik allowed and authorized men as this Article appointeth vntill 4. yeares after this pretended admittance alleadged to haue beene 17. Decemb. an 1559. And their owne publike confession is in the Register it selfe as they haue published it in Matthew parker their first pretended protestantly made Archbishope his booke and Register That none of those pretended Consecratours was admitted for a true or pretended Consecratour vntill after this supposed consecration of Matthew parker For they say from their pretended Register of Matthew parker Anno 1559. Matth. part cant cons Franc. Mason l. 3. c. 4. of cons p. 127. ex Regist Matth. park to 1. f. 2. 10. Godw. catal of Bish. in Canterb. 69. Matth. parker 17. Decem. by william Barlowe Ihon Scory Miles Couerdale Ihon hodgeskins by these Matthew parker was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury the seuententh day of December in the yeare 1559. Their Catalogue of Bishops saith he was consecrated December 17. 1559. by W. Barlowe Io Scory and Ihon hodgeskins This is vtterly false and vnpossible by their owne testimonies and proceedings to be true For their owne Register as it is published in Matthew parker his owne writings proueth directly that two of these 4. pretended Consecratouts were neuer allowed for such or Bishops or any men hauing such publike authoritie in their Protestant Religion as this their Article requireth of necessitie to call and send Ministers These were Miles Couerdale and Ihon Hodgeskings neuer hauing any such power in Q. Elizabeth her time And for the other two william Barlowe and Ihon Scory they were not allowed by these Protestants â—â—â— Bishops or such men vntill Matthew parker â—â—â— as they pretend by their Register consecrated by them william Barlowe stiled before D. of Diuinine or a preist Regular was allowed for such a man vpon the 20. day of December 1559. 3. dayes Register Episcopor Protestant Angl. apud Matth. park antiquit Britanniae pag. 39. edit Hanouiae an 1605. altâ—â— matthew parkers pretended ordination by him Will Barlowe Th. D. Presb. Reg. Conf. 1559. Decem. 20. and the other Ihon Scory then sâ—iled onely Bachelour of Diuiuitie and preist Regâ—lar was also first allowed the same 20. day of December Ioh Scory Th. Bac. Presb. Regn. Conf. 1559. Dec. 20. And their owne catalogue of their pretended Bishops assureth vs further that this Matthew parker was amoÌ„g them Archbishop Godwyâ— Catalog of Bishops in Durham 58. Cutbert Tunstall of Conterbury in the month of Iuly before So he could haue no consecration true or pretended by their owne proceeding I adde further concerning the pretended Register by which they haue thus vainely claymed an Inualid Title to Ecclesiasticall function and orders sette out in the booke of their first pretended Protestant Archbishop Matthew parker printed at Hanouia 1605. called Antiquitates Britannicae of the Archbishops of Canterbury there is no worde our mention at all of any such thing in that old manuscript copie thereof which I haue seene and diligently examined And any man reading the printed booke will manifestly see it is a meerely foisted and inserted thing hauing no connexion correspondence or affinitie either with that which goeth before or followeth it And conteyneth more things done after Matthew parker had written that Booke But of this their new founde consecration I shall entreate more largely hereafter in their 25. and 36. Articles whither it more properly belongeth and there vtterly disable it for making or leauing among them either true Bishop Preist or any other Ecclesiasticall person
Infants and Confession of sinnes to Preists Notatus est aliquando risisse paruulorum Bap tisma peccatorumque ad Sacerdotis aurem confessionem Thus it is testified both by Catholike and Protestant Historians And our most auncient Brittish writers as S. hollinsh hist of Scut l pag. 112. Gildas speaking of this Sacrament the practise and vse thereof here in Britayne deduceth it from Christs words of bynding loosteing spokeÌ„ to S. Peter and the other Apostles Petro eiusque Successoribus Gild. l. de excid cap. 26. dicit Dominus tibi dabo claues Regni Coelorum Itemque omni sancto Sacerdoti promittitur quaecumque solueris superterram erunt soluta in caelis quaecumque ligaueris super terram erunt ligata in caelis Our learned Britan the old Archbishop of Orleance Ionas Aureliensis testifieth the auncient deuotion to this Sacrament was such that both Preists and penitents wept in the ministring thereof and giueth instance in S. Eustachius Ionas aurel in vit S. Eustachij cap. 1. so weeping when penitents confessed their sinnes vnto him that he caused them also to weepe Quoties illi aliquis ob recipiendam paenitentiam lapsus suos esset confessus ita flebat vt illum flere compelleret And this is so euident a truth that King Iames King Iames Confer at Hampton court with his Protestant Bishops and clergie in their publik examination of their Religion conclude this point in these words That the particular and personall absolution from sinne after consession is Apostolical and a very godly ordinance And this is no new thing in their Religion but a new approbation of their doctryne herein against their puritans for their communion booke elder then these Articles and at this time the most practicall and allowed Rule which they haue doth giue direction both for confession of syns and absolution from them in the very same words which Catholik Preist vse in this Sacrament The sikpersou Engl. Protest communion Booke Titul visitation of the Sike shall make a speciall confession if he feele his conscience troubled with any weightie matter After which confession the Preist shall absolue him after this sort Our Lord Iesus Christ who hath left power to his Church to absolue all sinners which truely repent and beleeue in him of his greate mercy forgiue thee thyne offences and by his authoritie committed to me I absolue thee from all thy syns in the name of the father and of the Sonne and of the holy ghost Amen Here is all which this Article requireth to a Sacrament a visible or externall signe or ceremonie as is Manifest and this ordeined of God both because this communion booke saith it was left by Christ the sonne of God to his Church so to befor euer as is Church shall be euer forgiuing sinnes and giueing grace which no visible or externall signe or ceremony but such as is ordained of God to such end and purpose can do This power is pretented to be giuen to euery minister among them when their Protestant Bishop maketh him by laying his hands vpon him saying these words receaue the holy ghoste whose Protest Booke of consecration Articul 36. inf sinnes thou forgiuest they are forgiuen and whose sinnes thou doest retayne they are retayned Thus hath the Protestant manner of consecration in their booke thereof approued in these Articles in as ample manner as any thing in their Religion And if their consecration were true and lawfull if they could not minister this as a Sacrament they could do nothing at all this being the power that is pretided to be be giuen vnto them at that time and nothing els in playne and expresse termes at the least in so manifest true meaning and construction THE XV. CHAPTER Holy Orders contrary to this Article was vsed and held à Sacrament in this first age AND by this sufficiently appeareth also that both by the doctrine practise and authoritie of this Apostolike age and their owne Protestant cheifest grownds and proceedings how vntruely this Article denyeth in the next place that holie Orders is a SacrameÌ„t for it is manifest before that both by the Apostostolik men of this time and their owne profession and confession it hath all things needfull to a Sacrament a visible externall signe or ceremonie ordained by God giuing grace and extraordinarie spirituall power and itselfe by that consecration also giueth grace in other Sacraments which cannot be ministred without it either by Catholike Religion or our Protestants practise and profession Noe terrene and earthly power may or can performe the duties and offices of that gratious and spirituall function This is the plaine and euident testimonie of the blessed Fathers of this time S. Clement euen in the words of the Apostles maketh preishood more excellent then the Regall power and dignitie for that he ruleth soules an this the bodies And is so farre from our Protestant courses in making holie preisthood treason that he maketh it an offence Clem. Rom. l. 2. constitut Apostol c. 2. deseruing greater punishment to do wrong to Preists then temporall Princes Si Reges inuadens supplicio dignus iudicatur quamuis filius vel amicus sit quantò magis qui Sacerdotibus insultat Quantò enim Sacerdotium Regno est excellentius cùm regendarum animarum officio praefit tanto grauiori supplicio punitur qui aduersus id aliquid temerè fecerit quam qui aduersus Regnum The like and more vrgent hath S. Ignatius Ignat. epist ad Smyrnen Honora Deum vt omnium Authorem Dominum Episcopum verò vt Principem Scaerdotum Imaginem Dei referentem Dei quidem propter Principatum Christi verò propter Sacerdotium Honorare oportet Regem neque enim Rege quisquam praestantior aut quisquam similis illi in rebus omnibus creatis neque Episcopo qui Deo consecratus est pro totius mundi salute quicquam maius in Ecclesia Sacerdotium est omnium bonorum quae in hominibus sunt apex qui aduersus illud facit non hominem Ignominia afficit sed Deum Christum Iesum primogenitum qui natura solus est summus Sacerdos And they ascribe this extraordinarie dignitie and excellencie of sacred preisthood to their supernaturall chaunge and grace bestowed miraculously vpon them in their consecration and by vertue of that holy Sacrament no other reason to be giuen of so wonderfull an alteration and preminencie as both the holy Fathers in the common construction of the Church of Christ and the light of nature assuer vs that men so lately and euer before their consecration were but as other men and now nothing externally chaunged should by Gods decree ordinance be eleuated vnto and endowed with so incomparable honour power grace and vnquestionable priuiledges onely the Sacramentall grace performeth it say these holy Fathers as it doth the like in the holy Eucharist and Baptisme Eadâ—m vis etiam Sacerdotem augustum
receaued this Sacrament reserued when extreame vnction was ministred vnto them And one of their most auntient antiquities carrying with it our Protestants approbation doth witnesse that the primatiue Christian Britans did publikely â—â— Euery Masse worship and pray vnto Christ present in this Sacrament this hath our Protestants translation Hereof singe Gods seruants at euery Masse Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi miserere nobis That is in our speach Thou lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercy vpon vs. And thus I end this their many braunched Article THE XIX CHAPTER The 26. and 27. Articles examined and Protestant doctrine in or by them condemned THeir next Article being the 26. by their numbring them is thus intituled Of the worthiâ—es of the ministers which hinder not the effect of the sacraments The whole Article followeth in these All though in the visible Church the euill be euer mingled with the good and sometime the euill haue cheife authoritie in the ministration of the worde and sacraments yet for asmuch as they do not the same in their owne name but in Christes and do minister by his commission and authoritie we may vse their ministerie both in hearing the word of God and in receiuing of the sacraments Neither is the effect of Christes ordinance taken away by their wikednesse nor the grace of Gods guifts diminished from such as by faith and rightly do receiue the sacraments ministred vnto them which be effectuall because of Christs institution 〈◊〉 promise allthough they be ministred by euill men Neuerthelesse it apperteyneth to the discipline of the Churche that inquirie be made of euill ministers and that they be accused by those that haue knowledge of their offences and finally being founde gyltie by 〈◊〉 Iudgment be deposed Hitherto this Article in which there it not any one proposition or sentence against the doctrine of the Romane Church and Catholike Religion but rather a graunte and confirmation thereof 〈◊〉 a renowncing of Protestant profession and proceedings in diuers particular poyntes and some most materiall As declaring that in the visible Church the euill be euer mingled with the good they confesse the Church to be euer and indeâ—ectible And so Luther Caluyn Cranmar King Henry 8. with his daughter Queene Elizabeth or whomsoeuer els they will or can make the first publisher or aduancer of their doctrine separating themselues and being separated and cutt of from that visible true Church which was then generally so held this their Protestant congregation and Religion takeing Originall being from thence cannot possibly be the true Church and Religion of Christ And in making the true Church euer visible they must needs make their association or prerended companie eúer inuisible and so nothing vntill these dayes and condemne those their brethren Protestants who knowing their new fraternitie was neuer vntill those late times haue mathematically framed in their Imagination a new straung chimericall Inuisible vnbeeable and vnpossible Church Agayne professing that Preists the Ministers of Sacraments do Minister them in Christes 〈◊〉 by his commisson and authoritie they sufficiently confesse that if Christ omnipotent could and did consecrate breade and wyne into his body and blood forgiue sinnes and giue grace in sacraments truely consecrated Preists haue that power and do the same And affirming The sacraments to bâ— effectuall because of Christes Institution and promise â—either is the effects of Christes ordinance takâ—n away nor the grace of Gods guists diminished by the wikednesse of ministers They proue what the Catholiks holde in these things and Protestants cammonly deny Their last clause of Discipline in the Church making but one true visible Church and their congregation being as before no part thereof depriueth them of all such discipline as they haue already spoyled themselues of the pure worde of God preached and Sacraments duely ministred vnseparable signes and properties of the true visible Church by their 19. Article and thereby want all things which by their owne confession are euer founde in and belonge vnto the Church of Christ The 27. Article intituled of baptisme hath no thing contrary to Catholik Religion But the last clause thereof is against their 6. Article before that nothing is to be beleeued as an Article of faith or to be thought requisite necessarie to saluation that is not read in nor may be proued by scriptures And in this place thus they decree The Baptisme-ef yong Prot. Articl 27. children is in any wise to be retayned in the Church as most agreable with the Institution of Christ In this whole Article before they make Baptisme in all requisite necessarie to Saluation So they do iâ— Protest communion Booke Tit. Baptisme Protest Conference at hampton Court. their communion booke in the administration thereof and in the reuewe of their Religion â—â— Hampton court thus they define That baptisme to be ministred by priuate parsons in tyme of necessitie is an holie tradition And so they vse in their common practise and Baptise Infants both by their ministers and others men and women especially my dwiues instructed how to Baptisme in time of Engl. Protest in feild Bookes of the Church pag. 239. and others necessitie Yet with publik consent and allowanâ—â— thus they write and publish Baptisme of Infants â—â— â—â—â—ed a Tradition because it is not expressely deliuered iâ— stripture that the Apostles did baptize Infants nor 〈◊〉 expresse precept there founde that they should so do Tâ—â—t the holy Fathers of the first age held Baptisme Supr in articul 6. of Infants for an vnwritten tradition I haue spoken before And S. Clement doth giue comâ—â—â—nd Clem. Rom. lâ—b 6. constit Apostolic cap. 15. Dionys Areopag Ecclesiast Hierarch cap. 7. concil mileuit cap. 2. Chrisostom homil de Adam Eua. Augustin cont Donat. l. 1. cap. 23. Epiphan Aug. alij de haeres Innocent 1. epist concil African cap. 77. concil Carthagin 5. cap. 6. Hect. Boeth Scot. hâ—st l. 9. Georg. Buchan Rer. scot l. 5. Reg. 52. holinsh hist of Scotland in Fâ—equard pag. 112. to haue it obserued Baptizate vestros pueâ—â—◠〈◊〉 S. Denys the Areopagite affirmeth it was so vsed Pueri qui necdum possunt intelligere diuiâ—â— sacri hapti smatis participes fiant And shewâ—â—gâ— how others answeare and promise for them 〈◊〉 prâ— ipsiâ— abrenunâ—iant sanctaquâ— ineunt faedera 〈◊〉 iâ— an holy tradition sanctam traditionem 〈◊〉 S. Chrisostome and others testifie generally in the whole Catholik Church in all places Praediâ—â—t Ecclesia Catholica vbique diffusa debere parâ—â—â—â—â— Baptizari prepter originalâ— peccatum And they were Nouatian Pelagian such condemned Hâ—retiks which at any time called this holy tradiâ—â—on and custome into question So it was here â—â— Britayne which though it was Mother and Noble longe time to pelagius the Archeretike wâ—o among other his damned Errours denyed the Baptisme of Infants yet it so much detested among tâ—â— rest this his obsurd Inuention that it
Bishop especially an Archbishop botâ— the presence concurrence of a lawfull true Archbishop and others such Bishops as their owne pretended Prot. forme and manner of making Bishops Preists and minist Tiâ—ul consecrat of Bishops in praefat Rite and booke of consecrating Bishops doth thus plainely expresse Then the Archbishop and Bishops sent shall lay their hands vpon the head of the elected Bishop the Archbishop saying Take the holy ghost c. And it proueth further in these words It is euident vnto all men diligently reading holy scripture and auncient Authours that from the Apostles time there haue beene thes orders of ministers in Christs Church Bishops Preists and Deacons Therefore to the intent thes Orders should be continued aâ—d reuerently vsed in the Church of England it is requisite that no man not being at this present Bishop Preist nor Deacon shall execute any of them except he be called tryed examined and admitted according to the forme hereafter following Which is that booke of King Edward the sixt receaued in this article and approued by their greatest warrants parlament Princes Supreamacie and publike practise among them And therefore howsoeuer either with by or without this booke forme and manner of King Edward their first Protestant pretended Archbishop Matthew Parker maker and allower of all such after as they freely confesse was made his making and admittance was frustrate inualid voide and of noe force by their owne censure and doome against themselues so of all others made by him no Bishop pretending or clayming that honour dignitie and office after by that vaine Idle and vnpossible Title to challendge to haue that or any other thing from him or them which neither had it for themselues or to giue to others And this I haue proued before from the Apostolike men of this age and from the Apostles themselues that a Bishop cannot bee consecrated but by true and vndoubted Bishops Episcopum mandamus Clem. const Apost l 3 c. 20. Anacl ep 2. Clem. const Apost l. 8. c. 33. ordinari à tribus Episcopis velad minus à duobus non licere autem ab vno vobis constitui And againe Episcopus à tribus vel duobus Episcopis ordinetur Si quis ab vno ordinetur Episcopo deponatur ipse qui eum ordinauit This is sette downe for an Apostolicall decree Now lette vs come to King Edwards booke so dignified in this article and particularily examine and disproue the validitie or sufficiency of that forme in euery point thereof And first whereas it maketh mention onely of Clem. const Apost l. 3. c. 11. l. 8. c. 21. 22. 28. ep 2. Ignat. ep ad Antioch ep ad Philadelphien ep ad Philippenses Anacl ep 2. Synod Rom. sub Syluestr c. 7. 11. Canis ep ad faelicem c. 6. Clem. const Apost l. 2. c. 61. Clem. Supr l. 8. const Apost c. 21. concil corth 4. c. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Bishops Preists and Deacons to haue beene in the Church from the Apostles time This holie time assureth vs of all other orders now vsed in the Catholike Church to haue beene also in those dayes in vse and practise Subdeacons Acolythists Exorcists Lectours and Ostiarij with their particular and seuerall offices duties consecration or admittance to those degrees and that no man might be a Bishop Preist or Deacon except he had first receaued those orders nifi prius fuisset lector deinde exorcista postea caperet onus Acolithi vt acciperet onus Subdiaconi deinde ad diaconatus honorem pertingeret By their consecration they were ordeined to assist and minister at the holie sacrifice of Masse a Subdeacon for the holie vessels calice paten cruetts Tribue ei spiritum sanctum vt vasa ad ministrandum tibi Domine Deus facta dignè attrectet An Acolithus to light candels and prepare and minister wine for the sacrifice of masse accipiat ceroserarum cum cereo vt sciat sâ— ad accendenda Ecclesiae luminaria mancipari accipiat vrceolum vacuum ad suggerendum vinum in Eucharistiam sanguinis Christi An exorcist receaued the booke of Exorcismes and power against deuils accipiat de manu Episcopo libellum in quo scripti sunt exorcismi dicente sibi Episcopo accipe commenda memoriae habeto potestatem imponendi manus super energumenos So of Lectour and Ostiarius All thes be wanting in this booke of King Edward and this Protestant Religion and all is wanting in it for which they were ordeined except deuils and possessed persons They may well want both them No true clergie man among Protestants of England and first no Deacon The English Prot. forme of making Bish. pr. and Deac Titul Deacons all Bishops Preists and Deacons also as they do For first their pretended booke of consecration giueth a Deacon onely authoritie to reade the ghospell in their Church for allthough their pretended Bishop layeth his hands one the heade of euerie such parson at his admittance to that office and sayeth vnto him Take thou authoritie to execute the office of a Deacon in the Church of God committed vnto thee Yet they presently interpret and limitte this office to be onely confined in reading the ghospell in thes words Take thou authoritie to reade the ghospell in the Church of God And such is their practise extending a Deacons office no further And they obstinatelie denie that he hath power or office to assist either Bishop or Preist in the holy Sacrifice of Christs blessed bodie and blood as that either Preist or Bishop may or can consecrate and offer the same We finde both the doctrine and practise of this first apostolike age to haue beene otherwise and the cheifest office of a Deacon as the very Greeke name it selfe still testifieth to be as Catholiks still vse it to minister vnto and assist thâ— Bishop or Preist in his holy Sacrifice So it is plainely witnessed in the old Masses and Miss S. Petri S. Iacobi S. Marci Clem. Const Apost l. 3. c. 20. l. 8. c 28. Missals ascribed to S. Peter S. Iames S. Marke and others S. Clement from the Apostles saith Diaconus ministret Episcopo Presbyteris oblatione ab Episcopo aut Presbytero facta ipse Diaconus dat populo non tanquam Sacerdos sed tanquam qui ministrat presbyteris And expresselie teacheth that it is the office and function of a Deacon thus to minister vnto Bishops and Preists this onelie or principally Diaconus L. 3. c. 20. sup ministret Episcopo Presbyteris id est agat Diaconum reliqua ne faciat And settinge downe the whole forme and Order of Masse sacrifice vsed and approued by the Apostles Bishops and Preists in his time euen from the beginning thereof vnto the end he bringeth in Deacons to performe their holie ministration and seruinge therein Praying to God to accept that Sacrifice Deaconus pronunciet Clem. supr l. 8. c. 19. Rogamus Deus Prodono oblato Domino
Deo oremuâ— Vt Deus suscipiat illud in caeleste altare suum in odorem suauitatis For all the people of God liuing and deade Pro vniuerso Ecclesiae caetu Pro ijs qui in fidâ— quieuerunt They deliuer the breade and wine to be consecrated Cap. 1â— to the Bishop or Preist that said Masse Diaconi offerant dona Episcopo ad altare They attend that nothing falleth into the chalices ne iâ— pocula incidant At the time of consecration they Cap. 20. called vpon the people for attention Diaconus dicat attendamus They hold the consecrated chalice and confessâ— it to be the blood of Christ the cuppe of life Diaconus teneat calicem quando tradit dicat sangâ—â— Christi calix vitae And after all had communicated they take that which is left and with reuerence preserue it Postquam omnes sump serunt accipiant Diaconi reliquias portent in pastiphoria And they said this prayer testifying it was the pretious bodie and blood of Christ which had beene there offered and receaued for remission of sinne and preseruation in pietie Diaconus dicat Percepto pretioso corpore pretioso Cap. 20. 2â— sanguine Christi gratias agamus ei qui dignos nos reddidit percipiendi sancta eius mysteria rogamus vt non in iudicium sed in salutem nobis fiant in vtilitatem animae corporis in custodiam pietatis in remissionem peccatorum in vitam futuri saeculi And as our Deacons now conclude and end Masse with Ite Cap. 23. Missa est So did they then with Ite inpace Et Diaconus dicat Ite in pace Thus from S. Clement and the Apostles by his relation S. Denis the Areopagite is witnesse to the Dion Areop Eccl. Hierar cap. 3. like where testifying of the most holie Sacrifice of Christs bodie and blood as is proued from him before he teacheth that as inferiour orders performed their duties therein So the Deacons more high in degree with the Preists more nearelie assisted at the altar about this blessed sacrifice Qui ipsius ordinis praecipuisunt vnà cum Sacerdotibus sanctum panem benedictionis calicem sacrosanctis altaribus imponunt So testifieth S. Ignatius writing to S. Hero a Deacon Ignat. epist ad Heronem Diaconum that such as he being Deacons did minister vnto Preists at Sacrifice and that so did S. Stephen to S. Iames and Preists in Hierusalem Sacerdotes Ep. ad Trallian aâ— Philadelph sunt tu Sacerdotem minister Sacrificant tu verò illis ministras vt sanctus ille Stephanus Iacobo Presbyteris qui erant Hierosolymis So of all Deacons in other places Diaconi Imitatores Angelicarum virtâ—tum qui purum inculpatum ministerium illis Sacerdotibus exhibent vt S. Stephanus beato Iacobo And for the dignitie of their ministrie in so great misteries ought to be honoured as Christ Oportet Diaconis mysteriorum Christi ministris per omnia placereâ— nec enim ciborum potuum ministri sunt sed Ecclesiae Dei administratores Ipsi itaque tales sunt at vos reueremini illos vt Christum Iesum cuius vicarij sunt So Epist ad Heron. was saint Stephen to saint Iames saint Timothie and saint Linus to saint Paul saint Anacletus and Clemens to saint Peter He that obeyeth them not is an enemy to God and impure and contemneth Christ and diminisheth his ordinance Vt sanctus Stephanus beato Iacobo Timotheus Linus Paulo Anacletus Clemens Petro Qui his Diaconis non obedit sine Deo prorsus impurus est Christum contemnit constitutionem eius imminuit And speaking of the dignitie of the altare and Sacrifice of Christians wherein Deacons with Bishops and Preists haue so excellent Ignat. epist â—d Ephesios ministration he giueth charge to obey them assuring vs he that doth not so disobeyeth Christ and is an abiect Enitimini subiecti esse Episcopo presbyâ—eris Diaconis Qui enim his obedit obedit Christo qui hos constituit Qui vero his reluctatur reluctatur Christo Iesu qui autem non obedit filio non videbit vitam sed ira Dei manet super eum Praefractus enim contentiosus superbus est qui non obtemperat superibus S. Anacletus Deacon to S. Peter as S. Ignatius before hath proued and made Preist by the same greate Apostle as he himselfe confesseth and so perfectly knowing both the doctrine and practise of the Apostles did when he came to be Pope ordaine â—s both Catholiks and Protestants acknowledge that Deacons in their holy vestiments should minister Anacletus ep 1. Robert Barn l. de vit Pontif. Rom. in Anacleto vnto Preists and Bishops in the solemne sacrifices Sacerdotem sacrificaturum ministros vestibus sacris indutos adhibere ordinauit Episcopus verò vt plures ministros in sacris faciendis adiungat This is the doctrine of all holie Fathers after and of the whole Church of Christ the first generall Councell of Nice receaued in this Kingdome declareth that this was euer the rule and custome of Christs Church Regula consuetudo that Deacons Conc. Nicen. cap. 14. were ministers to Bishops in the holy sacrifice and vnder Preists to helpe them in their Sacrifice and not to offer sacrifice or giue the bodie of Christ to Preists that offer it Peruenit ad sanctum concilium quòd in locis quibusdam ciuitatibus presbyteris Sacramenta diaconi porrigant Hoc neque regula neque consuetudo tradidit vt hi qui offerendi sacrificij non habent potestatem his qui offerunt corpus Christi porrigant Haec amputentur maneant Diaconi intra propriam mensuram scientes quia Episcoporum ministri sunt Presbyteris autem inferiores sunt This is the cheife office of a Deacon so his name â—n Hebrewe in Greeke Latine signifie so his dutie to serue at the altare to minister there to the Bishop or Preist to prepare it to propose breade and wine to be consecrated and minister in the whole sacrifice So write our most auncient writers of these things from the oldest monuments and authorities Diaconus Graecè Hebraicè lâ—uita Latinè assumptus Albin flace Alcuin l. de diuin offic in Diacono vel minister interpretatur assumptus quia assumitur id est eligitur ad seruitium altaris minister quia ministrat Presbytero Ponit linteum in altare ponit panem calicem quae nec mittendi nec auferendi habet potestatem Presbyter si Diaconus adfuerit Sicut Presbytero officium consecrandi competit ita Diaconâ— ministrandi Therefore howsoeuer wee expounde this pretended Protestant making or admitting Deacons that they receaue their power or office when their pretended Bishop giueth to them the new Testament and saith vnto them Take authority to reade the Ghospell in the Church of God or when he saith Take thou authority to execute the office of a Deacon in the Church of
God committed vnto thee or both together here is no true consecration of a Deacon in their owne proceedings nor Deacon so made if their pretended consecrating Bishop were a true a lawfull Bishop for first of giuing the new testament Act. 6. and power to reade the ghospell this cannot be the full and lawfull manner to make Deacons The first Deacons in the lawe of Christ being made otherwise by the Apostles as the Scripture witnesseth and before the new testament or anie part thereof was written to be giuen to them or for them to reade the ghospels then vnwritten and vnpossible to be read by them or any at that time or longe after The other of taking authority to execute the office of a Deacon cannot be the manner for first no man can truely and lawfully execute that wherein he hath no power and here is no power of a Deacon giuen in all this their forme and order And Statut. in parliament an 27. Elizabethae Reg. ad 1. Jacobo their owne parlaments and highest authorities in their religion doe not onely disable any man in England Deacon or other to execute the office of a Deacon such as the Apostles and Apostolike men of this age haue deliuered vnto vs but make it an offence of high treason for any lawfull Deacon either to execute that office in any Church Chappell or other place or to be in England without executing any such office or function at all euen reading the ghospell or any other And so if we ioyne this Protestant pretended power to execute the offices of a Deacon and reade the ghospell in the Church together there is not the least power of a true Deacon thereby either giueÌ„ or permitted by them in all England vnto any such Deacon to doe or not doe such or any dutie of that holy function And thus much of Deacons No true Preist amonâ— English Protestants Now it can be no question but the pretended ProtestaÌ„t Ordination of Preists is altogether vaine Idle and friuolous for being so iuuincibly proued that the cheifest and principall office and function of a Deacon is to assist and minister vnto Preists Bishops in the holy Sacrifice of Christs blessed body and blood at Masse such Sacrificing Preists not heauing any such power before their consecration to holy Preisthood must needs receaue it aâ— that time otherwise they should still remaine without it as they did before And our Protestants vtterly before denying all such sacrifice and sacrificing power and in this their pretended forme and manner of consecration hauing no thing at all to receaue or allowe it but the quite contrary and by their lawes so straungely persecuting sacrificing Preists and Preisthood this their fashioÌ„ of making or ordering their pretended Preists must needs be voyde and frustrate and they still remaine in that lay state in this respect wherein they were before euen from their first birth into the world Their Practise in this pretended consecration is this The Bishops the Preists present shall lay their handâ— seuerally vpon the heade of euery one that receaueth orders Prot. forme and manner of makiâ—g consecr Bish. Preists and Deac Tit. forme of Order of Preists The receauers humbly kneelinge vpon their knees and the Bishop saying Receaue the holy ghost whose sinnes thou doest forgiue they are are forgiuen and whose sinnes thou doest retaine they are retained The Bishop shall deliuer to euery one of them the Bible in his hand saying Take thou authority to preach the word of God and to minister the holy Sacraments in this congregation where thou shalt be so appointed Here is all their pretended consecration of Preists so farre from all meaning or intention to conferre any sacrificing power or Preisthood that before they come to this article in their 31. Article before they thus defined The Sacrifices of Masses in the which it was commonly Prot. art 31. supr sayde that the Preists did offer Christ for the quicke and the deade to haue remission of paine or guilt were blasphemous fables and dangerous deceites In that place I haue inuincibly proued against them both this Sacrifice and sacrificing Preisthood and Preists Institution All his Apostles and all consecrated by them and their Successours were massing and sacrificing Preists all the Apostolike writers of this first age gaue testimony to that doctrine and practise All Masses Missales or publike liturgies of all Churches ascribed to the Apostles themselues and continued by continuall neuer interrupted generall tradition beare witnesse vnto it The holy Prophets so described the Messias by a perpetuall holy Sacrifice to be offered in all places in his time that he should be a Preist after the order of Melchisedech teach and establish that Preisthood neuer to end or cease in his Church Thus taught the most learned rabbines among the Iewes before Christ So the Fathers and common practise of both Greeke and Latine Church with the best least learned Protestant writers euen of England writing and published by their publike allowance and authority as I haue vndeniably proued in that article and there made demonstration by all authothority that Christ at his last Supper when he onely did execute the act and office of his Preisthood according to the order of Melchisedech did ordaine his Apostles sacrificing massing Preists at that time in expresse termes set downe in holy Scripture hoc facite in meam commemorationem To offer his consecrated holy body and blood in Martial ep ad Burdegal cast 3. Clem. Coust Apost l. 8. c. 3. Iustin dialog cum Triphon Irenaeus adu haer l. 4. c. â—2 Eus l. 1 cap. 10. demon Euang elicar Theod. in c. 8. ad Hebraeos Alexa. 1. ep 1. cap. 4. Cyprian l 2. epist 3. ep 63. Ambr. in Psal 38. Gandentius tractat 2. Aug. lib. 83. q. q. 61. Sacrifice as he had done So the Apostolike men of this first age assure vs. Vbique offertur Deo oblatio munda sicut testatus est cuius corpus sanguinem in vitam aeternam offerimus Quod Iudaei per inuidiam immolauerunt putantes se nomen eius à terra abolere nos causa salutis nostrae in ara sanctificata proponimus scientes hoc solo remedio nobis vitam praestandam mortem effugandam Hoc enim ipse Dominus noster iussit nos agere in mei commemorationeÌ„ Domine omnipotens potestatem Apostolis dedisti offerendi tibi sacrificium mundum incruentum quod per Christum constituisti mysterium noui testamenti Suis discipulis dans consilium primitias Deo offerre eum qui ex creatura panis est accepit gratias egit dicens hoc â—st corpus meum calicem similiter qui est ex ea creatura quae est secundum nos suum sanguinem confessus est noui Testamenti nouam docuit oblationem quam Ecclesia ab Apostolis accipiens in vniuerso mundo offert Deo This was the opinion profession and practise of the
and no others so euer receaued at all times and places nor the Preists themselues as all writers Catholiks and Protestants confesse And this our Article Protestants themselues in their pretended booke and forme of consecration receaued in this Article Prot. forme and Manner of Making Bish. Preists and Deac in praef and other places do thus acknowledge It is euident vnto all men diligently reading holy scripture and auncient Authours that from the Apostles time there hath beene thes Orders of Ministers in Christs Church Bishops Preists and Deacons which officeâ— were euermore had in such reuerent estimation that no man by his priuate authoritie might presume to execute any of them except he were first called tryed examined and knowne to haue such qualities as were requisite for the same and also by publike prayer with imposition of hands approued and admitted there vnto Where we finde it thus plainely and authoritatiuely with them confessed that Bishops Preists and Deacons were euer in the Church and truely and lawfully ordeined by such forme Order of consecration as was then vsed and thes Preists as they haue confessed in thes their Articles before in thes words vsed the sacrifices of Masses in which it commonly said Proâ— Artic. 31. supr was that the Preists did offer Christ for the quick the dead to haue remission of payne or gilt they are so farre from disallowing or disabling our Catholikly consecrating Massing Preists of the Roman Church whom they make Traytours in England to be truely and duely consecrated Preists that if any of them for feare or any other wordly respects will ioyne with rhem in their new Church seruice or profession he is allowed a minister with them without any further pretended order or admittance and they dignifie their first Catholike ordination so much that as they haue bestowed their greatest Church liuing vpon such so they deduce Francis Mason booke of Consecr Maâ— Parker Print Antiq. Britan. Sutcliff alij Pont. Rom. in ordinat Presbyteri and deriue their owne pretended ordination onely from such men Matthew Parker Iohn Scory and Miles Couerdale as they freely confesse And yet all our Catholike Pontificals or bookes of ordination do plainely proue testifie that our Preists being Deacons before are consecrated Preists by those words of the Bishop Accipe potestatem offerre sacrificium Take power to offer sacrifice to God and celebrate Masses both for the liuing and dead And immediately before he calleth such a parson ordinandum and quem ordinat Episcopus a man to be ordered and to whom the Bishop giueth preistly order and presently after those words nameth him or them that were thus ordered ordinati Sacerdotes Presbiteri ordinati Preists that be ordered And being thus fully ordered before any other ceremonie vsed by Protestants or not they celebrate the rest of the Masse euen consecrating the blessed bodie and blood of Christ with their consecratour Bishop and as consecrated Preists Presbiteri ordinati post Pontificem in terra genuflexi habeant libros coram se dicentes Suscipe Sancte Pater c. omnia aliâ— de missa prout dicit Pontifex qui tamen bene aduerâ—at quòd secretas morosè dicat aliqaantulum altâ— ita vt ordinati Sacerdotes possint secum omnia dicere praesertim verba consâ—crationis quae dici debenâ— eodem momento per ordinatos quo dicuntur per Pontificem And to putte all things out of question in this matter The scripture itselfe is euident witnesse that the Apostles themselues were ordered Preists by those words of Christ vnto them Do this in my commemoration equiualent as I haue proued to the forme now vsed in the Roman Church recited for all writers Catholiks and Protestants agree that all the Apostles S. Thomas and the rest were true and most properly lawfull Preists all our preisthood claimed and deduced from them and that they were all present at his last supper when he said the words do this vnto them Discubuit Luc. 22. Mâ—â— 26. Mâ—rc 14 duodecim Apostoli cum eo Discumbebat cum duodecim discipulis suis Dedit eis dicens HOC EST CORPVS MEVM quod pro vobis datur hoc facite in meam commemorationem But when he said those words to his Apostles receaue the holie ghost whose sinnes you forgiue they are forgiuen and whose sinnes you reteyne they are reteyned From and by which thes our Protestants do clayme or pretend ordination S. Iohn the Euangelist then and there present doth witnes all were not there and namely S. Thomas was absent Thomas vnus ex duodecim non erat cum eis quando venit Iesus And so could not possibly be made Preist then with those words Yet all agree he was a Preist as perfectly and fully as any Apostle Agayne Iudas the Traitour was a Preist present at the consecration in the last supper of Christ and as S. Peter saith connumeratus erat in nobis Actor c. 1. sortitus est sortem ministerij huius Scriptum est in libro psalmorum Episcopatum eius accipiat alter Psal 68. De loco ministerij Apostolatus praeuaricatus est Iudas Which is more then our Protestants pretend for their pretended Preists or ministers Yet he was haÌ„ged deade before Christ spooke the other words and so could not possibly be eyther made Preist or be present then And S. Paule defining a Preist whether of the lawe of Moyses or Christ Hebr. 5. saith euery high Preist or Preist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 omnis Prontifex is taken forth of men hauing no such power ex hominibus assumptus to offer sacrifice for sinnes Vâ—offerat dona sacrificia pro peccatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Greeke words and reading which our Prorestants followe are most proper for sacrifice and sacrificing Preists and so both Catholike our Protestant linguists and lexiconaries confesse and translate Masse and Masse Preist Sacrificium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à sacrificio sacrificulus Thom. Thomas Scholae cantabrigien dictionar v. v. Sacrificium Sacrificulus alâ—are Morton Apolog. part 2. pag. 82. appeal l. 2. sect 1. cap. 6 pag. 162. sacrificus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Preist à Sacrificer à Masse Preist He setteth downe also the Sacrificing altar of Christians as thes our Protestants also translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 altare altar and vnseparable correlatiue to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sacrifice as they confesse and the word proueth And the Apostle doth so appropriate that altare to our Christians at holie Masse and the sacrifice of Christs bodie that it can be applied to nothing els saying none but Christians may eate of the sacrifice offered there vpon Habemus altare de quo edere non habent potestatem qui tabernaculo deserâ—iunt When neither Iew nor gentile is forbidden to beleeue in Christ our Protestants eating but called and exhorted vnto it by all meanes in holie scriptures And the same Apostle
directly affirmeth Hebr. 7. v. 24. that as Christ and his Religion remayne for euer So must this is sacrificing preisthood be for euer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnchangeable perpetuall without offence or exception as thes Protestant lexicons do expound that Greeke adiect Therefore we may not giue such power to a ten yeares old Kings booke a womans Queene Elizabeths Articles or any power of Protestants or other one earth to make that mutable arbitrary to expire which Christ hath instituted to be vnchangeable perpetuall and neuer to cease And because we are enforced vpon this Protestant exception eyther to say there neuer was consecration of Preists in Christs Church vntill the deuising of this new Protestant forme and so thes men cannot clayme any from them that had it not for themselues or onely say thes Protestants haue none the true Catholike Church as they haue graunted before euer had true Blshops Preists and Deacons we are necessitated by thes mens owne proceedings and so many vnansweareble proofes and authorities singularily to exclude thes men from all true and lawfull preisthood and consecration And thes men must needs be the preistlesse people without Preist or sacrifice fore told and prophesied of as the famous auncient Fathers Hippolitus Methodius Method Peter lib. de reb quae ab initio mundi deinceps Hyppolyt lib. de consummat mund Anâ—ichristo and others haue recorded Tolletur honor à Sacerdotibus supprimetur mysterium Dei quie scet omne sacrificium ab Ecclesijs erunt Sacerdotes sicut populus in eodem tempore Ecclesiarum Aedes tugurij instarerunt pretiosumque Corpus Sanguis Christi non extabit in diebus tllis And by this not onely these Protestants forme and manner of making their pretended Preists or ministers but their pretended Bishops also is vtterly ouerthrowne For holy Preisthood being No true Bishop among Protestants to make Preists Deacons or giue orders or doe any Episcopall or Preistly act at all giuen by such meanes and wholly or principally to such effects acts and ends as I haue proued as no parsons but truely consecrated Preists can haue power to forgiue sinnes or minister Sacraments except onely baptisme a Sacrament of necessity in time of necessity and absence of Preists and so all pretended power of giuing the holy Ghost to forgiue sinnes or such pretended authority to Minister Sacraments presumed to be conferred to any others then truely consecrated Preists is frustrate voyde and to no purpose So a man not a truely coÌ„secratest Preist caÌ„not possiblely either by Catholike doctrine or these our Protestants in this and other their articles and their pretended booke and forme of consecration be truely and lawfully made a Bishop these men in these their most authorised proceeding in this matter not allowing or permitting any man to be a pretended Preist or minister with them but such as was allowed for a Deacon before nor any to be a preteÌ„ded Bishop with them which was not both admitted to be both a Deacon or Preist at the least by this their pretended forme and fashion so confuted in both those callings But forefull content I will particularly also breifely examine and confute this in like manner and demoÌ„strate that it is voyde inualid although the pretended consecratour or consecratours were true Bishops and the pretended consecrated true and lawfull both Deacons and Preists Thus it is set downe in this pretended forme of Prot. forme and manner of making cons Bish. pr. and Deacons in Bish. consecration The Archbishop and Bishops present shall lay their hands vpon the head of the elected Bishop the Archbishop saying Take the holy Ghost and remember that thou stirre vp the grace of God which is in thee by imposition of hands for God hath not giuen vs the spirite of feare but of power and loue and sobernes Then the Archbishop shall deliuer him the Bible saying Giue heed vnto reading exhortation and doctrine thinke vpon these things contained in this booke And the rest of that exhortation being onely a persuasion and admonition to doe well without any pretence of giuing Episcopall order or power at all And yet these men and this their forme and manner to make Bishops doe assure vs that the party whome they pretend to make a Bishop is so made by that first ceremony of hands and words then spoken or not at all For as it is cited from theÌ„ they name and take him to be onely elected Bishop at their laying on of hands And presently after that which I haue cited is endeed they call him the new consecrated Bishop in these termes Then the Archbishop shall proceed to the communion with whom the new coÌ„secrated Bishop with others shall also communicate But here is not any one singular or priuiledged thinge signe ceremony word or act that may by probable or possible meanes giue Episcopall order though the pretended coÌ„secratour or consecratours were the most lawfull and best Bishops in the world for in their owne proceedings except in number of Bishops which take not for a matter of necessity here is noe more done or said then was in their making of pretended Preists or ministers before for these the same were their ceremony and words which now The Bishop with the Preists present shall lay their hands seuerally vpon the head of euery one that receaueth orders the Bishop saying Receaue the holy Ghost Here is no materiall difference a Bishop is pretended consecratour in both a like except that they appoint an Archbishop to consecrate a Bishop and any other Bishop to make a Preist but this in their owne proceedings is no materiall point for they graunt their first pretended Archbishops Matthew Parker was made without any either true or pretended Archbishop The ceremony of laying on of hands is the same in effect for if in the consecrating of a Bishop some Preist or Preists with the consecrating Bishop should lay hands on the elect though this were a sinne in them yet it hindereth not consecration if all essentiall things be vsed The words spoken doe not differ in substance For all men knowe that the words receaue the holy Ghost Spoken to their preteÌ„ded Preist be as significant full and effectuall as Take the holy Ghost spoken to their pretended Bishop The words receaue and take differ not in force and signification The other words the holy Ghost and the holy Ghost be the same In both there is the same sentence and sense in our language in all coÌ„struction If we seeke construction from the words which immediately followe in both places wee shall rather finde that the words receaue the holy Ghost spoken to their preteÌ„ded Preists are of greater efficacy meaning being interpreted with the very same words wherewith Christ gaue the highest power of binding and lowsing to his highest Bishops and Apostles In the other pretended ordination of Bishops there is no power at all giuen but the partie onely put
them They write how Ridley made Preist by Catholike Order but Bishop by their new fashion when he was to be degraded by B. Brooke Bishop of Glocester delegate thereto in Q. Maryes time hee did onely then degrade him concerning preisthood being iudged to be no Bishop Foxe tom 2. pag. 1604. Mason l. 2. pag. 92 Record degrad Rid. as our Protestants and Records thereof testifie in thes his words to Ridley we must proceede according to our commission to degrading taking from you the dignitie of preisthood for we take you for no Bishop So it was also adiudged by the common lawes Brooke Abridg an 1576. tiâ—ul leases num 68. of the land in that time Bishops in the time of King Edward the sixt were not consecrated and therefore a lease for yeares made by such and confirmed by the deane and chapter shall not binde their Successours because such were neuer Bishops Of thes pretended Bishops which were thus by publike Iudgment in lawe disabled to do teÌ„porall offices for want of true ordination and power how much more were they vnable to performe any spirituall function belonging to that highest holie Order yet this is published for law euen in Q. Elizabeth her time longe after thes new Protestant Bishops were so allowed and still remaineth among their receaued and adiudged lawes And so generall and vniuersall a consent was of all in authoritie Pope Prince Prelates and whosoeuer that this new Protestant forme gaue no consecration that their owne Protestant applauded writers thus confesse it Touching Articles of Q. Mary to Bish. Boner Consecrat l. 5. cap. 12. foxe Act. mon. vol. 2. p. 1295. such parsons as were here to fore promoted to any Orders after the new sorte and fashion of Orders they were not ordered in verie deed This was the common and publike sentence of Pope Prince and Prelates in Queene Mary her time of the preteÌ„ded Bishops of King Edward the 6. when there was more pretence for them theÌ„ these diuers Catholikely ordained Bishops then liuing and some helping in their new ordering now and from Q. Elizabeth her time not one at all And it is contained in our old lawes Iudex secularis non potest Bracton fol. 401. degradare clericum magis quà m ad ordines promouere A secular Iudge can no more degrade a Preist or Clearke then he can promote him to orders And it was publikly adiudge in lawe That the parlament Temp. Henrici 7. fol. 27. 28. could not make the Kinge being a lay parson to haue spirituall Iurisdiction Then much lesse could it giue to King Edward the sixt to speake Protestants Stow an 1. Edw. 6. Hist words proclaimed King of England and also of Ireland the supreame heade immediately in earth vnder God being of the age of nyne yeares and to Queene Elizabeth a woman by Sexe disabled in such things both to haue spirituall Iurisdiction and supreame spirituall Iurisdiction and spirituall power Episcopall or Pontificall to conferre and giue both spirituall highest order and Iurisdiction to whom and by what meanes it pleased them contrary to all Christians in the world Catholiks Protestants and whosoeueâ— none out of England so proceeding in such affaires Aâ—d in the time of Queene Elizabeth both particular wrâ—â—â—rs records and her parlament publikely in the 8. yearâ— of her Reigne assure vs that their new Bishops making was by diuers both doubted of and denied to be lawfull The Protestant cheife Iustice of the common plees Lord dyer setteth downe that Bishop â—onner publikely pleaded they were no Bishops and namely Doctour Horne so admitted and it wâ—s adiuged by all the Protestant Iudges that Bishâ—â— Bonner might so pleade And the Protestants would neuer come to tryall with him therein And the next Parlament in her 8. yeare cleared him and all other Catholikes so in iâ—pugning those Bishops offering the oath of supremaâ—y vnto them in these words Be it exacted that no person or persons Statut. in parliament an 8. Elizab. cap. 1. be empeached or molested in body lands or good by occasion are meane of any certificate by any Archbishop or Bishop heretofore made in the first session of this parlament touching or concerning the refusall of the oathe set fourth by act of parlament in the first yeare of Queene Elizabeth And that all tenders of such oath made by any Archbishop or Bishop aforesaid and all refusals of the same oath so entered by any Archbishop or Bishop shall be voyde and of noe effect or validity in the lawe And to helpe afterward what they could thus they enact diuers questions haue lately growne vpon the Statut. in parliam an 8. Eliz supr c. 1. making and consecrating of Archbishops and Bishops within this realme whether the same were and be duely done according to the lawe or not Therefore it is thought conuenient hereby partly to touch such authorities as doth allowc and approue the making of the same Archbishops and Bishops to be duely and orderly dâ—â—e according to the lawes of this Realme her hâ—â—â—nesse in her letters patents vnder the greate Sâ—â—â—e of England directed to any Archbishop Bisâ—â—p or others for the confirming inuesting and coâ—secrating of any parson elected to the office or digâ—â—â—y of an Archbishop or Bishop hath not onely vsâ—â— such words and sentences as King Henry and King Edward did in their letters patents diuers other general words and sentences whereby her highnesse by her suâ—râ—ame power and authority hath dispenced with all â—auses or doubts of any imperfection or diasbility thâ—t can or may in any wise be obiected against the saâ—e These be the onâ—ly authorities the statute doth or could bringe â—eing all carnall and humane not one diuine or â—cclesiasticall vtterly vnable to make a lawfull true Bishop or confirme any for such being bâ—t meere phantasies letters patents the greate Seale of England of a woman such words and sentences as King Henry the eight and King Eduard his child contrary to the vniuersall Church of Christ vsed A womans supreame power authority and dispensation in all causes doubts Imperfections or disabilities in any wise to be obiected and that not onely their pretended Archbishops and Bishops but others neither true nor pretended Archbishops or bishops did as their words be plaine by this most straunge and infirme feminine commission confirme inuest and consecrate Archbishops Bishops which as they haue confessed before with all authorities none but true lawfull Bishops in approued receaued forme and manner can doe And yet this parlament doth thus approue all such as were thus made whether by the Queenes letters patent and men no Bihops true or pretended and without King Edwards forme or any other remembred or by King Edwards forme and fashion to be lawfull Bishops in these words All Statut. an 8. Eliz. supr acts and things made or done by any person or persons in or about any elected to the office of any Archbishop or Bishop by vertue of
it to himselfe though he punished with death as others often since then haue done the professours thereof yet both he and all or Rulers temporall since Kings or Queens haue retained in their stile of honour that title Defensor fidei defendour of the faith which the Pope gaue him for defending before his fall the Catholike faith against Martine Luther though they all except Queene Mary impugned it And our present K. Charles whome together with his Queene Mary God blesse with all good and happines in his late publike declaration to all his louing Subiects among whome his Catholiks be not in the lowest place of duty and desert to him though not in like degree of his fauour to theÌ„ thus and thus vehemently protesteth wee call God to recorde before whome we stand that it is and alwaies hath beene our harts desire to be found worthy of that title which we accompt the most glorious in all our Crowne DEFENDOVR OF THE FAITH But to defend the faith is not to reprint the articles of Religion established in the time of Queene Elizabeth and by a declaration before those articles to ty and restraine all opinions to the sense of those articles as he speaketh immediately before and to persecute Bishops Preists and Catholiks as he doth That title was giuen by the Pope to King HeÌ„ry for defence of the true faith longe before the articles of Queene Elizabeth or she was borne Longe before hee K. Edward 6. Queene Elizabeth King Iames and King Charles persecuted Catholiks their faith whereof by their stile they should be defendours longe before their religion or any of them I except King Henry the 8. to whome it was giuen receaued beeing The true faith Catholike and Apostolike which by that regall stile and title they should defend against these articles I haue aboundantly by the best testimonies proued in euery point for the two last following articles the 38. intituled of Christian mens goods which are common and the 39. the last of a Christian mans oath doe not containe any coÌ„trouersie with Catholikes but were ordained against new Sectaries among themselues I hope no Protestant Parlament will hereafter glory that their religion was almost 80. yeares old though it wanteth 10. of that number and so extraordinarily contend to persecute that which I haue proued to exceed it aboue 1500. yeares in time and truth which they ought to embrace and honour and not so maliciously or ignorantly not being the most religious nor learned diuines to persecute it FINIS A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS Chap. 1. COncerning the first 5. Protestant Articles not differing from the Apostles Religion and the Romane Church pag. 1. Chap. 2. Examining their 6. Article about scriptures and traditions and condemning it by the Apostles and Apostolike men and doctrine of their age p. 2. Chap. 3. The 7. 8. 9. 10. Articles examined and wherein they differ from the present Roman Church condemned by this first Apostolike age p. 53. Chap. 4. The 11. Article of the Iustification of man examined and condemned by the Apostolike Fathers of this first age p. 60. Chap. 5. The 12. Article examined and in whatsoeuer differing from the present Romane Church condemned by the Apostolike age So of the 13. and 14. Articles p. 67. Chap. 6. The 15. 16. 17. 18. Articles so examined and wheresoeuer repugnant to the Roman Church likewise condemned p. 82. Chap. 7. The 19. Article examined and condemned by the same authoritie p. 88. Chap. 8. The 20. Article thus examined and in whatsoeuer contrarie to the Church of Rome thus condemned p. 99. Chap. 9. The 21. article so examined and condemned p. 109. Chap. 10. The 22. article thus likewise examined and condemned p. 141. Chap. 11. The 23. article examined p. 207. Chap. 12. The 24. article likewise examined and condemned by this first Apostolike age and writers therein p. 212. Chap. 13. The 25. article intituled of the Sacraments thus examined and condemned in all things contrarie to Catholike doctrine p. 222. Chap. 14. Pennance so called in this article and by Catholikes The Sacrament of Pennance was so iudged and vsed in this Apostolike age p. 228. Chap. 15. Holy Orders contrary to this article was vsed and held à Sacrament in this first age p. 233. Chap. 16. Matrimonie thus proued a Sacrament p. 242. Chap. 17. Extreame vnction thus proued to be a Sacrament p. 249. Chap. 18. The rest of this article repugnant to the Catholike faith likewise condemned p. 252. Chap. 19. The 26. and 27. articles examined and Protestant doctrine in or by them condemned p. 258. Chap. 20. The 28. article intituled of the supper of the Lord examined and condemned p. 262. Chap. 21. The 29. article intituled of the wicked which do not eate the bodie and blood of Christ in the vse of the Lords supper examined and condemned p. 276. Chap. 22. The 30. article intituled of both Kindes examined and where it is contrarie to the Romane Church condemned p. 284. Chap. 23. The 31. article being intituled of the one oblation of Christ finished vpon the Crosse thus examined and condemned p. 297. Chap. 24. The 32. article intituled of the marriage of Preists thus examined and condemned p. 315. Chap. 25. The 33. 34. articles examined and in whatsoeuer repugnant to the doctrine of the Church of Rome thus condemned p. 339. Chap. 26. The 35. 36. articles intituled of homilies and of consecration of Bishops and ministe◠〈…〉 examined and condemned 〈…〉 Chap. 27. The 37. article intituled of the ciuiâ—â— Magistratus thus examined and whatsoeuer against the Roman Church condemned p. 390.