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A77288
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A sermon of the blessed sacrament of the Lords Supper; proving that there is therein no proper sacrifice now offered; together with the disapproving of sundry passages in 2. bookes set forth by Dr. Pocklington; the one called Altare Christianum, the other Sunday no Sabbath: formerly printed with licence. By William Bray, Dr. of Divinity. Now published by command.
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Bray, William, d. 1644.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing B4316; Thomason E157_8; ESTC R22819
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22,195
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69
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in regard of the due sanctification of it in that it ought no lesse to be kept holy for the Exercise of the works of Pietie and Charitie in it then the Iewish Sabbath in this regard by way of Allusion it is and may be fitly call'd a Sabbath and the Christian Sabbath And now to come to the End of my Comming hither at this time The Right Honourable the Lords Spirituall and Temporall in the high and Honourable Court of Parliament now assembled by an Order bearing date the twelfth of March last have injoyn'd mee to make a Sermon in this Place upon this day and in my Sermon to make a confession of my errour in Licensing and approving of two Books made by Doctor Pocklington the one called Altare Christianum the other Sunday no Sabbath which Books by their Lordships Censure are justly commanded to bee burn'd And here that I may give the fuller satisfaction I have receiv'd from my Lord Bishop of Lincolne a Copy of some mayn erroneous and offensive passages in the said two Books and the places pointed out in the Margin upon most whereof their Lordships proceeded in their just Censure and Condemnation of those Books and all which I am by order from their Lordships here to disapprove as I willingly doe all these passages following The Assertions of ALTARE CHRISTIANVM disapproved by Doctor Bray the Licencer of that Book ⧠At Saint Margarets in Westminster the eleventh of Aprill 1641. 1. THe verie Title is offensive Preface because there is no Christian Altar but the Crosse of Christ 2. He saith in scorn Pag 4. and detestation of Lectures that Master Cotton was never Parson Vicar nor Curate but Lecturer of Boston which is false for he was always Vicar of that place and no Lecturer 3. When he proves out of Saint Ambrose de Sacramentis lib. 4. cap. 3. That the Christians were more ancient then the Iews To fetch in the Antiquitie of his Christian Altar he leaves out Saint Ambrose his qualification Sed nos in praedestinatione illi in nomine That Christians were first in Gods Predestination but not in Compellation Which is not fairly done And forgets that Pag. 32. he meant to say That Christianitie began but in the Raigne of Tiberius 4. Hee falsly interprets that place of the 1 Cor. 9.13 Pag. 6. of the Priests in the new Testament which are to live by the Altar which is spoken clearly of the Leviticall Priest that cuts up and divides the Legall Sacrifices 5. He saith Pag 9. That Christians are in a miserable case that think they can offer as good and effectuall spirituall Sacrifices to God as the Priest Which is false and Popish for all true Christians are Priests in regard of most spirituall Sacrifices And he confesseth it himselfe Pag. 127. 6. He teacheth falsly Pag. 14.15 that in the Christian Church there are materiall and proper and not Metaphoricall Altars only 7. He saith Pag 28. that close and exalted Pews are prophane and were detested by the Church of God Which is but his foolish and fond conceit And expounds that place of Heb. 13.10 Wee have an Altar of the Lords Table which place is not to be so interpreted literally but of Christ himself as hee confesseth in the next Page 8. He saith we have true reall earthly Pag. 9. 72. and materiall Altars VVhich is false 9. Hee quotes a passage out of the Letter Pag 30. which is not there but in Bishop Iewels works to prove there were no materiall Churches in the Primitive times VVhich is but a base and unworthy dealing and great Arrogancie for a private man to confute a booke recommended by authoritie to all the Churches of England and to say it maintains a falshood Pag. 34. 10. He saith that we were miserable Pag. 50. if the now Archbishop of Canterbury could not derive his Succession from S. Austin meaning Austin the Monk Austin from Gregory and Gregory from S. Peter And a little before he saith that if in Cathedrall Churches there were no materiall Chaires for Bishops to be Inthronized there were no Succession in Faith and Doctrine from the Apostles Which is both false and foolish 11. He broacheth two points of Popery Pag. 65. not maintained by the Church of England First That nothing in Baptisme is rightly done unlesse we adde thereunto the signe of the Cross Secondly that men are not full Christians unlesse they be Confirmed by the Bishop VVhich is Popish and erroneous 12. He scandalizeth our Church as having Lecturers Pag 71. which never take Orders and falsly quotes the Letter for that which speaks not a word Pro or Con. in that Matter 13. Hee wrests Saint Cyprian and all Antiquitie to say Pag. 75.76 174 that where there is no Altar there is no Eucharist or Communion VVhich in it self is altogether untrue 14. Hee cals his Altar the Holy of Holyes Pag. 83. which smels of Iudaisme 15. He boldly corrects the Rubrick Pag. 86. that appoints the Communion Table to stand in the Chancell or bodie of the Church And denies a power to the Ordinary to place it in the body of the Church VVhich is a high offence against the Rubrick and the Act of Parliament that confirmes the same 16. Hee saith Pag. 89. that Bishop Iewels works against Harding differ from the Articles and Canons of our Church Which is scandalous especially when it is not shewed wherein 17. Those VVriters Pag. 114. who attest the truth of the Reformed Religion this man averres to be called by Illyricus the VVitnesses of the truth with reproach of truth and of Christian Religion VVhich is neare unto blasphemie And in the same place Iohn Fox his Calendar or an Extract thereof is said to be full of Traitours Murtherers Rebels and Hereticks And no better Saints then Penty Hacket and Legat. VVhich is a base and unworthy expression And whose Martyrs hee points at you may see Pag. 135. 18. He saith Pag. 120 121. 169. the Bishop of Lincolne did order the setting of the Lords Table Altar-wise Which that Bishop utterly denies 19. He saith untruly Pag. 136. that if there be no Christian Altar in our Church as there is none in our Liturgie or Canons wee have neither Priest nor Deacon in our Church no Liturgie nor Act of Parliament that confirmes it VVhich is a wilde and inconsequent Assertion 20. Our Saviours institution saith he of the Pag 162.163 Sacrament of the Lords Supper at a Table doth not binde us to the name of a Table VVhich is a bold Assertion thought not so bold as that which followeth That Saint Paul crossed the order in that Sacrament used by Christ Which tends to blasphemy if we remember by what Spirit Saint Paul was guided 21. He saith boldly Pag. 165.166 that howsoever our Saviour calls it a Table Luke 22.21 Yet was it rather a floore wherein he instituted the
Supper 22. Hee saith Pag. 171. Tithes cannot be alienated from Spirituall persons Which is against our Laws and such Acts of Parliament as have made them Lay Fees 23. Lecturers saith hee set up in good Towns Pag. 172. be but a dull device of a foggie brain and willing blunderer which light upon it in a Mist VVhich is an expression of a dull and irreligious brain 24. He saith blasphemously Pag 178. that the holy Scripture the holy Sacraments the Articles of our Creed and Petitions of the Lord's Prayer have no Rationes cogentes or forcible inducement to cause men to assent unto them although they are immediatly grounded upon divine Authority which at the first glance captivates the understanding of all true believers And in his 190 Page he saith that all Canons made in Convocations are to be obeyed though they yield no reason at all to enforce their obedience Which kind of Doctrine hath of late done our Church no good Assertions out of SVNDAY NO SABBATH disapproved by Doctor Bray at S. Margarets in Westminster the eleventh of Aprill 1641. 1. HE saith Pag 3. that Saint Paul preaching till Midnight in a roome where men did eat and drink was out of order Which is much boldnesse 2. He saith Pag. 6. Knox and Whittingham were the first that called the Lords Day the Sabbath Day Which is false For it is called the Sabbath Day and our Sabbath under King a Necessary Doctrine 1537. Henry the Eighth King b K. Edwards Catechisme joyned to the Articles 1553. Edward c Profitable necessary Doctrine by Bishop Boner Queene Mary and d Homily of place and time of Prayer Queene Elisabet in writings printed and set forth by publique Authority under all these Princes 3. He saith Pag. 19. the name of Sabbath Day is held up by some in our Church as the great Diana of the Ephesians that stalking behind it they may shoot against the Service appointed for the Lords Day Not being able to resolve whether the sin be greater to bowle shoot or dance on their Sabbath then to commit Murther or the father to cut the throat of his own Child Which is a harsh expression and scandalous to our Church 4. He calls an afternoon Sermon on the Lord's Day Pag 28.29 a fruitless and disobedient exercise of their afternoon talent springing from the wilfull conceitedness of those that affect it And that wee are not bound to imitate either Saint Peters or Saint Basils example in preaching in an afternoon nor Saint Pauls in preaching in an upper Chamber Which as we are not bound to imitate so are we not bound to the Contrary So that these expressions had bin better spared 5. He makes strange interpretations of the Greek text to serve his own turn Pag. 29.30 and the newfanglednes of the times As pressing Saint Pauls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to dispute Dialectically to a Catechizing by question answer only And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies nothing else but to make a speech or hold discourse to Saint Pauls reading of a Homily penned for him either by all the Apostles or by Saint Peter As though Saint Paul filled as he was with the Holy Ghost and bred up at the feet of Gamaliel could not have held a discourse in a private Family at Troas but he must have read it out of a Book And in imitation hereof he would have all Bishops likewise to read Homilies to the people pag. 31. And concludes reading to be the most powerful kind of preaching to perfect the men of God and to make them Martyrs pag. 32. 6. He makes all such as omit the Letany on the Lord's Day Pag. 35.36 by which he saith the English Nation was converted all such as expound the Scripture otherwise then out of the ancient Fathers all such as use long Prayers before Sermons or often repeat Lord Lord and such as speake against pastimes on the Lord's Day breakers of the Sabbath 7. He saith Pag. 46. that if we do not only Bend or Bow our body to his blessed Board or holy Altar but fall flat on our faces before his footstool so soon as ever we approach in sight thereof the Patriarchs Apostles and blessed Martyrs would be glad to see their Lord so honoured Which he saith without any Law Rubrick or Canon of the Church And now in all humble Obedience to so high Authoritie and in Conformitie to their Lordships just Censure of these Books and of me to this publike acknowledgment I doe here ingenuously confesse my hearty sorrow for that all these erroneous and offensive passages have slipt mee and pass't my hand I acknowledge that I have too much rely'd upon the seniority of the Authour who was an ancient Divine in the Vniversitie and had been President of two Colledges successively when I was first admitted there upon which Considerations I took not that due Care and Caution in the perusal and licensing of these Books which I ought to have taken in a matter of so great importance And therefore I do here sincerely and sorrowfully before many Honourable Witnesses acknowledge my great Errour and Offence in the licensing of these two Books and doe also in all humility taking the former passages to consideration acknowledge the justnesse of their Lordships Censure of those Books and of me to this disapproving of the same And what other Books of like Nature or upon like Considerations or rather for want of Consideration may have pass'd my hand Give me leave here also to professe my hearty sorrow for my Errour in passing any of them And so I humbly desire you to conceive of me as I am by Gods Grace and desire ever to be an Enemy both to Superstition Prophanes a hater of Idolatry and an honourer of Piety and Devotion especially practised on the Lord's Day In sum a dutifull Sonne of the Reformed Church of Christ here in England by Law establish't to the which I shall by Gods Grace with all due Care and Circumspection conforme my self and which God of his infinite mercy long preserve I conclude most humbly beseeching God to forgive us all our oversights and Errours and to give us all of his Grace that wee may sincerely follow those things that make for the advancement of Truth and Peace and the edifying of our selves in Faith and Love that we may walke in the good old way without Innovations carefully avoiding all Extreams without turning aside either to the right hand or the left that so in the end wee may finde rest to our souls which GOD grant c. FINIS