and all rabid cruelty and unheard of inhumanity and in that also the Church of Rome corrupteth yea annihilateth all the offices of Jesus Christ retayning onely his name but adulterating all true christian Religion and by consequence destroying the very humane nature of Jesus Christ making it present in many places at one and the same time and yet not visible a body and no body I say in all these respects a man may without any wrong done to the Church of Rome conclude that shee is no true Church nor the ground and pillar of Truth But to the end Mr. Montague that neither you or any other may think I do too highly prayse the Church of England for the purity of her Doctrine and worship and honouring of Christ or calumniate the Church of Rome when I charge her with all these things of adulterating all the true Christian Religion and annihilating all the offices of Jesus Christ c. I thought it very necessary here to parallell the Doctrine of the Church of England and that of the Church of Rome together that it may the more evidently appeare unto all men under one view as it were in a Table which of the two Churches believeth best concerning Christ his natures and offices and whether of these Religions is most sound and Orthodox touching all things necessary to be knowne and practised by all such as desire salvation by Jesus Christ And to begin with Christs Kingly office The Church of England believeth that Jesus Christ is the onely and sole King and governour of the whole Universe to whom all power in Heaven and Earth is given Mat. 28. but more especially of his Church who by God himselfe was set King over his holy mountaine Psal 2. v. 6. And that he is the King of Righteousnesse Heb. 7. The King eternall Jsa 9. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Apoc. 17. and that he doth by his mighty power and wisdom uphold and governe all things but with a more peculiar care and in a more speciall manner preserve and defend his Church 1 Tim. 4. v. 10. as that which he hath purchased with his precious blood and by his power redeemed out of the captivity and slavery of Satan and that he is the head of his Church which is his body who infuseth life into it Righteousnesse Peace Joy Happinesse and all the graces of Wisdome and knowledge of God with certainty and assurance of his love and that his Kingdom and Empire is a spirituall and heavenly Kingdome no terrene and fading Monarchy John 18. vers 38. Luke 1. v. 33. And is uphold and governed onely by the scepter of his spirit and word and not by the authority virtue or wisdome of any humane power Shee also believeth that they are the impious and blasphemous inventions of frothy and windy ambition to affirme that Christ appointed any one to be a Vicar and Governour under him over his Church who by an infallible and unerring spirit should moderate and rule it to the end of the World and to assert that Peter was this monarch and Vicar generall and that the Pope is his successor the head and foundation of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ all these assertions and blasphemous titles the Church of England abominateth as derogatory to the honour and dignity of their Lord and King Jesus Christ and injurious and hurtfull to the salvation of mankind Shee also believeth that the Church of Christ which is his Spouse is onely to be governed and ordered by Christ her head and husbands command Will Word and Lawes as they are set downe in his holy Word and not by the decrees determinations authority and traditions either of Councels or Fathers no farther than they are consonant to his Lawes and blessed Word as they are written and set downe in the Bookes of the old and new Testament Shee believeth also that the pure Preaching of the Gospel and the right administration of the holy Sacraments and the true invocation of God are the infallible ensignes of a true Church and the never deceiving markes and notes of the same Withall shee believeth that such is the condition of the Church militant that by reason of persecutions and bloudy Tyranny and the cruelty of the enemies of it she may be brought to so low a condition and be so obscure that shee may be without any visible forme splendor and outward government and lie hid not only from publike view or the eyes of the common people but even from the sight of the dearest servants of God themselves as it hapned not onely in Elias his time but in many ages besides as the holy Scripture abundantly declareth and that the Church doth not alwaies come with observation as our Saviour said of the Kingdom of God in his time that it came not with appearance and magnificence And therefore the Church of England doth not believe that pompe state and outward worldly dignity and riches miracles multitude and grandeur are the markes and notes of a true Church but rather the very characters of the whore of Babylon who sitteth as Queen And this is the beliefe of the Church of England concerning the Kingly Office of Christ and his Kingdome the Church Now Mr. Montague let us see what the Church of Rome believes concerning Christs Kingly Office and Kingdome that both our tenents and beliefes being set downe together it may the better appeare which of our faiths is most orthodox and which of our Churches doth most glorifie and honour Christ their King and magnifie his Kingly dignity and absolute soveraignty The Church of Rome doth in words acknowledge that Christ is the King of his Church but in their workes and deeds they deny it For they make him a terrene Monarch and his Kingdome to be of this world neither doe they admit and allow him to be the sole alone and onely King of his Church but they joyne a Vicar with him and divide the care of governing his Kingdome between him and his Vicar-generall the Pope who they assert to be of an infallible and un-erring spirit and proclaime him to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords the foundation and head of the Church and Lord of all the Kingdomes of the earth that he may dispose of them as he pleaseth and give them to whom he lusteth and take them from any that hath not a desire to humour him all which are titles of blasphemy and unsufferable indignity to the King of Saints and King of Kings the Lord Jesus Christ The Church of Rome believeth and holdeth also that the Kingdome of Christ which is his Church ought to be governed not onely by the Lawes and Word of Christ but by the determinations and decrees of Fathers Councels and Synods and by the Popes Canons and the vaine and impious traditions of men which they doe not onely equalize but preferre before the holy Scriptures They also affirme that the markes and notes of Christs Kingdome are multitudes
made them white in the blood of the Lambe therefore they are before the Throne of God c. Here you evidently see that the blessed martyrs which are now in Heaven have not attained unto that felicity and eternall glory by the merit of their sufferings but for that they were washed in the blood of the Lambe the Lord Jesus Christ And as it is not the suffering Mr. Montague but the cause that makes a martyr so it is not for that they passe through many tribulations that they enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but that they are washed in the blood of the Lambe and by that onely are made worthy to be Citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem for when we have suffered all we are but unprofitable servants and have done but our duty for our Saviour saith If any will be my Disciple let him take up his crosse and follow me I will adde but one instance more out of Matth. 11. Learne of me saith our Saviour for I am humble and meeke Doe you believe Mr. Montague that you can keepe or ever observe this commandement of Christ the Lord But if you could attaine unto the greatest degree of humility and meeknesse you were but an unprofitable servant and had done but your duty But how much more Mr. Montague have you and your Roman kindred to answer for your loftinesse and high opinions of your selves who stand upon your justification by your good workes and pretend yea and presume of your selfe-merits and of your workes of desert and that before God If this be not a transgression and a very rebellion against the Commandement I know not what prevarication and rebellion is Yea Mr. Montague if we could observe the whole Law and keepe all the Commandements for doing and suffering that ever God gave if we will be Christs Disciples we must ever say we are unprofitable servants and daily pray forgive us our sinnes and with the leper cry out We are uncleane we are uncleane and have continuall cause of deepe humiliation and selfe-deniall If they Mr. Montague which love God most and most diligently keepe his Commandements and yield the greatest obedience unto them have need yet of mercy how can any mortall man then merit before God who daily and hourely transgresseth all his glorious Commandements yet see what the Lord saith Exod. 20. ver 6. Shewing mercy to thousands of them that love me and keepe my Commandements Learn this lesson of Christ M. Montague to be humble and labour for selfe-deniall and a lowly spirit and meeke heart and with the Church of England and all the blessed Saints disavow your owne righteousnesse knowing that Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance such as are weary and heavy laden which only finde rest unto their soules and think not with the Romanists and justiciaries by your merits or good workes to scale Heaven but I intreat you to endeavor with us of the Church of England to enter into the most holy by the blood of Jesus by that new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vaile that is to say his flesh Heb. 10.19 20. If you enter not by this way M. Montague you wil never come thither But now to conclude this point That Church which doth believe in Jesus Christ renouncing all selfe-merit and teaches the way to Heaven by the blood of Jesus and by that new and living way that Church believes aright as it ought to believe and is built upon the foundation of Peter against which the gates of hell can never prevaile but the Church of England doth all this Ergo it is a true Church where salvation may be had And this note alone is an infallible and never deceiving marke of a true Church As for antiquity universality unity succession multitude visibility c. if they have not this doctrine joyned with them of the free grace of God and justification by faith in Christ alone they are but markes of errour and abomination which will seduce you from the right way and misleade you into by-paths where you will never finde rest for your soule And thus much I thought fit to speake of this point it being a fundamentall one and such an one as where it is not preached and published there can be no true Church And now I come to the other clause of this proposition viz. renouncing all will-worship and humane inventions in Gods service An eminent marke also of a true Church which when the Church of England doth it is manifest that it is a true Church For all men know that mixtures in Gods worship annihilates a true Church But following my former custome I will first signifie what I meane by will-worship and humane inventions in Gods service and then shew where they are entertained in Gods service and admitted they so adulterate his worship as he himselfe disavoweth it and affirms they serve in vaine By will-worship therefore and humane inventions I understand whatsoever either for Doctrine Service Discipline Ceremonies men out of vaine devotion doting or superfluous feare or unbridled errour or out of humane reason or hypocrisie or whatsoever other pretence they have out of their own brain excogitated and brought into the service worship of God or whatsoever they have added to his worship either of images or representations or traditions against his revealed will or without his expresse command and imposed upon the people as the worship and service of God and proclaime these their ordinances to be Gods service and worship and place holinesse and religion in the observation of them and account the neglect of them irreligion and prophanenesse and worthy of punishment and the submission to them piety religion and obedience which God notwithstanding proclaimes an abomination to him For piety and true religion proceeds from the right knowledge of God the first of the which is the reverence of God joyn'd with love which ariseth from the knowledge and contemplation of Gods manifold favours mercy and goodnesse towards mankind the second which is pure and true religion is faith joyned with a serious and earnest feare of God the which feare containes in it a voluntary and willing reverence and alwaies brings with it the right and exact forme of worshiping him which is onely that way of serving him which he hath prescribed in his holy Word which Word of God alone must be the rule of his worship and of all our obedience so that what he prescribeth and enjoyneth it is our duty both to know and performe and the neglect of which is sinne and whatsoever is contrary to this is either open idolatry or superstition because it is supra quod statutum est and therefore hatefull to God and abominable in his sight as his whole Word declares And as it is the glory honour and very note of a true Church to follow the rule of Gods Word in serving him so it is the evident marke of a false
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND A true Church PROVED In a Disputation held by JOHN BASTWICK Doctor in Physick AGAINST Mr. WALTER MONTAGUE in the TOWER Buy the truth and sell it not also wisdom instruction and understanding Prov. 23. v. 23. Where there is no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the Law happy is he Prov. 29. v. 16. Published by Authority LONDON Printed for A. Crooke and I. Rothwell and are to be sold at their shops in Pauls Church-yard 1645. To the Reader Christian Reader IF thou desire to know the occasion of the ensuing discourse betweene mee and Master Montague of whom I may say this although he be an enemy that hee is both generosus doctus adversarius thou shalt not onely be fully satisfied of the necessity of the publishing of it but mayst also finde the true Church by the essentiall and undeceivable notes of the same the which wheresoever they appeare doe abundantly prove and delucidate it to be a true Church Now when they are to be found in the Church of England as in all the reformed Churches it may truely be concluded of them all that they are true Churches from the which there is no just ground and cause of separation As for the Church of England I may ever affirme this as I have in the following Treatise evinced that since the Apostles times the Gospell and the saving truths thereof have never been more purely preached and more chearfully received imbraced and believed and the Sacraments more duely administred and the Name of God more truly invocated and called upon then now in the Church of England that all those that live in it owe their conversion to the Ministery of the same so that with all good reason wee may infer that that Church that teacheth the knowledge of the onely true God and whom hee hath sent Jesus Christ John 17. and is able to build them up in their most holy faith is a true Church and where salvation may be found And therefore not onely those of the Church of Rome that do calumniate her and all the reformed Churches for hereticall are in a great errour and blame-worthy but more especially those that had the worke of regeneration wrought in their hearts by her ministery and owe their conversion to her and yet doe asperse her with odious tearmes absolutely denying her to be a true Church all such I say are likewise to be reproved and have for this their temerity a great deale to answer for before God and all good men for by these their expressions they doe not onely proclaime their owne unthankefulnesse unto Almighty God but their undutifulnesse and ingratitude unto their mother and their uncharitablenesse towards their brethren whom they account of as a company of Insidels denying communion with them in holy things though every way as good and as holy as themselves by all which their proceedings they doe not onely cast filth in all their faces and expose themselves to the ludibree of the world and bring an odium upon the whole Church but are a cause of division and schisme in the seamlesse garment of Christ and give a great scandall to the enemies of the Gospell and to all such as love the truth in sincerity without faction contrary to the Apostles rule who exhorts all Christians to take heed that they give no offence to the Jew nor to the Gentile nor to the Church of God But that all men may see I charge none falsly nor wrong them not in any thing I shall here recite some expressions of their principall leaders and teachers for to enumerate them all would be an endlesse worke as I had them from their owne mouthes in the presence of others and as I finde them in their printed bookes By word of mouth they say That the Church of England is an arrant Whore and Strumpet and that she that was once a Whore can never be presented unto Christ as a chaste Spouse then the which what could be more contumeliosly disgracefully and untruly spoken especially when it is uttered by such as had the worke of grace and conversion wrought in their hearts by the ministery of the Church if they have any grace or were ever truely converted though now they have disobediently deserted and forsaken her In print thus they declare themselves concerning the Church of England and all believers and their fellow brethren in it That the Church of England is a true whorish mother and that they that are of her are base begotten and bastardly children and that she neither is nor never was truely married joyned or united unto Jesus Christ in that espousall band which his true Churches are and ought to be but is one of Antichrists Nationall whorish Churches and Cities spoken of Revel 16.19 c. That the Church of England is false and Antichristian and as shee is a false and Antichristian Church shee can never make true Officers and Ministers of Jesus Christ and absolutely deny that conversion and confirmation and building up in the waies of God are wrought by the Ministery of the Church of England for how say they can they build them up in that which they themselves are ignorant of and enemies unto For as Jannes and Jambres with stood Moses so doe these men also resist the truth being men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth c. This is their Dialect and further they assert That as they have taken paines by the Word of God and demonstrable arguments grounded thereupon to prove the Church of England Antichristian so they promise to all the world that they will in the strength of the Lord of Hosts for ever seperate from Cuurch Ministery and worship of England and all and every one of them as Antichristian and false And conclude that all the Ministers of the Church of England are not true Ministers of Christ but false and Antichristian Ministers and that our Religion neither is the true Religion nor that it leads men the true way to salvation and they affirme that they groundedly and absolutely deny that either the Church of England is or ever was a true Church And from many such premises as these they exhort all good people that are in the bosome of the Church of England as they love their owne inward peace and spirituall joy to withdraw their spirituall obedience and subjection from her Others of them esteem no better of their brethren then of Insidels Vnbelievers and Heathens and proclaime them in their writings published by authority to be men who deny disclaime and preach against Christs Kingly government over his Churches men unconverted or at least converted but in part wanting the maine thing to wit Christs Kingly Office men visibly out of the Covenant of grace who have not so much as an outward profession of faith who deny Christ to be their King to whose persons and infants the very Sacraments and Seales of grace with all Church-communion may and
ought to be denyed And this is the language and opinion of many as their Pulpits can witnesse and their Pamphlets declare in the which they signifie unto us likewise that they have not spoke all they can plead for themselves and against us but that they doe keepe a reserve donee ad Triarios redierit res untill it come to a dead lift in case they shall be brought before Princes and Rulers to give an account of what they do or desire These are their formall words and farther adde that we put them upon too unreasonable a taske to satisfie us in all that they do and desire Whereas Saint Peter in his first Epistle chap. 3. commands all Christians to be ready to give a reason of their hope to every one that shall demand it of them And as by such expressions as these it doth evidently appeare they jugle and deale not candidly with their brethren and according to the revealed Will of God and the example of Paul who delivered unto the Ephesians the whole counsell of God and kept no reserve donee ad Triarios redierit res untill it came to a dead lift and that he was brought before Kings Rulers but publiquely and privately from house to house night and day taught them the whole counsell and will of God and withheld nothing that concerned them to know or practice nor never ketp any reserve Act. 20. So also they publish their uncharitablenesse and unchristian dealing towards their brethren whiles they not onely conceale from them and keepe a reserve of such things as they pretend are conducible to bring them to salvation and to a more perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ and of the good will pleasure and waies of God but whiles they un-Church un-Christian and un-Minister them likewise and make them all no better then the off-scouring of the earth and a company of cast-awaies which they doe in word and deed as their daily practice doth testifie and manifest to all men when they separate from our Congregations and assemblies and proclaime us all a false and an Antichristian Church and enemies of Jesus Christ and his Kingdome Now that I may manifest unto all the World that the Papists who accuse our Church to be hereticall doe most impiously and malignantly abuse us and that all other that deny the Church of England to be a true Church doe also most maliciously and falsely traduce us and belie the truth and for the convincing of both their errours and maintenance of the truth and in the just defence of the Church of England and for the proving of her a true Church and for the stopping also of the mouthes of all gainsayers I have published the following discourse which if thou Christian Reader shalt peruse without a prejudicate opinion I doubt not but thou wilt finde arguments sufficient to prove the Church of England a true Church and firme reasons also to continue constantly in the communion and fellowship of the same and to abhorre those unwarrantable waies of separation howsoever in their mildest and sweetest discourses they account of all such as now stand up in the defence of the truth against the errours of the times as of a company of Wolves Beares Lyons and Tygers for this is the language they give us and that in such bookes as in which they professe meekenesse of spirit with whom they ought to have no fellowship and brotherly communion And if thou through the blessing of God upon the reading of it shalt reape any benefit by it I shall desire thee to give the glory to God who hath used me as an instrument and to esteeme of him who as he is and ever shall be filius Ecclesiae Anglicanae so thy servant for our Masters sake JOHN BASTWICK THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND a true CHURCH By JOHN BASTWICK Doctor in Physick Master MOUNTAGUE AS there is nothing in the World I more wish and earnestly pray for than that God may be glorified his name and truth known amongst all men that they may be saved so there is no man that doth more fervently desire and shal more diligently endeavour to the uttermost of his abilities to bring men into the right way how they may come to the knowledge of God and of themselves wherein consists their eternall happinesse than my selfe And this I take to be not onely my duty but the duty indeed of all those that call upon the name of God in sincerity And I am most assured that no ingenuous man will misinterpret this my zeale or blame my love or condemne me that I wish the common salvation of mankind and that they may both know and constantly persevere in that faith that was once delivered to the Saints of old Jude vers 3. which all Christians are bound earnestly to contend for especially if they consider that in all this my care I seeke not my selfe or any private emolument by it but that men may live happily and comfortably in this world and be perennally blessed when mortality shall be swallowed up of life And this was the principall cause that made me so willing to seeke your acquaintance and gratifie your desire which was that I would come and conferre with you about points of Religion in controversie betweene the Church of Rome and us I confesse there were many thousands in the Kingdom fitter for that imployment and that might have given better satisfaction in those questions than my selfe yet because I heard you had been many moneths in prison and had earnestly wished to discourse with any of our religion and none came to you as you signified to Master Lieutenant from whom you received this answer that he never had any notice of any such thing before this time and understanding withall that you had a desire in particular to dispute with me it made me the more willing to imbrace the occasion and chiefly because there went a great fame of you to be a man both of candour learning and ingenuity Which worthy praise of yours shall never be impeached by me neither will any man endeavour in the least to diminish it as I hope if you shall stand to your resolution and solemne promise which was that if any man could prove unto you that the Protestant Church or the Church of England was a true Church that then you would come to our Church and be of our profession All which you did in the presence of the Lieutenant and many other Gentlemen then and there againe seriously protest Now I say if upon evident demonstration and infallible arguments it shall appeare to all men that the Church of England is a true Church and where salvation may be found if you stand to your promise you must renounce the Church of Rome and become a sonne of the Church of England a true Protestant and in so doing you shall bring glory to God comfort to your soule and have the praise of all men for your integrity and faithfulnesse in your
promise But that all things may be without confusion and perturbation which cannot so well be avoyded in disputations and conferences I shall orderly and methodically set down what passed between us in our disputation and I will neither adde nor detract from the substance in any thing yea as neere as I can I will keepe the very expressions so that the Gentlemen that were there present when they see it may behold my faire dealing and faithfulnesse in relating every thing Which that I might the better doe I leaned not to my owne memory but made use of their notes that tooke our discourse and have reduced the whole dispute into that order that will make it easie to be understood and as I hope I shall dilucidatly prove the Church of England to be a true Church so also that the Scriptures of the old and new Testament containe all things in them sufficient and necessary for our salvation and that they are the onely and infallible rule to which all Christians are tyed to the end of the world and from which they are not to swerve or decline either to the right hand or to the left but are bound to make it and it onely the absolute rule for the regulating of their faith and the ordering of their manners The which two last propositions were accidentally started partly in examining the proofes and by your evasions and partly by reason of the Gentlemen that were standers by whom you Master Mountague and my selfe are beholding to for their faire carriage towards us both whom I could not but with honour mention not onely for their civility but indeed Christian behaviour But before I set downe my arguments for the proofe of the first question I shall crave leave to bring to your memory wherein I declared my selfe before them all that I agreed with you which was in this point that the ordinary way in Gods providence for the conversion and saving of men was the Church where the Gospell is preached which is the power of God to salvation Rom. 1. ver 14. according to that of Saint Paul the first Epistle to Timothy chap. 3. vers 14 15. These things I write unto thee hoping to come unto thee shortly but if I tarry longer that thou mayst know how thou oughtest to behave thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of truth In this verse the Apostle in an elegant metaphor compares Gods dealing in making knowne his will and pleasure unto his people and children to the customes of Kings and Princes who in publishing their minds and pleasures to their servants and subjects cause their Proclamations to be set up upon pillars in their houses and before their Palaces and in the Cities and Townes through their Dominions after they have proclaimed them by their Officers appointed to that purpose whether their people may have recourse to know their Royall pleasure And to this custome I say of the Potentates and Monarchs of the earth doth Paul allude in this his expression comparing the Church unto a pillar because in the Church the Lord Jesus the King of Saints and King of Kings doth declare his will and pleasure to his people what he would have them to doe and what he would have them leave undone what they should believe and what they should practice in the performance of all which they may assure themselves of his protection here and of full deliverance from all their enemies and of eternall felicity hereafter So that all those that desire to be saved and to know the true way to Heaven they ought to addresse themselves to the true Church which is the house of God the pillar and ground of truth Now that the Church of England is a true Church and the ground and pillar of truth is that Master Montague you deny and which is my taske to prove Which if I can evince you are bound by your promise to embrace it and to relinquish the Church of Rome But before I begin I thought good to mind you of this that it was your desire I should reduce all this discourse into order and send it to you and you promised me faithfully to answer it You may remember also that you left it arbitrary what Translation I should use either ours or the Rhemists for it was all one to me as I told you and you signified to me in the presence of them all that it was indifferent to you I have therefore made use of our owne because the Translation is best knowne to the people and the other hard to come by and also because many of the learnedâ—â— Papists that have read our last Translation have confest that it commeth farre nigher the originall than any of the former But if you shall hereafter except against it there shall be no difference about that in the handling of the controversie between us for I will then make use of yours But now I come to my argument which is this That Church that teacheth the way the truth and the life against which the gates of hell can never prevaile that is a true Church the house of God the Church of the living God the ground and pillar of truth in which salvation may be found But the Church of England is a Church that teacheth the way the truth and the life against which the gates of hell can never prevaile Ergo the Church of England is a true Church the ground and pillar of truth in which salvation may be found For answer to which you first made your apology that if I meant to proceed in a Syllogisticall way that you were no Schollâ—r To which I replying told you that I knew very well that you were a Scholler and that this way of disputing was the best means of finding out of truth and that I would leave my argument with you and not onely for you but for whomsoever you pleased to assist and help you To which you answered that it was fairly said and that it was a faire and syllogisticall way Notwithstanding you would reject your owne capacity to answer in such a way reiterating your former expression saying that you were no Scholler no Logitian no Philosopher But said you to justifie my selfe to these Gentlemen here I am content to answer to your syllogisme Then I told you that you must deny one of the propositions the major or the minor To which you answered I deny the minor it stands you upon to prove it Here I cite the words verbatim as I find them written by the Scribes But Master Montague before I come to the proofe of my minor give me leave to speake my opinion of you for I desire to traduce no man nor minorise the worth of any man I conceive that you are every way as learned and accomplished for all knowledge in your religion as any of that fraternity as well for your naturall abilities and endowments of wit and understanding
Church where either open idolatry or notorious superstition or mens traditions and devices domineere and are set up and countenanced for Gods service by what authority soever it be all which I understand by will-worship and humane inventions in Gods service so that that Church is reputed the true Church that serves God according to his will revealed in his Word and continues in its native purity and primitive simplicity and whose eares are not hanged with the Jewels of Jewish Paganish or Popish ceremonies and humane inventions for true religion doth not consist in the observation of the traditions of men and their pompous ceremonies but in the obeying of Gods Commandements that is in righteousnesse peace and joy of the holy Ghost proceeding all from a pure heart and conscience purged from dead works and faith unfeigned And thus much shall suffice to have spoken concerning my meaning of will-worship and humane inventions in Gods service all which are against his expresse word and adulterate his worship and annihilate a Church which things I will prove in order Moses the servant of the Lord as we read in Exod. 25. vers 40. had an expresse command when he was to make the Tabernacle that he should doe all according to the patterne he had seen in the mount So that if Moses that saw God face to face might not adde or put so much as a Law to the Tabernacle that God had not commanded him what boldnesse and impudence then is it in any man to dare to introduce any thing in Religion either for Doctrine Service Discipline or Ceremony that neither Christ nor his Apostles have taught or commanded especially when God in his holy Word hath commanded the contrary For in Deut. 4. ver 2. the Lord saith Ye shall not adde to the word which I command you neither shall ye diminish from it that you may keepe the commandements of God which I command you Now if the Church of the Jewes ought not to joyne or adde any thing to that which God commanded by Moses how much lesse ought the Christian Church to adde any thing to that which Christ and his Apostles and Evangelists have taught in the Gospell when they have so fully declared the will of God therein and in the fist chapter of the same booke verse 32. the Lord saith Ye shall observe to doe therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you ye shall not turne aside to the right hand or to the left Here observe that God forbids not onely to turn unto the left hand which is to say to doctrines manifestly wicked and abominable but he forbids them also to turne to the right hand which is of purpose spoke to prevent all mens inventions under what pretence or appearance soever of devotion or religion as of more cleanly neatly or decently serving God And in the 12. chapter vers 32. as if the Lord could never sufficiently enough have inculcated this precept upon them he saith Whatsoever I command you observe to doe it thou shalt not adde thereto nor diminish from it How then dare any either receive or admit the traditions and ordinances of men and joyn them with the Commandements of God when notwithstanding God enjoynes us onely to observe and doe what he commands without adding thereto or detracting from it And Prov. 24. ver 21. My sonne saith Solomon feare thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change for their calamity shall rise suddenly and who knoweth the ruine of them both In these words there is a command and in it a direction to all Israel teaching them what they should do and what they should not doe in Gods matters a precept both imperative and prohibitive and every word of it deserving due consideration and serious thoughts For howsoever this command was peculiarly given to the Israelites and especially concerned that government yet in the generall equity of obedience it concernes all Christians and bridleth them likewise from making any alteration or innovation in Gods ordinances and in his government established in his Church and prohibits all Christians to meddle with or have any communion with such as are given to change The principall observables in these words not accurately to handle them are briefly these First a duty enjoyned feare and that twofold towards God and towards the King and in the word feare synecdochically we are to understand all reverence towards God and indeed his whole worship which is to give him his due honour as in the same word is included all civill obedience and honour to those that are set over us in authority and that specified in expresse tearmes Feare God and the King The second observable implicitly set downe is the rule by which they should regulate their feare and obedience both towards God and the King and that was the whole Law both morall judiciall and ceremoniall and all that setled government as it was then by God himselfe established in the daies of David and Solomon by Gods owne commandment according unto the pattern the Lord delivered to David in writing and David to his sonne Solomon both for the place and manner of Gods worship and the ordering of the Kingdome which was to be perpetuated and continued without alteration or innovation till the comming of the Messiah without a speciall command and warrant from God himselfe and this Law and Word of God is that rule implicitly here set down from which they were not to vary or make any change but to observe that in ordering their feare and obedience both to God and the King For that feare and reverence only is pleasing unto God that is according to his owne command not that which we out of our owne braine imagine or what men conceive for the Lord abhors all such feare as is taught by the precepts of men Isaiah 29. ver 13. saying The feare towards me is taught by the Precepts of men And in the 15. of Matth. 9. our Saviour saith of such feare In vaine doe they worship me teaching for doctrine the commandements of men So that all that feare reverence and obedience that we desire or endeavour to honour God by if it have not a warrant our of his word it is displeasing unto him being will-worship And as our feare towards God must be warranted by his word so all our obedience to civill authority must be in the Lord for Magistrates and Governours in Israel and all Christian Governours at this day are commanded to rule and order their Kingdomes according to Gods Word as we may see Deut. 17. vers 18 19 20. and Joshua 1. And those Kings and Princes that rule not by Gods Word use not nor manage not a Kingdome but a robbery when they reigne not to this end that God may be glorified and his name honoured in their dominions Neither may they thinke them selves exempted for their greatnesse for St Paul saith Rom. 3. ver 19. Now we know
whole worship of God that the Scripture denyes that they feared the Lord vers 34. because they did after their former manners and did not according to the Statutes and Ordinances and after the Law and Commandements which the Lord commanded to the children of Jacob whom he named Israel and therefore our Saviour Christ pronounces them void of salvation affirming they worshiped they knew not what and the Iewes knowing what they did worship that salvation was of the Iewes Ioh. 4. So that the truth of what I asserted is manifest that humane inventions in Gods service and wil-worship adulterates a true Church and overthrowes Religion for God will indure no mixtures Now Mr. Montague if one should in every particular compare the Church of Rome with either the children of Jsrael in all their idolatries or with the Church of Samaria in all her superstitious and fained inventions and fee what ruin and calamity came upon them by it and how by their idolatries they deprived themselves of Gods favour and of salvation we shall finde that the Church of Rome doth as far exceede either of them in idolatry superstition and all manner of profanenesse and wil-worship as a giant in greatnesse doth a pygme and therefore Mr. Montague if the Church of Rome doth not repent and renounce all her will-worship and her humane inventions as the Church of England hath done shee will partake of the same plagues that the people of Israel and Samaria did in this world and finally be deprived of life eternall and all those that do partake with her in her sinnes must partake with her in her plagues therefore Mr. Montague follow Christs counsell come out of Babylon lest you partake with her in her punishment if you will continue in her sinnes Imitate in this the Church of England who obeying the voyce of Christ her head and husband and comming out of Babylon and flying all Idolatry and will-worship proves her selfe to be a true Church and built upon the foundation of Peter and to be the pillar of truth and where salvation may be had And this might suffice to have spoke of wil-worship but in way of a corollary and for direction to all Christans what order to take or what meanes to use for the triall of all Doctrines Disciplines Service or Ceremonies I shall adde a word or two more and so conclude this point Our Saviour in the 11 of Mat. vers 30. gives unto men a Rule of direction which if they follow it will preserve them from all error and keepe them in the right way of serving of God The Baptisme of John was it from Heaven or of men Answer mee saith he inferring if it were of men that then it ought not to be entertained in Gods worship and that the Jewes knew very well In the same manner ought all Christians to examine and try every doctrine either of service ceremony or discipline whether it be of God or of men according to this Rule of Christ and that of Saint Paul in the first of the Thess chap. the 5. v. the 21. Try all things and keepe that which is good Now then Mr. Montague if we examine whose image and superscription every Ordinance beares and carries with it whether Cesars or Gods that is whether it be prescribed by human or Divine authority all the controversy then would speedily be ended for if it be of God and warranted by his Word then all ready obedience is to be yeilded unto it without reluctation when under that notion it is prescribed and ordered by the Magistrate But if it be a meere humane invention and hath no warrant from God our Father we ought to reject it So saith St. Paul the first of the Cor. chap. 7. v. 24. Brethren yee are bought with a price be not servants of men And in the first Chap. of the Epistle to the Gal. v. 8.9 But though we or an Angel from Heaven preach unto you otherwise than that we have preached unto you let him be accursed As I said before so I say now againe if any man Preach unto you otherwise than that yee have received let him be accursed Here the Apostle doubles the curse upon all such as shall teach otherwise for Doctrine Service Discipline or Ceremonies than they were taught by him and the other Disciples And by his owne example in the verse following he teacheth us plainly that if we goe about to please men in receiving their Doctrines we cannot be the servants of God for we cannot serve two masters his words are these verse 10. For do I now perswade or preach mans doctrine or Gods or do I seeke to please men for if I yet pleased men I should not be the servant of Christ all therefore that intertaine and admit of humane inventions in Gods service and worship are proclaimed by the Apostle the servants of men and not of God A businesse of great concernment and worthy of due consideration And truly Mr. Montague if a man should run through all the new Doctrines for Service Discipline and Ceremonies in the Church of Rome and inquire whether they were from Heaven or of men we shall not in all Gods Word find any warrant for them for they are all the inventions of crafty men who imployed their wisdome and abilities of understanding to amuse the people with these outward performances and kept them from the glorious light of the Gospell that by this meanes having put out that shining and burning Candle of Truth they might better vent their Romish ware in the darke and lead the people into errors and by-wayes to the distraction and ruin of their poore soules for imposing upon them all their traditions and will-worship as the service of God and punishing the least neglect of their Ordinances with greater severity than the breach of all Gods Commandements it is manifest to all men that they are not onely the servants of men but lyable to the curse the Apostle here pronounces against all those that teach otherwise than they have received from him and make the poore people also subject to the same condemnation And therefore the Church of England in consideration of the great danger shee was in by reason of the prodigious idolatry and will-worship of the Church of Rome hath timely renounced all these inventions of men and serves God now in spirit and truth as all those that worship aright do John 4. and cleaves only to Jesus Christ and his teaching disavowing all humane inventions in Gods service and therefore is built upon the foundation of Peter and believes as it ought to believe And thus much I thought fit to speak concerning Will-worship And now I am come to the third part of my proposition viz. that the Church of England continueth stedfastly in the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets An infallible marke of a true Church By stedfastly continuing I understand such an adhering and cleaving to the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles
is of all Christians It was the praise of all the Christians of the Primitive Church that they continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayer Acts 2. ver 42. and that they searched the Scriptures as the Bereans And Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians chap. 2. vers 19 20. for their comfort tels them that they were not strangers and forainers but Citizens with the Saints and of the hâ—ushold of God and confirmes it unto them with a strong reason that they were the people of God and a true Church because saith he Ye are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner Stone So that to continue constantly in the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles is an irresistible argument and proofe of a true Church and that it is built upon the foundation of Peter Which when the Church of England continueth in swarving in nothing from that rule but alwaies hearing the voice of Christ it is manifest they are his sheep and are of God for so saith Christ John 8. ver 7. He that is of God heareth Gods Words ye therefore heare them not because ye are not of God speaking there to the unbelieving Jewes And chap. 10. My sheepe saith he he are my voice ver 27. And in Chap. 18. ver 17. Every one saith Christ that is of the truth heareth my voice And St. John in his first Epistle chap. 4. ver 6. saith We are of God he that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth us not Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error In these words St. John confirmeth that his own doctrine and the doctrine of all the Apostles was the assured Word of God and that they that were of God did heare it and that they that did not heare it that is obey it were not of God and that by this doctrine alone all men might distinguish truth from errour they that heare this doctrine are of the truth they that heare it not are led by the spirit of errour and are in darknesse Now then Mr. Montague when the Church of England in all things heareth the voyce of Christ and cleaveth onely to the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles the Church of Rome is not grounded upon the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles but upon their vain traditions doctrines of men and will not suffer the Word of God to be read amongst the people nor permit the voice of Christ to be heard amongst them this necessarily followes from thence that the Church of England is a true Church and built upon the foundation of Peter and the Church of Rome is a false Church and founded upon errour and delusion And therefore Mr. Montague if you desire salvation come out of that confused Babylon into the bosome of the Church of England that teacheth the way the truth and the life and you will finde rest unto your soule And this shall satisfie to have spoken of this third part of my proposition Now I come to the fourth part viz. that in the Church of England the Gospell is purely preached repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ and the Sacraments rightly administred and in which there is the true invocation of God Another infallible and never deceiving note of a true Church which were it single and alone were sufficient to evince to the whole world that the Church of England is a true Church and built upon the foundation of Peter and therefore believes as it ought to believe By the pure preaching of the Gospell and right administration of the Sacraments and the true invocation of God I understand when all things are done in the ministry and preaching of the Gospell and administration of the Sacraments and invocation of the name of God and prayer according to Christs institution and according to the commission delivered unto the Apostles without addition of any thing or diminution but observing all things according unto the rule prescribed in all punctuall manner by such as God hath fitted for wisdome learning and all divine knowledge for that holy imployment and who doe accordingly in all uprightnesse sincerity and godly simplicity following the example of Paul 2 Cor. 2. vers 17. We saith he are not as many which make merchandise of the Word of God but of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God speake we in Christ The Apostles did nothing in the ministry craftily or coveteously or lesse sincerely than they ought as more fully is expressed in chap. 4. ver 2. where he saith We have cast from us the cloake of shame and walke not in crafrinesse neither handle we the Word of God deceitfully but in declaration of the truth we approve our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God The Apostles preached the Gospell without subtilty and deceipt seeking no lurking-holes to cover their shamelesse dealing they preached not with excellency of words as Paul in 1 Cor. 2. declares or of wisdome in shewing the testimony of God which was the Gospell neither was their word and preaching in the inticing speach of mans wisdome but in plaine evidence of the Spirit and of power and not for self-ends After this example of the blessed Apostle is the Gospell preached by the Ministers of the Church of England who dispense the Ordinances according to their Commission neither adding nor detracting from it in any thing but withall care sedulity and watchfulnesse without base ends and self-respects attend upon the Ministry in their particular places and as they are made Watchmen unto their flockes by God himselfe so they receive the word from his mouth and give warning to the people Ezek. 3. ver 17. and they swerve not from the rule which will the better appeare if we examine the Commission the Lord Jesus gave to the Apostles Matth. 28. ver 19. Goe therefore saith Christ and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway untill the end of the world Their commission was limited that they should speake nothing but what Christ commanded them nothing of their owne heads and braines and keeping themselves within their limits they were ever sure of Gods presence and assistance who had promised them and all their successours in so doing to be with them to the end of the world they were bound therefore to teach nothing but Gods commands and that the holy Apostles observed and commanded all men though an Angel from Heaven should teach otherwise than they had taught them not to heare them under a fearefull curse Galat. 1. Now when the Church of England diligently keepes it selfe to the Commission given by Christ unto his Apostles and preaches the Gospell in all purity without any mixture of their owne
is to a hireling and daily labourer and that their Priests can forgive sinnes as Judges by their owne authority This Master Montague you know is the doctrine and faith of the Church of Rome and a great deale more such stuffe Now I intreat you candidly to tell me whether in your opinion the faith of the Church of Rome or the beliefe of the Church of England concerning Christs Priestly Office be more orthodox and which of them giveth most honour to their Mediator she that ascribeth the whole worke of her redemption to him alone or she that robbeth him of all his Priestly honour and Mediatorship Truly Master Montague if you will but duely consider this businesse and weigh it as it ought to be weighed you will quickly perceive that the Church of Rome doth in word onely acknowledge Christ to be a Priest and Mediator but in deeds and workes overthrowes the right and power of his Priesthood And to speake the verity there can be nothing more blasphemously thought imagined or practised against the honour and dignity of the Lord of life the onely and sole Mediator and high Priest of the everlasting covenant then that the Church of Rome doth against him robbing him of his due glory and overthrowing indeed the whole worke of our redemption making our selves and others our owne saviours and mediators and not Christ alone to whom all the honour and praise of our redemption of due belongeth I could be very large Mr. Montague in aggravating of the impiety and blasphemies of the Church of Rome concerning this point but I will say no more of it for the present but this that it is a doctrine that overthroweth all Christian religion and destroyeth the very foundation of our faith And now I come to the Propheticall Office of Christ where we will briefly take notice whether the Church of England or the Church of Rome be most orthodox in their faith concerning Christs Propheticall Office and which of them more venerably believeth touching that or giveth most honour to Christ the onely Prophet of his Church The Church of England believeth that Jesus Christ was appointed by God himselfe to be the onely and sole Prophet Pastor and Teacher of his Church and that he hath fully and perfectly revealed the whole counsell and will of God concerning the redemption of mankind and preached the Gospell and glad tidings of peace unto the World the which Gospell he doth daily vegetate and quicken in the soules of his people by his holy Spirit and corroborate and confirme by the holy Sacraments And she believeth that he hath delivered all things unto the Church that God the Father commanded him necessary for our salvation and that we are onely to heare him in all things whatsoever he shall say unto us and that every soule that shall not heare that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people Deut. 18. v. 18. Matth. 3. v. 17. Matth. 17. v. 5. Acts 3. v. 22 23. And the Church of England believeth also that Jesus Christ did not onely declare and preach the whole and perfect Will of God unto the Church but also that whatsoever was necessary to salvation was written and penned by his appointment and direction and especiall assistance and is all contained in the writings of the old and new Testament and that not in obscure and ambiguous words but in plaine and evident expressions as farre as is necessary to salvation all which in the sequell of this discourse will be made evident She also believeth that all the people ought according to Christs command read them and that the holy Scriptures are the onely Judge of all controversies and have no need of any humane traditions And she farther believeth that we are to serve and worship God onely as he hath appointed in his holy Word and in the divine Scriptures as Christ the Prophet of his Church hath commanded in them and that whatsoever doctrines not expressed and contained in the Scriptures and written Word or grounded upon it or evidently deduced from it are not to be entertained received or obeyed but to be cast out of the Church as abominable things such as are prejudiciall not onely to our salvation and comfort but injurious also and derogatory to the honour of our great Prophet Jesus Christ whom we are commanded only to heare and listen unto And therefore the Church of England doth reject all those doctrins of Will-worship Image and Crucifix worship Bead worship Bread worship Place worship and all Saint and Angell worship and all those doctrines of Service Letanies Ceremonies and indulgencies and those of Fast-daies and Feast-daies all doctrines of Masses and Sacrifices for soules in Purgatory and prayers for the dead with all their doctrines of Pilgrimages and Monkery with their doctrines of devils prohibiting meats and marriage and all those doctrines of the reall and corporall presence of Christ in their blasphemous sacrifices destructive to the humane nature of Jesus Christ making it present in numberlesse places at once and enervating and overthrowing the al-sufficiency of Christs sacrifice And all their doctrins of transubstantiation self-merit works of supererogation and all the other doctrins they teach in the Church of Rome which would both endlesse needlesse to recount the observing of the which is the onely imployment of the Church of Rome the Church of England doth detest as execrable abominations because our Prophet Christ Jesus hath no where taught them in his holy word which must be the only rule of our faith and worship to the end of the world But now let us heare what the Church of Rome believeth concerning the Propheticall office of Christ that we may see how honourably she esteemeth of it The Church of Rome in word acknowledgeth that Christ was by God appointed to be the Prophet of his Church notwithstanding in deeds they deny that Christ did reveale the whole will of God unto the Church in the holy Scriptures and affirmes that the Scriptures were accidentally written and not purposely to be the rule of faith which by its clarity and brightnesse should determine the controversies in Religion they affirme also that the holy Scriptures are darke and obscure and very dangerous for lay-men and therefore that they are to be taken from them and that the Church hath need of the authority of Fathers and Councels and the helpe of Traditions for the compleating of the holy Scriptures and the making of them a perfect and absolute rule both of our faith and worship whereupon they bring in all those abominable doctrins and traditions I even now made mention of many more and thrust them upon the people as the worship and service of God and by the observation of the which they may merit Heaven as they say when neverthelesse there is not one word in all the booke of God concerning any one of them or any thing delivered by our Prophet Christ Jesus touching them all which things are as
the regulating of our Faith and manners and ought to be the onely square and rule of all our thoughts words actions and of our faith and doctrines unto the end of the world and that there is no need of any humane traditions for the compleating of them and making of them perfect and intire and that all doctrines that are not either grounded upon the expresse words of the Scriptures or evidently and by good consequence deduced from thence ought to be rejected and to be abandoned I pray Master Montague what thinke you of the state and condition of such a man living and dying in this faith Can this his so believing any way prejudice his eternall salvation though he never heareth of any of your traditions or unwritten verities which you notwithstanding affirm are to be entertained with equall beliefe that the holy Scriptures are by us received and imbraced I say if he never heare so much as of the name of your Traditions and of your Councels Canons or Inâ—unctions will not his faith in the holy Scriptures alone imbracing the doctrine revealed in them and believing that they containe all things in them necessary to salvation save him eternally If you shall affirme the contrary you will not fight against mee but against God himselfe and give the Spirit of God the lie who hath so often declared that believing those things that are writ in the holy Scriptures it will save our soules Againe Master Montague I demand of you what you thinke of the condition of that Christian that shall peremptorily believe that all those Traditions of Purgatory and humane satisfactions of Will-worship and Image-worship of Self-merits and workes of Supererogation of Indulgences and Pilgrimages of praying to Saints and Angels and all the other bundles of your Traditions thrust upon the poore people as the service of God and the meanes by which they may please God are detestable abominations as being things full of blasphemy placing our redemption in other meanes than in the bloodshed and meritorious death and passion of Jesus Christ and denying the perfection of the holy Scriptures and equalizing or rather preferring the Traditions and Inventions of the Pope the enemy of the Lord Jesus before the authority of the written Word which was dictated by the Spirit of Christ himselfe the onely and sole Prophet of his Church whom wee are commanded onely to heare and obey in all things that he hath declared in his blessed Word which is for ever to be the rule of our faith Doe you conceive Master Montague that any Christian so believing and persevering in this his beliefe unto the last houre of his death it can any way prejudice his salvation If you say it may give me I beseech you your reason for sinne onely excludeth men out of Heaven shew me therefore what Law of God any Christian transgresseth in believing Christ to be the onely Prophet of his Church and that he hath fully revealed the Will of God his Father concerning the redemption of man-kind and that this his Will and good pleasure is as much as is necessary to the salvation of the Church is fully set downe and contained in the holy Scriptures and that the written Word of God is compleat in it selfe without any humane Traditions and that we are bound to make that onely the rule of our faith and manners and to reject all doctrines whatsoever are not grounded upon the written Word and much more all such doctrines as lead us from Christ and teach us another way to Heaven than he hath taught us who is our onely Prophet and another way of serving God than he hath appointed I pray Master Montague is the obedience of any man to Christ our Prophets command a sinne or transgression of his holy Law If you say so then you make that a sinne which God accounteth of as a vertue and obedience to his blessed Will and Word and so by your traditions breake the Commandements of God and our glorious Prophet Christ Jesus and by that as by all your other damnable doctrines proclaime your selves open transgressours of his holy Lawes which without speedy and hearty repentance will bring you to eternall perdition Againe Master Montague I intreat you candidly to tell me what you thinke of the condition of such a man as shall believe that Christ Jesus is the onely and sole Priest of the new Testament and that hee by his obedience death and passion and by the Sacrifice of himselfe once offered upon the Crosse when he was made sinne for us who knew no sinne hath reconciled God the Father unto us and made for ever our atonement with him and laid downe a sufficient ransome for our redemption by the which we are freed from both the guilt and punishment due to our sinnes and transgressions and that the vertue of this his sacrifice as it is ineffable and everlastingly able to save all such as believe in him so it is never to be reiterated but to be applyed unto the soule and hearts of men by such meanes onely as God himselfe hath appointed viz. by the vertue and powerfull working and operation of the holy Ghost by the preaching of the Gospell by the administration of the holy Sacraments by faith and prayer and that hee is our onely high Priest and Mediator both of satisfaction and intercession by whom alone wee have continually accesse to the Throne of grace and that in his Name onely and through his mediation wee are to put up all our prayers supplications and thanksgivings unto God the Father and that there are now no reall Priests on earth for the offering up of any propitiatory Sacrifice for the reconciling of God unto us or any other Mediators in Heaven between God and us that can make God propitious unto us but the man Christ Jesus Tell me Master Montague sincerely what you thinke of the state and condition of such a man living and dying in this faith Can this his beliefe any way prejudice his salvation though he never heare of your Romish Priests whom you affirme to be reall Priests after the order of Melchisedeck and assert that they offer up the body and blood of Jesus Christ daily a propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead Can this his faith I say prejudice the salvation of any man though he never heareth such doctrines as these be or can this his faith prejudice his eternall happinesse though hee never heareth of any other Mediator of the new Testament but Jesus Christ alone or never prayeth to Saint or Angell to entreat their mediation for him with God the Father but onely putteth up all his prayers and praises in the Name of Christ alone I beseech you Master Montague tell me if hee never heard so much as the name of any reall Priests besides Christ or of any other Mediator but of Jesus Christ or of any other propitiatory Sacrifice but of that onely which Christ offered to God the Father upon
more instances Mr. Montague might be produced where Christ the King of his Church commandeth and the Pope prohibits and where Christ prohibits and forbids and the Pope commands the contrary and where the Church of Rome in all things obeyes the Pope and disobeyes Christ by all which it may now easily appeare whether of the two Churches the Church of England or the Church of Rome is more orthodox in their doctrine and whether of them gives most honour to Christ But let me intreat you Master Montague ingenuously to answer me whether that Church that doth all that her Lord and King commandeth her and declineth all hee forbids her and gives her King all that due reverence and dignity that belongeth unto him doth not honour Christ more than that Church that regardeth neither his commands nor prohibitions but neglecteth them both and trampleth all his Lawes under her contaminated feet I am most confident Mr. Montague that upon your mature deliberation you will grant unto the Church of England that preeminency that she is more obedient to Christ her King and more honours his Kingly Office than the Church of Rome and that Christ is King unto the Church of Rome in word onely but in workes and deeds they neither regard either what he commands or what he forbids But now I come to the Priestly Office of Christ concerning which Mr. Montague I shall desire you seriously to weigh and examine the faith and beliefe of each Church concerning that and which of them believeth most orthodoxly and honoureth Christs Priestly Office most whether the Church of Rome or the Church of England Upon triall I believe it will appeare in this point also that the Church of Rome maketh the Priesthood of Christ a matter of nothing howsoever in words they acknowledge it The Church of England believeth that Christ Jesus was appointed and sealed by God himselfe to be the alone and onely mediator between God and man and that he onely has compleated and in all things fulfilled the whole Law of God and satisfied his justice and wrath by paying the ransome due for our transgressions when he offered himselfe a sacrifice propitiatory upon the crosse for our sins She believeth also that Christ alone doth now make request for us with God in whose Name all the faithful with confidence and boldnesse have continually accesse unto the Throne of grace with full assurance to be heard She believeth likewise that Christ alone is Mediator both of redemption and intercession and that we are not to put up our petitions and supplications either to Saints or Angels as being a thing derogatory to the dignity and glory of our Mediator the Lord Jesus Christ and a meere robbing him of his due honour She believeth in like manner that Christ is the onely Priest of the new Testament and that there are no other reall Priests on earth appointed by God to offer up Christ daily to God the Father a propitiatory Sacrifice for the living and for the dead and that it is blasphemy against the eternall Priesthood of Christ so to affirme She believeth also that the Sacrifice of Christ being of an infinite vertue and efficacy is to be applied to all believers by such meanes onely as God himselfe hath appointed as by the vertue and power of the holy Ghost and faith by the preaching of the Gospell and the right administration of the holy Sacraments and Prayer and that this Sacrifice offered upon the crosse was most perfect and absolute and ought not to be reiterated and renewed by any man upon the earth and that the reiteration of it is both derogatory to the al-sufficiency of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ and pernicious to the soules of men and indeed a meere blasphemy She believeth further that we being cloathed with the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ our high Priest and Mediator and appearing before God in it that we are freed by vertue of that both from the guilt and punishment of all our sinnes and are accounted righteous before God She believeth also that the blood of Jesus Christ and that onely purgeth us from all our sinnes and that there is no other Purgatory by which the soules of men are purified and cleansed from their impurities and pollutions and that there is no man living that can either by doing or suffering satisfie the justice of God much lesse merit or doe workes of supererogation and that the preachers of the Gospell have onely power delegative ministeriall and conditionall to forgive sinnes as Ambassadours and not as absolute Judges and that this Office is peculiar to God and Christ alone as our high Priest and Mediator of the everlasting covenant And this is the faith of the Church of England concerning Christs Priestly Office The beliefe of the Church of Rome is this that Christ is the Mediator of satisfaction and redemption but they assigne the other part of his mediation and intercession to Saints and Angels and the prime place of that imployment they give unto the blessed Virgin who they call the Queen of Heaven and the doore of Paradise and they put up their prayers and requests to her and other Saints and Angels hoping to be heard which is nothing else but to allow Christ a momentany or temporary and partiall mediation and to give unto the Saints and Angels that everlasting and never dying intercession then the which there cannot be a greater contumely and indignity offered to the eternall Priest our Mediator Jesus Christ it taking away so great a portion of honour from him and to speake in plaine English it is an unsufferable blasphemy The Church of Rome appointeth other Priests also after the order of Melchisedech to offer up Christ himselfe daily as they say to God the father a propitiatory Sacrifice for the living and the dead which is nothing else but blasphemously to insimulate and accuse Christs Sacrifice of imperfection The Church of Rome also asserteth and believeth that the righteousnesse of Christ our Mediator is not imputed unto us and affirmes that by Christs merits and passion we are onely freed from the guilt of our sinnes but not from the punishment of them that we our selves must satisfie the punishment She believeth also that we are able in this life if we will our selves not onely to satisfie the justice of God and keepe the Law but also to merit and doe workes of supererogation She farther believeth that if any man depart out of this life before he hath fully satisfied God for his sinnes that then he is to remaine in a place called Purgatory there to be tormented and purged from all his pollutions and defilements that there is no entrance into Heaven or redemption out of that place without an especiall indulgence from the Pope or innumerable Prayers and Masses for their soules before they by torment are cleansed from the remainder of all their sins She believeth also that life eternall is of debt due unto us as wages