find them allowed in any well-reformed Church sure I am they were never in Durham Church till Bishop Neale came to that Bishoprick 1617. 2 B. Halls excellent lessons against Innovations and affected bravery in the worship of God and consequently against Durham Innovators with their sumptuous altar organs copes et caet It is a dangerous presumption saith a learned Father of our Church D. Hall now Bishop of Exceter to make innovations it but in the circumstances of Gods worship These humane additions which would seem to grace the institution of God deprave it That infinite Wisdome knoweth best what will please it selfe and prescribeth accordingly The foolishnesse of God is wiser then the wisdome of men Idolatry and falshood is commonly more gawdy and plausible the◠truth That heart which can for out ward homelinesse despise the Ordinance of God is already alienated from true religion and lies open to the greatest superstition Never any Prince was so fouly idolatrous as that he wanted a Priest to second him An Vriah is fit to humour an Ahaz Greatnesse could never command any thing which some servile wits were not ready to applaud and justifie Thus much saith D. Hall whose excellent lessons if the new-fangled innovators and corrupters of our Durham Church would have learned and followed no Sermon need to have been preached against superstitious vanities with superfluity of which it is exceedingly pestred at this day by our idolatrous altar-building Priests without any direction or approbation of our religious Kings and Princes who in their Lawes forbid both altars and images and all other superstitious rites and ceremonies For they Bishop Neales Chaplains have taught the people in their Sermons that too much cost cannot be bestowed upon Christ that is the Church and Church-ornaments brave Altars rich Altar-furniture gorgeous Vestments Sumptuous Organs glorious glasse-windowes painted gilded and garnished images and other excessive bravery vaine and unnecessary which hath cost the Church of Durham above 2000. pound wring'd out of poore mens purses to the utter undoing of many poore tenants 3 Bernard crieth out against the excessive vanity of sumptuously adorned Churches and the neglect of poor Christians the temples of the Holy Ghost which is worse now in Durham then in the time of Popery What would Bernard say if he were now alive and saw the glory of our Abby-Church as it is called the superfluous ornaments of which have cost more then would build a faire Church who thus writeth AdGul Abbatem to Abbot William making this exclamation O vanitas vanitatum sed non vanior quà m insanior fulget Ecelesia in parietibus sed in pauperibus eget O vanity of all vanities but whether more vaine or more mad I know not the Church shineth in trimly decked walls but in the poore members of Christ it is naked and needy And who dare withstand their vaine and mad courses who dare gainsay them or mislike their doings if any do so let him look for no better then to be persecuted to death for they teach the people that such are very Iudasses Counting all to be wast that is bestowed upon Christ as if Christ were in walls Altars and Images more then in the temples of the Holy Ghost the bodies and soules of poore Christians whereby the people learne to contemne their own parish-Churches because they are plaine and simple after the old fashion handsome enough and decent though not so proud and stately not brave and magnificent as this Cathedrall Abby as now it is adorned passing gaily with paintings and gildings 4 B. Morton out of Ierom upon Malachy calleth it a festred superstition of the Iewes to esteeme a brave Altar and ornaments of gold and silver better then the godly minds of them that bring oblations This soule errour and superstitious folly is thus refuted by D. Morton now Bishop of Lichfield in his Appeale If any haply shall contemne the worship of God because it is not sumptuous he shall but renew an old infestred superstition of the Iewes who esteemed an Altar built of unhewen stones to be but a prophane and polluted thing As Ierome hath observed upon the first of Malachy Reversus de Babylone populus Altare tantùm impolitis lapidibus extruxerat the people of Israel returning home from the Captivity of Babylon built an Altar of rough stones unpolished before there was a Temple or walls of a City Esdr 1. and they esteemed their religion contemptible because the ornaments of the Temple were wanting to whom God speaketh by the Prophet Malachy You thinke that mine Altar is polluted the sacrifices also laid on the Altar and the fire that consumes the sacrifice you count to be unhallowed and defiled Neither understand ye that Almighty God regards not nor lookes for either gold or precious stones or a multitude of sacrifices but the willing minds of them that bring their oblations 5 The Church of England in the Booke of Homilies and Hemingius shew what are true and false ornaments of Gods Church acceptable to God and profitable to men Agreeable to this is the doctrine of the Church of England in the Homilies against the perill of Idolatry and superfluous decking of Churches which utterly disalloweth our abominable ornaments Altars and Images and teacheth wherewith Gods house is truely adorned which are these The Word of God ought to be read taught and heard the Lords holy name ought to be called upon by publike prayer and thanksgiving his holy Sacraments ought duly and reverently to be administred not gawdily flauntingly theatrically due reverence is stirred up in the hearts of the godly by the consideration of these true ornaments of the house of God and not by any outward ceremonies and costly and glorious decking of the said house or Temple of the Lord. Pratendunt ornatum saith Hemingius si illi ornatui adjunctum sit ullum periculum sit maledictus They pretend that Altars and Images are set up in Churches for ornament but cursed be such ornaments to which the perill of Idolatry is joyned And again Spiritus Sanctus saith Ezechiel Ch. 20. vocat Idola abominationes oculorum sed pulvis cinis ea vocat ornamenta oculorum The Holy Ghost cals Images and Altars all such as God appointed not the abominations of the eyes but man that is but dust and ashes cals them ornaments of the eyes And then he concludeth Verus ornatus templorum utilis Deo gratus est concio cantio oratio communio non haec quae vel impediunt vel vitiant The true ornaments of Churches profitable to men and acceptable to God is the preaching of Gods Word the singing of Psalmes the administration of the Sacraments and prayer and not such things as do hinder and defile the same This is the doctrine which the Church of England teacheth in sundry places in the book of Homilies in the Articles and Injunctions that Images and Altars superstitious ceremonies and superfluous ornaments
the more attentively heare the Word of God preached Neither is it likely the Emperour on whose shoulders lay the mannaging of the weighty affaires of so mighty an Empire had leisure to learn prick-song but in a plaine tune he sung Psalmes to God with the whole congregation Which singing of Psalmes in the vulgar tunes within these five yeares now fifteen yeares hath Since the yeare 1627. quite been banished out of Durham Church contrary to the practice and custome both of this and all other Cathedrall Churches in the Realme of England the Primitive Church also c. For thus saith Basil if the Sea be faire how is not the congregation assembled much more faire in which a joyned found of men women and children as it were of the waves beating on the shore is sent forth to God And the Book of Homilies report out of Dionisius that hymnes were sung by the whole multitude of people in the Administration of the Communion But Pope Vitalian being a skilfull musician and a lusty couragious chanter himselfe saith a reverend Father of our Church first brought into the Church prick-song descant and all kind of sweet and pleasant melody And because nothing should want to delight the vaine foolish and idle eares of fond and phantasticall men and women he joyned Organs to his curious musick Thus was Pauls preaching and Peters praying saith he turned into vaine singing and childish playing to the great losse of time and to the utter undoing of Christian mens soules which live not by singing and piping but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God 9 The Christians of the Primitive Church met together to sing Psalms but they had no musicall instruments saith Iustin Martyr Such were left to wanton children and dancers Neither must David be imitated in piping and dancing in the Church which David never did The Christians of the Primitive Church met together in secret caves and corners for feare of persecutors and there they sung ante-lucanos hymnos as witnesseth Pliny hymnes to the praise of God in the morning before day all the people sung together without any musicall instruments of which Iustin Martyr speaketh in his 170. Question Canere est pueris conveniens non simpliciter sed cum inanimis instrumentis canere cum saltatione crepitaculis To sing is a thing very agreeable to the nature of wanton children which are not content with simple singing but they will pipe also and dance playing with their hands upon timbrels and tabers But saith he In Ecclesiis sublatus est ex carminibus talium instrumentorum aliorum pueris convenientium relictum est canere simpliciter i. simplex cantio manet Out of the songs of Christian Churches the use of such instruments is quite taken away and such like childish toyes and there is left onely simple singing in plaine tunes Neither may we imitate the Prophet David in bringing musicall instruments into our Churches haâ—ps lutes trumpets and cymballs for that was a part of the Leviticall service in the tabernacle and Temple of which God himself was the author not the idle braine of man David bids that Gods name should be praised in the dance and that praises should be sung unto him on the tabret and harp Psal 149. And in the 68 Psalme he saith It is well seen O God how thou goest how thou my God and King goest in thy sanctuary the singers goe before the minstrells follow after in the middest are the damosels playing on the timbrells We may not be so absurd as understanding literally this mysticall song of the Prophet to bring into this quire even to the Communion table or Altar as they called it our Sanctuary or Sanctum Sanctorum as they make it minstrells and dancers boyes and girls playing on timbrells and tabrets if we doe then may we also admit to the administration of the holy Communion instead of decent Copes ridiculous pie-bald vestments used a long time by the youth of this towne in their sports and may-games which I my self have seen with great griefe of heart and many more besides mee have oftentimes seene a party-coloured fooles-coat which cost 3. shillings 4. pence worne even there at the Communion-table Macula indelebilis hujus Ecclesiae opprobrium sempiternum authoribus tantae maculaeâ— B. Neale Burgoin Morecroft the first introducers of altars images tapers candlesticks with paultry copes 10 Innovators in Durham have so changed services and Sacraments as if they would have nothing done to edification contrary to the doctrine of S. Paul and our Church by inclosing it within railes and separating it from the Church and Chancell The book of common Prayer the Articles of religion Injunctions and Homilies which containe the Doctrine of the Church of England the denyers and oppugners of which doctrine are not sound but rotten members of our Church those books I say appoint and command all the service to be said and sung so as the people may understand all and be edified therby But our new fangled reformers of Durham Cosin himselfe c. have within these five years brought into this Church such a strange change of Services nay such a confusion of the fore-noone Liturgie that the greater part thereof can no better be understood then if it were in Hebrew or Irish Nay the Sacrament it selfe of the holy Eucharist is turned rather into a theatricall stage-play then a representation of our Saviour Christ his passion At the administration of which so many pictures are exhibited to be seene with other ceremoniall toyes and Popish trinkets forbidden by the Act of uniformity and injunctions And againe so strange ridiculous and idolatrous gestures with excessive noise of Musicall harmony both instrumentall and vocall at the same time as the like was never used before either in this or any other Cathedrall Church not onely of England but of Spaine Italy France and Germany as travellers report 11 Not only the holy Communion but the Sacrament of Baptism also hath beene horribly profaned as well with images on the Font as also with immoderate piping and chanting contrary to the doctrine of our Church in the Homilies Blaxton and Cosin Neither rest they contented with the horrible prophanation of the Lords Supper with immoderate chaunting and Organ-playing and with other superstitious vanities but the Sacrament of Baptisme also they will not suffer it to be administred without an heideous noise of musick both of voyces and instruments As appeares on Sunday the seventh of September 1628. when a child borne in the Colledge was baptized in the Cathedrall Church at Evening prayer after the second Lesson as the Rubrick directs In the meane time while one of the Prebendaries baptized the child which is a principall part of Divine Service two Prebendaries remaining in the Quire commanded the Organist to play and the Quire-men and boyes to sing the rest of the Service at the same instant that the Sacrament
was administred with such a noise that they could not heare one another at the Font to the great offence of many and of Mr. Deane himselfe standing at the Font who grievously complained of that insolent fact of two irregular Canons disturbing most audaciously Divine Service the like to which was never seene nor heard in any Church in Christendome Such immoderate piping and chanting with setting up of Images and Altars have beene even in the beginning of Reformation disallowed and banished out of the Church of England For in the second part of the Homily of the place and time of prayer we are taught to praise God that our Church is rid of the like piping and chanting and playing on the Organs they are the very words of the Homily that was used in Popery and that our Church is delivered from those things which displeased God so sore and filthily defiled his holy house and place of prayer And againe in the same Homily wee read they have provoked the displeasure and indignation of Almightie God because they have prophaned and defiled the Churches with Heathenish and Jewish abuses with Images Idols and Altars too too superstitiously and intolerably abused with grosse corrupting the Lords holy Supper the blessed Sacrament of his body and blood with an infinite number of toyes and trifles of their owne devising to make a goodly outward shew and to deface the homely simple and sincere Religion of Jesus Christ But now we ought greatly to praise God for that such superstitious and Idolatrous manners as were naught and defaced Gods glory are utterly abolished as they deserved 12 They that disallow the doctrine of the Homilies which is the doctrine of our Church against such profanation of Sacraments what can they be but the whore of Babylons bastardly brood they are no true children of the Church of England This is the doctrine of our mother the Church of England in her Booke of Homilies which whosoever borne and bred in the same Church rejecteth he can be no other then a bastardly brat of the Whore of Babylon the Church of Rome unlesse he repent and renounce his foule errors and returne with teares to the bosome of his gracious Mother whom he hath most ungraciously abused and offended by setting up Altars and Images and prophaning the Sacraments c. For to speake plainly me thinks these words of the Homily point out in lively colours this our Cathedrall Church of Durham as now it is changed from that it was lately in our former Bishops time in which these filthy Jewish and Heathenish abominations and intolerable abuses which in time of Popery provoked the displeasure and indignation of Almighty God and prophaned the Lords Supper the blessed Sacrament of his body and blood being long since abolished are now almost on a suddaine restored againe with great advantage As appeareth by the immoderate piping and chanting at that very time when the Sacraments are administred By having an excessive number of wax candles whereof sixty on and about the Altar burning at one time By gilding and painting Images and Angels set up aloft round about the Quire By erecting a most sumptuous Altar with brave furniture belonging thereunto amongst which I have seene abominable and â— Copes used a long time at Masse and May games By bowing downe and worshipping the same Altars so often and so lowly as never was seene the like in the Idolatrous Church of Rome 13 Bowing to the Altar is an idolatrous Ceremony brought in and practised by B. Nâ—ale and his Chaplains Cosin Linsell Burgoin corrupters of our Church with superstitious Innovations But say they we worship not the Altar but God wee bow the knee toward the Altar not to the Altar but to Christ supreame Lord to whom all religious and divine adoration is due Whose death and passion are there represented at the administration of that Sacrament Is this true then are the Papists more excusable which beleeving the reall presence of the true and naturall body of Christ by transubstantiation they worship his body with divine worship and the Altar in respect of his body and blood offered thereon in the sacrifice of the Masse But our Altar-worshippers never bow the knee to Christs body and blood but to the Altar onely to the naked Altar and that continually and daily whether there bee a Communion or not turning their backs to the Preacher in the Pulpit and Ministers saying service to the whole Congregation also and the Bible it selfe to which they never vouchsafe to make one leg as if there were more holinesse in an Altar stone then in the sacred Scriptures the Booke of life These their doings are directly against the second Commandement Thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them for either their worship is Religious or Civill if it be Civill they are absurd Ideots in shewing more civility to a stock or a stone then to a poore man or woman much better then any Altar-stone if he be a true Christian to whom none of them will bow their bodies so reverently If it be Religious they are abominable Idolaters in exhibiting Divine worship due to God alone to such contemptible creatures as is an Altar of wood or stone Again either they bow to the Altar in respect of God or to God in respect of the Altar both which respects joyning together God and the Altar being religious not civill make their bowing Idolatrous and themselves Altar-worshippers as Bishop Buckeridge Roch. saith Nec aliud pro illo nec aliud cum illo We may neither adore another thing instead of God nor another thing with God for he is sole a God Moreover every Image when it is worshipped is an Idol and seeing the Altar is not truly and properly an Altar but simulachrum or similitudo an Image or likenesse thereof therefore the bowing downe of bodies to it or before it in regard of some supposed holinesse therein I say that religious not civill adoration or prostration makes it an Idoll and they that use such comely gestures as they call them in their Articles are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 downright Altar-worshippers Surely such comely gestures neither we nor our predecessours since the reformation of Religion ever saw in this Church no nor the name of an Altar for the Communion Table was heard amongst us as you may well remember till very lately a company of innovators Bishop Neales Chapleines and favourites began to corrupt and confound our old services Sacraments and Ceremonies 14 Comely gestures to the Altar not to the â—ont or ought els in the Church Altar cringers may as well be termed Altar-worshippers as the Israelites Calf-worshippers Worshippers of God make nâ—t legs to God but falling down kneeling or standing they lift up their hearts hands and eyes to heaven as we are taught to praâ— Our father which art in heaven When friends pâ—rt one from anoâ—hâ—r they mutually make legs taking their leave When B.
Christian brethren sisters at the same time Durham high Altar the greatest idoll that ever vvas in the world But the holy Altar say they is not a stock or stone neither may it be called an Idoll Not an Idoll I doe not thinke that any Idoll in the world was ever so worshipped as our Durham Altar hath beene Not the Image of Iupitur Olympius or the Philistims Dagon or the Babilonians Bell or the Trojans Palladium not Apis or Anubis Oxe or Crocadill Dog or Cat qualia demens Aegyptus portenta colit or any other monstrous Deity of the blinde Aegyptians that forlorne and miserable Nation before the comming of Christ who enlightned them with the knowledge of the Gospell was ever so worshipped or had so much cost bestowed on them When they once fell down on their faces before those Idols they had done for that time but every accesse and every regresse and every turning and every rising up and every sitting and kneeling down of the Priest and others about the Altar whether there be a Communion or no hath a low leg to the Altar Neither are they common curtsies ordinary legs such as servants and petitioners use to make to their Lords and Masters but they are wonderfull solemne very profound incurvations before the venerable Altar so low that they seeme sometimes to touch the ground with their noses and beards 16 The Communion table was never so vvorshipped vvith bovving down before it And it is a forbidden ceremony both by the Word of God in the second Commandement and the Church of England Our Saviour Christ living on earth was never so vvorshipped When it was a Table standing in the midst of the Quire it was as good and as holy as now it is being turned to an Altar at the East end of the Church yet no man or woman bowed his or her body to it then as now they do in a prodigious manner Which superstitious ceremony of bowing to that Idoll was generally received and practised amongst us but within these foure or five yeares by the example perswasion and compulsion of our new fangled Popish Arminians without any warrant of Gods Word or direction of the Church in the Book of Common-prayer Canons or Injunctions Nay it is contrary to the second Commandment and forbidden by the Act of Vniformity and the 12. Canon and consequently punishable both in the commanders and obeyers Our Saviour Christ when he lived upon earth was bowed unto and worshipped by them that acknowledged him to be the Son of God The Magi Wisemen of the East fell on their faces and worshipped him they did it once neither they nor the Shepheards nor the blessed Virgin his Mother nor Ioseph her husband danced round about him lying in the cratch or manger ever and anon making low legs before him behinde him on his right hand on his left now one after another now all at once as daylie is done at our high Altar in Durham sometimes far off sometimes close by it now at the South end now at the North end now at the West side sometimes going forwaâ—d towards it sometimes going backward from it still nodding their heads and making legs and curtsies At which time a delicate noise is heard of Organs Pipers and Singers filling the peoples eares with heavenly harmony as was done when Nabuchadonozers golden Image was consecrated and worshipped 17 Our Durham Innovators Cosin and his fellowâ—s which have obtruded to the Church such strange alterations of services and ceremonies set up altars and images and bow down before them may they not â—ightly be termed superstitious Ceremony-mâ—ngers and idolaters They that lately have brought into our Cathedrall Church such fanaticall fopperies such unlawfull rites and abuses whereby it is defiled the service disordered and the Sacraments prophaned as the Homily teacheth They that without authority and against authority even the soveraigne authority of our religious Kings and Princes and Parliaments which established the whole forme of our Liturgy and Ceremonies in decent and comely manner They that with an high hand and great violence durst presumptuously adventure to innovate all things in our Liturgy to overthwart the well setled state of the Church to put us out of the possession of our Religion and forme of Service which was left unto us by our Ancestors and we had quietly possessed above sixty yeares They that not onely observe themselves but compell others to observe and approve their before mentioned ridiculous fooleries superstitious vanities abominations and Idolatries contrary to the custome and practise of this Church contrary to the example of other Cathedrals of this Realme contrary to Laws which straitly forbid under great penalties all Rites and Ceremonies not appointed prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer Injunctions May not such rightly be termed new-fangled Ceremony-mongers Idolatrous Altar-worshippers seditious Innovators schismaticall factious and turbulent breakers of the peace and contemners of governours nay rotten members and rebellious sons of this our Mother the Church of England whose doctrine and discipline they renounce they corrupt and contemne it they shoulder it out with Popish cashiered antiquities and outlandish Arminian novelties 18 May not the people be exhorted to communicate in their owne Parish Churches where the Sacrament is rightly administred and so beare to reâ—eâ—ve it in our Cathedrall polluted with idolatry least we receive our own damnation as the Church of England teacheth in the Homilies Now I pray you you I say the people of this City have you not Churches at home in your own Parishes not yet polluted with Idols and Communion-tables not changed into Altars where you may receive with comfort the holy Communion in plaine and simple manner as our Saviour ordained and the primitive Church practised and the Church of England prescribeth But you must needs come hither and wilfully make your selves partakers of our sins and superstitious vanities when you need not seeing that the holy Sacrament is not rightly administred in this Chruch of Durham as it was in our former Bishops time And where it is not lawfully ministred there it cannot safely be received without the danger of damnation Take heed to your selves I warned you before even this time two yeares and now I preach to you the same doctrine againe that I may discharge mine owne conscience and save both mine owne soule and yours if you wil heare obey the voyce of God in this place out of my mouth as I am charged to speake and so do in Ezek. 3. 17. For thus the Church of England teacheth us in the Homily of the worthy receiving the Communion in the first part thereof We must addresse our selves to frequent the same Sacrament in reverent and comely manner left as physick provided for the body being misused more hurteth then profiteth so this comfortable medicine of the soule undecently received tendeth to our greater harme and sorrow But above all things this we must be sure
of especially saith the Homily that this Supper be in such wise ministred as our Lord and Saviour did and commanded to be done as his holy Apostle used it and the good Fathers of the primitive Church frequented it For as that worthy father Ambrose saith He is unworthy of the Lord that otherwise doth celebrate that mysterie then it was delivered by him neither can he be devout that otherwise doth presume to receive it then it was given by the Author Now who knoweth not what strange alterations have beene brought into this Church within these few yeares how the Ministers of this Sacrament have presumed lately to change in many things the administration thereof not onely from the practise of the primitive Church and the institution of the author Christ but also from the Rubricks and Canons of the Church and the ancient usuall custome of this place For it is turned rather into a theatricall Stage-play where mens eares are filled with pleasant tunes of musicall instruments and voyces of not communicating singers and their eyes fed with pompous spectacles of glittering pictures and histrionicall gestures of men arrayed in massing and pibald not decent robes And other unlawfull superstitious and vaine rites and ridiculous ceremonies are used with which that holy action is defiled and disgraced Therefore I did well and according to my duty and vocation in admonishing that Congregation then assembled to receive as they were wont to doe in their owne parish Churches as our Church commandeth and to forbeare from communicating in this Cathedrall Church till things were amended which lately were mar'd leâ—t receiving the body and blood of Christ in uncomely and unlawfull manner it should tend to their greater harme and sorrow as the Homily teacheth Augustine saith upon Psal 21. Tempus lugendi est cum passio Domini celebratur tempus gemendi est tempus flendi tempus confitendi 19 The celebration of the Lords supper is the memoriall of his death and passion caused by our sins therfore it is a time of lamentation and weeping not of rejoycing not of pompous and gâ—oâ—â—ous ceremonies not of musick and melody deprecandi When the Passion of the Lord is celebrated in the holy Communion by the breaking of his body which is the bread of life and powring out his blood which is the true aqua vitae the refreshing the comforting the quickning wine and water of life to languishing and dying soules That is a time of mourning a time of sighing a time of weeping and lamenting a time of confessing and begging pardon it is not a time of piping and singing of wearing and beholding brave cloathes and pictures And Cyprian saith In the presence of the Lord teares doe never beg pardon in vaine and the sacrifice of a contrite heart never receives repulse And againe he saith in treating of the Lords Supper and the receiving thereof As often as I see thee sighing in the presence of the Lord I doubt not but the Holy Ghost is breathing upon thee Cùm intueor flentem sentio ignoscentem So often as I see thee weeping I perceive God pardoning And who comes to crave pardon of an angry King and terrible Judge whom he grievously offended with many haynons crimes deserving death who I say dare come into his presence Pompaticè gloriâ—se saith Cyprian pompously and gloriously in slanting apparell in goodly Babylonish robes imbroidered with Images of silver gold and pearle and with an excellent consort of Musitians singing merrily piping and playing joyfully and jollily And D. Buckeridge the late Bishop of Rochester now of Ely saith very well in his Book of kneeling at the Communion What hath musick to do with mourning or a song of mirth with a day of the greatest sorrow which is the Passion of Christ when the seeds of contrition and repentance must be sowed with teares that the harvest in Heaven may be reaped with joy And againe we must come weeping before him that offered up supplications and prayers with strong cries and teares to redeeme us Heb. 5. 7. Wee must prostrate our selves humbly before our Judge that is offended by us and weepe before him whom wee would pacifie with our teares and compunction So then saith he since we come to the Lords house and table to pacifie him let our caraiage be such that we stir him not to more anger we must shut up our senses that they wander not our eyes must see Gods beauty not gad after vanities and send teares as Embassadors Our eares must attend the word of truth not delicious tunes of musicall melody 20 Such gaudy ornaments and paultry furniture as are used in Duâ—ham Cathedrall at the Communion with organs other musick hinder godly meditations therefore K. Iames when he received the Communion at Durham on Easter Day 1617. commanded all things to be done plainly without musick or other bravery Why then are set before us so many objects of vanity so many allurements of our outward senses our eyes eares consequently our minds from the meditation of Christs death passion and our sins which were the only cause of all our miseries his lamentable sufferings Can such paltry toyes bring to our memory Christ and his blood-shedding Crosses Crucifixes Tapers Candlesticks gilded Angels painted Images golden Copes gorgious Altars sumptuous Organs with Sackbuts and Cornets piping so loud at the Communion table that they may be heard halfe a mile from the Church Bernard saith no. Orantium in se retorquent aspectum impediunt affectum Such glorious spectacles draw away from God the minds of them that pray they further not but hinder entire affections and godly meditations The consideration of which impediments of devotion moved our most learned and religious King Iames when he received the holy Communion in this Cathedrall Church upon Easter-day 1617. to give charge or at least in his name charge was given upon my knowledge I speake it and in my hearing in mine own house that the Communion should be administred in plain maÌ„neâ— it was expresly commanded that no chaunting should be used by the Quire-men nor playing on the Organs or other Instruments Which my selfe being treasurer of this Church at that time and receiving the Communion with his Majesty as my office required I did see take order should be performed according to the Kings pleasure direction at which time there were no Images or other gay and gaudy monuments of superstition and Idolatry to be seene Two Copes indeed were worne both decent as the Canons prescribe not party-coloured nor pibald like ours at Durham but plaine without any picture or other imbroidring of Crosses or Images which the doctrine of the Church of England in the book of Homilies and Injunctions straightly forbids in our Churches to be used at any part of Gods service especially at the Communion table or in windowes abâ—â—â— it And shall we â—ffect so excessive and extraordinary bravery such a deale and so great variety of delicious musick at the receiving of the holy Communion an action of the greatest humiliation and mourning which the religiouâ— wisedome of so learned a Prince forbad and refused 21 When we come to Gods â—ble we must endeavour to pacifie his anger with our humiliation and mourning and not provoke him against us with our proud behaviour merriment and flaunting bravery When we come to Gods house and sacred table to pacifie him saith the Bishop of Rochester in his Book of kneeling at the Communion pag. 19. our carriage must be such that we stir him not to more anger and how can lie but be angry when we turne our mourning into merriment our fasting and prayer into stage-playing saith he And again in the same book we must weep before him to wash away our â—ins and deplore and prevent our present and future misery The depth of sin saith he pierced not only his hands and feet but his heart also in which he offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryes and teares that he might overcome the clamour of our crying sins And if our Saviour wept for us the Redeemer for the redeemed we have much more reason to weepe for our selves and let none be found so prophane amongst us that when the son of God wept and suffered for our redemption we should laugh and make merry pipe and sing at our condemnation as if we were senselesse of our owne confusion We may not presume to eate the bread of Heaven and forget the duty of sinfull and earthly men that are but dust and ashes Reverend and dreadfull mysteries must have receivers that come with reverence and dread and such as our action is such must be our affection that is to receive that with feare and trembling and not with piping and singing which is so fearefull and dreadfull in it selfe And then he concludeth with this admonition Behold thou sinner how great reproaches Christ suffers at thy hands who by thy wilfull impieties doest crucifie againe to thy selfe the Lord of life And then resolve that as Christs hands and feet and head and every poare and passage of his body was a fountaine of mercy that runs in his blood so thine heart must be as a spring of sighs and groanes and thine eyes must be as fountaines of teares to wash with Magdalen not so much Christs feet as thine owne soule FINIS
a greater scandall to our B. White in his Epistle to Archbishop Lawd in his book of the Sabbath Church then the profane negligence of conformable Ministers then their loosnesse of life their avarice and ambition in heaping together benefices and promotions and then a grosse neglect in discharging their duty On the contrary saith he nothing is of greater moment to perswade the people then when they shall observe their Ministers diligent and industrious in serving God and promoting the salvation of Christian soules committed to their charge O ye reformers of the Church learn this of a Bishop and amend this fault which B. Laud would never do The principall Points delivered in this short Apologeticall Treatise 1 Concerning the Communion-Table falsly termed an Altar what manner of furniture is forbidden as being superstitious where it must be placed and how covered pag. 1. 2 D. Hall against innovations and bravery in Gods worship contrary to the doctrine of Durhamers B. Neale and his Chaplains Cosin Lindsell c. p. 2. 3 Bernard against the vanity of such which preferre the glory of materiall Temples before poore-Christians the Temples of the Holy Ghost as Durhamers doe p. 2. 4 B. Motton out of Hierome and Malachy against sumptuous ornaments p. 3. 5 The Homilies and Hemingius concerning true and false ornaments of Churches p. 3. 6 Bernard Augustin c. against the statelines of Temples gawdy ornaments especially at the Sacraments which hinder devotion p. 4. 7 Hierome of the riches brave furniture and musicke in Solomons Temple not in synagogues nor to be imitated in Christian Churches into which Pope Vitalian was the first that brought Organs p. 5. 8 Athanasius Constantine the great Basil of Church-musicke and Psalmes Vitalian hindred preaching with his piping and chancing as some of our Prelates do now p. 6. 9 Justine Martyr and the whole Primitive Church retained the singing of Psalmes but they abandoned Pipers and Chanters and though David ordained instruments of musicke for the Temple yet we may not imitate them no more then we can Aaronicall Vestments p. 7. 10 Our Church ordaineth that all things be done to edification but by immoderate musicke both Service and Sacraments are worsae understood and turned to theatricall stage-playes p. 8. 11 Durhamers would not suffer the Sacrament of Baptisme to be ministred without an hideous noise of Organs and singers with the sight also of many brave images on the Font. But our Homilies teach that we must praise God that our Churches are quit of images and organs p. 9. 12 The Church of England termeth Images Organs Altars profanations and heathenish abominations yet Durhamers retaine and maintain them stoutly p. 10. 13 They bow down often and profoundly before their Alter 〈◊〉 toward the Bible or the body and bloud of Christ in the consecrated Elements as if the Altar were holler then Christs body and the Bible yet they say they worship God not the Altar the second Commandement and B. Buckeridge each otherwise p. 10. 14 B. Neals Chaplains Cosin Linsell James Duncan c. call bowing to the Altar a comely gesture and they practise it very often and profoundly especially at their coming in and going out is if they would salute God making a low leg before they kneel down to pray and when they have done prayer going out of the Church turn back to look on the Altar towards which they make another profound leg taking as it were their leave of God and departing from God whom they leave at the Altar A most absurd foolery p. 12. 15 There was never in the world a more abominable idoll then Durham Altar p. 14. 16 Christ upon earth was never so worshipped by bowing down of bodies as Durham Altar hath been When it was a table standing in the midst it was as holy as now yet then it was never bowed unto p. 15 17 D. Cosin his fellows which obtruded to the Church such fanatical and idolatrous ornaments are they not seditious innovators p. 16. 18 May not the people of Durham be exhorted to communicate in their own Parish Churches as the Law commands them and forbeare to communicate in the Cathedrall Church where it is not rightly administred yet this is a principall objection against me in their Durham and Yorke Articles and Censure p. 16. 19 The representation of the death and passion of Christ is an action of humiliation of sorrow and weeping Why then should our Cathedrall Priests of Durham pompously and gloriously attired in sumptuous Copes imbroidered with images come to a brave painted Altar with Pipers and Singers making delicate melody in such a time of humiliation p. 18. 20 Such objects of vanities allure the peoples eyes eares â—and minds from sorrowfull meditations of our Saviour Christ his death on the crosse and our sinnes which caused the same for which we can never sufficiently testifie our thankefulnesse by afflicting our selves with mourning and teares p. 19. â—2 God is angry with us for our sinnes which deserve eternall condemnation if he should enter into judgment with us Therefore we must not turne our mourning into merriment when we would pacific our angry Iudge p. 20. THE Communion-Table must not The Communion Table must not have superfluous and superstitious furniture but such only as is prescribed by the Church of England not such as Bishop Neal with his Chapleins brought into Durham and polluted the same with superstition and idolatry have superfluous and superstitious ornaments not allowed by the Book of Common Prayer Injunctions and Canons in which whatsoever Ceremony is not bidden it is forbidden it is unlawfull it is superstitious As the Canonists teach Superstitio est relictis Rubricis directorio Ecclesiae alias Ceremonias adhibere pro sua devotione Leaving the Rubricks and direction of the Church to use other ceremonies for devotions sake that is superstition The Rubrick and Canon command that the Communion-Table shall stand in the body of the Church or Chancell where Morning and Evening Prayer are appointed to be said and it must stand covered with a carpet of silk or other decent stuffe with a faire linnen cloth at the time of the Administration And therein Cathedrall and Parish Churches must be alike they must be uniforme saith the Act of Vniformity Therefore the Table not Altar must not be removed to the East end of the Quire or Chancell as farre as can be from the congregation It must not have a costly Velvet cloth with gold fringe and imbroydered with images much lesse may it have B. Neales precious golden Pall to cover the Altar having upon it the false story of the Assumption of our Lady then which a more abominable Idoll all Popery cannot shew Neither must it be a sumptuous Altar of Stone gilded painted and polished bravely fastned to the ground having crosses crucifixes corporasses basons tapers or candlesticks set upon it which by name are forbidden in the 23. Injunction And never can I
piping and singing beautifying of temples beyond all meane and measure pollute and defile the house of God and none but rotten members of our Church can say the contrary 6 Bernard Augustine Ierome c. reprehend the too too great magnificence of temples espâ—cially when they are made theaters rather to delight the peoples ears and eyâ— with melodio is tunes and pompous spectâ—cles then oratories to pray and praise God and be edified by preaching Bernard also reprehended in his time excessive heights and immoderate lengths of Churches because he misliked worldly magnificence in the spirituall service of God who dwels not in Temples made with hands So likewise doth Augustine Ierome Iustin Martyr and others they condemne gay ornaments and pompous spectacles of glittering pictures with melodious tunes of pipers and singers in the spirituall service of God especially at the administration of the holy Communion and Baptisme because they hinder godly meditations upon our Saviour Christ his bitter death and passion and our regeneration represented unto us in those mystical Sacraments For thus writeth Bernard in his Apologie against the superfluous ornaments of Churches I let passe the great statelinesse of temples their immoderate lengths their vaine breadths their sumptuous polishings their curious paintings which while they draw the sight of them that pray unto them they hinder their affection and they seem to me to resemble the old custome of the Jewes Mark this saith a learned writer in his Commentary on Iude how Bernard saith that those things which now adayes the defenders of superstitious vanities in Popery say were ordained to help devotion as gilded images and costly ornaments curious and sumptuous paintings and polishings of Altars and Temples they are so far from helping that they hinder devotion they withdraw saith Bernard not only the sight of them that pray but their affection also and they smell rather of Judaisme then Christianisme 7 The Iews had but one temple in the whole world and that was beautified with all manner of sumptuous ornaments altars and vestments for the Priests to offer sacrifices which could be done no where els it had singers also and musicall instruments But the synagogues which are answerable to Churches where the law of God was read and expounded every Sabbath day had none of those ornaments neither Priests nor priestly vestments nor altars nor sâ—crifices nor musick either instrumentall or vocall neither should our Church have the like because they are synagogues rather then temples Synagoga a congregation an assembly And Ierome in his Epistle to Nepotian concerning the life and conversation of the Clergy saith Iewrie had a rich temple and all things then made of gold then those things were allowed of the Lord. Then that is they are not now allowed of the Lord. And where were they allowed of the Lord Not in the Synagogues which the Jewes had in all cities of the countrey where they assembled to heare the Law and the Prophets read and expounded every Sabboth day they had not there either Altars bloody sacrifice or incense golden vessels or Priestly vestments musicall instruments or singers but only in the Temple of Jerusalem as David the King and Prophet by the instinct of Gods Spirit ordained there to be used only when solemne sacrifice was offered For thus writeth Arias Montanus Fuit in templo suggestum inter sacerdotes populum atrium constitutum in quo Levitae musicis instrumentis solennium quotidianorum sacrificiorum tempore canerent There was a pulpit gallery or scaffold erected in a great roome or court betwixt the Priests and the people where the Levites might sing and play upon their musicall instruments when the solemne sacrifices were daily offered Daily saith he but Flavius Iosephus the Jew being himself both Priest and Levite knew better what was done he in his seventh book of Antiquities saith David that renowned Prophet of God devised many instruments of musick and he taught the Levites to sing and play hymnes to the Lord per Sabbathorum dies aliásque solâ—nnitates at the solemnities of Festivall dayes and Sabbaths Therefore not every day in the week nor thrice every day they did not turn the houres of prayer into solemne services with piping and chanting morning and evening and mid-day as our new-fangled ceremony-mongers of late most audaciously attempted to do in this Church of Durham and did so indeed the space of two years without authority contrary to the Injunctions statutes and customes of our Church which they were sworne to observe Vitalianus himselfe was not so impudently presumptuous who was the first Pope that brought Organs into Churches not into his own Chappell at Rome for there they are not yet nor ever were saith Cardinall Cajetan not to be used but onely upon Holy-Dayes and this he did about the yeare of our Lord 660. about 60. years after Gregory the great who would never have allowed such excesse of piping and chanting Of this Vitalianus borne at Signium a town in Italy thus writeth Mantuan Signius adjunxit molli conflata metallo Organa quae festis resonent ad sacra diebus First Pope Vitalian to the singers joyned his Organs Which might on Holy-Dayes at Service pipe to the people 8 The singing of Psalmâ—s commended and practised by Ambrose Constantine the great Basil and the whole Primitive Church but organs and prick-song were never heard of in the Church till Pope Vitalian brought them in Athanasius that great pillar of the Church which he supported against Arrianisme Canendi usum in Ecclesiis interdixit vanitates fugitans In detestation of superstitious vanities he utterly forbad the use of chanting in Churches but he forbade not the singing of Psalms in a plaine tune by the whole congregation which was then allowed and highly commended by Ambrose and Gelasius and practised by the Emperour himselfe as Eusebius witnesseth in the fourth Book of the life of Constantine the great Cantare primus incepit unà oravit conciones stans reverenter audiit adeò ut rogatus ut consideret responderit fas non esse dogmata de Deo remisse segniter audire This most famous Christian Emperour that ever the Church of Christ had he first began to sing the Psalme he joyned with the people in prayer to God standing up reverently he heard Sermons insomuch as being intreated to sit downe he answered it is not lawfull to heare the doctrine of God slothfully and carelesly So that he used not the gesture of standing superstitiously as a ceremony more holy then sitting or kneeling as our upstart reformers do in this Church of Durham compelling all the people to stand looking about them like fooles and noddies all the time that the Nicene Creed is sung with the Organ c. which Creed Why Constantine stood to heare they can neither say by heart nor understand one word when it is sung But onely that religious Prince stood upon his feet that he might