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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64661	The judgement of the late Arch-Bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland 1. Of the extent of Christs death and satisfaction &c, 2. Of the Sabbath, and observation of the Lords day, 3. Of the ordination in other reformed churches : with a vindication of him from a pretended change of opinion in the first, some advertisements upon the latter, and in prevention of further injuries, a declaration of his judgement in several other subjects / by N. Bernard.	Ussher, James, 1581-1656.; Bernard, Nicholas, d. 1661.	1658 (1658)	Wing U188; ESTC R24649	53,942	189

into my hands and taken a Copy thereof and have caused it to be compared with two other Copies Manuscripts in Oxford the one in Magdalene the other in Baliol Colledge Library I take no small comfort in the hope I conceive of seeing your Grace before your departure into Ireland I heare of a purpose your Grace hath to see Oxford and abide some time there the Lord blesse you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you Newberry May 29. 1640. Yours in all observance desiring to sit at your Grace his feet WILLIAM TWISSE Mr. Chambers of Clouford by Bath hath long ago answered Dr. Heylines History of the Sabbath but knowes not how to have it printed A Clause in a Letter of the Primates to Mr. Ley of the Sabbath FOr mine own part I never yet doubted but took it for granted that as the setting of some whole day apart for Gods solemne Worship was Juris Divini naturalis so that this solemne day should be one in seven was juris Divini positivi recorded in the fourth Commandement And such a jus divinum positivum here I mean as Baptisme and the Lords Supper are established both which lie not in the power of any man or Angel to change or alter wherein me thinks your second position is a little too waterish viz. That this Doctrine rather then the contrary is to be held the Doctrine of the Church of England And may well be gathered out of her publick liturgy and the first part of the Homily concerning the place and time of prayer Whereas you should have said that this is to be held undoubtedly the Doctrine of the Church of England For if there could be any reasonable doubt made of the meaning of the Church of England in her Liturgy who should better declare her meaning than self in her Homily where she peremptorily declareth her minde That in the fourth Commandement God hath given expresse charge to all men that upon the Sabbath day which is now our Sunday they should cease from all weekly and work-day labour to the intent that like as God himself wrought six dayes and rested the seventh blessed and sanctified it and consecrated it to rest and quietnesse from labour even so Gods obedient people should use the Sunday holily and rest from their common and daily businesse and also give themselves wholly to heavenly exercises of Gods true Religion and service Than which what could you devise to say more your self For the further maintenance of which Doctrine I send you herewith a Treatise written by a learned man now with God against Theophilus Brabourn who gave occasion to the raising up of these unhappy broiles which if it may any way conduce to the furtherance of your more exact Treatice c. I shall be very glad and be ready to c. Part of a Letter of the Primates to an Honourable person not long after the coming forth of Doctor Heylins book of the History of the Sabbath which I found wrote in the same Paper with the former AS for Dr. Heylins relation concerning our Articles of Ireland it is much mistaken For first where he saith they did passe when his Majesties Commissioners were imployed about the setling of the Church Anno 1615. and chargeth them with this strict austerity as he termeth it in the prescript observation of the Lords day he sheweth himself very credulous there having been no such Commissioners here at that time and our Articles having been published in Print divers years before the Commissioners whom hee meaneth came hither as Sir Nathaniel Rich who was one of them himself can sufficiently inform you Secondly where he saith he is sure that till that time the Lords day had never attained such credit as to be thought an Article of the faith he speaks very inconsiderately Hee that would confound the ten Commandements whereof this must be accounted for one unlesse he will leave us but nine with the Articles of the faith he had need be put to learn his Catechisme again And he that would have every thing which is put into the Articles of Religion agreed upon in the Synod for the avoyding of diversity of opinions and for the maintenance of peace and uniformity in the Church to be held for an Article of the faith should do well to tell us whether hee hath as yet admitted the Book of the ordination of Bishops and the two volumes of Homilies into his Creed for sure I am he shall find these received in the Articles of Religion agreed upon in the Synod held at London 1562. To which Doctor Heylen himself having subscribed I wonder how he can oppose the conclusion which he findeth directly laid down in the Homily of the time and place of prayer in the fourth Commandement viz. God hath given expresse charge to all men that upon the Sabbath-day which is now our Sunday for these are the plain words of the Homily which the Doctor with all his Sophistry will never be able to elude they shall cease from all weekly and week-day labour to the intent thot like as God himselfe wrought six dayes and rested the seventh and blessed and consecrated it to quietnesse and rest from labour even so Gods obedient people should use the Sunday holily and rest from their common and daily businesse and also give themselves wholly to the heavenly exercises of Gods true Religion and service By the verdict of the Church of England I am sure the Lords day had obtained such a pitch of credit as nothing more could be left to the Church of Ireland in their Articles afterward to adde unto it Thirdly he shameth not to affirm That the whole Book of the Articles of Ireland is now called in which is a notorious untruth And lastly that the Articles of the Church of England were confirmed by Parliament in this Kingdome Anno 1634. where it is well known that they were not so much as once propounded to either House of Parliament or ever intended to be propounded The truth is that the House of Convocation in the beginning of their Canons for the manifestation of their agreement with the Church of England in the confession of the same Christian faith and the Doctrine of the Sacraments as they themselves professe and for no other end in the world did receive and approve of the Articles of England but that either the Articles of Ireland were ever called in or any Articles or Canons at all were ever here confirmed by Act of Parliament may well be reckoned among Doctor Heylins fancies Which shews what little credit he deserves in his Geography when he brings us newes of the remote parts of the world that tells us so many untruths of things so lately and so publickly acted in his Neigbour Nation A Confirmation of the latter clause in this Letter of the Primates viz. That the Articles of Ireland determining the observation of the Lords day were not called in Anno

Armachanus one of this Primates Predecessors and one of the most Learned men in his time to be accordingly Armachani opinio est quod si omues Episcopi essent defuncti sacerdotes minores possunt ordinare applies it to the like Protestant Churches which the Primate mentions Hac freti necessitate si Ecclesiae quaedam protestantium quae ordinationes ab Episcopis Papistis expectare non poterant consensu Presbyterorum suorum Presbyteros ordinarunt non inde Episcopali dignitati praejudicasse sed necessitati Ecclesiae obtemperasse judicandi sint Thus much for Bishop Davenants concurrence to which divers others might be added as in speciall Doctor Richard Field sometimes Dean of Glocester in his Learned Book of the Church lib. 3. cap. 39. and lib. 5. cap. 27. where this judgement of the Primates and this concurrence of Bishop Davenants is largely confirmed without the least derogation from the preheminencie of Episcopacy But that book entituled The defence of the Ordination of the Ministers of the reformed Churches beyond the Seas maintained by Mr Arch-Deacon Mason against the Romanists who wrote also a defence of Episcopacy and of the Ministery of the Church of England is sufficiently known and I have been assured it was not onely the Judgement of Bishop Overal but that he had a principal hand in it He produceth many Testimonies The Master of the Sentences and most of the Schoolmen Bonaventure Tho. Aquinas Durand Dominicus Soto Richardus Armachanus Tostatus Alphonsus à Castro Gerson Petrus Canisius to have affirmed the same and at last quoteth Medina a principal Bishop of the Councel of Trent who affirmed That Jerome Ambrose Augustine Sedulius Primasius Chrysostome Theodoret Theophylact were of the same judgement also And I suppose there is none doubts but that the Primate joyned with Arch-Deacon Mason in that conclusive wish of his viz. That wherein the Discipline of France or Holland is defective they would by all possible means redresse and reform it and conforme themselves to the ancient custome of the Discipline of Christ which hath continued from the Apostles time that so they may remove all opinion of singularity and stop the mouth of malice it selfe In a word If the ordination of Presbyters in such places where Bishops cannot be had were not valid the late Bishops of Scotland had a hard task to maintain themselves to be Bishops who were not Priests for their Ordination was no other And for this a passage in the History of Scotland wrote by the Arch-Bishop of Saint Andrews is observable viz. That when tke Scots Bishops were to be consecrated by the Bishops of London Ely and Bath here at London house An. 1609. he saith A question was moved by Doctor Andrews Bishop of Ely touching the consecration of the Scottish Bishops who as he said must first be ordained Presbyters as having received no ordination from a Bishop The Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Doctor Bancroft who was by maintained That thereof there was no necessity seeing where Bishops could not be had the ordination given by the Presbyters must be esteemed lawfull otherwise that it might be doubted if there were any lawfull vocation in most of the reformed Churches This applauded to by the other Bishops Ely acquiesced and at the day and in the place appointed the three Scottish Bishops were consecrated by the above-said three English Bishops the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury forbearing for another cause there mentioned Now though the ordination of Presbyters in this case of necessity be granted to be valid yet I have heard this learned Primate wonder at the neglect found in the late Presbyterian way of ordation viz. That at imposition of hands they neither used the ancient form of words with which the first framers of it were themselves ordained nor used any other to that sence in their room at least there is no order or direction for it For suppose the words of our Saviour to the Apostles John 10. 21 21. at their ordination were scrupled at viz. Receive the holy Ghost whose sins thou dost forgive are forgiven and whose sins thou dost retain are retained which rightly understood gave no just cause yet why might not the next words have been continued viz. and be thou a faithfull dispenser of the word of God and of his holy Sacraments in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost or the other words upon the solemne delivery of the Bible into the hands of the person ordained Take thou authority to preach the word of God and to minister the holy Sacraments in the Congregation where thou shalt be so appointed I can imagine no cause against the use of one of these unlesse it be because they had been used there as if in this sense old things must be done away and all must be new To impose hands according to the injunction of the Apostle and to have it accompanied with prayer and thanksgiving for the person is well done wich in the former constitution was solemnly observed before and after it but why should the formal transmitting of Authority also in the name of Christ for the power of officiating be left undone if the scruple in the instrumental cause be satisfied why might it not have been prevented in the formall who might have freely given what they had received Now to give the seal of ordination as some please to call imposition of hands without any expresse commission annexed or grant of Authority to the person the Primate was wont to say seemed to him to be like the putting of a seale to a blanck which being so weighty a businesse I wish prudent men would consider of least in the future it arm the adversary with objections and fill our own with further scruples And so much far larger then I intended for the prevention of any offence which might be taken at the one part of the Letter Now for the other clause of his judgement which he leaves unto me to judge what in reason I might apprehend to be his I leave it accordingly to the judgement of others All that can give any offence is that term of Schisme But in regard it is not directly determined but onely that he could not be an Advocate to excuse it and being delivered in that Latitude that it is dubious whether forreigne to which the question chiefly relateth or domestick former times or latter may take the application I shall not offend the Reader with any larger Apology onely wherein any shall find themselves concerned I wish such humble and meek spirits that the admonition of so pious and eminent a Bishop whose fame is throughout the Churches might prevaile to the amendmeut of what hath been amisse among us If I have abounded beyond my measure to the hazard of the offence of both parties in these advertisements let it be excused by the impartiality of it and the unbyassed intention for the setling of truth and peace so shaken of later dayes The

Primates judgement of severall Subjects THe mifinterpretations which have been already made of this most Reverend and Learned mate of a change of judgement in him towards his latter end which I have been moved here to vindicate giving it suspected to be the fore-runner of more of the like which may be raised hereafter I have been advised upon this occasion both in answer to and prevention of any other false rumours for the future to declare more fully what I did of him briefly in his Funerall Sermon as to some particulars then whispering of him omitted at the presse but not with my will And I do it the rather in regard as I was desired then by some of different judgement to make an impartial relation of his there there each like Israel and Judah for David claiming an interest in him so finding that omission to be diversly interpreted to my censure and conceived by some to be the occasion of those severall mistakes raised of him since whereby as praef to disp of Sacram. Mr. Baxter complaines The good Bishop must now be what every one will say of him one feigning him to be of one extreame and the other of the other extreame which the publishing might have prevented I have thought fit to discharge that trust reposed in me both in relation to his Doctrine and practice and I know no person of more generall reputation and more like to be an exemplary pattern in this his moderation which I conceived fit to be known unto all men The late Arch-Bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland his judgement in matter of Doctrine Discipline and other subjects of which there have been some different opinions among others and some misinterpretations of him IN Doctrine he did fully approve the Articles of Religion of the Church of England as the same more enlarged in the Articles of Ireland The discipline and constitutious of both he did also approve For the Liturgy in the publick prayers as while he lived at Drogheda in Ireland they were constantly observed in his family so he had them in estimation to his last And the last time he was in London upon the occasion of some rash groundlesse rumours raised of him to the contrary to his no small grief he gave his judgement accordingly to an Honourable person wrote with his owne hand which he shewed unto me He had constantly prayers in his family four times a day At six in the morning and eight at night they were such wherein the gifts of those who were his Chaplains were exercised but before Dinner and Supper in the Chappel was the forenamed also observed Indeed he was not so rigid as to tie all men in the private to an absolute necessary use of it or in the publike that a Sermon was not to be heard unlesse that did precede And for the healing or preventing of those distractions and divisions which have been among Ministers as others and the moderating of each extremity in relation to the use of it whereby there might be a return of that wished-for peace and unity which of late years we have been strangers to He conceived some prudent moderate accommodation might have been thought of and yet may by wise men in order to the present continuance of the substantial part of it each side yielding somewhat after the example of Saint Paul in circumstantials which might have better borne the name of a reformation than thus to have a totall suppression of it whereby with the intention of gathering up the Tares the Wheat hath been rooted up also As for some arbitrary innovations not within the compasse of the rule and order of the book he did not affect and often wished they had not been introduced as foreseeing the issue of it what was commanded he readily observed but did not take upon him to introduce any Rite or Ceremony upon his own opinion of decency till the Church had judged it so and thought they most owned the book who neither added or diminished from the rule of it And for bowing at the Name of Jesus though he censured not those that did either in our or other Reformed Churches according to the custome of each yet he did not conceive the injunction of it could be founded upon that of the Apostle Phil. 2. 10. and wondred at some learned mens assertions that it was the Exposition of all the Fathers upon it And as the wise composers of the Liturgy gave no direct injunction for it there so in Ireland he withstood the putting of it into the Canon Anno 1634. That a form of prayer not only by way of direction but punctually composed were fit to be had in the publike he was ever for as much conducing to the benefit of the vulgar people which are the major part of the Nation and especially in the administration of Baptisme and the Communion as well for the shunning and preventing the disorder and scandalous confusion found in some mens performances of them as the testifying of an unity and unanimity among us which Saint Paul prefers as the more excellent way before the variety of all Spirituall gifts whatsoever He often wished The judgement of Calvine concerning it who was a wise and learned man in his letter to the L. Protector of England in Edward the sixth's time were more known than it is in regard of his esteem with such who have oppsed it who doth much approve that there should be a certain set form of prayer from which it should not be lawfull for the Pastors to depart in their function both that some care might be had of the more simple and ignorant sort as also that the consent of all the Churches within themselves might the more evidently appear And lastly for the prevention of the inconstant levity of some who are affecters of novelty and so adviseth to have a set Catechisme a set form of publick prayers and administration of Sacraments He was for the Ministers improving of their gifts and abilties in prayer before Sermon and after according to his own practice but if that were done he saw no reason why the other should be left undone The Church of God being like a great family whereein some being Infants and Children as well as of full age a provision must be had of Milk as stronger meat and all ought to be equally taken care of even the ignorant and simpler sort as well as those of greater education For Ordination or an ordained Ministery such was his judgement of the necessity of it That he took it to be a fundamental and one of those principles of Christian Doctrine Hebr. 6. 2. called laying on of hands the great neglect of which he much lamented as fearing it would prove to be the undermining the foundation of our Church which Mr. Cartwright in his Commentary upon the place confirmes to the full and in a higher expression as if it were the overthrow of Christianity And yet as you have

heard he was not so severe as to condemn and disown the Ministery of other reformed Churches or refuse Communion with them because in every particular as to some persons usually ordaining they were defective For Episcopacy he was not wanting with Saint Paul to magnifie his own office by two several Tractates he hath published none being more able to defend the ancient right of it for which he was by Letters importuned by some of the most eminent persons of his own profession yet how humbly without any partiality to himself and the eminent degree he had obtained in it did he declare his judgement is evident by the above-said Tractates and the Letter before mentioned And his prudence in the present accommodation of things in that Treatise of his viz. The reduction of it to the form of Synodical Government for the prevention of that disturbance which did afterwards arise about it is as apparent also if others concerned in these transactions had been of that moderation humility and meeknesse the wound given might have been healed before it grew incurable That the Annual Commemorations of the Articles of the faith such as the Nativity Passion Resurrection of our Saviour c. were fit to be observed which Saint Augustine saith in his time were in use through the whole Catholick Church of Christ and is now in some Reformed Churches as a means to keep them in the memory of the vulgar according to the pattern of Gods injunction to the Israelites in the Old Testament for the Types of them appeared sufficiently to be his judgement by his then constant preaching upon those subjects The Friday before Easter i e. the Resurrection East in old Saxon signifying rising appointed for the remembrance of the Passion of our Saviour he did duely at Drogheda in Ireland observe as a solemn fast inclining the rather to that choice out of Prudence and the security from censure by the then custome of having Sermons beyond their ordinary limit in England when after the publick prayers of the Church he first preached upon that subject extending himselfe in prayer and Sermon beyond his ordinary time which we imitated who succeeded in the duties of the day and which being known to be his constant custome some from Dublin as other parts came to partake of it which most excellent Sermons of his upon that occasion he was by many Godly Religious persons importuned much for the publishing of them and his strict observation of this fast was such that neither before or after that extraordinary paines would he take the least refreshment till about six a Clock and which did not excuse him from Preaching again on Easter day when we constantly had a Communion That Tractate of his entitled The Incarnation of the Son of God was the summe of two or three Sermons which I heard him preach at Drogheda at that Festivall when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour That he was for the often publike reading of the ten Commandements and the Creed before the Congregation according to the custome of other reformed Churches I suppose none can doubt of and not onely that which is commonly called the Apostles Creed but the Nicene and Athanasius his book of the three Creeds sufficiently perswade it What his judgement was of the use of the Lords Prayer his practice shewed it in the constant concluding of his prayer before Sermon with it And his approbation of that gesture of kneeling at the Communion was often apparent before many witnesses For confirmation of Children which Calvine Beza Piscator and others do much commend and wish it were restored among them he was not wanting in his observation as an ancient laudable custome by which was occasioned the more frequent having in memory the principles of religion with the yonger sort At his first publike giving notice of the time of that his intention it having been long disused in Ireland he made a large speech unto the people of the antiquity of it the prudence of the first reformers in purging it from Popish superstitions with the end of it and then such youths presented to him who could repeat the publike Catechisme were confirmed and so often afterwards and indeed the apprehension of his piety and holinesse moved the Parents much to desire that their Children might by him receive that Benediction which was seconded with good and spiritual instruction that stuck to them when they came to further yeares The publike Catechisme containing the summe of the Creed the 10. Commandements the Lords Prayer and Doctrine of the Sacraments despised by some for its plainnesse he thought therefore to be the more profitable for the vulgar And at Drogheda in Ireland gave me orders every Lords day in the afternoon beside the Sermon which was not omitted to explain it He was very exemplary in the careful observation of the Lords day in his family The Sermon preached by him in the forenoon being constantly repeated in the Chappel by his Chaplain about five of the Clock in the afternoon unto which many of the Town resorted For Habits he observed such which were accustomed by those of his profession for the Organ and the Quire he continued them as he found them in use before him And as in all things so in his ordinary wearing Garments he was a Pattern of gravity approving much of a distinctive Apparel in the Ministery that way Lastly for the Ecclesiastical Constitutions of Ireland as he was in An. 1634. being then the Primate the chief guide in their establishment so before he was a Bishop An. 614. being then a Member of the Convocation he was employed as a principal person for the Collecting and drawing up such Canons as concerned the Discipline and Government of the Church and were to be treated upon by the Arch-Bishops and Bishops and the rest of the Clergy of Ireland divers taken out of the Statutes Queen Elizabeths Injunctions and the Canons of England 1571. which I have lately found written then with his own hand The two first of which being in these words 1. That no other form of Liturgy or Divine service shall be used in any Church of this Realm but that which is established by Law and comprized in the book of Common-Prayer and Administrations of Sacraments c. 2. That no other form of Ordination shall be used in this Nation but which is contained in the book of ordering of Bishops Priests and Deacons allowed by Authority and hitherto practized in the Churches of England and Ireland make it apparent that his judgement concerning many of the above-mentioned subjects was the same in his yonger as Elder years And yet notwithstanding all this there were alwayes some and still are too many who are apt to blurre him with the title of a Puritane which is is one occasion of this enlargement though in none the sense of it is more uncertain then in his application and from none a greater lustre would be given unto it than by his