nothing during the Fast. Nothing at all If our Fast be for a day we are to eat nothing till night when the Fast is ended Such was Nineueh's Fast. Nor can that be a Fast of fourtie dayes in which space any thing is eaten or drunke But is that a Fast to eat no Flesh and to fill the stomacke with good Fish and the best Wine To eat no Butter but the purest Oyle To eat no Egges but the most restoratiue Figges Sint tibi Iâ—iunia pura casta simplicia moderata non superstitiosa saith St IEROME Quid prodest c. What auailes it not to eat Oyle and to seeke out meats hard and troublesome to be gotten As dryed Figges Pistacke nuts Almonds Dates Meale and Honey Tota hortorum cultura vexatur vt cibaria non vescamur pane dum delicias sectamur a regno Caelorum retrahimur All the Gardens and Orchards must bee troubled to serue our palate And while wee follow such delicacies wee are haled away from the Kingdome of Heauen And why should our Authour impose vpon vs such a Lent-Fast as a matter of Religion and a speciall part of his Deuotion Whereas this Noble and Religious STATE doth not prescribe or inhibite the vse of any Creatures but out of a ciuill regard and for a ciuill end In that case doe not men take Licences from the Exchequer And doth not the KINGS Proclamation inioyne forbearance of Flesh during that time of the Spring and that expresly for the increase of Cattle But if our Authour will needs vrge the Authoritie of the Church for the Lent-Fast I doe but referre him to the Order of Pope VRBAN the third afore cited We know no such constitution in the Church of England Neither after CHRISTS Resurrection wherein all Iewish ceremoniall obseruation of dayes was abolished remained in Scripture any one day in the weeke or weeke in the moneth or moneth in the yeere to be religiously and yeerly obserued of Christians but onely the Lords day The Church of Galathia intangling herselfe in Iewish Ceremonies the Apostle sharply reproueth them saying Ye obserue dayes and moneths and times and yeeres I am in feare of you least I haue bestowed on you labour in vaine This was as he tells them to begin in the Spirit and to end in the Flesh. And Col. 2.16 17. Let no man iudge you in meat or in drinke or in respect of an Holy-day or of the new Moone or of the Sabbaoth-dayes which are a shaddow of things to come but the Body is Christ. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the World Why as though liuing in the world are ye subiect to Ordinances Touch not tast not handle not which all are to perish with the vsing after the Commandements and Doctrines of men c. But now they that goe about to destroy or at least to defalke from the due obseruation of the Lords-day consisting in all religious exercises both publicke and priuate excluding all prophane pastimes and licentious mad mirth so as Christians being thereby inured to a religious conformitie of life in all seemely sobrietie haue the lesse need of superstious obseruations to be imposed or obtruded vpon them for their priuate humiliation seeing the whole tenure of their life is a constant walking in a sober and moderate course not mad to day and sad to morrow for fashion so adding drunknesse to thirst and neuer well as we say full nor fasting whereas euerie day to a true Christian is a day of sobrietie and all his life a Lent while all along his life is seasoned and sanctified with a conscionable keeping of the Lords day wherein he prouides his store for euerie weeke I say they that goe about to cut away a a great part from the religious and sober keeping of the Lordsday no maruel if they would fill vp the want of true Religion with some satisfactorie Superstition of mans deuising and so to expiate all the yeeres prophanesse with the seeming sanctitie and superstitious solemnitie of a pretended Lenten Fast which indeed is no Fast as men doe vse it And yet for all it is so abused it hath monopolized and ingrossed to it selfe all other true Fasts wherein Gods people in time either of any present publicke calamitie or eminent danger ought to be humbled in making their peace with God deprecating as the sinne so the punishment the consequent fruit of it But the Lent-Fast must keepe out all beat downe all other Fasts Good Lent either fast as thou pretendest thou shouldest or giue place to other Fasts which being performed as they ought may stand in the gap to turne away that wrath which thy Superstition and Hypocrisie is like to bring vpon vs. But the Authour cites St IEROME to proue the Quadragesimall Fast to be an Apostolicke constitution Indeed we read of one ABDIVS who tells strange Tales of St MATHEVV the Euangelist and among the rest that he taught that Saints must looke to goe into Heauen by their Merits That the time of Lent must be kept with abstinence from Flesh from coniugall beneuolence or else a man becomes polluted and commits a haynous offence which must be washed away with many teares These and other the like be so likely to be true as it may be lawfull for vs to belieue St MATHEVV wrot one thing and spake another But we must know that the Misterie of Iniquitie began to worke euen in those prime times while Satan wanted not his Instruments to lay the foundation thereof in superstitious Deuotions the strongest supporter of Antichrist As for S. IEROME and other of the Ancients who knowes not that many things of this nature haue been foysted into their Workes Neither is it necessarie that we should either labour in all things to cleare the Fathers nor in euerie thing to follow them But howsoeuer our Authour would draw down the Lent-Fast from the obseruation of the Church although he still meanes the Church of Rome yet wee know that the ancient Churches which were no members of the Church of Rome but as all then were ioynt members of the Catholike did obserue their Quadragesima after a different sort both for the time and manner Socrates who was much about the time of S. Ierome saith that in those dayes Qui sunt Roma c. They that are at Rome do Fast three weekes before Easter the Saturday and the Lords day onely excepted In Illyria and all Greece at Alexandria they begin their Fast 6 weekes before Easter and call that time Quadragesima Others begin their Fast 7. weekes before Easter although they keepe their Fast but 15. of those dayes scattered â—mong the rest and yet they call that time Quadragesima too Nor differ they onely about the time but about the maner of abstinence For some eate Fowles and Fishes as both comming of the water Others abstaine from shel-fruits and eggs some feed onely vpon drie bread and others
his Doctrine to wit not to worship those Images with the worship of Latria nor otherwise simply but with relation to the Prototype So that for ought we know the Authour implyeth that some kind of adoration may be either giuen to the Image respectiuely to the Prototype or at least before the Image to the Prototype Againe he saith They that are worshippers of Idols or representments of false Gods This clause is wholly Iesuiticall See the Doway translation on Exod. 20. where the Iesuites allow none other Images to bee forbidden in the second Commandement but onely Idols and those forsooth are say they the Images of false Gods Iust so our Author here As if Angels or Saints being worshipped in and by their representations were not turned into false Gods Or as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idolum Simúlachrum an Idol and Image were not all one See Polyd. Virgil. de Inuent rerum Lib. 5. Cap. 13. Againe They that are worshippers of Saints Images and out of a false opinion of promeriting the protection of the blessed Uirgin or any other Saint of God doe giue a religious adoration to those vsuall representments which be made of them Now in all this he speakes nothing against Poperie and so all his flourish is but a meere froth while he would seeme to say something against it For howsoeuer Popish practise is yet they teach not that Adoration of Images or Saints in them is meritorious So that the Authour leaues it as granted that a man may vse Images in their Saint-inuocation so he account it not meritorious Thus he is rather for Poperie in this point then against it Vpon the fourth Commandement he saith They offend vnder a pretence of seruing God more stâ—â—â—tly then others especially for hearing and meditating of Sermons doe by their Fasts and certaine Iudaizing obseruations condemne the ioyfull festiuitie of this high Holy-day which the Church allowes as well for the necessarie recreation of the body in due time as for Spirituall exercises of the Soule Here we come more plainly to discerne the Wolfe in the Sheeps skinne or in the Sheepherds cloke For here he breakes down a gap and whistles out the Sheepe that straying hee may deuoure them Yea in this speech he goes about to set open the verie Flood-gate of all profuse prophanesse First All truly religious and conscionable seruing of GOD he makes to be but a pretence Hypocrisie and dissimulation But the maine marke his enuie and malice shootes at is especially Hearing and meditating of Sermons By this verie speech a man that neuer saw nor knew the Authour may easily conclude whether he be a Resident vpon his Cure or no a faithfull Sheepherd or no. Hearing and meditating of Sermons hee cannot away with they are a burthen vnto him These he ranketh with I wâ—t not what Fast and some certaine but vncertaine what Iudaizing obseruations But the worst is that by such exercises as hearing and meditating of Sermons especially such persons condemne the ioyfull festiuity of this high and holy day which the Church allowes as well for the necessary recreation of the body as the spirituall exercises of the soule Well yet he acknowledgeth the Sabbath or Lords day to bee an High and Holy day Let him hold him to that But what be those ioyfull Festiuities of this High and Holy-day He mentioneth not But seeing he shuts out none we may well conclude hee meaneth all kinde of Festiuity and iollity and iouialty such as hee â—eâ—â—nes necessary recreations for example Rush-bearings Whitsun-Ales Morice-dances setting vp of May-poles hearing of a play or seeing of a Maske or Dicing and Carding or bowling or bowsing or whatsoeuer other Glosse the carnall vulgar may make of this vnlimited ioyful Festiuity or necessary recreation But he saith that this ioyfull Festiuity the Church allowes What Church surely none other as throughout his whole Booke but his holy mother Church of Rome Indeed that Church allowes a most liâ—entious vnlimited latitude of all such ioyfull Festiuity and especially on the Lords day as may feed the humours of the carnall and prophane multitude That Church indeed reckoneth hearing and meditating of Sermons among Iudaizing obseruations But the Church of God doth not neuer did allow such ioyfull Festiuity as the Author allowes â— S. Aughstine saith Iudaei c The Iewes do seruilely obserue the Sabbath day to luxury and drunkennesse how much better were it for their women to spin wooll and vpon that day in their New-Moones to dance Farre be it my brethren that we should say they keepe the Sabbath And againe Qui in obseruatione Sabbati c. They who keeping the Sabbath doe not continue in good workes and prayer which is to sanctifie the Sabbath and sanctification is where the holy Ghost is are like to those little Flies ingendred in the mud which disquitted the Egyptians And De Consensu Euang. lib. 2. cap. 77. speaking of that flight in winter and on the Sabbath day mentioned Luke 21. by Winter he vnderstands the Cares of this life and by the Sabbath surfeiting and drunkennesse agreeable to Christs admonition ver 34. Quod malum Sabbati nomine c. Which euill is therefore signified by the name of the Sabbath because this was as now it is the impious custome of the Iewes vpon that day to flow in delights all one with our Authors ioyfull Festiuitie or necessary recreation while they were ignorant of the spirituall Sabbath And de Genesi contra Manichaeos lib. 1. Iudaei carnaliter obseruando Sabbatum non nouerunt The Iewes by keeping the Sabbath carnally knew not the Sabbath But our Author allowes of ioyfull Festiuity and necessary recreations in their due time onely not in time of diuine seruice Neither did the Iewes omit their diuine seruice in their Synagogues both Maâ—ins and Euenâ—ong And yet spending the rest of the day afterwards in such ioyfull Festiuity as the Author allowes as done in due time S. Augustine cals them prophane and impious and that they might better spend the rest of the day in spinning For the worke of a mans honest and lawfull calling is at all times to be preferred before the workes of the Diuell that come not within the compasse of any Christian mans Calling being renounced and disavowed in our Baptisme And because the sanctification of the Lords day is so mightily impugned and cryed downe not onely by such Ministers of Sathan as are Popishly affectâ—d by their precept and precedent by the prophane rabble rout especially in those places where there is not a settled Ministry of the word Let me adde a word or two more in Gods cause that we may not so easily suffer prophane wretches like swine to trample the Orient pearle of Gods glory so prophaned on his owne day in the mire S. Augustine saith againe Prâ—ponitur Dies Dominicus c. The Lords day is preferred befode the Iewes Sabbath in the faith of the Resurrection and not in the
not that Some after they haue fasted till nine of the clock vse sundry meates And others otherwise And because none can shew any precept vpon Record concerning Lent it is euident that the Apostle therein left free power to euery mans mind will that euery one might do that which is good and honest being induced thereto neither by feare nor by necessity Thus Socrates And Eusebius before him saith that some thought one day sufficient for fasting some two some moe others in reckoning 40. continued houres day and night do determine that the time of their Fast. This being so what is become of the Apostolicall Constitution for 40. dayes Fast when it was left free for euery Church or Christian to fast as few or many dayes as they thought fit And therefore neuer let our Author obtrude vpon vs the authority and practise of the present Church of Rome to impose a necessity of a religious if not a superstitious 40. dayes Fast when notwithstanding the old Church of Rome in her purer times fasted but three weekes yet two dayes in euery weeke excepted And besides in those times Easter being a generall time for publicke Baptisme as also Whitsuntide for that cause they thought fit to humble themselues with fasting and prayer for the better preparation thereunto But enough of this Pag. 246. of the last impression Hee mentioneth Christs Rest in the graue and his Descenâ— also into Hell as vpon Easter Euen The Author is very skilfull to tell vs the punctuall time of Christs Descent into Hell Of the manner of it or how the Article in the Creed is to bee vnderstood he makes no question but comes with an actuall downe right Descent But he grounds this his time of Christs Descent into Hell vpon the Epistle and Gospell for Easter Euen Indeed the Epistle is taken out of 1 Pet. 3.27 c. where the words of Peter are thus translated according to the corrupt vulgar Latin In which spirit hee also went and preached to the spirits that were in prison c. Now the Author hereupon inferreth that this place of Peter is to be meant of Christs Descent into Hell contrary to all sound Interpreters the Text it selfe no way bearing it And vpon the same ground according to the corrupt translation wherein is added contrary and besides both the Originall Text and our last and best English Translation these words That were whereas the Text is To the spirits in prison that is now still in prison not that were in prison as if vpon Christs descent into Hell and preaching vnto them hee had deliuered them thence as out of some Limbo which the Author if well examined must needes meane And indeed he is too much helped by the corrupting of the Text so that it were to be wished that vulgar English Translation of the Epistles and Gospels in the Communion booke were corrected yea and wholly made vniforme to our last Translation of the Bible that so no Popish spirits may haue any such starting holes for their lurking and sly old Popish and mopish doctrines In the next place pag. 291. he setteth downe sundry sayings prayers Psalmes Hymnes before the receiuing of the Sacrament to pag. 301. In all which it should seeme 〈◊〉 â—rescribeth a new solmne seruice for the Sacrament For else what time is there allowed for any mans priuate deuotion while hee is present at the publike administration of the Sacrament Or would he haue a man busied about his priuate deuotions while the Minister is in the publicke seruice Or would he haue the Minister to be mute vntill euery man present haue said ouer such lessons as our Author teacheth Indeed if it were at a Masse which the people vnderstand not these formes of priuate deuotion were good to exercise euery man while the Priest is mumbling ouer his Masse But blessed bee God there is no such need Pag. 298. he sets downe a new forme of prayer but taken either from the Bull of Pope Clement 8. where hee commands the Angels c. or rather hee borrowes it from the Romane Missal in the Cannon of the Masse restored by the Decree of the Councell of Trent and published by the Commandement of Pope Pius 5. printed at Antwerp 1574. Cum priuilegio Pontif. Max. et Regis Cathâ—l pag. 272. where the Masse Priest Profundè inclinatus iunetis manibus dicat Lowly ducking with his hands ioyned let him say Supplices te rogamus Omnipotens Deus iube hâ—c perferri per manus Sancti Aâ—egli tui in sublime Altere tuum in conspectu diuinae Maiestatis tuae vt c. that is We humbly beseech the Omnipotent God command these things to be conuayed by the hands of thy holy Angel into thy high Altar in the presence of thy diuine Maiestie that c. But what a presumption is this in our Author to prescribe God a new way of conueying our prayers into the presence of his Maiesty by such a meane as he hath no where reuealed in his word Where hath God commanded his Angels to bee our Mediators betweene vs and him Yet see how slily this Author would foyst in the mediation of Angels Is not the onely name of Christ our Mediator in whom we offer vp all our Seruice and Sacrifice of Prayer and Prayse sufficient to bring them vp into the presence of his Father yea and to make both vs and them acceptable to his Maiestie But what promise of acceptance hath our Authour of such Mediation of Angels if they should presume to present our Prayers Much more when they doe it without warrant And warrant they haue none in GODS Word And without the Word we haue no warrant for any seruice we doe to GOD. But contrarily the Word alloweth vnto vs but one onely Mediatour as well of Intercession as of satisfaction 1 Iohn 2. If any man sinne we haue an Aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the Righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes The same must be our Aduocate and Intercessor who is also our Propitiation Therefore our Authour here commits high Sacriledge if not Blasphemie against the Sacred Maiestie of GOD and the honour of IESVS CHRIST to assigne GOD the appointing of a new way whereby we may come vnto him namely another way then by IESVS CHRIST But proceed we to Page 388. where he sets downe The manner of commending the Soule into the hands of GOD at the verie point of time when it is departing from the Body Before yee haue his Forme of Prayers at the houre of Death now another Forme at the point of Death Nay which ought diligently to be marked at the verie point of time when the Soule is not about to depart but departing from the Body Surely a man would thinke his prayer had need to be verie short onely a jaculatorie breath and away least the Soule bee departed from the Body before hee make an end of his prayer and so he shall pray for the dead
saith S. Iames verse 21. Moses of old time hath in euery City them that preach him being read in the Synagogues euery Sabboth day so that for offending the Iewes the Gentiles among whom they liued must for a time forbearâ— to eate blood and that which is strangled So in the beginning of Reformation in England vnder that blessed Queene there were many Papists of whom there was a tender respect to offend them as little as might bee vntill the clearer light of the Gospell like the Sunne mounting should of it selfe dispell and chase away all â—hose mists And in our Communion booke in the Admonition to the Commination against sinners haue we not these words In stead of which godly discipline it is thought good c. By which examples wise men may learne not to tak◠〈◊〉 all former precedents as currant for present times Maâ—y things might be winked at in the infancy of the Church which are not tolerable in her riper age In that Horaryâ—et â—et forth 1560. there was a tender regard had of the weakenesse of the time to allow of such things which in these times of the cleare light of the Gospell and full growth of the Church would be ridiculous When I was a child saith the Apostle I did as a child I imagined 〈◊〉 a child but being a man J put away childish things Were it not absurd and ridiculous for a man growne to fall to his old childish sports and toyes againe And we know that suddain changes from one extreme to another euen from euill to good in a State are difficult if not dangerous being not discretly carried Nor could it be expected that the Church hauing beene long pent vp as it were in a dungeon and comming suddenly forth into the broad light but it should at first bee tender-sighted till after a while her eyes were better inured to looke vpon the light Or being but newly pulled out of the puddle of Popery that by and by she should bee washed cleane from all spots As Luther intreats his Readers if they finde in his writings any thing smelling of the old Caske of Popery that they would remember he was once a poore Monke And for any in these dayes of a long and well setled Church to plot the bringing in againe of Popeâ—y they know it well enough their way is not to doe it forthright but by many insinuations and winding wayes as to suppresse all printing of bookes against Papists to print and publish such bookes as doe in part maintaine our Church and in part comply and symbolize with Popery and by seeming to slight Popery slily to bring it into credite to restraine preaching as much as may be by laying burthens vpon the Ministry to suffer none to come to any place of eminency in the Church but through Simony gate or ambition and such by-wayes to make sure if possible a corrupt Clergy if any bee sincere and bold in lashing of sinne especially raigning sinnes to snap him vp and muzzle him for barking and such like But to conclude the former point of the Authors allegation of that Horary set forth 1560. and for the further making good of the answer thereunto it will not be impertinent here to insert what he addeth in his Preface pag. 7. quoting in the margent together with that 1560. another set forth by the same authority 1573. Ouer against which words his text hath these words These prayers which for the most part after the same manner and diuision of houres as here they are hauing heretofore béene published among vs by high and sacred authority are now also renewed and more fully set forth againe c. Where he confesseth againe that he followeth these former precedents but for the most part No nor that neither for examining the copies well we finde great difference For besides many other good things he hath left out the himne wherein is Pellitâ— falsam insere veram Religionem Consceleratum perdâ— Papismum c. And ex psalmo 2 Hoc tempore sentimus Deus Opt. Max. non solum Antichristum c. But what he leaues out against the Church of Rome hee puts in for it as a faire Iesuiticall frontis-peece Seuen Sacraments of the Church and the like It would fill a whole booke to note all the differences But herein lyes the maine matter that he couples the booke of Deuotion set forth 1573. with the other 1560. as if they were all one For he quotes in the Margent The Horary set forth with the Queenes authority 1560. and renewed 1573. imprinted with priuiledge at London by William Seers It is well that the copies of those Moth eaten bookes are yet extant at least to be an evidence how farre forth the Author herein speakes truth Yet if he had inquired a little more diligently hee might haue found another set forth by the same sacred authority imprinted by the same foresaid William Seers in the yeere 1564. being the 7. of that blessed raigne Now comparing these three Copies together I find the two last very different from the first not onely in their forme and matter but in their Title For the first in 1560. is intiâ—uled Horarium but the two succeeding the one 1564 the other in 1573. are intituled Prâ—ces priuata c. The Horarium indeed setteth downe the houres of prayer but the two latter bookes recommend onely Morning and Euening prayer with their matter and forme together with a short forme of prayer at rising and going to bed but without prescribing at what houres Obserue then in the first place a notable difference The first booke of Deuotion as comming neerest to the time of Popery the Gospell being yet but as it were in the dawning bore some resemblance to those Canonicall formes of prayer formerly vsed in time of Popery and so was called Horarium Yet this was in Latine seruing chiefly for the vse of all Clerkes or old Cloysterers to content them for the time till better prouision might be had and till their stomakes could digest stronger meat and their eyes indure the cleaâ—er light So that within 4. yeeres the Horarium disclaiming further affinity or Cosen-head so much as in name with the Popish Horaria in the next Edition and so forward put on the name of Prâ—ces priuatâ— and that in studio sorum gratiam collectae c. Priuate prayers collected for Schollers or Students such as vnderstood the Latin tongue to the end such especially being informed in the right forme and matter of praying might the better instruct others in the same duty that so by degrees all Popish superstition and erronious deuotion might get them hence into their darke Cels. Note againe that the third Edition of those prayers 1573. was yet more exact then the former in 1564. and much more different as the more distant still from the Horarium Veâ—â—râ— transieruâ—â— c. Old things are passed away and all things now become new the Gospell now promouing all things towards their
perfection And now when all is done would the author with his bring vs backe at least to the brinke borders of Popery againe by his Canonicall houres and the like Being now men of ripe yeeres would he haue vs to become children againe And after we haue begun and gone on so farâ—e in the spirit now to be made perfect in the flesh by turning back to beggerly rudiments After the cleare meridian Sun-shine of the Gospell would he reduce vs to those duskish dawning shadowes out of which that first Horarium was but newly peeped but to last no longer then till time might more fairely shake hands with all Popish shadowes As the Iewish Ceremonies had a time euen after the establishing of the Gospell for their solemne obsequies But to conclude the plaine truth is to such a passe is Popery now come in these our dayes that if euer the Church of England ought henceforth to haue the least correspondence and conformity with it yea to be so farre from renewing any old acquaintance with it as vtterly to shake hands and if any ragges or reliques of that Whore haue beene patched to our Mothers Robe we ought to rip it off and strip our selues of it Rome is now fully reuealed to be the Whore of Babylon the Pope the head thereof to be that man of sinne that grand Antichrist which for any learned man not to see in these dayes of the Gospell is to stumble at Noone-day yea to be strucke blinde at the cleare light It followeth in the Title Taken out of the holy Scriptures the ancient Fathers and the diuine Seruice of our owne Church Here be three authorities the least whereof not to be contemned The first is that he saith his houres are taken from the holy Scriptures His quotations are strowed all along the booke but so as if we amasse all the generall precepts and particular practises of prayer in Scripture into one Canon or rule there should not be one houre or minute throughout the day and night which we should not spend altogether in prayer So that the abusiue vnderstanding of Scripture in this kinde was that which brought the Euchetâ— to do nothing else but pray The Scriptures commend to vs specially two times of publicke prayer for the day the Morning and the Euening prayer the one about our nine in the forenoâ—ne the other about three in the afternoone which our Church followeth these two were called the Morning and the Euening Sacrifice Hence it is that Christ began to bee offered from the Morning Sacrifice to the Euening Sacrifice as sanctifying all our Sacrifices of Prayer and Prayse Morning and Euening in that Sacrifice of himselfe But he speakes here of Priuate houres of Prayer And where will he find in Scripture any such practise as the obseruation of his Seuen Canonicall houres DANIEL prayed three times a day Yes DAVID saith Seuen times a day will I prayse thee But that 's of Prayse And though it may be meant also of Prayer it signifieth onely his frequent praying farre from a superstitious obseruation of Canonicall houres in those dayes not hatched or heard of But of Prayer he saith Euening and morning and at noone day will I pray c. But for all this mans colouring the matter with Holy Scripture he hath no other Scripture for his Canonicall houres but the Popes Scripture in his Decretalls where the Pope takes all his Canonicall houres from the actions about CHRIST in his death As in the Glosse Haec sunt septenis propter quae psallimus heris Matutina lâ—gat Christum qui crimina purgat Prima replet sputis causam dat Tertia mortis Sexta cruci nectit latus eius Nona bipaertit Vespera deponit tumulo Completa reponit Indeed the Scripture doth so command this excellent dutie of Prayer to vs as that no time should exempt vs from it but that we should be diligent in the practise of it vpon all occasions and especially keepe constantly ouâ— morning and euening sacrifice priuate and publike also as the day requireth Yea to let no oportunitie slip wherein we are not breathing out some eiaculations out of a sense and feeling of our manifold infirmities and necessities But nowhere doth the Scripture prescribe a set septenarie forme of Deuotion as the Authour would impose vpon vs. In the second place he nameth the Ancient Fathers But these faile him as much for his purpose as the Scriptures doe Indeed the Fathers doe euerie where following the Scriptures inculcate and prâ—sse the incessant practise of Prayer Hora nulla a Christianis excipitur quò minùs frequenter ac semper Deus debeat adorari c. saith CYPRIAN No houre is exempted from Christians that God might not frequently and alwayes be adored And he saith indeed that in his time the times and exercises of Prayer were much encreased Yet hee no where setteth downe seuen Canonicall houres Yea CLEMENS ROMANVS a great Authour with him though misquoted in his Constitutions which euen Pontificians themselues haue confessed to bee counterfeit yet fayle him at least in two of his houres as Câ—mplene and the last Onely GREGORY the Ninth fayles him not being as I said his first complete Authour of his seuen Canonicalls But after the Ancient Fathers in the third place hee nameth the Diuine Seruice of our owne Church out of which his Houres are taken Now surely for ought that euer I could learne out of our Seruice Booke I can find but two set Houres of Prayer besides certaines priuate Prayers recommended to priuate Families for Morning and Euening with a godly Prayer to bee said at all times in the latter end of the Booke Vnlesse out of this Prayer to bee said at all times hee would picke out his seuen Canonicall houres But whereas hee seemeth to ground the forme of his Deuotion vpon the Diuinâ— Seruice of our owne Church On the contrarie hee offereth foule violence to that more exact and profitable forme prescribed in our Liturgy For whereas the forme of Prayer in our Communion Booke is so compiled as that by a daily practise thereof the whole or most part of the OLD TESTAMENT is read ouer once in the yeere and the NEVV TESTAMENT three times and the whole Booke of PSALMES once euerie moneth The Authour or Authours of this Booke intruding a new forme of Deuotion hereby coozen GODS People of their allowance in the SCRIPTVRES while in stead of the whole hee cutteth out here a peece and there a peece here a quarter of a Chapter and there a quarter Herein crossing the Communion Booke which in the Preface fâ—atly reproueth this verie practise of the Authour in these words Now of late time a few of the Psalmes haue been daily said and oft repeated and the rest vtterly omitted And is it not so in this Booke of Deuotion Doth he not confine vs to a narrow circle of so many Psalmes so many peeces of Chapters so many Lawâ—eâ— as he calls them
judgement for what they say the common accusations which out of the abundance of those partiall affectious that transport them the wrong way they are pleased to bring so frequently against vs being but the bare reports of such people as either doe not or will not vnderstand vs what we are Doe we cast behind vs the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church Who told you so I pray you at Rome No I would yée well wist it we hold seuen Sacraments the same Sacraments that the Church of Rome Christs Catholick Church holdeth as shall appeare by good proofe anon But leaue we his proofe to the fit and proper place and prosecute we the rest His third reason for his 7. Canonicals is for the ease of those whom earnest lets and impediments doe often hinder from being partakers of the publick here they may haue a dayly and deuout order of priuate prayer c. First what an incongruitie is this to prescribe thâ—se his houres to men earnestly imployed in worldly affaires Indeed the obseruation of these houres is proper if for any for such as liue a Monasticall life Abbey Lubbers as we say such as haue nothing else to attend but to be busied with their beads And againe for all sorts of persons in our Church blessed be God we haue plenty of Psalters and Testaments wherein they may as profitably I trow exercise their vacant houres as in these consarcinated and new moulded prayers And in the third place doth not this new Rubrick of our Author trench intrude vpon those formes of prayer both publicke and priuate which by our Church are generally prescribed for all persons in the daily practise of their Deuotions And are not Ministers in particuler admonished to read the Morning and Euening Prayer priuately euery day in case at least if hee bee not hindered by his studies and other imployments of his calling Againe in the same Clause he glancingly giues a sound by-blow to those that stand vp in maintaining the quarrell of Gods truth against Popish perturbers and Pelagian innouators the continuall and curious disquisition of many vnnecessary questions among vs being nothing else but onely the new seedes or the old fruits of malite and by consequence the enemy of godlinesse and the abatement of true deuotion This man would willingly fold his hands and wrap vp all his Deuotion in the mantle of ignorance the Mother of his Deuotion Like to the glowoâ—me or rotten post that shines not but in the night so shines his deuotion without light or heat Or at the best like a wandring ignis fatuus And how should the lampe of true Deuotion flame forth and burne in holy feruency of effectuall prayer if it be not fedde with the oyle of sauing knowledge being pressed forth more copiously by the ventilation of errours and dissipation of mysts which would dampe and extinguish all Nor is he content herewith but this blind Deuotion of his he dare call that true deuotion wherwith God is more delighted and a good soule more inflamed then with all the subtilties in the world when at one dash he interesseth God as an approuer of his superstitious and blind Deuotion and a disallower of his owne fundamentall diuine Truthes as busy needlesse subtilties yea as new seedes or old fruits of malice and as the enemy of Godlinesse and abatement of true Deuotion His last reason is that this his booke of Canonicall houres might stirre vp all those who are coldly affected to the like heauenly dutie of performing their daily Christian deuotions c. Thus this man hopes to conuert all England at a cast and bring them within the circle of his Canonicall houres wherein they may trauerse and turne round their Beads as a blind mill-horse in the â—ound Impius ambulaâ— in Circuitu As for his exact and compleate Calender of Saints we omitt it as too tedious and fitter for the Almanack-maker to examine Onely we cannot but touch vpon his times wherein Mariages are not solemnized as from Aduent sunday vntill 8. dayes after the Epiphanie from Septuag sunday vntill 8. dayes after Easter From Rogation Sunday vntill Trinity Sunday All which times summed vp together according to the computation of his owne Calendar take vp aboue 19. weekes from the yeare Now vnder Benedicite be it spoken where doth Gods sacred word suspend or prohibite any times from sacred solemne nuptiall rites I remember it warnes vs of the perillous times of the last dayes wherein men should giue heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Deuils And what be those The Apostle there tels vs Forbidding of marriage and abstaining from Meates Now God blesse the Church of England from such seducing spirits and Doctrines of Deuils And is not the prohibiting of marriage for some certaine times in the yeare and those no small times neither as incroching vpon aboue a third part of the yeare as well as forbidding of marriage to certaine persons as Priests a branch at least of that very forbidding of marriage which the Apostle calleth a doctrine of Deuils And might not the same Church which prohibited aboue the third part of the yeare haue also with the allegation of a few more plausible pretences of holinesse or so brought all marriages to secke and sue for licâ—nces in the Court Buâ— blessed be God that these prohibited times are not any where set downe either in our booke of Common Prayer or any other bookes containing the Doctrines of the Church of England wherevnto Ministers subscribe least all should either haue cause absolutely necessary not to subscribe or subscribing to such a Decree they should proue a very packe of spirits of Frrour teaching or at least subscribing to Doctrines of Deuils But let vs heare the Authors reasons why in such times marriages are not vsually solemnized Some of these saith hee being times of solemne-fasting and abstinence some of holy festiuity and ioy Both fit to be spent in such sacred exercises without other vnnecessarie auocations So he Alas Neither times of fasting nor times of feasting for marriage Indeed for time of fasting and prayer something may be said Yet with qualification The Apostle saith speaking to the man and wife Defraud you not one the other except it be with consent for a time that yee may giue your selues to Fasting and Prayer and come together againe that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency A respect then might be had to fasting and prayer euen to them that are married But how Doth the Apostle inioyne them by some Apostolicke Constitution or Canon to abstaine for such or so long a time vnlesse they will purchase their liberty with a Licence No such thing He leaues that to their owne liberty and referrs it to their mutuall consent not limiting themselues to any set time least in the meane time Satan tempt them for their incontinency Much lesse doth he confine them to mutuall separation ten leauelong weekes together A shrewd 〈◊〉
for Satan haply to worke vpon Yea and this ten weekes limitation from 〈◊〉 by the Authors allegation falls vnhappily if wee goe according to the course of Natures rules vpon the most dangerous 〈◊〉 of the yeâ—re the Springtime wherein the blood and spirits are most stirring But our Authour takes order for that hee will haue them well macerated and mortified tempered and tamed with Nine wéekâ—s 〈◊〉 The which had need to be full strictly imposed vpon young people not married to discipline and keepe them in order especially such as haue not the gift of continencie and cannot without danger stay till those ten weeke be expired And we know that our Communion Booke alledging the authoritie of the Apostle saith expresly That such persons as haue not the gift of continencie might marrie and keepe themselues vndefiled members of Christs Body where also no time is limitted or excluded But whatsoeuer our Authour may pretend for the time of solemne fasting and prayer as not seasonable for marriage Yet to restraine men from marriage in times of Festiuitie and ioy may seeme to be verie vnreasonable For what times fitter for Solemnizing the Rites of Marriage then times of Festiuitie and ioy Yea but the Authour doth not exempt all fast of festiuall times but onely such as are Solemne and Sacred holy times That 's somewhat to the purpose Holy times Alas poore Marriage art thou now become so vncleane vnholy as to be shut out from holy times Thou wast wont to be Honourable among all and the bed vndefiled If wee may belieue the Apostle And our Church calls it The holy estate of Matrimonie Yea and if we may belieue our Authour and if hee haue not forgotten himselfe he placeth Matrimonie among his Seuen Sacraments And if it be a Sacrament is it not holy And if Holy is the celebration of it vnsutable for Holy times But Marriage it seemeth is an vnnecessarie auocation as our Authour termes it An vnnecessarie auocation And is it not a necessarie vocation How then an vnnecessarie auocation But why should Marriage if rightly vsed according to Gods Ordinance be either a necessarie or vnnecessarie auocation Was the Marriage in Cana whereat it pleased CHRIST himselfe to be present any impediment or auocation to him from working a gracious Miracle whereby all the guests had abundant cause and occasion to prayse GOD and his Disciples especially to belieue more firmly in their MESSIAS And I pray you when was this Marriage in Cana When Not I hope within any of the holy times exempted from Marriage And least of all within Fourtie dayes of the Passeouer the Holy time of Lent Yet if wee may belieue all those that haue written and calculated the verie time of that Marriage they say all with one vnanimous voyce for the most part that it was within a little of the Passeouer or Easter yea within lesse then 40. or yet twentie dayes But we hope then that the married couple had procured a Licence out of the High Priests Court Alas they were a poore couple not able to prouide Wine as the vsuall manner of the Countrey required but water onely and scant of that too For there were sixe water-pots of Stone but wanting filling vp But no Wine at all And ten shillings or more for a Licence would haue said well to the filling of those Pots with Wine as Wine went in that plentifull Countrey But neither doe we read that on any such time or times Holy or Sacred or call them what you will were marriages euer prohibited to bee celebrated no not in that present corrupt state of the Church of the Iewes where notwithstanding the verie High Priests office was ordinarily bought and sold enough to haue put them to their wits to improue all meanes to scrape vp their disbursments again by hooke and by crooke by pilling and polling as well the people as the inferiour Priests But this particular improuement was not hatched in those dayes as bad as they were Antichrist was not yet knowne not yet ascended out of the Bottomlesse-pit to bring into the world such a Doctrine of Diuels Ob. But it may be obiected How then is this practise crept into the Church of England Answ. It is an easier matter to find which way it crept in then it seemeth how it may be swept out It lurked among some rubbidge of Romish Reliques and so escaped shipping away with other of Romes trinkets Yea it may well in my iudgement be answered That it is not professed or auowed in the Church of England but in certaine Courts onely And it were to be wished that the Authour with all his Deuotion could perswade those Courts that forasmuch as the times prohibited for Marriage are holy and sacred fit for fasting or festiuall ioy they would by these reasons disswade their Suters from taking Licences Marriages also being an vnnecessarie auocation and the like Thus by putting a difference betweene the times sacred and common the Courts may either disswade from Licences for the time or pully vp such Licences to a higher rate so putting a pecuniarie mulct vpon such Delinquents But a light gaine makes a heauie purse And Licenciâ sumus omnes deteriores And Auri sacra fames can easily dispence with the most Sacred times whether of Fasting or solemne Festiuitie Ob. But though the Ministers of the Church of England find it not as a Decree or Doctrine to subscribe to yet they conforme to the practise of it They doe not marrie in any prohibited times without a Licence Answ. This is a thing but taken vp of a fashion as I imagine and so practised as a Tradition not well thought of They I am sure I know no more reason or authoritie for this in the expresse Rubricks or Rules of our ministeriall Order then either by Tradition or from the anniuersarie Almanacke and now at last from our Authours Canonicall Booke of Deuotion And certainly there is no other law for it that I know but the Popes Canon Law I dare say it is not in all the Common Law of England nor yet in the Statute Lawes of the Land And whether the Popes Canon Law bee cancelled in England to be frustrate de iure at least though not de facto I cannot say But enough if not too much of this matter But come wee to the body of the Booke wherein we purpose not to insist but to touch vpon some points and passages lightly according to the moment of each Vpon the Second Commandement hee glosseth no otherwise in some particulars then a Iesuite may safely doe for the defence of Romes Doctrine of the worship of Images Offenders of the second Commandement saith he are they that make any other Images to wit of the Creatures or the likenesse of any thing whatsoeuer be it of Christ and his Crosse or be it of his blessed Angels with an intent to fall downe and worship them Now a Iesuite with a distinction can easily make this good for
that the Church of Rome is Christs Catholickâ— Church For the Sacraments of the Church and of Christs Catholicke Church being seuen and no Church euer holding seuen Sacraments but the Church of Rome and that of late dayes too it followeth necessarily that the Church of Rome must be The Church yea the Catholicke Church of Christ. But how will â—e proue that the Church of England holdes these seuen Sacraments Because she hath not despised nor cast behind her the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church How proues he that Namely out of the Catechisme of the Sacraments and out of the 25. Article which hee hath alledged in the Margent Now let vs for more cleernesse compare his proofes with his owne text The Authors words The Sacraments of the Church The principall and truely so called as generally necessary to saluation are Baptisme and the Lords Supper The Catechisme Q. How many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in his Church Ans. Two onely as generally necessary to saluation that is to say Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord. Article 25. Of the Sacraments Sacraments ordained of Christ bee not onely badges or tokens of Christian mens profession but rather they be certaine witnesses and effectuall signes of grace and Gods good-will towards vs by the which hee doth worke inuisibly in vs and doth not onely quicken but also strengthen and confirme our faith in him Let the judicious reader but well obserue and compare the Church of Englands doctrine of the Sacraments with this our Authors and he shall find the differenâ—e to stand vpon tearmes mainely opposit For first is it all one to say The Sacraments of the Church and the Sacraments which Christ hath ordained in his Church And betweene the Church that which the Author expresly meaneth and Christs Church His Church there is I wis no small difference Againe The principall saith our Author implying there are other besides but Two onely saith the Church of England excluding all other And as for the words of the Article cited they so set downe the nature of the Sacraments as that they exclude all other Sacraments from hauing any fellowship with them And therefore hath the Author cautelously suppressed the definition of a Sacrament But yet hee findes fiue other Sacraments following in the Article which he quotes ouer against his fiue in the Margent Let vs therefore paralell them The Authors words The other fiue that is to say Confirmation Penitence Orders Matrimony Uisitation of the sicke or extreame Unction though they bée sometimes called and haue the name of Sacraments yet haue they not the like nature the two principall true Sacraments haue Article 25. Ibid. Those fiue commonly called Sacraments that is to say Confirmation Penance Orders Matrimony and extreme Vnction are not to bee counted for Sacraments of the Gospell being such as haue growne partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles partly are states of life allowed in the Scripture but yet haue not like nature of Sacraments with Baptisme and the Lords Supper for that they haue not any visible signe or Ceremony ordained of God Note here the vast difference betweene the sincerity of our Church and the egregious sophistry of this our Author Those fiue saith the one as pointing to those which now the Church of England in the beginning of the blessed Queenes Raigne newly then purged from Popery as in 1562 when those Articles were compiled had cut off from the number of the Sacraments although those fiue were euen then in high esteeme still with too many not yet powred from their Leâ—s but the Author comes roundly with the other fiue inducing necessarily Seuen Sacraments of the Church Two and the other fiue His Conclusion is this in effect and forme We hold the Sacraments of the Church But the Sacraments of the Church are two and the other fiue to wit seuen Therefore wée hold the seuen Sacraments Againe our Church saith Those fiue to wit Confirmation c. are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospâ—ll But our Author saith They are the Sacraments of the Church and that no lesse then the other they all tunne vnder one title The Sacraments of the Church Thirdly our Church saith these are such as haue growne partly from the corrupt following of the Apostles but saith our Author in his Preface They are the blessed Sacraments of Christs Cathoâ—icke Church receiued from our forefathers a good argument to proue the lineall descent of Popery so farre is he from sayâ—ng or assenting with the Church of England that they haue growne partly from the corrupt vse of following the Apostles In a word the Church of England saith These haue not any visible signe or Ceremoâ—ie or 〈◊〉 of God but our Author saith no such thing but in generall shuffling them vp vnder the tiâ—le oâ— the Sacraments of the Church he will needs haue them to be Sacraments But Sacraments must haue a visible signe ordained of God or else they are no Sacraments And these haue no visible signe ordained of God saith our Church Therefore our Author crosseth the doctrine of our Church expresly Onely he confesseth that these the other fiue haue not in generall the like nature that the two principall and true Sacraments haue If in this his speech their lurke no equiuocation for he may closely meane by The like nature that these are not generally necessarie to saluation as the first two hee must needs inferre that these his other fiue are no true Sacraments therefore false and bastard Sacraments And if we take the word Sacrament in the largest sense as those fiue are then according to that reckoning the number of Sacraments will quickly amount from other fiue to fiue hundreth For as Saint Chrisostome obserueth in his 11. Hom. on Luke Omnia quaecunque fecit Christus Sacramenta sunt siue ambulauit c. All things whatsoeuer Christ did are Sacraments whither hee walked or eate or dranke or fasted or wept c. All these saith Chrysostome Sacramenta nostra sunt they are our Sacraments To conclude this point of difference there is some oddes betweene their naming of these Sacraments Our Church calls them Confirmation Penance Orders Matrimony and Extreame vnction Our Author is pleased to call his fiue thus Confirmation Penitence Orders Matrimony and visitation of the sicke or Extreme vnction In two of his fiue hee varies hee calls Penance Penitence and Extreme vnction he calls Visitation of the sicke In which two new names of his new Sacraments there lurkes not a little of Serpentine poyson For first he would bring Penitence to be all one with popish Penance For doth hâ—e not meane by Penitence Repentance I trow so Repentance then hee will make to be Penance as the â—esuites in their Rhemes and Doway Traâ—sâ—ation turne the word for Repentance Penance Now Penance is a Popish word and implyeth the Popish practise in this their Sacrament Their practise is to inioyne Shrift or Confession to wit a strict