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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	administration_n	prayer_n	sacrament_n	2,563	5	7.2488	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48863	The harmony between the old and present non-conformists principles in relation to the terms of conformity, with respect both to the clergie, and the people : wherein a short history of the original of the English liturgy, and some reasons why several truly conscientious Christians cannot joyn with the church in it : humbly presented to publick consideration in order to the obtaining some necessary relaxation and indulgence : to which are added some letters that pass'd between the Lord Cecil, and Arch-bishop Whitgift.	Lobb, Stephen, d. 1699.; Whitgift, John, 1530?-1604.; Burghley, William Cecil, Baron, 1520-1598.	1682 (1682)	Wing L2726; ESTC R23045	77,527	105

be to all according to the Rubrick and Canon or only to some part But If the latter it will not satisfie the Church for by refusing to be present at any part thereof they are to be denyed the Lord's Supper and if when call'd to shew their reason of such their refusal they speak any thing against either the Service it self or any Ceremonies or Rites in use they are by an Ipso facto Excommunication Excommunicated according to the 4th and 6th Canons whereby to some it seems apparent that unless their Conformity be full and compleat they are as lyable to the displeasure and censure of the Church as if they had not at all conform'd The Minister must read all required and the people must joyn with him in it or be expos'd to the severe lash of Ecclesiastical Fulminations but this many a Dissenter cannot do neither doth every Conformable Minister in this respect actually conform to the Canon 'T is true every Minister according to the import of the second Article unto which he that subscribes is oblig'd to use the form in the said book prescribed in Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and no other The which was expresly enjoyn'd all Ministers primo Eliz. Where 't is said That all and singular Ministers in any Parish Church or other place within the Realm of England shall be bounden to say and use all their Common and Open Prayer in such order and form as is mentioned in the said Book and none other or otherwise that is sayes Dr. Heylin neither before nor after Sermon no other prayer unless the bidding of prayer with the alone use of the Lord's Prayer is allowed by the Canon That this is the sense of the Church of England how contrary soever the practice of her Sons generally is will appear with conviction to such as soberly consider that the weightyest arguments which are produc'd to prove the usefulness of a publique Liturgy are fetch'd from such Topicks as necessarily inferr the unlawfulness of a publique praying ex tempore or by a form of a private Ministers Composing One great Argument is given us by Mr. Hutton in the words of the Counsell of Melevis which is that a publique Liturgy approv'd of either by a Council or Synod must be used least any thing peradventure be otherwise framed contrary unto Faith either by ignorance or for want of study or due meditation or as others add least those Ministers who pray ex tempore or use a set form of their own composing should be Immethodical in their Prayers using Tautologies or having in 'em Nonsense and several uncomely slips beside 't is added that we must use a publique Liturgy that the prayers of the several Congregations within this Realm may be sent up unto God in the same words c. All which is against the use of all free Prayer or Prayers Compos'd by the Minister himself for which reason many are of an opinion that the Liturgy was design'd to be instead of all other prayer the which seems to be the meaning of the 14th Canon where 't is exprest that there must be an using the Liturgy without either diminishing in regard of Preaching or any other respect or adding any thing either in the matter or form thereof But that many among the Dissenters cannot satisfie themselves in abiding by a form of prayer thus erected to the publique disuse of the gift of prayer is very certain see Dr. Collins on this Subject Though there are some circumstances wherein a form of prayer is lawfull namely when the person whose duty 't is to pray in publique has not a gift in that case to use a form is much better than not to pray at all which is enough to shew that the using a form of prayer is not in it self unlawfull seeing if it had been so it could never be a duty However to set up a form in opposition to the publique use if spiritual or free prayer is in the opinion of some not only a practice unknown to the Church for several hundred years but moreover contrary to the present dispensation of the Spirit 1. They assert that the imposing a publique Liturgy thus is a practice that was unknown to the Church for several hundred years The Reverend and Judicious Mr. Baxter in his Search for the English Schismatick asserts That no One Liturgy was imposed on any National Church or any Patriarchal for many hundred years after the Apostles dayes yea and after Constantine but every Bishop or Pastor was the chooser of his words and practice and as others a publique Liturgy was not Universally impos'd untill Antichrist did arise by the power of whose might Gregories Liturgy in contempt of that of Ambrose was impos'd on the Churches which Liturgy was not received from the Apostles nor in many years after but some part had its rise from Pope Sixtus the First another from Celestin c. as Platina in the lives of Sixtus Celestin and Gregory does assert Furthermore Bellarmine himself does acknowledge that the Bishops of particular Churches ever had allowed 'em a power of making Offices for their own Churches which point of Bellarmine is confirmed by uncontroulable evidences in this our own Country where untill the time of the Reformation there was great diversity in saying and singing in Churches some following Salisbury use and some Hereford some the use of Bangor and some that of York and others the use of Lincoln All which were suppressed by Edward the 6th in order to the carrying on a farther Reformation in the Room of which Offices one only was set up as what did most effectually answer the great design of our worthy Reformers which was the promoting a thorough Reformation with as much speed as the badness of those times would bear it 2. As 't is thus evident that there was no publique form of prayer impos'd on any particular Church the first 300 years nor Universally till Antichrists appearing in the World and that even then particular Churches enjoy'd the liberty of forming Offices for their own particular Churches in like manner the erecting any one publique form in opposition to the publique use of the Gift of Prayer is so contrary to the Gospel dispensation which is the dispensation of the Spirit that the Divines of the Church of England cannot but by their practice discover their dislike of such impositions They do not therefore adhere so firmly unto these forms but that before Sermon they use some of their own Composing which is a sufficient demonstration that praying extempore or the publique use of a prayer Compos'd by a Minister in private is neither unlawfull nor inexpedient and that the Arguments produc'd from the absurdities of such a practice to prove the usefulness of a publique Liturgy are not cogent enough to command their assent the which cannot but countenance and justifie the Dissent of the Non-Conformists as they refuse to conform unto the Liturgy as 't is enjoyn'd as the

aside the Translation that is most exactly agreeable to the Original and use one that is not only imperfect absurd and senseless but in some things so contrary to the Original But some Dissenters think that their Conformity in this respect cannot but prove pernicious to the Christian Religion as it casts a reproach not only on the last and best translation but even on the Original it self They know how jealous God is about his word unto which no additions diminutions or alterations can be made but to the provoking the most high and the wounding their Consciences and therefore are afraid to conform Argument III. III. The third Argument doth more immediately concern the very Service it self unto which the Dissenters refuse to Conform because of that similitude likeness and agreement there is between it and the formes of Prayer which the Papists use That the Reader may be the more fully acquainted with the true State of this controversie about the agreeableness there is between the English and Roman Service Books and what 't is the Dissenters aim at by their insisting so very much on it I must shew 1. What they say concerning the agreableness that is supposed to be between these Service Books 2. How this came to pass What occasion'd our adhering so closely to the Popish Service Book even when we forsook their Communion 3. The Reasonings of some Dissenters from that agreeableness is suppos'd to be between these two books against the English Service First What they say concerning the agreableness that is suppos'd to be between these two Service books The Dissenters do out of King Edward's Letter unto the Devonshire and Cornish Rebels give this following account of it namely As for the Service in the English Tongue thus manifest reasons for it and yet perchance it seemeth to you a new Service and indeed is none other but the old the self same words in English which were in Latine The difference is that you our Subjects should understand in English that which before was spoke in Latine If the Service of the Church was good in Latine it remaineth good in English for nothing is alter'd but to speak with knowledge that which was spoke with ignorance Furthermore these Dissenters add as I find in their Anatomy of the Service Book That every piece and parcel of the Liturgy word for word is out of these Popish peices namely the Breviary out of which the Common Prayers are taken the Ritual or book of Rites out of which the Administration of the Sacraments Burial Matrimony visitation of the sick are taken The mass-Mass-book out of which the consecration of the Lord's Supper Collects Epistles and Gospels are taken As for the book of ordination of Arch-bishops Bishops and Ministers that is out of the Roman Pontifical These things being so whoever pleads for the English Service book doth so far defend the Romish Mass-book not that 't is a defence of the whole Romish Service for in the Anatomy of the Service Book 't is acknowledged that every thing in the Mass-book is not in our Liturgy though all that is in our Liturgy is word for word in the Mass-book But so far as our Liturgy is defended so far that part of the Romish Service is defended for which reason the greatest Champions who among our Church men have most zealously written in defence of the Liturgy and have been consider'd by the Church of Rome as men who have done great Service to the Roman Religion Thus Whitgift and Hooker have had their applauses from the Romanists 'T is not unworthy observation to find Arch-Bishop Whitgift reproaching Cartwright and the Dissenters as a people eminently serviceable to the Papist and Dean Stilling fleet to give the utmost countenance he could thereunto whereas the truth is that that on which Whitgift grounds his censure will not bear it and though none of Dean Stilling fleet 's adversaries have taken any notice of it that I can find yet Whitgift himself is the man who has had from the Jesuites great thankes for what he has written against Dissenters in defence of the English Service and Discipline That Whitgifts Censure concerning the Dissentes subserviency to Popish designes is groundless being rather the product of his indiscreet passions than of sound arguings is evident in that the great reason given to shew that the Dissenters are the Papists promoters is because they assert that the Papists ought not to be compel'd to receive the Supper of the Lord so long as they continue in their Popery that is they ought not to act contrary to their Conscience nor dissemble with Almighty God by professing themselves to be Protestants even when they are really and in heart Papists whether this be to gratifie the Papist let the impartial Reader judge But that Whitgift has gratify'd the Papist in his writings against Dissenters I 'll evince by producing what the learned Parker in his Ecclesiastical policy lib. 1. chap. 33. insists on in answer to this objection of Whitgift Bancroft and others where he shews how William Reignolds the Jesuit asserts that John Whitgift in his discourse against Cartwright has defended the Catholick Cause and accordingly the said Reignolds in the preface against Whitaker makes great use of Whitgift and in the book it self he sends Mr. Whitaker unto Dr. Whitgift for a supply of reasons for the confirming their notion about putting of our caps and making curtesie at the hearing the Name of Jesus Scultinyns and Stapleton give the same Character both of the writings of Whitgift and Bancroft against the Puritanes even as Gretzer the Jesuit triumphs in Saravias and Sutcliff's defence of the Episcopal Authority in Civils And as Whitgift even so Hooker for the service done the Church of Rome by what they have writ in defence of the worship and discipline of the Church of England hath had the praises of the Romanists This Mr. Walton in the life of Hooker has observ'd which is no more than what Dr. King Bishop of Chichester was acquainted with as he himself expresses in a letter to honest Isaac I am glad you mention sayes the Bishop how much value Robert Stapleton Pope Clement the 8th and other eminent men of the Romish perswasion have put upon this book having been told the same in my youth by persons of worth that have travelled Italy And what doth this discover less than that such is the agreement between the Service and Discipline of the Church of England and that of Rome that whoever pleads for the one defends the other Furthermore in the Anatomy of the Service Book we are furnished with an Historical Account of the Papists approving our Liturgy There be sayes the Author thereof abundance of instances for the Papists approving our Liturgy witness Mortons Appeal Pope Pius the 4th and Gregory the 13th offered to Queen Elizabeth to confirm the English Liturgy Witness Dr. Abbot then Prelate of Canterbury and Mr. Cambden in the life of Queen Elizabeth who

sayes the common fame went for truth that the Pope promised to confirm out of his own authority the English Liturgy provided her Majesty should rank her self with the Roman Church To thefe I adjoyn Dr. Boyes who was a bitter expositor of the English Liturgy as Heiga by the Doctors of Dowayes appointment was of the Mass after he hath whetted his teeth upon the Schismaticks in his Epistle to Bancroft he produceth the letter of Pope Pius for the approbation of the Service Book and notes also the Testimony of approbation from Bristow in his motives Queen Elizabeth being interdicted by the Popes Bull. Secretary Walsingham wrought so that he procured two Intelligences to be sent from the Pope as it were in secret into England to whom the Secretary appointed a State Intelligencer to be their Guide who shew'd them London and Canterbury service in all the pomp of it which the popish Intelligencers viewing and considering well with much admiration they wondred that their Lord the Pope was so ill advised or at least ill informed as to interdict a Prince whose Service and Ceremonies so Symobiliz'd with his own and therefore returning to Rome they possest the Pope that they saw no Service Ceremonies or Orders in England but they might very well serve in Rome whereupon the Bull was recalled to this also Doctor Carrier consid p. 45. a dangerous seducing Jesuit gives ample evidences The Common Prayer book saith he and the Catechism contained in it held no point of Doctrine expresly contrary to Antiquity that is as he explaineth himself contrary to the Romish Service c. Much more might be spoke to this purpose but I wave it judging that what hath been already offer'd is sufficient to evince that there is at least in the judgment of many a very great agreableness between the two service books 2. What is it that occasion'd the Church of Englands adhering to so great a part of the Romish Service Book even when she forsook the Communion of that Church Whoever considers the State of the Church in Edward the sixth his time will find that Cranmer and others discover'd a propension to drive on the Reformation much farther than they did but were hindred by the iniquity of the times Thus Bullinger as I find it in a difcourse of the troubles of Franckford reports to Mr. Williams Whittingham Gilby and others that Cranmer Bishop of Canterbury had drawn up a book of Prayers an hundred times more perfect than this we now have but the same could not take place for that Cranmer was matched with a wicked Clergy and Convocation with other enemies There were also reasons of a like nature that might hinder the furtherance of the reformation in Queen Elizabeths dayes for even then the ignorance of the vulgar accompanied with a proportionable hatred to true Religion was very great Whence 't is that Cambden assures us that the change of Religion was not suddenly made but by little and little by degrees for the Roman Religion continued in the same State it was first a full Month and more after the death of Queen Mary The 27th of December it was tolerated to have the Epistles and Gospels the Ten Commandments the Symbole the Litany and the Lords Prayer in the vulgar Tongue The 22 of March the Parliament being Assembled the order of Edward the sixth was re-established and by act of the same the whole use of Lord's Supper granted under both kinds The 24th of June by the Authority of that which concern'd the Uniformity of Publique Prayers and Administration of the Sacraments The Sacrifice of the Mass was abolished and the Liturgy in the English Tongue more and more Established In the Month of July the Oath of Allegiance was proposed to the Bishops and other persons and in August Images were thrown out of the Temples and Churches and broken and burn'd Furthermore as the illness of the times did impeed a sudden Reformation in like manner the moderate temper and favourable disposition the Queen had to some part of Popery was such as hindred a full Reformation whereupon it was not so far carryed on by this Queen as 't was sometime before by her Brother Edward the sixth That Queen Elizabeth had a natural propension to favour some part of Popery is not only manifest from her I hope Conscientious conforming so far in Queen Maries dayes as to hear Divine Service according to the rule in the Romish Church and her oft going to confession and afterwards when she came to the Throne her choosing to be Crown'd by a Popish Bishop according to the order of the Roman Pontifical which had so much in it of the Ceremonies and Superstitions of the Church of Rome that 't is thought very probable the Protestant Bishops would not act in it but with great alterations and that therefore she desired 'em not to be ingaged in it But beside this Dr. Burnet gives us the same Character I have suggested for sayes he in his History of the Reformation Queen Elizabeth receiving some impressions in her Fathers Reign in favour of such Old Rites as he had still retain'd and in her own Nature loving State and some Magnificence in Religion as well as in every thing else she thought that in her Brother's Reign they had stript it too much of External Ornaments and had made their Doctrine too narrow in some points therefore she intended to have some things explained in more general Termes that so all parties might be comprehended by them She inclin'd to keep up Images in Churches and to have the manner of Christ's presence in the Sacrament left in some general words that those who believed the Corporal presence might not be driven away from the Church by too nice an explanation of it So far Dr. Burnet In pursuance of these resolves the Queen attempts the accommodating matters of Religion so unto the Romish Clergy as to take 'em into the Communion of the Church of England the which end as Dr. Heylin affirmes she so effectually compass'd that for several years the Papists continued in the Communion of the Church and when they did forsake it it was not because they approved not of our Liturgy but upon political considerations and because the Councill of Trent had commanded it and Pope Pius the 5th had Excommunicated the Queen and discharg'd her Subjects from their Allegiance and made the going or not going to Church a sign distinctive to difference a Roman Catholick from an English Protestant I 'll give you the words of Dr. Heylin they are in his History of Queen Elizabeth There past another Act for recommending and imposing the book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments according to such alteration and corrections as were made therein by those who were appointed to revise it as before is said In the pursuance of which service there was great care taken for expunging all such passages in it as might give any scandal or offence to the

Popish party or be urg'd by them in excuse for their not coming to Church and joyning with the rest of the Congregation in God's publique worship In the Litany first made and published by King Henry the Eight and afterwards continued in the two Liturgies of King Edward the sixth there was a Prayer to be deliver'd from the Tyranny and all the detestable enormities of the Bishops of Rome which was thought fit to be expung'd as giving matter of scandal and disaffection to all that party or that otherwise wish'd well to that Religion In the First Liturgy of King Edward the Sacrament of the Lord's Body was deliver'd with this benediction that is to say the body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for the preservation of thy Body and Soul to Life Everlasting The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ c. which being thought by Calvin and his Disciples to give some countenance to the gross and carnal presence of Christ in the Sacrament which passeth by the name of Transubstantiation in the School of Rome was alter'd into this form into the second Liturgy that is to say take and eat this in remembrance that Christ dyed for thee and feed on him in thy heart by faith with Thanksgiving Take and drink this c. But the Revisers of the book joyn'd both formes together least under colour of rejecting a carnal they might be thought also to deny such a real presence as was defended in the writings of the antient fathers Upon which ground they expung'd also a whole Rubrick at the end of the Communion Service by which it was declared that kneeling at the participation of the Sacrament was required for no other reason than for the signification of the humble and gratefull acknowledging of the benefits of Christ given therein unto the worthy Receiver And to avoid that prophanation and disorder which otherwise might have ensued and not for giving any adoration to the Sacramental Bread and Wine there bodily received or in regard of any real and essential presence of Christ's Body and Blood And to come up closer to the Church of Rome it was ordered by the Queens injunctions that the Sacramental Bread which the book required onely to be made of the finest Flower should be made round in fashion of the wafers used in the time of Queen Mary She also order'd that the Lord's Table should be placed where the Altar stood that the accustomed reverence should be made at the name of Jesus Musick retained in the Church and all the old festivals observ'd with their several Eves By which complyances and the expunging of the passages before remembred the book was made so passable amongst the Papists that for ten years they generally repair'd to their Parish Churches without doubt or scruple as is affirm'd not only by Sir Edward Cook in his Speech against Garnet and his charge given at the Assizes held at Norwich but also by the Queen her self in a Letter to Sir Francis Walsingham then being her Resident or Leiger Embassador in the Court of France the same confessed by Sanders also in his book de Schismate To this Heylin within a few years following adds And now we may behold the face of the Church of England as it was first setled and established under Queen Elizabeth The Government of the Church by Archbishops and Bishops The Liturgy conform to the primitive patterns and all the Rites and Ceremonies therein prescribed accommodated to the honour of God and encreafe of piety The Festivals preserved in their former Dignity observ'd with all their distinct Offices peculiar to them and celebrated with a Religious Concourse of all sorts of people the weekly Fasts the Holy time of Lent the Embring weeks together with the Fast of the Rogation severely kept by a forbearance of all kind of flesh not now by virtue of the Statute as in the time of King Edward but as appoynted by the Church in her publique Calendar before the book of Common Prayer the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper celebrated in most reverend manner the Holy Table seated in the place of the Altar the people making their due reverence at their first entrance into the Church kneeling at the Communion the confession and the publique prayers standing up at the Creed the Gospels and the Gloria Patri and using the accustomed reverence at the name of Jesus Musick retain'd in all such Churches in which provision had been made for the maintenance of it or where the people could be trained up at least to plain Song All which particulars were either Established by the Lawes or commanded by the Queens injunctions or otherwise retained by virtue of some antient usages not by Law prohibited Nor is it much to be admired that such a general Conformity to those antient usages was constantly observ'd in all Cathedrals and the most part of the Parish Churches considering how well they were presidented by the Court it self in which the Liturgy was Officiated every day both morning and evening not only in the publick Chappel but the private Closet celebrated in the Chappell with Organs and other Musical Instrments and the most excellent voices of men and children that could be got in all the Kingdom The Gentlemen and Children in their Surplices and the Priests in Copes as oft as they attended the Divine Service at the Holy Altar The Altar furnished with rich Plate two fair Gilt Candlesticks with Tapers in them and a Massy Crucifix of Silver in the midst thereof which last remained there for some years till it was broke in peices by Pach the fool no wiser man daring to undertake such a desperate Service at the sollicitation of Sir Francis Knolles the Queens near Kinsman by the Caries and one who openly appeared in favour of the Schism at Franckford The antient ceremonies accustomably observ'd by the Knights of the Garter in their Adoration towards the Altar abolished by King Edward the 6th and reviv'd by Queen Mary were by this Queen retain'd as formerly in her Fathers time for which she received both thankes and honour from her very enemies i. e. the Papists as appeares by Harding's Epistle Dedicatory before his answer to the Apology c. So far Heylin Thus from what the sons of the Church Cambden Burnet and Heylin have affirm'd 't is apparent that Queen Elizabeth had a natural propension to favour the Papists and that this was discover'd by her making the Termes of Communion much more easie to the Papists than in King Edward's time whereby they became the more difficult and arduous to the Protestant Dissenter I 'll only add one observation of the Jesuit Reignold against Whitaker whereby the Reader may perceive not only that the Papists take notice how the practice of the Church of England contradicts their Rubrick but also that in the Rubrick concerning Apparel which is now to be found in the Communion Book even the beginning before morning prayer 't is order'd That the Minister

Principles which lead to it and must this poor pack of Cards be condemn'd to the Flames for the Ingenuity of the Author So far our Author Who should have said and may not this pack of Cards so like unto other humane significant Ceremonies or Sacramentals be appropriated unto the solemn Worship of God May not the Minister and People in the midst of solemn VVorship apply themselves to those Cards seeing they in their play turning 'em frequently over may be excited to an utter abhorrence of Treason and whether any sober Divine of the Church of England would so far approve of the appropriating this indifferent but significant Ceremony namely this pack of Cards to their solemn Religious VVorship is not difficult to determine To return to what Mr. Bradshaw adds who speaking of the above mention'd Ceremonies saies There is none of these but may have applyed unto them by the VVit of Man a Mystical and Religious Sense even the filthiest Actions and things that are may teach good Doctrine The Holy Ghost resembleth the Soul polluted with Sin to a Menstruous Cloth A man fallen again into Sin to a Sow wallowing in the Mire Might therefore a filthy Sow and such unclean Clothes be brought into the Church to be visible Shadows and representations of such things Pray what may not by this means be brought into Gods VVorship and yet by this reason he defended to be a good Ceremony if the Magistrates and Bishops should decree the same A Minister clothed with such Apparel as those that Act the Devils part in a play may teach this That by Nature we are Limbs of Satan and Fire-brands of Hell Bear-baiting may teach us how Christ was baited before the Tribunals of the Pharisees or the Combate between the Flesh and the Spirit But shall these be therefore appropriated to God's Worship Thus no good Argument may be fetch'd either from the indifferency or significancy of Ceremonies for their lawfulness in God's worship though commanded by the Magistrate For notwithstanding the utmost can be said from either of these Topicks there will not as Dissenters think be enough to ballance what is offer'd against the lawfulness of the Ceremonies or of a complyance with 'em in God's Worship On the which I have the rather insisted because the hot Sons of the Church by adheering over zealously to significant Ceremonies which are considered because of their being in their own nature indifferent as very harmless do but open the way to the letting in an over-running flood of Popish Ceremonies against which the Zealots for Ceremonies have nothing to offer because the Ceremonies they impose are in their own nature indifferent and very significant instructive of good Doctrine stirring up the peoples dull minds to their duty and enjoyned by publick Authority but of this more in the reasons against the appropriating humane significant Ceremonies to the worship of God The which I 'll give the Reader out of the Abridgment the Authors of which assert them to be unlawfull because 1. The Second Commandment forbids us to make to our selves the likeness of any thing whatsoever for Religious use And so is this Commandment understood by Bucer Virell Dr. Fulk and others 2. Christ is the only Teacher of his Church and appointer of all means whereby we should be taught and admonished of any Holy Duty and whatsoever he hath thought good to teach his Church and the means whereby he hath perfectly set down in the Holy Scriptures so that to acknowledge any other means of teaching and Admonishing us of our duty than such as he hath appointed is to receive another Teacher into the Church besides him and to confess some imperfection in those Means he hath ordained to teach us by Our Saviour by this Argument amongst others Condemns the Jewish purifyings and and Justifieth himself and his Disciples in refusing that Ceremony because being the precept of men it was taught and used as a Doctrine by way of signification to teach what inward purity should be in them and how they ought to be cleansed from the pollutions of the Heathen And so we find this place interpreted by Chrysostom whose Judgment also is alleadged and approved by Dr. Whitaker the Church of Wittemberge Calvin Virell Zeipperus Dr. Fulke Dr. Reinolds and others This Reason we find alleadged by such Divines as have been of chief credit in the Church of Christ namely Mr. Calvin Chemnitius Lavater Dr. Fulke and others So to them that say Images may stand in Churches as helps to stir up Devotion and to put Men in remembrance of good things It is answered by Peter Martyr Gualier Lavater Vrsinus Polanus and others that the Lord himself hath appointed means enough to do that and that no means may be used to that end but such as he hath Ordained So the Churches of France and Flanders in their Observations upon the harmony of Confessions gives this Reason against all Mystical Ceremonies that they are parts of the Holy Doctrine and Dr. Andrews alleadgeth this for the first Root of all Superstition and Idolatry that men thought they would never have admonitions and helps enough to stir them up to VVorship God yet God saith he had given four means viz. The Word written the Word Preached the Sacraments and the great Book of the Creatures 3. This gives unto Ceremonies a chief part of the Nature of Sacraments when they are appointed to teach or Admonish us by their Signification This is affirmed and given as a reason against Significant Ceremonies by Augustine the Churches of France and Flanders in their Observations upon the harmony of Confessions Calvin Martyr Beza Sadcel Danaeus Zepperus Polanus Bishop Jewel Dr. Humfry and others 4. In the time of the Law when God saw it good to teach his Church by significant Ceremonies none might be brought into or received in the Worship of God but such only as the Lord himself did institute This reason is used against the Popish Ceremonies by ●alvin Junius Lubbertus and others 5. It is much less lawful for man to bring significant Ceremonies into Gods Worship now than it was Under the Law For God hath abrogated his own not only those that were appointed to prefigure Christ but such also as served by their signification to teach moral Duties so as now without great Sin none of them can be continued in the Church no not for signification Of this Judgment were the Fathers in the Councel of Nice and Austin Martyr Bullinger Lavater Hospinian Piscator Cooper Bishop Westphaling and others And if those Ceremonies that God himself ordained to teach his Church by their signification may not now be used much less may those which man hath devised This Reason our Divines hold to be strong against Popish Ceremonies namely Calvin Bullinger Hospinian Arcularius Virell Dr. Bilson Dr. Rainolds Dr. Willet and others Yea this is one main Difference which God hath put between the State of that Church under the Law and this