the Doctrines of thy Grace and Gospel with the preaching thereof all preaching on thy Dayes in the afternoons and all true Catechising mainly cryed down and that all thy painfull and godly Ministers are persecuted suspended deprived cast out of all and can have no remedy either by course of Law which is stopped or by the King himselfe to wâ—om they complaine and that the Prelates of late more especially usurped a false Title to their false Government Ecclesiasticall by claiming their Prelaticall Jurisdiction from thine own divine Authority So as we cannot be any longer ignoranâ— except we will be wilfully blind that the Doctrine of the Church of England established in Queene Elizabeths dayes hath now suffered not onely an Innovation but an utter eversion and extirpation of the very foundations thereof And this Innovation this eversion being now finally concluded on in a Synod confirmed by the King and injoyned to be Sworne unto by all those aforesaid and besides all this the King himselfe professing that he hath diligently with great contentment and comfort read and considered of all the said Canons Orders Ordinances and Constitutions of the late Synod aforesaid and that he finds the same such as he is perswaded wil be very profitable to the whole Church and Kingdome And thereupon doth propound publish and straightly injoyne by his Authority and Letters Patents the same to be diligently observed executed and equally kept of all his Subjects within this Realme Now ô Lord all these things weighed and layd together Solemne and Sacred Protestations against Innovations on the one side and a mighty flood of Innovations on the other side which by Royall Authority have made a terrible universall invasion and irruption both into thy Spirituall Kingdome and this Temporal threatning speedily to sweep all away at once what shall we thinke Or what shall we say Wouldst thou have us still to dreame or imagine that here are no Innovations at all brought in either of Doctrine or Ecclesiasticall Government and all because the King hath so frequently so solemnly before Gâ—d and Angels and Men protested to the contrary Or that the Innovations concluded in this Synod are therfore no Innovations because ratified and confirmed by the Kings Letters Patents and by all the strength of Royall Authority and because commended by the King to be such as he is perswaded wil be very profitable to the whole Church and Kingdome Or may we not rather thinke or rather most certainly beleeve that for the iniquities of the Land oppression in the State persecutions of thy Ministers effusion of innocent blood of thy Servants open Profanation of thy Sabbaths and that by publicke dispensation yea in a word a contemptuous trampling of all Laws divine and humane underfeet nay yet moreâ— more especially as the orginall source and cause of all the rest a damnable Apostacie from the Gospel joyned with a desperate League with Rome too palpable to be seen so as Antichrists Religion is imbraced instead of thy True word and Gospell for this for these crying sins is it not lawfull for us to thinke at least yea to beleeve that thou in thy just judgement restrained and withheld from us the benigne influence of the Kings heart and hast so farre for a time at least for our humiliation given him up to be Seduced by the Prelates and their Romish faction and to be guided and led by their Councels as refusing to hearken to any true Information of his most loving and loyall Subjects whereof we have had of late lamentable experience he will rather hazard all his Kingdomes then either displease them or disobey their Councels But yet ô Lord seeing thy judgements are unsearchable and thy wayes past finding out we will not take upon us to judge in so deep a matter onely thou hast sayd you shall know them by their fruits But Lord the King saith He doth these things by his Prerogative Royall and Supreme Authority in Causes Ecclesiasticall Holy and Righteous Lord hast thou given to any mortall Creature to any Kings on Earth any such Prerogative Royall any such Supreme Authority over thy Church as to alter Religion at his pleasure or to confirme the alteration of the true Religion for others pleasure to make voyd by Edicts or Declarations the Saving Doctrines of thy word thy holy Commandements thine eternall Law or to sit in thy Throne over the Soules and Consciences of thy People captivating and oppressing them under the burthens of humane inventions and Superstitious Ceremonies Nay hast thou not expresly * forbidden thy People to subject their necks under any such yoake as being a denyall of thee our King and of our Redemption by thy precious blood Such usurpations therfore of man we doe ô onely Soveraigne of our soules even before Angels and men utterly renounce ‡ O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have had dominion over us but by thee onely will we make mention of thy Name And Lord be thou our Judge between us and our oppressors in this thing and give thy People holy courage and zeale to use all lawfull meanes for the upholding of this thy Sole Royall Soveraignty over our poor Soules and Consciences against all Antichristian usurpations to the contrary And last of all whereas our King saith that he hath called and given free leave to this Synod to treat and agree upon certaine other Canons necessary for the advancement of Gods Glory the edifying of his holy Church and the due reverence of his blessed Mysteries and Sacraments which words are taken out of the Act for Conformity in Queen Elizabeths Raigne If it shall clearly appeare by this our Complaint following that the things concluded in the said Synod be neither for the advancement of Gods glory nor the edifying of his Church nor the due reverence of Christs holy Mysteries and Sâ—â—raments but quite contrary then how the Kings Authority extends to the confirmation of those things therein so concluded do thou ô Lord Judge In the next place we present our Complaint before thee ô Lord touching the most materiall Canons concluded by the â—â—id Synod and confirmed by the King The first is Concerning the Regall power 〈…〉 〈…〉 or absolute as all Tyrannicall States as that of the Turke seeing the Kingdome of England is â—empered seasoned and conditioned with good Laws which are the ordinary rules of good and just Government of the Subject the due execution whereof in the administration of the Kingdome is an essentiall part of the Kingly â—ffice which cannot be seperated one from the other To this purpose King Iames in 〈…〉 * Speecâ—es in Parliament expresly distinguisheth between an absolute Monarchie not bounded with Laws but depending onely on the will of the Prince and the King of England who saith he doth by 〈…〉 that by Oath â—nter upon the Kingdome to of their Estates let him but call a Parliament and yeeld to the redressing of their heavy grievances and he shall find us
ENGLANDS COMPLAINT TO IESVS CHRIST AGAINST THE BISHOPS CANONS OF THE LATE SINFULL SYNOD A SEDITIOUS CONVENTICLE A PACKE OF HYpocriâ—ts a Sworne Confederacy a Traiterous Conspiracy against the true Religion of Christ and the Weale Publicke of the Land and consequently against the Kingdome and Crowne In this Complaint are Specified those impieties and insolencies which are most notorious Scaâ—tered through the Canons and Constitutions of the said Sinfull Synod And confuted by Arguments annexed hereunto Psal. 94. 20 21 c. O Lord shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischiefe by a Law They gather themselves together against the Soule of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood Esa. 3. 12 13. O my people they which lead thee cause thee to erre and destroy the way of thy paths The Lord standeth up to plead and standeth to judge the people Ezech. 22. 24 25 c. Thus saith the Lord Thou art the Land that is not cleansed nor rained upon in the day of indignation There is a Conspiracie of her Prophets in the midst thereof like a roaring Lion ravening the prâ—y they have devoured Soules Her Priests have violated my Law they have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths Her Princes in the midst thereof are like Wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and to destroy Soules to get dishonest gaine c. Printed Anno Dom. 1640. ENGLANDS COMPLAINT TO IESVS CHRIST AGAINST THE BISHOPS CANONS OTHE hope of * Israel the Saviour thereof in time of trouble why shouldest thou be as a Stranger in the Land and as a way-faring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied as a mighty man that cannot Save Yet thou ô Lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy Name leave us not Yea ‡ ô Lord though our iniquities testifie against us yet doe thou it for thy Names sake for our backeslidings are many we have sinned against thee And ‡ we know not what to doe but our eyes are towards thee § O look down from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holines and of thy glory where is thy zeale and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies towards me Are they restrained Doubtlesse thou art our Father thou ô Lord art our Redeemer thy Name is from everlasting †O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have had dominion over us but by thee only will we make mention of thy Name And now ô Lord we thy People inhabitants of this sinfull Land out of the depth of our miseries and from under the burthen of our manifold afflictions and oppressions which we worthily suffer for our iniquities from thy righteous handâ— for Thou hast * tryed us and melted us in the Fornace even as silver Thou hast brought us into the net Thou hast layd affliction upon our loynes Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads So as to whom shall we goe for * healing but to thee who hast smitten us to whom for binding up but to thee who hast broken and torne us we doe therfore in this our humbled estate present our complaint before thee the ‡ Iudge of all the world yea before Thee who hast a ‡ feeling of our infirmities having been in all things tempted like as we are yet without sinne to that end that we might come boldly to the throne of Grace and obtaine mercy and find grace to helpe in time of need And although we thy People have had of long time and still have much matter of complaint unto thy Righteous Throne yet now above all other when the Throne of Iniquity frameth mischiefe as by a Law For a Synod hath been by Authority of late holden wherein such things have been concluded and confirmed as tend to the utter rooting out of all true Religion and that under the vaile of deep hypocrisie double iniquity And now ô Lord give thy People leave even to spread this whole Synod before thee as once King Ezechâ—â—â— spread the blasphemous letter of the Enemy before the Lâ—rd And forasmuch as the said Synod hath been both called authorized and confirmed in all the Canons and Constitutions therof by the King as himselfe declareth by his own Act both before and after the said Canons wherein he professeth himselfe to be thy Deputy ô King of Kings and Lord of Lords we therfore think it our duty first to purge our selves of that staine of disloyalty and disobedience which the King chargeth us withall For they lay it to the charge of some of us at the least that we suspect our King of being perverted in a Superstitious way of Gods worship as if he intended to bring in some alteration of Religion in our Land against his sundry publicke Declartions and Sacred professions before Him whose Deputy saith he we are against all and every intention of any Popish Innovation Now for our parts we doe appeale to thy righteous judgement O searcher of all hearts whether we have been apt causelessely to suspect or surmise the least evill of our King but on the contrary have been ready to interpret all his actions in such a sense as perswading our selvs whatever things were amisse in Church or Common-weale or whatever Innovations brought in yea although under the name of Royall Authority yet the King was ignorant of them and his name therin abused by some bad Officers about him Yea how unwilling are we to this very day notwithstanding the late Synod so called and confirmed by the King to conceive the least sinister thought of him So as we are apt to thinke that those Innovations brought in since and under his Raigne have either crept in by stealth and by degrees without his knowledge or been craftily suggested as being no Innovations at all but rather renovations of the decayes of the old Religion so â—ulgarly called being induced thereunto by the ancient use thereof retained in some places of the Land since the Reformation as especially in the Roâ—all Chappels and Cathedralls though not confirmed by any Law as the use of Altars Images and the like But now when we see with open eyes to our hearts grief those things to be concluded as by a Law Canons of Prelats now being made binding Laws and so confirmed by the Letterâ— Patents of the King for him his Heires and lawfull Successors O Lord what shall we think Nay when we see a strict Oath injoyned and imposed upon all Ministers of what style or ranke soever and upon all graduates in the Universities c. to approve and preserve the Doctrine and Discipline or Government as it stands now established in the Church of England and knowing that by publick Acts Edicts Decrâ—es Declarations Books c. set forth and published in the Kings Name and patronized by his speciall Authority Royall the Sanctification of thy Christian Sabbaths the Morality of thy holy Commandements
also a Booke of one Shelford Priest whose 5 Treatises are notorious grosse popery with many other of the same branne or meale which have been published by Authority and never any of them yet called in And some that have been called in as Cozens Orisons and Salis his Devotions and others yet go currant up and down and are in every Papists pocket Now if these holy men of this Sacred Synod had intended indeed to suppresse the growth of Popery they should have caused heaps of bonefires to be made of the Bookes in Smithfield But in all things touching this point how ridiculously and palpably they have discovered their hypocrisie especially the President and Father of the Synod doe thou ô Lord judge The Fourth Canon is Against Socinianisme Behold here Lord another devise to set simples a wondering what this Monster Sociâ—â—isine should be which most men in England never so much as once heard named before and which England I hopeâ— is free enough from unlesse a certaine neighbour to it which they call â—rminianisâ—ne doe not hale it in as it hath done many other Heresiâ—s For as for the Remonsirants or Aâ—minians they professe society and communion with the Socimans rather then with the Orthodox Protestants whom they call Caâ—vinists Yea and in sundry of their Heresies they border neare upon them as maintaining Iustification by works and that we are not bound to beleeve that we shall rise againe with these our bodies glorified and the like So as doth not the Synod mistake the name Should they not have said against Arminianisme Or perhaps they name the Damnable and Cursed Heresie of Socinianisme both because they would make the people beleeve it is that which hath so much been cryed downe by Preachers under the Name of Arminianisme and yet they will save Arminianisme harmelesse to which they have been so much beholden and also because Arminianisme doth in many things Symbolize with Sccinianisme under which it may the more easily lye hid But for Arminianisine sake the President hath in a Declaration in the Kings Name before the 39 Articles made the Articles touching Grace Election Predestination c. to speake aswell in favour of it as of the truth it selfe Or would they prevent the contagion of Socinianisme as also of Arminianisme Call in those Orders which restraine young students in the Vniversitie for reading our Protestant Authors The Fifth Canon Against Sectaries In this Canon they name Seperatists whom especially they meane as indeavouring as they say the subversion of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England on these they lay load in good earnest indeed and on all those that shall print or publish Bookes especially against the Discipline and Government of the Church of England This is indeed their faire Goddesse Diana of which these Craftsmen who get their great Incomes by her are so jealous and doe so furiously thunder against the opposites And surely ô Lord if thou dost not at this time helpe they poore people who cannot with a good Conscience if but rightly informed hold communion with these men in their Discipline and under their Government must needs goe to wracke and be utterly spoyled they and theirs The Sixt Canon An Oath injoyn'd for the preventing of all Innovations in Doctrine and Government Ah Lord here is the filling up of the measure of all iniquity 〈…〉 ol all cruelty and tyranny When they have brought their plots to passe when established and setled their Innovations both in Doctrine and Government then these hypocrites come with 〈…〉 for the preventing of all Innovations in Doctrine and Government This for the Title of the Canon And that they may exalt their hypocrisie to the height that it may appeare to all men they further say This Present Synod being desirous to declare their sincerity and Constancâ— in the profession of the Doctrine and 〈…〉 in the Church of England and to secure all then against any suspicion of â—â—volt to Popery or any other Superstition Decrâ—es c. Now Lord can the hypocrisie of Rome it selfe in that Mystery of Iniquity packed up in the Councel of Trent surpasse this notorious hypocrisie of our English Prelates in this their Synod The vaile of their soule hypocriste is the pretence of Sincerity and Constancie in the profession of the Doctrine and Disâ—â—â—ine already established they have now already established a new Doctrine and Discipline in the Church of England and so they are desirous to declare their Sincerity and Constancie in the profession of the same O holy Lord who is able to deale with these impious hypocrites but thy selfe alone And now that they have â—â—tained their ends in a good measure for they do not meane to stay here till they have finished the Tower of Babel to its full height by degrees after a while they doe this to secure all men against any Suspicion of revolt to Popery or any other Superstition For when the Revolt to Popery and the Superstitions thereof is now in a good measure already made then would they have all men to be secure against any revolt to Popery But what need men to feare when the danger is already past and without remedie They have set up their Altars they gently intreat adoration thereunto and that by the same arguments that Papists use to colour over such Idolatry till they have learneâ— in fuller termes to expresse themselves with a We will and Command they have set up their Images and Crucifixes in Chappels and Cathedralls and that over the Altar for all other Churches to conforme thereunto they have published Bookes in English full of most grosse Romish Idolatry and Supersâ—tion they have cryed down the due Sanctification of the Christian Sabbath-day and have layd open the sâ—â—dgâ—tes to all proâ—anesse to breake in by publike â—â—â—spensation of profane Sports and Pastimes that so they make the Lords day the 〈◊〉 day and to make way for such profane Sports they have universally forbid all preaching in the â—â—â—ernoones upon thy Holy Day they have made thy holy Commandment for the keeping and Sanctifying of thy Day of none effect and that not onely by their profane practises but professedly by their Book 's published by Authority they have by Edicts made the Articles of Râ—â—â—â—gion of the Church of England concerning Grace to be of none authority they have set forth * Books wherein they professe that the Church of England and of Rome the whore of Babylon are one and the Same Church professing one and the same Faith and Religion and goe about to Father the Antichristian Iurisdictâ—â—â—n and Government of Prelates upon the Divin â—â—â—ution and upon the practise of thy holy Apostles and doe cry down the Authority of thy Sacred word as an insufficient witnesse to prove it selfe the word of â—od and as a dead and dumbe judge and insufficient to determine doubt and Controversies in points of Faith and so doe set up 〈◊〉 Authority above the Scripture they have
cast out all or most of those godly and painfull Minoâ—â—ers of thy word which were as so 〈◊〉 lights and pillars in the house of our God because they stood in the gappe and in the way of these men to hinder their wicked attempts in overthrowing of all true Religoon and if any good Ministers be yet left that have escaped their fingers here is a hellish plot will hurle them all out at a clappe these with many other their Innâ— vations they having now brought to passe now now would they have all men to be secure against any revolt to Popery Now they declare their constancie and Sincerity in the Doctrine and Discipline established And hereupon they proceed to their Synodicall Decree saying This present Synod decrees that all Archbishops and Bishops and all other Priests and Deacons in places exempt or not exempt shall take an 〈◊〉 against all Innâ—vations of Doctrine or Discipline And the 〈◊〉 I A. B. doe sweare that I doe approve the Doctrine and Discipline or Government established in the Church of England as containing all things necessary to Salvation And that I will not indeavour by my selfe or any other directly or indirectly to bring in mâ— Popish Doctrine contrary to that which is so established Nor will I ever give my assent to alter the Government of this Church by Archbishops Bishops Deanes and Archdeacons c. as it stands now established and as by right it ought to stand nor yet ever to Subject it to the usurpation and Superstitions of the Sea of Rome c. And if any shall refuse to take this Oath after the first moneth he shal be suspended from his Ministry after the second moneth from his Ministry and Benefice and after the third moneth deprived of all his Ecclesiasticall promotions whatsoever and execution of his function which he holds in the Church of England And so this Oath extends to all Graduates in Divinity Masters of Graduates or licensed practitioners in Law and Physicke all Registers Actuaries Proctors Schoolmasters all that enter into the Ministry or into a Benefice c. Thus Lord it is not suffiâ—â—â— for these men to alter both the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England as aforesaid and to make the Discipline and Government of Prelates more Antichristian then it was before by adding a new claime of Divine Authority to their Antichristian Iurisaâ—ction blasphemoully fatheriâ—g it upon thee but they must have all this Sealed with an Oath of all such Persons as aforesaid that so by so many conduâ—â— pipes the whole Land may be poysoned and at once universally enthralled under a most miserable bondage And now subscription which were too much and against all Law and Conscience is not sufficient For all Ministers and others of any degree forementioned must sweare to the ratifying of the 〈◊〉 of the Articles of Religion as aforesaid to the setting up and bowing to Altars with all the other Ceremonies and Innovations about them to the maintaining of an Anti christian Tyranny exercised by the Prelates under the name of Christ and his Apostles and so in Summe they must become Sworne vassals to these Tyrants and Sworne Enemies to thy Majesty and Kingly Soveraignty to thy word and Scepter to their owne Salvation and the Salvation of thy people and so proclaime themselves to all the world the most base and vile Slaves that ever the earth bred Yea the most of them such especially as know anything and this time of light admits of no plea for ignorance in any man must of necessity if at all they take this Oath Sweare against their own Consciences and so in no small degree sin against the Holy Ghost whereby their Sin becomes unpardonable when once their Conscience is â—eared to impenitencie and their selfe-damnation sealed up to destruction Besides all this if they looke upon temporall respects are they sure the King of this Land will be alwayes of the mind to maintain and continue such an Hierarchie What if God should be pleased in mercy to hiâ—Church to open the eyes of the King to let him see now he and his State is abused by this Generation of Prelates so as to â—â—ot them out Againe though the Office oâ—Kings be â—â—mortall yet their persons are not another King may succeed that is of another mâ—â—d And above all this we beleeve ô Lord that the intolerable outrages and high flown presumptions of these Prelates against thee and thy Church and against the whole State of the Land are most certaine cleare and immediate forerunners of their most fearefull ruine And therefore let thy feare ô Lord be upon all thy Ministers and People of the Land at this time and let thy grace be sufficient for them to arme them with a holy courage zeale magnanimity undaunted constant resâ—â—tion to stand out in a Christian defiance against this most damnable and desperate Oath least the taking of it bring certaine wrath upon the takers as the making and imposing of it shall certainly bring upon the makers and imposers of it to their utter destruction But alas ô Lord have not these Prelates already made way for an unwerâ—all admittance of this their Cursed Oath For where is fearce one good Minister left of a true bred masculine Spirit whom these men have not rid out of the way And those that be left are they not for the most part such as either preferre the fleshpots of Aegypt before Canaan Or such as have already deâ—â—led their Consciences with abâ—sing their Ministry to the publick obeying of wicked Commands of these their great Masters as in the publick reading the Booke of profane Sports on the Lords day forbearing to preach in the Afternoones admitting of Altars in their Churches and perhaps bowing unto them not 〈◊〉 to preach freely the Doctrines of Grace to the strengthening of the faith of Gods people and inflaming their love towards God as the 17th Article saith and to the confounding of the enemies of Grace and that cursed Faction that now raigneth So as Ministers having universally defiled their Consciences and abased their Ministry in these things for such as refused are already cast out are already prepared and sitted to doe any other baseâ— service that these their Masters shall command their Conscience being by this time made wide enough to swallow downe this monstrous and damnable Oath which could not possibly have been forged in any other Shop but in hell it selfe not by any other workmen but by Devils themselves in the likenesse of men But ô Lord thou who * onely art able to keep 〈◊〉 thine from saking and to â—â—reserve them faultlesse before the presence of thy glory with joy who * wilt keep him in perfect peace whose â—â—nd is stayd on thee because he trusteth in thee if thou hast a remnant left which have not received the marke of the Beast but have kept their garments pure or if any who through feare or humane frailty have abased themselves
now fixed sideway to the wall Yes for it is now an Altar yet not a true and proper Altar as whereon Christ is againe really Sacrificed no so the Papists in some sense will say for their Altars But what say they to this doe they not meane it is such an Altar as without which the Sacrifice or offering upon it it is not sanctifiedâ— Or is it not that Altar wherof the Apostle speaks * We have an Altar c If it be not that Altar why doe they suffer Dr. Pecklingtons Christian Altar so to passe under their Authority which saith that this Altar is necessary as without which no Sacrifice we offer is Sanctified And why doe they suffer other Bookes that say The Apostle meant this Altar when he said We have an Altar When therfore this Synod calls in and damnes these Bookes which by maintaining these Altars of wood and stone doe overthrow and deny the onely Altar Iesus Christ we may think that these men have some good meaning when they say that this Situation of the holy Table doth not imply that it is or ought to be esteemed a true and proper Altar whereon Christ is againe really Sacrificed But it is and may be called an Altar by us in that sence that the Primitive Church called it an Altar Now who knows how farre these men extend the Primitive Church Perhaps down to Innocent 3 who first established Transubstantiation now above foure hundred yeares agoe For as for the purest estate of the Primitive Church as in the Apostles times the Table of the Lord was never called an Altar at all properly or improperly The Scripture calls it only the Table of the Lord And some hundred yeares after the Apostles Câ—â—â—stâ—ans had no Altars at all no not in name which the Heathen did obiect unto them So as the Primitive Church in the purest time of it had not so much as the name of Altars And our Communion Booke doth not once name it an Altar How comes then this Synod to be so bold as to call the Table an Altar and teach that it is and may be so called And what if some Fathers called it so As they were a little too free though meaning no harme in their allegorising which the Romanists have made advantage of to advance their Idolatry And Lord thou shalt try the spirit of these men whether for the love they beare to Rome and to bring England to a perfect Reconciliation with her they affect to call it an Altar rather then a Table though the time is not yet ripe for them fully to manifest themselves and to display their Roman Colours in open fields But for us we ought not in any sense to call the Lords Table an Altar seeing the Scripture calls it onely a Table and never an Altar and seeing also it is an easie inducement to Popish Idolatry and Superstition to which use all Papists use it and which use this Synod by all signes shows it selfe easie to be intreated to bring up againe in the Church of England For in the next place they make an Order for rayling in this Altar to seperate it from the rest of the Church that none doe touch it as if it were more holy and the matter thereof more precious then any other part of the Church And by this meanes though they pretend the prevention of profanation yet they labour to beget in the Peoples minds some high and reverend opinion of this their Altar as of some extraordinary holy creature or rather divine thing that so they may with the more facility and lesse seâ—upâ—e be brought to yeeld adoration therunto when ever they but look upon it or approach it or passe by it of which they tell us more anon And the next thing is that all that will receive the Communion must come up to present themselves before this Altar upon their knees condemning the usuall manner of the Ministers carrying the bread and wine about the Church But they called this Altar a Table but even now and is it so suddainly swallowed up in an Altar as in stead of sitting about the Table which is Christs own ordinance and the proper use and posture of guests about a Table now men must kneele before the Altar as before some new God-Allmighty So as thine ordinance ô Lord is here quite perverted and from a Table-Communion turned into a Superstitious Altar-Service Whereas if the Table were set in the midst and the Communicants did come and sit round about it as many as could at a time and so did eat and drinke the Lords Supper this is Christs own ordinance but to come and kneele before an Altar this is not according to Christs ordinance nor is it aright to eat the Lords Supper at the Lords Table The last tging is after many faire pretences and preambles as of the Church the house of God dedicated to his holy worship to put us in mind of the greatnesse and goodnesse of his Divine Majesty and the like the Synod thinks it very behoofull that all doe reverence and obeysance both at their Coming in and going out of the Churches Chancels or Chappels c. And the motives which the Synod useth to perswade all People hereunto are sundry As 1. It is not with any intention to exhibit any religious worship to the Communion Table the East c. or in the Celebration of the holy Eucharist as they call it rather the Lords Supper upon any opinion of a corporall presence of Christs body there c. Now from these words though the Synod doe not expressely and directly Order that men in doing such reverence and obeysance do set their faces towards the Altar East-ward where it standeth yet we learne plainly their meaning to be so in that they say not with any intention to exhibit any religious worship to the Communion Table or East Ergo towards the Table or East men must doe reverence sâ— it be not with intention of Religious worship But by their leaves Intention or not intention so to bow so to doe reverence to or towards this or that place is no lesse then flat Idolatry whether it be done to the place it selfe or thereby to God For God will not be worshiped in or by either an Image or any representation of his Majesty or Divine presence as if God were fixed to this or that place all which is forbidden in the Second Commandement And being done to the creature as to the Table or Altar or towards the East being done in the Church which they say is the place of Gods worship must not all such externall worship there exhibited be a religious worship So as whether People intend any such thing or no as by doing obeâ—rsance to the Table to exhibit religious worship yet the worship it selfe so exhibited in the place of Gods worship is must needs be a religious yea and divine worship So as here is flat Idolatry committed by authority of this holy
Synod Or will they call this adoration for adoration it is a civil worship This is no lesse an absurdity and grosse profanation of things Sacred to give them a Civil worship Therfore seeing the Synod will needs have a worship so exhibited and this is not say they with any intention of a religious worship let them tell us what kind of worship they meane Unlesse their meaning be this that it may passe for a religious worship as of the body so the intention of the mind be wanting that so a man may commit Idolatry not yeelding a religious worship to the creature outwardly with his body so as his mind be free from intention that he meant no harme by it And the like reason there is for bowing or kneeling at the Communion this is a religious worship or adoration and it is done as to some imaginary corporall presence of Christ on the Table or to the Elements themselves or to the Table But to be done as to Christs corporall presence the Syâ—â—d would have that opinion forborne It remaines then that the adoration or religious worship to be done though not intended either to the Elements or to the Table or to the Altar or to the East for now all the Communicants are upon their knees all looking that way But say they secondly this worship is for the advancement of Gods Majesty and to give him alone that honour and glory that is due unto him Is it so And is it not then a Religious worship that is so exhibited that is done for the advancement of Gods Majesty and to give him alone that honour and glory that is due un to him Certainly this must needs be a Religious and Divine worship and that in a high degree And being so shall the Synod be ashamed or affraid to allow men an Intention of performing this Religious worship when it is for the aâ—vancement of Gods Majesty Will God accept of a Sacrifice that wants a heart Or how is God honoured by our Service when it is done without an Intention But here is yet a worse matter in it that marres the Synods intention for the advancement of Gods Majesty And that is All this worship call it what they will is a meere will-worship of which before and so of which God saith * In vaine they honour and worship me teaching for Doctrines the precepts of men And the Synop cannot but confesse that all this Court-Ceremony is the upshot of this their Canon and Constitution a Commandement of men therefore and so abominable in Gods worship and Service But thirdly This say they to wit this outward reverence in Gods worship must needs be pious in it selfe profitable unto us and edifying unto others Must needs Upon what necessity For first can that be pious in it selfe which God hath absolutely forbidden and condemned as abominable to be used in his Service And such is all invention of man in Gods worship as before Secondly Profitable to us say they Wherein profitable to us to disobey and dishonour God in our fancifull devises Or profitable in that sense wherein the Pharisees taught children to cast off all honour to their Parents Saying unto them ‡ It is a gift by whatsoâ—ver thou mightest be profited by me and honour not his Father or his Mother So how can that be ‡ profitable to us which is dishonourable to our heavenly Father And thirdly for Edifying unto others how Edifying Surely no other way but as the Apostle saith § If any man see thee that hast knowledge sitting in the Idols Temple shall not the Conscience of him that is weake dikodomethéseta be edified as the word properly signifieth that is imboldened to eat of things offered to Idols And just such Edifying unto others is this will-worship of the Synod whereby they being men of knowledge and learning doe edify or imbolden simple people to follow their practise and obey their Precept in giving reverence and obeysance in the Church that is religious worship to a stone Altar or wodden Table which is Idolatry though coloured over with never so specious and faire pretences as without any intention of a religious worship which is the ordinary apron of â—igleaves wherewith the woman of Rome would cover the nakednesse of such her †Spirituall fornications and filthinesse of her â—bominations But Fourthly This say they hath been the most ancient custome of the Primitive Church in the purest times and of this Church also for many yeares of the Raigne of Queen Elizabeth The reviving therfore of this ancient and laudable Custome we heartily commend to the serious Consideration of all good people How Hath this been the most ancient Custome of the Primitive Church in the purest times to common Idolatry with Stocks and Stones For what were those purest times of the Primitive Church Were they not the Apostles owne times Were not thâ—se the purest times of the Primitive Church And will they dare they say or much lesse can they prove that the Apostles or the Church in their time used any such custome Fy for shame that a Synod should dare without blushing to vent such abominable lyes For if they meane it of the times of the Church after the Apostles those certainly were not the purest times as wherein many Supersitions began quickly to grow up to strow the way for the coming of Antichrist the Mystery of Iniquity beginning to worke even in the Apostles dayes But this Devotion was of ancient custome in this Church also for many yeares of the raigne of Queen Elizabeth That 's true indeed I my selfe when I was a â—ad have seen old women very observant in such obesances towards the Eâ—st both coming in and going out of the Church They would not misse it But ye must undestand this was a place where they had not Scarce one Sermon in Seaven yeares So as it was no marvaile if still they walked in darknesse when they wanted the light to shine forth unto them in the preaching of the Gospel which where it comes in the vigour of it drives away all darknesse of errour and spirituall blindnesse as the * Sun arising chaseth the wild beasts into their dennes as David saith Insomuch as we have seen and known by abundant experience blessed be our God that in all places of the Kingdome where sound preaching hath been all such Superstition hath been packed out of the Church But this riddance could not be expected for some of the first yeares of Queen Elizabeth when the Land was but newly crope out of Popery and Preachers were but Scarce and the old race had not could not put away the old leaven or cast off the Slough of Popish Superstition And therefore the Synod saith truth in this that for some yeares yea in some places many of the Raigne of Queen Elizabeth which was towards the beginning of her Raigne these Superstitious customes were in use And had the Royall Chappels and Cathedralls had as