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A15304 The schysmatical puritan A sermon preached at Witney concerning the lawfulnesse of church-authority, for ordaining, and commanding of rites, and ceremonies, to beautifie the Church. By Giles Widdowes rector of St Martins church in Oxford. Widdowes, Giles, 1558?-1645. 1630 (1630) STC 25594; ESTC S120720 21,327 48

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the Lord Iesus ceased from his worke Heb. 4. He then appoynted a certaine day by saying to day ver 7. And because Christ rested from his worke of restoring his kingdome to Israel in the same manner as God did from his ver 10. appointing the first day after the creation to be the sabbath Therefore the first day of the Iewes weeke the scripture calls and t is instituted for to be the Lords day for this is the day of Christs rest religiously to be celebrated with holy worship in remembrance of our iustifying sanctifying sauing victorious and trivmphing Redemption But concerning other holy dayes there were seauen together in the time of the law Deut. 16. Therefore when God was to be praised for preseruing Israel in tents when he brought them out of Aegipt c then the text saith not labor 6. dayes but keepe holy 7. dayes c. So when God is to be praised for the Angells good newes to the Blessed Virgin for the Natiuity of our Sauiour for his circumcision c then the Church teacheth not 6. dayes labour but to praise the Lord on the holy time appoynted This Puritan sinnes against the 35. Article at the 7. 12. 13. 14. 16. and 17 homilies For these doe teach the holy obseruing of feasts vnto the Lord. The Anti-disciplinarian is he whose purenes is aboue the Kings Supremacy Imperious Imagination His holines is the Churches greatest Authority and as good a Rule for to know the Reformed true faith as holy writ He is a strict obseruer of the law therefore his Religion is the best religion But our Sauiour teacheth that mercy is the best part of Religion Matth. 9. 13. And he neuer learned that Christs kings office is aboue Christs Priests office in spirituall things for as much as Christ a Priest died for to make satisfaction for our sins to God the Supreame Iudge who is Christ a king and that from this office of Christ a king the king is derived and that the Priest is derived from Christs Priests office This Puritans tenet is that kings must be subiect to the Puritan-Presbyters Censure submit their Scepters throw downe their Crownes and licke vp the dust of their feete Thus Mr Rogers in the 11. page of his Preface to the 39. Articles and thus T. C. teacheth in his Reply page 180. Thus the oath of Supremacie allegiance are broken This Puritan is an Arch-traitor His prowd holynesse sinnes against the 21. Article which affirmeth that Princes in their Dominions haue supreame Authority to gather together Generall Councels and against the 35. Article at the last homily which preacheth downe Rebellion and against the 37. Article which saith that the King is supreame Governour of Church and Common Wealth next and immediately vnder Christ in his Dominions in all causes and over all Persons Ecclesiasticall and Civill His tenet is that all Priests should be Equall But who ever gaue all Priests authority to ordaine and did exalt inferiour Priests and pull downe Superiors for that equality but Farellus and Viretus by Sermons two Geneva-Presbyters But by what Law Whence was that authority This Puritan sinnes against the 23 33 and 36. Articles which teach the lawfulnes of Arch-Bishops and Bishops Superiority and Iurisdiction This Puritan is an enemie to Church-Ceremonies as if Gods Ministers and his house should be naked without all externall beauty He saith that he is only for essentials at baptizing c. And yet Metaphysicall divinitie is farre beyond the spheare of his plainely and briefly c. For the Scriptures deduceable sence transcends his capacitie This Puritan sinnes against the 20. Article The Presuming Predestinatist is he whose purenes is an inspired knowledge that hee shal be saved by Gods absolute election He is so sure of his salvation as if he were now in heaven as if thete were no life in him but Gods essentiall glory This is to sin without feare or wit He considereth not that the World the flesh and the Deuill are such cruell and subtile enemies that they did soe terrifie S. Peter as that he denied with an oath that he knew the Rocke of Saluation and the other Apostles fled And pray thou Continually that thou enter not into temptation Thus the 17. Article teacheth thee And presume not that thou art absolutely certaine of saluation for in denying Christs soules locall descent into Hell which is against the 3 Article thou deniest a part of Christs subduing euill spirits and his triumph ouer the power of hell for this end Christ descended to the spirits that were disobedient in the daies of Noah 1. Pet. 3. 18. 19. 20. And thou seemest to deny that good workes are the striving instrumentall causes for salvation in that thou regardest not Examples of good life by abhorring Apocrypha scripture which is against the 6. Article Suffer the words of exhortation be not factious in the Church to mainetaine an Imperious ruinating holynesse to amaze silly people to gaine a competency by way of collection God hath given the tenth part in al Israell for an inheritance to mainetaine the Priesthood Num. 18. 21. And if the humane positiue law hath not made provision according to this divine law stay the Lords leasure till he shall assist the king and the generall Councell of this land to reforme this thing as yet full of difficultie If thou hast no Benefice faction can never bring thee any de iure but reformation may Downe on thy knees repent and amend and praise God Almighty for as much as thy Dread Soveraigne Lord and king hath spared thy life so long thou being nothing better in tenet than an Arch-Traitor Downe on thy knees giue harty thankes to God in that the Most Reverend Arch-Bishops and the Right Reverend Bishops thy holy and Ghostly Fathers haue not delivered thee over to Satan Maiori Excommunicatione cursing thee forth from the Church and all humane societie thou being a most contumacious Schysmatique It is not sufficient that thou deny that thou art any such Puritan for thy faction is visible almost every where in this land Downe on thy knees and pray for Gods holy spirits illumination that thy zeale may be according to the infallible knowing faith and that God may thus incline thy heart to our true faithfull reforming Christian Religion The Lord Almighty and most mercifull make the light of his countenance to shine vpon thee and to reforme thee Then the Church shal enioy her much desired vnitie In which how happy a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together for Christians to liue and die I desire you to consider I pray you I beseech you Even I though I am very disdainefully hated of you am so charitably affected I labour alwaies to the vtmost of my praiers and studies to instruct you with true sanctifying reformation and so shall till death remaine Your hearty well-wisher to solid Reformation GILES WIDDOWES 1. COR. 14. V. VLT Let all things be done decently and
our Saviour The purification of the Blessed Virgin c. to praise the Lord. And herein we transgresse not the fourth commandement Sixe daies shalt thou labour c. For that law bindes vs to thanke the Lord for the creation and Restitution of the World and God requires but the seuenth day to performe our holy thanksgiuings vnto him in the publique congregation and yet he requires other holy daies vpon other speciall reasons as 't is proued hereafter at Leuiticus 23. Church pictures are an externall beauty of the Church a memory of honour to the dead and S. Gregory cals them lay mens bookes Church Organs are musicall signes of our exultation they are the lowd and as sweet as lowd expressions of the Churches greatest ioy towards God so are church-Bells though sometimes they are the churches solemne call that Gods people should assemble to worship the Lord with holy worship And seeing that I haue proceeded thus farre in the Narration of church-rites and ceremonies giue me leaue to tell you how ancient Godfathers and Godmothers haue beene in the church and how long interrogatories haue beene vsed at baptizing little children They are as ancient as Dionysius the Areopagite as it appeareth in his seaventh chapter de Ecclesiastica Hierarchia who lived in the 70. yeare after Christ The church is not Abrahams private house when he was witnesse to his sonne Isaacs circumcising but the church is catholique and therefore shee must accordingly haue witnesses to preserue her catholique communion of faith T is a ceremonie a rite of the church to bring the dead body the corps into the body of the church For that body Christ did sanctifie with his blood and did make it the temple of the holy Ghost And therefore at performing of our last duety wee must not thrust it out at church-dores but honour it with church-entertainement For blessed are the dead for whom the Lord Iesus laid downe his life I haue giuen you a view of All things of All things in my text 'T is Church doctrine let your faith beleeue it 'T is Church discipline let your liues obserue and Keepe it 'T is Church ceremonie let your frequent vse exercise and renew it In the first place you shall honour God your Almighty Father In the second place you shall honour the vnity of brethren which the Psalmist commends with admiration Oh how good and ioyfull a thing it is brethren to dwell together in vnity God hath not authorized these things that you should neglect them but his good pleasure is that they should Be Done Let all things be done which is my third part of text and followes next to be handled in these words Be Done This is the obeying of a commanding authority 'T is the Church that obeys For she obserues and keepes the doctrine the discipline the rites and ceremonies of the Church The scripture is the command Let all things be done and the Church obeys And then compare which is the greater in authority either that which commands or that which obeyes To obey is vnder authority command and therefore the Scripture is greater in authority then the Church The Churches obedience is not only passiue still to be an hearer only but the Churches obedience is also actiue for she must not be only an hearer of the Scripture of the law but she must be a doer also First shee must heare the Scripture say Let all things be done and then shee must doe what she heares commanded to be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fiant inquit à vobis vestro consilio So Pareus when the Scripture hath said it Then let all things be done by the Church by the iudgement of the church Here the Apostle hath by Scripture given authority to the Church to gouerne decently and in order in doctrine in divine precepts in Church-discipline And therefore the Church may in the first place expound according to rules of exposition and make any lawes which she sees to be decent and orderly in every place Omnes Ecclesiarum Episcoporum Doctorum leges c. de decoro ordine externo c. disponere debent Pareus The lawes of Churches of Bishops of Doctors must beautifie and order the Church Let all things be done decently and in order These words doe authorize the Church to ordaine Church-orders expositions rites and ceremonies that not of late but from the Apostles times so Iustin Martyr Irenaeus Tertullian St Cyprian St Basill S. Ambrose S. Hierome S. Augustine and fiue Councells say the same But what doth the Scripture say that there must be any such traditions Yes the scripture saith the same Read 1. Cor. 11. 2. 1. Cor. 11. 34. And Church-ceremonies are contain'd in the scriptures not in expresse sentence but by pregnant consequence by vertue whereof the Apostle doth grant a generall license authority to all Churches to ordaine any ceremonies that may bee fit for the better serving of God so our Right reverend and learned Bishop Morton The same ceremonies will not sort in all places and therefore our Saviour left them to the different disposition custome of times and countries so Calvin lib. 4. Institut cap. 10. parag 30. Therefore to deny this power to the Church to ordaine ceremonies is to depriue her of christian liberty so Bucer If our Church-ceremonies were dumbe non-significant they might bee well condemn'd for vnlawfull but they being significant are lawfull so Kemnitius being significant they are profitable for admonition and testification of our duties so B. Iewell Kemnitius and Zanchius The ceremonies of our church haue speciall signification they are signes and doe signifie not with sacramentall signification but with decently morall For they are signes of Church-beauty for moral ornament as you haue heard by the bowing at the name of Iesus by other Church-ceremonies in my former particular Our Church-ceremonies our Church-traditions are grounded on good authority for they are contain'd in the Scriptures in genere ent is aut in virtute causae either in their generall or in the power of their fundamentall cause My Text will serue for the generall to signifie all Church-ceremonies and my Text serues for the cause to ordaine all Church-traditions that are lawfull All things decently and in order there are all Church-ceremonies signified Let them be done there is Church authority giuen by Scripture to cause them to be ordain'd But to bow at the name of Iesus this is expresse Scripture Philip. 2. 10. To kneele at prayer this is expresse Scripture Psalm 95. 6. and wee pray at receiuing the Lords Supper The body of our Lord Iesus Christ preserue my soule and body to everlasting life To take vp the Crosse and follow Christ is expresse Scripture Mat. 16. 24. And to take vp the Crosse is the fundamentall cause of the signe of the Crosse to bee done decently in order The man and wife are one flesh is expresse Scripture Mat. 19. 6. And to be one
flesh by covenant by troth plighted by church-Church-authority which is the essentiall vnion is the fundamentall cause of the signifying vnion which is the ring giuen in marriage to signifie that mā wife are no more twaine but one flesh T is expresse Scripture that t is granted to the Church to weare fine linnen white and cleane Rev. 19. 8. There is a similitude betweene the triumphant and militant Church and so an expression of the ones glory by the others signification and is it then contrary to decency and order to weare the surplisse Holy daies are contain'd in the Scripture The Lords passeover which we call Easter Levit. 23. 5. The feast of vnleavened bread Levit. 23. 6. The feast of first fruits Lev. 23. 10. to the 24. verse The feast of Trumpets Lev. 23. from 24 to the 34 verse The feast of Tabernacles Mordecai had his Holy day Hest 9. Iudeth had her Holy day Iudeth 16. Macchabeus had his Holy day Macchab. 1. 4. And seeing that Holy daies did not transgresse the fourth commandement before Christs comming the Apostles Agapae Festivall daies and our Church-holy-daies doe not transgresse that law We should bee very vnthankfull vnto God for the multiplying of his great mercies if we did not solemnely keepe them the reason is shew'd before In his rebus de quib nihil certi statuit scriptura divina mos populi Dei vel instituta maiorum pro lege tenendasunt D. August Epist 68. to Casulanus In those things which the Scripture hath not verbatim set downe the customes of Gods people or the institutions of our Predecessors ought to bee receiued for lawes so that they be deduced from Scriptures and be not contrary to Scriptures they are S. Augustines limitations Seeing then that the church hath authority giuen her let her exercise her authority Let all things be done For as long as the church is rul'd by Scripture Shee is the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. to the vnlearned to the catechised to the vulgar vnderstanding then S. Augustine being an infant in faith beleeues quia dixit Ecclesia because the church did teach him to beleeue As long as the church is rul'd by Scriptures Shee cannot erre hell gates cannot prevaile against her Mat. 16. 18. And therefore let all things be done decently in order whatsoever our well reformed church commands to be done Let the Priest weare the surplisse let little children to be baptized haue their Godfathers and Godmothers let the baptized be signed with the signe of the Crosse Let all communicants kneele reverently at receiuing the Lords Supper Let all bow in solemne assemblies at the name of IESVS Let them that are to be married be married with the Ring Let Holy daies be kept Let the Lord bee praised vpon Church Organs and on the Sabbath and Holy daies thus let him bee magnified with the musicall sound of all Church-bells Let the dead be honorably buried You haue a little booke of Articles which containes seven generalls all our church-traditions The first is concerning the church-yard Vicarage-house The second is concerning the Ministerie divine service and Sacraments The third is concerning Ecclesiasticall Courts The fourth concerning School-masters The fift concerning the parish clearke and Sexton The sixt concerning the Parishioners The seuenth concerning church-wardens Sides-men Let all these things be done For the doing of them well doth honour God and saue your owne soules But if church-offenders are growne hard-hearted stiffe-necked stubborne not to be reformed by neighbourly loue good counsell wholsome exhortation Dic Ecclesiae tell the church For all things must be done Decently and in order which is my fourth part of text Decently and in order Here is the manner how Gods command first secondly how the churches command is to be obeyed and this is Decently and in order On the outside by beauty Decently within and without according to rule In order Nihil peruerso ordine vel per contentionem vel per inanem gloriam faciatis so S. Hierome vpon these words where there is perversenesse ouerthwarting faction there is noe church-decencie factious contention and vaine spirited glory is noe part of this church-order Non temerè non indecorè non insanè ordine conueniente so S. Chrysostome Not rashnesse not vnseemelines not distemper is the decency or order that which is seemely is church-decency that which is conuenient is church-order Omnia cum pace disciplinâ so S. Ambrose the peace of the church this is church-decencie the discipline of the church this is church order The decencie of the church is opposite to vanity to sordidnesse to luxury The order of the church is opposite to confusion and troublesomenesse soe Pareus The decency of the church is that Gods temple should be all glorious at least very conuenient that church-vessells and the materiall parts of the church be cleane and comely that the Priests vestments be seemely that all church actions publique and priuate be void of lightnesse and superstition that church-teachers and hearers behaue themselues with diuine grauity modestie and piety as it becometh them that stand in the presence of God and his holy Angells Church order giues euery one his conuenient place to superiors superior places to equalls equall places to inferiors inferior places to euery church-necessary a necessary place Order obserues church-time as well as church-place and it staies not there but appoints who shall be church-teachers and who shall be church-hearers and to keepe both in order there are appointed times to pray to preach to sing psalmes to catechise to communicate to baptize c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 caueatur aedificatio ecclelesiae singulorum maximè promoueatur so Pareus The transgressing of church-decencie and order must be shun'd the edifying of the church and of all in the church must be carefully obserued And we must goe a little farther the beautifying and honour of the Church must be carefully regarded And wee must on a little farther The able gratious practise of the Church must be preferred aboue all the edifying beautifying and externall honour of the church S. Hierome saith that there is no church-decency no church-order where is peruersenesse and diuision and therefore Thomas Cartwright was noe true teacher of church decency and order let his 21 dangerous points of doctrine and his one and fifty vntruths falsifying of Scriptures fathers of the church Historiographers and other classicall Authors be witnesse as 't is obserued by D Whitguift in his booke against M. Cartwright S. Chrysostome saith where there is rashnes vnseemelinesse distemper that there is noe church-decencie noe church order and therefore the precise ones are noe teachers of church-decencie and order for they are rash to thrust that vpon vs for true religion which began at the 250 yeare after Christ and was put downe by the first Councell of Nice S. Ambrose saith that there is church-decency where is the peace and the discipline of the church