wheat in his Barnflower out of which Sall like light chaff of pride thou hast flowen away wanting the weight of fortitude in thy faith Look well about you straying lost man and consider what you have done you have fled away from the Camp of Israel to the tents of Philistim you have stayned as much as in you lay the fame and renowne of the Order of the Society of Jesus you are the first of that Order of our Country that ever fell you have defamed your Nation you have poluted the â—and of Saints qua hactenus carebal Monstris But such sliders back and Apostata's as you and latly som others will make our holy I land an Africa you have in this your Apostacy dispised the power of Allmighty God you have belyed his truth you have againe Crucify'd Jâ—sus the Angells you have made angry the Saints you have dishonoured and men you have offended and scandalized Dic crgo mihi jam Sall hominum miserri me si non feceris scelera multa in domo Dei But whither glorying and boasting in that which is your shame your Apostacy soe runs the rumor of you whither will you turne your face where will you hide your selfe from the wrath of God where can you finde an azile of safty who will defend you who will take your part in the day of Extremity you are become for which my hart is much grived ludâ—brium fabula in gâ—ntibus Doe not say my words are bitter it is your great sinn against heaven makes mee bitter and to quarrell with you for my custome hath beene all my life pacem habere cum hominibus cum vitiis bellum I follow S. Augustins Rule Diligere homines interficere errores naturam amarâ— culpam odio habere quia ea faedatur natura quam homines amamus Soe that my Anger against you at present is piety and shall pray to be soe understood in this whole tract or confutation of your flight from the Catholick side for how can I be longer a frind to him that is becom a declared Enemy to God and his Angells by a publick Abjuration of holy faith In the first place the manner of of abjuring your Religion under the Tytle of a Recantion c. is vile and infamous could not you have performed this ungodly bussiness in that Arch-Bishops Chamber a work of darkness should have been Smoothered in silence and darkness noe but you must have used a solemnity in facie Ecclesiae Protestanticâ— ro have many wittnesses of your Ignominys would any man become bankroote a great infamy to a Marchant Publish his minde to the world If an incontinent woeman should put out in the Market-place a Declaration that shee was to make sale of her body soule and honour would not all of that sex cry upon her a shame upon the strumpet cauté si non casté This much to the Tytle of what Sall hath done now to what was done the Uggly Abjuration wherof much is to be said and spoken 1. What drew Sall out of Gods House 2. What guid led him the way 3. Having forsaken the Catholick Religion what Religion is hee become of 4. Who are the Doctors hee hath parted with and who they hee hath now embraced 5. What Company hath hee forsaken and who are they hee sticks unto 6. A discussion upon some principall parts of the Recantation 7. Certaine advertisments to said Sall. 8. The Authors harty Exhortation unto him for his speedy returning to his Mother the Roman Catholick Apostolick Church Those poynts I will handle as briefly as the Importance Of the matter will require and shall indevour by Gods blessing to give the pious and indifferent Reader all rationall satisfaction II. CHAPTFR TO the first query What drew Sall Ad primum out of Gods House Hee answers for himselfe that hee determined this change on a serious examen and ponderation hee had made upon the XXXIX Articles of the Confession of the Church of England for the safty hee found in them for salvation heare himselfe speak in his Recantation After ernest prayer saith hee to God for the assistance of his Devine light in soe weighty a matter I pen'd downe for better consideration the reasons I did heare read and conceive against the Romish tenets controverted I did alsoe carfully peruse and seriously reflect upon the XXXIX Articles Canons and Lithurgie of the Church of England to be safer for my salvation then that of the Roman Church You see gentle Reader this man pretended feare of his salvation if hee remained in the Catholick Communion and past to that of the Protestant Religion for the Devine Doctrine and satisfaction hee found as hee says in the XXXIX Articles of the English Confession Truly Sall I took you for a better Devine then to have changed soe rashly and unlearnedly the party you professed formerly to be of for any light truth or sanctity could be found in said XXXIX Articles I meane those of them different from the Catholck Religion One of these Articles vigesimus secundus Cui titulus est de Purgatorio runns thus Romana Doctrina de Purgatorio Indulgentiis Veneratione Adoraâ—ione taem Imaginum quam Reliquiarum ut de invocatione Sanctorum est absurda inaniter inventa nec ulla Scripturae authoritate nititur sed potius Dei verbâ— repugnat That is to say The Roman Doctrine of Purgatory Indulgences Veneration and Adoration as well of Images as of Reliques as alsoe of the Invocation of Saints is absurd and vainly invented nor is it grounded upon any Authority of Scripture but is rather repugnant to the Word of God Sall this is a false prophane hereticall Article of thy new Chosen faith Wheras the Worship of Images and Relicks wee Catholicks doe Worship but not adore Images and Reliques The Doctrin of Purgatory Indulgences and the Invocation of Saints is warranted by Scripture and Apostolicall Tradition and hath beene from age to age from the very tyme of the Apostles maintained taught and defended by ancient Fathers and Doctors Nominatim the foure most famous of the Church Gregory Ambros Augustin and Jerom as alsoe by the generall Councells and the continual practice and use of the holy Church and those who opposed themselves to those tenets and to the Doctrin derived touching them have beene condemned in all tymes as Hereticks Ergo this Article you Imbrace for a Theoreme and principle of faith for soe it is in the English Church is an heresy and you an heretick and soe I must esteem you to be If it were my purpose to sift and examine one by one such of these XXXIX Articles as ars different from the Catholick Doctrine I should not be in great trouble to prove them to be what indeed they are false and hereticall but that is done to my hand by a pious learned person bred in the Protestant Religion and for a long tyme a zealous defender of said XXXIX Articles
that this Doctrin was first invented in the tyme of that Councell The Canon or Diffinition of that great Councell was In haec Verba Verum Christi Corpus sanguis in hoc Sacramento Altaris sub speciebus Panis Vini ver aceter continentur Transubstantiatis Pane in Corpus Vino in Sanguinem potestate divina For the better declaring of this truth Sall you know the Church doth not make new Articles of Faith when it defines any controverted Doctrin It only declares that such Doctrin was delivered to the primative Church and soe downe along to us and groundeth its difinition upon Scripture or authentick Tradition As the Protestants object against Transubstantiation that it is a nouelty Soe did the Arrians against Consubstantiality that it was a novelty brought in by the Councell of Nice wheras said Councell did only define Consubstantiality to have been from the Apostles tyme an Article of Faith and decreed the same should be declared and signify'd by the word Omousion in like manner the Councell of Lateran did define for a mistery of faith Transubstantiation which was soe before theire Difinition and then they agreed upon the word Transubstantiation but the thing by that word signifyed was before beleeved as an Article of Faith by the whole Church though expressed in other tearms as those of Mutation Transmutation Transelementation Conversion of the Bread and Wine into the Body and Bloud of Christ In the mean tyme I can not understand how Sall a new Sacramentarian should dispute with us about the Doctrin of Transubstantiation seing hee slattly denyes the Body and Bloud of Christ to be realy and substantially present in the Sacrament What is more impertinent then to dispute of the manner of a thing or being that you hould has noe being The Lutherans who beleeve the Body and Bloud of Christ to be realy and substantially in the Sacrament though erroniously they likwise hould Bread to be there have some reason to dispute with us about the manner of Christes being there by Transubstantiation or otherwise The first Hereticks that impugned Transubstantiation were the Capharnites who said Quomodo potest hic nobis carnem Ioanes Cap. 6. suam dare ad manducandum And againe Durus est hic sermo When our Saviour said I am the living Bread that came downe from heaven If any man eat of this Bread hee shall live for ever and the Bread which I will give is my flesh for the life of the World The Iewes therfore strove among themselves saying How can this man give us his Flesh to eat This saying is hard and who can heare it Sall you see by this is becom a Capharnite and in this point soe are all that imbrace the XXXIX Articles of the Church of England About the yeare 780. certaine Greek Hereticks called Iconomachi held this Sacrament to be only an Image of Christ and that his Body was not realy in the Sacrament In the yeare 800. one Ioannes Scotus of the Latin Church fell into the same Heresie and after him two ages and more in the year 1050 Berengarius denyed Transubstantiation and the Real-Presence Before these men none did impugne this high mistery of Faith but all the Church did quietly and unanimously beleeve the Real-Presence of the Body and Bloud of Christ in the Sacrament and the aforesaid Iconomachi and all other in this point were confuted by the Fathers and condemned by the Church in severall generall Councells The latter Hereticks as Zwinglians Calvinists and and the like Sacramentarians have alsoe been condemned by the Church In this high point of Doctrin wee are to beleeve and maintain what the Canons and Counsells of the holy Church have defined as that of Lateran aboue cited and others and of the Councell of Trent expressly and distinctly Concil Triden Sess 13. Cap. 1. 2. 3. 6. difining this mistery in the 13. Session in the sixth Chapter it defines more especially the Doctrin of Transubstantiation which is the Conversion of the whole substance of Bread into the substance of the Body of Christ our Lord and of the whole Substance of Wine into the Substance of his Bloud Quae Conversio soe ends the Chapter convenienter propriè a Sancta Catholica Ecclesia Transubstantiatio est appellata The first Canon is in haec verba Si Cone Triden Sess 13. Canon 1. 2. 6. quis negaverit in Sanctissimae Eucharistiae Sacramento contineri vere realiter substantialiter Corpus Sanguinem una cum anima divinitate Domini nostri Iesu Christi ac proinde totum Christum sed dixerit tantummodo esse in eo ut in signo Vel figura aut virtute Anathema sit This Canon is point-blanck against Calvinians and Sacramentarians The second Canon is against Wicklefians and Lutherans the sixth doth define the Worship of Adoration due to our Saviour in the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist Wee cannot follow better guides and masters herein then the ancient Fathers men inspired by God in theire writings who all of them concerning the Sacrament of the Aulter have beleeu'd as wee doe and asserted the true and Catholick Doctrin touching the same in theire writings if Sall hath any esteem for those holy men let him take paines to read theire writings and hee shall finde I promise him that they all held this Article to bee of Faith to witt that Christ is realy and substantialy present in this Sacrament by Transubstantiation or Conversion of the whole Substance of Bread and Wine into his Body and Bloud I will not goe lower then the fifth age because Ptotestants regard not the Authority of Fathers later then that age in which liued Chrisostom Hierom Cyryllus of Alexandria Augustin Proclus Constantinopolitanus Theolet Gelasius Leo Hillarius Eusebius Emissenus c. In the fourth Century wherin the first Councell of Nice was celebrated Athanasius Hillarius Cyrillus of Hierusalem Ambrose Basill Optatus Gregorius Nyzenus Gregorius Nazianzenus Epiphanius In the third age lived Origen Tertulian Cyprian In the second Iustinus Martyr Pius Pope Irinaeus In the first the tyme of the Apostles Ignatius Dionisius Ariopagita Pollicarpe and others Out of all these Fathers and many more can be produced an infinity of passages clearly declaring that they beleeved the Real-Presence and maintained Transubstantiation or the thing therby signifyed and beleeved and that it was delivered from age to age from the Apostles tyme and that this was the Faith of the whole Church I will content my selfe which I hope will content my Reader in aleaging the Authorityes of some of them Tertulian who lived in the third age says Caro abluitur ut anima emaculetur Tertul lib. do Resurrectione carnis caro ungitur ut anima consecretur Caro Corpore Sanguine Christi vescitur ut anima de Deo saginetur That is The Flesh of man is washed with true substantiall Water that the Soule may be cleansed the Flesh is anoynted with true Oyle that the Soule
God an infalible spiritt of rightly understanding the Scripture In which hee walked Religiously according to Doctor Whitakâ—rs definition of the privat Spiritt Wee Catholicks that have nothing to doe with this privat Spiritt doe firmly believe God hath given a speciall Grace and infalible Spiritt of expounding the Scripture and defining Theorems of faith to generall Councells assembled together in the Holy Ghost Vbi duo vel tres congregati sunt in nomine meo ibi ero in medio illorum That likwise the Pope hath this infalible Spiritt quando loquitur ex Cathedra but privat men bee they ever soe great Saints or learned wee doe not allow this infalibility unto them though wee doubt not but the Doctors of the Church who submitts themselves in all to the Church are specially assisted by the Holy Ghost in interpreting the word of God The pride of this privat Spiritt makes Protestants to make noe account of the ancient Fathers and Doctors nor of generall Councells or any diffinition or determination of the Church Ex. G. the second Counsell of Nice defines the Doctrin of Tradition in this manner Si quu Traditionem Ecclesiae sive scripto sive consuetudine valentem non curaverit anathema sit The privat spiritt of Doctor Whitaker spurning at this Councell said Generall Councells may erre Behold one Doctor of the English Church doth blast with a breath all the authority and creditt of this generall Councell Tell mee Sall is not this a Spiritt of pride in Doctor Whitaker a little Pigme contesting with soe many tale Gyants of Sanctity and learning all the Biphops and great Doctors of that famous Councell If wee produce the Authority of Fathers and Saints excellently learned as Cyprian Gregory Ambross Ierom Augustin and others behold the Father of Protestanisme your prime Doctor Luther whom your Church terms a holy man and the Hely-as of Germany speaks resolutly Gods Word is aboue all the Devine Majesty makes for mee in soe much as I regard not if a thousaad Augustins and as many Cyprians stood against mee Was this man in his sences Luth. Tom. 2 contra Henricum Regem Angliae when hee vapered in this kinde but how did Luther prove the devine Majesty made for him by noe other means but by his privat infalible spiritt which hee supposed though by Scripture hee could not prove it hee himselfe had and those Saints had it not See now Sall if you are happy in hauing Luther a monster of sinne with his privat Spiritt on your side and Cyprian Augustin and the rest of holy Doctors against you whome you have forsaken to stick unto Luther By this privat Spiritt you Protestant Domineer over all sorts of men interpreting Scripture as you please and who interprets otherwise be they universitys Doctors Fathers Councells yea and the very high Bishop of old Rome himselfe all erre and why soe because they have not the privat Spiritt of Protestanisme what a rediculous thing this is even Common reason teacheth us By this privat Spiritt you Protestants admit for Canonicall Scriptures all you please and you declare Apocriphall what you please by this Spiritt you take what Traditions you please and by the same reject what you please by this Spiritt you disâ—anon the Books of the Machabees Ecclesiasticus and others those said Books have bine acknowledg S. Aug. in doct Christ l. 2 c. 8. Can. 47. for Canonicall by Saint Augustin and the third Councell of Africk You will doubtless tell mee that your chiefest Doctors Luther and Calvin had this infallible Spiritt in expounding the Scriptures and yet they give quite contrary interpretations of one and the same passage of Scripture as this Hoc est Corpus meum Luther understands Matt. cap. 26. that Text Secundum Litteram and says it is soe of faith to be understood and condemns for Hereticks the Sacramentariant Swinglians and Calvinistes who understand that place figuratively Luther hath this saying Englished I doe Luth. Ep. ad Har vagium Tom. 7. VVitt f 380. art 28. contra Lovanienses Tom. 2. VVitt. f. 503. protest before God and the world that I doe not agree with them the Sacramentarys nor ever will while the world standeth but will have my hands cleare from thee blood of those sheep which these Hereticks doe drive from Christ deceive and kill And againe in the same place Cursed be the Concord and Charity of Sacramentaryes for ever and ever to all Eternity Luther hee understands the above cited place litterally and possitively affirms that the body and blood of Christ is realy and substancially in the Sacrament of the Altar Hee likwise affirms but erroniously that bread is there with the body of Christ Calvin takes a quite Contrary way and affirms possitively the Body and blood of Christ is not realy and substantially in the Sacrament but figuratively see as hee expounds this Text Hoc est Corpus meum thus Hac est figura Corporis mei now what is more different then the Body of Christ to be realy in the Sacrament and the Body of Christ not to be realy in the Sacrament Sall reconcile the best you can these two great Doctors of your Church for plaine reason tells us if the Spiritt of one of them bee true the other must bee a lying Spiritt And those are the men these Monsters of incontinency and pride cover'd with all sort of vices are the Doctors and Masters you have now chosen Seeing then this privat lying Spiritt approves of expounding Scripture at will and pleasure allowing only such exposition of Gods Word as sorts well to the supporting of theire owne errors seeing it tramples all Authority of Councells Fathers and Doctors who expounded Gods Word differently from the Protestant Church seeing it ingenders contrariety in Doctrin even in the injoyers thereof as was now shewed in Luther and Calvin through each mans misconstruction of Scripture To conclude seeing the exorbitancy pride and petulancy of this Spiritt is such that it expects that all men should receive from it as from a second Moyses the Tables of our Evangelicall Law I pray sitt downe and saddly consider what you have done in following this pestiperous Spiritt and wandering with it have separated your selfe from your holy Mother the Church IV. CHAPTER BEfore resolving any thing upon this Ad tertum quere to wit of what Religion is Sall become having forsaken the Catholick Religion I must tell you hee hath been weakly armed against the evill temptation that overcame him hee hath not been a tale strong oak resisting the storme sathan rais'd against him but a wavering reed without strength or stay hee stood not stiffly upon the Rock of Peter but yielded without fighting Tempore tentationis recessit harken weake pusilanimus Sall to old Tertulian telling you Quod Hereses apud Tertul. prescrip cap. 2. eos multum valeant qui infide non valent That is that Heresies are strong against those who are not strong in theire
Faith that was not soe before nor likwise make any Proposition Hereticall that was not soe before but only defines that Proposition to be of Faith that is and was ever soe and condemns that for an Heresie that is and was soe Nor are Articles of Faith as Sall affirms repugnant to human reason but transcending human reason as Saint Thomas teacheth Fidem non esse contra sensum sed esse de eo ad quod sensus non attingit much less is Faith repugnant to reason a nobler faculty then that of sence yet for all this wee may not say that reason can comprehend an Article of Faith Will you beleeve nothing Sall but what you can comprehend and as it were demonstrat by human reason and discourse This is not Faith but Science The silliest Catholick old woeman in your Country will tell you that in beleeving you must take Faith and leave reason And Saint Augâ—stin saith the same as thus S. Aug. lib. de utilitatâ— credendâ— Quod inteligimus debemus rationi quod credimus Authoritati Had you ankored your selfe Sall upon the Authority of the Church as most eminent Schoolmen of our side doe you had not fallne into Heresie but you presumed to much on your owne witt and wanted humility and necessary vertue Saint Augnstin reprehends such kinde of men as would circumscribe matters of Faith within the sphere of reason and discourse in these words Eccè qualibus Argumentis omnipotentiae Dei humana contradicit infirmitas quam possidet vanitas That is Behold with what kinde of Arguments doth human weakness mastered by vanity contradict the omnipotent power of God The Paulin difinition of Faith the most perfect of all diffinitions doth clearly demonstrate that the force of reason cannot comprehend Articles of Faith Illa particula Argumentum non aparentium clarè significat objectum fidei esse rem non visam cui firmiter adhaeret intellectus non ex rei evidentia sed ex auctoritate divina per illam particulam non apparentium distinguitur fides a Scientia intellestu per quem aliquid fit apparens That is The Argument of things not appearing doth clearly signify the object of Faith to be a thing not seen to which the understanding doth adhere not for the Evidence of the thing but for the devine Authority revealing it and by that particle of things not appearing Faith is distinguished from Science and understanding of objects by which a thing is made apearing This is the Opinion of Nicholas de Lira and others It is alsoe the Opinion of Devines commonly Visum non esse objectum fidei S. Tho. 1. 2. qs 67. S. Tho. 2. 2. q. 1. a. 4 And Saint Thomas saith elswher Quod nihil est objectum fidei nisi sub ratione non apparentis XVIII CHAPTER The Doctrin of Transubstantiation defended against Sall a new Protestant THere is noe Protestant soe maddly obstinate as to give God the lye to his face and in plaine tearms to say though hee did know God did reveale the Doctrin of Transubstantiation as the Church of Rome doth propose and maintaine it I would not beleeve it noe all Protestants acknowledg and generally all Hereticks God to bee truth it selfe and not able to deceive or bee deceived The obstinacy therfore of Protestants against Gods verityes is not as they are uttered immediatly by himselfe but as they are proposed by his Church as in the point of Transubstantiation Sall become lately a Protestant doth not beleeve the Catholick Church proposing that Doctrin as revealed by God but says it is not warranted by devine writt the same hee says of Indulgences Purgatory worship of Images c. but introduced and made an Article of faith by the use and Authority of the Roman Church Against cleare evidence there can be noe obstinacy the object of it must be involved in some obscurity otherwise the will which is the source of obstinacy would not bee able to master the understanding There is nothing more cleare and evident to the understanding then this proposition If God said or revealed any thing it s very true The obstinacy therfore of Hereticks doth not contest with this cleare and confessed truth It only doubts or denyes that God said or revealed any such thing as the Church pretends By this it appears in what Sall and I doe differ about Transubstantiation for hee doth not beleeve the Church proposing and defyning the Doctrin therof as revealed by God The Heretick beleeves what the Church proposeth as revealed only conditionally if God reveal'd it reserving to his owne privat Iudgment or to that of his privat Patriarks Luther Zwinglius Calvin c. this determination but the Catholick Absolutly and doubts not but God revealed what the Church proposeth as revealed submitting his Iudgment in matters of Faith to what soever the Church doth define or declare This is the case of Hereticks They protest if they had thought or beleeved that the Doctrin of the Roman Church in controverted points were revealed by God they would hartily imbrace it but they doe not consider this very if or doubt is Heresie for they have noe reason to doubt but that the Roman Catholick Church hath Commission and power of defining and declaring what is revealed by God seeing it hath the evident signes of a true Church as Miracles Sanctity of Doctrin and Life continuall Succession from the Apostles to the present age both of Pastors and Doctrin These signes may be easily perceived and knowne by all people as Clownes Souldiers and other illiterate persons let them examin the Histories of theire owne Countryes and the Religion of theire Ancesters which soever amongst all the Christians Churches had and hath the aforesaid signes that Church must be heard obeyed and beleeved as having Gods Authority and Commission to deside all doubts and Controversies of Faith who soever beleeves not her diffinitions and obeys not her decrees and Canons in points of Faith is an obstinat Heretick and such is Sall having deserted and condemned this Church But Sall tells us the Doctrin of Transubstantiation is a novelty not found in Scripture but brought into the Church by the Councell of Lateran anno 1215. This is a great mistake in Sall The very condemning of Berengarius as an Heretick for impugning Transubstantiation anno 1050 which was before the Councell of Lateran 165. years proves it was noe novelty but an Article of Faith before that Councell There were present at this Counsell the Emperors Roman and Greek and of the Kings of France Spaine England Hierusalem and Cyperus their Ambassadors euen from the Apostles tymes For otherwise I pray you how were it possible that the Patriarks of Hierusalem and Constantinople 70. Metropolitans 400. Bishops and 800. Conventuall Pryours who were all present at that great Counsell should all agree in declaring Transubstantiation to have been revealed by God to the primitive Church how can this agree with what Sall affirms
Apostolicale will you heare these holy men speake in theire owne Cathechisme Albe it say they the substance of the Doctrine comprised Catebhisme VVest infine in the abridgment commonly called th' Apostles Creed be fully sett forth in each of the Cathechismes soe as there is noe necessity of incerting the Creed it selfe Yet it is here anexed not as though it were composed by the Apostles What new masters or rather Monsters are these What ungodly pestiferrous Doctrin is this to say and teach the Creed is a human Collection and not made by the Apostles this they declared as was said and after such Declaration they did not say it neither did they require it to be said any more of others as the custome was formerly at Babtising infants all this they did to put the Creed out of Estimation and use now this Innovation calling the Creed in question the beleevers therafter could be sure of nothing Thus the Presbyterians indeavered to dash th' Authority of the Cymbol the principall foundation of Religion O abomination of furious zealots that would change the Apostolicall Creed which was taught for such and soe beleeved and esteemed in all ages by the consent of all Christian Nations and said dayly by all the Servants of God young and old But against the Impiety of those men wee have the Authority and Testimony of all the ancient Fathers for the Credit and Estimation of the Creed Cardinall Barronius in the first tome of Baron Tom. 1. Annal. an 44. N. 15. seq his Annals doth shew by the Testimony of the holy and ancient Fathers that the Creed was composed by the holy Apostles a little before they were to part and goe into severall Countryes to preach the Ghospell unto the Gentils to the end there might bee a certaine short cleare rule of Faith in which they all agreed wherin they were to instruct all persons and by which as by a certaine badge all Christians might be knowne Be pleased now to heare the Fathers speak of the Symbol Saint Ambrose saith Let us beleeve the Symbol S. Amb. Serm. 18. Epist 81. of the Apostles which the Roman Church doth ever preserve and keepe inviolate Saint Hierom saith The Symbol of our Faith and hope which was delivered by th' Apostles is not written in Paper or Ink but in the fleshly Tables of the hart Saint Augustin speaks thus The comprehension Aug. Serm. 42. de trad and perfection of our Faith is the Creed It is simple saith hee short and full That its simplicity might serve the rudeness its shortness the Memory And its fullness the Instruction of the hearers Else where hee saith this is a Symboll brief in words but large in Misteryes for whatsoever is declared in the Scriptures or foretold by the Prophets c. is contained and briefly confessed in it To show the excellency of the Creed which is therfore to be often sayd Saint Augustin speaks thus Render Aug. homil fortitu your Symboll render it unto the Lord be not weary to rehearse it the repitition of it is good least forgetfullness creep one thee doe not say I sayd it yesternight I sayd it to day I say it every day I have it well Remember thy Faith Behold thy selfe let thy Creed be a mirrour unto the there see thy selfe if thou beleeve all that thou confessest thy selfe to beleeve and rejoyce dayly in thy Faith Let it be thy Riches the dayly apparell of thy Soule Doe you not cloath your selfe when you rise Soe by remembring thy Creed cloath thy Soule least per-adventure forgetfullness make it naked Saint Ambrose cales this the Seale of our Ambr. lib. 3. de Virgin Tom. 4. hart which wee ought dayly to review and the Watch-word of a Christian which should bee in a readiness in all dangers Wee have the Creed by an assured Tradition and Testimony of the Church which Saint Augustin holds of noe less certainty then the Scriptures as is signifyed by these words I would not have beleeved saith the Saint Aug. Cont. Epist fund Cap. 5. the Ghospell unless the Authority of the Catholick Church had moved mee c. And that Authority being once weakned neither can I beleeve the Ghospell Seeing these Presbiterians have abollished the Authority of the Crâ—ed saying it is not Apostolicall what in Gods-name have these Doctors given to the People in place of the Symboll The holy Covenant and as the Creed is denyed by these men to be Apostolicall soe is the Covenant cry'd up to be Divine for they call it Gods Covenant and the Confession of the Scottish Kirck This was truly a rare exchange to deny the Creed to be Apostolique and to cry up the Covenant to be devine To Rob us of a most ancient clear briefe positive sacred Confession of Faith made by the holy Apostles famous in all ages and Universally received throughout the whole world full of great Misteryes and divine Expressions and to give us in place of it a new long obscure negative Confession or rather noe Confession of Faith full of terrible oathes Execrations and Combinations devised by some few discontented heads and by cunning and force obtruded upon the Nation much suspected at the beginning to bee nothing but a meere pretence of Religion as it was notoriously known to be a humane Invention and as it 's now at length after all its disguises manifested for such unto the World It 's good fame hath not lasted long neither at home nor a broad It gott some footing in England by cunning and worldly interest but these soone failing it was quickly detected and rejected The Christian Mediator sayth to this purpose That the last Reformation Christ Mod. pag. 2. settled with soe solemne a Covenant and carryed on with soe furious a zeal is already by better lights discovered to be meerly humane and therfor deseruedly layd aside These are the words of the converted Presbyterian Sall I would now faine know what is your Iudgement of these kinde of Protestants perhaps you will say they are noe Protestants but Geneva the acknowledged school of English and Scottish Protestants will tell you that Presbiterians are the purest Protestants of all and for ought I could ever learne the Church of England held and holds them soe according to Doctor Whitakers manner of speaking Tell mee Sall have you ever seen any act of Parlament in England declaring that Presbiterians are not Protestants or any penal lawes enacted against them noe such thing though they differ as was said from the Episcopall or Royall Protestants in fundamentall points of Religion that of the order and dignity of Episcopacy which they hold to bee Anti-Christian and Tyranicall and noe way de Iure Divino The other of the kings supremacy in Spiritualibus which they flatly deny they alsoe differ from the Kings Protestants in abollishing the Lords prayer and the Hymne of Glorification to the B. Trinity and in denying the Greed to be Apostolicall