for in King Hen. 8. and in the second of King Edward the sixths days the people were appointed to pray for their deliverance from the Tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and his detestable Enormities Now from this sound Doctrine of the Church of England I hope I may have leave without offence to our Heylinists to prove the Pope of Rome successively to be the Antichrist the holy Scripture writes of As thus He that under the pretence of Religion being the Servant the Vicar of Christ and the Successor of Peter is the Inventor and setter up of Superstitious and Pharisaical Sects which are against the Word of God and the glory of his name that challengeth and exerciseth Princely dominion over Nations and people and dominion over the Church of Christ which is his Kingdom whose usurped authority hath no good ground in holy Scripture that produceth Antichristian fruits practises and doctrines affirming that a man can by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself and denying this Doctrine that a man is justified alone by faith That is the Babylonical beast that is the successor of the Scribes and Pharisees the spoiler and destroyer of Christs Church the instrument and minister of Satan the head of that Antichristian Babylonical Sect which say of Jerusalem that is the true Church of God Down with it even to the ground whose Religion is rebellion whose Faith is faction and whose practise is murdering of souls and bodies is not to be accounted a Christian man the Vicar of Christ the Successor of Peter but an adversary to Christ and his Gospel That is Antichrist the Antichrist the holy Scripture writes of But the Pope of Rome successively is so and 〈◊〉 therefore he is the Antichrist the holy Scripture writes of The major is the Doctrine of the Church of England The Minor is also very largely proved in every particular by Dr. Henry More in his Learned and Elaborate and Ingenious Book called The Mystery of Iniquity which deserves seriously to be read and compared with the Doctrine and practises of the Church of Rome The full proof of the Minor would take in the whole Body of Popery which is learnedly confuted by Dr. Ames in his Bellarminus Enervatus Festus Hommius in his seven Theological Disputations against the Papists and others Yet I shall take the pains to set down some of the heads and leave you to apply them 1. The Pope of Rome is not as he pretends to be Christs Vicar General here on earth 1. Papists do not prove that the Pope of Rome is Christs Vicar General either in Temporals or Spirituals by Sacred Scripture 2. Christ is such an Head of his Church that he needs not such a Vicar on Earth as the Pope pretends to be for Christ is God as well as Man and is ever with his Church and will be even to the end of the world Mat. 18. 20. Mat. 28. 20. Lo I am with you even to the end of the world 3. To set up the Pope of Rome to be Christs Vicar is to deny Christs presence with his Church For a Vicar is one that doth supply the place of one that is absent and it is to deny Christ to be the Monarch of his Church and saith in effect that he is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and makes the Church of Christ monstrous Biceps having two heads 4. The Officers that Christ hath appointed in his Church are not his Vicars but his Ministers Stewards c. their Office is not Magisterial but only Ministerial 5. When Christ ascended up into Heaven he did not commit the Government of his Church Universal to one man but to the whole Colledg or company or society of his Apostles Joh. 20. 21. Christ said to all his Apostles except Thomas that were alive this As my Father sent me even so send I you c. Here Christ performed that which he promised to Peter Mat. 16. 19. And I will give thee c. That was but a promise of this gift here Christ performed it to him and to all his Disciples to whom in Peter the promise was made Read also for this Mat. 28. 18 19 20. And when the Apostles died they did not institute one particular man over the whole Universal Church of Christ on Earth but ordained fit men in every particular Church or Congregation of believers to rule it and gave them authority and a charge to govern it by common counsel as ye may see was the practise of two Apostles when they solemnly took their leave of the Churches which they had planted Act. 20. 28. Take heed therefore unto your Hooker saith That the Apostles themselves ordained only in each Christian City a Colledg of Presbyters and Deacons to administer holy things Evaristus a Bishop of Rome about 112 years after the Birth of our Saviour begun the distinction of the Church into Parishes Ecclesiast Pol. l. 5. p. 433. And in the end of the same he saith That Presbyters and Deacons having been ordained before to exercise Ecclesiastical Functions in the Church of Rome promiscuously he was the first that tyed each one to his own station selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishops as he there calls all the Elders of the Church of Ephesus to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood Here you may see that the Government of the Church of Ephesus was committed not to one singular man alone over the flock and the Pastors too as Papists would have but to the whole Presbytery or company of Presbyters whom Paul sent for at Miletus Act. 20. 17. to whom he gave this authority and charge Read also I pray what St. Peter saith whose Successor the Pope pretends to be to the Elders that is the Presbyters of the Churches of Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bythinia 1 Pet. 5. 1 2 3 4. The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder he doth not say Bishop much less Bishop of Bishops but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellow-Presbyter and a witness of the sufferings of Christ also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed Feed the flock of God which is among you not far distant from you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind neither as being Lords mark this over Gods heritage but being ensamples to the flock of humility holiness meekness righteousness patience constancy charity mercy c. not of pride prophaneness tyranny injustice cruelty beastiality covetousness c. And when the chief sâ—epherd Christ shall appear that is come to Judgment ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away Lo here again the Government of the Church is not committed to one man or Bishop but to the Presbyters of the Churches and they forbidden to Lord it over the flock much
and I am sent to tell thee Now I pray seriously consider all-her words and search whether you can find so many lies told at one time by one person except in the Popish Legends and all hid under the cloak of Religion prayer revelation and affection when nothing was intended but murther and mischief as the two next Chapters plainly shew was her design I know there may be good use made of this story or fiction to teach Kings and great men Generals and others to take heed of entertaining of fair-faced and smooth-tongued Women lest they be deceived shamed yea ruined by them and 't is to be feared some persons may the Lord restrain them take example by Judith to lye swear dissemble equivocate and do any thing to compass their bloody designs against the Princes and Potentates of the world and may think it lawful to use unlawful means to obtain as they judg a good end as the Monk of Swinstead-Abby did against King John who poysoned him in the Chalice and those wicked wretches that poysoned the Emperour Henry the seventh in the Host and those wicked bloody Papists that stab'd King Henry the * If I mistake not saith Dr. Jer. Taylor 's Sermon at St. Maries in Oxford upon November 5th p. 19. it was Pope Sixtus Quintus who sometimes pronounced a speech in full Consistory in which he compares the assassinate of Jâ—ques Clement and Judith where after having aggravated the faults of the murdered King he concludes him to have died impenitent denied him the solemnities of Mass Dirge requiem for his soul at last he ends with a prayer that God would finish what in this bloody manner he had begun third of France with a knife in the belly and King Henry the fourth his successor in the mouth and at the heart All which Mr. Prin speaks of in his Rome's Master-piece p. 34. and an Indian nut that the confederate Papists had prepared for King Charles the first From which and the like bloody designs and practises the Lord in mercy preserve King Charles the second and all his Royal Relations and loyal subjects especially when they shall hear and read that her treacherous and bloody fact is so much and by such men commended and held forth for peoples example of life and instruction in good * Art 6. manners and as part of the Old Testament at least †See Preface to the Common-prayer-book Parag. 4. agreeable to the will of God I beseech you to read over all this and examine and consider it well and then I make no question but you 'l see cause enough to tear these two fabulous erroneous and dangerous Books out of our Bibles and cast them out of our Churches Methinks seeing the ancient Fathers so ordered the matter that the whole * See Preface concerning the Service of the Church Parag. 1. Bible or the greatest part thereof should be read once every year and seeing that Order is called a †Ibid. Parag. 2. godly and decent order and fault found that it hath been altered broken and neglected by planting in * Are not the stories of Tobit Judith Susanna Bell and the Dragon as uncertain Ex Historicis Apocryphis incertum est an Tobias Judith cum fragmentis de Susanna Bell Dracone habeantur pro Dramaticis potius quam vâ—ris narrationibus Bishop Prideaux Fascic cont c. 1. q. 2. p. 16. uncertain stories and Legends that commonly when any Book of the Bible was begun after three or four Chapters were read out all the rest were unread this corruption should not be continued still as the directions for proper Lessons plainly shews it is so doth the Kalender For there is not one Chapter of either of the Books of Chronicles in which Books are many things that are not so plainly and fully set down in the Books of the Kings And also the whole Book of the the Canticles which shews the excellency and mutual love of Christ and his Church is neglected and but twelve Chapters of the Prophecy of â—zekiel are appointed to be read in the whole year the other thirty-nine especially that exceeding profitable and remarkable Chapter Ezek. 16. wherein God takes special care and gives a special charge to have Jerusalem know her abominations v. 2. and to take notice of his extraordinary love towards her v. 6. are left out and several other Chapters in other Books of the Old Testament in which are things very profitable to be read for the understanding of other places of Scripture confirmation of Doctrine and instruction in good manners And there is appointed to be read as a Lesson but one piece of a Chapter of the Book of the Revelations that excellent Book which hath so much concerning the Church of God in this latter end of the world and discovers so much of the Antichrist and other enemies of Christ and his true and pure Church of which Book Christ saith Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this Prophecy and keep those things that are written therein for the time is at hand Revel 1. 3. And that if any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the holy city and from the things that are written in this Book Revel 22. 19. and that is the 19th Chapter and that but to the 17th verse and that as obscure and mysterious and as hard to be understood as most of the rest of that holy Book and the rest that is omitted more easie most of it to be understood than that and to be sure much more profitable for the Church of Christ than the 24th Chapter of Ecclesiasticus is which is appointed to be read by special order upon the 24th of August St. Bartholomews day and to be more sure than those that are appointed to be read out of Tobit and Judith and yet there are above 120 Chapters of Apocryphal Books appointed in the Kalendar to be read in one year And whether appointing them and punishing Ministers for reading those other of the Books of Scriptures be not a virtual taking away the words of that Book I humbly leave to your consideration And seeing your Convocation-men who Can. 139. call themselves the Church of England say they have ordained nothing to be read but the pure word of God or that which is agreeable to the same If a great part of the pure word of God must give place as less †Except certain Books and Chapters which be least edifying and might best be spared and therefore are left unread Vide Order how the rest of the holy Scripture is appointed to be read Parag. 1. conducing to the instruction of people in good manners than the Apocryphal Scriptures do methinks they might have done well to have left out all such parts and passages and expressions of them as are not agreeable to
unnecessary thing that Idolaters do in Exod. 23. 24. Levit. 18. 13. Levit. 19. 27 28. Deut. 12. 30 31 32. Deut. 14. 1 2. and this reason given them for it For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the Nations that are upon the earth And are we not commanded to come out of Babylon the Church of Rome that we partake not of her sins and receive not of her plagues Revel 18. 4. Are we not as dear children to follow Christâ—â— Mat. 16. 24. Ephes 5. 1. And are not his modes of Worship better and freer from scandal suspicion and appearance of evil than Antichrists If not let 's speak out plainly in words at length and not in figures But they preach much against Popery Well blessed be God for it I am glad with St. Paul that Christ is preached though it should be out of envy and strife and contention supposing to add affliction to his bonds I am glad that Popery is preached down in sincerity and hatred thereof or only in design pretence or on purpose to add affliction to Nonconformists bonds which is verily suspected For when his Gracious Majesty declared liberty for Nonconformists before this last time 't is well known that a man of the long Name was up at Oxford with Non fuit sic ab initio and others elsewhere and now presently after his Majesties last Declaration with Licenses was not the Kingdom filled with their sound of Popery Popery Popery as if to license sound Protestant Divines to preach who are most against Popery were to tollerate Popery Papists had the same liberty before it that they had after it but not a word of complaint against Popery before Nonconforming Protestants to â—eremoâ—ieâ— â— had liberty granted to preach the Truth and worship God without their ceremonies and rites not one new Law made nor one old one executed against Papists and Popery these twelve or thirteen years last past but new Laws made and old ones never intended against Nonconformists and the pure Worship of God their Religious meetings made rioters and riotous and men yea the vilest of men hired to inform against them for doing good and Justices of the Peace severely censured for not punishing Gods people for serving of him as he hath commanded them That 't is strongly suspected that Presbytery and purity and verity hatâ— been more hated and feared than Popery and that the Pope and his power is more feared than real and most Antichristian Popery But however and by whomsoever Popery is preached down I rejoyce yea and I will rejoyce But who are the men that preach it down what parts of Popery do they preach down how many dignified Clergy-men do preach it down Are there not more aspiring men do preach and print much of it up and those promoted and many deserving men that preach it down neglected if not discountenanced was not Dr. Cozens twice indicted and the Indictmens found and complained of in Parliament for uttering these words That the King was no more supreme Head of the Church of Vide Articles against him and the Parliaments Censure of him England than the boy that rubs his Horse-heels And 't is said he got off by flying of which necessity he hath since made a virtue and gotten to be Bishop of Durham Was there not a Book called Dr. Cozens his Devotions in which Mr. Prin saith There were twenty Popish Errors printed and that the Reformers Prin ' s Quench-coal Epist to King Charl. 1. p. 10. of our Church took away all Religion and the whole service of God when they took away the Mass Hath not another written a Book for the observation of Holy Lent as a * See Bishop Sparrow's Rationale p. 143 144 145. 5 Eliz. c. 5. vide Rastal Titleship p. 378. Religious Faest contrary 't is said to the intent if not to the express words of the Law Let any judicious and impartial man read Bishop Sparrow's Rationale upon the Common-prayer Book and judg what Popery he writes against therein P. 273. he saith 'T is the duty of people to receive the Sacrament kneeling for it is a sin not to adore when we receive this Sacrament And p. 391. he saith It is a dangerous deceit to say that creatures may be adored and is contrary to Exod. 20. 5. Thou shalt not bow down to them Them as Rogers calls the Sacraof the Lords-Supper an * Thomas Rogers upon Article 31 saith that 't is a Fable to say that the Mass is a Sacrifice The Sacrament is not a Sacrifice but only a Commemoration of that Sacrifice offered on the Cross Art 31. unbloody Sacrifice a Commemorative Sacrifice of the Death of Christ And p. 395 396 he saith That this Sacrament should be received fasting though Christ instituted it immediately after Supper for which he gives this reason It is for the honour of so high a Saerament that the precious †Is this for or against Transubstantiation body of Christ should first enter into the Christians mouth before any other meat And p. 89. he saith That by Curates here i. e. In the prayer for Bishops and Curates are not meant Stipendiaries as now it 's used to signifie but all those Parsons or Vicars to whom the Bishop who is the chief Pastor under Christ hath committed So Dr. Heylin speaks in his Introduction to his Cyprianus Anglicus p. 9. s. 10. the Cure of Souls of some part of his Flock and so are the Bishops Curates The Bishop with these Curates a flock or congregation committed to their charge make up a Church By which words I humbly conceive the * To hold Bishops Jure Divino and especially essential to the being of a Church as A. B. Laud did Cypr. Anglic. p. Divine right of Diocaesan Episcopacy is asserted and thereby the Kings Supremacy impreached for if the Bishops be the chief Pastors under Christ Adam Contzen 1. 2. Pol. c. 18. Rastal Title-crown p. 17. Sir Edward Cooks de jure Regis Ecclesiast fol. 8. Dr. Heylin saith that there are 26 Cathedral Churches or Episcopal Sees in England Cypr. Anglic. l. 4. p. 291. and the A B. of Canterbury is accounted Primate and Metropolitan of all England Heylin Cypr. Anglic. l. 4. p. 249. to whom the Cure of Souls is by Christ committed the King cannot place and displace them as he pleaseth and grant their authority for so long or so little while as he pleaseth as the Law and Law-givers say he may And this will follow that the right Reverend Father in God the Lord Primate of all England is the Head-pastor and the other 25 Reverend Bishops the A. B. of York being in respect of him but as one of the other are the chief Pastors and all the rest of the Ministers of the Church of England are but their Curates And then also it will
Ceremonies Protestants answer As if the inspiration of God did not make God the author of the fact as well as the command expressed in his word Otherwise it were lawful for the Papists to conclude by the same reason that they have authority to institute new Sacrifices and Sacraments Bellarmine replies and saith That the Congregation made a new Feast Esth 9. 1. Mac. 4. Protestants answer That the first was political the second was to be disallowed Bellarmine saith the Apostles instituted a new Ceremony Act. 15. Protestants answer That there was no new ceremony instituted but a respect to scandal in tollerating an old ceremony Bellarmine saith the Church may institute some things and ceremonies are not repugnant to the Gospel neither hath the Lord forbidden that we should add no ceremonies for the more commodious and profitable administration of the Sacraments Protestants answer 1. The Church cannot appoint any new thing by her own authority 2 Carnal ceremonies void of the Spirit as all humane ceremonies are are repugnant Hildersham proves from Job 4. 23. that humane Ceremonies are forbidden in the Gospel in loc Bishop Andrews in Command 2. p. 263 or 255. Dr. Reynolds Conference with Hart c. 8. d. 4. p. 565. John Launder Thomas Iveson John Denly Martyrs professed that they believed that the Ceremonies used here in Q. Maries days were naught vain superfluous superstitious which they sealed with their blood Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1593 1594 1595 1598. to the perfection of the New Testament 3. Humane ceremonies can make â—o more to the commodious and profitable administration of Christs Sacraments as they were administred by Christ and his Apostles than the decrees of faith made by men do make more commodiously to illustrate the faith revealed by Christ What shall we think that certain new men have a better insight and know better what ceremonies are to be used in Baptism than the holy Apostles and Christ himself So of the Supper too Bellarmine saith That ceremonies iustituted by the Church cannot be omitted without sin yea not without scandal Protestants answer There cannot be instituted Religious ceremonies by the Church without sin and therefore they may be omitted without sin and ought to be omitted 4. That we cannot fully and perfectly perform all that the Law of God requireth for Christ saith plainly That when we have done all we can do we are unprofitable servants Which shews that we cannot perfectly keep the Law for if we could we should be profitable servants getting thereby much glory to God and everlasting life to our selves Do this and thou shalt live And the Homily of the Death of Christ T. 2. part 2. p â—82 saith Our acts and deeds be full of imperfectness and infirmity and therefore nothing worthy of themselves to stir God to any favour much less to challenge that glory that is due to Christs acts and merits And again in the same Page it saith thus of Adam after his fall He could not keep the Law neither if Adam and his posterity had been able to satisfie and fulfill the Law perfectly in loving God above all things and their neighbours as themselves then should they have easily quenched the Lords wrath and escaped the horrible sentence of eternal death For 't is written Do this and thou shalt live that is fulfil my Commandments keep thy self upright and perfect in them according to my will then thou shalt live and not die But such was the frailty of mankind after his fall such was his weakness that he could not walk uprightly in Gods Commandments though he would never so fain but daily and hourly fell from his bounden duty offending the Lord his God divers ways to the great increase of his condemnation all are gone astray Our frailty is such that we can never of our selves fulfil the Law according to that the Law requireth And our 15th Article of Doctrine saith thus That all we the rest that is besides Christ although baptized and born again in Christ yet offend in many things and if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Yea the Popes Doctrine viz. That meer men since Adams fall can in this life perfectly fulfil Gods whole Moral Law is not only contrary to Sacred Scripture the Doctrine of the Church of England in her Homilieâ— and Articles but also her Book of Common Prayers As to the Lords-Prayer wherein Christ taught his holy Apostles and all Gods children to say every day Forgive us our trespasses To our commoâ— general Confession We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts We have offended against thy holy Laws We have left undone those things we ought to have done and we have done those things we ought not to have done And 't is contrary to the prayer after every Commandment for pardon of sin committed against it Lord have mercy upon us Yea the Litany might be brought against Papists in this point And Prov. 7. 20. Rom. 7. 15. 17 18 20 23 24 1 Joh. 1. 8 9 10. and contrary also to the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches to be seen in the Harmony of Confession Sect. 4. and the 43 Article of Religion of the Church of Ireland and the fourth Article of the 16th Chapter of the Confession of Faith of Scotland Yea the gates of Hell I believe will never be able to overthrow that Faith in that Confession made by that Assembly Heâ—â— what Shelford Serm. p. 121 127 136 139 147. and White Bishop of Eli on the Sabbath p. 157. say for mans ability to fulfil the Law against the Doctrine of the Church of England and what Shelford saith for works of Supererogation Serm. p. 184. may be seen in Laudensium Autocatacrisis p 70 71. And what Bishop Forbes saith in his Book de Justificatione may be seen in the Supplement thereunto p. 300. And what Dr. Patrick saith may be seen in his Parable of the Pilgrim p. 324. who there saith thus 'T is true we are not tyed to that which we cannot do but yet the flesh will sometimes juggle and complain of impotence when there is nothing hinders it but sloth This is Bellarmines argument de observatione Legis c. 7. si praecepta c. if the precepts are impossible then they oblige none To this argument Dr. Ames gives this answer Dr. Ames his Bellar. Enervatus T. 3. c. 7. p. 191. 1. That this argument doth not prove that the Law is more possible to be kepâ— by believers than by unbelievers by the just than by the unjust 2. That the obligation to keep the Law is not taken away by the impossibility that flows from our fault To which I shall say but thus that the words imply as they may well be taken one or both of these errors 1. That men now are not bound to keep the Moral Law of God Or 2. That 't
places things which God hath not placed in them as in Water Garments Surplices Cowles Crosses Bells Books Candles their Sacerdotal garments which ought they say to be hallowed and consecrated by the Bishop as the Amice the Albe or Surplice the Girdle the Stole the â—annell or Maniple and the Chasible for ordinary Priests And the Bishops Gloves of leather Sandals or Apostolical Shooes Breeches the Tunick the Dalmatick the Miter they are all brought into the Church as I said by the Popes of Rome and their Agents The Amice is the first Priestly habit in which the Priest muzles his head in form of an Hood of which habit their Doctors say * See and wonder at their most ridiculous application of Scripture Durands Rationale l. 3. c. 2. Tollet instructio Sacerdotis l. 2. c. 2. the Apostle speaks Epâ— 6. 17. Take the helmet of salvation And 't is worn upon the Priests head because his head signifies the Divinity which kept it self hidden at the Lords passion as Gabriel Biel saith in his Eleventh Lesson upon the Canon of the Mass And so saith Pope Innocent the third l. 1. Mysteriorum cap. 35. where also he saith that this Amice signifies the Angel clothed with a cloud Revel 10. 1. 2. Upon this Amice the Priest puts the Albe or Surplice which is as Mountain calls it a white * I have known some wear an half-shirt instead of a Surplice shirt because it is written †Innocent 3. l. 1. c. 51. Let thy garments be always white Eccles 9. 8. And it is of fine linnen because it is written That the fine linnen is the righteousness of Saints Revel 19. 8. This shirt hath about the borders of it some light work with green or red silk because it is written The Queen is at thy right hand with embroidered garments Psal 45. So Innocent 3d B. 1. of the Mysteries of the Mass Gabr. Biel in his 11th Lesson upon the Canon of the Mass saith that this Albe or white Surplice signifies the fools garment wherewith Herod clothed Christ for to mock him 3. Upon this Albe they put the girdle which signifies chastity for as Pope Innocent 3d saith Luxury is in the reins of this girdle say they speaks Isaiah the Prophet Innoc. l. 1. c. 37 52. Isa 11. 5. Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loyns It serves also to put us in mind that Christ hath a golden girdle girt about his paps Revel 1. 15. and of what is said by St. Luke 12. 35. Let your loyns be girded about 4. The Stole comes next after which signifies the yoke of the Lord Mat. 11. 30. and hangs on the right hand and on the left because we must be armed with the armour of righteousness on the right and on the left hand 2 Cor. 6. 7. Tollet * Instruc Sacerd. l. 2. c. 2. Innoc. l. 1. c. 9. 54. saith That it goes down to the ground for to signifie perseverance which goes unto the end 5. Then comes the Maniple or Fannel in fashion of a Napkin upon the left arm because it is written Psal 126. Venientes venient cum exultatione portantes manipulos suos they shall come bringing their sheaves with them with rejoicing as Durand and Tollet say and Pope Innocent also B. 1. ch 43. where he saith also that the Maniple is put upon the left arm because it is written in the Song of Songs his left arm is under my head 6. The last piece and which doth cover all the rest Innoc. 3d l. 1. c. 50. is the Chasuble from casula a little cottage which I take to be a Cope which signifies charity For as St. Peter saith Charity covers a multitude * So doth a Chasuble of sins 1 Pet. 4. 8. Pope Innocent saith it signifies the Universal Church When the Bishop sings Mass 1. He changeth or shifts his shooes and stockings because God said to Moses put off thy shooes for the place whereon thou standest 〈◊〉 holy ground Exod. 3. 5. Pope Innocent the third in the first Book of the Mysteries of the Mass saith That Isaiah by the spirit of prophesie admireâ— the beauty of the Bishops stockings and sandals when he said How beautiful are Isa 52. 7. But when and where do Bishops do so Preaching is none of their work they say the feet of those that bring glad tidings that publish peace And in his 2d Book Chap. 22. he saith That the priest ought to pray towards the East because the day-spring fom on high hath visited us Luk. 1. 78. 2. When the Bishop sings Mass he hath gloves on his hands to the end as Durand the Master of the Ceremonies saith that his left hand may not know what his right hand doth according to the Lords coâ—â—ment Mat. 6. 3. And these gloves are of leâ—tâ—â—â— because Jacob's hands were covered with kids-skins Innoc. 3. l. 1. c. 41. 57. Innoc. 3. l. 1. c. 34. when Isaac blessed him as the Pontifical teacheth And Pope Innocent also saith and he groundeth the Sandals or Episcopal shooes upon that which is said Psal 60. Over Edom will I cast out my shoo 3. The Rings he hath on his hands signifie that he is the Spouse of the Church as it is written For I have espoused thee to one husband 2 Cor. 11. 2. Again because the father of the * What a prodigal Bishop Innoc. 3. l. 1. c. 46. 61. prodigal son caused a ring to be put upon his finger which finger whereon the ring is signifleth the Holy Ghost as it is written †Is not that a piece of blasphemy digitus Dei est thiâ— is the finger of God Exod. 8. 19. as the same Authors say 4. The Cross or Pastoral staff signifies the correction as it is written 1 Cor. 4. 21. Shall I come unto you with a rod. And in Psal 45. 6. The Scepter of thy Kingdom is a right Scepter though the Cross it may be be a crooked staff 5. The Horns of the Miter signifie the two Testaments saith Pope Innocent the third B. 1. of the Mysteries of the Mass c. 60. these things you may read in Peter du Moulins Book of the Mass in French and Translated into English by James Mountain Ann. 1641. Chapters 12 and 13 and Chap. 8. Moreover thus at Mass they ligâ—â— Wax-candles at Noon-day because Christ said I am the light of the world And the Altar must be of stone because St. Paul saith that the rock was Christ 1 Cor. 10. 4. Of the two Horns of the Altar the one signifies the Jews and the other the Gentiles Whence also the Priest transporteth the mass-Mass-book from one Horn to the other because that from the Jews the Gospel is passed to the Gentiles And this mass-Mass-book is laid upon a Cushion because it is written My yoke is easie and my burden light Mat. 11. 30 The Priest turns his back to the people because God
Religion he caused by his Commandments every where that no man should be persecuted for serving of God He a Gentile and heathen man would not have such as were of a contrary Religion punished for serving of God but the Pope and his Church hath cast you into prison being taken even doing the work of God and one of the excellentest works that is required of Christian men that is The Pope and his Church worse than heathens against Christs Church while ye were in prayer and not in such wicked and superstitious prayers as the Papists use but in the same prayer that Christ taught you and in his name only ye give God thanks for that ye have received and for his sake ye asked for such things as ye wâ—nt O glad may ye be that ever ye were born to be apprehended while ye were so vertuously occupied Blessed be they that suffer for righteousness sake c. And a little-after he saith thus You may perceive by your imprisonment that your adversaries weapons against you be nothing but flesh blood and tyranny For if they were able they would maintain their WICKED RELIGION by Gods word but for lack of that they would violently compel such as they cannot by holy Scripture perswade because the holy word of God and all Christs doings be contrary unto them Fox Book of Martyrs p. 1412. John Rogers Martyr Divinity-Reader at Pauls called the Church of Rome the Antichristian Church Fox Book of Martyrs p. 1416. And in the same page in answer to Bishop Gardners question Whether he believed in the Sacrament to be the very body and blood of our Saviour Christ that was born of the Virgin Mary and hanged on the Cross really and substantially He said thus Even as the most part of your Doctrine in other points is false and the defence thereof only by force and cruelty so in this matter I think it to be as false as the rest For I cannot understand really * Yet our men hold that Christs body is really and substantially in the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper Else they basely equivocate Vid. Dr. Laurence Court-Sermon p. 18 Bishop Mountague in his Appeal p. 289. Heylin in his History of Presbytery p. 2. Yea not only Dr. Kellet Pocklington but A. B. Laud himself say that for the presence of Christs body in that Sacrament the Altar it self as well as the Elements must be adored as I have shewed before in Article the second and substantially to signifie otherwise than corporally but corporally Christ is only in heaven and so cannot be corporally also in your Sacrament And in the next Colume of the same Page he positively affirmeth Bishop Gardners Catholick Church as he called the Church of Rome is the Antichristian false Church And in page 1417 he saith That the Church of Rome is the Church of Antichrist And in pag. 1419 of the same Book he saith thus If God look not mercifully upon England the seeds of utter destruction are sown in it already by these hypocritical Tyrants and Antichristian Prelates Popish Papists and double Traytors to their natural Country Mr. Laurence Sanders in his Answer to Dr. Weston's Question viz. Who was of your Church thirty years past said thus Such quoth I. as that Romish Antichrist and his rabble have reputed and condemned as Hereticks Fox Book of Martyrs p. 1422. And after his Examination standing among the Officers and seeing a great multitude He warned them of that which by their falling from Christ to Antichrist they did deserve and therefore exhorted them by repentance to rise again and to embrace Christ with strong faith to confess him to the end in the defyance of Antichrist sin death and the Devil so should they retain the Lords favour and blessing p. 1424. And in his Letter to his Wife and others of the Faithful he saith thus And although I am not May not many Nonconformists say almost the same now God now preacheth to their people and to the whole Kingdom by their silence and suffering so among you as I have been to preach to you out of the Pulpit yet doth God now preach unto you by me by this my imprisonment and captivity which now I suffer among them for Christs Gospel sake bidding them to beware of the Romish Antichristian Religion and Kingdom requiring and charging them to abide in the truth of Christ which is shortly to be sealed with the blood of their Pastors c. p. 1427. Bishop Hooper told Bishop Gardner That forasmuch as the Pope taught Doctrine altogether contrary to the Doctrine of Christ he was not worthy to be accounted as a member of Christs Church much less to be Head thereof Ibi. p. 1433. And in his Speech to the Sheriff of Gloucester he said thus I come not hither as one enforced to die for it is well known I might have had my life with worldly gain but as one willing to offer and give my life for the truth rather than to consent to the wicked and Papistical Religion of the Bishop of Rome received and set forth by the Magistrates of England to Gods high dishonour and displeasure Ibid. p. 1436. And in his Letter to Mrs. Anne Wartop he calls the Church of Rome the Synagogue of Antichrist that beareth the name of Jerusalem Ibid. p. 144â— Dr. Rowland Taylor Martyr in his Answer to his Friends that exhorted him to flie to save his life said thus What Christian man would not gladly die against the Pope and his Adherents I know that the Papacy is the Kingdom of Antichrist altogether full of lyes and falshood Fox Book of Martyrs p. 1446. And in his Answer to Bishop Gardner who exhorted him now to rise with them and receive mercy offered c. he said thus That so to rise should be the greatest fall that ever I could receive for I should so fall from my dear Saviour to Antichrist Ibid. p. 1447. And in a Letter to a Friend touching the causes of his death he saith thus That he did affirm the Pope to be Antichrist and Popery to be Antichristianity Ibid. p. 1449. Col. 2. And in his Answer to Bishop Bonner when he came to the Prison to degrade him wishing him and his fellows to turn to his Mother he said to him I would you and your fellows would turn to Christ as for me I will not turn to Antichrist Ibid. p. 1451. 1 Col. And in his Letter to his Wife he saith The Popish Mass as it is now is but one of Antichrists youngest Daughters in the which the Thomas Wats said to the 11th Article that he believed that the Bishop of Rome is a mortal enemy to Christ and his Church Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1512. Devil is rather present and received than our Saviour the second Person in Trinity God and man Ibid. p. 1455. Col. 1. Mr. Hawkes in Answer to this Question of Bishop Bonner Did you ever drink any deadly poyson saith thus The
followeth That it is not possible if Images be suffered in Churches either by preaching of Gods Word or by any other means to keep the people from worshipping of them and so to avoid Idolatry And 1. concerning preaching if it should be admitted that although Images were suffered in Churches yet might Idolatry by diligent and sincere preaching of Gods Word be avoided it should follow of necessity that sincere Doctrine might always be had and continue as well as Images and so that wheresoever to offence were erected an Image there also of reason a godly and sincere Preacher should and might be continually maintained for it is reason that the warning be as common as the stumbling-block the remedy as large as the offence the medicine as general as the poyson but that is not * At least not probable for those rulers that are so foolish as to set up or suffer needless Images will be so wicked as to set up idle or Idolatrous Preachers also possible as both reason and experience teacheth Wherefore preaching cannot stay Idolatry Images being publickly suffered For an Image which will last for many hundred years may for a little be bought but a good Preacher cannot with much be continually maintained Item if the Prince will Those Preachers that are offended at their pulling down and see no hurt in them but conceive much good in and by them will never be good Preachers against them and such was Bishop Sanderson as appears by his Sermon upon Rom. 3. 8. p. 70. in 4to fuffer it there will be by and by many yea infinite Images but sincere Preachers were and ever shall be but a few in respect of the multitude to be taught For our Saviour Christ saith the Harvest is plentiful but the workmen are but few which hath been hitherto true and will be to the worlds end And in our time and in our Country so true that every Shire should scarcely have one good Preacher if they were divided Now Images will continue to the beholders preach their Doctrine that is worshipping of Images and Idolatry to which preaching mankind is exceeding prone and inclined to give ear and credit as experience of all ages and Nations doth too much prove But a true Preacher to stay this mischief is in very many places scarcely heard in one whole year and some where not once in seven years as is evident to be proved And that evil opinion which hath been long rooted in mens hearts cannot suddenly by one Sermon be rooted out clean And as few â—â—inclined to credit sound Doctrine as many and almost all be prone to Superstition and Idolatry so that herein appeareth not only a difficulty but also an impossibility of the remedy It appears not that sound and sincere Preaching hath continued in one place above a hundred years but 't is evident that Images superstition and worshipping of Images and Idolatry have continued many hundred years For all writing and experience do testifie that good things do by little and little ever decay until they be clean banished and contrariwise evil things do more and more increase till they come to a full perfection and wickedness For example for preaching of Gods Word most sincere in the beginning by process of time waxed less and less pure and after corrupt and at last altogether laid down and left off and other inventions of men crept in place of it And on the other part Images among Christian men were first painted and that in whole stories together which had some signification in them afterwards they were embossed and made of timber stone plaister and metal And first they were only kept privately in private mens houses and then afterwards they crept into Churches but first by painting but afterwards by embossing and yet were they at first no where worshipped but shortly after they began to be worshipped of the ignorant sort of men as appeareth by Gregory the first Bishop of Rome in his Epistle to Serenus Bishop of Marcelles Of which two Bishops Serenus for Idolatry committed to the Images brake and burnt them Gregory although he thought it tollerable to let them stand yet he judged it abominable that they should be worshipped and thought as is now alledged that the worshipping of them might be stayed by teaching of Gods Word according as he exhorts Serenus to teach the people as in that Epistle appeareth But whether Gregory's opinion or Serenus his judgment were better herein consider ye For experience by and by confuteth Gregory's opinion For notwithstanding Gregory's writing and others preaching Images being once set up in Temples simple men and women shortly after fell on heaps I humbly pray may not the same be said of kneeling at receiving the Sacrament was it not at first injoined as a thing indifferent but was it not received of ours as a gesture of the highest reverence due to so great a mystery as Bishop Prideaux speaks And doth not Bishop Sparrow call it adoring in his Rationale p. 273. Vide Art 1. p. 5. hujus to worshipping of them and at last the learned also were carried away with the publick error as with a violent stream or flood And at the second Council at Nice the Bishops and Clergy decreed That Images should be worshipped and so by occasion of these stumbling-blocks not only the unlearned and simple but the learned and wise not the people only but the Bishops not the sheep only but the shepherds themselves who should have been guides in the right way fell to Idolatry in worshipping of Images And P. 69. the Homily saith thus The Romish Church is not only an Idolatrous Church an Harlot as the Scripture calleth her but also a foul filthy old withered Harlot for she is of ancient years understanding her lack of nature and * Yet Hooker in his Ecclesiast Policy l. 4. Sec. 9. p. 145. in answer to Mr. Cartwright ' s and Bucer ' s Objection against Popish Ceremonies viz. That Popery for want of utter extirpation of her Ceremonies hath taken root and flourished again but hath not been able to re-establish it self in any place after provision made against it by utter evacuation of all Romish Ceremonies saith thus As we deny not but that this may be true so being of two evils to chuse the less we hold it better that the friends and favourers of the Church of Rome should be in some kind of hope to have a corrupt Religion restored than both we and they conceive just fear lest under the colour of rooting out Popery the most effectual means to bear up the state of Religion be removed and so a â—â—y made for Paganism or for extream barbarity to re-enter To which by the way I give this short answer 1. That he acts directly against the Doctrine of the Church of England and therefore it is no wonder that his Book was commended to the Pope of Rome as the best written in English and that he alone deserved
justifie And if they are not to be accounted Christians then they are not to be accounted Believers 2. Because 't is not only acknowledged to be a sin yea a great trespass Ezra 9. 13. Ezra 10. 2 10. but they that were guilty of it entred into a Covenant to put away their strange wives and swore to perform their Covenant and they performed it Ezra 10. 3 9 12 16 19. Yet upon this account only it would be unlawful because they will provoke to Idolatry or occasion their serving of other gods or the true God after an idolatrous manner which God abhors So though it should be yielded that it were lawful in it self to set up and suffer Idolatrous Images in the publick places of Gods worship yet they are not to be erected or tolerated in them because they are scandalous objects they are provocations to and occasions of committing Idolatry forbidden in the second and sixth Commandments and also in Rom. 14. 13. Let no maâ—â— a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way And Mat. 18. 6. and 't was observed before that Images are directly forbidden in Gods Word because they are occasions of Homily against peril of Idolatry p. 44. idolatry Which plainly shews that occasions of idolatry are directly forbidden in Gods Word And so saith Bishop * Bishop Andrews upon Com. p. 109. A B. Vsher's Sum of Ch. Religion p. 206. Andrews and A. B. Vsher Cum quid prohibetur prohibentur illa omnia per quae pâ—â—venitur ad illud When any thing is forbidden all things which lead thereunto are also forbidden Bonae legis non est solum tollere vitiae sed etiam occasiones vitiorum It 's the part of good Laws not only to take away vices but also to take away the occasions of vices and therefore to take away Images if the Law-makers really intend to prevent Idolatry â—nd so for other sins â—nd this was the wisdom and piety of good King Hezekiah when the people fell to worshipping of the Brazen Serpent which Moses at Gods command set up for the curing of the people that were stung with Serpents He set not up declarations of the use of it and preachers against worshipping of it but he took the best surest and * Frustra sit per plura quod fieri potest per pauciora readiest way to hinder the peoples idolatry he brake it down 2 King 18. 4. So if Magistrates will prevent Idolatry and superstition in their subjects they must pull down Popish Images Altars and abolish all Popish Ceremonies and occasions of idolatry and superstition Otho's shewing his fair Wife Poppaea naked to lustful Nero was not more actively scandalous than mens setting up and willing permitting of such Images as have been and may be abused to Idolatry in publick places of Gods Worship are or may be They shew that they have neither such zeal for God nor love to their neighbours as they ought to have 2. God hath commanded all Idols to be broken down Exod. 23. 24. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods nor serve them nor do after their works but shalt utterly overthrow them and quite break down their images So Exod. 34. 13. Numb 33. 52. Deut. 7. 25 26. Deut. 12. 2 3. 3. Good Kings have been highly commended for destroying the Images and Altars of Idolaters as Asa in 1 King 15. 13. and Hezekiah 2 King 18. 4. and Josiah 2 King 23. 24. 4. They do not only offend Papists but professed adversaries without the Church they do not only allure Papists to commit Idolatry but they so offend Jews and Turks that they will not embrace Christian Religion because some who profess themselves to be Christians set up Images and Pictures in their Churches 5. We are all commanded to keep our selves from Idols 1 Joh. 5. ult The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in St. John's time signified generally an Image for Idol and Image signifie the same thing only one is a Greek word originally and the other is a Latine word If you will keep your selves from Image-worship you must keep your selves from Images especially in publick places of worship 6. The Temples of God were not built to that end that the Images of the Creatures should be placed in them but that they might serve for the publick performance of that worship which is appointed and approved of God Mat. 21. 13. My house shall be called the house of prayer 7. Images in Churches have a shew of evil which ought to be abstained from 1 Thes 5. 22. A Papist a stranger coming into one of our great Churches where Images were 〈◊〉 said aloud Profecto hic est facies ecclesiae nostrae how truly I determine not but the learned * Speech in Parliament p. 3. 4. Lord Faulkland said of some of our late Bishops that under the pretence of adorning our Churches they have defiled our Church Our 35 Article of Religion saith thus Our Books of Homilies contain a godly and wholsome Doctrine and necessary for these times And that against the peril of Idolatry speaks notably against setting and suffering Images in Churches ART XVI That those Books which are commonly To ordain any other Word or Sacraments than those which God hath appointed is Will-worship forbidden in the second Commandment saith A. B. Vsher in his Suâ— of Ch. Religion p. 228. Homily for Almesdeedâ— T. 2. p. 〈◊〉 is quoted Tab. 4. in the Margent called Apocryphal as Tobit Judith Esdras c. are the pure word of God and in all things agreeable thereunto THis â—â— Because 't is contrary to the sixth Article of Religion of the Church of England which excludeâ—â—m out of the number of Canonical Books of Scripture 2. Because many things 〈◊〉 contained are contrary to Canonical Scripture for Doctrine and manners as is shewed in the following Appendix intended first for another Book and therefore cannot be fit for confirmation of Doctrine nor instruction of manners Obj. But they are often alledge in tâ—â—â—â—ok of â—â—iliâ—s as Scripture which the Holy Ghost doth teach Answ 'T is answered that they are not used as Canonical Scripture Object But 't is a rule in reasoning Analogum per se positum stat pro suo famosiori significato Sanders Log. l 1. c. 6. par 4. That an analogal put by it self stands for the most excellent significate Here Scripture put by it self without any Epithete stands for Canonical Scripture the most famous significate of Scripture Answ To this I say that if there be Canonical Scripture producible to prove the thing it was ill in the Margent to quote an Apocryphal Text and not it but if there be no Canonical Scripture for it it was ill to call it Scripture in the Text without any Epithite or adjunct and worse to say * Vide appendicem the Holy Ghost doth teach it Obj. But they are called part of the Old Testament in the order for reading the first and
second Lessons in the Common-prayer Book Answ To this I must leave the Bishops to answer or confess the error and amend it For I profess I know not how to answer for them if I What I can do I have done in the Appendix but I fear that will not satisfie all could I would Papists will notwithstanding Dr. Cozens his Allegations prove from our own sayings that they are Canonical Scripture because they are by us called the Old Testament and so are appointed to be read I pray read my Appendix intended for another use An APPENDIX concerning Apocryphal Scriptures appointed to be read in Churches and Chappels c. Quest 1. BEcause you are so full of your Questions I ask you Whether the Apocryphal Scriptures appointed in the Kalender in the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book to be read the first Lessions at Morning and Evening-Prayer be part of the Old Testament The reason of asking this Question is this because 't is said in the Order how the rest of the holy Scripture is appointed to be read the Old Testament is appointed to be read for the first Lessons at Morning and Evening-Prayeâ— And in the following part of that Order 't is said thus And to know what Lessons shall be read every day look for the day of the Month in the Kalender following and there ye shall find the Chapters that sâ—all be read for the Lessons both at Morning and Evening-Prayer Now in the Kalender to pass by the many Chapters that are culled out of the Apocryphal Books of Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus and appointed to be read upon Holy-days throughout the year though there be many good sayings in them yet they have some * Wisd 19. appointed to be read upon Mathias day how properly let the world judg And Popish Expositors will no doubt make good Divinity and sense of it which would not please you if a Nonconformist should essay to make Episc Prideaux sascic controv c. 1. q 2. p. 14. failings and some that do not tend to edisication and such as you would exclaim against if you should find them or the like in Mr. W. B's or Mr. Tâ—â—'s or in any Nonconformists Sermons or Writings and yet you have given your assent and consent unto them and have promised to read them upon the days appointed all the Chapters in Tobit except the fifth Chapter and of Judith many of Ecclesiasticus Baruch Bell and the Dragon the History of Susanna in which are many false and â—angerous things appointed to be read Now if they are not part of the Old Testament why do you say they are such and give your assent and consent that they shall be read in all Churches and Chappels and promise that you will read them in yours contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England to which you have I suppose subscribed too and contrary to the Doctrine of the Protestant Churches seeing none but Papists hold them to be parts of the Old Testament I pray Sir give such an answer as may help us to satisfie our people whom you would have us to perswade to comply with you in your publick service and answer the subtile Papists who will be ready to alledg your publick Order and Kalender and other things as that concerning the Service-Book Par. 1 2 3. and that direction which follows line the last to prove that they are Canonical Scripture because parts of the Old Testament as you plainly say in the said order and direction and Kalender And I foresee that 't will be but in vain to say that our Church in her Articles holds no such thing but rather the contrary For besides that they imply a contradiction the appearance of which you are ready to carp at and exclaim against in Nonconformists they will say that that Order and Kalender was made since the XXXIX Articles of the Church of England and the last Law they 'l say either virtually repeals or at least expounds the former You are as you say a Rational Divine pray give a solid and sufficient reason of this thing of which we need not be ashamed that may stop the mouths of our dissenting Protestant friends and opposing Popish enemies If you cannot do it I hope you will ingenuously confess your error and use your best and utmost reason interest and endeavour with all sort of men to reform it Q. 2. Whether you do indeed think that those Books or Chapters or Histories call them which you will do indeed and in truth directly tend to the edification of the Church as you say * Of Ceremonies in Preface to the Book of Common-Prayers that all things that are done in the Church ought to do as the Apostle teacheth 1 Corintâ— 14. 26. The reason of this Query is because there are erroneous frivolous and dangerous things appointed to be read in Churches and Chappels to the people in some of those Chapters which do not tend to their edification but rather to their destruction and others too As for example in Tob. 4. 10. which is appointed to be read September the 30th 't is said thus That alms do deliver from death and suffereth not to come into darkness And Tob. 12. 9. which is appointed to be read the third of October 't is said thus That alms doth deliver from death and shall purge * Which is contrary to Homily of Salvation pag. 16 17. which saith that that were the greatest arrogance and presumption that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself from all sin Which may induce many especially ignorant people to swallow the Doctrine of Popish Merits without a grain of salt and deny or undervalue the inestimable merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ contrary to 1 Joh. 1. 9. Who cleanseth us from all unrighteousness And 1 Pet. 1. 18. Forasmuch as we know that ye are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold and therefore not with alms from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ And Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works And also contrary to Heb. 9. 14 15 22 26 28. I know that this place of Tobit is alledged in the Homily of Almesdeeds Tom. 2. p. 159 160 161. where it saith thus The same Lesson doth the Holy Ghost also teach in sundry places of the Scripture quoting Tob. 4. in the Margent saying mercifulness and almes-giving purgeth from all sins and delivereth from death and suffereth not the soul to come into darkness Now to this the Ch. of England there answereth That Almesdeeds purge not from sin as the the original cause of our acceptance before God or that for the dignity or worthiness thereof our sins are washed away and we purged and cleansed of all
the spots of our iniquities for that were to deface Christ and defraud him of glory but they mean this and this is the meaning of those and such sayings that God of his mercy and of his favour towards them whom he hath appointed to everlasting salvation hath so offered his grace especially and they have so received it fruitfully that although by reason of their sinful living outwardly they seemed before to have been the children of wrath and perdition yet now the Spirit of God mightily worketh in them unto obedience unto Gods will and commandments they declare by their outward deeds and life in the shewing of mercy and charity which cannot come but of the Spirit of God and his special grace that they are the undoubted children of God appointed to everlasting life 2. That the words are to be understood of the judgment of men as the following words do declare for that speaks of the judgment of charity and of men The meaning of Tobit ' s words are these that we doing these things according to Gods will and our duty have our sins indeed washed away and our offences blotted out not for the worthiness of them but by the grace of God which worketh all in all and that for the promise that God hath made to them that are obedient to his Commandments Almesdeeds do wash away sins because God doth vouchsafe to repute us as clean and pure when we do them for his fake and not because they do merit or deserve our purging or for that they have any such strength or virtue in themselves Homily of Almsdeed Tom. 2. Part 2. p. 160 161. I have alledged these words to vindicate the Doctrine of the Church of England and to shew that the Church of England is in the main sound in the Doctrine of Justification Yet if I may be so bold I humbly conceive 1. That this Quotation of Tobit in the Margent might well have been spared to prove That the Holy Ghost in sundry places of Scripture saith that mercifulness and almesgiving purgeth from all sins c. Because I fear that our watchful adversaries will catch at it and make their advantage to prove that Book Canonical Scripture For Analogum per se positum stat proâ—suo famosiori significato seu analogato Scripture put by it self is presumed to Sanders Log l. 1. c. 6. par 4. stand for its most famous significate and there by Scripture they will presume is meant Sacred and Canonical Scripture 2. I know and acknowledg that the sense given by our Church is good and agreeable to that which our sound Divines do give of that of the wise man in Prov. 16. 6. Junius and Dod and Cartwright in loc By mercy and truth iniquity is purged But I know also that they expound this place of Gods mercy and truth and not of mans And so it doth not make good Tobit's of Almsdeeds But there is no need of alledging an Apocryphal Text so much abused by professed Papists to prove and provoke their Disciples to do meritorious works and then be forced to put our selves to much trouble to explain our honest meaning and caveat our people against Popish false exterpretations which whether all do or will understand is very doubtful especially if that neglected place of Solomon's Proverbs Prov. 16. 6. be so to be expounded as the Church of England expounds that of Tob. 4. 10. and 12. 9. which she must do else Papists will clearly get advantage by that expression in the Homily above recited The same Lesson doth the Holy Ghost â—lso teach in sundry places of the Scripture But to proceed Solus sanguis Christi nos purgâ—t ab omni peccato only the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin saith Johannes Maccovius Red. c. 23. de Elemosinâ— cont prima falsa Pontif. p. 51. And Tob. 6. 14 15 16 17. appointed to be read the 30th day of September at Evening-prayer The Angel Raphael who told Tobit a lye in Chap. 5. 6. for which Bishop Prideaux among other things rejects Fascic Controv. de Scripturâ— c. 1. q 2. p. 14. the Book viz. That he had lodged with our brother Gabael And v. 12. That his same was Azarias the son of Ananias the great and of thy brethren taught him a * For which A. B. Vsher's Sum of Ch Rel. p. 15 and Bishop Prideaux Fascic controv c. 1. q 2. p. 14. rejectâ— the Book as false and frivolous Magical spel or trick to †Concilium non divinum aut coeleste sed planè magicum as Junius proves in locum conjure away the wanton Devil Asmodius who was forsooth in love with Sarah the daughter of Raguel and had killed her seven husbands on their Wedding-night as 't is said v. 14. with which she was reproached by her fathers maids Chap. 3. 7. 8. appointed to be read also on Septemb. 28. at Evening-prayer in these words v. 16. And when thou shalt come into the marriage-chamber thou shalt take the â—sâ—es of perfume and shalt lay upon them some of the heart and liver of the fish spoken of before Chap. 6. 4 7. where he first taught him the spell and he said unto him touching the heart and the liver if a Devil or an evil spirit trouble any we must make a * Is this for edification in good manners smoke thereof before the man or the woman and the party shall be no more vexed and the Devil shall smell it and flee away and never come again any more Which device he accordingly put in practise as you may read in Tob. 8. 1 2 3. appointed to be read October the first at Evening-prayer And when they had supped they brought Tobias in unâ—â— her and as he went he remembred the words of Raphael and took the â—stes of the perfumes and put the heart and the liver of the fish thereupon and made a smoke therewith the which smell when the evil spirit had smelled he fled into the utmost parts of Egypt and the Angel bound him Which counsel and practise some men may teach some people to use and trust in Magical and Diabolical spells and charms and seek to Conjurers and Witches and Devils for which Bishop * Bishop Prideaux Fascic controv c. 1. q. 2. p. 14. Prideaux condemns and rejects the Book forbidden say our learned and sound Divines * Perkins in his order of Causes p. 63 to 66. A. B. Vsher's Sum of Christian Religion p. 229. in the second Commandment and is judged to be contrary to our Saviours Doctrine in Mat. 17. 21. Mark 9. 29. and in many other places of Scripture Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting And to pass over Tob. 10. 6 7. appointed to be read October the second at Evening-prayer which may teach women to contradict their husbands and if it be not yet looks like scolding Hold thy peace said Tobit to his wife for he is safe Hold thy
Reverend Bishop Jewel in his Defence of his Apology c. 3. divis 10. tells us That the old Council at Carthage commanded that nothing should be read in Christs congregation but the Canonical Def. of Apol. p. 571. Scriptures Which words saith he are to be found in the Council of Vide Homil. for Rogation-week Part 3. p. 230. Hippo which is the abridgment of the third Council of Carthage in these words Scripturae Canonicae in ecclesia legendae quae sunt praeter quaâ— alia non legantur that is the Scriptures Canonical which are to be read in the Church and besides which nothing may be read Et non oportet libros qui sunt extra canonem legere nisi solos canonicos veteris novi Testamenti That is we may not read any Books that be without the Canon but only the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament There ye may find the Decrees of two of the Kings of France Lewis and Charles In Templis tantum canonici libri id est sacrae literae legantur That is Let there be read in the Churches only the Canonical Books that is to say the holy Scriptures and many other good sayings and testimonies to the same purpose And Harding's shift or addition to or exposition of the Decree of Carthage viz. That nothing be read in the Church but the Canonical Scripture sub nomine divinarum Scripturarum under the name of the Dâ—vine Scriptures will not help our Bishops for they have appointed those Apocryphal Scriptures which they have appointed in the Calendar to be read as parts of the Old Testament for they say expresly in their * See the order in the Book of Common-Prayer for reading the first and second Lessons 'T is probable that by this order our Bishops have deceived our Parliaments who believing them searched not and knew not that Apocryphals were to be read as Canonical Scripture order for reading the Lessons That they have appointed the Old Testament to be read for the first Lessons and the New Testament for the second Lessons throughout the year And in their Calendar to which they specially direct us for the finding of those Lessons they appoint as was said before and is there to be seen above 120 Chapers of Apocryphal Books to be read in our Churches and Chappels for the first Lessons many of which as I have manifested are contrary in many things to the pure word of God Obj. But Bishop Prideaux in answer to the Papists who say that the Apocryphals are called by the Fathers Scripture and Canonical saith with the Fathers there is a twofold Canon 1. Morum of manners 2. Fidei of faith these saith he are sometimes called Canonical in the first sense not in the second Answ To which I answer thus 1. That the Fathers were but meer men and not infallibly guided by the holy and unerring spirit of God 2. That they had their errors and did contradict themselves 3. That Mr. Hildersham though he speak well of the Fathers whom you say was a Conformist proves by three good reasons That our learned Divines in these days may know more and have better judgment in Religion than the Fathers had as 1. They are born and bred in the knowledg and profession of the truth and have known from their childhood the holy Scriptures which are able to make them wise unto salvation as the Apostle speaketh of Timothy 2 Tim. 3. 15. Whereas most of the Fathers were bred and had lived long in Gentilism and beresie before they came to the knowledg of the truth 2. They enjoy the benefit both of all the Fathers own labours and of the writings of many other learned men also which the Fathers themselves could not do A Dwarf may see farther upon a Giants shoulder than the Giant 3. They have the help both of far better Translations of the Scripture than the Fathers could have and of the knowledg of the Tongues also which the chief of the Fathers are well known to have been wanting in 4. The Bishop saith nothing to that that they are called Scripture 5. That there are many erroreous Doctrines contrary to the Canonical Scriptures in those Books and some in those appointed to be read as I have shewed before which may do much mischief to the true Church of Christ and teach false Doctrine instead of good manners 6. That they are not a good Canon for manners as I have shewed in Tobit's wife her passionate bidding her husband who gave her good counsel to hold his peace and immoderate bewailing her Son who was well Tob. 10. 6 7. to which may be added Raguels swearing that Tobius should stay with him fourteen days and in teaching Tobias to conjure or spell away the Devil Tob. 6. 16 17. which Tobias practised Tob. 8. 2 3. and in the Angel Raphaels lying in saying that he was Azarias the son of Ananias the great and of Tobits brethren Tob. 5. 12. and in saying that he was one of the seven Angels that did bring to remembrance Tobias and Sarahs prayers and that did present the prayers of the Saints before the holy one Tob. 12. 12 15. And in Judiths lying hypocritical dissembling and swearing to compass her treacherous and bloody design and praying to God for to bless her deceit and commending the wicked and cruel fact of Simeon which God by Jacob condemned Judith 9. 2 3 4 10 13. Judith 10. 12 13. and Judith 11. Judith 12. which may and no doubt will teach evil men and women more evil than good manners and this too not so much accidentally as by themselves and their own nature 7. The Canonical Scriptures are a sufficient Canon for Doctrine of faith and * Homily for Rogation week Part 3d p. 230. And no where can we more certainly search for the knowledg of this will of God by the which we must direct all our works and deeds but in the holy Scriptures manners and therefore there is no need of reading these Books to teach men good manners 8. If the Popish Legends are not to be read in publick because full of lyes and fictions then by the same reason should not Tobit Judith the History of Bell and the Dragon be read which are full of such things Obj. But Bishop Prideaux saith That the Apocryphal Books are read for their conformity for the most part with the Canonical as ancient and sacred Homilies to inform and teach good manners not to confirm Doctrine Fasc cont c. 1. q 2. p. 16. loc 4. Sec. 3. q 6. p. 237. Answ To this I answer as before 1. That the word of God is a perfect and perspicuous rule for Doctrine of faith and good manners 2. That there are many things in those Books inconformable to the Canonical Scriptures both for Doctrine and manners as the Bishops answer maximâ ex parte implies and as I have plainly shewed and therefore they are not sacred
authority yet for edification they are made rather superior than equal to the Canonical Scriptures that are laid aside to make room for those Apocryphals as more edificative than they 4. Apocryphals are not more easie institutes exciting to the imbracing of the Canonicals but rather to the rejecting of them in the matters of faith and good manners 5. Suppose they were such institutes yet it will not follow that such erroneous Books should be publickly read because of the greater parts easiness and conformity to the word of Truth for they may * Let us cast from us corrupt Doctrine that will infect our Souls Homily of the Resurrection p. 196. corrupt their souls with erroneous opinions and affections and lives with wicked practises 6. No corrupting-Homilies or Sermons are to be appointed to be read or preached in publick in the Church for all things are to be done to the edification of the Church 1 Cor. 14. 26. 7. Apocryphals are appointed to be read in Cathedrals as well as in Country Parochial Churches Now you will not say that in Cathedrals where the Bishop Dean and Prebends sit and hear are the popular and duller or slower sort of hearers This therefore is no true and satisfactory answer but a meer pretence and put-off ART XVII That the Pope or Bishop of Rome is the supreme Head of the Vniversal Church of Christ above all Emperours Kings and Princes Pastors People and Churches THis I renounce because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England which in Article of Religion 37 saith thus The Queens Majesty hath the chief power in this Realm of England and other her Dominions unto whom the chief Government of all Estates of this Realm whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil in all causes doth appertain and is not nor ought to be subject to any foreign jurisdiction Where we attribute to the Queens Majesty the chief Government by which titles we understand the minds of some slanderous folks to be offended we give not to our Princes the ministring either of Gods word or of the Sacraments the which things the Injunctions also lately set forth by Elizabeth our Queen do most plainly testifie But that only prerogative which we see to have been given always to all godly Princes in holy Scriptures by God himself that is that they should rule all Estates and degrees committed to their charge by God whether they be Ecclesiastical or temporal and restrain with the civil sword the stubborn and evil doers The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this Realm of England And I add as Dr. Reynolds offered at the Conference at Hampton-Court pag. 37. that be ought not to have any here Of which God willing and permitting I shall say more hereafter though much be said already in the 11th Article of Popery renounced as before The Articles of Lambeth the Doctrine of the Church of England and Ireland THe Articles of Lambeth made by Dr. John Whitgift A B. of Canterbury Dr. Fletcher Bishop Elect of London Dr. Vaughan Bishop Elect of Bangor Dr. Tindale Dean of Eli Dr. Whitaker Dr. Chaderton and Mr. Perkins c. as I find them in Dr. Heylin's Cyprianus Anglicus l. 3. p. 204. and as I find them among the Articles of Ireland 1. God from all eternity hath predestinated certain men unto life certain men he hath reprobated 2. The moving or efficient cause of Predestination unto life is not the foresight of faith or of perseverance or of good works or of any thing that is in the person predestinated but only the good will and pleasure of God 3. There is predetermined a certain number of the Predestinate which neither can be augmented nor diminished 4. Those who are not predestinate to Salvation shall be necessarily damned for their sins 5. A true living and justifying faith and the Spirit of God sanctifying is not extinguished doth not fall off or vanish in the Elect either totally or finally 6. A man truly believing or endued with justifying faith is certain or with full assurance of faith of the remission of his sins and of his everlasting Salvation by Christ 7. Saving Grace is not given nor communicated nor granted to all men by which they may be saved if they will 8. No man can come to Christ unless it be given unto him and unless the Father shall draw him nor are all men drawn of the Father that they come to the Son 9. It is not in the free choice and power of every man to be saved These Nine Articles or Conclusions And when the Articles of England were received in the Church of Ireland the Title of the Canon is thus Of the agreement of the Church of England and Ireland the profession of the same Christian Faith Which shews that the Churches of England and Ireland did agree in those Articles c. in the Convocation held at Dublin Anno 1615 were resolved upon and agreed to by A. B. Vsher and the Bishops and Clergy as the publick Confession of the Church of Ireland as may be seen in the Articles of Ireland and in Dr. Heylin's Cyp. Angl. l. 4. p. 271. And moreover these Nine Articles of Lambeth were declared to be the Doctrine of the Church of England by the Commons of England Assembled in Parliament about June 14th Anno Domini 1628 as Dr. Heylin informs me in his Cyprianus Angiicus l. 3. p. 197. And 't is observable that though Dr. Heylin affirms that the five Arminian points condemned in the Synod of Dort are the Doctrine of the Church of England and though Dean White licensed Moungues Armin an Popish Books and affirmed that there was nothing in it but what was agreeable to the profession of Faith and Doctrine of the Church of England Cypr. Angl. l. 2. p. 135. and the three Arminian Bishops Buckeridg Corbet and Laud that wrote and pleaded for him affirmed the same in which Books the five Arminian points were maintained by Mountague and Limbus patrum and many Popish points more though they clamoured very much against the Parliaments declaring That he had in his Books viz. his Gagg and his Apollo Caesarem disturbed the peace of the Church by publishing Doctrines contrary to the Articles of the Church of England and the Book of Homilies and that the whole frame and scope of his Books was to the discouragement of the well-affected in Religion from the true Religion established in this Church and to incline them and as much as in him lay to reconcile them to Popery Cypr. Angl. l. 2. p. 155 And laboured by the authority and interest of the then King to have those points referred to the decision of the Convocation to whom they said they did belong though all the knot * Cyp. Angl. l. 1. p. 59. of Arminians except Mr. Barlow that met at Bishop Neils and many more were promoted and dignified persons and Mountague †Cypr. Angl. l. 3. p. 185. himself made Bishop in
they please and as experience shews oppose them too against the determination of the Church which allowance I hope I may have to defend them But do not these men lay a foul aspersion upon the Church who say They do allow those men that will give an hearty assent and subscribe to their authority ceremonies and traditions and injunctions to interpret and secretly undermine and openly oppose the Doctrines of Faith of the true Christian Religion I profess I do not believe it of the whole Church-representative of England of which I should believe he speaks though I have not heard of one of them or of any Conformist that hath appeared against these mens false interpretations yea open contradictions of the articles of Religion concerning the true Christian faith But what security of peace and truth the Magistrate whom like their elder brethren in Holland they claw while he will suffer them to carry on their destructive designâ— can have by these mens subscriptions declarations yea oaths I know not Would not all the Jesuits of Rome subscribe declare and swear too upon these conditions I have heard of one Minister that would subscribe assent consent and declare if they would hate him but one syllable un And so it may be would others too if they might do as they do not perform what they promise and write against what they subscribe assent and consent to too as these men say they are allowed by the Church But I know not well what Church the man means by our Church for I do not know well of what church he is though I hear he is in the Church of England and promoted so was the Bishop of Spalato till King James found out his Knavery and so was Dr. Lewes who returned to Winchester and when he had received some thousands of pounds of current English money he returned to his Church of Rome who therein followed not the cunning advice of Thuanus a learned and cunning Papist to Casaubon * Wedderbornes Book p 23 vid. Supplement to Laudensium autocatacrifis p. 18. not to come away to them but stay here seeing he had and might have more means here than he could or would have there and might do them more service here than he could do them if there I have dwelt too long upon this large man else I could set before your eyes many more of his erroneous and dangerous Doctrines but I must leave him What I have said in my following Renunciation will I hope sufficiently confute Dr. Patrick's Doctrine of Justification by our own good works and by faith as it worketh by love and some Friendly Debate pag. 13 〈◊〉 14. other of his false Doctrines I meddle not with some others because better heads and pens have undertaken them Though the Arminian c. faction he they say much increased yet that it was greater and more Popish before the late Civil Wars and that there was more danger of bringing in Popery then than there is now I could offer many reasons as I. That the body of Popery except the Popes Supremacy was then preached and printed as Dr. Fuller shews was complained of and so much Dr. Heylin confesseth as was shewed before and may in a very great part he seen gathered to your hands in Laudensium Autocatacrisis and the Supplement thereunto and Laudensium Apostasia which I believe cannot be proved now 2. Then there were the High Commission and the Star-Chamber Courts which are not now wherein A. B. Laud and his party used to crush whosoever appeared in the least against their Arminian Doctrines and Popish Innovations 'T is true we have some disadvantages we want a Dr. Humphrie Abbot Holland and Prideaux in the Chair in Oxford a Cartwright Whitakers Davenant and Ward at Cambridge a Dr. Ames Twisse Kendal and a Mr. Jeanes who are gone to their Rests and we lack liberty and encouragement for our thousands of Orthodox Nonconforming Ministers freely to preach and print against Popish Arminian and Socinian Innovations in Doctrine Discipline and Worship If orthodox and learned and godly Divines Nonconformists indeed to the Ceremonies but real Conformists to the Doctrine of Faith of the Church of England who did not only preach the truth to the elder but taught it to the younger sort of people had not been turned and kept out of the Ministry and silenced and cast out of their Freeholds and Corporations except they would do such things as they judged unlawful or at least inexpediâ—â— and put into their places either ignorant or erroneous or scandalous persons men either unapt or unfit to teach though I acknowledg there are many learned sober men sound in the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apt to teach in the Ministry whose persons God knows I love and whose learning I honour and admire yet I say there are many as selfish malicious covetous ambitious some as erroneous if not idolatrous men as many that are of the Church of Rome and so would openly profess themselves to be if time should serve them 't is very probable and verily believed that neither Popery nor Arminianism that cunning way to bring in Popery nor Prophaneness and Atheism would have gotten that head which some say they have Where the fault is is not for me to determine not suggest But verily I think his Gracious Majesty cannot be so much as suspected much less accused of it for he was graciously pleased to issue out a Declaration for liberty for tender Consciences from Bredah and another soon after his return home which was turned into a Bill by a worthy Gentleman and offered to the Parliament then called healing Since that his Majesty made another Gracious Declaration for liberty of Conscience but that 't is known was cried down by the Episcopal party and now at last his Majesty upon pious and politick accounts hath given forth another and more Gracious Declaration for liberty of Conscience and licensed several sound Protestant Divines who have lost their livings and suffered the spoiling of their goods and refused dignities rather than comply with our Bishops and their Latitudinarian party in things they judged unlawful inexpedient and inductive to Popery c. to preach and teach the word of God truly and worship God purely as he hath commanded in his Word without humane additions and inventions c. But this also the Episcopal party under the specious pretence of being against bringing in Popery which many of them preach and practise and love more than the truth and the pure worship of God as God and their own consciences well know though they have formerly extolled the Kings Supremacy and Prerogative above Law Right Reason and Religion and these thirteen years last past scarce ever executed one Law of those many that are made against Popish Recusants no nor mentioned publickly any fear of Popery till his Majesty granted his most loyal Protestant Subjects liberty to serve God purely as he hath commanded in his Word
follow that not only nominally but also really and essentially there may be Bishop Quâ—â—dams without Bishopricks and that they have not their authority granted them only from the King but from Christ or some other power But I had thought that his Majesty had been yielded by Episcopalians to be supreme Pastor or Head-shepherd under Christ over the Church within his Dominions and might as well as Bishops seeing they are but his Curates or Commissioners to see that all Ecclesiastical matters be ordered according to the will of Christ revealed in his Word commit as much as in him lyeth not only the power of Ordination but the care of part of the flock committed to him to ordained Ministers that is ordained Presbyters by other ordained preaching Presbyters and institute them Pastors of that little part of his great flock but it seems the Bishops will be chief under Christ here as the Pope of Rome would be of all the World but indeed neither he nor they as such are of Christs institution but only of mans as might be proved by the Bishops acknowledgment in King Henry the Eighth his time to be seen in the Bishops Book in Fox his Acts and Monuments p. 1037. in one Volume But to go on against what points of Popery do they preach Papists themselves 't is well known write very zealously and learnedly against some points of Popery as do the Dominicans against the Franciscans and Jesuits yea even in some of those points of Popery wherein some long-named men agree-with them I find learned Dr. Abbot * afterwards made Bishop by learned King James in a Dr. Heylin in his Cypâ— Anglic l. 1. p. â—â— Sermon before the Vniversity of Oxford preached at 〈◊〉 Peters upon Easter-day 1615 saying thus Some are partly †He aimed at Laud as Heylin saith in his Cypr. Anglic. l. 1. p. 66 67. Romish and partly English as occasion serveth them that a man may say unto them noster â—s an adversariorum who under pretence of truth and preaching against the Puritans strike at the heart and root of faith and Religion now established among us This preaching against the Puritans was but the practise of Parsons and Campians counsel when they came into England to seduce young Students when many of them were afraid to lose their places if they should professedly be thus the counsel they then gave them was That they should speak freely against the * Those that do so now do the Jesuâ—â— anâ— the Devils work Puritans and that should suffice and they cannot pretend that they are accounted Papists because they speak against the Puritans but because they are Papists indeed they speak against them if they do at any time speak against the Papists they do but beat a â—â—ttâ—e about the bush and that softly too for fear of troubling or disquieting the birds which are in it They speak of nothing but that of which one Papist will speak against another as against Equivocation the Popes * As Bishop Buckridg A. B. Laud's Tutor did Heylin's Cypr. Angl. l. 1. p. 48. Temporal Authority and the like and perhaps against some of their blasphemous speeches but in the point of Free-will Justification Conoupiscence being sin after Baptism inherent righteousness certainty of Salvation the Papists beyond the Seas can say they are wholly theirs and the Recusants at home make their * As they did of Dr. Cozens and some others as 't is said in the Epistle to Mr. Prin's Quench-coal p. 40. brags of them and in all things they keep themselves so near the brink that upon all occasions they may step over to them Now for this speech that the Presbyterians †Which was Laud ' s in his Sermon at St. Maries preached about seven weeks before as Heylin â—stews ubi supra are as bad as the Papists there is a sting in the speech which I wish had been left out for there are many Churches beyond the Seas which contend for the Religion established amongst us and yet have approved and admitted the Presbytery And after which saith Heylin having spoken something in justification of Presbyteries he proceeded thus Might not Christ say what art thou Romish or English Papist or Protestant or what art thou a Mungrel or compound of both a Protestant by Ordination a Papist in point of Free-will inherent righteousness and the like A Protestant in receiving the Sacrament a Papist in the Doctrine of the Sacrament What do ye think there are two Heavens if there be get you to the other place your selves there for into this where I am ye shall not come The Learned and Loyal Lord Faulkland who lost his life in his late Majesties service at Newberry made a speech in the beginning of the old long Parliament much to the same purpose p. 3. Mr. Speaker He is a great stranger in our Israel who knows not that this Kingdom hath long laboured under many and great oppressions both in Religion and liberty and his acquaintance here is not great or his ingenuity less who doth not both know and acknowledg that a great if not the principal cause of both these hath been some Bishops and their adherents Master Speaker a little search will serve to find them to have been the destruction of unity under the pretence of Uniformity to have brought in superstition and scandal under the titles of reverence and decency to have defiled our Church by adorning our Churches to have flackned the strictness of that union which was formerly between us and those of our Religion beyond the Sea an action as unpolitick as ungodly And Pag. 7. of the same speech he saith further thus As Sir Thomas Moor says of the Casuists their business was not to keep men from sinning but to inform them Quam prope ad peccatum siâ—e peccâ—to liceat accedere so it seemed their work was to try how much of a Papist might be brought in without Popery and to destroy as much as they could of the Gospel without bringing themselves into danger of being destroyed by the Law Mr. Speaker to go yet further some of them have so industriously laboured to * As Dr. Pocklington doâ—â— in his Altare Christianum pag. 50. deduce themselves from Rome that they have given great suspicion that in gratitude they desire to return thither or at least to †Vide Heylins Cyp. Anglicus meet it half way some have evidently laboured to bring in an English though not a Romish Popery I mean not the outside only and drâ—ss of it but equally absolute a blind * Vide Kellets Tricennium p. 330. Supplement to Laudensium Autocatacrisis p. 65. dependence of the people upon the Clergy and of the Clergy upon themselves and have opposed a Papacy beyond the Sea that they might settle one beyond the water Nay common fame is more than ordinarily false if none of them have found a way to reconcile the opinions of Rome to the preferments
of Godfry Goodman Bishop of Gloucester was accused of it in Court and Convocation and declared and professed it by his last Will and Testament as Dr. Heylin shews in his Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p. 416. 'T is said of Dr. Theodore Price Bishop of that though he lived like an Atheist yet he died like a Papist Prin ' s Epistle to K. Châ—r I before his Quench-coal p. 42. England be so absolutely directly and cordially Papists that it is all that 1500 l. per Ann can do to keep them from confessing it This and much more may be seen in Dr. Heylin's Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p 392 408. Doth not A. B. Laud p. 36. of his commended Relation of his Conference with Fisher say thus The Church of Rome and Protestants set not up a different Religion And doth not Dean Potter iâ— Charity mistaken p 62 say thus That the most necessary and fundamental Truths which constitute a Church are on both sides unquestioned by fundamental points of faith we understand these prime and capital Doctrines of Religion which * But what are those a Bishop and a people or a Pope and the multitude of Professors of Christianity as Bishop Sparrow intimates in his Rationale upon the Common-prayer Book p. 89. Bishops Curates and people committed to their charge make up a Church make up the holy Catholick Church But did not the Church of England before A. B. Laud altered the Prayer for the Fifth of November say That Papists Religion is Rebellion and A. B. Laud held that Bishops are essential to the being of a Church as Heylin shews in his Cypr. Anglic. l. 1. p. 54. l. 4. p. 400 401. their faith is faction Which cannot be said of Protestants Religion or Faith truly without great slander though Dr. Heylin as they say most wickedly standers all the first restorers of the Reformed Religion with it Doth not the Church of Rome hold such points of faith as do destroy the foundation and those not only questioned but denied by real Protestants Doth not the Church of Rome hold this Doctrine as a point of faith for denying or not believing of which they have put many thousands of Protestants to death viz. That the body and blood together with the soul of the Lord Jesus Christ is truly really and substantially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and that there is made a turning of the whole substance of the bread into his body and of the whole substance of the wine into his blood which turning the Catholick Church as they falsly call themselves doth call Transubstantiation If this be denied see the 18th Article of their Religion set down in the 14th Article of this Book And doth not our Vide Bull Pii 4 bound up with the Council of Trent super forma juramenti professionis sidei Church of England hold the truth in this point against the Church of Rome that this their Doctrine is false and doth destroy the humane Nature of Christ and consequently destroy all the Articles of our Creed which concern Jesus Christs humane nature and consequently our Salvation And is not this a fundamental point of faith that true believers persons are justified before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them and applied by faith alone Is it not the main drift of the Apostle to prove and settle the Romans and Galatians in this truth That believers persons are not justified before God by their own good works even of that Law of which câ—meth the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledg of sin Yea doth not the Apostle say that if he shall teach justification of our persons before God by our own good works he should frustrate the grace of God that is overthrow the Gosâ—el of Jesus Christ for if righteousness come by the Law then Christ is dead in vain Gal. 2. 21. And could these great Grandees who imposed and took subscription to the Book of Homilies upon and from others be ignorant of what the Church of England holds therein especially this Whosoever denieth this Doctrine THAT FAITH ALONE JUSTIFIETH is not to be accounted a Christian man nor a setter forth of Gods glory but for an adversary to Christ and his Gospel and for a setter forth of mans vain glory that 't were the greatest arrogance and presumption of man that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself Homily of Salvation of Mankind p. 16 17. Now because some of our English conforming Divines have by their Preachings and Writings said that most of these ensuing false Doctrines I Heylin in his Introduction to his Cypr. Angl. p. 36. S. 36. have renounced all which the Church of Rome holdeth and maintaineth are the Doctrines of the Church of England and thereby induced many persons to believe and allow them I have to prevent the growing mischief of this grand deceit and to vindicate the Church of England from these calumnies and to inform the ignorant and inconsiderate that have subscribed assented and consented to the Articles of Religion and Homilies of the Church of England but never throughly read and considered them spent as much of my time with my pen as could be spared from my fork and rake this Harvest whiles many great Conformists to the Ceremonies and Government enjoy their Plurality of Benefices besides their great dignities but labour not in the Word and Doctrine much less preach or write against these gross Popish Doctrines but rather preach or print them to the great dishonour of God especially of Jesus Christ the increase of Popery and Atheism and the great grief of those godly Christians that are Protestants indeed and in truth as well as in profession Antichrist professeth the Creed as well as these men yet by his superinduced Doctrines and practices he overtbrows it So these men of long Name may profess subscribe and assent to the Doctrine of the Church of England and yet by superinduced Doctrines contradict and destroy it for they give not an internal assent to it as was observed before out of Mr. Fowler ' s Free Discourse p. 305. And whether those men do not play the Hypocrites lâ—t the world judg The Pope of Rome in divâ—ding Rome unto 25 Priests the fatal squarâ—-root of the number of the Beast 666 laid the foundation of his Iâ—olatrous and tyrannous Kingdom long before his Supremacy was perfected yea claimed He arose out of the earth as grass by little and little insensibly so possibly may a Pontifex Maximus with such a number of such Priests in time â—o elsewhere especially if rulers and ruled are willing to be ridden by them Of all Beasts tâ—e two horned Beast is the most dangerous to be ridden by next that which is most like him as
may be seen by comparing the 13 and the 17 Chapters of the Revelationâ— but especially by Revel 14. 9 If any man worship the Beast and his Image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb and the smoke of their torment ascended up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night who worship the Beast and his Image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name They that follow Christ bear the name of the Lamb and his Fathers in their foreheads which break not their faith whereby they have bound themselves in Baptism to the Lamb as their General and to his Father and do not backslide to the worship and pomps of Satan and his Angels his works his world and inventions that is to his Idolatrous worship and the furniture thereof and all they which have received the mark of the Beast have refused the mark of Christ and his Father they have forsaken it and made it void and are accounted as if they had not received it only these 144000 which had not fled over to the camps of the Beast but did closely stick to the Lamb do shew the Lords mark as yet in their foreheads As Mr. Mede shews out of the ancient Fathers in his Comment upon Revel 14. Christs followers are they which have not defiled themselves with women for they are Virgins That is saith Mr. Mede They converse not with unchast women but what manner of women are these surely not such as are commonly called such but cities according to the usual phrase of the Prophets and those indeed Christian in name but addicted to Idols whose Queen is great Babylon called the mother of harlots with whom the Kings and inhabitants of the earth commit fornication with such those who are the company of Christ have not conversed that is they have not defiled themselves with Idolatry for they are Virgins that is free from all spot of Idolaty For the reason of the Analogy doth altogether require that these be called Virgins in the same sense wherein the rest the Kings and the people are said to play the Harlots with Babylon Furthermore since Babylon is called the mother of harlots it followeth that her daughters the other cities be likewise petty-harlots with whom the inhabitants subject to each of them may be defiled with spiritual Idolatry Now * Bellar. de effec Sacramentorum l 2. c. 31. a. 20. Bellarmine the great Champion for Papists saith That their Ceremonies are chief characters and badges of their Religion and he will have Catholicks to be discerned from Hereticks and other Sects of all sorts even by Ceremonies And Thomas * Aquin. Sum. 12ae q. 103. a. 4. Omnes ceremoniae sunt protestationes fidei in qua consistit interior Dei cultus c. Aquinas their Angelical Doctor as they call him saith That all Ceremonies are Protestations of faith in which the inward worship of God doth consist and that profession of faith or Religion may be made by deeds as well as by words and therefore †Baldum de casibus conscientiae communio rituum est symbolum communionis in religione l. 2. c. 14. cas 7. Adhuc dico Episcopis Presbyteris in Domino quicunque cum Judaeis Pascha egerit aut solemnia dieriâ— festorum eorum susciperit comporticipabit eis qui Dominum apostolos ejus occiderunt Ignatius ad Philadelph Epist as he concludes they that use the Ceremonies of the Jews thereby profess themselves to be of their Religion and Communion in Rites is a sign of Communion in Religion Saith Baldwin they that did eat of the Jewish Sacrifices were partakers of the Altar 1 Cor. 10. 18. That is saith Pareus Socios Judaicae religionis cultus se profitebantur that is they professed themselves to be companions with them of their Religion For the Jews by their Sacrifices did establish a mutual union in one and the same Religion And hence Dr. Fulk noteth That the Apostle in that place doth compare Sacraments with the Altars Hosts and Sacrifices of the Jews and Gentiles in that point which is common to all Ceremonies viz. to declare them that use them to be partakers of that Religion whereof they be Ceremonies And upon this account have professed Papists as Harding in his Epistle before the Preface to his Confutation of the Apology and Martial in his Epistle before his Tract of the Cross and the Author of the Apologetical Epistle for the English Papists Sect. 7. very boldly professed That they believed that Queen Elizabeth liked well of their Religion because she retained and maintained their Ceremonies And Gretzer a Jesuit calls Conformists in Gretzer de Festis l. 1 c. 2. quoted by â—â—r Collier a Conformist in his Appendix to his Vindiciae Thesium de Sabbatho England Calvino-Papistae upon this account Calvino-Papistae Angli ut in aliis quae ad ritus â—eremonias pertinent longe liberaliores sunt quam Puritani in Gallia Germania Belgia ita in festis retinendis longè â—argiores That is the English Calvin-Papists as they are more free in other things which belong to rites and ceremonies than the Puritans in France Germany and the Netherlands so they are much more large in retaining Feasts And Mr. Parker of the Cross c. 9. Sure our Church was then more Calvinistical than Arminian or Melanctonean though Dr. Heylin would make us believe the latter else Papists would not have called our Conformists Calvino-Papistae but rather Lutherano-Papistae or Melanctono-Papistae shews out of a Book intituled Concertatio Ecclesiae Catholicae in Anglia contra Calvino-Papistatas Puritanos That the Papists did daily invite them to an association against the Puritans And Mr. Prin in his Quench-coal informed King Charles the First that Bishop White in a Dedicatory Epistle of one of his Books of the Sabbath finds fault with those men that repute or call us Schismaticks from the Roman Church at this day because most as he saith but Puritans and Presbyterians are perfectly reconciled to it And 't is reported to be the judgment of Spalato one of the reconcilers of the Church of England to Vid. the Bishop of Durham's Narration p. 32. Rome That the Churches of Rome and England excluding Puritans were radically the same Dr. * Antichrist demonstrated c. 11. â—â—ct 26. Abbot afterward Bishop calls all the Priests garments whereby they are distinguished from the rest of the Church a special part of the Character of the Beast Pareus upon the place approveth Dr. Abbots Exposition of the place and placeth the common mark of the Beast to be in the observation of Antichrists Festival days and the rest of his Ceremonies which are not commanded
by God Mr. Cartwright upon the place referreth the sigh of the Cross to the mark of the Beast Dionis Carthusianus Vpon Revel 13. 13. saith That conformity to the Doctrine and life of Antichrist is the mark of the Beast and upon this account did * Vid. General Confession of Faith of the Church and Kingdom of Scotland to be seen at the end of the Harmony of Confessions King James renounce and detest the Bishop of Rome's five bastard Sacraments with all his rites ceremonies and false doctrine added to the administration of the true Sacraments without the word of God 'T is observed by Mr. Mede that one may receive the number of the name of the Beast that is his impieties and yet not receive the mark of his name that is not subject himself to his authority Which is exemplified in the Greek Church who imbrace the same form of impiety derived from the Dragon or the Idolatry of the Latins and yet refuse to be subject to the Latin Bishop or to bear his name So may others refuse to subject themselves to the supreme authority of Antichrist and to be called Papists and yet they may imbrace his Altars Images Fasts Feasts Ceremonies forms of Worship Government Laws Number yea and many of his Antichristian Doctrines and like well of much if not of almost all of that he holds and doth and yet will be called Protestants and take it very ill at the Papists hands when they call them Calvino-Papistae Calvin-Papists that is partly Papists and partly Protestants such as hold with the Papists and yet profess with the Protestants Mungrels as Bishop Abbâ—t called them in his Sermon above have great charity for professed 〈◊〉 but crâ—el hatred for real Protestants account true Calvinism heresie yea little less than Treason as Knot the Jesuit told some of our Mungrels but gross Popery yea blasphemy in doctrine to be but errour and more tollerable than Presbytery and Popery in practise to be indifferent and therefore lawful and commendable Many of these Heresies and errors I have renounced are by some of our Mungrels called the Doctrines of the Heylin's Introd to his Cyprianus Anglic. Church of England and Books have been printed if not licensed to confirm it but very falsely and slanderously except by Church of England they understand a faction for sure I am that the true and whole Church of England â—olds soundly against all these ensuing false Doctrines renounced Only her doctrine at least practise about Apocriphal Scriptures is not I fear so full and clear as I believe it might be Some mens plausible Sermons are abroad which are by too many persons swallowed down without due examination 'T is said by one a learned man That God doth only * Dr. Till Ser. offer grace in his Gospel but he forceth none to receive it To prevent mistakes I say and acknowledg 1. That God doth not force men against their wills to accept of the grace and assistance that he doth offer them but I deny that Quo minus tolerabilis est eorum inscitia qui Evangelium communiter ita Offerâ—i fingunt ut promiscuâ— liberum sit omnibus salutem fide amplecti Calvin in 1 Cor. 2. 14. God doth only offer assistance or grace to his children for though he do not convert them against their wills whether they will or no yet he takes away their hearts of stone and gives them hearts of flesh and makes them of unwilling to become willing in the day of his power Psal 110. 3. He worketh in them to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. 2. I acknowledg that Reprobates may finally resist the ineffectual grace of God 3. I affirm that the elect of God to Salvation shall not cannot finally withstand the effectual grace of God but that they shall at one time or other be effectually called converted and eternally saved And 4. That God who hath from all eternity elected them to the end everlasting Salvation hath also appointed them to the means conducing to the attainment of it as Faith in Christ Repentance for sin sincere obedience to the Law of God and perseverance in the same to the end Though I have not used many Arguments to confute every particular Error that would have been Voluminous yet I have sufficiently confuted them and proved that Papists and Protestants Religion differ or that the Church of Rome and Protestants hold a different Religion which was the main design of my undertaking and in alledging the Doctrine of the Church of England I should I conceive if I had done no more he thought to have done enough to convince if not professed Papists yet those that pretend to be the most dutiful Sons of the Church of England that these Doctrines are not Protestant but rather Popish and at least contrary to their Professions Subscriptions and Declarations as well as to Gods word and keep others from imbracing and imbibing and spreading of them If by alledging the Sermons Speeches and Writings of any learned Conformist heretofore I have displeased any of our great Conformists now I hope they will excuse and pardon me and blame them that printed and licensed them or themselves or others that have traduced or suffered the Truth to be bespattered or gainsayed or undermined by any Pelagian Arminian Socinian or Popish writer upon any pretence whatsoever And now my prayer to the God of Peace and Truth for England is That Gods true Religion may be setled here in its power and purity and that all Popery in Doctrine and Discipline and Worship may be burned with fire Revel 17. 16. that is as learned Dr. Moor expounds the place utterly consumed and to this end that God who hath the hearts of Kings and all men in his hands would incline the heart of our King and Parliament and all sorts of people to deny themselves and resign up themselves wholly to be guided by the will of God revealed in the Canonical Scriptures which ought to be the rule of all mens actions as our Book of * Homil. for Rogat on Week Part 3. p 230 Homil against Wilful Rebellion Part 6. p. 318. Homilies plainly declares which saith thus In Gods word Princes must learn how to obey God and to govern men in Gods word Subjects must learn obedience both to God and their Princes Is our reverend Fathers of the Church would stick close to the sound and necessary Articles of Religion established which concern the Doctrine of the true Christian Faith and the Sacraments to * Anno 3 Edw. 6. c. 11. which only all Ministers were bound to subscribe and give their assent and countenance men that do so and discountenance all those that hold or vent any Doctrine against the same and not stand too much upon those things which they have devised to uphold their own worldly power and interests and abate those things that are not of themselves or by Divine institution
necessary and edificative of the whole flock of Christ but are only made or said to be so by the will of man carrying a real appearance of evil and are scandalous to Papists and Protestants and establish such modes of Religious worship as are most conformable to the Gospel-rule and primo-primitive practise and not too like to and inductive of the Government and form of worship of the Apostatical and Antichristian Church of Rome I verily believe they would have more dutiful Sons and good Friends than now they have and the Church and Kingdom would have more peace and prosperity to which God of his great mercy incline their hearts However I beseech them to let their moderation be known to all men And I intreat all people without making any tumults upon any pretence whatsoever in their own places and callings quietly to endeavour and earnestly expect and pray for an amendment of what is amiss in Church and State to fear God and honour the King and submit to those that are in authority under him And so God keep you all Septemb. 29. 1673. R. R. B. D. The particular Doctrines renounced are these I. THat the Bread and Wine in the Lords-Supper after the Priests pronouncing these words with intention This is my Body and this is my Blood are turned or transubstantiated into the substance of Christs Body and Blood II. That Christ is really more present on the high Altar or Communion-Table as on his Throne or Chair of State than in the Pulpit or Font c. and that therefore more corporal bowing or more bodily reverence is due to the Altar or Communion-Table than to the Pulpit or Font. III. That mens persons are justified or accounted righteous before God for their own good works that follow Faith either in part or in whole and not for the merits of Jesus Christ alone IV. That Faith that doth justifie Believers persons before God is a bare and naked assent to the truth and that so and as an act habit or work in us it justifies V. That the persons of true Believers in Christ are not justified before God by the righteousness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ imputed to them on Gods part and apprehended and applied by Faith alone on their part VI. That mens foreseen faith repentance good works c. were the true causes moving God to elect them to eternal Salvation VII That men unregenetate or in the state of nature have by their own free will power sufficient of themselves to turn themselves to God to believe in Jesus Christ repent and do good workâ— acceptable to God when they will and also finally to resist the efficacious grace of God in converting an elected sinner to himself VIII That truly regenerated persons cannot be certain of their eternal Salvation but may totally and finally fall away from the acts and habits of saving Grace before they die and be eternally damned IX That the corruption of our nature commonly called Original sin which remaineth in truly regenerated persons after Baptism is not properly sin X. That meer men in this life since Adams fall can perfectly fulfill Gods whole Moral Law and also voluntarily do good works besides and above Gods Commandments which they call works of Supererogation which are as they say greater and holier than the works of the Moral Law and do merit remission of sin and eternal life not only for themselves but also for others XI That unregenerated mens own good works do make them meet to receive grace from God or as the School Doctors say deserve grace of congruity XII Thâ—t the good works of â—â—regenerated men do ex condigno merit at Gods hands eternal life XIII That there is a place after this life called Purgatory wherein the souls of believers dying since Christs Resurrection are purged from sins by penal satisfaction which were not purged in this life so fully as they ought that they may enter into Heaven XIV That the Pope of Rome successively or the Papacy is not the Antichrist of which the Scripture writes XV. That it is lawful to set up and suffer Images of the Sacred Trinity of God the Father of God the Son or Crucifixes Of God the Holy Ghost or of Saints departed this life which have been worshipped in Temples or Churches where Gods people do usually meet to worship God XVI That those Books which are commonly called Apocryphal Scriptures as Tobit Judith c. are the pure word of God and in all things agreeable thereunto XVII That the Pope or Bishop of Rome is the supreme Head of the Universal Church of Christ above all Emperours Kings Princes Pastors People and Churches The Articles of Lambeth The Doctrine of the Churches of England and Ireland Arminianism is not the Doctrine of the Church of England Notes taken out of King James his Declaration against Vorstius King James no friend to Arminianism A Renunciation OF SEVERAL Popish Doctrines BECAUSE Contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of ENGLAND IN general I renounce and detest all Popish false Doctrine and all Popish Superstitious and Idolatrous Worship and practises and the real appearances thereof and in particular I renounce and detest these that follow ARTICLE I. That the Bread and Wine in the Lords-Supper after the Priests pronouncing these words with intention This is my Body and this is my Blood are turned or transubstantiated into the substance of Christs Body and Blood This I renounce because it is contray to the Doctrine of the Church of England which Article 28th faith thus Transubstantiation or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord cannot be proved by holy Writ but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture overthroweth the Nature of the Sacrament and hath given occasion to many Superstitions The Body of Christ is given taken and eaten in the Supper only after an heavenly and spiritual manner and the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith And Homily of the worthy receiving the Sacrament it saith thus It is well known that the meat we seek for in the Supper is spiritual food the nourishment of our souls an heavenly refection and not earthly invisible meat and not bodily a ghostly substance and not carnal p. 200. It 's also contrary to the Church of England's declaration concerning kneeling at the end of the Communion-service The Sacramental bread and wine remain still in their very natural substances therefore may not be adored for that were Idolatry to be abhorred of all faithful Christians and the natural body and blood of our Saviour Christ are in heaven and not here it being against the truth of Christs natural body to be at one time in more places than one This declaration is not only against the Papists Transubstantiation but also fully against the Lutherans Consubstantiation viz. That Christs body and blood is really and corporally in the bread and wine Both which
Habeant debitam reverentiam ad mensam Domini Heylin's Cypr. Anglic. l. 4. p. 403. Altare Christianum cap. 24. p. 175. A. B. Laud's Star-Chamber Speech pag. 48. l. 18. Laud and Dr. Pocklington argue for bodily reverence to the holy Altar or Gods board as they call it The Altar is the greatest place of Christs residence upon earth yea greater than the Pulpit for there 't is hoc est corpus meum this is my body but in the Pulpit 't is at most but hoc est verbum meum this is my word And a greater reverence no doubt is due to the body than to the word of our Lord and so in relation answerably to the throne where his body is usually present than to the seat where his word useth to be proclaimed Yea the Archbishop expresly calls this corporal bowing to or towards the Altar true Divine worship and he pleads for it upon a moral account in his Star-Chamber Speech p. 44 45. O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord Psal 95. 6. And in the 49 page of that Speech he saith That the Knights of the Garter are bound by their Order and Oath to give due honour and reverence Domino Deo Altari ejus in modum virorum Ecclesiasticorum to the Lord God and to his Altar and this in the manner as Ecclesiastical persons both worship and do reverence That is in plain English as 't was done in the time of King Henry the fifth by Idolatrous Priests in time of Popery which without doubt was worship not meer civil but as he calls it divine worship And Dr Pocklington in his Altare Christianum c. 24. p. 175. saith thus For as much as God hath put it into the hearts of the Governours of our Church to restore the Lords-Table to the ancient and true place it had in the Primitive Church and also to the honour and reverence â—hich of right belongs to it in regard of the presence of our Saviour whose chair of state it is upon earth Which honour and reverence he necessarily implies was adoration for chap. 21. p. 144. of the same Book he saith they honour reverence and adore towards it for his sake whose Sacrament is consecrated thereon And chap. 16. p 107. he saith the Archbishop of Constantinople whose example he brings and pleads for it did beseech his people to be quiet ut adoremus sanctum altare that is that we may worship or adore the holy Altar Religious reverence it is and must be that he saith is due to the holy Altar Where 't is observable that he makes to adore and to do reverence the same thing If bodily revâ—rence purposâ—ly performed to a religious thing called the most * Pocklington's Altâ—re Christ p. 157. holy place under the cope of heaven set purposely in a religious place or most holy place according to him and upon religious accounts of Gods most special presence or Christs true and real presence thereon Hoc est corpus meum be not religious or divine reverence which is worship I do acknowledg I do not know what it is But A. B. Laud saith That there is a reverence due to the Altar but such as comes far short of divine worship Star-Chamber Speech p. 49. But he doth not plainly say what it is meer civil worship he cannot mean for the reasons before given a meer negative reverence which is readily yielded is due he cannot mean neither for he pleads for a positive reverence expressed by bowing * Incurvation is by consent of Nations an appropriate sign of religious worship in a Temple saith Dr. H. More in his Mystery of Iniquity c. 11. p. 36. see more in him hereafter quoted Art 14. of this Book the body to the Altar it must therefore be a religious reverence which how it doth come far short of divine worship I do not yet see his Grace doth not tell us how to distinguish his reverence from divine worship I think that A. B. Laud's and his parties distinction between divine positive bodily worship and outward bodily positive reverence expressed by incurvation or bowing of the body to the holy Altar for it 's divine excellency is not much unlike that which the Papists make between their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they give outward divine worship to their Images but they call it only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reverence And do not A. B. Laud Dr. Heylin and others of his party give the same divine bodily reverence bowing the body to the holy Altar as such that they give God but they will not have it called divine worship but only reverence Which distinction saith Bishop Jewel is much like that of the Physicians wife who said Pepper is cold in working but hot in operation for their distinction is not in difference of matter but only words Cicero saith to one Bonum esse negas praepositum esse dicis Thou wilt not have worldly wealth called bonum but only praepositum dost thou thereby any thing abate avarice even so we say Mr. Harding ye will not have adoration of Images called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Sir do ye by this any thing abate Idolatry So Bishop Jewel in his Reply to Harding Art 14. D. 12. p. 381 382. there ye may find Harding using almost the same words for reverence to his Images that our men use for reverence to their Altars It 's clear it is not a meer civil nor meer negative reverence that is by Papists and some of our men given to the holy and high Altar and it is as positive and as much external reverence as is given to God himself or would be given to Christ himself if he were corporally present on the Table and it is the same for substance that Idolaters give to their Altars Images and Idols and it is divine adoration when we bow the body upon some divine cause as Mr. Perkins saith in his Idolatry of the last times p. 824. Now yielding obeisance or outward reverence to or towards the Altar is done upon a divine cause viz. Gods special presence and therefore 't is called by them Gods Throne Gods chair of State and Gods mercy-seat And the same Mr. Perkins in the same Treatise p. 828. saith That Images themselves Reliques of Christ and Saints holy things as Temples Altars and such like are made Idols when they are adored and worshipped with religious worship for when we bow to them it is more than civil worship And p. 830. of the same Treatise he saith That if we will keep our selves from Idols we must take heed of keeping of Idols thas is Images that have been abused to Idolatry and are in likelihood still to be abused especially if they stand in publick places The commandment of God is to destroy the Idols of the heathen their altars and their high places Exod. 34. 13. Now 't is acknowledged by A.
him and God said I have hallowed this place which thou hast built to put my name there for â—ver and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually 4. Because in the Temple were the Ark the Mercy-seat where God was specially and immediately present and there God promised to be and to meet them Exod. 25. 22. And in them did God immediately manifest his presence the Ark was a sign of Gods special presence and thence 't is said that God did dwell between the Cherubims 2 King 19. 15. and that Israel enquired of the Lord for the Ark of the Covenant of God was there in those days Judg. 20. 27 28. and there God promised to be and meet his people Exod. 29. 42 43. Exod. 30. 6. yea God is said therefore to dwell there 1 King 19. 15. Psal 80. 1. And Bishop Babington in his comfortable Notes upon Exod. 27. In novo autem testamento altaria erigi ulla praeceptum non est quod si erigantur Judaismus revocatur quum altaria jussu Dei erecta typi fuerunt Christi c. Polan Syntag. l. 9. c. 36. p. 647. speaking of the Altar saith thus 1. That it was a figure of Christ as the Apostle expoundeth it Heb. 13. 10. 2. That the Altars used in Popery are not warranted by this example but that the Primitive Church used Communion-tables as we now do of boards and wood not Altars as they do of stone But now to apply this you can shew neither 1. Command from God for your bowing to your Altars in time of the Gospel for Ark Mercy-seat and Altars are abolished Joh. 4. 20 21 22 23 24. And we have now no Altar but Christ Heb. 13. 10. Nor 2. have you any promise of Christs presence with or at your Altars when his Ordinance is not administred and when his Ordinance is celebrated upon the holy Table he is not there corporally but only spiritually and sacramentally And you have no promise of God at all to your bowing to your Altars what you have from men I know not Nor 3. have any president or example of Christ or of any of his Apostles either instituting your Altars or bowing to or towards them Volateranus and Vernerius testifie that Altars were first erected by the command of Sixtus as Bishop Jewel informs us but he doth not tell us which Sixtus Bishop of Rome it was Sixtus the first lived Anno 130. Sixtus the second lived A. D. 261. Sixtus the third lived A. D. 432. as Bishop Prideaux informs in his Introduction to History Now it could be neither of the two first of these for Origen who was born A. D. 289. and could not be a writer till after the year 300 assures us that the Christians had no altars then as Origen contra Celsum l 4. the same Bishop Jewel alledgeth him in his Reply to Harding Art 3. D. 26. p. 145. Objicit nobis quod non habeamus imagines aut ar as aut Templa Celsus chargeth our religioâ— with this that we have neither Images nor Altars nor Churches Likewise saith Arnobius that lived somewhat after Origen Accusatio nos c. Arnobius Lib. 20 Ye accuse us that we have neither Temples nor Images nor Altars And the same Bishop Jewel if our * Homily against peril of Idolatry part 3. p. 66. saith There were no Churches in Tertullians time a hundred and sixty years after Christ Book of Homilies were silent doth also assure us That there were no Christian Churches built in the Apostles times for the faithful for fear of Tyrants were fain to meet together in private houses and in vacant places in Woods and Forests and Caves under the ground and may we think that Altars were built before the Churches and when they were built he saith they were not set in the upper end of the Quire but in the midst of the Church among the people Which he there proves out of Eujebius Augustine and others The Church being ended and comely furnished with high Thrones for the honour of the Rulers and with Stalls beneath set in order and last of all the Holy of Holies I mean the Altar being placed in the midst These are Eusebius his words in English so translated by Bishop Babington in his Comfortable Notes uâ—on Exod. 29. p. 279. saith That Altars were set in the midst of the people and not against a wall Bishop Jewel Mark Eusebius saith not the Altar was set in the Quire but in the midst of the Church amongst the people this is Bishop Jewel's own observation not mine I pray observe it And in pag. 146. he saith thus To leave further Allegations we see by these few that the Quire was then in the body of the Church divided with Rails from the rest whereof it was called Cancelli a Chancel and commonly of the Greeks Presbyterium because it was a place appointed for the Priests and Ministers I pray read him fully and deliberately it will serve to consute that vile Book of Dr. Pocklington's called Altare Christianum Thus you may see that there were no Christianâ— Altars in the Apostles times no nor in the first three hundred years yea not till after four hundred years after Christs Ascension I wonder what Church that was that A. B. Laud meant Can. 7. Ann. Dom. 1640. by the Primitive Church in the purest times whose example he proposeth for our imitation he cannot mean the Christian Primitive Church in this his alledged Bishop Jewel will be against him as well as others he must then mean the Jewish Church But if this was his Primitive Church I know not how to make a good Orthodox construction of these words a little before in the same Canon That the holy Table may be called an Altar by us in that sense in which the Primitive Church called that an Altar and in no other But in what sense did the Jewish Church call the Communion-table an Altar if by his Primitive Church he means the Church of Rome four hundred years after Christs Ascension into Heaven his latter words will be against his former in the purest times for sure they were not the purest times that Church calls it an Altar or an high place to offer Christ an unbloody sacrifice propitiatory for the sins of hiâ— people to the Father This possibly might be his meaning For I find Dr. Heylin his Chaplain and Cyp. Anglic. Introd S. 24. p. 22. a member of that illegal Convocation pleading That the Sacrament is and may be called a commemorative Sacrifice And Bishop Sparrow calls it An unbloody sacrifice a commemorative Rationale p. 280 391. p. 378 379. And Giles Widdows saith The Communion-table is Christs Chair of State where his Priests sacrifice the Lords-Supper to reconcile us to God in his kneezless Puritan p. 34 89. Sacrifice of the death of Christ And so write many more of that Tribe If by a Sacrifice be meant Thanksgiving for Christs death and the
benefits thereof then I say the Font and Reading-pew may be called Altars as well the Communion-table and the Pulpit may more properly be called an Altâ—r than the Table for there Thanks or the sacrifice of Praise is more frequently given or offered to God for Christs death and the benefits we receive thereby than on the Communion-table and that therefore they should be so called if not bowed to by your reasons But A. B. Laud is pleased to alledg Reverend Bishop Jewel as approving his bowing to Communion-tables set Altarwise at the East-end of the Quire or Jewel's Reply to Harding Art 3. p. 29 151. Chancel Bishop Jewel speaking against Ministers praying before their people in an unknown Tongue to whom Harding saith That the people cannot indeed say Amen to the blessing or thanksgiving of the Priest so well as if they understood the Latin Tongue perfectly yet they give assent unto it c. and this they declare by sundry outward tokens and gestures as by standing up at the Gospel and at the Preface to the Mass and by bowing themselves down and adoring at the Sacrament by kneeling at other times as when pardon and mercy is humbly asked and by other like signs of Devotion in other parts of the Service To which Bishop Jewel gives a short Answer and shews That 1 Harding's words contradict St. Paul's 1 Cor. 14. 16 17 18. 2. He commends devotion and affection in people at the service of God 3. He acknowledgeth in the general not in those particulars that Hâ—rding speaks of that kneeling bowing standing up and other like are commendable gestures and tokens of Devotion so long as the people understand what they mean and apply them unto * That is rightly and according to his wordâ— the next words to whom they be due the Archbishop left out as being against bowing to his altars God to whom they be due otherwise they may well make them hypocrites but holy and godly they cannot make them There may be adoring at the Sacrament when people confess their sins pray for pardon of them and give thanks to God for mercies received but here 's not a word in Hardings answer or in Bishop Jewel's reply of bowing to or towards the holy Table or Altar especially upon your religious account of Christs corporal or sacramental presence hoc est corpus meum And that Bishop Jewel was not for bowing to or towards the holy Table or Altar as you call it especially upon your accounts his works do evidently declare For he was as I have shewed against bowing to or adoring of the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper which is the Ordinance of God and therefore is more worthy than the Table whereon it stands which is but an instrument or help to the orderly and decent celebration of that Ordinance as was shewed above And there ye may find him saying That religious Bishop Jewel's Ssr. upon 1 Cor. 11. 23. p. 50. adoration belongs not to any creature but only to God And concerning Altars he proves out of Origen and Arnobius that there were none in the Apostles times nor in many years after as was shewed before And in the 30th Division of that third Article of his Reply to Harding he declares himself for the Apostles times as the best and truest standard for Doctrine and practice in which times they had Communion-tables and not altars And in his works you may find him stiff and zealous against * Bishop Jewel ' s Reply to Harding art 14. D. 1. pag. 367 368 369 c. D. 12. p. 380 381 382. worshipping of Images yea of worshipping God in by or through them yea I find him in his works not forward to follow much less to commend the degenerate Church of Rome's works which first set up Altars which Church he saith out of St. Ambrose is Caput superstitionis the head of superstition and the great Whore and mother of harlots and abominations of the earth Of whom Nicholas Iyra in 2 Thes 2. quoted by him too saith Ab Ecclesia Romona jam diuâ— est quod recessit gratia It is long since the Grace of God departed from the Church of Rome from which Grace whosoever is departed he is departed from Christ Bishop Jewel ' s D. of Apol. p. 2. c. 5. p. 139. The other arguments used for bowing to Altars or worshipping of God towards them by Doctor Pocklington and A. B. Laud drawn from the practise of Queen Elizabeth King James and the Knights of the Order of the Garter are so weak that they will deny them if I should return them upon themselves as thus Qâ—een Elizabeth abetted and helped the Scotch Subjects in taking up arms against their Queen and the Hollanders in taking up arms against their King Ergo 't is lawful and not rebellious so to do For I presume if it had been unlawful and rebellious Queen Elizabeth would not have abetted and helped them therein which is A. B. Laud's argument in his Star-Chamber This argument of the A B. is pitiful weak and so is mine that is made in imitation of it only to shew the invalidity of his for bowing to altars Speech p. 48. for bowing to Altars yet he denies my parallel in one of his illegal and condemned Canons made Anno 1640 after the Parliament was dissolved Queen Elizabeth sequestred the Revenues of the Bishoprick of Oxford Dr. Heylin ' s Cypr. Anglicus p. 49. for eleven years together and gave them to the Earl of Essex from which I infer as the Archbishop doth that 't was lawful so to do For I presume as he doth that if it had been sacriledg and unlawful she would not have done it Thus ad hominem I might alledg many more authorities and produce many more arguments against bowing to Altars upon the account of divine excellency or worshipping God in through by or towards them but I forbear Only this I pray remember that all Wâ—ll-worship is forbidden in the second Commendment but to worship God by in through or towards the holy Altar or Communion-table purposely upon your accounts of divine excellency is Will-worship Ergo 't is unlawful and 't is Will-worship because 't is no where commanded in the New Testament or in the Moral Law for the Ceremonial Law iâ— abrogated ART III. That mens persons are justified or Bell. T. 4. l 6. c. 1. de formali causa justificationis Et c. 9. de operum justificatione So Bishop Montague Gag p. 141 142 143. accounted righteous before God for their own good works that follow faith either in part or in whole and not for the merits of Jesus Christ alone THis I renounce because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England which saith thus in her Book of Homilies 1. No man by his own acts works or deeds seem they never so good can be justified and made righteous before God but every man is of necessity constrained to
conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the Law To which they add Rom. 4. 2 3. and Ephes 2. 8 9. and say further Therefore because faith doth apprehend Christ our righteousness and doth attribute all to the praise of God in Christ in this respect Justification is attributed to faith chiefly because of Christ whom it receiveth and not because it is a work of ours for it is the gift of God Now that we do receive Christ by faith the Lord sheweth at large Joh. 6. where he putteth eating for believing But it is most clear in Joh. 1. 12. and believing for eating for as by eating we receive meat so by believing we are made partakers of Christ therefore we do not part the benefit of justification giving part to the grace of God or to Christ and a part to our selves our charity works or merit but we do attribute it wholly to the praise of God in Christ and that through faith And moreover our charity and our works cannot please God if they be done of such as are not just wherefore we must first be just before we can love or do any just works We are made just as we said through faith in Christ by the meer grace of God who doth not impute unto us our sins but imputeth unto us the righteousness of Christ yea and our saith in Christ is imputed for righteousness unto us The Church of Basil saith thus We confess the remission of siâ—â— through faith in Christ crucified and though this faith doth without intermission exercise and shew forth it self in the works of charity and by this means is tried yet we do not attribute righteousness and satisfaction for our sins unto works which are fruits of faith but only to a true confidence and faith in the blood of the Lamb of God shed for us There may be seen the Confessions of Faith of the Churches of Bohemia France Belgia or Holland Ausburg Saxony Wirtemberg Scotland to which might be added the Confession of Faith of the Church of Ireland agreed upon Ann. 1615. in Articles 34 35 36 37. but they being almost the same verbatim with the Articles and Homilies of the Church of England for brevities sake I forbear But I pray take and consider the Confession of Faith of England and Scotland made by the late learned and orthodox Assembly of Divines Chapter the eleventh of Justification Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth not by infusing righteousness into them but by pardoning their sins and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous not for any thing wrought in them or done by them but for Christs sake alone nor by imputing faith it self the act of believing or any other Evangelical obedience to them as their righteousness but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith which faith they have not of themselves it is the gift of God Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness is the alone instrument of Justification yet it is not alone in the person justified but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces and is no dead faith but worketh by love Now let any indifferent and judicious and impartial man compare this with the ancient Doctrine of the Church of England set down in her Books of Articles of Christian Religion and Homilies and then judg whether it be not more consonant thereunto and also to Sacred Canonical Scripture than is 1. Dr. H. Hammond's * Practical Catechism p. 1649. p. 31. p 41. p. 33. p. 29. who saith That sincere obedience with faith justifies mens persons before God Or 2. Dr. Sim. Patricks †Parab of Pilgrim p. 511. 〈◊〉 who saith That new obedience must go before we can expect to be justified by the grace of God And thus * p. 32. Suffer not your faith to rest no not on Christ till it animate you to a free and cheerful obedience to all his commands Which destroys the faith of adherence and founds Faith upon his own works and not solely upon Christ if he means as he must do an actual animation to such an obedience as he speaks of Who saith also That good works are * Friendly Debate p. 13 14. necessary to justification He must mean a priori and antecedent to Justification else he speaks not ad rem but cuffs the man of clouts of his own making for all men even those he pleads against hold that they necessarily follow it And that faith justifies as 't is effectual by love to our Saviour he must mean so else he answers not his question How can this be seeing we are justified by faith only very well saith he for it is not an idle ineffectual faith which justifies but that which works by love to our Saviour and love is the keeping of his Commandments Which implys that Faith justifies our persons before God either as 't is a work or as 't is working by love and so he makes good works * Mans righteousness cannot make himself righteous either in part or in whole Homily of Salvation of Mankind p. 17. concauses at least with Faith of our Justification before God or that faith doth justifie our persons before God by good works of which Justification he would perhaps too have love the form as Papists would have it to be And this seems to be his meaning and of his Pilgrims guide to Jerusalem or rather to Rome because he faith It cannot be understood nor defined without works which implys that good works are of the constitutive essence of Faith Par. Pilgrim p. 139. and that all definitions of justifying faith that separate obedience from faith are but cheats and dangerous illusions And thence he derides the words recumbency adhesion rest acquiescence as lazie and slovenly expressions of Faith as justifying though our * Vrsin Catechism p. 27â— q. 21. p. 134. Bp. Davenants Determin 39. and of Justif c. 32 p. 411. Bp. Downham of Justif l. 6. c. 4. Dr. Ames Med. Theol. l. 1. c. 3 R. 4. Pareus in Act 15. 6. judicious learned and orthodox Divines have commonly used them in defining Faith as justifying Or 3. Mr. Fowler 's who saith That justifying faith is such a belief of the truth of the Gospel as includes a sincere resolution of obedience unto all its precepts or true holiness in the nature of it and that it justifies as it doth so Who saith also †Design of Christianity c. 19. p. 221 223. That this principle admitted viz. that faith justifies only as it apprehendeth the merits and righteousness of Christ gives advantage to Antinomianism Who saith That * Free Discourse part 1. p. 164. In the 160 page of his Free Discourse he saith that faith justifieth as it worketh by love And in p. 159. he saith it justifieth as it implieth obedience Justification is mostly
your abundant modesty to call A. B. Vsher Bishop Downham Bishop Davenant Mr. Perkins Pemble Dr. Ames and many others of our own learned orthodox Divines besides many more of foreign Countries consider not Faith as 't is the principle of good works but according to its proper office as justifying which is to rest trust upon to receive and apply and so in that office it actually needs no good works or vertues to be coupled with it because it is but the souls instrument to apprehend and apply the righteousness of Christ that is freely offered in the Gospel to it self and which no other grace or work of man doth or can do as was shewed before * Dr. Patrick calls this I am nought I have nought his Pilgrims charm Par. Pilgr p. 283. Which sure is not so good a comparison as Mr. T. W. his painted post is of an hypocrite condemned by him in his Debate He that will be Christs disciple must deny himself and his own righteousness as Paul did Phil. 3. 7. 8 9. Christ will be a whole Saviour or none at all He that comes to Christ for justification with his own good works in his hand doth in effect say that he hath in truth some but not much need of him and his righteousness and thereby he incapacitates himself to lay hold upon and receive Christ and his merits for inâ—us existens prohibet extraneum he must let go his own works before he can apprehend and relye only upon Christs merits as he must do as was evidenced before out of the Doctrine of our Church of England which saith * Hom of Salv. of Mank p. 17. We must trust only in Gods mercy and that sacrifice which our high Priest and Saviour Jesus Christ the Son of God once offered for us upon the Cross to obtain thereby Gods grace For further and fuller confutation of this gross and most Antichristian error not to say heresie as Dr. Slater calls it I refer you back to what I have alledged out of the Church of Englands Books of Homilies and Articles of Religion upon the serious reading of which and their Books and comparing them together all judicious and sound Christians will find that there is great cause for all men to take heed of their Books as of cheats and dangerous illusions to use Dr. Patrick's words by which they have defamed the sincere and sound professors and assertors of the true and pure Protestant Religion which to do their learned Dr. H. More in his Mystery * Lib. 2. c. 13. p. 〈◊〉 This saith he must needs be very antichristian and uncharitable to misrepresent mens actions and opinions in publick speeches or writings or invent notorious lyes or fictions in the disparagement of mens persons and Doctrines and suborn men to write them and divulge them to the world for truths which is to do as was the custome of those who were under the Dragon that old Serpent and false accuser of the ancient Primitive Christians c. of Iniquity saith is one part of Antichristianism and cunningly under the pretence of confuting the errors and reproving the follies and infirmities of Nonconforming Protestants to those errors and impositions and modes of worship and government which they profess they like very well have printed what they have preached I cannot tell not to say Arminian Socinian but Popish Errors contrary to the express word of God and the sound and clear Doctrine of the Church of England to which 't is believed they have subscribed if not declared their assent and consent yea even that antifundamental error or rather heresie of Justification of sinners persons before God by their own inherent righteousness or good works and thereby slighted our free Justification by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ apprehended and applied alone by true Faith in Jesus Christ which is in effect denying the Gospel of Jesus Christ as their Dr. More shews in his Mystery of Iniquity and is obvious to every man that fully understands what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is and that is not resolved virtually to deny Christ to be come in the flesh and to profess himself to be fallen from grace as the Apostle speaks 1 Joh. 4. 1 2 3. Gal. 5. 4. From all which I shall not peremptorily conclude any thing but only ask this question as Dr. Patrick Friendly Debate pag. 2 3. doth Can he be a good subject a good * Hom. of Salvat of Mankind p. 16 17. before quoted and alledged Christian and a Minister of Christ that doth so To conclude 't is true that good works do either actually or habitually accompany a true justifying Faith or do follow a justified person but they have no hand or efficiency at all in the justification of a sinners person before God as the Doctrine of the Church of England plainly shews We are justified by Faith with works associativè but not by Faith and works copulativè that is we are justified by that Fâ—â—â—h that is accompanied with works but not by the works that do accompany it as concauses with it thereof but by faith alone because that only and no other vertue grace or work doth or can do it apprehends and applies that which doth justifie our persons before God viz. Christs righteousness ART IV. That Faith that doth justifie sinners persons before God is a bare and naked assent to the truth of Gods word and that so and as an act habit or work in us it justifies THIS I renounce 1. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England in her Homily of the Salvation of Mankind p. 17. which saith thus The true meaning of this Doctrine We be freely justified by faith without works is not that this our own act to believe in Christ or that this faith in Christ which is within us doth justifie us For that were to count our selves to be justified by some act or vertue that is within our selves but the true meaning thereof is that although we hear Gods word and believe it although we have faith we must renounce the merit of our said vertues c. And in the Homily of Christs Death and Passion T. 2. part 2. p. 1â—7 thus The only mean or instrument of Salvation required of our part is faith that is a sure trust and confidence in the mercies of God c. ut supra where 't is clear that the faith that doth justifie us is not a bare notitia or knowledg of and assensus assent unto the truth of Gods word but also as our sound Divines do hold and maintain Bishop Davenant Determ 37. fiducia a sure trust and confidence in Gods mercy c. So also in Homily of Salvation of Mankind p. 20. A true and right Christian is not only to believe the holy Scriptures and all the Articles of our Christian Faith that is to assent to them but also to have a sure trust and confidence
have not chosen me but I have chosen you and 〈◊〉 dained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit and that your frâ—â— should remain Where 't is clear that the Apostles who reprsented not only Ministers of the Gospel but also all Gods Churcâ— which consists only of his Elect did not chuse God first but 〈◊〉 chose them first And that he did not ordain them to eterâ—â—â— life because he did foresee that they would go and bring for t fruit and persevere in well-doing but that they and by conâ—â—quence we might do so So 1 Joh. 4. 10. Herein is love not that 〈◊〉 loved God but that he loved us That is first as the 19 verse 〈◊〉 pounds this tenth We love him because he loved us first 6. Gods Election of man to Salvation cannot be from his foâ— seeing that man would believe and do good works for 〈◊〉 hath not since his Fall sufficient power of himself to will to bâ—lieve or do good works for it is God that worketh in us both 〈◊〉 will and to do Ephes 2. 13. Yea the Apostle speaks plainly Epâ—â— 2. 8. That we are saved by grace through faith and that that faith is not 〈◊〉 our selves but that 't is the gift of God And so holds the Churâ—â— of England frequently in her Book 〈◊〉 Homilies For it is the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 Homil. of the Nativity of Christ T. 2. p. â—67 no other thing that doth quicken 〈◊〉 minds of men stirring up good and gâ—â— motions in their hearts which are agreeable to the will and commanâ—ment of God such as otherwise of their own crooked and perverse â—â—ture they should never have That which is born of the flesh is fleâ—â—ly as who should say man of his own nature is fleshly and câ—â—nal and corrupt and naught sinful and disobedient to Gâ—â— without any spark of goodness in him without any vertuous or goâ—â— motions only given to evil thoughts and wicked deeds as for the fruit of the Spirit the fruit of faith charitable and godly motions if he haâ—â— any at all in him they proceed only of the Holy Ghost who is the 〈◊〉 worker of our Sanctification and maketh us new men in Christ Jesâ—◠〈◊〉 Homily concerning the coming down of the Holy Ghosâ— p. 209. We must needs agree that whatsoever good thing is in us either of grace or nature or fortune is of God only as the only authâ—â— and worker Verily that holy Prophet Isaiah beareth record and saitâ— O Lord it is thou of thy goodness that bast wrought all our works in us not we our selves And to uphold the truth in this matter against all justitiaries and hypocrites which rob Almighty God of his honour and ascribe it to themselves St. Paul bringeth in his belief We be not saith he sufficient of our selves as of our selves once to think any goodthing but all our ableness is of Gods goodness for he it is in whom we have all our being our living and moving It is meet to think that all spiritual goodness cometh from God above only Homily for Rogation-Week p. 217. 3. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine of the reformed Churches The French Church saith thus We believe that out of this universal corruption and damnation wherein by nature all men are drowned God did deliver and preserve some whom by his eternal and immutable counsel of his own goodness and MERCY WITHOVT ANY RESPECT OF THEIR WORKS he did choose in Christ Jesus and others he left in that corruption and damnation in whom he might as well make manifest his justice by condemning them justly in their time as also declare the riches of his mercy in the others The Confession of the Church of Belgia is this We believe that God after the whole off-spring of Adam was cast head-long into perdition and destruction through the fault of the first man hath declared and shewed himself to be such a one as he is indeed namely both merciful and just merciful in delivering and saving those from condemnation and from death whom in his eternal counsel of HIS OWN FREE GOODNESS he hath Aliud est in Christo legi aliud in Christo esse in Christo elegi est ex mundo numero periuntium 〈◊〉 Christo ut redemptus ab ipso fide donatus in ipso Mac. red Th. Pol. 〈◊〉 7. q. 4. p. 67. chosen in Jesus Christ WITHOUT ANY REGARD AT ALL OF THEIR WORKS Harmony of Confessions Sect. 5. p. 86 87. The Church of Ireland in the 14th Article of her Confession of Faith saith thus The cause moving God to predestina te unto life is not the foreseeing of faith or perseverance or good works or of any thing which is in the person predestinated but only the good pleasure of God himself for all things being ordained for the manifestation of his glory and his glory being to appear both in the works of his mercy and of his justice it seemed good to his heavenly Wisdom â—o chuse out a certain number towards whom he would extend his undeserved mercy leaving the rest to be spectacles of his justice And 〈◊〉 former part of this Article is the Doctrine of the Church of Eâ—â—land also in express terms set down in the second Article of â—â—beth to be seen in the end of this book how and by whom Arâ—â— bishop Whitgift and several Bishops Fletcher Elect of London Vâ—â—han Elect of Bangor Tindale Dean of Eli Dr. Whitaker Mr. Perkiâ—â— Mr. Chaderton c. and upon what account Dr. Heylin in part shâ—â— in his Cyprianus Anglicus lib. 3. p. 2â— 204. viz. Peter Baroes venting Arâ—â—nian It cannot be denied but that the same Doctrine is maintained by Arminius and that it is the very same with that of the Church of Rome as appears by the Council of Trent Coâ—â— 3 4. Heylins Introduction to his Cyp. Anglicus p. 36. which as Dr. Heylin himself câ—â—â—fesseth is agreeable to Franciscan â—â—pish Doctrine and which the Parliment of 1628. remonstrated to the 〈◊〉 and Kingdom to be a cunning 〈◊〉 bring in Popery the professors of 〈◊〉 opinions being common disturbers of 〈◊〉 Protestant Churches and incendiarie◠〈◊〉 those States wherein they have gotteâ—â— head being Protestanis in shew but Jesuits in opinion and practise 〈◊〉 Angl. l. 3. p. 181. Now that the Articles of Lambeth are the seâ—â— of the Doctrine of the Church of England may be gathered not â—â—ly from A. B. Vshers taking these Articles into the Articles of Religâ—â— of Ireland and King James his approving of them but also by 〈◊〉 declarations of the Commons Assembled in Parliament in or abâ—â— the year 1628 June 14. We 〈◊〉 Commons of England now Assembâ—â— Declaration of the Commons in Parliament do claim profess 〈◊〉 aver for truth the sense of the Aâ—â—cles of Religion which were established in Parliament the 〈◊〉 year of Queen Elizabeth which by the publick Acts of the Churcâ—â— of England and the general and current exposition of the
the same Apostle calls the Anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast Heb. 6. 19. and Rom. 15. 13. He judgeth that the measure of unmoved and unshaken hope is in every true believer according to the measure of faith that is in him Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost And St Hilary in his Comment upon Matthew p. 261. quoted by Bâ—shop Davenant ubi supra doâ—h so joyn this hope with faith that he doth ascribe to both of them the same firmness anâ— certainty fluctuation and uncertainty Dominus vult regnum caelorum sine aliqua incertae voluntatis ambiguitate sperari alioqui justificatio ex fide nulla est si fides ipsa fiat Spes est certa expectatio futurae beatitudinis Pet. Lomb. 3. 26. Tho. Aquin. 22 ae q. 18. a. 4. ambiguâ— And the Papists do in vain distinguish between a certainty of hope and a certainty of faith seeing hope in the same regenerated and justified man cannot waver or be unstable unless also his faith in Christ do waver and be unstable neither doth a certain faith remain unless by hope it obtain the same certainty 3. I say that true believers may have a certainty of faith of their present state of grace and future state of glory for their belief is or may be grounded upon the sure and certain word or promises of God as John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he give his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and Act. 16. 30 31. the Jaylor said to the Apostles Sirs what must I do to be saved and they said Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ they may assume but we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ therefore we shall be saved and we know that we do believe in Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received the Spirit of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God and Rom 8. 16. the Spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God and Gal. 4. 6. because ye are Sons God hath â—ent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father and many other true believers besides those two godly Martyrs Mr. Robert Glover and John Carles of whom before have had fidem evidentiae the faith of evidence they have known that they did believe Lord said he in the Gospel I believe help thou mine unbelief Mark 9. 24. and the Romans being â—ustified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. How could they by faith obtain peace with God if they were uncertain whether they had faith or not St. Paul Gal. 2. 20. saith thus The life that I 〈◊〉 in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God so Peter saith 〈◊〉 21. 15 16. Lord thou knowest that I love thee St. John and those tâ—â— believers he wrote to 1 Joh. 3. 14. saith We know that we are passâ—â— from death to life because we love the brethren and besides faith 〈◊〉 be known by its fruits of which our learned and orthodox Diviâ—â— have written much The Church of England saith Article 12. Thâ—â— good works a lively faith may be known as evidently as a tree discerned the fruit and I have proved it before that we are justified by fâ—â— and that we may know that we have faith and consequently that are justified and consequently we may know that we shall be eternâ—â— saved for Rom. 8. 30. those that be justified shall be glorified 2. The second point of Popery to confirm the former in the fâ—â—mer Popish conclusion renounced is this That truly regenerated and justified persons may totally and finally 〈◊〉 away from the acts and habits of saving-grace before they dye and be â—â—nally damned To which I say 1. 'T is not denied that an unbeliâ—â— or wicked man may fall away from the common grace which he 〈◊〉 2. That a truly regenerated man may for a time lose the sense of 〈◊〉 love to him in Christ is not denied neither 3. That a truly regâ—â—rated man may fall into sin though not that against the Holy Gâ—â— as the Arminians hold is yeilded also 4. That a truly regenerâ—â— person or believer in Christ may fall for a time from some act or 〈◊〉 saving-grace is granted also as may be seen in David and Peter 〈◊〉 is the sense of the 16th Article of Religion of the Church of Englaâ—â— But 5. that a truly regenerated pâ—â—son or believer in Christ can 〈◊〉 and * Thomas Whittell in his Letter to John Carles saith That God suffereth his to fall but not finally to perish Fox his book of Martyrs p. 1742. finally fall away from all the acts 〈◊〉 habits of saving-grace before he dye 〈◊〉 become a damned reprobate is utterly â—â—nied and renounced and that 〈◊〉 cause 1. 'T is contrary to the Doctriâ—â— the Church of England Article 〈◊〉 Bertius a Scholar of the late Arminius who was the first that infected Leyden with Heresie was so impudent as to send a Letter unto the Archbishop of Canterbury with a book intituled De Apostasia Sanctorum the title whereof were worthy enough to make it worthy of the fire saith King James in his Declaration against Vorstius p. 554. of his Works Mark it he calls Arminius and Bertius his Doctrine of the falling away of the Saints heresie and ibid p. 355. he calls Arminius that enemy of God and his Doctrine corrupt seed and ibid p. 350. he calls Arminius and Arminians seditious and heretical Preachers of which he warned the States-General not to suffer to creep in among them and p 355. he calls them infected persons yea Hereticks and Atheistical Sectaries and their Doctrine Heresie and Schisms yea he calls Bertius his Book of the Apostasie of the Saints a blasphemous Book ibid. p. 355. And Sir Ralph Wynwood K. James his Ambassador calls Arminian Doctrine of the Apostasie of the Saints that wicked Doctrine ibid. p. 361. After we have received the 〈◊〉 Ghost we may depart from gâ—â— given and fall into sin and by 〈◊〉 grace of God we may arise agâ—â— and amend our lives Lo here the Church holds only a partial not a total a temporary not a final falling away from saving-grace given into sin for it maintains that we may rise again by the grace of God and amend our lives And the 17th Article is more full Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God whereby before the foundations of the world were laid he constantly decreed by his councel secret to us to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation as vessels made to honour Wherefore they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God be called according to Gods purpose by his Spirit working in
of jusâ—â— fication or to commit the sin unâ—â— death or against the Holy Ghost oâ—â— to be altogether forsaken of him and throw themselves headlong into everlasting destruction c. 7. For first 〈◊〉 all in these slips he preserveth 〈◊〉 them that his immortal seed bâ— which they were once born again that it die not nor be lost by them afterward by his Word and Spirit he effectually and certainly reneweth them again unto repentance so that they do heartily and according unto God grieve for their sins committed and with a contrite heart by faith in the blood of the Mediator craving forgiveness of them obtain it recover the apprehension of the favour of God reconciled unto them adore his mercies and faithfulness and from thenceforward more carefully work out their salvation with fear and trembling Canon 8. So not by their own merits or strength but by Gods free mercy they obtain thus much That they neither totally fall from faith and grace nor continue to the end in their falls and perish which in regard of themselves not only full easily might but doubtless would come to pass yet in respect of God it cannot so fall out since neither his counsel can be changed nor his promise fail nor the calling according to his purpose be revoked nor Christs merit intercession and custody be made of none effect nor the sealing of the holy Spirit be frustrated or defaced 4. That they that are predestinated unto everlasting life be or shall be effectually called according to Gods purpose by his Spirit working in due season they through grace obey the calling they be justified freely they be made Sons of God by adoption and they be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk religiously in good works and at length by Gods mercy they attain to everlasting felicity Which Doctrine is not only contrary to that false Doctrine of the Papists and Arminians before renounced but 't is also agreeable to the Doctrine taught by St. Paul Rom. 8. 30. Whom he did predestinate them he also called Rom. 8. 15 16 17. Gal. 4. 6 7. and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified and therefore they cannot fall away from saving grace totally and finally and be damned 5. That 't is of the meer will or purpose or good pleasure of God that some men are in Christ Jesus elected and not others unto salvation for here you see this Election is called Gods purpose and his counsel to deliver from damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation Which is not only contrary to that erroneous Doctrine of the Papists before confuted and renounced viz. That God did elect men unto salvation for their foreseen faith good works and perseverance that would be in them but 〈◊〉 also consonant to canonical Scripture Rom. 9. 11 15. Luke 12. 〈◊〉 Ephes 1. 5. 2 Tim. 1. 9. Agreeable to this is the second Articlâ—â— Lambeth The moving or efficient cause of Predestination unto life 〈◊〉 the foresight of faith or of perseverance or of good works or of 〈◊〉 thing that is in the person predestinated but only the good will and 〈◊〉 sure of God Agreeable to which is also the 14 Article of Religâ—â— of the Church of Ireland drawn up by A. B. Vsher as Dr. Hâ—â— tells us to which King James gave his consent and approbatioâ— Heylins Cypr. Anglicus l. 4. p. 271. 6. That the godly consideration of Predestination and our electioâ—â— Christ is full of sweet pleasant and unspeakable comfort to godly perâ—â— confirms our faith and fervently kindles our love to God But the Doctrine of the Papists who hold that true believers in Christ may totally and finally fall away from all the acts and habits of savâ—â— grace and become damned reprobates is full of bitter unplâ—â— and unspeakahle sorrow and vexation even to godly persons 〈◊〉 doth not confirm and establish their faith of eternal salvation 〈◊〉 be enjoyed through Christ but rather fill their souls with doâ—â— of their salvation and fears of their damnation and doth 〈◊〉 fervently kindle but rather quench the fire of their love to God 〈◊〉 they shall be taught that Gods love to them dependeth not upon 〈◊〉 self but upon their uncertain love to him from which they say 〈◊〉 may totally and finally fall away and be therefore eternally damned 〈◊〉 any Doctrine that ever was preached or printed did binder Piety 〈◊〉 true Christianity and comfortable walking with God this of the Paâ—â— falling away totally and finally from saving-grace is one and 〈◊〉 well be put among the chief causes of the decay of Piety amongst 〈◊〉 and put into that golden book so intituled and its contrary put 〈◊〉 of it Further I might draw an argument or two more from what 〈◊〉 Church of England saith in her old book of Common Prayers whiâ—â— she offers to Almighty God as in the Collect for St. Simon and Jâ—â— Apostles she saith this Almighty God which hast builded thy 〈◊〉 gregation upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesâ—s Câ—â— himself being the head corner-stone And the next Collect for All-Sâ—â— day where she saith this Almighty God which hast knit togethâ—â— thy elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of thy 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ our Lord from which this argument might be frame They that are built upon the sure foundation or rock Jesus Christ and are inseparably knit together in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Jesus Christ cannot totally and finally fall away from Christ and his Church and be damned but according to the Church of England Gods elect truly regenerated persons are so built and so united Ergo they cannot totally and finally fall away from Christ and his Church and consequently not from saving-grace by which they are so built and knit together the major is undeniable and clear by Matth. 7. 24 25. Therefoye saith Christ whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon the house and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock Upon which place * Pareus in locum Veram fidem super petra aedificatam nunquam deficere sed semper conjunctam esse cum perseverentia Pareus hath this note That a true faith built upon the rock doth never fail but is always joyned with perseverance and Mat. 16. 18. I say unto thee Thou art Peter and upon this rock that is which thou hast confessed will I build my Church and the gates of Hell that is all the power and policy of the Devil and his instruments shall not prevail against it the Minor is the Doctrine of our Church in the two Collects before alledged and Gods elect regenerate true members of
the womb is evident by sacred Scripture how this came unto us we should not be curious to inquire but rather industrious in Gods way to amend it yet the learned do say that God not as a Creator but as a Judg made the Souls of men in the seed without that Original righteousness which Adam had as a punishment of the first sin of ours in Adam in whom we were who by his fin rendred us his posterity who sinned in him worthy to be deprived of Original righteousness and then from this privation follows corruption or an inclination to actual unrighteousness and this is voluntary by mans own private will ART X. That meer men in this life since Rhem. Test an 2 Cor. 8. 14. Pet. a Soto assert Cathol de lege Doctor Hammond's Tract of Will-worship Sec. 16. 19. saith That when a man shall out of a pious affection do any thing else beside what God hath commanded by any particular precept this action of his is to be accounted so much the more commendable and acceptable to God which Mr. D. Cawdry hath answered p. 71 72. of Will-worship Adam ' s fall can perfectly fulfill Gods whole Moral Law and also voluntarily do works besides and above Gods Commandments which they call works of Supererogation which are greater and holier than the works of the Moral Law and do merit remission of sins and eternal life not only for themselves but also for others THis I renounce 1. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England in all its parts As Article 14th which saith thus Voluntary works besides over and above Gods Commandments which they call works of Supererogation cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety For by them men do declare that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do but that they do more for his sake than of bounden duty is required whereâ—â— Christ saith plainly When ye have done all those things which are commanded you say ye are unprofitable servants In which Article we have these four things held forth unto us 1. That works of Supererogation are voluntary works besides over and above Gods Commandments and so vice versa voluntary works besides over and above Gods Commandments are works of Supererogation Of which kind are Popish vows of voluntary poverty regular obedience perpetual continency Feasts Fasts Ceremonies Pilgrimages and such like Will-worships made by them but not commanded by God in his Word 2. That works of Supererogation or voluntary works besides over and above Gods commands cannot be taught without arrogancy Which works besides and above that which God hath commanded and imposed are called sometimes Ordinances of the world Col. 2. 20. Voluntary Religion Col. 2. 23. Doctrines of Devils 1 Tim. 4. 1. forbidden in the Word of God where we are commanded 1. To walk not after the laws of men but according to the statutes of God Josh 1. 7 8. Be strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law which Moses my servant commandeâ— thee turn not from it to the right hand or to the left that thou mayest prosper whither soever thou goest This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success Till this be done Rulers must not look to prosper in their Government at home and undertakings against their enemies abroad 2. To hear Christ Mark 8. 7. who teacheth Christians their duty setting before them as their rule and direction the law and word of God Mat. 5. 17 18. 19 20. and more than that he doth not urge and against mans needless injunctions Mark 7. 7. They worship 〈◊〉 in vain saith Christ teaching for Doctrines the commandments of meâ— And teaching them to observe all things which I have commanded you Mat. 28. 20. And Christs sheep hear his voice but not the voice of strangers Joh. 10. 3 5. The works of Supererogation are more rightly called the Festus Hommiâ—â— Disp 19. c. 6. Opera supererogationis rectius opera superarrogantiae appellantur works of superarrogance saith a learned man 3. That Voluntary works or works of Supererogation besides or above the Commandments of God are the subversion of godliness and true religion and cannot be taught without impiety The reason is rendred in the body of the Articles And 't is so saith Mr. Thomas Rogers in his Explications and Confirmations of the 39 Articles upon the 14th Article 1. Because Gods Law is thereby broken that mens may be kept Mark 7. 7 8. 2. The holy Scriptures must be contemned as not sufficient enough to bring men to the knowledg of Salvation which St. Paul saith 〈◊〉 able to instruct in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto every good work 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. 3. God who is only wise 1 Tim. 1. 17. is made unwise in not prescribing so necessary works To which I add 4. That true Godliness is the right worshipping of God as he hath apâ—â—â—ted in the Canonical Scriptures as all know that know the meaning of the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth piety or godliness 〈◊〉 Voluntary works or works of Supererogation advance a worship 〈◊〉 mens devising directly against the scope and end of the second Commandment wherein God hath commanded men to worship him 〈◊〉 â—e hath prescribed and forbidden Will-worship as all our Learned and â—â—thodox Divines expound that Commandment 5. They that do worship God by such ways and means as he hath â—â—t prescribed in his Word do not love but hate God as both A. B. â—â—her and bishop Babington declare in their Expositions upon that Commandment and they worship a God of their own devising as not only Mr. Perkins but also Peter Marâ—r * Loc. com clas 2 ae c. 4. p. 196. Nullus verus Deus est qui rebus iis coli vellit unde super est dum impii tales ritus suis sacris adhibent ut non verum Deum adorent sed illum quem iis rebus delectari finxerunt Et cum is in rerum natura nullus â—extet animorum suorum idolum colunt idâ— câ—rco jure possint dici idololatrae Perkins Cases of Conscienc l. 2. c. 11. Sec. 2. q. 1. p. 206. do plainly demonstrate Nullus â—erus Deus c. That is not a true God that would be worshipped by these things that is such things as the true God had not commanded or warranted in his Word of which he spake before â—â—ence it remaineth that wicked men while they add such rites as he was speaking of before to Gods sacred things 〈◊〉 ordinances that they do not adore the true God but him whom they seign to be â—elighted with such things and seeing there is no such
him to coâ—feâ—â—â— on â—hâ—m some saving grace Which 〈◊〉 prove to be false not only by the Dâ—â—ctrine of the Church of England anâ— the reformed Churches before alledged and the reasons before giveâ— but also briefly thus 1. Because it is impossible for any man to please Gâ—â— withâ—â—t faith Heb. 11. 6. and Rom. 8. 8. They that are in the flesh as all â—â—regenerated men are cannot please God 2. God cannot be said to be moved by the works of unbelievers to bestow supernatural grace upon them for if God be not moved by the works of true believers to bestow this or that good thing which he doth bestow upon them then much less can he be said truly to be moved with the works of â—â—believers to confer his supernatural grace upon them But now that God is not provoked by the works of true believers as a cause or reason why he doth bestow that which he doth bestow upon them These things do manifest 1. Because all the works of true believers are due debts to God Luk. 17. 10. When ye have done all those things that â—re commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that â—â—ich was our duty to do And therefore as they cannot come into muster of merit so they cannot move God to do good to them Ex deâ—ito 〈◊〉 All the gifts of God which he bestows upon true believers are free gifts and proceed from his free grace and mercy They are said to be justified freely by his grace Rom. 3. 24. Rom. 5. 18. To be regeneraâ—ed of grace Ephes 2. 4 5. To be saved of grace Ephes 2. 8 9. Tit. 3. 5. â—â— I offer this The young man in the Gospel Mat. 19. 16. who came to Christ and asked him What good he must do to have eternal life our Saviour said He must keep the Commandments But which said the young man Jesus said Thou shalt do no murther thou shalt not commit adulâ—â—ry thou shalt not steal thou shalt not bear false witness honour thy father and thy mother and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self The young man sâ—itâ— all these have I kept from my youth up What lack I yet And in Mark 10. 17. he is said to come running and that he kneeled down to Christ and asked the question And in vers 21. 't is said That Jesus â—eâ—olding him loved him Lo here a man that had outwardly in appearance kept the second Table came earnestly and humbly to Christ for his gracious direction to Heaven was not this man as much prepared as the Papists well disposed unregenerated man and yet Christ let him go and did not bestow his saving grace upon him Nay more 〈◊〉 sought the blessing with tears and yet went without it Gen. 27. 34. And yet on the other hand behold another Saul a zealous man against Christ and persecuting the Disciples of Jesus Christ who breathed out threatnings against believers in Christ and made havock of the members of Christ entering into every house to find and apprehend believers in Christ haling men and women committed them to prison Act. 8. 3. an informer against them that called upon the name of Jesus and a cruel active persecutor of them and yet notwithstanding all this though he had done Christ and his Church much evil at Jerusalem and was going to Damascus to apprehend 〈◊〉 that he found of that way and bring them bound to Jerusalem Christ met him by the way spake to him and asked him Why he persecuted him and even then bestowed his special grace upon him he converted him Act. 9. 1 2 3 4 5 11. For behold he prayeth This I take to be 〈◊〉 clear demonstration of the Apostles truth That 't is not of him that â—â—eth or of him that runneth but of God that shewed mercy and a confutation of the Papists Error That God is not causally or meritoriously â—â—ved to bestow his grace upon men for or according to their own preparatioâ— or dispositions but he doth all according to the counsel of his own will 〈◊〉 that he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will be â—aâ—â—neth and shews that saving grace is not deserved of God by carnal mans works but freely given us of God Ephes 2. 4 5. The wheel turneth round not to the end that it may be made round but because it is â—â—de round therefore it turneth round So no man doth good works to receive grace by his good works but because he hath first received grace therefore consequently he doth good works as 't is in our Homily of Goâ—â— works T. 2. part 1. pag. 81. 4. To this might be added That the works Virtutes Ethnicorum sunt splendida peccata Aug. and virtues of unregenerated me◠〈◊〉 sin Prov. 21 4. The plowing of the wicked is sin Prov. 15. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abominatioâ— to the Lord. Prov. 28. 9. Their prayers are an abomination And Roâ—â— ult Whatsoever is not of faith is sin And our 13th Article of Religion And that therefore they do not please God for he hates sin above all things as being most contrary to his nature and will and consequently do not move God to bestow his Grace upon unregenerated men ART XII That the good works of regenerated men do ex condigno at Gods hands merit eternal life for them THis false Doctrine I renounce because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England in her book of Homilies Homily of good works T. 2. part 1. p. 81. Though God hath ordained us to walk in good works yet the meaning is not by these words to induce us to have any affiance or to put any confidence in our works as by the merit and deserving of them to purchase to our selves or others remission of sins and so consequently everlasting life for that were â—lasphemy against Gods â—â—rcy and great derogation to the blood-shedding of our Saviour Jesus Christ for it is the free grace and mercy of God by the mediation of the blood of â—is Son Jesus Christ without merit or deserving on our part that our sins are forgiveâ— Yet Bishop Montague in his Appeal p. 233 saith The wicked go to enduring of torments everlasting the good to enjoying of happiness without end thus is their state diversified to their deserving See him also Antig. 〈◊〉 153. Shelforâ— Ser. p. 153. Shelford Ser. p. 198. Laudensium Autocatacrisis p. 70 71 72. us that we are reconciled and brought again into his favour and are â—ade heirs of his heavenly kingdom And in her 11th Article of Religion We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith and NOT FOR OVR OWN WORKS OR DESERVINGS Now if we are not justified by our own merits then certainly we are not saved by our own merits if our good works do not merit our justification then they do not merit our eternal salvation 2. 'T is contrary
are willing to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord which necessarily implies that they did believe that as soon as ever their souls were gone out of their earthly homes they should be present with the Lord in heaven for of that they say we are confident And. 10. Of this opinion and belief was St. Pauls as you may see in Phil. 1. 21 23. For to me to live is Christ and to die is * Mori lucrum quaesi dicat mors est lucrum heatitudinis mortem ergo non timeo quia si occidar moriar vitam aeternam lucrabor inevolabo praesensque sistar ac fruar Christo So Chrisostom Anselm Theophilact Oecumenius Thomas Aquinas in locum gain How could his death begain to him if he must not go immediately to Heaven but to Purgatory there first to suffer hellish punishments for his sins Yet if I live in the flesh this is the fruit of my labour yet what I shall chuse I wot not for I am in a strait between two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Here you see the Apostle Paul desired to depart out of the Tabernacle of his body and why that he might be with Christ he believed that as soon as his soul was departed out of his body she would presently be and remain with Christ but where not in the Popes Purgatory for there Christ was not but in heaven there he believed he was whom the heavens must receive till the restitution of all things Act. 3. 19. He believed that his soul would presently be with Christ in Heaven and therefore he saith that death temporal would be better for him than temporal life Certainly had St. Paul believed that after his soul had ended her work in his body here she should be carried into the Popes Purgatory and there be punished for his sins for a time it may be till the day of judgment he would have easily resolved himself that it had been better for him as well as for the Philippians to abide in the flesh and not to die I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ is as if he had said thus I am now bound q. d. Jam alligatus sum corpori si hoc vinculo solvar ero cum Christo illique astringar Cor. a lapide in locum to my body but if I were loosed from this bond I should be with Christ and bound to him saith Cor. a lapide Hence note saith he that souls altogether pure do presently when they leave the body not sleep but are with Christ in heaven and eternal life and therefore the Apostle desired to be dissolved and dye that he might be with Christ but if he ought to expect after death the day of judgment that then at length he might enjoy Christ he had in vain desired to be dissolved rather than live because then after his dissolution and death he should be absent from Christ as much as if he had remained in this life much more he there speaks out of Chrysostome Theophilact Oecumenius and Cyprian to the same purpose 'T is observable that he saith that souls that are altogether pure pass presently out of their bodies into Heaven and this he saith is the opinion of Turrian and of Suarezius and that St. John Apoc. 14. 13. speaks of souls perfectly just Now this I say is their shift to put off all our Protestant Divines have alledged from sacred Scripture against their Purgatory for they hold that those that are cast into Purgatory are not perfectly purged but must be purged perfectly by suffering temporal punishment and thereby making penal satisfaction to the justice of God of the fondness of which hereafter but I 'le close with them and assume Position 2. That the souls of those persons that are justified by faith is Christ's blood are perfectly purged from their sins if not immediately before yet at the moment of their death and that therefore by their own concessions and affirmations they go not into the Popes Purgatory but to Heaven as I have proved before and for the clearing of this know that not only their Angelical Doctor as Papists call Thoâ—â— Aquinas but our own Divines hold that there are three effects of sin 1. Reatus the guilt 2. Macula the spot or stain 3. Paâ—â— the punishment of it Now 1. The guilt worthiness or desert of sin which obligeth the sinner to the sustaining of just punishment for his sin is washed away in our justification by the perfect satisfaction and merits of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as the Church of England abundantly testifieth in her books of Articles Homilies and Common-Prayer and the Canonical Scriptures plainly declare as in John 1. 29. Beâ—â— the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world 1 John 1. 7. 〈◊〉 the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin 1 John 2. 12. If 〈◊〉 man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation that is the propitiator for our sins who doâ—â— make atonement expiate satisfie and purge away the guilt of oâ—â— sins and make peace and pacifie his wrath and make him propitiâ—â— merciful favourable and good unto us and 1 Tim. 2. 6. He gâ—â— himself a ransome for all Himself God-man a ransome for all Hâ—â— 9. 14 15. How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God and lest the adversary shoâ—â— say that he did not perfectly purge away all sin read Heb. 10. 〈◊〉 and by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified 〈◊〉 Apoc. 1. 5. 't is said of Christ that he washed us in his own blood 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3. 11. Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And upon this account doth the Apostle declare and infer Therefore there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus God in our justification imputeth * 2 Cor. 5. 19. not our sins unto us and consequently not our guilt but he imputeth the righteousness of our Saviour Jesus Christ unto us and doth repute us just as though we had no sin and consequently no guilt upon us but Papists do acknowledg by Christ Jesus a freedom from sin according to the guilt of sin but they deny it according to the punishment of which hereafter 2. Macula the spot stain or filth of sin which deprives the soul of its spiritual beauty which it should have and is made vile Mat. 15. 11. Apoc. 21. 11. is taken away by sanctification 1 Cor. 3. 11. But ye are washed but ye are sanctified Eph. 5. 26 27 That he might sanctisie and cleanse it i. e. His Church with the
the whole Hierarchy which rides upon the Roman Empire that is rules it is a man doth that rides upon an horse and is carried supported and maintained by it There is no person or persons to whom the proper â—â—â—ks of the Babylonical Beast or Antichrist doth so properly and truly agree as to the Pope or Popes of Rome with the Popish Hierarchy and Clergy The Woman or great Whore that is the Church of Rome with her Beast with two Horns Revel 13. is in Revel 17. described 1. Generally 1. That she is a great Whore that is an abominably Idolatrous * The Church of Rome is an Idolatrous Church an Harlot as the Scripture calls her so saith our Church Homily against the peril of Idolatry Part 3. p 69. Church 2. That she sitteth upon many waters that is that she ruleth many people v. 1 15. 3. That the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and the inhabiters of the earth been made drunk with the wine of her fornication that is with her Idolatries v. 2. 2. More particularly and thus 1. More obscurely 1. By her rule and government She sits upon a scarlet coloured beast full of the names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns that is the whole Roman Empire as Idolatrous with a Pagan Antichristian Idolatry that is she had the †The Emperour of Germany is the Popes Advocate sworn to defend the Pope and Church of Rome The Pope makes him swear to defend the Church of Rome to banish Hereticks and to have no company with the wicked to maintain by all means possible the dignity of the Bishop of Rome and all priviledges granted to the Church of Rome as Sleiden â—hews in his Commentaries l. 2 〈◊〉 2â— 25 26. rule and government she turned him she curbed him she spurred him she made him do what she would for the upholding of her self for the maintaining and propagating of her false Doctrine and worship and caused him to make War and Laws against those that would not obey her Decrees and submit to her power that is she guided and exercised an Imperial powerful bloody and blasphemous enemy to Christ and his Church v. 3. 2. By her pompous and whorish apparel and ornaments and the woâ—â— was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour and deckt * Homil. against the peril of Idolatry p. 69. to be seen in Article 15. p. 〈◊〉 hujus with gold and precious stone and pearls that is was a very proud and imperious and bloody Whore And so is the Pope and so are his Cardinals arrayed 3. By her inticing and intoxicating cup wherewith she allures and prepares her foolish lovers to spiritual fornication that is to Idolatry and falseness to Jesus Christ and his Interests Having a * But may it not be understood and intended of her specious pretences of Orthodoxy devotion decency and order with which she induceth her lovers to drink of her abominable cup to swallow her Heterodoxies Superstitions and Usurpations and Idolatries golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication The golden cup saith Pareus upon the place are the Popes golden titles wherewith he hath hitherto commended to the world the 〈◊〉 of his fornication viz. Pope holy Father Father of Fathers Pastor of Pastors his Holiness Christs Vicar Sâ—â— Peter's Successor c. It refers literally to the Popes triple Crown and rich Cope glittering with pearls and precious stones and to his Cardinals rich robes saith Dr. H. More 4. By her Name as Whore v. 5. and upon her forehead was her name written Mystery Babylon the * Which implies as Mr. Mede in his Comment upon Revel 14. that there may be and are other little Babylons petty Harlots with whom the inhabitants subject to each of them may be defiled with spiritual adultery i. e. Idolatry great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth Which is an allusion to impudent and notorious Whores who had their names not only written upon their cells to be known at home but also upon their foreheads to be known abroad too as Seneca Controvers 2. l. 1. and Tertullian Lib. de pudicitia plainly shew and such an one is the Pope and his Church of Rome she is not Babylon Literal but Mystical that is she is a very impudent and notorious Idolater and the mother that is the conceiver the bringer forth and the nourisher of all Idolatries and Idols in the world and the word mystery shews that it cannot be understood of Rome-Pagan as some Papists would have it but must be understood of Rome-Christian in profession as Idolatrizing with Christian objects And one reason is because this beast comes after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other that is after the Christian Emperour and is the last for it goeth into perdition Revel 17. 8 10 11. 5. By her extream cruelties barbarities and bloody tyrannies and persecutions murders and detestable enormities Revel 17. 6. And I saw a woman drunken with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus And this hath been abundantly manifested in the Popes of Rome and their agents whom they rid ruled and spurred on to most bloody and cruel murdering of the Saints of Jesus under the names of Waldenses Albigenses Wicklivists Hussits Lutherans Calvinists Hugonots Puritans and other names condemned and destroyed by the Pope of Rome's authority instigation or approbation as Hereticks or Schismaticks because they would not drink of the Church of Rome's whoring cup. Of which you may read in Mr. Fox his Books of Martyrs Mr Fuller's Holy War Sleiden's Commentaries the Supplement to Philip de Comines History where is described Papists bloody and treacherous murdering of thousands of Protestants in Paris and the parts adjoining and the relations of the bloody and barbarous Massacres in Ireland and the Vallies of Piedmont promoted by the Pope and acted by Papists Reverend Dr. Prideaux in his Sermon intituled Gowries Conspiracy upon 2 Sam. 20. 1. p. 13. saith thus Let us depend upon it as long as there is a Pope and a Devil Princes professing the Gospel shall never be secured from Gowries and Garnets And a little after that he saith thus I have gleaned these few scatterings by the way out of their own Doctrines to prove that their Doctrine directly warranteth Treason let the Traytors be what they will and that none can be an absolute Papist but if he throughly understand himself and live under a Christian Prince that hath renounced the Popes authority must needs being put to it be an absolute Traytor No persons under heaven have been more bloody and cruel to sincere Professors of pure Christianity than the Popes of Rome and Papists that they are not still the same we have no good reason to believe but more cause to take heed of them 2. She is described more plainly 1. By the Beast that carrieth her on which she rides that is the Roman Empire
also for it will prevent many scruples As the first foundation of that Ecclesiastical Hierarchy which Christ did build upon the 12 Apostles was laid by Christ before Christian Religion was remarkably apparent in the world and countenanced by supream civil authority 〈◊〉 the first foundation of the Popish Hierarchy was laid before the main erâ—â— of Popery were remarkably in the world and countenanced by supreme civil authority As the Doctrine of the Creed was laid before 't was gathered into one body so was the Doctrine of the Papacy laid before 't was gatheâ—â— into one body in the Council of Trent or put out by Pope Pius the fourth Obj. But there are Cardinal-Deacons and Cardinal-Bishops Ergâ—â— the number of Cardinals is above 25. Ans 'T is true there are more Cardinals now than there were 〈◊〉 first designed and instituted by Evaristus say some others by Mâ—â—cellus but others by Sylvester There were 25 in Jeroms time as appears by his Comment upon Ezek. 11. Which number he seems there 〈◊〉 apply to Rome Those 25 men in Ezek. 8. 16. who worshipped towards the East of whom the Spirit of God saith these are the men that give evil counsel in the City and that devise mischief they were types of the 25 Cardinals of the City and Church of Rome these are Popes Councellors who devise mischief against the Church of Christ And though their number was de facto increased yet 't was not de jure for in the time of Gregory who is said to reduce the Cardinals Titles to their ancient number there were 25 and no more as they are nominated by Onuphrius in his Book de Pontificum Cardinalium ratione Johannes Diaconus in vita Gregorii l. 3. c. 11. That as Jerusalem material had 12 material gates so had or hath Rome Literal 25 material Gates The Names of the 12 material Gates of material Jerusalem according to Villapardus Tom. 3. p. 68 69. were these 1. Porta Fontis 2. Porta Stercoris 3. Porta Vallis 4. Porta Anguli 5. Porta Vetus 6. Porta Ephraim 7. Porta Piscium 8. Porta Benjamin 9. Porta Gregis 10. Porta Aquarum 11. Porta Equorum 12. Porta Filcalis The Gates of the City of Rome according to Onuphrius are these 1. Porta Flumentana 2. Porta Collatina 3. Porta Quirinalis 4. Porta Viminalis 5. Porta Gabinia 6. Porta Esquilina 7. Porta Caelimontana 8. Porta Latina 9. Porta Capena 10. Porta Ostiensis 11. Porta Portuensis 12. Porta Janiculensis 13. Porta Sentiminiana 14. Porta Aurelia 15. Porta Querquetularia 16. Porta Piacularis 17. Porta Catularia 18. Porta Minutia 19. Porta Magionia 20. Porta Sangualis 21. Porta Naevia 22. Porta Randuscula 23. Porta Levercalis 24. Porta Libitinensis 25. Porta Triumphalis These Gates were actually existing between the times of Pliny and Justinian which doth very well agree with that time wherein Marcellus did erect 25 Cardinalships in Rome Those seven other which Pliny mentioned ceased to be Gates before his time and those two other which Onuphrius mentioneth were not common Gates of the City but one of them was of the Palace and the other of the Capitol As the Apostles Creed consisteth of 12 Articles so the Popes Creed consisteth of 25 Articles History of the Council of Trent l. 2. p. 130. which are these that follow 1. Credo in unum Deum patrem omnipotentem factorem coeli terrae visibilium omnium invisibilium The Popes Creed Concil Trident p. 558. 2. Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum filiâ—â— Dei unigenitum ex patre natuâ—â— ante omnia saecula Deum de Deo lumen de lumine Deum verum de Deo vero genitum 〈◊〉 factum consubstantialem patri per quem omnia facta sunt 3. Qui propter nos homines propter nostram salutem descendit de celis incarnatus est ex Spiritu sancto ex Maria Virgine homo factâ—â— est 4. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato passus sepultus est 5. Et resurrexit tertio die secundum scripturas 6. Et ascendit in coelum sedit ad detram patris 7. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria judicare viâ—os mortuos cujâ—â— regni non erit finis 8. Et in Spiritum sanctum Dominum vivificantem qui ex patre filio procedit qui cum patre filio sâ—mul adoratur conglorificatur qâ—â— locutus est per prophetas 9. Et unam sanctam Catholicam Apostolicam ecclesiam 10. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum 11. Et expecto resurrectâ—â—em mortuorum 12. Et vitam venturi saeculi Amen Thus far he agrees with the Nicene Creed 13. Apostolicas Ecclesiasticas traditiones reliquasque ejusdem ecclesiae observationes constitutiones firmissime admitto amplector 14. Item sacram scripturam juxta eum sensum quem tenuit tenet sanctâ— mater ecclesia cujus est judicare de vero sensu interpretatione sacrarâ—â— scripturarum admitto nec eam unquam nisi juxta unanimem consensum pâ—trum accipiam interpretabor 15. Profiteor quoque septem esse vere propriè sacramenta novae legis 〈◊〉 Jesu Christo Domino nostro instituta atque ad salutem humani generis liceâ— non omnia singulis necessaria scilicet Baptismum Confirmationem Eucharistiam Paenitentiam extremam Vnctionem ordinem Matrimonium illaque gratiam conferre ex his baptismum confirmationem ordinem sine sacrilegio reitterari non posse 16. Receptos quoque approbatos ecclesiae Catholicae ritus in supradictorum omnium sacramentorum solâ—nni administratione recipio admitto 17. Omnia singula quae de peccato originali de justificatione in Sacro sancta Synodo Tridentina definita declarata fuerunt amplector recipio 18. Profiteor pariter in Missa offerri Deo verum proprium propitiatorium sacrificium pro vivis mortuis atque in sanctissimo Eucharistiae Sacramento esse verè realiter substantialiter corpus sanguinem una cum anima divinitate Domini nostri Jesu Christi fierique conversionem totius substantiae panis in corpus ejus quam conversionem Catholica ecclesia Transubstantiationem appellat 19. Fateor etiam sub altera tantum specie totum atque integrum Christum verumque sacramentum sumi 20. Constanter teneo purgatorium esse animasque ibi detentas fidelium suffragiis juvari 21. Similiter sanctos una cum Christo regnantes venerandos atque invocandos esse eosque orationes Deo pro nobis offerre atque eorum reliquias esse venerandas 22. Firmissime assero imagines Christi ac Deiparae semper virginis nec non aliorum sanctorum habendas retinendas esse atque iis debitum honorem venerationem impertiendam 23. Indulgentiarum potestatem à Christo in ecclesia relictam fuisse illarumque usum Christiano populo maximè salutarem esse affirmo 24. Sanctam Catholica Apostolicam Romanam ecclesiam omnium
agreeing with other marks of the Beast is very significant and convincing that the Pope of Rome with his apostatizing Clergy is the great Whore or Antichrist I have been so large in this point that I must for brevities sake forbear to alledg what learned King James in his Epistle to his Apology to all Christian Princes saith where he fully and clearly proves the Pope to be Antichrist And in his Paraphrase upon the Revelations in which he every where calls the Pope of Rome Antichrist and the Church of Rome the false persecuting and Antichristian Church However Dr. Heylin in his Cyprianus Anglicus endeavours dishonourably to pervert his words and works Dr. Prideaux in his Sermon upon Rev. 2. 4. p. 36. Sermonum saith thus roundly Fathers and brethren is this a time to make a doubt whether the Pope be Antichrist or no seeing his horns and marks are so apparently discovered Bishop Sanderson in his Sermon upon 1 Tim. 4. 4. p. 414. Sermonum saith thus The Apostle gives instance in two of those Antichristian Doctrines viz. a prohibition of Marriage and an injunction of abstinence from Meats which particulars being so agreeable to the present tenets of the Romish Synagogue do give even of themselves alone a strong suspition that there is the seat of Antichrist But joined unto the other prophesies of St. Paul and of St. John in other places make it so 2 Thes 2. 3. Apoc. 13. 11. unquestionable that they who will needs be so unreasonably charitable as to think the Pope is not Antichrist may at the least wonder as * Moulins Accomplishment in the Preface one saith well by what strange chance it fell out that these Apostles should draw the picture of Antichrist in every point and limb so just like the Pope and yet never think of him I have one thing more to remind you of and that is this That though the Antichristian Church of Rome do in words profess the Doctrine of the Apostles Creed yet by their other super added Doctrines they do overthrow it As is evidently to be seen in the sum of their Doctrine before recited their own 13 Articles superadded to the first 12 of the Nicene Creed do overturn and destroy in effect them Mr. Thomson in his Arraignment of Antichrist p. 96 97 c. will inform you how they cross every Article of the Creed and so will others as Hemingius Antichristi-machia Beza cap. 7. conf Dr. Abbot against Bishop Part 3. To all which let me I pray add but a little more which the Church of England plainly saith in her Homily for Whitsunday p. 213 214 215 216. where having declared three marks of a true Church whereby it may be Marks of a true Church known viz. 1. Pure and sound Doctrine preached 2. The Sacraments ministred according to Christs institution 3. The right use of Ecclesiastical Discipline It saith thus Now if ye will compare this with the Church of Rome not as it was in the beginning but as it is at present and hath been for the space of 900 years and odd you shall well perceive the state thereof to be so far wide * Rome as 't is now is no true Church this A. B. Laud contradicts in his Relation of Conf. p. 〈◊〉 and Bishop Mountague in his Gag 50. A. B. Laud saith that Papists and Protestants hold not forth a different Religion 〈◊〉 Bishop Mountague saith That the present Church of Rome is not divers from the ancient Church of Rome but remains firm in the same foundation of Doctrine and Sacraments from the nature of a true Church that nothing can be more Neither are they built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets retaining the sound and pure Doctrine of Jesus Christ neither yet do they order the Sacraments or the Ecclesiastical keys in such sort as he did first institute and ordain them but have so intermingled their own traditions and inventions by chopping and changing by adding and plucking away the now they may seem to be converted into a new guise Christ commanded unto his Church a Sacrament of his body and blood they have changed it into a †So did Gyles Widdows in his Schismatical kneeless Puritan p. 34 89. the Church is the place of Gods presence the Communion-Table the Chair of State of the Lord Jesus and his chiefest place of presence in our Church where his Priests sacrifice the Lords Supper to reconcile us to God offended with our daily sins Bp. Sparrow saith 't is an unbloody sacrifice in his Ration p 391. p. 280. he saith the Priest offers up the sacrifice of the holy Eucharist Sacrifice Christ ministred to the Apostles and the Apostles to other men indifferently under both kinds they have robbed the lay-people of the cup saying that for them one kind is sufficient Christ ordained no other element to be used in Baptism but only water whereunto when the word is joined it is made as St. Augustine saith a full and perfect Sacrament they being wiser in their own conceit than Christ think it is not well nor orderly done unless they use conjuration unless they hallow the water unless there be oyl salt spittle tapers why was the sign of the Cross left out and such other dumb ceremonies serving to no use contrary to the plain rule of St. Paul 1 Cor. 14. who willed all things to be done in the Church unto edification Christ ordained the authority of the Keys to excommunicate notorious sinners and to absolve them which are truly penitent they abuse this power at their own pleasure as well in cursing the godly with bell book and candle as also absolving the reprobate which are known to be unworthy of any Christian society whereof they that list may see examples let them search their lives To be short look what our Saviour Christ pronounced of the Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel the same may be boldly and with safe conscience pronounced of the Bishops of Rome namely that they have forsaken and daily do forsake the commandments of God to erect and set up their own constitutions Which thing being true as all they that have any light in Gods word must needs confess we may well conclude according to the rule of Augustine that the Bishops Aug. contra Petiliam Donastae Epistol c. 4. of Rome and their adherents are NOT THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST much less then to be taken as CHIEF HEADS AND RULERS of the same Whosoever saith he do dissent from the Scriptures concerning the Head although they be found in all places where the Church is appointed yet are not in the Church a plain place concluding directly against the Church of Rome Wheresoever ye find the spirit of arrogance and pride the spirit of envy hatred contention cruelty murther extortion witchcraft necromancy c. assure your selves that there is the spirit of the Devil and not of God albeit they pretend to the world never
Popes Traditions and Ceremonies pestilent deadly poyson Yea forsooth I have for I have drunken of the pestilent Traditions and ceremonies of the Bishop of Rome Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1504. Col. 1. Mr. John Bradford Martyr proveth the Church of Rome not to be a true Church but a false Church and the Pope the Head thereof to be the wicked one that is Antichrist And he tells the Bishop of York and the Bishop of Chichester That they did wickedly in coupling themselves to the Church of Rome again Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1533. col 2. And in pag. 1543 he tells the Londoners thus That in testimony of this my Faith I render and give my life being condemned as well for not acknowledging the Antichrist of Rome to be Christs Vicar General and supreme Head of his Catholick or Universal Church here or elsewhere upon Earth as for denying the horrible and Idolatrous Doctrine of Transubstantiation and Christs real corporal and carnal presence in his Supper under the forms and accidents of Bread and Wine And he saith the same in his Letier to the University and Town of Cambridg pag. 1544. And a little after in the same Letter he saith to Cambridg Dost thou not know Rome to be Babylon And in his Letter to Lancashire he saith That Transubstantiation is the dearly beloved of the Devil and the daughter and heir of Antichrists Religion c. Ibid. p. 1546. And in his Letter to a Woman that desired to know Whether she might be present at the Popish Mattins or no refraining from the Mass he saith thus This Latin Service is a plain mark of Antichrists Catholick Synagogue so that the Communicants and approvers of it thereby declare themselves to be members of the same Synagogue and so cut off from Christ and his Church whose exterior mark is the true administration of his Word and Sacraments Furthermore the example of your going thither to allow the Religion of Antichrist as doubtless you do indeed howsoever in heart you think occasioneth the obstinate to be utterly intractable the weak Papists to be more obstinate the strong Gospellers to be sore weakned and the weak Gospellers to be overthrown which things how great offences they be no pen * Yet do not many men make nothing of scandalizing their brethren now by injoining and practising the needless ceremonies of the church of Rome is able to utter by Letters Ibid. p. 1565. And in a Letter to the Lady Vane he saith That the Bishop of Rome is undoubtedly that great Antichrist of whom the Apostles do so much admonish us Ibid. p. 1565. col 1. And a little after he saith That the Bishop of Rome is a Butcher or a Bite-sheep rather than a Bishop How can we call him Christs Vicar that resisteth Christ oppugneth his verity and persecuteth his people and like a Prelate preferreth himself above God and man Ibid. p. 1566. col 1. And in his Letter to certain godly men he saith thus Therefore take heed for the Lords sake take heed and defile not your bodies or souls with this Romish and Antichristian Religion set up amongst us again but come away from as the Angel cryeth from amongst them in their Idolatrous service lest ye be partakers of their iniquity Ibid. p. 1568. col 2. And in his Letter to a godly Gentlewoman that was cast off by her Friends because she would not go to the Popish Mass he saith thus You cannot be partaker of Gods Religion and Antichrists service whereof the Mass is most principal you cannot be a member of Christs Church and of the Popes Church Ibid. p. 1570. And in his Letter to N. and his Wife he saith Now hath Antichrist all 〈◊〉 power again Ibid. p. 1571. And in his Letter with a Supplication to Queen Mary and her Council he saith thus That the Lords eyes were set to destroy England and your Highness and all your Honours if in time ye look not better to your office and duties herein and not suffer your selves to be slaves and hangmen to Antichrist and his Prelates which have brought your Highness and your Honours already to let Barnabas loose and to hang up Christ Ibid. p. 1574. John Launder Martyr in his Confession before Bishop Bonner saith That whosoever doth teach or use any more Sacraments than Baptism and the Lords-Supper or get any Ceremonies he doth not believe that they be of the Catholick Church but doth abhor them from the bottom of his heart And doth further say and believe That all the service sacrifices and ceremonies now used in this Realm of England yea in all other parts of the world which have been used after this manner be erroneous and naught and contrary to Christs institution and the determination of Christs Catholick Church whereof he believeth that he himself is a member and in this Faith he died Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1593. M. Luther * History of the Counc of Trent lib. 1. p. 76. said to the Popes Nuncio that nothing can be received from Rome compatible with the Ministry of the Gospel Derrick Carver Martyr in his answer to Bishop Bonner saith That your Ceremonies used in the Church are beggarly and poyson Ibid. p. 1594. Thomas Iveson Martyr confessed and to his death stood to this Article objected against him by Bonner That he believeth that all the ceremonies now used in this Church of England are vain superfluous superstitious and naught Ibid. p. 1595. col 1. Of the same Faith was John Denley Gentleman as may be seen in his Answer to the seventh Article Ibid. p. 1598 And the said John Denley in Answer to the third Article objected against him by Bishop Bonner said thus That I believe that this Church of England using the faith and Religion which is now used is no part or member of the aforesaid holy Catholick Church but is the Church of Antichrist the Bishop of Rome being the head thereof Ibid. p. 1597. Patrick Packingham Martyr told Bishop Bonner plainly to his face That the Church which Bonner believed was no Catholick Church but was the Church of Satan and that therefore he would never turn to it Ibid. p. 1598. col 2. Henry Laurence Martyr being required to put his hand to his Answers writ thus Ye are all of Antichrist and him ye follow Ibid. p. 1599. col 1. George Tankerfield Martyr plainly told Bishop Bonner That the Church whereof the Pope is the supreme head is no part of Christs Catholick Church Ibid. p. 1602. col 1. Mr. Robert Glover Master of Arts and Martyr plainly told the Bishop of Leichfield That the Church of God knoweth and acknowledgeth no other head but Jesus Christ the Son of God whom ye have refused and chosen the man of sin the son of terdition enemy to Christ the Devils deputy and lieutenant the Pope Ibid. p. 1616. col 1. In which place he gives six notes of Christs true Church which the Church of Rome wanteth yea
acteth against and contrary to them By which saith he they do declare themselves to be none of the Church of Christ but rather of the Synagogue of Satan Yea he there tells his Wife That he called them with good conscience as Christ called their forefathers the children of the Devil and that as their father the Devil is a lyar and murtherer so their Kingdom and Church as they call it standeth by lying and murdering therefore my dear Wife have no fellowship with them Ibid. Bishop Ridley in his Letter in Captivity calls the Church of Rome the Strumpet of Babylon and the Pope of Rome Antichrist Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1626. col 1. And in his Answer at his Examination to Bishop White he saith He cannot but confess with St. Gregory a Bishop of Rome also that the Bishop of that place is the very true Antichrist whereof St. John speaketh by the name of the Whore of Babylon And I say saith he with the said St. Gregory that he that maketh himself a Bishop of all the world is worse than Antichrist Ibid. p. 1650. col 2. And in his Communication with Dr. Brooks Bishop of Gloucester when he degraded him exhorting him to recant and submit to the Church of Rome he saith thus You know my mind concerning the usurped authority of the Romish Antichrist Ibid. p. 1659. col 2. And a little after when he would Bishop Ridley though when he was in his Pontificalibus he contended too much for the Surplice c. yet when he came to die he refused it and abominated it put on him the Surplice c. he inveighed against the Romish Bishop and all that foolish apparel calling him Antichrist and the apparel foolish and abominable Ibid. In his Farewell Letter to all his Friends he calls the Bishop of Rome the Babylonical Beast and the then Bishops of England thieves of Samaria Sabei Caldei These robbers have rushed out of their dens and have robbed the Church of England of all the aforesaid holy treasure of God they have carried it away they have overthrown it and instead of Gods holy word the true and right administration of Christs holy Sacraments as of Baptism and the other they mix their Ministry with mens fantasies and many wicked and â—â—godly traditions Ibid. p. 1674. And these Bishops he calls the Soldiers of Antichrist Ibid. p. 1675. col 1. And in his Letter to the Lords Temporal he saith thus I wonder my Lords what hath bewitched you that ye are so suddenly fallen from Christ unto Antichrist from Christs Gospel unto mens traditions from the Lord that bought you to the Bishop now of Rome I warn you of your peril be not deceived except ye will be found willingly consenters unto your own death For if ye think thus we are Lay-men this is a matter of Religion we follow as we are taught and led if our teachers and governours teach us and lead us amiss the fault is in them they shall bear the blame My Lords 't is true I grant you that both the false teacher and the corrupt governour shall be punished for the death of their subjects whom they have falsely taught and corruptly lead yea and their blood shall be required at their hands But yet neverthelss shall that subject die the death himself also that is he shall also be damned for his own sin For if the blind lead the blind Christ saith not the leader only but both shall fall into the ditch Shall the Synagogue and the Senate of the Jews trow ye which forsook Christ and consented to his death therefore be excused because Annas and Caiphas with the Scribes and Pharisees and their Clergy did teach them amiss yea and also Pilate their Consenters and doers are both guilty saith Bishop Ridley Ibid. p. 1675. governour and the Emperours Lieutenant by his tyranny did without cause put to death Forsooth no my Lords no. For notwithstanding that corrupt Doctrine or Pilates washing of his hands neither of both shall excuse either that Synagogue and Seigniory or Pilate but at the Lords hand for the effusion of that innocent blood on the latter day shall drink of the deadly whip * Bishop Gardners six Articles called the Whip with six strings I â—elieve he alluded to Ye are witty and understand what I mean Therefore I will pass from this to tell you that ye are fallen from Christ to his adversary the Bishop of Rome pag. 1667. And immediately after he tells them That he doth not in calling the Bishop of Rome Christs adversary or Antichrist rage or raile but speak the words of truth and sobriety And shews That that Church while it continued in the Apostles Doctrine was Apostolick and those that sate in that See might be called Apostolici but since that See hath degenerated from the trace of Truth and true Religion which it received of the Apostles at the beginning and hath preached another Gospel hath set up another Religion hath exercised another power and hath taken upon it to order and rule the Church of Christ by other strange Laws and Canons and rulers than ever it received of the Apostles the Apostles of Christ which thing it doth at this day and hath continued so doing alas alas of too too long a time since the time I say that the state and condition of that See hath thus been changed in truth it ought of duty and of right to have the names changed both of the See and of the Sitter therein As that See then for that true trade of Religion and Doctrine of Christs Apostles justly and truly was called Apostolick so as truly and justly for the contrariety of Religion and * Is this not directly contrary to A B. Laud's Doctrine in his Relation wherein pag. â—â—6 he saith That the Church of Rome and Protestants set not up a different Religion diversity of Doctrine from Christs and his Apostles that See and the Bishop thereof at this day both ought to be called and are indeed Antichristian The See is the seat of Satan and the Bishop of the same that maintaineth the abominations thereof is Antichrist himself indeed And for this cause this See at this day is the same which St. John calleth in his Revelation Babylon or the Whore of Babylon and spiritual Sodoma and Egyptus the mother of fornications and of the abomination upon the earth and with this Whore do spiritually meddle and lye with her and commit most stinking and abominable adultery before God all those Kings and Princes yea all Nations of the earth which do CONSENT TO HER ABOMINATIONS and use or practise the same Ibid. p. 1668. And in his Lamentation for the change of Religion in England he saith thus The head under Satan of all mischief is Antichrist and his brood and the same is he which is the Babylonical Beast Ibid. p. 1671. col 2. And in p. 1673 he calls King Edward the sixth that innocent that
godly hearted and peerless young Christian Prince Whom Dr. Heylin saith He was a man of ill principles and that 't was no infelicity to the Church he means Rome sure that he died so soon And in p. 1673 col 2. he saith thus Now then seeing the Doctrine of Antichrist is returned again into this Realm and the old Laws of Antichrist are allowed to return with the power of their father again c. Mr. John Philpot Martyr in his seventh Examination and Answer saith That the Church of Rome is a false Church and the Synagogue of Satan Ibid. p. 1704. col 2. And in his ninth Examination he tells Harpsfield That the Religion of Rome is a false Religion Ib. p. 1709. col 1. So he told Chadsey Ibid. p. 1715. col 1. And at his last Examination he told the Lord Mayor of London That he was sorry to see that that authority which representeth the Kings and Queens persons should now be changed and be at the commandment of Antichrist And ye speaking to the Bishops pretend to be the follows of the Apostles of Christ and yet ye be very Antichrists and deceivers of the people and that Church which ye pretend to be the Catholick Church is the Church of Rome the Babylonical and not the Catholick Church of that Church I am not Ibid. p. 1721. col 1. Thomas Whittel Priest and Martyr saith That he was well content to give over his body for the testimony of Gods truth and pure Religion against Antichrist and all his false Religion and Doctrine Ibid. p. 1738. Barthlet Green a Scholar and Martyr affirmeth That the Church of Rome is the Church of Antichrist Ibid. p. 1744. A. B. Cranmer M. calleth and proveth the Pope of Rome to be Antichrist Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1768. col 2. That the Traditions and Religion of that usurping Prelate of Rome are most erroneous false and against the Doctrine of the whole Scripture and the author of the same to be very Antichrist so often preached by the Apostles and Prophets in whom do most evidently concur all signs and tokens whereby he is painted to the world to be known Ibid. p. 1774. col 2. Many of which marks he sets down there And at St. Maries in Oxford when he recanted his Recantation he said thus And for the Pope I refuse him as Christs enemy and Antichrist with all his false Doctrine and this he declared he spake without dissimulation Ibid. p. 1781. col 1. And in his Letter to Queen Mary he saith thus of the Pope If this be not to play Antichrists part I cannot tell what is Antichrist which is no more to say but Christs enemy and adversary who shall sit in the Temple of God advancing himself above all others yet by hypocrisie and fained religion shall subvert the true Religion of Christ and under pretence and colour of Christian Religion shall work against Christ and therefore hath the name of Antichrist whom he there proves to be Antichrist Ibid. p. 1784. col 2. John Mandrell Robert Spicer and William Coverley denying the Pope to be head of the Church or Christs Vicar affirmed him to be Antichrist and Gods enemy Ibid. p. 1788. William Times Curate and Martyr answered Bonner That the See of Rome is the See of Antichrist and therefore to that Church I will not conform my self nor once consent to it Ibid. p. 1791. And p. 1793. he saith The Church of Rome is the Antichristian Church Sixteen Martyrs at once make this Confession The See of Rome is the See of Antichrist the congregation of the wicked whereof the Pope is head under the Devil Article the third for proof of which they offer to be burnt Ibid. p. 1810. col 1. ART XV. That it is lawful to set up and suffer Bishop Mountague in his Gag pag. 300. saith That Images and Pictures of Christ may stand in Churches pro institutione rudiorum commone factione Historiae excitatione devotionis And pag. 318. that the Images and Pictures of Christ the blessed Virgin and Saints may not only for Civil uses but also for Religious imployment and helps of piety be set up in Churches and that the Church of Rome and we differ not therein so practise exceed not Doctrine And p. 317. that Dulia may be given to them Images of the Sacred Trinity of God the Father of God the Son Crucifixes of God the Holy Ghost or of Saints departed this life in Temples or Churches where Gods people do usually meet to worship God THis I renounce 1. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England in her excellent Homily against the peril of Idolatry wherein she saith as followeth p. 12. These costly deckiâ—â— of Churches and Images have nothing profited those that are wise and of understanding but have thereby greatly hurt the simple and unwise occasiâ—â—ing them thereby to commit most horrible Idolatry p. 13. Our Images 〈◊〉 been be and if they be publickly suffered in Churches and Temples 〈◊〉 will be worshipped and so Idolatry committed to them Wherefore our Iâ—â—ges in Temples and Churches be indeed none other but Idols as unto 〈◊〉 which Idolatry hath been is and ever will be committed p. 15. That 〈◊〉 honouring of abominable Images is the cause the beginning and end of 〈◊〉 evil and that the worshippers of them be either mad-men or most wicked men p. 17. Although it be said now commonly that Images be Lay 〈◊〉 Books yet we see they teach no good lesson neither of God nor of goâ—â—ness but all error and wickedness and therefore God as he forbiddeth 〈◊〉 Idols or Images to be made or set up so doth command such as we find 〈◊〉 and set up to be pulled down broken and destroyed Deut. 7th and 〈◊〉 Chapters where 't is observable that all the occasions of Idolatry 〈◊〉 to be avoided and therefore did God forbid marriages with the children of Idolaters for they will turn away thy son from following me that they may serve other gods so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly p. 18. To set up Images or Altars is a wickedness and great offence and abomination in the sight of the Lord. p. 19. It is impossible that we should be worshippers of Images and the true servants of God also as Paul teacheth 2 Cor. 6. p. 21. Upon 1 Joh. 5. ult Tertullian saith Keep your selves from Images and Idols he saith not now keep your selves from Idolatry as it were from the service of them but from the Images or Idols themselves that is from the very shape or likeness of them do ye think those persons which place Images and Idols in Churches and Temples yea shrine them even over the Lords-Table as 't were of purpose to the worshipping and honouring of them take good heed either to St. John ' s counsel or Tertullian ' s for so to place Images and Idols is it to keep themselves from them
peace said she to her husband And that frivolous story of his Dog following after them with which some have made vain sport and others may again in Tob. 11. 4. appointed to be read at Morning-prayer October the third I come to Tob. 12 12. appointed to be read at Evening-prayer October the third where this is appointed to be read of the Angel Raphael Now therefore when thou didst pray and Sarah thy daughter-in-law I did bring the remembrance of your prayers before the holy one and when thou didst bury the dead I was with thee likewise And vers 15. 't is appointed to be read thus I am Raphael one of the seven holy Angels which present the prayers of the Saints and which go in and out before the glory of the holy one Which words imply two gross errors 1. That there are but seven holy Angels that wait upon God and go in and out before him which is contrary to the Canonical Scriptures which say that thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times 〈◊〉 Cornel à Lapidâ— Junius Diodate Willet in locum thousand stood before him Dan. 7. 10. which is generally by Papists as well as Protestants understood of holy Angels See also Heb. 12. 22. Apoc. 5 1â— See also A. B. Vsher his Sum of Christian Religion p. 118. where 〈◊〉 saith that all the Angels do wait upon the Lord their God in heaven to exâ—cute his will 2. That those seven Angels are Gods remembrancers 〈◊〉 mind him of the prayers of his Saints and presenters of their prayers beâ—â— him A kind of Heavenly Courtiers or Officers that do present to as remember God of the good works prayers and alms c. of 〈◊〉 holy ones as if God did not regard or remember their prayers 〈◊〉 services without these seven Angels mediations intercession Which office saith learned Jâ—â— Jun. in Tob. 12. 12. the Scripture doth no where give to created Aâ—gâ—â— but maintain to belong only to Christ and which â—lâ—â— if there were nothing else is enough to prove the 〈◊〉 Upon the 15 ver bulousness and impurity of the Book and to rejeâ—â— as evil and unfit to be read in publick yea to be bound up with the Sacred Word of God And learned A. B. Vsher where before reckons up all the offices of the Sum of Christian Religion pag. 118. good Angels to the souls and bodies of good men but mentioneth not their presenting of the Saints prayers before God nor remembering God of them And 't is a Doctrine and place of Scripture as you call it that makes much for the Which is a good argument there is no such thing Bishop Prideaux Fascic cont c. 4. S. 2. q. 1. p. 169. Article 7th Papists Idolatrous invocating of Angels And 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England and of other Reformed Churches and of the Canonical Scriptures which say That Jesus Christ the second Person in the Sacred Trinity the Angel of the Covenant as he is called Mal. 3. 1. is the only person that doth present the prayers of the Saints to God and that he is our only Mediator of Redemption and Intercession as may be fully proved by Rom. 8. 34. 1. Tim. 2. 5. Heb. 7. 25. 1 Joh. 2. 12. Revel 8. 3 4. And the last Collect in the Lâ—tany and the Collect for St. Stephens day which prayers say That Christ is our only Mediator and Advocate And by the Homily of Prayer Tom. 2. Part 2. p. 115. and Part 3. p. 118. where 't is said thus In the word of God the Holy Ghost doth plainly teach us that Christ is our only Mediator and Intercessor with God and that we must not run or seek to another See also A. B. Vsher's Sum of Christian Religion p. 166 and p. 176. where he sheweth That one part of Christs Intercession for us doth consist in his presenting our prayers unto God and making them acceptable in his sight And 't is contrary to Psal 8. 4. Psal 111. 5. Psal 112. 6. Levit. 26. 42. Luk. 12. 6 7. and many other places of Sacred Scripture where 't is said That God is mindful of his people and of his Covenant made with them Yea that he doth hear what his people say and take special notice of what they do yea and record what they say and do Read Mal. 3. 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name If God take notice of and record what his people say one to another then without doubt he takes notice of and remembreth the prayers which they make unto himself and therefore he needs no such remembrancing Angels as this feigned Raphael speaks of to put him in mind of his Saints prayers And he hath appointed Jesus Christ to present the prayers of and make Intercession for his people Joh. 6. 27. Him hath the Father sealed and appointed Heb. 3. 12. to the office of a Redeemer and of making satisfaction for the sins of his people and Intercession for them as Bishop Reynolds very learnedly sheweth upon Psal 110. pag. 383 384. 387 388 c. And Christ hath undertaken the work of our Redemption and making Intercession for his people He was not only made a surety to us of a bâ—tter Covenant Heb. 7. 22. but he also is said to come to do the office of a surety Lo I come to do thy will O God Heb. 10. 5 7 9. God fitted him and prepared him for the work of our Redemption v. 5. and Christ voluntarily undertook it Then said I Lo I come in the volume of thy Book it is written of me to do thy will O God v. 7 9. Hence doth he call himself the good shepherd that doth lay down his life for his sheep Joh. 10. 11 15. which Doctrine is saith the Reverend Bishop the rock and foundation of all the Churches comfort and therefore the Doctrine held forth in the foresaid feigned story of Tobit is the more pernicious and abominable being so destructive of our Lord and Saviours right and of all good Christians sure and solid comfort and those men that refuse to give their unfeigned assent and consent thereunto and to its use and publick reading are the more excusable not to say commendable for denying themselves so far as they have done rather than do that or consent to the doing of that which is as you see so much conducing to Popish Doctrine and practise and contrary to Gods sacred and precious truth the honour and interest of Jesus Christ and the comfort and welfare of all good Christians In the Months of September and October all the Book of Judith is appointed to be read in publick in Churches and Chappels Where to pass by many of the falsities that Orthodox learned Divines both ancient and modern do find in
which saith That God formeth the spirit of man within him that is in medio in the midst of man as the †Junius in Locum Hebrew and Latin hath it and it accords not with Luk. 23. 43. where Christ said to the penitent Thief This day shalt thou be with me in Paradice that is in Heaven And 't is contrary to Luk. 16. 22 25 26. which sheweth that the soul of Lazarus was carried into Abrahams bosom immediately after his death and that there it remained and Of this largely before in Article 13. was to remain And not agreeable to Mat. 25. 46. which saith That the righteous go into everlasting life Yea and not consonant with Phil. 1. 21 23. where the Apostle saith thus For me to live is Christ but to die is gain What gain if his soul went into another body and not into Heaven And if any should say that Philo's opinion was That all souls of all men were made together by God in the beginning of the world and treasured up until bodies be prepared for them which was the opinion of many Jews and of Origen as Peter †â—oc com claf prim C. 12 Sect. 23. p. 82. Martyr and Pareus * In Gen 2. 7. inform me I answer that we have cause also to reject it For 1. I ask where the treasury is where these Souls are kept in Heaven it cannot be for there evil souls are not kept for the evil Angels were cast out of Heaven as soon as they sinned In Hell they cannot be neither for there good souls that do Gods will are not cast I might ask again where then are they kept 2. I ask whether those souls so long since made have been idle or active if they have been idle and doing nothing it seems absurd to say that God should make so many souls so long time before-hand to do nothing for his honour seeing he made nothing in vain and can as easily make them when bodies are prepared for them to act If it be said they have been active and doing something then that is either good or bad Pareus informs me that the Jews held that these souls were kept in Gods treasury until they were infused into bodies according to their merits which implies that some did good and deserved to be put into good bodies and others did evil and deserved to be put into evil bodies and so were by God disposed accordingly An ingenious witty soul was put belike into an undefiled body as Philo seems to imply by his words But to this I answer 1. That it seems the Heathens were not of this opinion for they say of Galba Ingenium Galbae malè habitat 2. This conceit hath no foundation in Sacred Scripture For 1. That which is alledged for their opinion That God rested from all his works Gen. 2. 2 3 4. is easily answered thus 1. That Christ saith My Father worketh hitherto and I work Joh. 5. 17. 2. That God rested from making more or new species or kinds of Creatures but not from making more or new Individuals or Particulars of those kinds which he had made 2. In the History of the Creation no nor any where else in Canonical Scripture there is no mention or intimation made of any such making all souls together which being a thing of so great moment would not be concealed if any such thing had been 3. But that the soul of Adam was made in the act * Augustin de Civit. Dei l. 12. c. 23. Viâ—es upon him of its inspiration into the body of Adam Gen. 2. 7. And there is the same reason of our souls and his Creando infunditur infundendo creatur 4. 'T is said in Zach. 12. 1. That God formeth the spirit of man within him that is as Junius observes 't is in the Hebrew In medio is the midst of him and therefore not made some thousands of years before 't was infused into him 5. Their conceit of being disposed according to their merits is not agreeable to Sacred Scripture which Rom. 9. 23. saith plainly of those Twins that God loved i e. chose Jacob to life everlasting and hated Esau i. e. reprobated him before they had done either good or evil Therefore their doing good or evil was not the meritorious cause of putting them into either good or bad clean or unclean bodies Lastly His body undefiled is such another Judaical conceit or Poetical fiction for what body of man ordinarily begotten by man is undefiled Job's question Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean includes this affirmative That no man can do it 1. It participates of Adams first sin and 't is †Rom. 5. 12. vide Hildersâ—am upon Psal 5. Lect. 55. p. 259. imputed to it And 2. 't is prone and disposed to sin as a leprous seed is to leprosie Though it be said that spiritual infection which is in semine be not sin formaliter actu yet it is a certain occult disposition to sin from which it comes to pass that the soul created in the body as a flower in a Vide Baron Exer 2. de origine animâ—â— Art 6. stinking place doth contract from the body habitual and culpable viciousness even from its first union with it so that the body is defiled participativè vel imputativè dispositivè and therefore not undefiled as he speaks Subjectum quo peccati est caro Vide Article 9th of the Church of England subjectum verò quod personâ— quia peccatum primo intravit ratione corporis ad inficiendam animam Bishop Prideaux Fascic controv c. 3. de peccato q. 5. p. 126. ad 5 ibid. q. 3. p. 112 113. p. 117. Semen * That is the seed is infected as a stinking torch to which if fire be put that stink which before lay hid doth appear so the soul joined to the Embrio and informing it it actuates that poyson which before lay hid in the seed whereby the whole compositum or humane nature is infected infectum esse tanquam funale faetidum cui si flamma admoveatur prodit quae autea latebat totius facis graveolentia sic anima embrioni copulata eamque informans actuat in semine latens virus quo fiat corruptio totius compositi I might except against Ecclesiasticus 1. 14. where 't is said That the fear of the Lord was created with the faithful †Which is conceived to be contrary to Psal 50. 5. Ephes 2. 1 3 5. the Exhortation at Baptism in C. P. B. in the womb and many other passages in the Apocryphal Books but these may suffice and make men look more narrowly into the errors and contradictions that are in them to Gods pure word yea in some parts of those Chapters that are appointed to be read publickly in our Churches and methinks should cause them all to be turned out of the doors of our Churches and common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book especially seeing
Orthodox Carleton's place at Chichester who wrote against Mountagues Books and Popish Goodman who * Cyp. Angl. l. 4. p. 446. lived and died a Papist was made Bishop of Gloucester in Orthodox Smith's place who opposed Laud in his Altar-worship there yea though A. B. Abbot was by Laud's means sequestred from the execution of his office and his authority committed to such hands as were no favourers of the Genevean faction they are Heylin's own words of which Bishop Laud as Heylin * Cypr. Angl. l. 3. p. 170. saith informed the King that A. B. Abbot was the head viz. to Mountain Bishop of London Neile Bishop of Durham Buckeridg Lauds Tutor Bishop of Rochester Howsâ—â— Bishop of Oxford and himself Bishop of Bath and Wells or any two of them yea when Laud was gotten uppermost and had gotten stout-hearted Williams Bishop of Lincoln into the Tower and had his Spies upon Orthodox Hall Bishop of Exceter and Davenant Bishop of Salisbury two of those learned Divines which were sent by King James to the Synod of Dort and had almost and did what he listed in promoting those of his party and suppressing those of the Genevean party as Dr. Heylin evidenceth yea brags in his Cyprianus Anglicus yet I say he never durst put those five Arminian points to the hazard of decision by the Convocation though he had a great mind to it as appears by his moving the Duke of Buckingham about it and his consulting with Bishop Andrews about it as Dr. Heylin relates in his Cyprianus * Lib. 2. p. 133. 'T is probable he first advised and then ordered the Catalogue of the most eminent Divines distinguished according to their perswasions by the Letters O and P made him fear the Convocation and therefore take his other courses which brought himself and others to ruin Cyp. Angl. l. 2. p 133. And the eighth Article objected against him viz. That there must be a blow given to the Church such as hath not been yet given before it would be brought to conformity Cyp. Angl. l 5. p. 512 513. might be brought to prove his fear of the Convocation as is said Anglicus least they should be condemned by our Convocation as well as they were by the Synod of Dort and by Bishop Carleton Dean Sutcliff Dr. Featly Mr. Goad Mr. Yates Mr. Ward Mr. Burton Mr. Rouse and Mr. Pryn asunder that the encounter seemed to be betwixt a whole army and a single person as Heylin writes in his Cyprianus Anglicus l. 2. p. 155. and by Dr. Prideaux in the Chair in the Divinity School at Oxford as they had been by learned Dr. Humphries Dr. Holland and Dr. Abbot before him and by Dr. Whitaker Mr. Perkins Dr. Davenaut and Dr. Ward and many more at Cambridg and by many more in the Universities and elsewhere in Cities Towns and Country Parishes And were never declared either by any Convocation at or since the first reformation or by any Parliament except in Queen Maries reign to be the Doctrine of the Church of England And for further confirmation of this truth that those five Arminian points condemned by the Synod of Dort to which Synod King James sent several Learned and Orthodox Divines who joined with the rest of that Learned Synod in condemning and rejecting all those five Armanian points which sure neither he nor they would have done if they had been the Doctrine of the Church of England were not the Doctrine of the Church of England read King James his Declaration against Vorstius wherein he writes thus to his Ambassador Sir Ralph Winwood Trusty and Welbeloved c. You shall repair to the States-General with all possible diligence in our name telling them that we doubt not but that their Ambassadors which were here about two years since did inform them of a forewarning that we wished the said Ambassadors to make unto them in our name to beware in time of * Arminians called seditious and heretical Preachers seditious and heretical Preachers and not to suffer any such to creep into their State Our principal meaning was of Arminius who though he were late dead yet had he left too many disciples behind him Declarat pag. 350. of his Works That Vorstius hath published such monstrous blasphemy and horrible Atheism in a scandalous Book fit to be burnt and the Author punished and that Arminius late Divinity-Reader at Leyden was but of little better stuff who though he be dead hath left his sting yet living among them Ibid. p. 350 351. And in pag. 355. he saith thus in his Letter to the States-General We had well hoped that the corrupt seed of that enemy of God Arminius did sow amongst you some few years since had given you sufficient warning to take heed of such infected persons seeing your own Country-men divided into factious upon this occasion a matter so opposite to unity which is indeed the only â—roâ— and safety of your State next under God as of necessity it must by little and little bring you to utter ruin if wisely you do not provide against it and that in time Ibid. p. 355. It is true it was our hard hap not to hear of this Arminius before he was dead and that all the Reformed Churches of Germany had with open mouth complained of him But as soon as we understood of that distraction in your State which he left after his death behind him we did not fail to use some such speeches to your Ambassadors as we * That is those above named to beware of seditious and Heretical Preachers thought fittest for the good of your State which we doubt not but they have faithfully reported unto you For what need we make any question of the arrogancy of these †Arminians called Hereticks or atheistical Sectaries Hereticks or rather Atheistical Sectaries among you when one of theâ— at this present that is Bertius a Scholar of Arminius as he described and called him in his former Letter to his Ambassador Ibid. p. 354. remaining in your Town of Leyden hath not only presumed to publish of late a blasphemous * Bertius his Book de Apostasia Sanctorium called a blasphemous Book Book of the Apostasie of the Saints but besides hath been so impudent as to send the other day a copy thereof as a goodly present to our Archbishop of Canterbury together with a Letter wherein he is not ashamed as also in his Book †To say that the Doctrine therein contained is agreeable to the profession and Doctrine of the Church of England a gross lye to lye so grosly as to avow that his Heresies contained in the said Book are agreeable with the religion and profession of our Church of England for these respects therefore have we cause enough very heartily to request you to root out with speed those * Arminianism Heresie and Schism Heresies and Schisms which are beginning to bud forth among you which if you suffer to
superstitious and truly Magical abuse of it And Disputation the 38. Thes 2. p. 208. he saith further thus For seeing that Idolatry is nothing else than to attribute to the Creatures that honour that is due to God alone and those virtues which are proper to God it is manifest that all they whosoever they be that ascribe to Creatures and most of all to Inanimate Creatures the Divine Properties and the proper effects and benefits of God or Christ do manifestly make Idols of those Creatures and whoever they be that do earnestly desire or expect these benefits from them do commit gross Idolatry And Mr. Perkins in his Order of Causes of Salvation and Damnation upon the second Commandment p. 63. in 4to saith thus Satanical means I call those which are used in the producing of such an effect to the which they neither by any express rule out of Gods Word nor of their own nature were ever ordained I pray let these things be humbly and meekly considered and withal remember that there is an Amen said to the use of the sign of the Cross which is a prayer as appears in the Office of publick Baptism and the Church-Catechism I do not charge our men with it but humbly submit it to their serious consideration and desire them if any shall think they are concerned hereby to go about to clear themselves from that is here charged upon the Papists they do not as the practise of some hath been answer so as to acquit the Papists too and justifie the ungodly but rather abstain from all appearance of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. and abolish that which is amiss or hath but the real appearance of that which is evil to godly sober judicious and consciencious men Vpon the whole matter 't is Queried I. WHether among the Conformists to the Discipline and Ceremonies there be not as many Nonconformists to the Doctrine of the Church of England that is against Popery holding if not all yet many of these false Doctrines renounced as there are Nonconformists to the Discipline and Ceremonies of the Church of England II. Whether those Conformists in name that are Nonconformists in deed to the Doctrine of the Church of England that is against Popery be not more dangerous and likely to disturb the peace of the Church and Kingdom by Preaching and Printing and endeavouring to bring in Popery than those Nonconformists to the Rites and Ceremonies and Declarations enjoined but are real Conformists to the Articles of Religion of the Church of England which only concern the Doctrine of Christian faith and the Sacraments which is all the Subscription was enjoined by the ancient Law 3 Edw. 6. c. 11. 13 Eliz. c. 12. III. Whether the twentieth Article of the Authority of the Church since the first clause hath been added by the Bishops and the thirtyfourth Article of Traditions especially seeing Dr. Heylin saith in his Introduction to his Cyprianus Anglicus pag. 20 21. That authority to decree Rites or Ceremonies and authority in Controversies of Faith contained in the twentieth and thirtyfourth Articles of Religion the Church of Rome never challenged more and the third Article concerning Christs descent into Hell if it be expounded other way than that of the Apostles Creed to which assent is given in the eighth Article and the thirtysixth Article of ordering the consecrating Bishops Priests and Deacons seeing the Order of Diocesan Provincial and Oecumenical Bishops distinct from and superiour to Preaching-Presbyters hath been by Papists contended for to be of Divine right or institution and yet hath been denied by sound Protestants as appears by the History of the Council of Trent and is by Archbishop Laud and his party made essential to the being of a Church which saith Adam Coutzen a Romish Priest in the second Book and eighteenth Chapter of his Politicks is the readiest and easiest way to cheat the Protestants of their Religion and Ordination by Protestant Preaching Presbyters is denied to be valid and yet Ordination of Popish Priests is allowed to be good be against Popery or may not in fine bring in the whole body of Popery if not timely prevented especially when that which Mr. Fowler * Free Discourse second Edition pag. 2. p. 191 saith shall be seriously considered viz. that those Divines of his opinion do heartily subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles of our Church taking that liberty in the interpretation of them that is allowed †p. 2. p. 305. by the Church her self though it is most reasonable to presume that she requireth Subscription to them as to an instrument of peace only And that the †What liberty is that to interpret them as they please and contrary to the Grammatical and common sense of them as Dr. Jeremy Taylor did the Ninth and Johannes de Sancta Clara Archbishop Laud's Fovourite did all the Thirty-nine Governours of the Church require not their internal assent to the Articles of the Church of England and yet require an unfeigned assent and consent to the Ceremonies and Declarations by them invented and injoined as the Act for Uniformity shews as if they were more necessary and essential to the being of the Church of England than those substantial and fundamental Truths that are contained in the other Articles of our Christian Religion Most especiall◠seeing * Gretzer de Festis l. 1. c. 2. Gretzer a Romish Priest calls the conforming part of the Clergy of England Calvino-Papistae Calvin-Papists as was noted before in the Epistle to the Christian Reader IV. Whether for the prevention of Popery it be not necessary to authorize some known Orthodox Nonconformists who stand not in awe of Bishops as Conformists do to license Books against Popery Arminianism Socinianism and Anabaptism and for defence of the Articles of Religion of the Church of England at least whether it be not more convenient and safe to authorize such Nonconforming Divines than it is to authorize Bishops Chaplains to license Books seeing in A. B. Lauds time they suppressed the printing of many Orthodox Books and Sermons and licensed many Heterodox and Popish Arminian and Socinian Books as may be seen in Dr. Heylin's Cyprianus Anglicus and they may do the like or the same or worse hereafter FINIS The Christian Reader is humbly desired to correct these ERRATA'S which escaped in the Printing in the Authors absence IN the Epistle p. 1. l. last in the Marg. r. Presbytery p. 11. l. 32. r. riots p. 12. l. 29. these words he faith it is a dangerous decert to say that Creatures may be adored and is contrary to Exod. 20. 5. Thou shalt not bow down to them which are not the words of Bishop Sparrow but of Thomas Rogers upon Art 31. and should have been put in the Margent against Bishop Sparrow's former words then should follow what Bishop Sparrow saith p. 391. thus and hs calls the Sacrament c. p. 20. l. 5. marg r. Balduin l. 12. for dixerit r.
dierum Article 12th for unregenerate r. regenerate In the Book p 5. add due p. 7. l 25. r. adgeniculari p. 13. r. omnis p. 15. l. 2. F. utimini tanta p. 20. 12. r. adorare p. 27. l. 4. r. accusatis p. 49. l 16. r. nuda p 51. r. appear p 52. l. 6. r. the. l. 27. make at us a comma l. 33. r. Threlcatius p 57. l 7. add in p. 60. l. 25. r. ubi p. 61. l. 3. r. Mediatory l. 37 r. such p 64 l 24â— r. or p. 67. l 24. add a after and. p. 68 l. 18. r. 132. p. 70. l. 19. r. pervenimus p 71. l. 11. r. gratiae p. 75. marg r. deter 33. p. 83. l. 6. marg r. evil p. 98. l. 23. dele John Bradford p. 103. l. 26. r. Father p. 107. l. 17. r. fawtor p. 112. l. 37. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 198. l. 16. marg add of p. 207. l. 9. r. of p. 210 l. 3. r. peccati p. 211. l. 2. marg r. deter 33. p. 215. l. 3. r. 3. p 217. l. 8. add ad before efficatiam l. 12. r. rigore l. 21. make a Parenthesis after brains thus p. 220. l. 18. Hom against willful Rebellion p 310. belong to the former and l 23. Hom. for Salvation p. 16 17. belong to the words foregoing p. 226. l 25. r. Paul's p. 23 1. l. 16. add him after followed p. 233. l 3. r. Balaeus l. 1. marg r. Clementis p. 234. r. fannell p. 137. r. vitis degeneris p. 250. l. 12. r. seven p. 253. l. 4. r. general p. 254. marg r. p. 258. l. 26. after some make l. 29. r. antinumerus p. 261. l. 36. add number before 25. p. 262. l. 2. r. Bongus p. 269. l. 26. r. Catholicam l. 30. r. caetera p. 307. that which is set against the Articlee should have been set lower against the Renunciation of it p 309. l. 3. r. Prayer-book l. 24. for this make a period thus p. 312. l. 8. r. Gabrael l. 3. marg r. reject p. 316. l. 21â— make a comma thus p. 323. l 29. add is p. 325. marg dele see p. 326. l. 26. r. sortitus p. 338. l. 11. r them p. 346. l 36. make a comma after them thus BOOKS Sold by Tho. 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