and put out at their pleasures and this must be allowed for the people surrendred or rather yeilded up by compulsion into the hands of these wolves pretending to be Shepherds all their right and power But alas this grew through corruption of time when Antichrist was come to his height then he and his Prelates inthralled the Churches and wrested from the poor people that right which the Gospel gave unto them and which continued for the first three hundred years after Christ as is confessed by the Papists and Protestants Fullers holy state li. 2. ca. 12. pa. 87. Acts 1.23 6.5 Calvin Instit l. 4. ca. 19. Sect. 31. 14. Se. 31. Cath Divine An. Caudrey Case Prefa sect 8. Magd Cent. 2. ca. 7. cent 3. c. 7 Cipr. epist l. 1. epist 4. epist 3. l. 1.3 epist 11. But these Wolves made void the Law of God by their Traditions and the slavish Ministerie of England are unwilling to come out of this Babylonish servitude but with Issachar because he sees rest is good or rather his Benefice fat he croucheth down under the burthen But see the use and equitie of it in our dayes it may be at the first this power of presentation was given to a good man or rather he took it because he founded or endowed the Church but by revolution of times it comes by descent or purchase to an Atheist a Papist a Symonist or some wretch not fit to be trusted with the life and death of a dog much less with the soules of men And by this means the souls of men according to that Prophecie become the merchandize of Rome for who seeth them not set to sale almost by every Patron yea and their bodies too Rev. 18.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for according to the number of the people and the profit of their bodily labours is the Advowson sold for more or less And I know no other way in all the world how the bodies and souls of men can be made the merchandize of Rome but by this means nor is the Prophecie any other way fulfilled for if it should be meant of selling slaves that properly belongs to the Turks Pr. But I told you although some Patrons prove Latrons and sell the Presentations the people may except against the partie presented if he be not a worthie man and if they do not it s their own fault Ph. You had need to have more skill in Divinitie then you have in the Law Alas this Libertie is but a meer gullerie and cousenage of the people If any one refuse to admit or do keep out the partie presented And a quare impedit or such Writ be brought to trie the right Gods Law never comes into question but only who hath the best title to present by the Law of the Land which is Popish in that point as in manie others the Lord of heaven amend it and lookes only upon the presentation as a temporal right without judging the matter as appertaining to Religion therefore I pray you speak no more of this matter for the more you stir in in it the more it stinks But shew me some better evidence of your calling Pr. I will shew you sufficient Wee have abilities and gifts fit for the Ministerie being apt to teach and able to divide the word of truth aright And our Ministerie is sealed by the conversion of soules and however our outward calling in a nicetie may be defective yet we have the inward which is most effectuall and therefore there is no cause of separation Ph. For your calling I account it not right for what you formerly alledged And for that you last said its no proofe that your calling to the Ministerie is lawful for a private man may be abundantly gifted yea and convert souls as common experience sheweth and yet have no calling to the Ministerie And this I dare farther add and know by mine own observation that God doth not bless the Ministers labours who have received the mark of the Beast by their conformities and subscriptions as he doth the labours of other faithful men And the reason is because they stood not in Gods wayes for if they had they should have turned the people from their iniquities But for want of a faithful Ministerie it hath pleased God to blesse the endeavours of godly Parents and religious governours of families and private Christians who with Joshua serve the Lord to the conversion of many more souls then are turned unto God by these mens Ministery how learned and Orthodox soever So that where a man can hardly finde any converted by the Ministery of these men he may finde the footsteps of Religion and godlinesse derived from religious Parents and Families for the continuance of the Church from generation to generation even to admiration And your old conformitie and Subscription which you are constrained to defend by Popish arguments when you have to deal against the Brownists and Independents are a great blemish to the Ministery Pr. We subscribed to nothing which was unlawfull although many things were inconvenient Ph. Thanks bee to God that we be rid of the Hierarchy of Arch-bishops Diocesan Bishops Arch-Deacons Deans and the rest of that rabble the Books of Common-prayer Homilies consecration of Priests and Deacons with the spiritual Courts Licenses Dispensations Commutations of Pennance Consecration of daies to Saints and some to wicked men and Idols as the Crosse and the Rhoode daies observed by some forbidding of meats and marriage at some times with their Canons and Ceremonies Crosses Surplices worship of the breaden God and many other popish trinkets All which the most ingenious amongst your selves have condemned as not capable of purgation but fit to be abolished else I could easily prove the whole body of them which are contained in your Subscription most of them being injoyned and set forth in the Rubrick and the rest comprehended in your Oath and Canonicall obedience to be reliques of Antichrist invented by that man of sin and his vassals and are at the best humane presumptions brought into the Church without warrant of the Word Vid. Preface to the Common-prayer Book or teaching Ceremonies which Christ onely ought to appoint who is the Teacher of his Church and serve for nothing else but to mis-leade the simple and to offend the weak and tend onely to conformity with Rome And therefore altogether unlawfull But cheifly the Cross which in Baptism is made the sign and Seal of the whole work of Sanctification is the worst of all Popish Ceremonies and the greatest Idol in the Romish Church except the Virgin Marie for that blesseth all the rest and therefore is the greater as Bellarmine teacheth Bellar. Contr. de sacra Confer l. 2. c. 13. pa. 371. These things you know better then I do yet I name them thus briefly that you may consider of them and not wilfully hudwink your conscience and imprison or withhold the truth in unrighteousness but that you may come
new Elders or assistants surely herein they made you an absolute Pope and sole Judge of that which the Bishops never allowed nor do your Brethren of the Province of London approve thereof But was this all you did I doe suppose you and your Elders should have informed your selvs whether such as intended to communicate had set up Christ in their Families and places in the exercises of Religion and had shewed forth by their conversations the signs of faith and Repentance these things are necessarie for all Communicants Ph. For the lives of the Communicants they are better known to others then to me and for my part I shall not take notice of them but do desire that those who are privie to such offences as may justly debar the receivers from the Sacrament will make it known to me and I shall acquaint the Church viz the Elders with it and take their advice what to do And so shall I likewise crave their assistance in Judiciall Examination for the future Ph. It seems you go no further but only to bring the people to conform to your new Government for I understand you had some of your Communicants were so verie ignorant that they could not tell you how manie Commandements there are and others knew not what Faith was and others answered as ignorantly And yet the names of these were taken by you and they admitted to the Lords Table and none were refused Pr. It s true I confess I found some ignorant but verie willing to conforme and receive instruction and that gave me good hope of them And therefore for the present least I I should discourage others I admitted all that offered themselves at the Table whose names I had before entred in my Book and divers others who were not of my Parish came also to my Church to receive at the same time for the incouragement of others Ph. Do you account this superficial dealing separating the precious from the vile when none are refused It is just as I expected it would be this is but the Counterfeit of Reformation and much like the Reformation which manie in the Church of Rome would willingly have for they have written divers Books tending to Reformation so it might not demolish the stately Fabrick of their pretended Church but might rather polish it by taking away those things which all men crie shame of and which do therefore indanger their Church the reforming of which would give them more hope of the continuance of the old Idolatrous Babel which yet together with all your devices will ere long come to ruine Pr. Nothing is perfect when its first brought forth what ever you think I conceive this to be a good begining of Reformation and I hope we shall proceed in it to more perfection But touching the Reformation of the Church of Rome I never expect anie they being appointed to destruction These are but the discouragements of you and others who oppose the setting up of all Government in the Church Ph. I have often told you we do not oppose all Government we would only have this building demolished that a better might be set up in the roome of it Pr. What course would you have for preaching the Gospel if the present Ministerie should be removed and the Churches disbanded Ph. Without doubt the Parliament seeth how that may be provided for For my part I wish that all the Parishes were dissolved as to the matters of the Church and all the Tithes belonging to the late Bishops Arch-Bishops Deans and Chapters Donatives Parsons and Vicars were released or sold at a reasonable rate to the owners of the Lands out of which they arise And these probably without anie addition may raise a sufficient revenue for maintenance of a godly and able Ministerie through this whole Common-wealth to preach the Gospel to all who will hear the word of God And all who shall be found worthie may be imployed Pr. What will this conduce for Reformation Ph. By this means this plant I meane this Popish Order of Ministerie who unjustlie usurp authoritie over the bodies souls and States of men calling them their Churches their Parishes their flock their sheep and their Tithes as if all were theirs nothing Christs not being of the planting of our heavenly Father will be plucked up which being removed the faithfull will have libertie and opportunitie to separate themselvs from the wicked and profane and be gathered unto Christ under true Pastors and Church-Officers who will lead them in the pathes of righteousness and truth where being associated together in Church-fellowship they will be more reformed then ever can be expected from anie companie in anie Parish-Congregation Pr. Well I now fully perceive what your intent is in a word you set your self to cast contempt upon our learned and reverend Clergie and to take from them their double honour both of reverence and maintenance and to bring them as low as the stipendarie Clergie of Germanie And I see no hope if your amendment I will therefore spend no more time with you yet I doubt not but we shall hold our Parsonages and Church-Livings as formerly we have done And if some will needs separate let not that hinder us of our Tithes and profits and then let them run after what new Teachers they please If they run from us we are discharged of that care which we should otherwise have of them Ph. Sir it may be before you and I meet again you may wheel about and change your minde as you and some others have done alreadie Remember what I say and so fare you well POSTSCRIPT REader thou maiest perceive by some passages in this Dialogue that the same was written some moneths if not years since which is true and the Author was resolved finding it difficult to get it pass the Presse to burie it in oblivion Hoping also that the pretended Clergie of the Land would have considered their waies and been wise But finding the follie of some of them through their Pride and Covetousness to grow into madness this Messenger is sent to stop their way farewell FINIS
of the Creed are declaimed against both by the Papists and loose Protestants But I never heard any of these men declaim against the corruptions of the times nor confesse their own errors in Symbolizing with Antichrist and receiving of the mark of the Beast to the scandall of the Gospel and prejudice of the Church of God Pr. Alas you know not what the mark of the Beast is I can tell you what it is but I desire to know what you mean by it Ph. I shall declare that to you not as any conjecture of mine own but from the learned and some such as you cannot well refuse their testimonie Learned Naper a Baron of Scotla expounding 13. Rev. 16. saith that the Crosse is the mark of the Beast and amongst divers reasons he gives for such his opinion this is one viz. Because all men are enticed under the colour of the Name of Christ to reverence that Character Bellarmine who knew the use of the Crosse in the Church of Rome saith it is Gods mark mentioned Ezek. 9.4 Bellar not in lit Î in Gram. Ebr. cont de effect Sacram. lib. 2. pag. 221. de Sacram confir li. 2 cap. 13. pag. 371. And he makes it the chiefest mark of the Church of Rome because nothing can be consecrated without it A mark is that by which any thing is known Brightman in Apoc. 13.16 another learned man saith That the mark of the Beast contains summarily all those waies by which men are bounden to the obedience of Antichrist Reverend Paraeus in Apoc. 13.16 agrees with profound Doctor Robert Abbot whose exposition upon the place above named he commendeth and reciteth it thus To the common Character or mark appertaine those things which are practiced by all Antichristians as the observation of Fasts and holy daies instituted by the Pope the worshipping of their breaden God and doing other things not commanded of God And Paraeus upon the next words saith No man may buy receive or sell the holy wares of Masses Indulgencies Absolutions Dispensations Tythes c. but these Spirituall Hucksters marked with this perpetuall character to wit Bishops Priests Monks and the like Merchants of souls citing that place 2 Pet. 2.7 Through covetousnesse shall they with feigned words make merchandize of you And that of Paul 2 Tim. 6.5 They suppose godlinesse is a gain or merchandize What think you now is the marke of the Beast Pr. These things may be the mark of the Beast but what do they concern us Ph. They do most of them belong to you the pretended Clergie of England I mean to the Formalists of this age who have held their Livings and subscribed for pretended necessitie sake Pr. Shew me how that can be the things mentioned before agree to the popish Priests Ph. So do they for the most part agree to you and your fellows little differing in these things from the Papists and our pretended Clergie have received them from the Church of Rome and have practised the same c. Viz. 1. First they have subscribed to and used the sign of the Crosse the chief of all Popish Ceremonies 2. Secondly they have observed Popish Fasts and holy daies and many other superstitions in the worship of God without warrant of the Word 3. Thirdly they have subscribed and conformed to the Book of Common-prayer which makes their holy daies equall to the Lords daie See the beginning of that Book 4. Fourthly in their subscription they made themselves the Prelats and so the Popes vassals and servants and took their licenses to preach from them 5. Fifthly they have dealt in those Wares and Merchandizes Dispensations for non-residence Absolutions Tythes and the bodies and souls of men the proper merchandize of Rome 6. Sixthly they have received the names of such spirituall Merchants as are of the devising of Antichrist as Priests Parsons Vicars Curats although they refuse the names of Monks savouring of too much austeritie of life yet more antient and inoffensive 7. Seventhly and lastly their kneeling in the act of receiving is little better then bread-worship or God under the form of bread Pr. You strain things very far I shall not trouble my self to answer your conjectures onely the last thing by you mentioned is very offensive to me for I hold kneeling in the act of receiving to be the most reverend gesture and practised it upon that ground the rather because injoyned by the Church Ph. I intend not a large discourse about abolished Ceremonies but advise you so far to view them as they concern the matter we spake of which is the mark of the beast of which this is a part 1. For first kneeling was injoyned in reverence to the Sacrament as appears by King Edward's second book of Common-prayer 2. Secondly it was never used or known till after the Lateran Councell anno 1215. where the carnall presence of Christ was decreed The next Pope Honorius the third within seven yeers after decreed kneeling in the act of receiving in regard of that supposed carnall presence of Christ Fox Act mo Dial. between Custom and verity Book 2. pag. 780. Col. 1. 3. Thirdly upon that ground of the carnall presence Bellarmine urgeth kneeling affirming it were dangerous to kneele or worship for its all one if Christ were not corporally present Bellar. contr l. 3. de euch cap. 21. pa. 633. A. cap. pa. 634. Pr. Well notwithstanding what you say I conceive the admitting and submitting to the authority and supremacy of the Bishop of Rome to be the marke of the Beast Ph. If that be so and nothing else be the mark of the beast then have not many of the Popish Congregations of France received the mark of the beast for they allow not of the Popes Supremacy Nor more did the very City of Rome submit untill about 230. yeares since Cal. Just li. ca. 11. Ser. 14. Pr. I have nothing to say to the Congregations of France but these men whom you thus mark with the mark of the Beast are the chief actors in the intended reformation Ph. If these Formalists be the men who must reforme and teach the way to the people I shall never look for reformation I told you they have received the marke of the Beast as his vassalls and slaves and have acted for Antichrist not onely doing wickedly themselves in subscribing to and using popish Ceremonies superstitious and humane inventions in the worship of God having no foundation from the word of God which is the rule of his worship but also many of them have perswaded others therein to transgresse and by their examples have caused many to fall with them into the breach of the second Commandement For these sins they have manifested no repentance nor given any satisfaction to the Congregations to this day for which cause God will never honour them so far as to make them instruments to reforme the Churches My opinion therein is grounded upon that Text of holy Scripture Mat.