all which you thinke will be censured of vnad uisednes at least if not thought scandalous and punishable To this I answer first that by Bishops I vnderstand the Prelats and by Preists their owne creatures a generation vnknowne in the Church of Christ and by Deacons the vnder Preists in this Kingdome Officers of which the Scripture knoweth nothing likewise For the Deacons such as the Churches chose and were allowed by the Apostels they were men of grauity full of Faith and the Holy Ghost men of wisdome and good gouerment and honesty and were the treasures of the faithfull and the Church of God and distributed the liberalityes of the Saints amongst the poore indigent and necessitated brethren Now I know neuer a Deacon in England either guilty of any of those Vertues before specified or that was euer imployed in that Office or was thought fit to be trusted with the treasury of the poore or tooke the least care of them who ordinarily they trample vpon and most reprochfully abuse with the name of rascality So that such Deacons as I pray against are limbes of the Beast and the inferior order of shauelings such as ought to be spewed out of the Church as profitable for nothing but the increase of wickednes And for Bishops such as God appoynted I honour them and will mayntayne their dignity to the last drop of my bloud so far I am from praying against such Neither did I euer speake vnreuerently against the Kings Bishops and those that were apoynted as an Order in the State till they had in their open court renounced his authority and run themselues by that and many other notorious proceedings into a Praemunire and so had made themselues enemyes of his Prerogatiue royall and delinquents against his Maiestie and vnder his Highnesses displeasure as by the Statutes of the Kingdome they are proclamed to be and by the defenders of their proceedings in their Ecclesiasticall Courts who in a booke set forth by their common consent doe conclude all those in a Premunire that challenge their authority Iure diuino as the Pope and clergie of Rome which at this time they doe And for your better satisfaction looke in the Apology for proceedings in Courts Ecclesiasticall a booke made by the Prelats owne creatures and in the first chapter you shall see all the Prelats by their owne witnes in a Premunire and delinquents against his Maiestie in a high degree of contumacy And truely I thinke there was neuer such an affront put vpon regall dignity as on that day I was censured neuer such dishonour put vpon the Scriptures by such as would be thought Ministers of the word and the Bishops and Pastors of Christ neither were the scriptures euer more blasphemously abused thē they were at that time in their open assembly I shall briefly therefore tell you that dayes work of which there is a thousand witnesses as also of their impious words against the most sacred word of God and diuine oracles of holy writ by all which you will see I haue good reasō to call them ANTICHRISTS LITTLE TOES and to pray against them for they are as Disperatly impious equally to be detested of all such as truely feare the Lord and the King for if wee compare them together there will no disparity appeare between them they being euery way as malicious against the word of God and his deare seruants and as diametrally opposing regality as Antichrist himself But that all things may the more clearly be euidenced vnto you let mee tell you that dayes proceedings You must take notice that howsoeuer they had fained some triuiall articles against mee they were all by the generall consent of the Court thought so poore as they openly auerred they would not condemne mee for them so much the rather because those that had sworne to them were proued to be my capital enimyes and also in their depositions to haue sworne point blanck one against an other and like euill witnesses could not agree in swearing therefore they onely cōdemned mee for my booke which I writ in defence of the honor of Christ and his Kingdome and of the Kings most excellent Maiesties prerogatiue Royall and Supremacy against the Pope and Popish Bishops prouoked there vnto by a Papist to which duty I was bound both by the law of God the law of the land my speciall oath all which I alleged at the barre farthermore added that in writing against the Bishop of Rome I intented no such Bishops as acknowledge their autority from Kings and Emperors but onely those Bishops that vsurp autority ouer Kings and Emperors and their fellow brethren and the Church of God iure diuino and so I had prefaced in my book which also I openly read there And to speake the truth I looked for fauour and assistance in this combat from the Prelats neuer suspecting that they would haue been my enimyes for this endeauour especially I hauing also in that place alleged the Acts and Statutes establyshed by the publick consent of the whole Kingdome in which it was ratified that the Prelats haue all their autority and iurisdiction which they now exercise from the King as immediately deriued from him and to affirme the contrary is to be ipso facto an enimy of his crowne and dignity And as the Prelats were an order established by the King and state I was so farre from opposing them that I neuer impeached their dignity in the least thing in all the booke neither would I euer haue medled with them if they had kept that standing but they like the euill Angels out of pride not keeping their first station BVT OPENLY RENOVNCING THE KINGS AVTORITY and affirming that Iesus Christ made them Bishops and that the holy Ghost consecrated them and that they were Princes and had their thrones and that before Kings and all this iure diuino by all which they made mee their enimy they being delinquents against the King And because I had retified whatsoeuer I sayd in my booke by the word of God they as they had before renounced the Kings autority and barbarously reuiled mee for my paines most impiously likewise vilified the holy scripture Saying in their Sessions that they looked for some great matter in my booke finding mee so confident but more diligently reading of it they found nothing but scripture in it which was the refuge of all Schismaticks and Heriticks and that the Scripture could not be knowne to be Scripture but by the Fathers nor distinguished from the Apocriphd but by the Fathers nor the meaning of the scripture could not be knowne but by the Fathers and because the Fathers as they sayd were in their interpretation diuerse from mee which notwithstanding is not so therefore they condemned me But I pray are not all these blasphemous popish and damnable assertions could worse haue been forged in the very conclaue of hell Is not this I pray you to tell the Spirit of God to
been imployed in matters of state and that often and in all these places where I euer liued I carryed my self as a Christian and had the repute of them all for an honest man and haue the publicke testimonyes of all places where I dwelt both for my honesty and learning and my bonds are famous now at Rome it self to my knowledg and in all the Christian world And all men that know any thing know also that I suffer not as an euill doer they stand all in wonderfull expectation what will be the issue of this businesse for it astonisheth thē to see that I should be put in prison for writing a booke against the Pope in defence of Regality and because it had nothing but scripture in it Now in this expectation of theirs I heare the Prelats are plotting new mischiefe against mee and haue desired power and greater assistance from the King for the prosecuting of mee more seuerely yet as if they had not enough before and withall that the Nobility joyne with them for the censuring of mee in the star-chamber for the cutting of my eares and worse but I hoope his Maiestie and the honorable Lords will more seriously looke into the businesse which if they doe I am confident they shall neuer find mee a delinquent but to haue deserued better from King and state then any Prelat in England euer did or can doe But by the way Let mee tell you thus much that whatsoeuer the Prelates pretend of seruice and loue to the King and Nobles they will in the conclusion deale with them as Polyphemus dealt with Vlisses his soldiers when he had got them in Antro first sayes Vlisses I will deuoure these meaning the common soldiers and after I will come to thee And euen so the Prelats when they haue deuoured the commons and them they stile by the name of Puritans they will also deuoure those graet vlisses and Heroes and this is as true as the Sunshines at none day They haue made prety beginnings of that good worke allready if men could see it and they and their creatures haue the breeding of all their children and the tutoring of them at home and abroad and all their whole endeauour is that the Lords and Peeres of the kingdome may be acquaynted with no solid learning and that which concernes either Religion or Gouernment but that they may haue some complementall way of Courtship for entertayment and be fit for pleasure onely and this say the Prelats is enough for Lords so that if any of the Lords creepe into the knowledg either of religion or of states matters it is through their owne ingenuity and industry and sore against the Prelats liking And hence it is that such misery at this day is in this kingdome that there is not one of forty of the Lords that vnderstandeth to the purpose an ordinary Latin author which is but the bark of learning so that by this meanes they are depriued of an excellent way of instruction and all this not through their owne default who otherwise are as witty and ingenious as any men but through their tutors and that indeed is their onely study to keepe Princes and Nobles ignorant and take them vp with pleasure that they may get the gouernment into their owne hands and be thought onely fit to manage state affayres to the infinit dishonour of the Nobility yea Kings themselues who if they would but set themselues a little to their studyes and looke into matters of Religion and state they would find little need of such cattle as Prelats are either in Church or state or if their were they would send them home to preach as Ministers should nay they would command them to follow that calling of preaching and leaue state-affayres to them King Iames in his Apology to Christian Princes sayes that Churchmen medling with state-affayres are the frogs that came out of the bottomlesse pit that corrupt and spoyle all things And truely till the Kings and Princes of the earth shall dismisse that crew from their Courts or send them about their owne callings they can neuer promise vnto themselues their Crownes and dignities any enduring security all which-things I will make so euidently appeare in my Anatomy of the Prelats as there is neuer Boy of eight yeares old but shall see it and I hope by that good work to doe such seruice and so good an office to all Christian Kings and to all Common wealths to the whole Church of God and to the generations of men that loue peace and syncerity as the very memory of mee the miserablest now of creatures shall be gratefull to all posterity to the worlds end But this shall be reserued till the sentence of the star-chamber is passed For I desire to print the whole passage of that Court against mee as I haue done of the high Comission that all the world may see how little I haue deserued such censures as I haue and shall vndergoe and how well I haue merited both from Church and state and when the Censure of the starre-chamber against me shall come out with the Anatomy of the Prelats you all men will then see whether the Prelats are not braue statesmen or no. But that I may notwrong any mā I must intreat your fauour in one thing I know you are an eminent man haue many freinds in the Court I shall therefore desire of You this kindnes that whatsoeuer speeches either the kings Attorney or Sollicitor or any other shall make in my absence against mee that it may be taken in short hand and sent mee forth with that I may translate it into Latin as it commeth with my answer to it and replication so that I may haue Bill and answer and all things ready for the presse at the day of my Censure and that at that day there may likewise be as many as possible can gather speeches that may take their declamations from their mouthes seuerally for I resolue to translate them all into Latine and to coment vpon them what Lords soeuer they be And I doubt not but to make it the famousest story that euer was agitated in any Court of iudicature since Paul appeared before Nero. But it is time now to draw to an end I heare that the Attorney vniuersall with the Kings Sollicitor are now a coming to examine mee and intend speedily to haue my eares I am onely sory I haue no more eares nor liues to lose for the houour of God my King and Religion but what should I greiue that I haue no more liues and eares to lose I know God accepteth of the least things so they be insyncerity offered vnto him to whose gratious perseruation I commend you and thinke this for the present sufficient to haue answered to your exceptions against my Letany and for the auoyding of others misinterpretings of my honest intentions Fare you well Your for euer in Limbo Patrum IOHN BASTVVICK Heare ends the second part of my Letany the other SIX are to Follow
his face he lyes to teach an other way to heauen then by the Scripture which Christ the Sonne of God sendeth vs to and all the Prophets and Apostles as to the instructers of the simple and able to make the man of God wise to saluation and perfectly furnished to euery good worke and the which the Holy Ghost compares to a guide and a Lanthorne for direction and a light to conduct vs in this our pilgrimage and peregrination through the errors of the world and to keep our feet in the paths of truth and with the Prelats this great and glorious light this Scripture must be so obscure as it must be inferior to all things that haue a power in themselues to declare demonstrate their owne nature as fire to be fire gold to be gold light to be light But the Scripture onely that can not be knowne but by the helpe of others to be the word of God it cannot be the word of God without the Fathers and their interpretation of them for the Scriptures themselues they are the onely refuge of Schismaticks the cause of all errors and that that commeth confirmed and proued onely from Scripture is euer to be suspected with the Prelats O BLASPHEMY yea the booke that hath nothing but Scripture must be adiudged to the fire and the author of it giuen ouer to the Deuill sined a thousand pounds and censured to pay the costs of sute and be debarred of his practice the onely support left for the releife of his distressed family to the vtter vndoing of him his poore wise and children and all this forsooth because there was nothing but Scripture in it O HORRIBLE impiety The truth is howsoeuer they seemed to condemne it because it had nothing but scripture that was not the occasion but the very cause was because I writ against the Pope Father Antichrist such correspondency there is now betwene the Pope and the Prelats that one cannot write against him but the Prelats say by and by that they are meant by it The Grols You know that among the Papists if any of them hold but any one tenent of the Protestents as that there is no Purgatory beside the bloud of Iesus Christ or that there are no sinnes in their owne nature veniall or that the Scripture is sufficient of it selfe with out traditions and ought to be the sole rule of life and doctrine and the onely Iudge of controuersies or that the Pope is not Christs Vicar nor Peters successor or that Christ is not corporally present in the Sacrament of the altar as they call it for any of these assertions or any other of our tenents he is forthwith condemned for an heritick and burnt at a Stake as dayly experience teacheth vs. Nay it is a common thing amongst vs here in England let any man hold but any one tenent of any sect whatsoeuer be it as they terme them Brownists Anabaptists Antinomians though in all other things he agree with the Church as they call it yet he is forthwith adiudged condemned for such an one Yea let a man refuse but to eate bloud or Swins flesh though in all other things a good Christian by and by they condemne him for a Iew I say then if for any one tenent among the Papists a man may be condemned for an heretick and suffer for it and if by the Prelats likewise for any one opinion differing from them that same sect holdeth one may be iudged and condemned to extremest misery as a Brownest Anabaptist c. I say then by farre more excellent reason one may conclude that those that hold so many damnable Popish opinions and tenents as the Prelats doe and defend them in their open Courts that they are Papists and so they are indeed and to be detested For they mayntayne and set vp Popery and Papall Iurisdiction challenging their owne autority to be iure deuino and the Pope doth no more They likewise trample vpon the scriptures as a thing of nothing accusing them of obscurity and imperfection and will not admit the Scripture to be Iudge of Controuersies The Pope does no more And withall hold the Synagogue of Rome to be a true Church and not so much as to haue had the suspition of error in any fundamentall points of religion and all this I say in their open Court and the Pope doth no more to the making of the King and his Subiects all Schismaticks and hereticks to the infinit dishonour of God and the King and to the eternall disgrace of King Iames of famous memory a Prince for knowledge and wisdome the gratest that euer was saue Salomon and for learning renowned through the extremest parts of the whole vniuerse of whom I dare say thus much as a Scholer becanse I know something in that art for which I should excessiuely haue honoured him had he been but a priuat man much more a King and withall my Soueraygne whose dignyty I will neuer see trampled ypon though I suffer for my loyalty the whole fury of the Prelats and their Confederats I say therefore I dare say thus much of that renowned King that for learning Scholarship all the Prelats in England shouelled into one heape or plastered together into one lump are not worthy to be named the same yeare that his excrements are mentioned and yet notwithstanding these vnworthy fellowes do not cease in their open Courts and in euery stinking pamphlet set forth by their autority to abuse this famous King WHO IN HIS APOLOGY TO ALL CHRISTIAN PRINCES which is well knowne to the learned as defender of the faith maintaynes the doctrine of the reformed Churches in his Kingdomes and dominions to be the onely true doctrine the Popish to be erronious and abominable and with inuencible arguments and that many he proues the Pope to be Antichrist and exhorts all Christian Kings and Princes his brethren to cast off his yoake demonstrateth likewise yea euidently euinceth that Rome is the whore of Babilon and in many of his learned writings he continually like himself a defender of the faith opposeth all the Romish impious tenents And all that I now say is well knowne to all men of vnderstanding Now I pray take notice of the PRELAT OF CANTFRBVRYS ARROGANCY and of all his fellowes The King as defender of the farth teaching vs both by his life and doctrine maintaines and proues THE POPE TO BE ANTICHRIST AND THF CHVRCH OF ROMF TO BE THE WHORE OF BABILON and earnestly exhorts all Christian Princes to come out of her And the Prelats in their Court affirme that the Church of Rome is a true Church and neuer had so much as a suspition of error in fundamentall poynts of religion and in putrid pamphlets set forth by their autority they confirme the same and that the Pope is not Antichrist Is not this damnable impiety against God and the King preiudiciall to the saluation of thousands the maintenance of the Papists
but deuised seruice set vp in place of preaching an absolute neglect yea contempt of Christs command who sayes Goe preach or teach they say goe say Seruice and read prayers Insomuch that Cholmny a Patron of Rome writing in defence of that Synagouge against learned and reuerend Maister Henry Burton who in his answer to him againe Babell no Bethel gaue her such a blow and so coniured downe that Cacodemon that Cobler and tinker of Babell that she will neuer be able to outgrow it nor he to rise againe or put pen to paper I say Cholmny in the magnification of the goodnes of the Church of Rome and setting downe her priuileges affirmes that she was better prouided for of teachers and for preaching then the people of Wales here among vs. A fine commendations I promise you of England But let this by the by be spoke to the immortall honour of our Prelats that haue silenced all the preaching Ministers in those parts diuerse other he that sayd this may be beleued for he was one of the Prelats Sychophants Lamentable it is I say to see through the whole Kingdome how little teaching there is But I pray when they teach what teach they they teach for the most part prophanation of the Lords day Arminianisme obedience to the Church falsly so called human traditions obseruation of idle dayes and times setting vp of Organs and piping abstinence from meats and marriage whisten ales and May games Festiual times the observation of ceremonyes and the canons af the Prelats to bow and cap and make a curtsy at the name letters and Syllables of Iesus to crouch to the altar and cringe to the Communion table to turne their faces to the East to stand at the Creed and Gospell to kneele at the reading of the ten commandements to take notice of all those that pisse against Churches and that carry any burdens through them and to present them to beat downe the pews and stooles to make way to se the altars to come vp with reuerence to the cage and to worship the bread and wine to set the table altarwise to see their children be signed with the signe of the Crosse and that women come in decent carchets when they are Churched that the Surplice be cleanly and neatly whashed and that it be dayly put on as also the whood that they marry with the ring and that they be all reverently vncouered in the Church that holy place and that they leane not on the Comunion table nor write on it nor lay their hats nor books on it and a thousand such like fopperies and vaine inuentions are there vrged vpon the people all which things notwithstanding Christ neuer commanded and yet they are more strictly preached and vehemently insisted vpon and vrged then the obseruation of any of Gods commandements or of any holsome or sauing doctrine and to speake the truth most of their preachments are about these fooleries which Christ sent them not about and it is well knowne that the neglect of the meanest of these idle ceremonies is more seuerely punished in Minister people in their Courts then the preuarication of the whole law as by woefull and dayly experience we are taught Neither can any man deny what I say to be true So that religion now consists in nothing but in ceremonies outward obseruations munchy tricks and the preaching of the Preists and Prelats is nothing but downe with the Gospell and up with Popery as fast as may be deplorable indeed are our times and great contempt there is now of the Gospell and vshering in of nouelties and innouations I beseech you what could be done more at Rome But if I should run through all whereas I thought to haue writ but a few lines onely I should make a volume and too much weary you Yet I must now craue pardon in one thing more that you would giue mee a little liberty and soe much the rather because it is a matter of great concequence and the cause of all superstition all most and idolatry and the occasion of the greatest breach of vnion amongst Christians which was giuen and appoynted by Christ him selfe for one of the greatest tyes and bands of concord loue Charity and peace among them and that is the Supper of the Lord which was the deuills craft and subtlety so to bring things about Let vs now see in that what Christ and the apostles did and taught concerning this mystery whose example we haue precept to imitate and what the Pope Preists and Prelats in our Age doe in it and what mischeife hath come vpon the Church of God by the leauing of Christs and the Apostles example and following Antichrist and his disciples First therefore to speake of the gesture It is sayd that Christ and all his apostles in the celebration of the supper sate So it is in the originall and so in all translations that euer I yet read and most cartaine it is they vsed a table gesture but whatsoeuer it was that was then in vse whether leaning lying standing sitting kneeling it was not and that all men that euer I conferred with about this or euer read accord to Now the Pope and the Prelats haue altered this gesture and bring-in kneeling a posture of adoration a strange innouation and a gesture that neuer was vsed at the celibration of any Sacrament And truely in my opinion it is a great temerity among Christians to leaue the ordinary examples of Christ and his apostles and follow extraordinary of Antichrist and his disciples especially when we are commanded by Paul himself 1. Cor chap. 11. to be followers of him euen as he is of Christ And this in the very chapter where he speaketh of the institution of the supper of the Lord. And in the fourth to the Philip the apostle sayth in these expresse termes those things which yee haue both learned and receiued and heard and seene in mee doe and the God of peace shall be with you Here the example of the Apostle is set before vs and peace promised vnto vs if wee imitate him in it Shall we therefore leaue the example of Christ and the Apostles in the gesture of receiuing and administration of the supper of the Lord and take vp the example of Antichrist from whom we ought to be vnlike in all things And to speake the truth kneeling of all other postures least agrees to the action of a supper or a feast neither was such a gesture euer vsed in ordinary or extraordinary feastings Let vs look back to all the Sacraments likewise of the old Testament the Passeouer it self which where the same with ours for the apostle in 1. Corinthians 10. telleth vs that they in them eate the same spirituall meat and drank the same spirituall drink that wee doe in ours there was in them all a heauenly holy banket and refreshing and Christ was as really there present as in ours and as great a preparation was to be
which to be wise is contrary to the will of God Therefore if any man will propound vnto vs a way to worship God let them produce his word to conuince vs of his pleasure otherwise it is but will-worship which he abhorres as we see in the 2 of the Colossians And to serue him according to mens precepts is to worship him in vaine Matth. 15 If they could once againe bring-in the twilight of ignorance then perhaps they may make the simple beleeue that bladders are Lanthornes but so long as the light of Gods word shineth yet so clearly for which wee hartily blesse and praise his holy name they cannot so easily delude vs and make vs take apples for oysters We caÌ„ yet distinguish between truth aud error and see all they doe is but meere iug lings and the tricks of Munntibanks For we know that Christ is in heauen really and no where els in his human nature neither are wee to beleeue them that say Christ is here or there Wee know also that Christ is no more in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper then he hath been in other Sacraments in the old testament and in the Sacrament of Baptisme nor more in either of all then in the preaching of the word or in any other of his holy ordinances as in priuat meetings of the Saints gathered together in his name and with all priuate Christians walking in faith and obedience to his commandements To all which hee hath giuen many gracious promises that wheresoeuer two or three be gathered together there he will be with them Calling them 2. Cor. 6. the Temple of the liuing God and saying I will dwell in them and walk in them and will be their God and they shall be my people and that he will be a father vnto them and they shall be his sons and danghters So that with greater right they may challenge veneration then stocks and blocks and woodden things For they that are indeed the temple of the holy Ghost and in whom Christ dwells except they bee reprobates in them there is as much reall presence as is in the sacraments which are but seales of the promises and follow them insomuch that a man may be saued with out the sacraments but not without the word mingled with faith of which they are but signes and seales Againe for the word it self of real presence it is the language of the beast so to speake and howsoeuer they haue forced vs sometime to vse it yet I hope we shall in time abdicate it and all other solecismes of that animal neuertheles by that tearme when we do vse it we vnderstand no more but that God by his Spirit which is the Comforter and which Christ sent in his absence to illuminat the blind and direct the faithfull and bring them into the way of truth doth assist his in all that is good and in all godly vndertakings and holy meetings in his name and that the blessed Trinity doth approue of their endeauours seconding them in it goe along with them to the end and sends them away with a benediction and comfort here and preserues them in all their wayes and assisteth them and after crownes them which eternall glory for he is with them to the end and in the end And so the blessed promises of God are to be vnderstood when he sayth he will be with his and that he is at hand and in them which is all one as to say that in their will doings he approueth of them and will protect them and euer assist them with his particuler preseruation and blessing and doth allow of them so doing in a singular maner According to that of Paul writing to the Corinthians about the incestuous person being gathered together though absent saith he I present in spirit 1. Cor. 5. as much as if he had sayd you haue my warrant for what you doe I allow of it as if I were there present You haue my approbation I am of the same mind with you So that Paul saying though absent I present in spirit doth not establish a real presence of Paul among the Corinthians but his approbation onely and liking of their godly prooceedings And in the very same maner are the blessed promises now specified to be vnderstood conserning Christs reall presence But to faine any other reall presence that Christ should be more on the Communion table or alter then in the Font or belfore or other part of the Church then in any other place where the faithfull are in his name gathered together therfor that more veneration is to be giuen to those places or reuerence vsed is mere superstion yea palpable idolatry to worship the creature for the creator an abominable and crying sinne and therefore these impostors do egregiously abuse the poore people in putting such things into their heads as to thinke one place more holy then an other whether it be table alter font Church or Church-yard and very reason might conuince these men of idlenesse yea madnes if they were not infatuated For if the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper were not to be worshipped not lift by Christ vnto the Church for that end then much lesse the place where the Sacraments are or lye ought not to be worshipped But we know that the Sacraments were onely appoynted for seales and remembrances of absence and not of presence as the scripture it self teacheth therefore they most impiously delude the people in making them yeild deuine veneration to senslesse things because the Sacraments are celebrated in or vpon them Besides that which is a meer inuention of mans owne braine and hath been an horrible idol in Gods seruice and is yet an idol ought not to be tolerated in the Church of God but to be abominated of all men that truely feare the Lord but all well informed Christians know that altars haue been and are idols and therefore they ought euer to be abhorred and cast out as idols out of the house of God and all table worship alter worship or any creature worship is contrary to the second commandement and is detestable idolatry Againe to put any holynesse more in one place then in an other and to think nothing holy but that which hath been confecrated with bell booke and candle is great impiety against Christ not far from blasphemy For we reade in the fourth of Iohn in the one and twentyeth verse Christ himself taking away all discrimination of places in the worship of God makes one place as holy and fit as an other for his seruice and worship saying you shall neither in this mountaine nor yet at Ierusalem worship the father As much as if he had sayd my worship shall be â—yed now to no place nor country any more but all places and countryes I haue now consecrated to my seruice and euery place shall hereafter be as holy as Ierusalem according to the prophecy of Malachi the 1. ver 11 for from the
rising of the Sun euen vnto the going downe of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles and in euery place incense shall be offered vnto my name c here wee see now this prophecy accomplished by Christ and all places consecrated to his seruice Ye shall neither in this mountaine nor yet at Ierusalem worship the father and Paul exhorts Christians in all places to lift vp pure hands and hearts sufficiently instructing those to whom hee writ that all places were made holy for such purposes Now I desire that any of the Popes at home or abroad would tell mee ingenuously what he thinks of Christs concecration here was it good or bad did he consecrate well or not let him answer mee in the word of a Preist with out tergiuersation candidly If he shall say it was not well consectated I will tell him to his face he is a blasphemer and proue him so If he shall freely confesse Christs consecration to be good and authentick and that all places indeed were consecrated by Christ himself to the worship of God then how impious and arrogant a thing is it in the Prelats to vnconsecrate and to make profane that which Christ hath consecrated and made holy For so they doe in their consecrations as by and by we shall see I will assure you there is a greater piaculum in this thing then men at first can well discerne and looke into Mee thinks that of Saint Peter in the tenth of the Acts should deterre them from such abominations where when the vessels descended to him like a foure cornered sheet full of all manner of foure footed beasts of the earth and creeping things and foules of the ayre and the voice also came vnto him bidding him kill and eate And Peter answered not so Lord for I haue neuer eaten any thing that was common and vnsleane And the voice spake vnto him againe the second time saying what God hath cleansed that call not thou common By which Peter as you may in the same place see learned by that that Christ had taken away the wall of difference and had consecrated and made all things cleane And fore-warning him that he should not make that vncleane that he had purified cleansed Mee thinks I say this might something haue deterred our great Masters from their dayly impietyes Nothing with them is holy and cleane but that that hath been washed with the Popes holy water or hath had their filthy greasy Fingers of consecration vpon it of which procedings of theirs there is not a word of warrent in all the book of God without which there can be nothing made holy neither is there any need of such wretched fooleryes for as I said before Christ the Lord both of heauen and earth hath consecrated it and made all places cleane and so they were all cleane before they had polluted them with their greasy consecrations with their idols and idolworships Insomuch that there is no place more vnholy then their cathedralls and altarchurches and their cloicters which are so many dens of theeves and cages of filthines and Idolatry which I shall euer be able to mayntayne And from this impious polluting of that that Christ hath made cleane I had thought that of Paul might some thing haue diuerted those vngodly men for so they are yea notoriously wicked against God and vncharitable all wayes towards the liuing temples of the holy Ghost I say I had thought that of Paul in the 17 of the Acts 24. 25 might haue restrayned such palpable impiety for there he saith God that made the world and all things therein seeing that be is Lord of heauen and earth dwelleth not in temples made with hands neither is worshipped with mens hands as though he had need of any thing seeing he giueth to all life and breath and all things What could be sayd more manifestly for the ouertrowing not onely their reall presence but also of that fiction of theirs that one place is more holy then an other when he is the Lord of all things and one place and creature is as much his as an other and the seruice offered vnto him in one place according to his will as well pleasing as in an other It is a prodigious wickednes in deed and a thing not supportable to compare the Creator of all things to the creature or to circumscribe the incomprehensible or to think with magnificence and statelinesle of buildings or any presents to procure his fauour or make him more propitious vnto vs. All which base conceits haue euer been the fountaynes of all superstition and idolatry in all nations and come from the deuill And so much the more we should be desmayed from such vaine imaginatious of reall presence which is the source of all other will worship if we considered what Paul sayth in the 5. of the 2. of the Corinthians 16. wherefore henceforth know wee no man after the flesh yea though we haue knowne Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him noe more as much as if he had sayd wee must not think of Christ after a carnall manner who hath now left the world and is to be thought of and considered of vs spiritually All those fictions therefore of the reall presence of Christ rather in one place then an other as at CRVCIFIXES CROSSES PICTVRES ALTARS TABLES are the dreames of idolatrous braynes suggested by the diuill for the keeping of the minds of men fixed vpon earthly things and attent to his seruice making them belecue that Religion consists onely in outward performances and by such delusions as these he hinders them from seeking those things which are ahoue where Christ sits at the right hand of God which is expresly contrary to the comand of Paul How outragiously superstitious then yea diabolically impious are those men thinke you that spend such mighty summes of mony in adorning and making such sumptuous buildings as serue for no vse but superstition and idolatry and the mayntenance of LAZY BELLIGODS AND PROPHANE SCORNERS OF ALL TRVE RELIGION GODLINESSE AND PIETY and neglect the very liuing temples of the holy Ghost that famish for want of food Truly it cannot but be a great occasion to prouoke the Lord to iealousie and hot displeasure against this land when contrary to the light of reason and apparent scripture his reuealed will they set vp superstition and idolatry and will worship and think better of their owne inuentions and preferre their traditions before his most holyest lawes and precepts and by them transgresse the lawes of God scandall and offend their brethren yea punish the meanest neglect of them or the speaking against them more seuerely then the breach of all Gods comandements I say these things must needs exceedingly prouoke the Lord when mens deuices shall be so aduanced and promoted and when the Gospell and the poore members of Christ are stamped vnder foot and droue by vnkind vsage both out of the Kingdome What may
the PRELATS may commit any insolency against the King and his people and no body dare say why doe you so it is enough that they seeme to fauour the prerogatiue royall though by their actions they conculcate it which makes vs thinke now that it was their inuention likewise to silence all the lectures in London and in all infected places that in as much as in them lyes they might aduance their damnable superstitions and idolatryes And to what end else should such preaching vp of ALTARS in all places meane such vrging of beautifying of temples such bowing to altars tables at the letters and syllables of Iesus if they had not some great designe of innovation For these things vsed not to be within these few yeares and cannot churches be comely mayntained as they haue formerly been but the whole kingdome must be troubled about them for their sumptuosity and the furnishing of them with fopperies fit for nothing but to prouoke God to anger and who hath expresly said he is not pleased with such things There was a wise Deane not long since who it seemes had been a little before in heauen for he brought news fram thence that Saint Paul was very merry and glad to see their loue towards him and that the King and Nobles were so ready to yeild their helping hands towards his releife in bestowing new cloths vpon him or rather mending his old ones and that Paules it selfe and the very stones did reioyce that the reparations went on soe prosperously and many a fine thing he had to this purpose concerning that holy place for so he termed it But I dare presume in saying that Paul was very glad to see their loue to him in repayring that raw bond building he preached then without his book which Deanes seldome doe before the King I beleeue if Paul were vpon the earth to see what they now doe about that businesse he would giue them as little thanks for that endeauour and for all their paynes as he did at Lystra to the Preists of Iupiter that would haue sacrificed to him and Barnabas No without doubt it would exceedingly trouble and perplex Paul who hated all superstition and such like trumperies as may easily be seene in the seuententh of the Acts where be reprehends the Athenians for their superstition and care about temples and told them that God dwelt not in temples made with hands nor had no need of such deuices and earnestly dehorted them from all such doings and shall we now thinke though a Deane sayes it that Paul would preach an other doctrin contrary to that No no Paul was no temporiser he stood allwayes to his principles and abhorres all such fooleries and impietyes His whole study was how to build vp the true temples and Churches of God in their most holy faith and how to preach and promulgate the Gospell and how to promote the honor of it by his Sufferings and by teaching and instructing the people night and day from house to house His care was not taken vp in making of houses and edifices magnificent or repayring them fit for nothing but superstition and idolatry and the MAYNTENANCE OF IDLE ALBEY LVBBERS concerning which he giueth strict command that except they wrought and laboured with their hands they should not eate Paul indeed had the sollicitude of all the Churches continually lying vpon him and his whole study was to build and reedify them but they were the liuing temples and those indeed he built vp dayly in the knowledge of God and of themselues and with all tooke speciall care for the releife of the poore saints and how to procure aide and comfort vnto them in the times of their necessityes Yea so farr was Paul from putting men to vnnecessary expenses and burthening of them or any way charging of them about building of Churches that he would not be beholding to them for the repayring of his owne body the Temple of the holy Ghost but laboured with his owne hands for his proper maintenance and preached the Gospell to them gratis and that night and day and thought no time enough for that holy duty And shall wee then thinke when Paul was such an aduancer of preaching and such a publisher of the Gospell and so great a hater of superstition and idolatry that hee now is well pleased with the supperfluous repayring of THAT IDOL TEMPLE and the prouiding of a place for such droanes as he thought not worthy to eate Nay I dare maintaine out of Pauls owne doctrine that those infinit summes of money to haue been bestowed vpon the poore indigent brethren would haue been farre more pleasing vnto God for the poore are in the world for the exercise of mens charity and for the common good of kingdomes but of such reparations and buildings there comes neither honor to God nor the King pretend Popelins what they will And all this I say I am ready to make good But to such a passe are times now come that the Pulpits which should be the place of God and his truth are now become stages to make playes on and to vent lyes impiety superstition and idolatry But one of the greatest hypocriticall mockeries of all the rest is their capping and crouching at the name of Iesus and the vrging of all men to doe the same Nay some say they make the PRINCE of WALES to doe it I say in that their damnable hypocrisy is seene for howsoeuer they vrge the obseruation of that ceremony and custome more then they doe the keeping of any command of God and punish the neglect of it with more seuerity then the transgression of the whole law yet there is not one word of warrant for it in all the booke of God the very place they pretend no way fauouring them nor their procedings being the 2. to the Philippians 10 To say nothing of the opinion of all antiquiry that is against them nor how that text by all the torrent of moderne learned men is interpreted contrary to their opinion and by both ancient and neoterick Expositers applyed to the confuting of damnable hereticks and not for the bringing-in of apish tricks in the seruice and worship of God But to come now to the words let vs see whether the Prelats doe that the text inioynts which is the thing they so earnestly vrge The words are these That at the name of Iesus euery knee should bow of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth and that euery tongue should confesse that Iesus is the Lord to the glory of God the father If these words conteyne in them a command not onely of an inward but an outward bodily reuerence as the Prelats and their Preists affirme Then I say this command binds not onely semper but ad semper as all the other Commandements of God do for it is of the same nature with them and the neglect at any time or in any place of that seruice is a sin at