Prayer specially he being a Priest vnto God and deuoted to Prayer By this little taste iudge of our Aduersaries learning and discretion though I of many be most vnfitted to propound it 4. Touching their exception at Capitall letters an exception now very vulgare the case standes thus There be in the Common-seruice Booke certaine great Letters within whose Circumference the Grauer of these Letters hath sometimes put certaine Pictures resembling Triton Hercules c. For which diuers doe charge the Booke for an vpholder of Idolatrie I answere it is nothing to the Matter because not of the Bookes matter Nor is the Matter a pinne the worse though the Manner of conuaying it be not so sutable as may be If there be a fault in the Fashion blame the Taylor not the Wearer These Spirites by like proportion may rayle vpon euery Bible as an vpholder of Corruption Why for that euery Printer wil be found to haue fayled in something as in mistaking a Letter displacing a Poynt c. Secondly if they so stumble at the Pictures of persons that haue been idolatrized why not also at the Picture of a Rose which some Mahumetistes venerate as sproung of the blood of the most lasciuious Goddesse that the Gentles ouer had namely Venus others of them for that it had as they say the originall from the sweat sweete sweat of their Prophet Mahomet a sweete sweatie Prophet vpon which superstitious conceites the Rose may not forsooth fall to the ground And why with as good reason doe they not reiect the two Capitall letters T and X the first hauing been idolatrized as the Crosse of Christ the other as the Crosse of S. Andrew Or why contend they not about the Capitall I which being the fashion of a Piller vnder which forme it is sayd of Clemens Alexandrine the Gentiles did worship God they might also entitle it a Monument of Idolatrie The Apostle forbids men to contend about Wordes and these hold it a vertue to make warre about Letters yea about the very Ornament of Letters I perceiue that they will play small play ere they sit out for wranglers Though it be not alwayes of Absolute necessitie that there be a Leitourgie yet respectiuely times may bring with them a deepe necessitie thereof And if any times then these times for if no forme be concluded of but euery one left to his owne discretion herein as the Apostles iustly were they being filled with spirit of Discretion not one Congregation wil be like another But as among the Romanistes the multiplicitie of Monckerie begot multiplicitie of Differences euery one affecting so his owne Order as therewithall grew a contempt of the other so this Church would so affect this Forme and that Church that Forme and a third a third forme c. as therewithall would arise such praysinges dispray singes likinges dislikinges as no one Parioch would be at quiet with another nor any possible vnitie among the Teachers Let it remaine then for Orthodoxall not onely that such a Leitourgie is lawfull but also for begetting and continuing vnitie that such an vniforme Leitourgie is very expedient and needfull With the Apostle to the Corinths he there handling also matters of Order in the Church I thus conclude If any man lust to be contentious we haue no such custome nor the Churches of God CHAP. xij Touching the Beginning of the Christian Chruch c. VVHen the fulnesse of time was come God sent his Sonne made of a Woman who being aged about 30. yeares the age whereat the Koâ—athite began to waite at the Altar did then publiquely fall a preaching and of gathering Disciples vnto him About three yeares a halfe after he suffered and was buried The third day after he arose and for fourtie dayes after he appeared to his Disciples specially to eleuen of them who are called Apostles Then he ascended vp into Heauen and ten dayes after the Apostles then being conuened in an house in Ierushalem he raines downe Guiftes vpon his Disciples by the which they were not onely fitted to Teach and Gouerne the Church but also furnished with all Language and power of Myracles They so furnished doe take to themselues Assistants called Euangelistes or Prophets and the Church of Ierushalem being shaken asunder they to Samaria and so to the vttermost partes of the earth as they were of Christ foretold and commaunded immediatly before his Ascension And as they were before commaunded to cry that as vpon the house-top which he had told them as in the eare so they repaire vnto the most publique and populous Cities which were Head-townes to the Countrie adiacent So they preached in Ephesus Corinth Colossus Philippi Thessalâ—nia Rome c. that so the Christian fayth might not onely beat the Diuel at first hand out of his principall fortes but also from these Head-townes the Law might goe out to their Pagies or Villagies which Pagies receiued the Gospell at second hand and so subiected themselues to the Church in their Citie And because many Pagies were long ere they came to the Fayth being much remote from the holy meanes in the Citie they came to be called Paganes in an ill sense as Infidels whereas before it was but the tearme that belonged to the inhabitants of these Pagies or Country places Heere I could note and it is worthy the noting that the Countrie Christians howsoeuer meeting in some Countrie house might be tearmed a Church as before yet they made not an established Church The Church for plenarie power of doctrine and gouernement was stablished in the Citie that City-church exercising her iurisdiction ouer Country assemblies came to be called the Metropolitane Church and the like Ecclesiastique Histories make this poynt plaine and easily from the Apostles Actes and Epistles the thing may be collected The Bishop of Brownisâ—â— must needes in this ioyne with mee seeing his Established Church at Amsterdam in Netherland exerciseth authoritie ouer some assemblies in England and elswhere which is a Bishoppricke of more length by many hundred myles then any Bishop in England hath besides that betweene him and some of his Sheepes dwelling plots there is a large Sea if not Seas by the which he is not like to ride somuch as once in a yeare through the Suburbes of his Church for keeping Visitations But what doe I following that squeaking Lapwinge As the Apostles were appoynted to take possession for Christ from one corner of the earth to another and to the Romaines he testifieth that their sound then was gone through the earth as Dauid also foretold in the 19 Psalme though in amâ—sterie so that blessed gladâ—tidinges was brought into Britaine and our predecessors then barbarous rude naked and painted with Woad were amongst others of Iaphets seede allured by the sweetnesse of the Gospell to come into Shems Tent and to worship one and the same true God the Father of Christ Iesus That some of the Apostles or
Dauison and some others about him thought verily he would haue died They will him to call vpon God He doth so desiring him for Christes sake to pardon al his sinnes After diuers times he had so prayed he comes to be reasonably well whereupon the Keeper puts vpon him this speach I pray you sir how comes it about that your breathren haue still suggested vnto me that I should goe to God by Saints and not directly by Christ whereas I perceiue that you in this agonie neuer prayed to Saint but went to God directly by Christ To whom the Priest returned such answere I pray you be content I had no leasure to pray vnto Saints for I looked but presently to die So farre the story Now I pray you had it not been better for him to haue died in the former case then to haue returned to health and so to his vomite againe But say they what they shall for maintayning Antichristes opposition against vs many of them in their agonies are glad to turne Protestant and for quiet of soule to betake themselues to the Fayth of the Ghospell The Ghospell so essentially considered and the Antichristian opposition so remembred let me put downe the insuing conclusions 1. No euill seuered from such an opposite foundation as is iustification with God by Workes can properly be tearmed Antichristianitâ—e no more then euery euill against Gods good spirit can properly be tearmed The sinne against the Holy Ghost And therefore our Schismatikes calling euery thing they like not Antichristianitie shew themselues vntollerably ignorant For if euery euil be Antichristianity then which is most absurde euery soule liuing is Antichristian And if they will not say the last then let them be ashamed of the first 2. Then also followeth vngaine sayably that no outward forme of discipline is properly Antichristian howsoeuer it may be tainted with euill seeing no such Discipline can be called an opposite or false Ghospell 3. A Church setled vpon a false Ghospel is notwithstanding all the best Discipline can he had a false Church and Antichristian The reason is Discipline is not an essentiall marke of a true Church For one and the same Discipline or outward forme of Gouernment can be applyed to Christ or Antichrist And so on the other side a people setled in the true Fayth of the Ghospell is alwayes in such estate a true Church of God notwithstanding a thousand imperfections in Discipline For as Iob is a true man and so Lazarus notwithstanding much vnsoundnesse in their members so a people may be a true Church though much vnsound The reason is because the spirit of life still moueth in their members And as we know that the spirit of life is 〈◊〉 sicke body by his breathing so we know that the 〈◊〉 of Christ is in a Church by her euident Confesâ—â—◠〈…〉 Charitie will thinke so for that she beleeues the best and hopes the best For with the mouth sayth S. Paul man confesseth to saluation 4. Then also followeth that our Nouelistes haue spunne a faire threed a plaine Cobweb for snaring weake simple Flyes who haue all this while striuen not about the Babe Iesus himselfe but about his Swathing-band and after what manner he is to be swathed whether by bringing the Band crosse ouer him or of some other fashion Or to vse another Simile they haue neglected the Garden and all this while foughten about the fashion of the Hedge and where the Stile should stand on their side or ours They that haue so bad eyes to iudge of the Garden are in no wise fit to be trusted with the Fence Let me draw to an ende with the wordes of Ferus whose speach might awake his Papistes Doe the false Prophets teach Christ yea verily for to preach Christ is to preach righteousnesse sanctification forgiuenesse of sinnes and redemption For Christ is become all these thinges vnto vs. And these thinges the false Prophets preach how we may obtaine righteousness and redemption But they teach not that we must looke for and seeke these thinges Onely from Christ and onely by Christ Yea they neglecting Christ doe teach to seeke for Righteousnesse and forgiuenesse of sinnes in other thinges Behold say they here or there is Christ which is indeed to seduce and to lead out of the way For these thinges are found no where else but in Christ. There is no other name vnder heauen by which we must be saued Hath not Ferus in this as in a thousand thinges spoken as a Protestant When the Church of Rome hath in her such Maisters of fence to maintaine our quarrell let vs not despise them but desire of God that such honest Spirits may further come out of Babilonish bondage For these that be with vs be not against vs. If S. Peter in Math. 16. had any promise for the Sea of Rome let them note the performance of it in such as Ferus and others now in Venice and Piemont with other places And in so doing we will not easily be found to contend with them CHAP. xvj Touching BABEL the rising and fall thereof BABEL is two fold Literall or Spirituall The Literall is a name giuen first to a Tower then afterwardes to some Citie As first to a Citie whereof the sayd Tower was the principall Monument and that is Babel in Chaldea Secondly it was giuen to a Citie in Aegipt now called Cair from whence S. Peter is thought to direct his first Epistle as appeareth in the Conclusion For this second I finde it not Typicall but for the first I doe First for that the first was a worke begun by 70. Families that schismed from Shem and that God that was in Shems Tentes Secondly for that Nimrod in English Apostate or Rebel who was the impudent Hunter before the Lord became the head thereof whereupon the Prophet calleth that soyle The land of Nimrod Thirdly for that it was the Citie wherein the Church of the Iewes was captiued for 70. yeares The Spirituall Babel hath respect to this of Chaldea for that it was still an instrument of opposition to the Church And this spirituall Babel hath a twofold vnderstanding among Diuines for either it is taken for Rome or for the whole politicall body of false Christians wheresoeuer For Rome it is taken of Tertullian in these words Sic et Babylon apud libannem nostrum Romanae vrbis figuram portat proinde et magnae regno superba sanctorum debellatricis So it is in Rhenanus his auncient Copie The Romanist Pamelius out of the Margin blots Babilon Roma least the Reader should marke it thinking it too much that Beatus Rhenonus or any other should put an Asterisk ouer against that text So Tertullian against Martion lib. 3 hath the like and ouer-against the same is the former marginall note And Ierom is of like minde who writing vnto Fabiola lately come from Bethleem to Rome hath this Et tu quidem optato fueris
Harlot and cast the filth of her fornications in her face not to say any thing of the many thousands of plaine Protestantes in the skirtes of Italy at the foote of the Alpes as in Piemont and also in Prouinces in Fraunce who are in Tolosa called Albingenses in Boheme Tabarites who haue long time been one with vs against Rome holding it Babylon Their Tongues I speake of the Romish Synagogue be wonderfully deuided not onely in Doctrine but also in Discipline and Gouernment witnesse not onely the late controuersie betweene Secular-priestes Iesuites ouer the which soare a skinne may be drawen but impossible to be healed at the botthom for that a greater right in conscience ought to be graunted to the Priests being their mayne ministerie them to the Iesuites being a regular irregular order of Friers but hatched the other day but also witnesse the controuersie of the Citie of Venice instincted by Father Paulus not to speake of any other places For the Opposition in all probabilitie must be larger then we can vpon the sodaine take knowledge of at least for pressing the poynt with euident demonstration 3. Thirdly the honest spirited among them begin much to abash not onely at the grosse abhominations in the court of Rome and the religious irreligious houses but also at their strange proiectes of Treason as the late Gunpouder villany against our whole body of Parliament and others set a foote by their Iesuites or rather Iebushites and that dayly and in euery Nation And hereupon it is that many returne to our Church many be dayly conuerted in Fraunce and many indure tormentes abroad at the handes of their bloody inquisition As the Iewes going to Babel were caryed at three seuerall times and againe from Babel had their seuerall Returnes by Zerubbabel Ezrâ— Nehemiah so the Church that Christ hath had in this mysticall Babel hath her seuerall Returnes and Exodes some at the sixt houre some at the ninth and others at the eleuenth Say we therefore with the Psalmist O Lord returns our Captiuitie as Riuers in the South 4. Fourthly as from the Apostles wordes Rom. 11. 12. If the fall of the Iewes be the riches of the world that is of the Gentiles how much more shall their aboundance be And againe verse 15. If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world what shall the Prosâ—â—psis or the very assuming of them be et ◠è zôe ek necrôn if not life from dead-ones As I say from these wordes I vnderstand that the vniuersall conuersion of the Iewes shall bring with it a mightie aduantage to the Church and such conuersion improbable otherwise then by much vse of the Hebrew tongue as also by the ministrie of some in the Romish Church within whose Territories that people haue their resiance and the Hebrew tongue being now much studied and profited in by Romanistes so it must necessarily follow that many learned Romanistes must before that time turne themselues from Babel to the Ghospell and so bring with them a mighty people as Martin Luther hath done before them As the meanes of the Iewes vniuersall calling groweth so the strength and glory of the Romish Babel declineth Meanetime the Iewes are much scandalized at Christianitie for that the Christians where they liue doe fall downe and adore Images or at best adore men and women departed Touching which kind of scandale arising from such Adoration Paulus Ricius a Cabalisticall Iew and a Christian of the Romish fashion he writes thus Verum hoc vnum salua tamen Reuerâ—mia occultorum censere probare non formido orthodora jam Christi fide ad plemtudinem redacta Idolum cultu pâ—â—â—tus dolâ—to non solum non impium sed etiam condecens laudabile esse nisâ— in hoc quoque consuetudinis corruptela reniteretur Templa sacras aeâ—tes aâ—que imaginibus construere idsiquidem ad empyreoâ— superâ—aetes Sanctorum sptâ—â—â—us hominuÌ„ mentes extollerent non ad corporeas manufactas jmaginies sicque omnem infirmoruÌ„ offendiculâ—m nophandissâ—mi erroris periculum aueretur Obtrectâ—ntum insuper Iudaeorum plures qui prae caeteris Imaginâ—m â—ultâ—m abhominantur ad piam Christi religionem a râ—plectendam induci persuaderi possent The whole date of this spirituall Babel wherein the Sonne of perdition hath his being first and last is of S. Iohn sayd to be 42 moneths more plainely after 1260. dayes which by the rule of diuine prophecie is so many yeares as in Leuit. 25. 8. Ezek. 4. 5. c. Dan. 9. 24. c. and so they be vnderstood of many Now wheÌ„ these yeares should begin is a question But such as vnderstand Daniels Prophecie to outreach the date of mother Zion which howsoeuer properly may well fall out typically doth begin that date vpon the finall ruine of Ierushalem wherewith the Iewish Sacrifice ceased and that is some 40. yeares after Christes ascension being from the birth of Christ 73. yeares Daniels wordes lye in his last chap. thus From the time that the dayly Sacrifice shaâ—â— taken away and the abhominable desolation set vp there shal be 1290. dayes bâ—essed is he that waiteth and commeth to the 1335. dayes Hence is collected comparing S. Iohn and Daniel togeather First that the Abhomination opposed to the sole sufficient Sacrifice of Christ should be set vp as the sodaine might beare it about the yeare of our Lord 73. what time not onely the Romaines set vp their Idols in the Temple sacrificing vnto them as Authors of their Conquest whereof Iosephus speaketh at large but also Menander Ebion and the Nicolaitans then were famous Heretikes To whom the Diuell presently ioyned others By these much poyson was powred into the Body of the Christian Church for raysing vp a mysticall Abhomination Secondly that Abhomination was to continue 1260. yeares but then was to meete with a purger for the good of Christes mysticall Body his Church From Christes birth to Ierushalems last ruine 73. yeares and from thence to Antichrists fall 1260. yeares the whole from Christ to Babels fall be 1333. yeares In which yeare of the Lord Ockam wrote in defence of the Emperour and defended Michael Cicens condemned the Decretals and Extrauagants c. Now the Prophet Daniel doth to S. Iohns 1260. yeares adde 30. to the First Blessing which reacheth to the yeare of our Lord 1363. the time of the Irish Bishop Armachan who writ against Friers and could not find foure Bibles in all Oxford Then Daniel for the Second blessed time addeth to the former 45. yeares which bringes vs to the yeare of our Lord 1408. At which time the Doctrine of our Wicliffe was not onely dispearsed ouer Christendome for he writ sayth the Romanist Genebrard Plus quam 200. librorum volumina moe then 200. volumes of Bookes but also the same Doctrine was held all ouer of many at home abroad and of the Romanists were called Wicliffians Insomuch