Field of the Church lib 3. pa. 73. The Emperor hath supreame authoritie in all causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civill though the Patriarch also exercise a spirituall iurisdiction 13 Concerning Purgatorie Godignus the Iesuit Godignus de Rebus Abassinorum lib 1. Cap 28. pag 172. ex literis Petri Paes qui praesit Iesuit in Aethiopia PurgatoriuÌ„ negant They deny Purgatory 14 They do not expresse the number of their sinnes in Confession Abassinos neque species neque numerum peccatorum in confessione exprimere sed tantum generatim dicere Habessen Habessen hoc est peccavi peccavi Godign lib 1. Cap 35. pag 216. They do not expresse in their Confessions neither the kindes nor number of their sinnes but onely generally ory out Habessen Habessen I have sinned I have sinned 15 Concerning Jmages Mr. Sandes his iourneis lib. 3. pag 171. They haue pictures in their Churches but no Carved Images neither do they bestow any undue reverence on them Idem loco citat They have no crucifixes but use the Crosse as a badge of their profession their preists carrying crosses in their hands 16 Thomas a Iesu They have no oblations oblations for the dead neither do they offer for the living Nullas pro defunctis oblationes habent nec sacra faciunt pro vivis Tho a Iesu de convers omnium Gentium lib 7 pa 1 cap 8 pag 370. Praeterea traditiones sanctas non admittunt solumque verbo Dei scripto fidem dicunt se habere Tho a Iesu lib 7 cap 8 pag 369. 17 Moreover they doe not admit holy Traditions but they say that they must onely beleeve Gods word The Aethiopians do beleive the holy Trinity Zaga Zabo apud Damianum a Goes pag. 204 Credimus in nomen sanctae Trinitatis patrem filium et spiritum sanctum that there are three persons and one God They have goodly Monasteries and Monks but onely of the order of St. Anthony their Monks are not suffred to begg but live on their labours They use the Ni en Creed In their Lent they tast nothing till the sunne be set neither old men nor sick Godignus lib. 1 cap. 35. pag. 218. eate on their fasting time without offence they begin their Lent ten daies before ours In their Churches Idem lib. 1 cap. 2â— pag. 133 134. they do demeane themselues most reverently no man may walke laugh or talke in their Churches they suffer not doggs to come into their Churches or Church-yards they suffer no man to sit in their Churches the aged and weake have onely Crutches to ease them withall For their manner of Administration of the Sacrament of Baptisme they are Baptized They Baptize in the Church-portch in the Church Porch The Priest after hee hath said certeine prayers putteth the partie to be baptised three times under water saying I doe Baptize thee in the name of the Father the Sonne and of the holy Chost the Comforter WheÌ„ he renounceth the Devil the preist turneth the face of the partie to be baptized to the West when the covenaÌ„t is made with God to the east They do beleeve that the Sacrament of Baptisme washeth away origenall sin Godign de Abassin rebus lib 1 cap. 35 pag. 212. with which the soule is tainted as soone as it is infused into the bodie in the Mothers wombe yea in the very moment of his first being Whereas the Aethiopians are charged with having many wives Godign lib. citat cap. 36 pag. 225. it is a scandall for no Nation punisheth Adultery more severely then they And whereas they are accused of rebaptizing themselves yeerely Scaliger de emendatione temporum lib. 8 pag. 683 True it is they do veerely upon the day of our Lord IESVS CHRISTS Baptisme goe into the water and wash themselves as the Moscovites doe and other Christians and this they doe onely in memoriall of our Lords Baptisme And that they absteine from blood Scalig loc citat and things strangled as this was forbidden by the Apostles Cannon Acts 15. so it was the Custome of the auntient Christians in the primitive Church read Cannon 53 of those which are called the Apostles And they doe Circumcise their Children they use it not as a sacrament but as a nationall custome and they Circumcise both Males and Females which the Iewes did not and they are not bound to it by law nor religion And that they Baptise their Children Scaliger de emend temp lib. 8. not onely with water but also with fier It is reported that it is the custome of the Aethiopians not onely of the Christians but also of the Mahometans to burne their Children with a hot Iron in the temple veines to stop distillations from falling into their eyes Some write that the first Aethiopian Emperors Godignus lib. citat cap. 35. pag. 213. that embraced the faith of Christ invented this burning that every Christian man might beare about some outward signe of his Christianity Others write that Iohn the Emperor who was called the Saint who lived in those miserable times of the Arrians Idem pag. 214. appointed that after Baptisme the Aethiopian Children should receive three prickes in the face with an hot Iron in signe that they professed the faith of the holy Trinity The Aethiopian Liturgie set downe by Francis Alvares in the Portugall tongue and afterwards written in Italian related by Cassander in his Liturgies cap. 1 pa. 28. This Alvares was chaplin to K. Iohn of Portugall and was six yeere in Aethiopia Cassander Theologus Belga Imp. Ferdiu 1 et Maximil 2 〈◊〉 a consiliis Printed Parisiis apud Abrahamum Pacard MDCXVI THey make a great Cake or a lesse in their Churches 1 In Ecclesiis faciunt libum magnum aut paruum pro multitudine gentis quia omnes communicant et pro multitudine faciunt erassum dimidio digito aut integro aut etiam crassiorem magno digito infundunt vinum calici factum ex uvis pressis magna quantitate quia quot quot communicant de corpore totidem â—tiam communicant de sanguine according to the multitude of people for all Communicate For the greatenesse of it they make it halfe a finger or a whole finger or more thicke They power wine into the Cup made of Grapes pressed in great quantitie as many as doe Communicate of the bodie so many do Communicate of the blood 2 Is qui missam dicturus est incipit altâ voce Alleluia Sacerdos facit benedictionem cuvs cruce parvâ quam tenet in manu 2 He that saith the service beginneth with a loud voice Alleluia The Preist blesseth with a little Crosse which he holdeth in his hand 3 3 Canunt tam qui foris suut quam qui intus They that are without and within sing 4 The Epistle is read the blessing being asked likewise the Gospell 4 Legitur Epistola cursim petita prius
people as when they must enjoy the Reverend Mysteries Againe But one Body one Cup is given to all Cassander It is sufficiently manifest Consult de utraque specie pag. 1025. Eccle. orientalis in hunc usque diem occidentalis verò five Romana mille amplius annis continuis non aliliter quam sub duplicispecie in conventu Ecclesiae sacramentum hoc Dominici corporis sanguinis administrasse legitur c. that the universall Church to this day and the Westerne or Roman Church for more then a thousand yeeres did exhibit the Sacrament in both kindes to all the members of Christs Church 8. Merit of Workes Gregorie There are some which glorie that they are saved by their owne strength The old Roman Church In 28. Iob. lib. 18. cap. 25. sunt nonnulli qui salvos se suis viribus exultant suisque prâ—cedentibus meritis redemptos esse gloriantur quorum assertio invenitur sibimet ipsis contraria quia dum innoceâ—â—â—â— se asserunt redemptes hoc ipsum in se redemptionis nomen evacnant brag that they are redeemed by their owne precedent merits but herein they contradict themselves whilest that they affirme that they are innocent and yet redeemed they frustrate the name of Redemption in themselves Chrysostom Although we die a thousand times Chrys de Compunct cordis lib. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and if wee fulfill all the vertues of the minde yet wee doe nothing worthie to those things which we have received of God Saint Augustine God Crowneth in us the gifts of his mercy In Ioh. tract 13. Tom. 9. Coroâ—at in nobis Deus dona misericordiae suae The old Roman Church Adorare imagines omnibus modis devita lib. 9 epist. 9. 9. Worshipping of Images Gregory The Adoration of them avoid by all meanes The ancient Greeke Church long withstood Images which was a principall cause of the division of the Empire The Popes excommunicating Leo Constantine and others of the Greeke Emperors who were against Images and the weakenesse of the Christians divided was a great cause of the Mahumetan conquests and greatnesse To the Iewes and Mahumetans the worship of images is abominable And wheras the Turkes know much of Christ Postel Compend Cosmograp p. 76. as that hee was borne of the Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Ghost received by the Christians being the Christ promised in the Iewes Law who is in heaven in body soule and that he shall come to judge the quicke and the dead with just judgement yet the image-worship used by some Christians is so offensive to them that it may bee supposed to bee a hindrance of their conversion The South Church De morib Eccle. lib. 1. cap. 34. Augustine I know certaine worshippers of Tombes whom the Church condemneth Thus as you have seene the agreement of the Moderne Churches beforenamed with us as also of the old antient Roman East South Churches in the points before named which doctrines then taught by Saint Gregory Saint Auâ—â—eâ— Saint Chrysostome and others are not now owned by the Roman Church but by them disallowed and anathematized VII The Religion of the Antient Britaines and the differences from their now Roman Church THe Ancient writers testifie that most of the points before named were the Tenets of the Britains both before and also after the comming of Austen for although the the Romanists pretend that at the comming of Austen Christianity was lost amongst us yet Historiographers witnesse the contrarie Bed Eccle. hister lib. 2. cap. 2. as Beda testifieth that at the comming of the said Austen which was about the yeere 600. there were here 7. Bishops one Archbishop and above 2000. Monkes of Bangor and many learned men And also the Queene was then a Christian and that Christianitie was amongst us before Bishop Iewellâ— Defen pag. 11. Bishop Iewell proveth out of Saint Chrysostome who lived about the yeere 400. and Saint Hillarie who lived about the yere 360. And Origen who lived about the yeere 240. And Tertullian who lived about the yeere 230. Haec epistola communiter habetur inter leges divi Edvardi Antiq. Britan. pag. 5. in margine And this will also appeare by the letter of Eleutherius Bishop of Rome to our King Lucius then a Christian and as the inhabitants were Christians as before so the antient writers testifie that they were them differing from the now Romish Religion in their new Articles For the sufficiency of Scriptures Tantum ea quae in Propheticis EvaÌ„gelicis Apostolicis literis discere poterant observantes Bed lib. 3. hist cap. 4. Omnes aut legendis Scripturis aut psalmis discendis operam dare Bed Eccl. hist lib. 3. cap. 5. Beda recordes the Successors of Columkelle that they observed onely those things which they could learne in the Propheticall Evangelicall and Apostolicall writings They had them also in their owne language and Beda reporteth amongst others of a translation made by the appointment of King Adelstan The Clergie and Laitie were bound to read the holy Sciptures and they accounted them their chiefe riches according to that of Columbanus Sint tibi Divitiae divinae dogmata legis Beda also commendeth Altfrid the King for a most learned man in the Scriptures Alfrit vir in scripturis doctissimus lib. 4. cap. 26. and also their service was in their owne language as Bishop Iewell proveth in his replie Bishop Iewell pag. 142. For the Doctrine of Sacrament of the Lords Supper the same was taught then which wee teach now Hom. in die sanctae pascae pag. 17. As you may see in the Homilie of Elfrick approved by divers Bishops in their Synods This booke is subscribed by the two Archbishops of Canterbury and of Yorke and 13. other Bishops and appointed to be read upon Easterday before the receiving of the Communion who saith There is a great difference betwixt the bodie wherein Christ suffered and the body which is hallowed housell The body truely that Christ suffered in It was borne of the flesh of Mary with blood with bone with skin and with sinne wes in humane limmes with a reasonable soule living And his Ghostly bodie which wee call the housell is gathered of many cornes without blood and bone without lymbe without soule and therefore there is nothing to be understood bodily Beda in vita Cutberti cap. 15. pag. 163. Vt mittas Presbyterum qui illam priusquam moriatur visitet â—ique Dominici corporis sanguinis Sacramenta ministret Antoninus archi Florent cronic 2. par pag. 623. Northmanni autem confessioni peccatorum vacantes mane Dominico corpore sanguine communicaverunt Mat. Paris in Harald Normani mane Dominici corporis sanguinis munimine saginati c. pag. 3. but it is ghostly or spiritually to bee under stood And this Doctrine also Scotus our Country-man did teach for the Communion in both kindes Beda also reporteth in the life
of Cuthbert that one Hildmar an officer of Egfrid King of Northumberland intreated Cuthbert to send a Priest that might minister the Sacrament of the Lords body and blood unto his wife that then lay adying Antoninus Archbishop of Florence writeth that William the Conqueror and his whole Armie received the Communion in both kindes And Mathew Paris saith the same to wit the Normans the morning before they fought with Harald strengthened themselves with the body and blood of Christ For the marriage of Priests it was accounted as lawfull then as now Anselme was the first that made a decree against Priests marriage in this Kingdome Hon. Hunting lib. 7. pag. 378. Anselmus prohibuit uxores sacerdotibus Anglorum ante non prohibitas as Henry of Huntington reporteth Anselme saith he held a Synode in London in which he forefended Priests to have wives which they were not inhibited before to have which was about the yeere 1104. It seemeth that the Priests kept their wives after Anselmes time by the Decree made by the Cardinall of Cremen in the yeere 1131. against Priests marriage who having in a long oration commended Chastitie and in a Synod in London made a Decree against the marriage of Priests was himselfe that night found in bed with a whore as Mathew of Paris reporteth to the no little shame of the Clergie What Anselme or the Cardinall did against Priests marriage proceeded from the Pope Gregorie the seventh who under the colour of Chastitie forbad marriage His Bull is to be seene against Priests mariage which the Germans and French resisted what a holy man this Gregory was appeareth by the sentences of the Councell of Wormes and Brixia in which the said Gregory was deposed for his perjurie for necromancy for beeing a Conjurer and many other crimes Ordâ— Baptizandi visitandi For Merit reade a booke set foorth by Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury to be used in his province called the order of Baptizing and visiting the sicke in which are these words Dost thou beleeve that none can bee saved by his owne merits but by the merits of Christs passion to which the sicke partie was taught to make answer all this I beleeve And the Priest concluded Goe to therefore as long as thy soule remaineth in thee place thy whole confidence in his death onely c. And for the Supremacy what did King Henry the eighth assume more then Bishop Eleutherius gave to Lucius our King and that the antient Kings of the Britans assumed to themselves Of these points and others you may reade more in the most learned discourse of the Religion antiently professed by the Irish and British written by the most reverend Father in God Iames Vsher Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland And thus you may see how King Henry the eight or King Edward brought in no new Religion amongst us but restored the old ancient Religion suppressed for some yeeres by the Church of Rome By this it manifestly appeareth that most of the Doctrines before named now taught and urged for Catholike in the Roman Church were neither the Doctrines of the other Christians in Europe Asia and Africa nor the antient Roman Easterne Southerne Churches nor of Gregory the great Bishop of Rome who sent Austen hither nor of the antient Britaines our forefathers And whereas inquirie is made for the visibilitie of our Church or for any one professing our Religion before Luther heere you may see the whole true Catholike Church of God upon the face of the Earth of the which these Churches are members professing the same faith with us For which common Vnion we have greate cause to rejoyce Hieremie as the Greeke Patriarch having seene the Tenets of some of the reformed Churches congratulateth with them after this manner Wee give thankes to God the Author of all grace and wee rejoyce with many others especially in this that in many things your Doctrine is agreeable to our Church So let us thanke God for the holy harmony and agreement of these Churches with us in the point before mentioned in controversie betweene the Roman Church and us and let us endeavour to keepe the unitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace VIII Of the Devotion and pietie of these Churches BRochardus the Monke telleth us Brochard Monac that he found the Nestorians Jacobites Maronites and Georgians and such others whom they judge to bee heretickes to bee for the most part honest and simple men living sincerely towards God and man men of great abstinency attentively hearing the word of God And that the Armenians and Georgians have for their Prelats men of the best conversation going before them aad teaching them as by word so also by example Devotion Godignus de Abass rebus p. 133. In oratione frequentanda non facile similes reperiri censeo omni namque diluculo cuncti corum toto corpore in pulverem ipsuÌ„ prostrati orationes ad Deum fundunt Faber in Relig. Moscovit p. 180. These Christians use great reverence in their Churches no man is allowed to walke talke or sitt in them the old and weake may leane against the walls Godignus reporteth that the Aethiopians doe allow the old weake crutches to sustaine them withall as before and Faber reports of the Russes that hee hath not seene of them the like for their frequenting prayers and devotion in their prayers which lying prostrate on the ground they poure out unto God They touch not the holy Scriptures but with great reverence and place the Bible in their houses in the most honorable place The Greekes much blame the Latines for their unreverent sitting in their Churches and suffering Lay men with Bootes and Spurres to sit by the Priests at time of Divine Service and also for not keeping dogges out of their Churches as before Of these Churches I may say although wee thinke them not to be so learned as we are they wanting the meanes that we have yet they are more devout For their Fasts Their Fasts these Christians tast nothing at all till Sun sett The Aethiopians doe so macerate themselves in their Lent-fasts which they begin tenne dayes before ours that their enemies commonly set upon them at the end of their Fasts hoping then to finde them feeble and weake in their Fasts especially upon good-friday beside their great abstinence they goe like mutes not saluting one another with their countenances dejected The Greekes also blame the Latines for drinking in their Fasts Irineus Râ—dâ—ginus pag. 15. and that some of them are drunke before their fasts are ended and that when their fasts are ended generally they eate and fill their bellies plentifully For their obedience to Princes Obedience to Princes their Patriarches and Bishops although they are subject to many greivous pressures yet they submitt themselves to their Kings and Princes that God hath placed over them according to that of Lactantius Religion is to bee defended not by
and beleeve and am baptised in thee and in thy Father and in thy holy spirit now c. Then the Priest saith the Nicen Creed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I beleeve in one God the Father Almighty c. And after many prayers and Crossings he putteth the partie baptised into the water saying Such a one N is baptised in the name of the Father Amen And of the Sonne Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of the holy Ghost to everlasting life And so endeth with prayers For the administration of the Eucharist The Priest beginneth with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Glorie be to the Father to the Sonne and to the holy Ghost After some prayers Let us be made worthy sacrificers of praise that we may performe our Priesthood to thee O Lord every thought word worke being a sweet savour offring to thee peace offrings that without spot we may appeare in thy sight all the dayes of our life They say in Breaking Thou art the Lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world so he suffered God the word in the flesh he was offrea and broken upon the Crosse and his soule was separated from his body although his divinitie was not separated neither from his soule nor from his body c. Amongst other prayers he saith Make us worthy O Lord God that with contrite hearts and purged from all euili co 〈…〉 thee O Lord our God purely and holily reasonable and spirituall sacrifices in the faith of thy truth After other prayers he endeth The Bible was translated into the Arabique tongue by Iohn Archbishop of Sevill Anno Dom 717. The Habbassin Christians 1 For their Ecclesiasticall Government Zaga Zabo 240. THey are subiect to a Patriarch of their owne whom they call Abunna Non firmiter sentiunt de primatu Romanae ecclesiae Tho. a Iesu de conver lib. 7. pa. 1 cap 6 pag 367. whose place is the seventh Session in generall Councells the next place after the Bishop of Seleucia They do not well beleeve of the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome 2 The Eucharist in both kindes Wee receive the Lords body 1 Assumimus corpus Domini et id sub utraque specie confessio Zaga Zabo Episcopi Abassin apud Damian a Goes pag 227 Boterus part 3 lib. 3 de Christian del Abass and that under both kindes As the Preist 2 Sacramentum integrum verum corpus et verum sanguinem Christi tam clerica quam laici in Templo accipiunt Matthaeus Dresserus de statu Ecclesiae et Religio in Aethiopia apud Neand. pag. 535 so the Laicks receive the whole Sacrament of the true body and true blood of Christ in the Temple All receive the Eucharist under both kindes 3 Sub utraque specie omnes Eucharistiam sumunt Godign de Abassinorum rebus lib 1 cap 35 pag 218 3 They sell no Masses We receive no price or reward for Masse 1 Pro Missa nullum pretium aut mercedem accipimus Zaga Zaoo pag 228. They make no gaine in the Masse 2 Questum in Missa nullum plane faciunt Dresserus apud Nean pag 537. 4 They reserve not the Sacrament nor elevate it Sacramentum Evcharistiae non servatur apud nos in Templis vt fit hic apud Evropaeos Zaga Zabo pag 227. apud Dami a Goes The Sacrament is not reserved amongst us in our Churches as it is amongst the Europeans 5 They use not extreame unction for a sacrament Moreover you must know 1 Praeterea Sciendum apud nos Chrisma five extremam olei Vnctionem pro Sacramento non haberi nec in vsu esse vt video hic ex Romanae Ecclesiae consuetudine fieri Zaga Zabo 226. apud Dam a Goes that with us Chrisme or extreame unction is not accounted a Sacrament nor is in use at all As I see here the custome is in the Roman Church 3 Non usan darla chrisma ni extrema vnction Francis Alvares fol 27. There is no use of Chrisme or extreame unction 6 They allow maried Priests Mariage is no esse allowed to the Clergie then to the Laitie 1 Coningium Clericis et Presbyteris non minus quam politicis permissum est sic tumen vt mortua vxâ—â—e primâ— ducere aliaÌ„ non liceat niâ— Pa riarchâ— dispensante concubinam si quis alat a sacris arcetur Dresserus apud Neandrum pag 537. yet so as that the first wise being dead they are not permitted to marie any more without dispensation from the Patriarch if any keepe a Concubine he is driven from his calling And both Laitie and Clergie possesse but one wife Et tam Laici quam Clerici vnam tantum possident vxorem Zaga Zabo apud Damia a Goes 215. That the Priests may marrie we have received from St. Paul who had rather that the Clergie and Laitie Et quod presbyteri apud nos vxores possideaut ex Apostolo accepimus Qui mavult clericum et Laicum nubere quam vri Zaga Zabo lib. cit pag 215. should marrie then to burne 7 They beleeve the Soules of their Infants dying without Baptisme not to be damned They beleeve the soules of their Infants departed before Baptisme to be saved Alvarez Histor Aethiopica fol. 27. because they are sprung from faithfull parents 8 They doe acknowledge the first 3 Councels They accept the three first generall Councells Zaga Zabo lib citat pag 236. The Nicen the Constantinopolitane the Ephesine 9 Indulgences For remission of soules the Patriarch graunts no Indulgences Ad animarum remissionem Patriarcha dat nullas Indulgentias nullos dies indulgentiarum Patriarcha concedit Zaga Zabo pag 213. Indulgentias nulo las dat neque concedit pag 240. nor gives any pardons at all 10 Jnvocation of Saints As for the Saints It is true that they love and reverence them Sanctos quidem amant et venerantur sed non invocant Matri Christi Mariae Virgini honorem magnum tribuunt sed neque adorant neque opem eius implorant Dresser apud Neandrum pag 536. Atias Major pag 352. Aethiopia but they do not call on them They doe ascribe great honour to the Virgin Marie the mother of Christ but neither do they worship her nor implore her helpe 11 They have service in their owne tongue For they reteine the Epistles and Gospell Nam et Epistolam et Evangelium et verba consecrationis sine elevatione lingua pooulo nota retinent Chytreus pag 28. together with the words of Consecration without elevation these I say they reteine in the vulgar tongue 12 The Conferring of Bishoprickes The Conferring of Bishoprickes Patriarcha sive Abunna Nullum Episcopatum aut Ecclesiae be â—eficium in vllos confert id solum ad Precioâ—um Ioanneâ— spectat Zaga Zabo 240. and their Ecclesiasticall benefices except the Patriarchship belongeth to their Emperor