matter will be expected from you As for all the observations which you or any man else have made of the State and Condition of the World from the Days of Adam down to these Days all your scrutiny into the over-spreading Idolatry and sinful Course of mens Lives in the several Ages of it all of them I say are in this case not worth a Rush Yea all your Typical Prefigurations which you here in your Pamphlet have fancied of the judgment to come are of no Value For if the time when this Judgment shall be is unknown to all the Angels of Heaven much less can the number of Gods Elect taking it but comparatively as you do be known to you poor man or any other whatsoever neither can there be without a daring desperate Presumption any scrutiny made into it so as to derogate from the Merits of our Merciful and Faithful high Priest Jesus Christ What then is it that you will pretend unto which hath put you upon this pragmatical busying your self in that which is so much above your reach You say you have your Warrant from Scripture-Evidence For thus you write meaning that this your determination must pass for current Reflector Especially after all the Reflections I might make thereupon as are these First God saith by his Prophet Jeremiah chap 3. v. 14. That he will take but one of a City and two of a Family or Tribe to bring them to Zion 2. Of a hundred Sheep he will leave ninety and nine of them to their wandrings 3. Jesus Christ took a long Journey to the City of Samaria which was called Sychar to Signalize the Conversion of one poor Samaritan Woman Joh. 4.4 usque ad 27. 4. Presupposing that the Children of Israel were as great in number as the Sand on the Sea-shore yet but a Remnant of them shall be saved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 9.27 Is 10.22 23. 5. The Lord had but very few names in Sardis Rev. 3.4 6. Of the ten Lepers that were healed there was but one that returned to give glory to God Luk. 17. 7. In truth there is incomparably a far greater number of commen Stones and Pebbles than there is of Diamonds Saphirs and Pearls and yet Jesus Christ doth only make use of these in the Building and Structure of his House 8. Few persons find the way that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven and Life Everlasting strait is the Gate and narrow is the Way that leads thereunto and few there that be find it Answer These Mounsieur are your Triarii else you would not have ushered them in with such a terrifying Preface nor made them your last Reserve ordering them in Rank and File so Paragraphically not like your former which were huddled up altogether in a heap that so the more notice might be taken of them And now let all men that have any understanding in the holy Scripture give their opinion of this Reflector Would any one but a Fool or a Madman lay so great a weight upon so sandy a Foundation as this Octonary of Reflections seems even at first fight to be and which upon a serious perusal of them cannot but be construed a miserable wresting of the Holy Oracles of God Let us consider them here severally each one by it self and in such words as you render them First God saith by his Prophet Jeremiah Chap. 3. v. 14. That he will take but one of a City and two of a Family or Tribe to bring them to Zion Here I must mind you by the way that as you render the Sense of the Prophets words to another parpose than the Spirit of God intended them so you word it otherwise than God spake it God doth not say he will take but one of a City and two of a Family c. your word But whereby you would hook in your sinister Opinion will prove a Butt for Gods Anger against you but thus saith God I will take you one of a City and two of a Family that is not as you would have it of a Tribe but of a Country or Nation for so the word Family is in Scripture sometimes used and must be so here the true sense whereof is this Gods calls upon his People Israel when they had forsaken him to return unto him and to encourage them speaks words of Comfort and Kindness uti pater ver 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel and I will not cause mine Anger to fall upon you for I am merciful c. Turn O back-sliding Children for I am married unto you and I will take you one of a City c. o◠as it is Is 27.12 one by one q. d. Seeing I am joyned to you all in such a Contract I will pick out and gather you all out of the several places and Countries into which you have been dispersed that though there should be but some one only of you in a City or some two only in a whole Country yet they should not be neglected but should be culled out or as the Lord speaks by the Prophet Amos Am. 9.9 I will sift the house of Israel among all Nations like as Corn is sifted in a Sieve yet shall not the least Grain fall upon the Earth or be lost and I will bring you to Sion or joyn you to my Church whereof Sion is a Type that so all Israel may be saved Rom. 11.26 This being the genuine Sense of the place how can it with any serenity of Conscience be wrested to that to which you apply it If it be said it is so interpreted by way of Allusion I grant by a Collusion it is neither do Similitudes all men know prove any thing at all Argumentativè only Rhetoricè they may be of some use some times but not in this place Secondly Of a hundred Sheep God will leave ninety and nine of them to their wandrings Mat. 18.12 Rather he will leave them in a sure and safe Fold or in a good Pasture God commits his People that is his Flock to his Pastors which he hath set in his Church that they may be fed so the charge was given to Peter feed my Sheep feed my Lambs He doth not then leave them to their wandring if so he would have no great cause to rejoyce when he returns home with his stray sheep upon his Shoulders sweating under his Burthen where he seeth that during his Absence all his flock are gone astray Thirdly Jesus Christ took a long Journey to the City of Samaria which was called Sychar to Signalize the Conversion of one poor Samaritan Woman Joh. 4.4 to 27. A long Journey you call it It was a Journey that he had been acquainted with before for this is not the first time that he came into those parts and he came you say to Signalize a word of your Countrey possibly or of your own coyning the Conversion of one poor Samaritan Woman Whereas it appeareth not by all the Discourse that passed between him and
heard let them take their rest let curious and sharp-witted men beat their Heads about what Questions themselves will The very Letter of the word of Christ giveth plain security that these Mysteries do as Nails fasten us to his very Cross that by them we may draw out as touching Essicacy Force and Virtue even the Blood of his Gored Side c. They are things wonderful which he feeleth great which he seeth and unheard of which he uttereth whose Soul is possest of this Paschal Lamb and made joyful in the strength of this new Wine c. What these Elements are in themselves it skilleth not it is enough that to me which take them they are the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ His Promise in witness hereof sufficeth his Words he knoweth which way to accomplish Why should any Cogitation possess the mind of a faithful Communicant but this O my God thou art True O my Soul thou art Happy Thus sweetly thus Christianly thus Divinely would this Holy and humble Man put a peaceable end to this unhappy Controversie A man I say of whom and of his works the Bishop of Rome himself that then was viz. Clement the Eight gives this Character There is no Learning that this man hath not searcht into nothing too hard for his Understanding this man indeed deserves the name of an Author his Books will get Reverence by Age for there is in them such Seeds of Eternity that if the rest be like unto this they shall last till the last fire shall consume all Learning To this purpose did that Pope if my Historian be of ny Credit as I believe he is declare his Opinion Isaac walker when he heard one of his Books of Ecclesiastical Policy read before him But now to draw towards a Conclusion I shall only add one story out of our Martyrologist of a certain Disputation about these very words of our Saviour viz. This is my Body It was really most Eminent the King himself that then was viz. Henry the Eight being a chief Disputant in it the story omitting needless Circumlocutions is as followeth When a great Assembly of the Nobles and other the Chief of the Nation was gathered by express Order and Command from the King from all parts of the Realm and all the Seats and Places were full of men round about the Scaffold within a short time a godly Servant of Jesus Christ one John Lambert was brought from the Prison with a Guard of armed men even as a Lamb to fight with many Lions and placed right against that where the King 's Royal Seat was prepared so that now they tarried but for the King 's coming At length the King himself did come with a great Guard and when the King was set in his Throne he beheld Lambert with a stern Countenance and turning himself to his Counsellors he called forth Dr. Day Bishop of Chichester commanding him to declare unto the People the Cause of that present Assembly and Judgment After he had made an end of his Oration the King standing up upon his Feet leaning upon a Cushion of white Cloth of Tissue turning himself toward Lambert with his Brows bent as it were threatning some terrible thing to him said these words Hoe good fellow what is thy name Then the humble Lamb of Christ humbly kneeling down said my name is John Nicholson although of many I be called Lambert What said the King have you two names I would not trust you having two names although you were my Brother But after many Profaces and much talk had in this manner the poor man shewing the Reason how his name came to be changed the King commanded him to go to the matter and to declare his Mind and Opinion what he thought as touching the Sacrament of the Altar Whereupon Lambert beginning to speak for himself gave thanks to God in that he had inclined the Heart of the King so as not to disdain to hear and understand the Controversies of Religion c Then the King with an angry Voice interrupting him I came not hither saith he to hear mine own Praises c. but briesly go to the matter without any more Circumstance Lambert being abashed at the Kings angry Words contrary to all mons Expectation stayed a while considering with himself what he might do in those great Straits and Extremities But the King being hasty with Anger and Vehemency said why standest thou still Answer as touching the Sacrament of the Altar whether dost thou say that it is the Body of Christ or wilt deny it and with that word the King lifted up his Cap. Then saith Lambert I answer with St Austin that it is the Body of Christ after a certain manner Answer me saith the King neither out of St. Austins nor by the Authority of any other but test me plainly whether thou sayest it is the Body of Christ or no Lambert replyed I deny it then to be the Body of Christ Mark well saith the King for now thou shalt be condemned even by Christ's own Words Hoc est corpus meum This is my Body When this was finished with great Triumphing amongst the Opponents and sundry other Arguments used by them against him all which were common and nothing sorcible the King asked him what sayest thou Art thou not yet satisfied Wilt thou live or dye Thou hast yet free choice Lambert answered I yield and submit my self wholly unto the will of your Majesty Then said the King Commit thy self unto the Hands of God not unto mine Lambert replyed I Commend my Soul unto the Hands of God but my Body I wholly yield and submit unto your Clemency The King replyed very smartly upon him if you do commit your self unto my Judgment you must dye for I will not be a Patron unto Hereticks And thereupon immediately caused the Sentence of Condemnation to be read against him which was Executed in a most terrible manner with greater Cruelty than ordinary Here if may be said was a Bolt soon shot which of it self in Reason could do no hurt but being backt with the Venom of Folly and Phrensie proved deadly For let all mankind judge who are able and impartial was not this a doughty Argument which that King used to drive a poor innocent Lamb to the Slaughter And will not the very Children of this Generation that are instructed in the knowledge of this Truth as it is here opened and made evident be amazed and ashamed to see the Holy Scripture so grosly abused in the maintenance of such a cursed Error Yet was this their Argumentum Achilleum their dead doing Weapon in those days of Ignorance and Cruelty and still is at this very day with our Catholicks falsly so called unless it be that they are of a Catholick Confederacy against Christ and his Gospel which we shall certainly find to our smart and sorrow if ever they come to prevail over us For their hoc est Corpus meum will
our Creed the Corner-Stone of our Religion must this be of necessity to Salvation No greater Truth than this which is no Truth at all O that men should not only forget themselves but God also and in their Zeal for their own vain Fancies utter words bordering upon Blasphemy I cannot likewise but protest against that which is written Page 23. where complaining of the neglect of Piety in this Age which is too true and a thing much to be lamented it is said that many masters of Families otherwise Sober Civil True Honest Upright Dealers and good Friends have wholly neglected Family-Duties c. God forbid that I or any man should speak or write a word against the Religious Exercises of good Christians in private that is and shall I hope be ever far from me let them still be continued in their due order provided that the publick service of God as it is now in use among us here in this Church and Nation be not thereby sleighted and brought into Contempt as it hath been in many places especially in populous Cities and Towns Nay it were much better that the Family-Duties were wholly omitted than the publick Worship of God in our Churches and Congregations should be despised The Church certainly hath taken great care for her Children in this matter appointing a method to be commonly used in the Service of God twice a day throughout the year morning and evening commanding the Holy Scripture to be read so daily that the Old Testament shall be read once every year and the New Testament thrice And were it so that the Church-Liturgy were exactly observed in every Church throughout the Nation Ministers and People heartily joyning together as the Common-Prayer-Book doth appoint what a Nation should we be of holy Zealots for Gods Glory Glory would then certainly dwell in our Land and never till then Jesus Christ would be in his Throne amongst us and God would delight in us as his peculiar People Then should we not need to fear the Encroachments of Popery upon us any more if we had once this Unanimity and uniformity setled among us in the daily service of our God O that God would be pleased yet to open the Eyes of the People of this Nation both high and low to see and understand this one needful thing that will above all things else bring Peace unto us and establish it Let Family-Duties I say again be performed in their due time place and order but let them yield the precedency to the publick which of late years they have not done the greater is our sin Yea though the private Piety and Zeal I mean that which is according to knowledge hath been the Fruit and Offspring of the publick Service of our God yet through the Malice of the Devil it hath come to pass that the old word is verified in our Land Filia devoravit Matrem the Mother which under God give a Being to the Daughter is devoured most viperously by her own Issue and the Daughter is perked up in her stead And though a spurious Brood of Errors doth commonly spring from her yet will she pretend that all saving Truth is confined to her private Conventicles Let this then be done and there will be no need to complain any more of the omission of Family-Duties Nor let any be scandalized at that which is here written in the behalf of our Book of Common-Prayer but for Lewis du Moulin's sake let men have better Thoughts of it who while he was in his Health and Jollity did possibly joyn with others in a prejudice against it but when he saw Death the Sergeant of Heaven ready to lead him before Gods Tribunal he then was of another mind to which purpose somewhat shall be here related of that which is published of him by a good hand when he lay dying Doctor Du Moulin having sent to the Reverend Dr. Patrick Dean of Peterborough to desire a Visit from him being of his Parish the Dean immediately upon the Evening of the same day went unto him and was Entertained with many Expressions of great Affection to him and high Esteem of him when after some comfortable words spoken to the sick man he endeavoured with meekness to convince him of his great Offence against the Church of England which he had wronged Intolerably to the great Gratification of its Enemies at such a time when all sober Men should be its Friends and without any real Cause for such imputations as he had charged upon it Whereupon Dr. Du Moulin replyed somewhat needless here to be repeated but yielded thus far as to say well Doctor pray to God to pardon me all my Sins especially my want of Charity Accordingly the Dean kneeled down by his Bed side and began with the Lords Prayer so proceeding to the other Prayers which are appointed by the Order in the Common Prayer-Book for the Visitation of the sick in all which the sick man joyned with lifting up his hands often and other Expressions of Devotion Especially at that passage in the Prayer when there appears small hope of Recovery give him unfeigned Repentance for all the Errors of his Life past c. He gave more than ordinary signs of his fervent Desire and when the Dean had done he gave him most hearty thanks and renewed his Expressions of extraordinary Affection to him and esteem or him A little after the Dean coming to see him again he was so affected with his Kindness in giving him a new Visit that he said Are you come again Sir O how charitable are you This is indeed to return me good for evil And after some discourse with him desired him to Pray with him again for your Prayers said he were very comfortable to me the last time And accordingly he did in the same form of words he had used before With which he was so much affected that when the Dean had solemnly commended him to Gods Blessing in that excellent Form Vnto Gods gracious Mercy and Protection we commit thee the Lord bless thee and keep thee c. he laid hold upon his hand which he held up over him and kissed it with an unusual Passion Such an Example as this one would think should incline People who are apt to speak evil of that excellent Form of Prayer prescribed by the Church in that Book and of the whole Method of Divine Service in it to be much humbled before God for their depraving it and to make better use of it than hitherto they have done by making it their daily Rule for the ordering of their publick and Family-Duties and Devotions with Reverence and godly fear The last thing that I shall here take notice of is that which is added toward the close of these Reflections viz. a plain contradiction of them and which overthroweth all that is before written of the general Damnation in these words They that find there is nothing but Wickedness in them and Death by sin and that
to raise when extraordinarily they are present the mind therefore feeling present Joy is always unwilling to admit any other Cogitation and in that case casteth off those Disputes whereunto the intellectual part at other times easily draweth c. Thus he And certainly it must be granted by all that he was in the right unles we will be still inquisitive after that which is infinitely above our reach and consequently break into Gods Pavillion where we shall find the dark waters that encompass it will inevitably swallow us up Neither will it be the pretended suffrage of the Antients that will keep us from sinking in this bold Presumption Pretended I say for all that our Pseudo-Catholicks of Rome have boasted of the Antient Fathers as if they were their Coryphaei in their Heterodox Opinions which they hold of this holy Sacrament are but Vanity And let this Eminent Divine approved even by them for his great Learning as shall here be made manifest be heard speak his Judgment also in this particular It appeareth not that of all the Antient Fathers of the Church any one did ever conceive or imagine other than only a mystical Participation of Christs both Body and blood in the Sacrament Neither are their speeches concerning the change of the Elements themselves into the Body and Blood of Christ such that a man can thereby in Conscience assure himself it was their meaning to perswade the World either of a corporal Consubstantiation of Christ with those sanctified and blessed Elements before we receive them or of the like Transubstantiation of them into the Body and Blood of Christ Both which to our mystical Communion with Christ are so unnecessary that the Fathers who plainly hold but this mystical Communion cannot easily be thought to have meant any other change of Sacramental Elements than that which the same spiritual Communion did require them to hold Which being so let the impartial Reader judge whether the Church of Rome hath not lost one of her strongest holds wherein many of her most able Champions have thought themselves to be impregnable It will be no offence I presume to transcribe thus largely the words of that Renowned Author For the plain truth is we who are Clergy-men are obliged in many Respects to be more diligent in perusing his Works then I doubt we are But however though we in this Generation sleight them they have certainly been of very high account with Learned men in former times And which is a thing not common two Kings there have been in our Land who for Learning and Piety were second to no Princes in their Generation that did much exâ—ol Mr. Hocker and his Works First King James of famous Memory gave this Commendation of him that he had received more satisfaction in reading a Leaf on Paragraph in Mr. Hookers writing of the Sacraments then he had in reading large Treatises of that subject written by others though very Learned Men. Again King Charles the blessed Martyr the day before his Death gave a charge to one of his Children the Lady Elizabeth which was to be imparted to the rest to be very conversant in good Books and among others he was pleased to name Mr. Hookers Ecclesiastical Policy which as he said would arm them against Popery And well may this be a Reflection upon us all that survive him If a Father when he is ready to dye shall thus instruct his Children and such a Father who is Pater Patriae Tanti Meriti Tanti Pectoris Tanti Oris Tantae Virtutis Pater as St. Austin said of St. Cyprian a Father so worthy so Wise so well Spoken so Virtuous so Learned a King that was as it hath been said of him in a publick Phrontistery a Defender of the Faith not only by his Title but by his Abilities and Writings a King who understood the Protestant Religion so well that he was able to defend it against the whole Conclave of Rome and Hell And when he knew it so throughly and died so Eminently for it it will concern us to be very wary how we depart from his Judgment by falling off to the apostatical Church of Rome But for such as have forgotten their Duty and Reverence to the late King our common Father and the Pious Advice that he left us such had need to have a very profound Judgment of their own to bear them out but that it is much to be doubted they will not in the end prove to be wiser than Dapiel as the word of Scripture is no nor so wise as our good Father King Charles the faithful Martyr who gave us all good Counsel if we had the Grace to follow it However if we be willing to be arm'd against Popery let us make use of such means which he commended unto us whereof this is one viz. to be diligent in Reading Mr. Hookers Ecclesiastical Policy Once more therefore I shall add here what the said Author writeth to our present purpose in the close of the same Paragraph wherein he hath not only excelled in casting down strong holds but all vain Imaginations 1 Cor. 10.4 or foolish Reasonings so the Apostles word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie that are exalted against the simplicity of the Gospel When I behold saith he with mine Eyes some small and scarce discernable Grain or Seed whereof Nature maketh a Promise that a Tree should come and when afterwards of that Tree any skilful Artificer undertaketh to frame some exquisite and curious Work I look for the Event I move no Question about performance either of the one or of the other Shall I then simply credit Nature in things natural shall I in things artificial rely my self on Art never offering to make doubt and in that which is above both Art and Nature refuse to believe the Author of both except he acquaint me with his ways and lay the secret of his skill before me Where God himself doth speak those things which either for Height and Sublimity of matter or else for secresie of performance we are not able to reach unto as we may be ignorant without Danger so it is no disgrace to confess we are ignorant Such as love Piety will as much as in them lieth know all things that God commandeth but especially the Duties of Service which they owe to God as for his dark and hidden Works they preserve as becomes them in such cases simplicity of Faith before that knowledge which curiously sisting what it should adore and disputing too boldly of that which the Wit of man cannot search chilleth for the most part all warmth of Zeal and bringeth soundness of Belief many times into great hazard Let it therefore be sufficient for me presenting my self at the Lords Table to know what there I receive from him without searching or enquiring of the manner how Christ performeth his Promise Let Disputes and Questions Enemies to Piety Abatements of true Devotion and hitherto in this cause but over-patiently