necessary and edificative of the whole flock of Christ but are only made or said to be so by the will of man carrying a real appearance of evil and are scandalous to Papists and Protestants and establish such modes of Religious worship as are most conformable to the Gospel-rule and primo-primitive practise and not too like to and inductive of the Government and form of worship of the Apostatical and Antichristian Church of Rome I verily believe they would have more dutiful Sons and good Friends than now they have and the Church and Kingdom would have more peace and prosperity to which God of his great mercy incline their hearts However I beseech them to let their moderation be known to all men And I intreat all people without making any tumults upon any pretence whatsoever in their own places and callings quietly to endeavour and earnestly expect and pray for an amendment of what is amiss in Church and State to fear God and honour the King and submit to those that are in authority under him And so God keep you all Septemb. 29. 1673. R. R. B. D. The particular Doctrines renounced are these I. THat the Bread and Wine in the Lords-Supper after the Priests pronouncing these words with intention This is my Body and this is my Blood are turned or transubstantiated into the substance of Christs Body and Blood II. That Christ is really more present on the high Altar or Communion-Table as on his Throne or Chair of State than in the Pulpit or Font c. and that therefore more corporal bowing or more bodily reverence is due to the Altar or Communion-Table than to the Pulpit or Font. III. That mens persons are justified or accounted righteous before God for their own good works that follow Faith either in part or in whole and not for the merits of Jesus Christ alone IV. That Faith that doth justifie Believers persons before God is a bare and naked assent to the truth and that so and as an act habit or work in us it justifies V. That the persons of true Believers in Christ are not justified before God by the righteousness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ imputed to them on Gods part and apprehended and applied by Faith alone on their part VI. That mens foreseen faith repentance good works c. were the true causes moving God to elect them to eternal Salvation VII That men unregenetate or in the state of nature have by their own free will power sufficient of themselves to turn themselves to God to believe in Jesus Christ repent and do good workâ— acceptable to God when they will and also finally to resist the efficacious grace of God in converting an elected sinner to himself VIII That truly regenerated persons cannot be certain of their eternal Salvation but may totally and finally fall away from the acts and habits of saving Grace before they die and be eternally damned IX That the corruption of our nature commonly called Original sin which remaineth in truly regenerated persons after Baptism is not properly sin X. That meer men in this life since Adams fall can perfectly fulfill Gods whole Moral Law and also voluntarily do good works besides and above Gods Commandments which they call works of Supererogation which are as they say greater and holier than the works of the Moral Law and do merit remission of sin and eternal life not only for themselves but also for others XI That unregenerated mens own good works do make them meet to receive grace from God or as the School Doctors say deserve grace of congruity XII Thâ—t the good works of â—â—regenerated men do ex condigno merit at Gods hands eternal life XIII That there is a place after this life called Purgatory wherein the souls of believers dying since Christs Resurrection are purged from sins by penal satisfaction which were not purged in this life so fully as they ought that they may enter into Heaven XIV That the Pope of Rome successively or the Papacy is not the Antichrist of which the Scripture writes XV. That it is lawful to set up and suffer Images of the Sacred Trinity of God the Father of God the Son or Crucifixes Of God the Holy Ghost or of Saints departed this life which have been worshipped in Temples or Churches where Gods people do usually meet to worship God XVI That those Books which are commonly called Apocryphal Scriptures as Tobit Judith c. are the pure word of God and in all things agreeable thereunto XVII That the Pope or Bishop of Rome is the supreme Head of the Universal Church of Christ above all Emperours Kings Princes Pastors People and Churches The Articles of Lambeth The Doctrine of the Churches of England and Ireland Arminianism is not the Doctrine of the Church of England Notes taken out of King James his Declaration against Vorstius King James no friend to Arminianism A Renunciation OF SEVERAL Popish Doctrines BECAUSE Contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of ENGLAND IN general I renounce and detest all Popish false Doctrine and all Popish Superstitious and Idolatrous Worship and practises and the real appearances thereof and in particular I renounce and detest these that follow ARTICLE I. That the Bread and Wine in the Lords-Supper after the Priests pronouncing these words with intention This is my Body and this is my Blood are turned or transubstantiated into the substance of Christs Body and Blood This I renounce because it is contray to the Doctrine of the Church of England which Article 28th faith thus Transubstantiation or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord cannot be proved by holy Writ but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture overthroweth the Nature of the Sacrament and hath given occasion to many Superstitions The Body of Christ is given taken and eaten in the Supper only after an heavenly and spiritual manner and the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith And Homily of the worthy receiving the Sacrament it saith thus It is well known that the meat we seek for in the Supper is spiritual food the nourishment of our souls an heavenly refection and not earthly invisible meat and not bodily a ghostly substance and not carnal p. 200. It 's also contrary to the Church of England's declaration concerning kneeling at the end of the Communion-service The Sacramental bread and wine remain still in their very natural substances therefore may not be adored for that were Idolatry to be abhorred of all faithful Christians and the natural body and blood of our Saviour Christ are in heaven and not here it being against the truth of Christs natural body to be at one time in more places than one This declaration is not only against the Papists Transubstantiation but also fully against the Lutherans Consubstantiation viz. That Christs body and blood is really and corporally in the bread and wine Both which
Popes Traditions and Ceremonies pestilent deadly poyson Yea forsooth I have for I have drunken of the pestilent Traditions and ceremonies of the Bishop of Rome Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1504. Col. 1. Mr. John Bradford Martyr proveth the Church of Rome not to be a true Church but a false Church and the Pope the Head thereof to be the wicked one that is Antichrist And he tells the Bishop of York and the Bishop of Chichester That they did wickedly in coupling themselves to the Church of Rome again Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1533. col 2. And in pag. 1543 he tells the Londoners thus That in testimony of this my Faith I render and give my life being condemned as well for not acknowledging the Antichrist of Rome to be Christs Vicar General and supreme Head of his Catholick or Universal Church here or elsewhere upon Earth as for denying the horrible and Idolatrous Doctrine of Transubstantiation and Christs real corporal and carnal presence in his Supper under the forms and accidents of Bread and Wine And he saith the same in his Letier to the University and Town of Cambridg pag. 1544. And a little after in the same Letter he saith to Cambridg Dost thou not know Rome to be Babylon And in his Letter to Lancashire he saith That Transubstantiation is the dearly beloved of the Devil and the daughter and heir of Antichrists Religion c. Ibid. p. 1546. And in his Letter to a Woman that desired to know Whether she might be present at the Popish Mattins or no refraining from the Mass he saith thus This Latin Service is a plain mark of Antichrists Catholick Synagogue so that the Communicants and approvers of it thereby declare themselves to be members of the same Synagogue and so cut off from Christ and his Church whose exterior mark is the true administration of his Word and Sacraments Furthermore the example of your going thither to allow the Religion of Antichrist as doubtless you do indeed howsoever in heart you think occasioneth the obstinate to be utterly intractable the weak Papists to be more obstinate the strong Gospellers to be sore weakned and the weak Gospellers to be overthrown which things how great offences they be no pen * Yet do not many men make nothing of scandalizing their brethren now by injoining and practising the needless ceremonies of the church of Rome is able to utter by Letters Ibid. p. 1565. And in a Letter to the Lady Vane he saith That the Bishop of Rome is undoubtedly that great Antichrist of whom the Apostles do so much admonish us Ibid. p. 1565. col 1. And a little after he saith That the Bishop of Rome is a Butcher or a Bite-sheep rather than a Bishop How can we call him Christs Vicar that resisteth Christ oppugneth his verity and persecuteth his people and like a Prelate preferreth himself above God and man Ibid. p. 1566. col 1. And in his Letter to certain godly men he saith thus Therefore take heed for the Lords sake take heed and defile not your bodies or souls with this Romish and Antichristian Religion set up amongst us again but come away from as the Angel cryeth from amongst them in their Idolatrous service lest ye be partakers of their iniquity Ibid. p. 1568. col 2. And in his Letter to a godly Gentlewoman that was cast off by her Friends because she would not go to the Popish Mass he saith thus You cannot be partaker of Gods Religion and Antichrists service whereof the Mass is most principal you cannot be a member of Christs Church and of the Popes Church Ibid. p. 1570. And in his Letter to N. and his Wife he saith Now hath Antichrist all 〈◊〉 power again Ibid. p. 1571. And in his Letter with a Supplication to Queen Mary and her Council he saith thus That the Lords eyes were set to destroy England and your Highness and all your Honours if in time ye look not better to your office and duties herein and not suffer your selves to be slaves and hangmen to Antichrist and his Prelates which have brought your Highness and your Honours already to let Barnabas loose and to hang up Christ Ibid. p. 1574. John Launder Martyr in his Confession before Bishop Bonner saith That whosoever doth teach or use any more Sacraments than Baptism and the Lords-Supper or get any Ceremonies he doth not believe that they be of the Catholick Church but doth abhor them from the bottom of his heart And doth further say and believe That all the service sacrifices and ceremonies now used in this Realm of England yea in all other parts of the world which have been used after this manner be erroneous and naught and contrary to Christs institution and the determination of Christs Catholick Church whereof he believeth that he himself is a member and in this Faith he died Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1593. M. Luther * History of the Counc of Trent lib. 1. p. 76. said to the Popes Nuncio that nothing can be received from Rome compatible with the Ministry of the Gospel Derrick Carver Martyr in his answer to Bishop Bonner saith That your Ceremonies used in the Church are beggarly and poyson Ibid. p. 1594. Thomas Iveson Martyr confessed and to his death stood to this Article objected against him by Bonner That he believeth that all the ceremonies now used in this Church of England are vain superfluous superstitious and naught Ibid. p. 1595. col 1. Of the same Faith was John Denley Gentleman as may be seen in his Answer to the seventh Article Ibid. p. 1598 And the said John Denley in Answer to the third Article objected against him by Bishop Bonner said thus That I believe that this Church of England using the faith and Religion which is now used is no part or member of the aforesaid holy Catholick Church but is the Church of Antichrist the Bishop of Rome being the head thereof Ibid. p. 1597. Patrick Packingham Martyr told Bishop Bonner plainly to his face That the Church which Bonner believed was no Catholick Church but was the Church of Satan and that therefore he would never turn to it Ibid. p. 1598. col 2. Henry Laurence Martyr being required to put his hand to his Answers writ thus Ye are all of Antichrist and him ye follow Ibid. p. 1599. col 1. George Tankerfield Martyr plainly told Bishop Bonner That the Church whereof the Pope is the supreme head is no part of Christs Catholick Church Ibid. p. 1602. col 1. Mr. Robert Glover Master of Arts and Martyr plainly told the Bishop of Leichfield That the Church of God knoweth and acknowledgeth no other head but Jesus Christ the Son of God whom ye have refused and chosen the man of sin the son of terdition enemy to Christ the Devils deputy and lieutenant the Pope Ibid. p. 1616. col 1. In which place he gives six notes of Christs true Church which the Church of Rome wanteth yea
A Renunciation OF SEVERAL Popish Doctrines BECAUSE Contrary to the Doctrine of Faith of the Church of ENGLAND By R. R. B. D. Babylon's Brats must not be dandled but dasht against the wall Phinehas his Zeal Jehu's March Josiah's Resolution Luther's Heroical Spirit have ever best prevailed against the mystery of iniquity Bishop Prideaux his Sermon upon Revel 2. 4. Pag. 25. Whosoever denieth this Doctrine That Faith alone justifieth is not to be accounted a Christian man nor for a setter forth of Gods glory but for an adversary to Christ and his Gospel and for a setter forth of mans vain glory Homily of Salvation of mankind Pag. 16 17. Bona opera non praecedunt justificandum sed sequuntur justificatum S. August l. de fide operibus c. 4 14. The Pope is Antichrist and Popery is the loosing of Satan for blasphemeth he not in denying us to be saved by the imputation of Christs righteousness King James his Godly Meditations upon certain Verses of Revel 20. Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints Jude vers 3. LONDON Printed for Tho. Cockeril at the Three Legs in the Poultry over against the Stocks-Market 1680. CHRISTIAN READERS THough I confess I have long had it in my thoughts to prove That the Doctrine of the Laudensian faction is not the Doctrine of faith of the Church of England and that the greatest Conformists to the Ceremonies are the greatest Nonconformists in deed and in truth to the Doctrine of faith or the articles of Religion of the Church of England concerning the Confession of the true Christian faith and the Doctrine of the Sacraments yet I sate still earnestly expecting that some one Orthodox Conformist or other whom it most concerned to maintain it would appear to prove the former or some learned Nonconformist to the Ceremonies would do the latter but neither seeing nor hearing of any one of them to attempt either the one or the other being incouraged by the Parliaments late Act for renouncing Transubstantiation I have though the unfittest of a thousand adventured to renounce not only that blasphemous Doctrine but many more of the Papists erroneous and Antichristian Doctrines and in doing of this may possibly be thought obliquely if not directly to do them both And I begin with renouncing their abominable Transubstantiation partly because the Parliament did so and also because it 's not only destructive of the humane nature of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ but also inductive of adoration of the Lords-supper and the Tables or Altars whereon 't is celebrated Several of our high Conformists having so beld and 't is feared that some do so now the presence of Christs Body in the Sacrament of the Altar as they have been pleased to call it that they might well be thought to hold it after the Papists or Lutherans Doctrine for 't is clear that they have not only been against Orthodox mens discovery of the way that Christs body is not in Bp. Forb's de Eucharist l. 1. c. 1. par 7. A. B. Laud in his Star-Chamb Speech Dr. Heyl. Hist of Presbytery p. 2. the Sacrament of the Lords-supper but they have plainly held that he is more and some other way in that Sacrament than in that other of Baptism and that he is there truly really substantially as 't is in the 18th Article of the Popes Creed to be seen in this Renunciation Article 14th yea essentially as Dr. Lawrence speaks in his Court-sermon p. 18. And in the second place I have renounced Adoration or bowing to Altars or Communion-Tables purposely and upon the Religious account of more religâ—ouâ— excelâ—â—nâ—â— c. because that Doctrinâ— and practise being â—dmitted worshipping of the Sacrament of Images of the Cross of Relicks c. may easily be introduced and maintained And thirdly I have renounced their Heretical Doctrine of Justification of mens persons before God by their own good works because it overthroweth the Gospel and in effect denieth Christ to be come in the flesh and is most dangerously Antichristian and very commonly brâ—â—ched amongâ—â— us and the sound Doctrine of the Church of England against it called Antinomianism and the imputation of Christs Righteousness vilified and denied and Faith as an act habit or work or as it includes sincere obedience set up in its room and the Papists Justification of our persons before God by our own actual or habitual righteousness re-introduced I have also renounced the sufficiency of the natural active power of mans Free-will while in the state of nature to turn of it self to God to believe c. and there by the ground and foundation of the Old and New Pelagian long since condemned though of late too much revived and affected Doctrine and those that usually flow from or are companions of it as also the lawfulness of setting up and suffering of Images in places of publick worship because they have been are and will be occasions of Idolatry Superstition and much mischief in Church and State where they have been and are tolerated as may be seen in that excellent Homily against the peril of Idolatry I have also proved by the Doctrine of the Church of England and our own learned mens approved works That the Pope of Rome is the Antichrist and that therefore he is not supreme Head of the Church and that therefore his humane inventions should not be imposed upon nor followed by the Churches of Jesus Christ but that Christ himself the supreme Head of his Church should be only so acknowledged his word duty and constantly consulted and followed in all matters which concern his Church â—is pure Doctrine Discipline and Worship and Truths countenanced and maintained and not suppressed or disgraced and also that Antichrists erroneous and Antichristian doctrines usurpations superstitious and scandalous ceremonies and other Worships should be detested * Vide the Confessioâ— of Faith made the 28 of Jan. 1581 in the 14 year of K. James his Reign there and subscribed and sworn to by K. James his Houshold and whole Kingdom of Scotland set down in the latter end of the Harmony of Confessions and renounced and suppressed 'T was once a sad and great complaint made to a Sub-Committee in which were many eminent Bishops and three Doctors of Divinity That all the tenents of the Council of Trent except only such points of State-policy against the Kings Supremacy as were made Treason by the Statute as good works co-causes with Faith in Justification private Confession by particular enumeration of sins needful necessitate medii to Salvation that the oblaâ—ion or as others the consumption of the Elements in the Lords-Supper holdeth the nature of a true Sacrifice Prayers for the Dead lawfulness of Monastical Vows the gross substance of Arminianism and some dangerous points of Socinianism had been preached or printed by some amongst us saith Dr. Fuller in his Ecclesiastical History Dr. Heylin ' s Cypr. Anglicus l. 5. p. 472
of Godfry Goodman Bishop of Gloucester was accused of it in Court and Convocation and declared and professed it by his last Will and Testament as Dr. Heylin shews in his Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p. 416. 'T is said of Dr. Theodore Price Bishop of that though he lived like an Atheist yet he died like a Papist Prin ' s Epistle to K. Châ—r I before his Quench-coal p. 42. England be so absolutely directly and cordially Papists that it is all that 1500 l. per Ann can do to keep them from confessing it This and much more may be seen in Dr. Heylin's Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p 392 408. Doth not A. B. Laud p. 36. of his commended Relation of his Conference with Fisher say thus The Church of Rome and Protestants set not up a different Religion And doth not Dean Potter iâ— Charity mistaken p 62 say thus That the most necessary and fundamental Truths which constitute a Church are on both sides unquestioned by fundamental points of faith we understand these prime and capital Doctrines of Religion which * But what are those a Bishop and a people or a Pope and the multitude of Professors of Christianity as Bishop Sparrow intimates in his Rationale upon the Common-prayer Book p. 89. Bishops Curates and people committed to their charge make up a Church make up the holy Catholick Church But did not the Church of England before A. B. Laud altered the Prayer for the Fifth of November say That Papists Religion is Rebellion and A. B. Laud held that Bishops are essential to the being of a Church as Heylin shews in his Cypr. Anglic. l. 1. p. 54. l. 4. p. 400 401. their faith is faction Which cannot be said of Protestants Religion or Faith truly without great slander though Dr. Heylin as they say most wickedly standers all the first restorers of the Reformed Religion with it Doth not the Church of Rome hold such points of faith as do destroy the foundation and those not only questioned but denied by real Protestants Doth not the Church of Rome hold this Doctrine as a point of faith for denying or not believing of which they have put many thousands of Protestants to death viz. That the body and blood together with the soul of the Lord Jesus Christ is truly really and substantially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and that there is made a turning of the whole substance of the bread into his body and of the whole substance of the wine into his blood which turning the Catholick Church as they falsly call themselves doth call Transubstantiation If this be denied see the 18th Article of their Religion set down in the 14th Article of this Book And doth not our Vide Bull Pii 4 bound up with the Council of Trent super forma juramenti professionis sidei Church of England hold the truth in this point against the Church of Rome that this their Doctrine is false and doth destroy the humane Nature of Christ and consequently destroy all the Articles of our Creed which concern Jesus Christs humane nature and consequently our Salvation And is not this a fundamental point of faith that true believers persons are justified before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them and applied by faith alone Is it not the main drift of the Apostle to prove and settle the Romans and Galatians in this truth That believers persons are not justified before God by their own good works even of that Law of which câ—meth the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledg of sin Yea doth not the Apostle say that if he shall teach justification of our persons before God by our own good works he should frustrate the grace of God that is overthrow the Gosâ—el of Jesus Christ for if righteousness come by the Law then Christ is dead in vain Gal. 2. 21. And could these great Grandees who imposed and took subscription to the Book of Homilies upon and from others be ignorant of what the Church of England holds therein especially this Whosoever denieth this Doctrine THAT FAITH ALONE JUSTIFIETH is not to be accounted a Christian man nor a setter forth of Gods glory but for an adversary to Christ and his Gospel and for a setter forth of mans vain glory that 't were the greatest arrogance and presumption of man that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself Homily of Salvation of Mankind p. 16 17. Now because some of our English conforming Divines have by their Preachings and Writings said that most of these ensuing false Doctrines I Heylin in his Introduction to his Cypr. Angl. p. 36. S. 36. have renounced all which the Church of Rome holdeth and maintaineth are the Doctrines of the Church of England and thereby induced many persons to believe and allow them I have to prevent the growing mischief of this grand deceit and to vindicate the Church of England from these calumnies and to inform the ignorant and inconsiderate that have subscribed assented and consented to the Articles of Religion and Homilies of the Church of England but never throughly read and considered them spent as much of my time with my pen as could be spared from my fork and rake this Harvest whiles many great Conformists to the Ceremonies and Government enjoy their Plurality of Benefices besides their great dignities but labour not in the Word and Doctrine much less preach or write against these gross Popish Doctrines but rather preach or print them to the great dishonour of God especially of Jesus Christ the increase of Popery and Atheism and the great grief of those godly Christians that are Protestants indeed and in truth as well as in profession Antichrist professeth the Creed as well as these men yet by his superinduced Doctrines and practices he overtbrows it So these men of long Name may profess subscribe and assent to the Doctrine of the Church of England and yet by superinduced Doctrines contradict and destroy it for they give not an internal assent to it as was observed before out of Mr. Fowler ' s Free Discourse p. 305. And whether those men do not play the Hypocrites lâ—t the world judg The Pope of Rome in divâ—ding Rome unto 25 Priests the fatal squarâ—-root of the number of the Beast 666 laid the foundation of his Iâ—olatrous and tyrannous Kingdom long before his Supremacy was perfected yea claimed He arose out of the earth as grass by little and little insensibly so possibly may a Pontifex Maximus with such a number of such Priests in time â—o elsewhere especially if rulers and ruled are willing to be ridden by them Of all Beasts tâ—e two horned Beast is the most dangerous to be ridden by next that which is most like him as
by God Mr. Cartwright upon the place referreth the sigh of the Cross to the mark of the Beast Dionis Carthusianus Vpon Revel 13. 13. saith That conformity to the Doctrine and life of Antichrist is the mark of the Beast and upon this account did * Vid. General Confession of Faith of the Church and Kingdom of Scotland to be seen at the end of the Harmony of Confessions King James renounce and detest the Bishop of Rome's five bastard Sacraments with all his rites ceremonies and false doctrine added to the administration of the true Sacraments without the word of God 'T is observed by Mr. Mede that one may receive the number of the name of the Beast that is his impieties and yet not receive the mark of his name that is not subject himself to his authority Which is exemplified in the Greek Church who imbrace the same form of impiety derived from the Dragon or the Idolatry of the Latins and yet refuse to be subject to the Latin Bishop or to bear his name So may others refuse to subject themselves to the supreme authority of Antichrist and to be called Papists and yet they may imbrace his Altars Images Fasts Feasts Ceremonies forms of Worship Government Laws Number yea and many of his Antichristian Doctrines and like well of much if not of almost all of that he holds and doth and yet will be called Protestants and take it very ill at the Papists hands when they call them Calvino-Papistae Calvin-Papists that is partly Papists and partly Protestants such as hold with the Papists and yet profess with the Protestants Mungrels as Bishop Abbâ—t called them in his Sermon above have great charity for professed 〈◊〉 but crâ—el hatred for real Protestants account true Calvinism heresie yea little less than Treason as Knot the Jesuit told some of our Mungrels but gross Popery yea blasphemy in doctrine to be but errour and more tollerable than Presbytery and Popery in practise to be indifferent and therefore lawful and commendable Many of these Heresies and errors I have renounced are by some of our Mungrels called the Doctrines of the Heylin's Introd to his Cyprianus Anglic. Church of England and Books have been printed if not licensed to confirm it but very falsely and slanderously except by Church of England they understand a faction for sure I am that the true and whole Church of England â—olds soundly against all these ensuing false Doctrines renounced Only her doctrine at least practise about Apocriphal Scriptures is not I fear so full and clear as I believe it might be Some mens plausible Sermons are abroad which are by too many persons swallowed down without due examination 'T is said by one a learned man That God doth only * Dr. Till Ser. offer grace in his Gospel but he forceth none to receive it To prevent mistakes I say and acknowledg 1. That God doth not force men against their wills to accept of the grace and assistance that he doth offer them but I deny that Quo minus tolerabilis est eorum inscitia qui Evangelium communiter ita Offerâ—i fingunt ut promiscuâ— liberum sit omnibus salutem fide amplecti Calvin in 1 Cor. 2. 14. God doth only offer assistance or grace to his children for though he do not convert them against their wills whether they will or no yet he takes away their hearts of stone and gives them hearts of flesh and makes them of unwilling to become willing in the day of his power Psal 110. 3. He worketh in them to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. 2. I acknowledg that Reprobates may finally resist the ineffectual grace of God 3. I affirm that the elect of God to Salvation shall not cannot finally withstand the effectual grace of God but that they shall at one time or other be effectually called converted and eternally saved And 4. That God who hath from all eternity elected them to the end everlasting Salvation hath also appointed them to the means conducing to the attainment of it as Faith in Christ Repentance for sin sincere obedience to the Law of God and perseverance in the same to the end Though I have not used many Arguments to confute every particular Error that would have been Voluminous yet I have sufficiently confuted them and proved that Papists and Protestants Religion differ or that the Church of Rome and Protestants hold a different Religion which was the main design of my undertaking and in alledging the Doctrine of the Church of England I should I conceive if I had done no more he thought to have done enough to convince if not professed Papists yet those that pretend to be the most dutiful Sons of the Church of England that these Doctrines are not Protestant but rather Popish and at least contrary to their Professions Subscriptions and Declarations as well as to Gods word and keep others from imbracing and imbibing and spreading of them If by alledging the Sermons Speeches and Writings of any learned Conformist heretofore I have displeased any of our great Conformists now I hope they will excuse and pardon me and blame them that printed and licensed them or themselves or others that have traduced or suffered the Truth to be bespattered or gainsayed or undermined by any Pelagian Arminian Socinian or Popish writer upon any pretence whatsoever And now my prayer to the God of Peace and Truth for England is That Gods true Religion may be setled here in its power and purity and that all Popery in Doctrine and Discipline and Worship may be burned with fire Revel 17. 16. that is as learned Dr. Moor expounds the place utterly consumed and to this end that God who hath the hearts of Kings and all men in his hands would incline the heart of our King and Parliament and all sorts of people to deny themselves and resign up themselves wholly to be guided by the will of God revealed in the Canonical Scriptures which ought to be the rule of all mens actions as our Book of * Homil. for Rogat on Week Part 3. p 230 Homil against Wilful Rebellion Part 6. p. 318. Homilies plainly declares which saith thus In Gods word Princes must learn how to obey God and to govern men in Gods word Subjects must learn obedience both to God and their Princes Is our reverend Fathers of the Church would stick close to the sound and necessary Articles of Religion established which concern the Doctrine of the true Christian Faith and the Sacraments to * Anno 3 Edw. 6. c. 11. which only all Ministers were bound to subscribe and give their assent and countenance men that do so and discountenance all those that hold or vent any Doctrine against the same and not stand too much upon those things which they have devised to uphold their own worldly power and interests and abate those things that are not of themselves or by Divine institution
seek for another righteousness or justification to be received at Gods own hands that is to say the forgiveness of his sins and this justification or righteousness which we so receive of Gods mercy and Christs merits embraced by faith is taken accepted and allowed by God for our perfect and full justification We are justified freely by faith without the works of the Law Homily of Salvation of Mankind pag. 13. there 't is further said That on our part we are justified by faith in the merits of Christ which is not ours but by Gods working it in us There 't is said also That the justice of man is shut out of Justification and yet that faith shutteth not out repentance hope love fear of God to be joined with faith in every man that is justified but it shutteth them out from the office of justifying so it shutteth not out good works which are necessary to be done afterwards of duty to God but it excludeth them so that we may not do them to this intent to be made just by doing of them Whosoever denieth this Doctrine that faith alone justifieth is not to be accounted a Christian man nor for a setter forth of Gods glory but for an adversary 〈◊〉 Christ and his Gospel and for a setter forth of mans vain glory Mans righteousness cannot make himself righteous by his owâ— works neither in part nor in wholâ— That we are justified only by faith 〈◊〉 * We are not justified by our own good works either in part or in whole Christ So speak all the Fathers botâ— Greek and Latin Hilary Basil Aâ—brose Hilary saith these words plaiâ—ly Faith only justifieth Canon 9th upon Matthew Ambrâ— saith thus This is the ordinance of God that they which belieâ—â— in Christ should be saved without works by faith only freely receiving remission of their sins Consider diligently these wordâ— without works by faith only freely we receive remission of oâ— sins Ibi. p 14 15 16 17. The true meaning of this Doctrinâ— we be freely justified by faith without works or that we be justâ—fied by faith in Christ only is not that this is our own act to bâ—lieve in Christ or this faith in Christ doth justifie us and deserâ— our justification unto us for that were to count our selves to 〈◊〉 justified by some act or vertue that is within our selves but tâ—â— true understanding and meaning thereof is that although we heâ— Gods word and believe it although we have Faith Hope Chariâ—â— Repentance and fear of God within us and do add never so maâ— works thereunto yet we must renounce the merit of all our saâ—â— vertues of Faith Hope Charity and all other vertues and gooâ— deeds which we either have done shall do or can do as thing that be far too weak insufficient and imperfect to deserve remissioâ— of our sins and our justification and therefore we must trust oâ—ly in Gods mercy and that Sacrifice which our high * Which shews that faith justifieth as it receives Christ as an high Priest or Saviour not as a King as Mr. Fowler would have in the first place in his free Discourse p. 161. I receive Christ as my Prophet but he doth not justifie mâ— as he is my Prophet or my King Priest anâ— Saviour Jesus Christ the Son of Goâ— once offered thereby Gods grace Iâ—â— p. 17. Faith as great a vertue as it is yet it putteth us from it self and remitteth or appointeth us unto Chrisâ— for to have only by him remission oâ— our sins or justification so thâ— our faith doth as it were say to uâ— it is not I that take away your sins BUT IT IS CHRIST ONLY to him only I send you for thaâ— purpose forsaking therein all your good vertues words thoughts and works and only putting your trust in Christ Ibid. pag. 18. 2. 'T is not only contrary to her Homilies but also to her Articles of Religion Article 11th We are counted righteous before God only for the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith and not for our own good works That we are justified by faith alone is a must wholesome Doctrine as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification To which for further proof I refer you And Article the twelfth 't is said thus Albeit that good works which are the fruits of faith and follow after justification cannot put away our sins Now Mr Fowler or any of his party cannot put off the Doctrine of the Church of England to which he hath subscribed as he doth our learned mens arguments against the Papists by saying as they do that the Apostle meant when he said That we are not justified by works works of the Ceremonial * Mr. Fowler 's Free Discourse p. 186. Law but not the works of the Moral Law or if them Those only which are done by the strength of nature but not those which proceed from faith For the Church of England excludes all our works even those that proceed from Faith And they intended in their Homilies and Articles of Religion Dr. Field of the Church 2d part p 861. We teach that he excludeth all these that is that St. Paul excluded from Justification all the works of Moses Law Ceremonial and Moral to overthrow the false Doctrine of the Church of Rome and to establish the Doctrine of Justification according to the Doctrine of the Gospel in opposition to Popery For it saith expresly That whosoever denieth this Doctrine that Faith alone justifieth is not to be accounted a CHRISTIAN MAN nor for a setter forth of Gods glory but for an ADVERSARY to Christ and his Gospel and for a setter forth of mans vain glory Homily for Salvation of Mankind p. 16 17. And again That were the greatest arrogancy and presumption of man that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his own works take away and purge his own sins and so justifie himself Ibid. pag. 17. By which you may see that to deny this Doctrine That we are justified by faith alone and to affirm that we are justified by our own good works is not a Christian but a proud presumptuoâ—â— antichristian Doctrine And to affirm or insinuate that our persons are justified before God partly by our faith and partly by our own good works is also cleaâ—ly against the express Doctrine of the Church of England for 〈◊〉 saith that faith shuteth out good works yea it self as 't is an act habiâ— or work from our justification and remitteth and directeth us to Chrisâ— merits for our justification as may be seen above 3. 'T is contrary also to Canonical Scripture Gal. 2. 16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the faith 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be jâ—stified by the faith of Jesus Christ and not by the works of the Law 〈◊〉 by the works of the Law shall no flesh be
have not chosen me but I have chosen you and 〈◊〉 dained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit and that your frâ—â— should remain Where 't is clear that the Apostles who reprsented not only Ministers of the Gospel but also all Gods Churcâ— which consists only of his Elect did not chuse God first but 〈◊〉 chose them first And that he did not ordain them to eterâ—â—â— life because he did foresee that they would go and bring for t fruit and persevere in well-doing but that they and by conâ—â—quence we might do so So 1 Joh. 4. 10. Herein is love not that 〈◊〉 loved God but that he loved us That is first as the 19 verse 〈◊〉 pounds this tenth We love him because he loved us first 6. Gods Election of man to Salvation cannot be from his foâ— seeing that man would believe and do good works for 〈◊〉 hath not since his Fall sufficient power of himself to will to bâ—lieve or do good works for it is God that worketh in us both 〈◊〉 will and to do Ephes 2. 13. Yea the Apostle speaks plainly Epâ—â— 2. 8. That we are saved by grace through faith and that that faith is not 〈◊〉 our selves but that 't is the gift of God And so holds the Churâ—â— of England frequently in her Book 〈◊〉 Homilies For it is the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 Homil. of the Nativity of Christ T. 2. p. â—67 no other thing that doth quicken 〈◊〉 minds of men stirring up good and gâ—â— motions in their hearts which are agreeable to the will and commanâ—ment of God such as otherwise of their own crooked and perverse â—â—ture they should never have That which is born of the flesh is fleâ—â—ly as who should say man of his own nature is fleshly and câ—â—nal and corrupt and naught sinful and disobedient to Gâ—â— without any spark of goodness in him without any vertuous or goâ—â— motions only given to evil thoughts and wicked deeds as for the fruit of the Spirit the fruit of faith charitable and godly motions if he haâ—â— any at all in him they proceed only of the Holy Ghost who is the 〈◊〉 worker of our Sanctification and maketh us new men in Christ Jesâ—◠〈◊〉 Homily concerning the coming down of the Holy Ghosâ— p. 209. We must needs agree that whatsoever good thing is in us either of grace or nature or fortune is of God only as the only authâ—â— and worker Verily that holy Prophet Isaiah beareth record and saitâ— O Lord it is thou of thy goodness that bast wrought all our works in us not we our selves And to uphold the truth in this matter against all justitiaries and hypocrites which rob Almighty God of his honour and ascribe it to themselves St. Paul bringeth in his belief We be not saith he sufficient of our selves as of our selves once to think any goodthing but all our ableness is of Gods goodness for he it is in whom we have all our being our living and moving It is meet to think that all spiritual goodness cometh from God above only Homily for Rogation-Week p. 217. 3. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine of the reformed Churches The French Church saith thus We believe that out of this universal corruption and damnation wherein by nature all men are drowned God did deliver and preserve some whom by his eternal and immutable counsel of his own goodness and MERCY WITHOVT ANY RESPECT OF THEIR WORKS he did choose in Christ Jesus and others he left in that corruption and damnation in whom he might as well make manifest his justice by condemning them justly in their time as also declare the riches of his mercy in the others The Confession of the Church of Belgia is this We believe that God after the whole off-spring of Adam was cast head-long into perdition and destruction through the fault of the first man hath declared and shewed himself to be such a one as he is indeed namely both merciful and just merciful in delivering and saving those from condemnation and from death whom in his eternal counsel of HIS OWN FREE GOODNESS he hath Aliud est in Christo legi aliud in Christo esse in Christo elegi est ex mundo numero periuntium 〈◊〉 Christo ut redemptus ab ipso fide donatus in ipso Mac. red Th. Pol. 〈◊〉 7. q. 4. p. 67. chosen in Jesus Christ WITHOUT ANY REGARD AT ALL OF THEIR WORKS Harmony of Confessions Sect. 5. p. 86 87. The Church of Ireland in the 14th Article of her Confession of Faith saith thus The cause moving God to predestina te unto life is not the foreseeing of faith or perseverance or good works or of any thing which is in the person predestinated but only the good pleasure of God himself for all things being ordained for the manifestation of his glory and his glory being to appear both in the works of his mercy and of his justice it seemed good to his heavenly Wisdom â—o chuse out a certain number towards whom he would extend his undeserved mercy leaving the rest to be spectacles of his justice And 〈◊〉 former part of this Article is the Doctrine of the Church of Eâ—â—land also in express terms set down in the second Article of â—â—beth to be seen in the end of this book how and by whom Arâ—â— bishop Whitgift and several Bishops Fletcher Elect of London Vâ—â—han Elect of Bangor Tindale Dean of Eli Dr. Whitaker Mr. Perkiâ—â— Mr. Chaderton c. and upon what account Dr. Heylin in part shâ—â— in his Cyprianus Anglicus lib. 3. p. 2â— 204. viz. Peter Baroes venting Arâ—â—nian It cannot be denied but that the same Doctrine is maintained by Arminius and that it is the very same with that of the Church of Rome as appears by the Council of Trent Coâ—â— 3 4. Heylins Introduction to his Cyp. Anglicus p. 36. which as Dr. Heylin himself câ—â—â—fesseth is agreeable to Franciscan â—â—pish Doctrine and which the Parliment of 1628. remonstrated to the 〈◊〉 and Kingdom to be a cunning 〈◊〉 bring in Popery the professors of 〈◊〉 opinions being common disturbers of 〈◊〉 Protestant Churches and incendiarie◠〈◊〉 those States wherein they have gotteâ—â— head being Protestanis in shew but Jesuits in opinion and practise 〈◊〉 Angl. l. 3. p. 181. Now that the Articles of Lambeth are the seâ—â— of the Doctrine of the Church of England may be gathered not â—â—ly from A. B. Vshers taking these Articles into the Articles of Religâ—â— of Ireland and King James his approving of them but also by 〈◊〉 declarations of the Commons Assembled in Parliament in or abâ—â— the year 1628 June 14. We 〈◊〉 Commons of England now Assembâ—â— Declaration of the Commons in Parliament do claim profess 〈◊〉 aver for truth the sense of the Aâ—â—cles of Religion which were established in Parliament the 〈◊〉 year of Queen Elizabeth which by the publick Acts of the Churcâ—â— of England and the general and current exposition of the
to do say We are unprofitâ—ble servants and therefore our good works cannot merit any thing of God by their own worth and oblige him to give us a reward for their profit done him Cond 5. That there be a proportion between the thing meriting and the thing merited but between our imperfect good works and eternal life there is no proportion merit of condignity must be equal to the reward or thing merited that is truly and properly meritorious that doth properly and absolutely for it self deserve a reward or which doth in its formal reason include equality or condignity tâ— that reward of which 't is said to be meritorious but now that there is no proportion between our works and eternal life is proved Rom. 8. 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Where 't is clear thaâ— the Apostle who was a regenerated man and had done as many good works as any regenerated man after his conversion as appears by his works yet those he sligâ—ts in comparison of the knowledge of Christ by faith and who suffered many great and cruel afflictions and 〈◊〉 last Martyrdom for Christs sake yet he reckoned them all not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us in heaven they hold no true proportion or equality with the reward neither in respect of dignity or worth nor in respect of duration or time these affâ—â—ctions are not worth that glory which we shall have in heaven aâ—â— these afflictions which are but for a moment are not worthy to be equalled with that eternal weight of glory which they work for us if righâ—â— born This place saith Pareus and our Dr. Fulk and Willet in locum tollit omne meritum condigni Pareus in loc Dr. Fulk taketh away all merit of condignity for if the sufferings of the Saints neither for quality nor quantity are proportionable to the glory that is to come then it followeth necessarily that they are not worthy if the sufferings of Martyrs come short of the value and worth of the glorious happiness of Saints triumphant in heaven then sure much more do their best actions come short thereof There is a reward ratione pacti when a man promiseth such a reward to a person if he do such a work for him Now this reward is called wages not properly merit because it may be meerly of promise and not of desert e. g. A man may promise another man an 100 l. of good gold to fetch him a bottle of straw which when he hath done he is bound to give or pay it to him because he promised so much but this is not properly merit of condignity for the work done was not worth the money supposing as is to be supposed the straw easie to be had and near at hand for there was no proportion between the fetching of the bottle of straw and the 100 l. Now where there is merit of condignity there must be proportion between the merit and the reward because the reward of the merit is an act of justice as Aquinas shews and justice is a certain equality as he there proves out of the Philosopher 12. 〈◊〉 q. 114. a. 1. c. 2. There is a rewardâ— ratione operis when a man doth such a work that doth of its self and its own nature carry such a dignity and worthiness in it as that it deserves such a reward to be given to him in justice Now this is that the Papists are to prove that our good works do that there is such excellency dignity and worthiness in them as that they do of their own nature deserve eternal salvation at Gods hands and that God is bound in justice with it to reward us for the dignity of our good works which we Protestants utterly deny and we say that if we should yield that our good works do thus merit eternal life at Gods hands these absurdities would easily follow 1. That we had something whereof to glory or to boast of that we had merited our salvation contrary to Ephes 2. 8 9. 2. That eternal life were not freely given to us but of due and just debt paid to us contrary to Rom. 6. 21. 3. That Christ dyed in vain contrary to Gal. 2. 21. This is one of the Church of Romes Antichristian Doctrines which doth in effect deny Christ to be come in the flesh It 's but a vanity in our men the great friends to Rome to say that Papists profess with us the Apostles Creed when as indeed and in truth by their doctrines and practises they deny and overthrow what they profess for if men can by their own strength turn themselves to God when they will and fulfil the whole moral Law do works of superogation and by the right use of their natural reason and will merit ex congruo the first grace and then ex condigno merit eternal life What need was there for Christ so have come into the world and taken our nature upon him become our surety to have fulfilled the law and dyed for us And therefore our Homily before alledged saith very well That this Doctrine of Merits speaks blasphemy against Gods mercy and great derogation to Christs blood-shedding and another Homily before alledged That whosoever denieth this Doctrine that faith alone justifieth is not to be accounted a Christian man nor for a setter forth of Gods glory but for a setter forth of mans vain glory and for an adversary to Christ and his Gospel and that it were the greatest arrogance and presumption of man thâ—â— Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his oâ—â— works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself Homily of salvation of mankind p. 16 17. Obj. But they say That Christ 〈◊〉 merited that our good works that are his Nova haec est Theologia Prophetis Apostolis ignota Christus meruit ut nos mereamur nobisipsis vitam aeternam Dr. Ames Bel Enerv. t. 4. c. 2. p. 214. gifts wrought in us and performed by us should merit eternal life Ans 1. This I have often heard said but could never as yet see it proved and therefore till it be proved I deny it because there is neither sacred Scripture nor good reason for it I know that true believers in Christ are made worthy 2 Thes 1. 5. Apoc. 3. 4. by the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to them and apprehended and applied by a lively faith but this makes not their imperfect works which as good he works in them and which they owe unto him meritorious at Gods hands again God doth reward his people with eternal life secundum opera * Rom. 2. 6. according to their works but not propter opera for their works and the reward is of free gift not of due debt for 't is ex pâ—â—misso of Gods own free promise but not
resurrection are purged from sins by penal Concil Trident. Sess 6. can 30. satisfaction which were not purged in this life so fully as they ought that they may enter into heaven THis I renounce because 't is contrary to the sound Doctrine of the Church of England Article the 22d of Purgatory The Romish Doctrine concerning Purgatory Pardons worshipping and adoration as well of Images as of Reliques and also invocation of Saints is a fond thing vainly invented and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture but rather repugnant to the word of God In Homily of Prayer T. 2. part 3. p. 122. 't is said That there are but two places after this life Heaven and Hell the one proper to the elect and blessed of God the other to the reprobates and damned souls as may well be gathered by the Parable of Lazarus Against the ground or rather indeed pretence for Purgâ—tory viz. That some sins of believers were not fully purged away in this life and must therefore there be purged away by making satisfaction by suffering for them The Church of England saith 〈◊〉 her Homily for Good-Friday T. 2. p. 177. That Christ Jesus did purchase such favour for us by his death of his heavenly Father that for the merits thereof if we be true Christians indeed 〈◊〉 not in word only we be now fully in Gods grace again and clearly discharged from our sins And in the Homily of the worthy receiving of the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ T. 2. part 1. p. 200. she saith Thou must believe that Christ hath made upon his cross a full and sufficient sacrifice for thee a perfect cleansing of sins so that thou acknowledg no other Saviour Redeemer Mediatour Advocate Intercessor but Christ only 2. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of Ireland in the 101 and 102 Articles Homil. of the misery of man part 2. p. 11 He i. e. Christ is the high and everlasting Priest which hath offered himself once for all upon the Altar of the Cross and with that one oblation hath made perfect for evermore them that are sanctified He is the alone Mediator between God and man which paid our ransome to God with his own blood and with that hath he cleansed us from all sin he is the Physician which heal eth us all our diseases and of all our venial sins too of their Religion which is this After this life is ended the souls of Gods Children be presently received into Heaven there to enjoy unspeakable comforts the souls of the wicked are cast into Hell there to endure endless torments The Doctrine of the Church of Rome concerning Limbus patrum Limbus puerorum Purgatory Prayer for the dead Pardons Adoration of Images and Reliques and also invocation of Saints is vainly invented without all warrant of holy Scripture yea and is contrary to the same 3. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of Scotland contained in the Confession of Faith made by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster Chap 22. Article 1. The bodies of men after death return to dust and see corruption but their souls which neither die nor sleep having an immortal subsistence immediately return to God who gave them the souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness are received into the highest Heavens where they behold the face of God in light and glory waiting for the full redemption of their bodies and the souls of the wicked are cast into Hell where they remain in torments and utter darkness reserved to judgment of the great day beside these two places for souls separated from their bodies the Scripture acknowledgeth none T is contrary also to the latter Confession of Helvetia Article 26. to be seen in the Harmony of Confessions Sect. 16. p. 483. and to the Confession of the French Church Article 24. to be seen ibi Har. of Confessions Sect. 16. For the further confutation of this Popish Poetical and Antichristian Purgatory I shall lay down these plain ensuing Positions Position 1. That the souls of true believers in Christ do aâ— soon as they die go immediately into heaven and therefore not into the Popes Purgatory The antecedent Proposition I prove thus 1. From Isa 57. 2. He shall enter into peace that is the righteous man that dies before evil days come enters in his soul into Heaven and his body rests in his grave called his bed and if so then undoubtedly he goes not into the Popes Purgatory for there is no peace to them that are there for they are tormented say Papists with the â—â—me torments that they in Hell are tormented with 2. From Luk. 16. 22 23. The beggar Lazarus died and was carried into Abrahams bosom by the Angels and the rich man died and was cast into hell Now that by Abrahams bosom is meant Heaven * Vide also Homil. for Whitsunday p. 21 321 421 5216. recited Article 14. hujus is clear by the forecited Doctrine of the Church of England c. if not by the consent of Papists too that the Angels that carried his soul into Abrahams bosom were not evil but good Angels for that neither good Angels go into Hell nor evil into Heaven must also be yielded as the 25th verse of that Chapter declares then it will follow necessarily that the soul of Lazarus was carried by the holy and blessed Angels into Heaven where Abrahams bosom was and not into any part of Hell for Lazarus was comforted he was not only not tormented with poena sensus vel damni the punishment of sense or loss but he was actually comforted which implies not only a ceasing of his former suffering evil things but enjoying of good things the comforts of the other life the full knowledg of God and feeling his fatherly love 3. 'T is said Luk. 23. 43. by our Saviour himself to the Thief upon the Cross immediately before his death To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise that is in Heaven and therefore not in the Popes Purgatory for that is not Paradise Paradise is a place of pleasure and happiness but the Popes Purgatory is a place of pain and misery of hellish torments as Papists say In 2 Cor. 12. 2 4. Paradise and that Heaven is coelum Emperaeum the seat of the blessed where God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost the blessed Angels and souls of just men made perfect are and enjoy pleasures for evermore So 't is taken in Revel 2. 7. To him that overcometh will I give saith the Spirit to the Churches to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God Where by the Paradise of God not only Pareas and others of our learned men upon the place but also Cornelius a Lapide himself understands as the most genuine sense the fruition of God and eternal blessedness of which the Paradise of Adam was a figure sign and type 4. In Revel 14. 13.
Law as the old Pharisees were of the Traditions of the Elders the latter swearing to him blind obedience all making a shew of Religion but under the pretence thereof devour widows houses they garnish and visit the Sepulchres of the Martyrs but shed the blood of Christs most faithful Ministers and members who observe the traditions and commands of the Pope but make void the commandments of God Mat. 15. Mat. 23. I know not any men under heaven more like the old Pharisees than these creatures of Antichrist in the Church of Rome are their Doctrines and doings declare them his Formalists who have it may be a form of godliness but denying the power thereof who make these latter times to be very perilous 2 Tim. 3. 3. That he challengeth Princely dominion over the Church of Christ and people and Nations needs no proof Three Popes of Rome successively forged and pleaded a forged Decree for the Pope of Rome's Supremacy his trampling upon Emperours and Kings making them to kiss his Toe hold his Stirrup deposing of them and making others making what Laws he pleaseth dispensing with and making void Gods Laws as he pleaseth releasing subjects of their allegiance to their lawful and godly Princes and commanding them to rebel against dethrone and destroy them and their most Christian and loyal Subjects In a word he exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped 2 Thes 2. 4. which is one great mark of Antichrist 4. That his usurped authority hath no good ground in holy Scripture but is expresly forbidden by our blessed Lord and Saviour Mat. 20 25 26. But Jesus called them i. e. his Disciples unto him and said ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them but it shall not be so among you but whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant Even as the son of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many Luk. 22. 25. 1 Pet. 5. 3. Nether as being Lords over Gods heritage but being ensamples to the flock Neither in those places of Scripture where Christs Ecclesiastical Orders of Church-Officers are set down is there any mention of an Universal Bishop as 1 Cor. 12. 28. Ephes 4. 11. Peter the Apostle disclaims this Princely Monarchy and Supremacy when he called himself the Elders of the Churches Fellow Presbyter and forbid them to Lord it over Gods heritage 1 Pet. 5. 1 2 3. Cyprian in his Epistles to several Popes of Rome calls them brothers Jerom also writing to the Pope of Rome tells him and proves it too that by divine right a Bishop and a Presbyter is the same Act. 20. 17 28. Phil. 1. 1. Tit. 1. 5. 1 Pet. 5. 1 2. Ephes 4. 11. in his Epistle ad Oceanum that with the ancient Fathers Bishops and Presbyters were all one And adversus Lucifera nos he saith that a Bishops preferment was not by necessity of Gods Law but granted to him by the Church to honour him withall In his Epistle ad Evagrium handling this question at large he saith Who can endure his foolishness that preferred Deacons before Priests that is Bishops seeing the Apostle plainly teacheth that a Bishop and a Presbyter are all one And for proof he alledgeth Tit. 1. 5. Act. 20. 17. 28. Phil. 1. 1. 1 Pet. 5. 1 2. Ephes 4. 11. And of this judgment also was St. Augustine Chrysostome Beda Oecumenius Sedulius Primasius Theophilact Theodoret Anselm Ambrose John Wickliff Thom. Walden Luther Zuinglius Calvin Oecolampadius Melancthon John Lambert Martyr Bishop Hooper Bishop Bale Mr. Tindal Martyr Musculus Zanchius Bullinger Gualter Chemnitius Danaeus Chamier Junius John Bradford Mâ—rtyr Dr. Hâ—mphry Dr. Reynolds Dr. Hollard Professors of Divinity at Oxford Bishop This is Bishop Jewel's argument against the Pope in his Def. of his Apology Jewel Bishop Morton Dr. Whitaker Mr. Cartwright Dr. Willet Amandus Polauus Michael Medina among the Papists and many more that write upon the Sentences many of which may be seen in Mr. Masons defence of Ordination by Presbyters in the Reformed Churches where there are no Diocesan Bishops 5. That he produceth Antichristian * Antichristianism was covered for a long time under the Cloak of Orthodoxy and Ceremonial indifferency saith Mr. Tomson a Bishops Chaplain in his Antichrist arraigned p. 85. fruits practises and doctrines appears by his abominable pride superstition Idolatrous worships pretended miracles and lying wonders by his Council of Trent wherein he Decrees That mens persons are justified before God by their own good works and all the errors before confuted denying justification of mens persons before God by faith alone which Errors he labours to maintain by his Creatures as Bellarmine Stapleton Harding Cornelius a Lapide and others especially by the Jesuits and also introduâ—ing his Traditions and Apocryphal Scriptures in which are many things directly contrary to Gods word and Christs interest and upon these and some other accounts did our Church of England in King Edward the sixth his reign pray in her Litany thus From the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and his detestable enormities good Lord deliver us 6. That he is the Babylonical Beast that hath two horns like a lamb and speaks as a dragon That is he professeth the innocency of Christ the Lamb of God but speaks and acts like a Dragon he uttereth blasphemous speeches thunders out cruel and unjust Excommunications against Christs servants and venteth and maintaineth Doctrines of Devils speaking lies in hypocrisie having his conscience seared with an hot iron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving 1 Tim. 4. 〈◊〉 2 3. of them which believe and know the truth The tâ—â— horned beast by his Ecclesiastical and Temporal power pretending Orthodoxy and Ceremonial indifferency decency and order and Apostolical traditions better adorning and promoting Christianity restored the Image of the old Pagan Beast that is under these and some other pretences restored idolatry and tyranny again into the Roman Empire and persecution against the true Church of Christ The two Horned Beast in the 13th of the Revelations is say some the same with the great Whore arrayed in purple and scarlet that 〈◊〉 a golden cup in her hand full of all abominations and filthiness of her fornication upon whose forehead was a name written Mystery Babyloâ— the great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth in the 17th of the Revelations But I humbly conceive with submission to better judgments that if this do not intend some other Beast like the great Whore of Rome as I fear it doth then the Whore or Church of Rome is in the 13th Chapter described by her Head and principal â—â—mbers chiefly because Horns signifie Powers And in the 17th Chapter she is described as taking in not oaly the Head and Cardinals but
the whole Hierarchy which rides upon the Roman Empire that is rules it is a man doth that rides upon an horse and is carried supported and maintained by it There is no person or persons to whom the proper â—â—â—ks of the Babylonical Beast or Antichrist doth so properly and truly agree as to the Pope or Popes of Rome with the Popish Hierarchy and Clergy The Woman or great Whore that is the Church of Rome with her Beast with two Horns Revel 13. is in Revel 17. described 1. Generally 1. That she is a great Whore that is an abominably Idolatrous * The Church of Rome is an Idolatrous Church an Harlot as the Scripture calls her so saith our Church Homily against the peril of Idolatry Part 3. p 69. Church 2. That she sitteth upon many waters that is that she ruleth many people v. 1 15. 3. That the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and the inhabiters of the earth been made drunk with the wine of her fornication that is with her Idolatries v. 2. 2. More particularly and thus 1. More obscurely 1. By her rule and government She sits upon a scarlet coloured beast full of the names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns that is the whole Roman Empire as Idolatrous with a Pagan Antichristian Idolatry that is she had the †The Emperour of Germany is the Popes Advocate sworn to defend the Pope and Church of Rome The Pope makes him swear to defend the Church of Rome to banish Hereticks and to have no company with the wicked to maintain by all means possible the dignity of the Bishop of Rome and all priviledges granted to the Church of Rome as Sleiden â—hews in his Commentaries l. 2 〈◊〉 2â— 25 26. rule and government she turned him she curbed him she spurred him she made him do what she would for the upholding of her self for the maintaining and propagating of her false Doctrine and worship and caused him to make War and Laws against those that would not obey her Decrees and submit to her power that is she guided and exercised an Imperial powerful bloody and blasphemous enemy to Christ and his Church v. 3. 2. By her pompous and whorish apparel and ornaments and the woâ—â— was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour and deckt * Homil. against the peril of Idolatry p. 69. to be seen in Article 15. p. 〈◊〉 hujus with gold and precious stone and pearls that is was a very proud and imperious and bloody Whore And so is the Pope and so are his Cardinals arrayed 3. By her inticing and intoxicating cup wherewith she allures and prepares her foolish lovers to spiritual fornication that is to Idolatry and falseness to Jesus Christ and his Interests Having a * But may it not be understood and intended of her specious pretences of Orthodoxy devotion decency and order with which she induceth her lovers to drink of her abominable cup to swallow her Heterodoxies Superstitions and Usurpations and Idolatries golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication The golden cup saith Pareus upon the place are the Popes golden titles wherewith he hath hitherto commended to the world the 〈◊〉 of his fornication viz. Pope holy Father Father of Fathers Pastor of Pastors his Holiness Christs Vicar Sâ—â— Peter's Successor c. It refers literally to the Popes triple Crown and rich Cope glittering with pearls and precious stones and to his Cardinals rich robes saith Dr. H. More 4. By her Name as Whore v. 5. and upon her forehead was her name written Mystery Babylon the * Which implies as Mr. Mede in his Comment upon Revel 14. that there may be and are other little Babylons petty Harlots with whom the inhabitants subject to each of them may be defiled with spiritual adultery i. e. Idolatry great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth Which is an allusion to impudent and notorious Whores who had their names not only written upon their cells to be known at home but also upon their foreheads to be known abroad too as Seneca Controvers 2. l. 1. and Tertullian Lib. de pudicitia plainly shew and such an one is the Pope and his Church of Rome she is not Babylon Literal but Mystical that is she is a very impudent and notorious Idolater and the mother that is the conceiver the bringer forth and the nourisher of all Idolatries and Idols in the world and the word mystery shews that it cannot be understood of Rome-Pagan as some Papists would have it but must be understood of Rome-Christian in profession as Idolatrizing with Christian objects And one reason is because this beast comes after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other that is after the Christian Emperour and is the last for it goeth into perdition Revel 17. 8 10 11. 5. By her extream cruelties barbarities and bloody tyrannies and persecutions murders and detestable enormities Revel 17. 6. And I saw a woman drunken with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus And this hath been abundantly manifested in the Popes of Rome and their agents whom they rid ruled and spurred on to most bloody and cruel murdering of the Saints of Jesus under the names of Waldenses Albigenses Wicklivists Hussits Lutherans Calvinists Hugonots Puritans and other names condemned and destroyed by the Pope of Rome's authority instigation or approbation as Hereticks or Schismaticks because they would not drink of the Church of Rome's whoring cup. Of which you may read in Mr. Fox his Books of Martyrs Mr Fuller's Holy War Sleiden's Commentaries the Supplement to Philip de Comines History where is described Papists bloody and treacherous murdering of thousands of Protestants in Paris and the parts adjoining and the relations of the bloody and barbarous Massacres in Ireland and the Vallies of Piedmont promoted by the Pope and acted by Papists Reverend Dr. Prideaux in his Sermon intituled Gowries Conspiracy upon 2 Sam. 20. 1. p. 13. saith thus Let us depend upon it as long as there is a Pope and a Devil Princes professing the Gospel shall never be secured from Gowries and Garnets And a little after that he saith thus I have gleaned these few scatterings by the way out of their own Doctrines to prove that their Doctrine directly warranteth Treason let the Traytors be what they will and that none can be an absolute Papist but if he throughly understand himself and live under a Christian Prince that hath renounced the Popes authority must needs being put to it be an absolute Traytor No persons under heaven have been more bloody and cruel to sincere Professors of pure Christianity than the Popes of Rome and Papists that they are not still the same we have no good reason to believe but more cause to take heed of them 2. She is described more plainly 1. By the Beast that carrieth her on which she rides that is the Roman Empire
and dispensation of selling Pardons and Indulgences to his Cardinals saying to them as Christ said to his Apostles Whose sins ye remit they are remitted and whose sins ye retain they are retained As the Apostles truly were and are the root and foundation of the Christian Church and all jurisdiction so the Cardinals falsely pretend themselves to be and truly they are the very basis and foundation of the Romish Religion and Hierarchy and therefore the root and foundation of that superstition and impiety which being derived originally from Rome hath diffused it self into all the Christian world by them As 't is the priviledg of the 12 Apostles to be as it were 12 stars set in that crown which is mentioned Revel 12. so 't is the special priviledg of the Popes Cardinals to have their names written in the crowns of their Prince the Pope as witnesseth Jacobatius de Consil num 153. There was a twofold state and condition of the Apostles 1. They were Apostoli urbis affixed as it were to the City Jerusalem where they were to abide till * Till they received the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost they were endued with power from above but afterwards they were Apostoli Orbis So likewise the Cardinals in imitation and affectation of like honour are stiled Cardinales Vrbis Orbis They remain as it were affixed to the City of Rome until they are endued with power from above i. e. till they are sent out by the Pope as his Nuncio's and Legates into the Kingdoms of the World As the Apostles in respect of their spiritual Fatherhood are fitly answerable to the 12 Patriarchs who were the Fathers of all the Israelites according to the flesh so the Pope's Cardinals are called Patres spirituales Ecclesiae As the Apostles having supreme authority in the Church may in some sense be said to be the Judges of the world and to sit upon twelve Thrones to judg the twelve Tribes of Israel So the Cardinals make their Consistory of their Apostolical See to admit of no appeal but to be of such a Coelestial sublimity that 't is equal to the Tribunal-seat of God and therefore they are stiled Judices Orbis and they do exercise all Civil and Ecclesiastical power over the City and people of Rome which the Patriarchs did in the Literal or the Apostles in the spiritual Jerusalem There is not one of the Titles which the Apostles had but they are emulous of or else to be the image of that kind of Government which was before their lives remarkable in the City of Rome Both which Considerations are incident to the right discerning of that Antichrist who is not only to resemble some ancient Government of Rome but also to be that Synagogne of Satan mentioned Rev. 2. 2 9. which say they are Apostles but are not which say they are Jews but are the Synagogue of Satan The first number of Cardinals in their first institution is chiefly to be considered as that which doth most remarkably characterize Antichrist in his first original Now they were instituted as their own Authors * Gondisalnus de origine Cardinalatus Onuphrius Panvin de praecipuis urbis Romae Basilicis Pol. Virgil l 4. de inventoribus rerum c 9. Bibliothecarium Damasum Platina â—aron An. 378. say in the time of Pontiani Marcelli Rom. Pontif. but Isidore Muscovius saith of the Cardinals thus But others more warily have affirmed that they were first created in the time of Sylvester the first in the â—ear 314 who as they say ordained a Colledg of Cardinals according to the similitude of the Senators c. About which time the Pope divided the City and people of Rome into 25 Titles or divisions in each of which division * When these Parishes were made Diocesses then were these Priests made Cardinals saith Polidore Virgil by having a formal power and jurisdiction added to them as is apparent by like testimony of Volateranus there was a Parish-Church erected for the administration of Baptism and in every one of these Churches a several Presbyter was assigned and appointed who was called afterwards Cardinal When these Parish-Priests degenerated into Cardinals and were made a Colledg and corporation exercising a new kind of super-Episcopal jurisdiction in and over these Churches then was the birth of Antichrist then did Antichrist truly really and locally sit in these Christian Churches at Rome and from thence his Pseudo-Apostolical authority hath been obtruded and imposed upon other Churches There were in Rome according to the sense literal 25 Gates and according to the sense spiritual 25 Churches for Baptism and 25 Pastors placed in those 25 Churches and 25 Cardinals sitting and ruling in them and 25 Titles Tribes or Parishes belonging to them Jerusalem was in compass 1200 furlongs in which Christ did first and chiefly erect his Church and Hierarchy For the number 12 having 1000 of furlongs added to it is the true solid measure of an imaginary Cube which compass is equal to the compass of the City Jerusalem so the number 25 having 1000 of furlongs added to it is the true The number twenty-five notes the seat of Antichrist solid measure of that imaginary Cube whose compass is equal to the compass of the City of Rome 25000 Furlongs will make 14 miles and half and almost half a quarter which agreeth to Rome The Apostles creed which is the sum of the 12 Apostles Doctrine of Faith which Christs Church believes divides it self into 12 Articles the Papists have added 13 more and made the number of their articles of faith 25. For whether we take the Doctrine of the Council of Trent it self to be the Faith and Doctrine of the Church of Rome or that Creed which was composed by Pope Pius the fourth according to the Doctrine decreed in that Council in either of these the number of 25 is as remarkably applicable to the Romish Faith as the number 12 to the Apostles Creed And 't is their whole faith Sacrosancta oecumenica Tridentina Synodus ejus fidem confiteamur ejus decreta semper servemus Responsio patrum Semper confiteamur semper servemus Cardinal a Lothoringia Omnes ita credimus omnes id-ipsum sentimus omâ—â—s Acclamationes patrum in fine Concillii pag. 396. consentientes amplectentes subscribimus Haec est fides beati Petri Apostolorum haec est fides Patrâ—â— haec est fides orthodoxa Responsio Patrum Ita credimus ita sentimus subscribimus I pray mark this all along that the Pope of Rome divided the City of Rome into 25 Parishes and in thâ—â— placed 25 Presbyters which were first The number of Cardinals was 25 in St. Jerom's time as appears by his words upon Ezek. 11. 25. Hodie in Ecclesia quae est Dom. Dei called Parish-Priests afterward they were called Cardinal-Priests to whom was given a larger power and that these are parts of his body and his Apostles And I pray mark this
agreeing with other marks of the Beast is very significant and convincing that the Pope of Rome with his apostatizing Clergy is the great Whore or Antichrist I have been so large in this point that I must for brevities sake forbear to alledg what learned King James in his Epistle to his Apology to all Christian Princes saith where he fully and clearly proves the Pope to be Antichrist And in his Paraphrase upon the Revelations in which he every where calls the Pope of Rome Antichrist and the Church of Rome the false persecuting and Antichristian Church However Dr. Heylin in his Cyprianus Anglicus endeavours dishonourably to pervert his words and works Dr. Prideaux in his Sermon upon Rev. 2. 4. p. 36. Sermonum saith thus roundly Fathers and brethren is this a time to make a doubt whether the Pope be Antichrist or no seeing his horns and marks are so apparently discovered Bishop Sanderson in his Sermon upon 1 Tim. 4. 4. p. 414. Sermonum saith thus The Apostle gives instance in two of those Antichristian Doctrines viz. a prohibition of Marriage and an injunction of abstinence from Meats which particulars being so agreeable to the present tenets of the Romish Synagogue do give even of themselves alone a strong suspition that there is the seat of Antichrist But joined unto the other prophesies of St. Paul and of St. John in other places make it so 2 Thes 2. 3. Apoc. 13. 11. unquestionable that they who will needs be so unreasonably charitable as to think the Pope is not Antichrist may at the least wonder as * Moulins Accomplishment in the Preface one saith well by what strange chance it fell out that these Apostles should draw the picture of Antichrist in every point and limb so just like the Pope and yet never think of him I have one thing more to remind you of and that is this That though the Antichristian Church of Rome do in words profess the Doctrine of the Apostles Creed yet by their other super added Doctrines they do overthrow it As is evidently to be seen in the sum of their Doctrine before recited their own 13 Articles superadded to the first 12 of the Nicene Creed do overturn and destroy in effect them Mr. Thomson in his Arraignment of Antichrist p. 96 97 c. will inform you how they cross every Article of the Creed and so will others as Hemingius Antichristi-machia Beza cap. 7. conf Dr. Abbot against Bishop Part 3. To all which let me I pray add but a little more which the Church of England plainly saith in her Homily for Whitsunday p. 213 214 215 216. where having declared three marks of a true Church whereby it may be Marks of a true Church known viz. 1. Pure and sound Doctrine preached 2. The Sacraments ministred according to Christs institution 3. The right use of Ecclesiastical Discipline It saith thus Now if ye will compare this with the Church of Rome not as it was in the beginning but as it is at present and hath been for the space of 900 years and odd you shall well perceive the state thereof to be so far wide * Rome as 't is now is no true Church this A. B. Laud contradicts in his Relation of Conf. p. 〈◊〉 and Bishop Mountague in his Gag 50. A. B. Laud saith that Papists and Protestants hold not forth a different Religion 〈◊〉 Bishop Mountague saith That the present Church of Rome is not divers from the ancient Church of Rome but remains firm in the same foundation of Doctrine and Sacraments from the nature of a true Church that nothing can be more Neither are they built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets retaining the sound and pure Doctrine of Jesus Christ neither yet do they order the Sacraments or the Ecclesiastical keys in such sort as he did first institute and ordain them but have so intermingled their own traditions and inventions by chopping and changing by adding and plucking away the now they may seem to be converted into a new guise Christ commanded unto his Church a Sacrament of his body and blood they have changed it into a †So did Gyles Widdows in his Schismatical kneeless Puritan p. 34 89. the Church is the place of Gods presence the Communion-Table the Chair of State of the Lord Jesus and his chiefest place of presence in our Church where his Priests sacrifice the Lords Supper to reconcile us to God offended with our daily sins Bp. Sparrow saith 't is an unbloody sacrifice in his Ration p 391. p. 280. he saith the Priest offers up the sacrifice of the holy Eucharist Sacrifice Christ ministred to the Apostles and the Apostles to other men indifferently under both kinds they have robbed the lay-people of the cup saying that for them one kind is sufficient Christ ordained no other element to be used in Baptism but only water whereunto when the word is joined it is made as St. Augustine saith a full and perfect Sacrament they being wiser in their own conceit than Christ think it is not well nor orderly done unless they use conjuration unless they hallow the water unless there be oyl salt spittle tapers why was the sign of the Cross left out and such other dumb ceremonies serving to no use contrary to the plain rule of St. Paul 1 Cor. 14. who willed all things to be done in the Church unto edification Christ ordained the authority of the Keys to excommunicate notorious sinners and to absolve them which are truly penitent they abuse this power at their own pleasure as well in cursing the godly with bell book and candle as also absolving the reprobate which are known to be unworthy of any Christian society whereof they that list may see examples let them search their lives To be short look what our Saviour Christ pronounced of the Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel the same may be boldly and with safe conscience pronounced of the Bishops of Rome namely that they have forsaken and daily do forsake the commandments of God to erect and set up their own constitutions Which thing being true as all they that have any light in Gods word must needs confess we may well conclude according to the rule of Augustine that the Bishops Aug. contra Petiliam Donastae Epistol c. 4. of Rome and their adherents are NOT THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST much less then to be taken as CHIEF HEADS AND RULERS of the same Whosoever saith he do dissent from the Scriptures concerning the Head although they be found in all places where the Church is appointed yet are not in the Church a plain place concluding directly against the Church of Rome Wheresoever ye find the spirit of arrogance and pride the spirit of envy hatred contention cruelty murther extortion witchcraft necromancy c. assure your selves that there is the spirit of the Devil and not of God albeit they pretend to the world never
so much holiness for as the Gospel teacheth us the spirit of Jesus is a good spirit an holy spirit a sweet spirit a lowly spirit a merciful spirit full of charity and love full of forgiveness and pity not rendering evil for evil extremity for extremity but over coming evil with good and remitting all offence even from the heart According to which rule if any man live uprightly of him it may be safely pronounced that he hath the Holy Ghost within him if not then 't is a plain token that he doth usurp the name of the Holy Ghost in vain Ye shall judg them by their fruits which if they be wicked and naught then 't is impossible that the tree of whom they proceed should be good Such were all the Popes and Prelates of Rome for the most part as doth well appear by the story of their * See Dr. Prideaux his Introduction to History from p. 77. to p. 155. there you 'l read of Usurping Nimrods Luxurious Sodomites Aegyptian Magicians devouring Abaddons incurable Babylonians Bishops of Rome Lives and therefore they are worthily accounted among the number of false Prophets and false Christs which deceived the world a long while The Lord of heaven and earth defend us from their tyranny and pride that they never enter into his Vineyard again to the disturbance of his silly poor flock but that they may be utterly confounded and put to flight in all parts of the world And be of his great mercy so work◠in all mens hearts by the mighty power of the Holy Ghost that the comfortable Gospel of his Son Christ may be truly preached truly received and truly followed in all places to the beating down of sin death †By K. Edward the sixth and Q. Elizabeth's Injunctions all Deans Archdeacons Parsons Vicars and Ecclesiastical persons were to the best of their skill to declare against the Bishop of Rome's pretended and usurped power and jurisdiction two times at least every year openly Art 1. but have not some of them really neglected it been ready to declare four times in the year for the Bishop of Rome's traditions inventions and dumb Ceremonies and that the Pope of Rome is not Antichrist the Pope the Devil and all the Kingdom of Antichrist that like scattered and dispersed sheep being at length gathered into one fold we may in the end rest togetogether in the bosom of Abraham Isaac and Jacob there to be partakers of eternal life through the merit and death of Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen Obj. But it may be objected by some that all this that is here in this Homily said against the Bishop of Rome and his Adherents may be said of some other Churches or at least against some other Bishops and their Adherents as have rejected the Bishop of Rome's authority as Mr. Mede observes that the Greek Churches have who imbrace the beasts impieties but refuse to be subject to him Ans To this I answer thus 1. with Mr. Mede and Dr. More that there may be little Babylons but Rome is Babylon the great they may be sister or daughter-harlots but Rome is the mother of harlots They may be little Misses but she is the great Whore other Churches may be corrupt in Doctrines of Faith and the Sacraments and the exercise of the Keys but none so corrupt as Rome is 2. If any Churches have retained too much of the Popes Doctrine Discipline Ceremonies Practises let them come out of Babylon that they partake not of her sins and receive not of her plagues Apoc. 18. 4. have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them 2. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of Ireland which Church in her 80th Article of Religion saith thus The Bishop of Rome is so far from being the supream head of the universal Church of Christ that his works and doctrine do plainly discover him to be that man of sin foretold in the holy Scriptures whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and abolish with the brightness of his coming 3. 'T is contrary to the Confession of Faith by the Church and Kingdom of Scotland and sworn to by King James and the Subjects of Scotland which saith thus But especially we detest and refuse the usurped authority of that Roman Antichrist upon the Scriptures of God upon the Church the civil Magistrate and consciences of men The whole Confession is very considerable and imitable to be seen in the latter end of the Harmony of Confessions 4. Not to mention what other Churches hold of the Pope of Rome's being the Antichrist yet because Dr. Heylin finds so much fault with the 80th Article of Cypr. Angl. lib 4. p. 269. 273. Ireland and pleads so much for Romish erroneous Doctrines as taught by our first Reformers and Martyrs but most falsely as I have shewed in some points before I shall give their sense of this point as I find their sayings set forth by Mr. Fox in his Book of Martyrs in one Volume Walter Mantell in his Apology prayeth thus I beseech the living God which hath received me to his mercy and brought to pass that I die stedfast and undefiled in his truth at utter defiance and detestation of all Papistical and Antichristian Doctrine I beseech him to keep and defend all his chosen for his names sake from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome that Antichrist p. 1398. Q. Mary March 2. 1554. Bishop Hooper of whom Dr. Heylin boasts much to little purpose in his Letter of Consolation sent to certain godly brethren taken in Bow-Church-yard in Prayer and laid in the Counter in Breadstreet saith thus I have been sorry to perceive the malice and wickedness of men to be so cruel devilish and tyrannical to persecute the people of God for serving of God saying and hearing of the holy Psalms and the word of eternal life These cruel doings do declare that the Papists Church is more bloody and tyrannical than ever was the sword of the Ethnicks and Gentiles When I heard of your taking and what ye were doing wherefore and by whom ye were taken I remembred how the Christians in the Primitive Church were used by the cruelty of Be-like there are some Christned Heathens unchristned heathens in the time of Trajan the Emperour about 77 Christians of old looked upon and accused as Traytors and movers of sedition for serving the true God truly so now by Papists and such like years after Christs ascension into heaven and how the Christians were persecuted very sore as though they had been Traytors and movers of sedition whereupon the gentle Emperour Trajan required to know the true cause of Christians trouble A great learned man called Plinius wrote unto him and said it was because the Christians said certain Psalms before day unto one called Christ whom they worshipped for God When Trajan the Emperour understood it was nothing but Conscience and
acteth against and contrary to them By which saith he they do declare themselves to be none of the Church of Christ but rather of the Synagogue of Satan Yea he there tells his Wife That he called them with good conscience as Christ called their forefathers the children of the Devil and that as their father the Devil is a lyar and murtherer so their Kingdom and Church as they call it standeth by lying and murdering therefore my dear Wife have no fellowship with them Ibid. Bishop Ridley in his Letter in Captivity calls the Church of Rome the Strumpet of Babylon and the Pope of Rome Antichrist Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1626. col 1. And in his Answer at his Examination to Bishop White he saith He cannot but confess with St. Gregory a Bishop of Rome also that the Bishop of that place is the very true Antichrist whereof St. John speaketh by the name of the Whore of Babylon And I say saith he with the said St. Gregory that he that maketh himself a Bishop of all the world is worse than Antichrist Ibid. p. 1650. col 2. And in his Communication with Dr. Brooks Bishop of Gloucester when he degraded him exhorting him to recant and submit to the Church of Rome he saith thus You know my mind concerning the usurped authority of the Romish Antichrist Ibid. p. 1659. col 2. And a little after when he would Bishop Ridley though when he was in his Pontificalibus he contended too much for the Surplice c. yet when he came to die he refused it and abominated it put on him the Surplice c. he inveighed against the Romish Bishop and all that foolish apparel calling him Antichrist and the apparel foolish and abominable Ibid. In his Farewell Letter to all his Friends he calls the Bishop of Rome the Babylonical Beast and the then Bishops of England thieves of Samaria Sabei Caldei These robbers have rushed out of their dens and have robbed the Church of England of all the aforesaid holy treasure of God they have carried it away they have overthrown it and instead of Gods holy word the true and right administration of Christs holy Sacraments as of Baptism and the other they mix their Ministry with mens fantasies and many wicked and â—â—godly traditions Ibid. p. 1674. And these Bishops he calls the Soldiers of Antichrist Ibid. p. 1675. col 1. And in his Letter to the Lords Temporal he saith thus I wonder my Lords what hath bewitched you that ye are so suddenly fallen from Christ unto Antichrist from Christs Gospel unto mens traditions from the Lord that bought you to the Bishop now of Rome I warn you of your peril be not deceived except ye will be found willingly consenters unto your own death For if ye think thus we are Lay-men this is a matter of Religion we follow as we are taught and led if our teachers and governours teach us and lead us amiss the fault is in them they shall bear the blame My Lords 't is true I grant you that both the false teacher and the corrupt governour shall be punished for the death of their subjects whom they have falsely taught and corruptly lead yea and their blood shall be required at their hands But yet neverthelss shall that subject die the death himself also that is he shall also be damned for his own sin For if the blind lead the blind Christ saith not the leader only but both shall fall into the ditch Shall the Synagogue and the Senate of the Jews trow ye which forsook Christ and consented to his death therefore be excused because Annas and Caiphas with the Scribes and Pharisees and their Clergy did teach them amiss yea and also Pilate their Consenters and doers are both guilty saith Bishop Ridley Ibid. p. 1675. governour and the Emperours Lieutenant by his tyranny did without cause put to death Forsooth no my Lords no. For notwithstanding that corrupt Doctrine or Pilates washing of his hands neither of both shall excuse either that Synagogue and Seigniory or Pilate but at the Lords hand for the effusion of that innocent blood on the latter day shall drink of the deadly whip * Bishop Gardners six Articles called the Whip with six strings I â—elieve he alluded to Ye are witty and understand what I mean Therefore I will pass from this to tell you that ye are fallen from Christ to his adversary the Bishop of Rome pag. 1667. And immediately after he tells them That he doth not in calling the Bishop of Rome Christs adversary or Antichrist rage or raile but speak the words of truth and sobriety And shews That that Church while it continued in the Apostles Doctrine was Apostolick and those that sate in that See might be called Apostolici but since that See hath degenerated from the trace of Truth and true Religion which it received of the Apostles at the beginning and hath preached another Gospel hath set up another Religion hath exercised another power and hath taken upon it to order and rule the Church of Christ by other strange Laws and Canons and rulers than ever it received of the Apostles the Apostles of Christ which thing it doth at this day and hath continued so doing alas alas of too too long a time since the time I say that the state and condition of that See hath thus been changed in truth it ought of duty and of right to have the names changed both of the See and of the Sitter therein As that See then for that true trade of Religion and Doctrine of Christs Apostles justly and truly was called Apostolick so as truly and justly for the contrariety of Religion and * Is this not directly contrary to A B. Laud's Doctrine in his Relation wherein pag. â—â—6 he saith That the Church of Rome and Protestants set not up a different Religion diversity of Doctrine from Christs and his Apostles that See and the Bishop thereof at this day both ought to be called and are indeed Antichristian The See is the seat of Satan and the Bishop of the same that maintaineth the abominations thereof is Antichrist himself indeed And for this cause this See at this day is the same which St. John calleth in his Revelation Babylon or the Whore of Babylon and spiritual Sodoma and Egyptus the mother of fornications and of the abomination upon the earth and with this Whore do spiritually meddle and lye with her and commit most stinking and abominable adultery before God all those Kings and Princes yea all Nations of the earth which do CONSENT TO HER ABOMINATIONS and use or practise the same Ibid. p. 1668. And in his Lamentation for the change of Religion in England he saith thus The head under Satan of all mischief is Antichrist and his brood and the same is he which is the Babylonical Beast Ibid. p. 1671. col 2. And in p. 1673 he calls King Edward the sixth that innocent that
godly hearted and peerless young Christian Prince Whom Dr. Heylin saith He was a man of ill principles and that 't was no infelicity to the Church he means Rome sure that he died so soon And in p. 1673 col 2. he saith thus Now then seeing the Doctrine of Antichrist is returned again into this Realm and the old Laws of Antichrist are allowed to return with the power of their father again c. Mr. John Philpot Martyr in his seventh Examination and Answer saith That the Church of Rome is a false Church and the Synagogue of Satan Ibid. p. 1704. col 2. And in his ninth Examination he tells Harpsfield That the Religion of Rome is a false Religion Ib. p. 1709. col 1. So he told Chadsey Ibid. p. 1715. col 1. And at his last Examination he told the Lord Mayor of London That he was sorry to see that that authority which representeth the Kings and Queens persons should now be changed and be at the commandment of Antichrist And ye speaking to the Bishops pretend to be the follows of the Apostles of Christ and yet ye be very Antichrists and deceivers of the people and that Church which ye pretend to be the Catholick Church is the Church of Rome the Babylonical and not the Catholick Church of that Church I am not Ibid. p. 1721. col 1. Thomas Whittel Priest and Martyr saith That he was well content to give over his body for the testimony of Gods truth and pure Religion against Antichrist and all his false Religion and Doctrine Ibid. p. 1738. Barthlet Green a Scholar and Martyr affirmeth That the Church of Rome is the Church of Antichrist Ibid. p. 1744. A. B. Cranmer M. calleth and proveth the Pope of Rome to be Antichrist Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1768. col 2. That the Traditions and Religion of that usurping Prelate of Rome are most erroneous false and against the Doctrine of the whole Scripture and the author of the same to be very Antichrist so often preached by the Apostles and Prophets in whom do most evidently concur all signs and tokens whereby he is painted to the world to be known Ibid. p. 1774. col 2. Many of which marks he sets down there And at St. Maries in Oxford when he recanted his Recantation he said thus And for the Pope I refuse him as Christs enemy and Antichrist with all his false Doctrine and this he declared he spake without dissimulation Ibid. p. 1781. col 1. And in his Letter to Queen Mary he saith thus of the Pope If this be not to play Antichrists part I cannot tell what is Antichrist which is no more to say but Christs enemy and adversary who shall sit in the Temple of God advancing himself above all others yet by hypocrisie and fained religion shall subvert the true Religion of Christ and under pretence and colour of Christian Religion shall work against Christ and therefore hath the name of Antichrist whom he there proves to be Antichrist Ibid. p. 1784. col 2. John Mandrell Robert Spicer and William Coverley denying the Pope to be head of the Church or Christs Vicar affirmed him to be Antichrist and Gods enemy Ibid. p. 1788. William Times Curate and Martyr answered Bonner That the See of Rome is the See of Antichrist and therefore to that Church I will not conform my self nor once consent to it Ibid. p. 1791. And p. 1793. he saith The Church of Rome is the Antichristian Church Sixteen Martyrs at once make this Confession The See of Rome is the See of Antichrist the congregation of the wicked whereof the Pope is head under the Devil Article the third for proof of which they offer to be burnt Ibid. p. 1810. col 1. ART XV. That it is lawful to set up and suffer Bishop Mountague in his Gag pag. 300. saith That Images and Pictures of Christ may stand in Churches pro institutione rudiorum commone factione Historiae excitatione devotionis And pag. 318. that the Images and Pictures of Christ the blessed Virgin and Saints may not only for Civil uses but also for Religious imployment and helps of piety be set up in Churches and that the Church of Rome and we differ not therein so practise exceed not Doctrine And p. 317. that Dulia may be given to them Images of the Sacred Trinity of God the Father of God the Son Crucifixes of God the Holy Ghost or of Saints departed this life in Temples or Churches where Gods people do usually meet to worship God THis I renounce 1. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England in her excellent Homily against the peril of Idolatry wherein she saith as followeth p. 12. These costly deckiâ—â— of Churches and Images have nothing profited those that are wise and of understanding but have thereby greatly hurt the simple and unwise occasiâ—â—ing them thereby to commit most horrible Idolatry p. 13. Our Images 〈◊〉 been be and if they be publickly suffered in Churches and Temples 〈◊〉 will be worshipped and so Idolatry committed to them Wherefore our Iâ—â—ges in Temples and Churches be indeed none other but Idols as unto 〈◊〉 which Idolatry hath been is and ever will be committed p. 15. That 〈◊〉 honouring of abominable Images is the cause the beginning and end of 〈◊〉 evil and that the worshippers of them be either mad-men or most wicked men p. 17. Although it be said now commonly that Images be Lay 〈◊〉 Books yet we see they teach no good lesson neither of God nor of goâ—â—ness but all error and wickedness and therefore God as he forbiddeth 〈◊〉 Idols or Images to be made or set up so doth command such as we find 〈◊〉 and set up to be pulled down broken and destroyed Deut. 7th and 〈◊〉 Chapters where 't is observable that all the occasions of Idolatry 〈◊〉 to be avoided and therefore did God forbid marriages with the children of Idolaters for they will turn away thy son from following me that they may serve other gods so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly p. 18. To set up Images or Altars is a wickedness and great offence and abomination in the sight of the Lord. p. 19. It is impossible that we should be worshippers of Images and the true servants of God also as Paul teacheth 2 Cor. 6. p. 21. Upon 1 Joh. 5. ult Tertullian saith Keep your selves from Images and Idols he saith not now keep your selves from Idolatry as it were from the service of them but from the Images or Idols themselves that is from the very shape or likeness of them do ye think those persons which place Images and Idols in Churches and Temples yea shrine them even over the Lords-Table as 't were of purpose to the worshipping and honouring of them take good heed either to St. John ' s counsel or Tertullian ' s for so to place Images and Idols is it to keep themselves from them
followeth That it is not possible if Images be suffered in Churches either by preaching of Gods Word or by any other means to keep the people from worshipping of them and so to avoid Idolatry And 1. concerning preaching if it should be admitted that although Images were suffered in Churches yet might Idolatry by diligent and sincere preaching of Gods Word be avoided it should follow of necessity that sincere Doctrine might always be had and continue as well as Images and so that wheresoever to offence were erected an Image there also of reason a godly and sincere Preacher should and might be continually maintained for it is reason that the warning be as common as the stumbling-block the remedy as large as the offence the medicine as general as the poyson but that is not * At least not probable for those rulers that are so foolish as to set up or suffer needless Images will be so wicked as to set up idle or Idolatrous Preachers also possible as both reason and experience teacheth Wherefore preaching cannot stay Idolatry Images being publickly suffered For an Image which will last for many hundred years may for a little be bought but a good Preacher cannot with much be continually maintained Item if the Prince will Those Preachers that are offended at their pulling down and see no hurt in them but conceive much good in and by them will never be good Preachers against them and such was Bishop Sanderson as appears by his Sermon upon Rom. 3. 8. p. 70. in 4to fuffer it there will be by and by many yea infinite Images but sincere Preachers were and ever shall be but a few in respect of the multitude to be taught For our Saviour Christ saith the Harvest is plentiful but the workmen are but few which hath been hitherto true and will be to the worlds end And in our time and in our Country so true that every Shire should scarcely have one good Preacher if they were divided Now Images will continue to the beholders preach their Doctrine that is worshipping of Images and Idolatry to which preaching mankind is exceeding prone and inclined to give ear and credit as experience of all ages and Nations doth too much prove But a true Preacher to stay this mischief is in very many places scarcely heard in one whole year and some where not once in seven years as is evident to be proved And that evil opinion which hath been long rooted in mens hearts cannot suddenly by one Sermon be rooted out clean And as few â—â—inclined to credit sound Doctrine as many and almost all be prone to Superstition and Idolatry so that herein appeareth not only a difficulty but also an impossibility of the remedy It appears not that sound and sincere Preaching hath continued in one place above a hundred years but 't is evident that Images superstition and worshipping of Images and Idolatry have continued many hundred years For all writing and experience do testifie that good things do by little and little ever decay until they be clean banished and contrariwise evil things do more and more increase till they come to a full perfection and wickedness For example for preaching of Gods Word most sincere in the beginning by process of time waxed less and less pure and after corrupt and at last altogether laid down and left off and other inventions of men crept in place of it And on the other part Images among Christian men were first painted and that in whole stories together which had some signification in them afterwards they were embossed and made of timber stone plaister and metal And first they were only kept privately in private mens houses and then afterwards they crept into Churches but first by painting but afterwards by embossing and yet were they at first no where worshipped but shortly after they began to be worshipped of the ignorant sort of men as appeareth by Gregory the first Bishop of Rome in his Epistle to Serenus Bishop of Marcelles Of which two Bishops Serenus for Idolatry committed to the Images brake and burnt them Gregory although he thought it tollerable to let them stand yet he judged it abominable that they should be worshipped and thought as is now alledged that the worshipping of them might be stayed by teaching of Gods Word according as he exhorts Serenus to teach the people as in that Epistle appeareth But whether Gregory's opinion or Serenus his judgment were better herein consider ye For experience by and by confuteth Gregory's opinion For notwithstanding Gregory's writing and others preaching Images being once set up in Temples simple men and women shortly after fell on heaps I humbly pray may not the same be said of kneeling at receiving the Sacrament was it not at first injoined as a thing indifferent but was it not received of ours as a gesture of the highest reverence due to so great a mystery as Bishop Prideaux speaks And doth not Bishop Sparrow call it adoring in his Rationale p. 273. Vide Art 1. p. 5. hujus to worshipping of them and at last the learned also were carried away with the publick error as with a violent stream or flood And at the second Council at Nice the Bishops and Clergy decreed That Images should be worshipped and so by occasion of these stumbling-blocks not only the unlearned and simple but the learned and wise not the people only but the Bishops not the sheep only but the shepherds themselves who should have been guides in the right way fell to Idolatry in worshipping of Images And P. 69. the Homily saith thus The Romish Church is not only an Idolatrous Church an Harlot as the Scripture calleth her but also a foul filthy old withered Harlot for she is of ancient years understanding her lack of nature and * Yet Hooker in his Ecclesiast Policy l. 4. Sec. 9. p. 145. in answer to Mr. Cartwright ' s and Bucer ' s Objection against Popish Ceremonies viz. That Popery for want of utter extirpation of her Ceremonies hath taken root and flourished again but hath not been able to re-establish it self in any place after provision made against it by utter evacuation of all Romish Ceremonies saith thus As we deny not but that this may be true so being of two evils to chuse the less we hold it better that the friends and favourers of the Church of Rome should be in some kind of hope to have a corrupt Religion restored than both we and they conceive just fear lest under the colour of rooting out Popery the most effectual means to bear up the state of Religion be removed and so a â—â—y made for Paganism or for extream barbarity to re-enter To which by the way I give this short answer 1. That he acts directly against the Doctrine of the Church of England and therefore it is no wonder that his Book was commended to the Pope of Rome as the best written in English and that he alone deserved
authority yet for edification they are made rather superior than equal to the Canonical Scriptures that are laid aside to make room for those Apocryphals as more edificative than they 4. Apocryphals are not more easie institutes exciting to the imbracing of the Canonicals but rather to the rejecting of them in the matters of faith and good manners 5. Suppose they were such institutes yet it will not follow that such erroneous Books should be publickly read because of the greater parts easiness and conformity to the word of Truth for they may * Let us cast from us corrupt Doctrine that will infect our Souls Homily of the Resurrection p. 196. corrupt their souls with erroneous opinions and affections and lives with wicked practises 6. No corrupting-Homilies or Sermons are to be appointed to be read or preached in publick in the Church for all things are to be done to the edification of the Church 1 Cor. 14. 26. 7. Apocryphals are appointed to be read in Cathedrals as well as in Country Parochial Churches Now you will not say that in Cathedrals where the Bishop Dean and Prebends sit and hear are the popular and duller or slower sort of hearers This therefore is no true and satisfactory answer but a meer pretence and put-off ART XVII That the Pope or Bishop of Rome is the supreme Head of the Vniversal Church of Christ above all Emperours Kings and Princes Pastors People and Churches THis I renounce because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England which in Article of Religion 37 saith thus The Queens Majesty hath the chief power in this Realm of England and other her Dominions unto whom the chief Government of all Estates of this Realm whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil in all causes doth appertain and is not nor ought to be subject to any foreign jurisdiction Where we attribute to the Queens Majesty the chief Government by which titles we understand the minds of some slanderous folks to be offended we give not to our Princes the ministring either of Gods word or of the Sacraments the which things the Injunctions also lately set forth by Elizabeth our Queen do most plainly testifie But that only prerogative which we see to have been given always to all godly Princes in holy Scriptures by God himself that is that they should rule all Estates and degrees committed to their charge by God whether they be Ecclesiastical or temporal and restrain with the civil sword the stubborn and evil doers The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this Realm of England And I add as Dr. Reynolds offered at the Conference at Hampton-Court pag. 37. that be ought not to have any here Of which God willing and permitting I shall say more hereafter though much be said already in the 11th Article of Popery renounced as before The Articles of Lambeth the Doctrine of the Church of England and Ireland THe Articles of Lambeth made by Dr. John Whitgift A B. of Canterbury Dr. Fletcher Bishop Elect of London Dr. Vaughan Bishop Elect of Bangor Dr. Tindale Dean of Eli Dr. Whitaker Dr. Chaderton and Mr. Perkins c. as I find them in Dr. Heylin's Cyprianus Anglicus l. 3. p. 204. and as I find them among the Articles of Ireland 1. God from all eternity hath predestinated certain men unto life certain men he hath reprobated 2. The moving or efficient cause of Predestination unto life is not the foresight of faith or of perseverance or of good works or of any thing that is in the person predestinated but only the good will and pleasure of God 3. There is predetermined a certain number of the Predestinate which neither can be augmented nor diminished 4. Those who are not predestinate to Salvation shall be necessarily damned for their sins 5. A true living and justifying faith and the Spirit of God sanctifying is not extinguished doth not fall off or vanish in the Elect either totally or finally 6. A man truly believing or endued with justifying faith is certain or with full assurance of faith of the remission of his sins and of his everlasting Salvation by Christ 7. Saving Grace is not given nor communicated nor granted to all men by which they may be saved if they will 8. No man can come to Christ unless it be given unto him and unless the Father shall draw him nor are all men drawn of the Father that they come to the Son 9. It is not in the free choice and power of every man to be saved These Nine Articles or Conclusions And when the Articles of England were received in the Church of Ireland the Title of the Canon is thus Of the agreement of the Church of England and Ireland the profession of the same Christian Faith Which shews that the Churches of England and Ireland did agree in those Articles c. in the Convocation held at Dublin Anno 1615 were resolved upon and agreed to by A. B. Vsher and the Bishops and Clergy as the publick Confession of the Church of Ireland as may be seen in the Articles of Ireland and in Dr. Heylin's Cyp. Angl. l. 4. p. 271. And moreover these Nine Articles of Lambeth were declared to be the Doctrine of the Church of England by the Commons of England Assembled in Parliament about June 14th Anno Domini 1628 as Dr. Heylin informs me in his Cyprianus Angiicus l. 3. p. 197. And 't is observable that though Dr. Heylin affirms that the five Arminian points condemned in the Synod of Dort are the Doctrine of the Church of England and though Dean White licensed Moungues Armin an Popish Books and affirmed that there was nothing in it but what was agreeable to the profession of Faith and Doctrine of the Church of England Cypr. Angl. l. 2. p. 135. and the three Arminian Bishops Buckeridg Corbet and Laud that wrote and pleaded for him affirmed the same in which Books the five Arminian points were maintained by Mountague and Limbus patrum and many Popish points more though they clamoured very much against the Parliaments declaring That he had in his Books viz. his Gagg and his Apollo Caesarem disturbed the peace of the Church by publishing Doctrines contrary to the Articles of the Church of England and the Book of Homilies and that the whole frame and scope of his Books was to the discouragement of the well-affected in Religion from the true Religion established in this Church and to incline them and as much as in him lay to reconcile them to Popery Cypr. Angl. l. 2. p. 155 And laboured by the authority and interest of the then King to have those points referred to the decision of the Convocation to whom they said they did belong though all the knot * Cyp. Angl. l. 1. p. 59. of Arminians except Mr. Barlow that met at Bishop Neils and many more were promoted and dignified persons and Mountague †Cypr. Angl. l. 3. p. 185. himself made Bishop in
have the reins any longer you cannot expect any other issue thereof than the curse of God infamy throughout all the Reformed Churches and a perpetual rent and distraction in the whole body of your State Given at Westminster Octob. 6. 1611. And Sir Ralph Winwood his Majesties Ambassador there in his Remonstrance to the States-General by his Majesties approbation saith thus If therefore Religion be as the Palladium of your Common-wealth and that to preserve the one in your glory and perfection be to maintain the other in her purity let your selves then be judg in how great a danger the State must needs be at this present so long as you permit these Schisms of Arminius to have such vogue as now they have in the principal Towns of Holland and if you suffer Vorstius to be received Divinity-professor in the University of Leyden the Seminary of your Church who in scorn of the holy Word of God hath after his own fancy devised a new Sect patched together of several pieces of all sorts of ancient and modern Heresies Ibid. p. 358 and p. 361. he saith further thus His Majesty doth exhort you that you having gotten the upperhand of your miseries you would not suffer the followers of Arminius to make your actions an example for them to proclaim throughout the world that wicked The Doctrine of Arminians of the apostacy of the Saints a wicked Doctrine Doctrine of the Apostacy of the Saints To be short the account which his Majesty doth make of your amity appears sufficiently by the Treaties which he hath made with your Lordships by the succours which your Provinces have received from his Crowns and by the deluge of blood which his subjects have spent in your Wars Religion is the only sowder of this amity for his Majesty being by the Grace of God Defender of the Faith doth hold himself obliged to defend all those who profess the same The Protestant Hollanders of the same Faith and Religion with us Faith and Religion with him Ibid. p. 361. And p. 365. King James himself saith If the subject of Vorstius his Heresies had not been grounded upon questions of an higher quality than touching the number and nature of the Sacraments the points of Justification of Merits of Purgatory of the visible Head of the Church or any such matters as are in controversie at this day betwixt the Papists and us Nay more if he had medled only with the nature and works of God ad extra if we say he had soared no higher although we should have been very sorry to see such * Mark it he calls those points also Heresies Heresies begin to take root among our Allies and ancient Confederates we should not have been so zealons as we have been in this business And p. 368. he saith thus of the main point of Arminians The nature of man through the transgression of our first Parents hath lost free-will and retaineth not now any shadow hereof saving an inclination to evil those only excepted whom God hath sanctified and purged from their original Leprosie And p 366. he saith thus The principal bond of our conjunction is our uniformity in Religion King James was of a mind better than and different from A. B. Laud. He you see thought himself obliged to help the Hollanders as being of the same Profession and Religion with him yea and uniform in the same Religion for substance though they and he differed in Discipline mode of Worship and form of Church-Government but A. B. Laud would not acknowledg the Protestant Ministers of the Palatinate Churches to be of the same Religion with us here in the Church of England * Cypr. Anglicus l. 4. p. 305 306. where you 'l find that he caused the Letters-Patents for a Collection for those Orthodox Protestant Ministers though procured by the Queen of Bohemia of K. Ch. her Brother to be cancelled and new ones drawn and those expressions expunged c. and that because they received the Doctrine and rigors as Heylin calls them of Calvin in the point of Predestination and the rest depending thereupon as Orthodox And also for that they maintain a parity of Ministers and hold not our Episcopacy essential to the being of a Church as A. B. Laud plainly did and also for that they called the Doctrine and Government of the Church of Rome an Antichristian yoke King James called and proved the Pope of Rome to be Antichrist and the Doctrines of Arminius and his followers wicked and heretical and held those of Calvin to be Orthodox in those points and uniform with our Profession here in England as may be seen by his Declaration against Vorstius by his procuring the Synod of Dort and sending Orthodox Divines to it who condemned the five Articles of Arminius or Arminians and by his ratification of the nine Articles of Lambeth in the Articles of Ireland And for further proof of King James his judgment against Arminianism take and read a Jesuits Letter to the Rector at Bruxells Father Rector The Jesuits Letter c. We have now many strings to our bows and have strongly fortified our faction and have added two Bulwarks more for when King James lived WE KNOW HE WAS VERY VIOLENT AGAINST ARMINIANISM and interrupted with his pestilent wit and deep learning our strong designs in Holland now we have planted the Soveraign drug Arminianism which we hope will purge the Protestants from their Heresie This Letter was seized in A. B. Laud's Study Vide Prin's Introduction to A. B. Laud's tryal and attested against him at the Lords-Bar as Mr. Hickman informs me in his Justification of the Fathers and Schoolmen pag. 63. To which purpose the The Commons Declaration Commons of England assembled in Parliament declared to his late Majesty thus The hearts of your Subjects are perplexed when with sorrow they behold a daily growth and spreading of the faction of Arminians that being as your Majesty well knows but a cunning way to bring in Popery and the professors of those opinions the common disturbers of the Protestant Churches and Incendiaries of those States in which they have gotten any head being Protestants in shew but Jesuits in opinion and practise Of which growing faction Neile Bishop of Winchester and Laud Bishop of Bath and Wells are named particularly for the principal Patrons as Dr. Heylin saith Cyp. Angl. l. 3. p. 181. And though Dr. Heylin and Bishop Mountague stand much upon King James his words at the Conference at Hampton-Court yet being well considered they make nothing for their false Doctrine That truly justified persons may totally and finally fall away from the acts and habit of saving Grace but rather against it For 1. King James though he did not yield as they say at the Conference at Hampton-Court that those words totally and finally should be added to the sixteenth Article of our Church yet he yielded to it and to all the Articles of Lambeth
473. mentioneth many good things that that Committee were preparing but being obstructed by A. B. Laud though then in the Tower and some other Bishops the Commons laid the ax to the root of all evil as * Tindal of the Obedienâ—â— of Christian Magist p. 114. Tindal of old called the Bishops looking upon them as the â—inderers of all good as Martin * Martin Bucer de regnâ— Christ l. 2. c. 1. Bucer told King Edward the Sixth and so instead of mending things they grew worse Heylin confesseth nay braggeth that Books against Arminianism which he saith is * Cypr. Anglic. Introduct p. 36. agreeable to the Council of Trent cap. de fructu Justificationis Can. 3 4 were suppressed Sure I am that Dr. Prideaux his Sermons which he had preached at Court were not permitted to be reprinted at Oxford because he would not yield to the obliterating of some passages in them against Arminianism yet several passages which he as Doctor of the Chair rased out of Mr. Chillingworth ' s Book were inserted and printed after the good old Doctor had put his hand to the license for its printing which Book is now highly commended though the Doctor openly disowned it in the Chair saying That he had been abused in that Book Mr. Cheynell being opponent upon this Socinian question An ratio sit fundamentum fidei But what are these things to the purpose now I answer 1. The Author of the Friendly Debate often printed and its continuation hath raked up things against some Nonconformists which were of longer standing 2. If some Clergy-men of these times preach or print or act as they did in those days it is directly to the purpose Let any judicious indifferent man read the Book intituled The causes of the decay of Piety and he will find much of the Soveraign drug planted here as the Jesuit said in A. B. Laud ' s time to purge the Protestants of their Heresie as they call our true Religion Let him read Mr. Fowler ' s two Books viz. his Free Discourse and his Design of Christianity and he will see whatsoever he pretends to the contrary that his endeavour if not prime design is to promote that most Antichristian Doctrine of the Papists viz. Justification of our persons before God by our own good works or inherent holiness and overthrow the true Doctrine of Faith of the Church of England to which 't is believed he hath subscribed denying the * Free Discourse p. 126 128 129 130 145. Imputation of Christs Righteousness in the sound sense of the Church of England sometimes calling it a false yea a grosly false notion thereof and sometimes a * Ibi. p. 141. sottish and mischievous Doctrine abusing those that hold it by branding them with the ignominious name of * Ibi. pag. 141 143. and Design of Christianity c. 19. p. 223. Antinomians affirming That our persons are justified before God by our own inherent holiness and good works and that faith * Free Discourse 159. Design of Christianity c. 19. p. 221. as it includes sincere obedience justifieth our persons before God and to this end using and improving Bellarmine ' s arguments to the utmost And lest any should charge him with the Doctrine of the Church of England which he cannot but know is contrary to his Doctrine he endeavours to prevent it saying That those Divines of his opinion do heartily subscribe to the 39 Articles of our Church taking * Free Discourse Edit 2. p. 2. p. 191. that liberty in the interpretation of them that is allowed * But where doth the Church allow this liberty what do you mean by the Church it's contrary to the end of the Law of 13. of Elizabeth and of the fifth Canon by the Church her self though it is most reasonable to presume that she requireth subscription to them as to an instrument of peace only And again p. 2. p. 305. he saith further thus What was said of General Councils we also most heartily acknowledg concerning our own particular Church viz. that we are bound by no means to oppose the determinations of the Governours and Representatives in disputable matters nor do they as hath been shewed require our internal assent to their Articles but enjoin our submission to them as to an instrument of peace only Lo here you may see what these Latitudinarians are â—a name which some I know not who have given them but whether they deserve it let others judg but such is the latitude of these men that they would have liberty for themselves to preach and print what Doctrine they please but would have none allowed to dissenters in points of Church-government and Ceremonies as may be evidently seen in his Free Discourse by which we may see what Broth and Beef his palate relisheth best But what is there no internal assent required to the Doctrine of faith of the Church of England and yet an unfeigned assent and consent to the use of the Liturgy and the Ceremonies and Rites thereof Are these more essential to the being of the Church of England than those Are the Ceremonies Rites and Liturgy more surely and certainly and indisputably grounded upon the Canonical Scriptures than the doctrine of Faith which concerns the Trinity justification of a sinner Christs satisfaction c. Have not all our 39 Articles been disputed nay do not some amongst us question whether there be a God and whether the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament be the Word of God and of divine authority and have not the Ceremonies of the Church of Rome which our Rulers have retained been from the first beginning of the Reformation here disputed and opposed by godly and learned Bishop Hooper and Mr. John Rogers and denied and detested even to the death by many godly Martyrs Do not all the Calvinistical Churches abroad join with the Church of England in maintaining the Articles of Religion which concern the confession of the true Christian Faith and the Sacraments and yet reject the Liturgy Ceremonies and Church-government of the Church of England â—nd if only indisputable matters may not be opposed and all disputable ones may be opposed I pray what Article of our Creed and Religion may not be opposed by these men of the long name It is â—â—ear that though these men heartily subscribe to the 20 the 34 and the 36 Articles Whatsoever is not read in the holy Scripture nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of Faith Art 6 Church of England which are not Articles of Religion of the true Christian Faith because not contained in or proveable by the Word of God in their sense yet they give not an unfeigned assent and consent to the Articles of Religion concerning the Doctrine of Faith and the Sacraments for they take liberty they say 't is allowed them by the Church to interpret them as
they please and as experience shews oppose them too against the determination of the Church which allowance I hope I may have to defend them But do not these men lay a foul aspersion upon the Church who say They do allow those men that will give an hearty assent and subscribe to their authority ceremonies and traditions and injunctions to interpret and secretly undermine and openly oppose the Doctrines of Faith of the true Christian Religion I profess I do not believe it of the whole Church-representative of England of which I should believe he speaks though I have not heard of one of them or of any Conformist that hath appeared against these mens false interpretations yea open contradictions of the articles of Religion concerning the true Christian faith But what security of peace and truth the Magistrate whom like their elder brethren in Holland they claw while he will suffer them to carry on their destructive designâ— can have by these mens subscriptions declarations yea oaths I know not Would not all the Jesuits of Rome subscribe declare and swear too upon these conditions I have heard of one Minister that would subscribe assent consent and declare if they would hate him but one syllable un And so it may be would others too if they might do as they do not perform what they promise and write against what they subscribe assent and consent to too as these men say they are allowed by the Church But I know not well what Church the man means by our Church for I do not know well of what church he is though I hear he is in the Church of England and promoted so was the Bishop of Spalato till King James found out his Knavery and so was Dr. Lewes who returned to Winchester and when he had received some thousands of pounds of current English money he returned to his Church of Rome who therein followed not the cunning advice of Thuanus a learned and cunning Papist to Casaubon * Wedderbornes Book p 23 vid. Supplement to Laudensium autocatacrifis p. 18. not to come away to them but stay here seeing he had and might have more means here than he could or would have there and might do them more service here than he could do them if there I have dwelt too long upon this large man else I could set before your eyes many more of his erroneous and dangerous Doctrines but I must leave him What I have said in my following Renunciation will I hope sufficiently confute Dr. Patrick's Doctrine of Justification by our own good works and by faith as it worketh by love and some Friendly Debate pag. 13 〈◊〉 14. other of his false Doctrines I meddle not with some others because better heads and pens have undertaken them Though the Arminian c. faction he they say much increased yet that it was greater and more Popish before the late Civil Wars and that there was more danger of bringing in Popery then than there is now I could offer many reasons as I. That the body of Popery except the Popes Supremacy was then preached and printed as Dr. Fuller shews was complained of and so much Dr. Heylin confesseth as was shewed before and may in a very great part he seen gathered to your hands in Laudensium Autocatacrisis and the Supplement thereunto and Laudensium Apostasia which I believe cannot be proved now 2. Then there were the High Commission and the Star-Chamber Courts which are not now wherein A. B. Laud and his party used to crush whosoever appeared in the least against their Arminian Doctrines and Popish Innovations 'T is true we have some disadvantages we want a Dr. Humphrie Abbot Holland and Prideaux in the Chair in Oxford a Cartwright Whitakers Davenant and Ward at Cambridge a Dr. Ames Twisse Kendal and a Mr. Jeanes who are gone to their Rests and we lack liberty and encouragement for our thousands of Orthodox Nonconforming Ministers freely to preach and print against Popish Arminian and Socinian Innovations in Doctrine Discipline and Worship If orthodox and learned and godly Divines Nonconformists indeed to the Ceremonies but real Conformists to the Doctrine of Faith of the Church of England who did not only preach the truth to the elder but taught it to the younger sort of people had not been turned and kept out of the Ministry and silenced and cast out of their Freeholds and Corporations except they would do such things as they judged unlawful or at least inexpediâ—â— and put into their places either ignorant or erroneous or scandalous persons men either unapt or unfit to teach though I acknowledg there are many learned sober men sound in the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apt to teach in the Ministry whose persons God knows I love and whose learning I honour and admire yet I say there are many as selfish malicious covetous ambitious some as erroneous if not idolatrous men as many that are of the Church of Rome and so would openly profess themselves to be if time should serve them 't is very probable and verily believed that neither Popery nor Arminianism that cunning way to bring in Popery nor Prophaneness and Atheism would have gotten that head which some say they have Where the fault is is not for me to determine not suggest But verily I think his Gracious Majesty cannot be so much as suspected much less accused of it for he was graciously pleased to issue out a Declaration for liberty for tender Consciences from Bredah and another soon after his return home which was turned into a Bill by a worthy Gentleman and offered to the Parliament then called healing Since that his Majesty made another Gracious Declaration for liberty of Conscience but that 't is known was cried down by the Episcopal party and now at last his Majesty upon pious and politick accounts hath given forth another and more Gracious Declaration for liberty of Conscience and licensed several sound Protestant Divines who have lost their livings and suffered the spoiling of their goods and refused dignities rather than comply with our Bishops and their Latitudinarian party in things they judged unlawful inexpedient and inductive to Popery c. to preach and teach the word of God truly and worship God purely as he hath commanded in his Word without humane additions and inventions c. But this also the Episcopal party under the specious pretence of being against bringing in Popery which many of them preach and practise and love more than the truth and the pure worship of God as God and their own consciences well know though they have formerly extolled the Kings Supremacy and Prerogative above Law Right Reason and Religion and these thirteen years last past scarce ever executed one Law of those many that are made against Popish Recusants no nor mentioned publickly any fear of Popery till his Majesty granted his most loyal Protestant Subjects liberty to serve God purely as he hath commanded in his Word
erroneous opinions destroy the humane nature of Christ and consequently all those Articles of our Creed which concern the bodily part of his humane nature and depend upon the verity thereof Besides Transubstantiation is also contrary to Canonical Scripture Mat. 26. 29 But I say unto you I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the Vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdom Where 't is clear that the wine which he drank and gave to his Disciples and which they did drink was naturally the fruit of the Vine and not the natural blood of Christ but called his blood Sacramentally because it did by the institution of Christ signifie or represent the blood of Christ as Circumcision by a like Sacramental phrase is called the Covenant Gen. 17. 10 11 This is my Covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee every man-child among you shall be circumcised and ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a token of the Covenant betwixt me and you Lo here Circumcision which is properly but a sign of the Covenant that was made between God and Abraham and his seed as 't is called in the 11th verse is yet in the 10th verse figurative or if you will Tropically called the Covenant because 't was a sign of it by Gods special appointment and so these words This is my body and this is my blood Mat. 26. 26 28. are to be understood If the bread which he did eat and the wine which he drank and gave to his Disciples and that they did eat and drink had been Christs body and blood corporally and naturally then Christ and his Disciples did eat his natural humane body and drink his natural humane blood which is not only blasphemous to be spoken against Christ and slanderous against his holy Apostles but also improbable to be done and directly against Gods word Gen. 9. 4. But flesh with the life thereof which is the blood thereof shall ye not eat and if not of beasts then sure not of man And 't is contrary as well as Consubstantiation to Act. 3. 21. The Heavens must contain him that is Christ until the times of restitution of all things If Christ be corporally according to his humane nature in Heaven than he is not corporally present in the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper for his body is not cannot be in two * The Papists Decrees Decr. p. 3. Dist 2. c. 44. say thus Corpus Domini in quo resurrexit uno loco esse oportet The body of our Lord wherein he rose must be in one place proper places distant the one from the other as Heaven and that Sacrament are at one and the same instant of time That he was not in two places at one time while he was here on earth read Mat. 28. 5 6 And the Angel answered and said unto the women Fear not ye for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified he is not here for he is risen and he said come see the place where the â—ord lay Read also Mark 16. 5 6 They went into the Sepulchre c. And Luk. 24. 6. is the same relation and demonstration and vers 12. is one circumstance more Peter ran unto the Sepulchre and stooping down he beheld the linnen clothes laid by themselves but found not Jesus there And vers 23 The women found not his body in the Sepulchre And vers the 24th Certain men went to the Sepulchre and found it as the women had related but him they saw not Read also Joh. 20 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. and there you 'l see more of Christs Resurrection and that his body was not in the grave Thaâ— his body cannot be in two proper places at once is also evident because every body is circumscribed with his own proper place Christs body is a true humane body as our bodies are and therefore cannot be in two proper places at one and the same time and the proper place of Christs proper body cannot be a little bit oâ— bread or wafer but his proper place is and must be proportionable to the quantity or extension of the parts of his body and to affirm that Christs natural humane body is in Heaven and in the Sacrament too properly and circumscriptively is to affirm that his body is properly in a thousand places at once To affirm that Christs body is essentially substantially and truly present in the Elements of the Sacrament of the Supper as Dr. Laurence with Papists doth doth necessarily imply a contradiction to wit Court-Sermon p. 18. that his body is a true humane body and that it is not a true humane body which two Propositions cannot be true of the same subject at the same time Idem non potest esse non esse God hath absolute power as Thomas Aquinas speaks truly over the whole nature of the creature but not so as that he should cause it to be and not to be at once The object of Gods power as the Jesuits confess is whatsoever implies not a contradiction in it self now that the self-same body should sit down and not fit down should be visible and not visible shoâ—ld be divisible and not divisible should be here and yet elsewhere should be one and yet many are manifest contradictions saith Bishop Hall in his no peace with Rome Sec. 18. p. 658. of his Works Moreover it is contrary to 1 Cor. 11. 26. As oft as ye shall eat this bread not Christs real body and drink this wine not Christs real blood of his body ye shew forth the Lords death till he come and therefore he is not come corporally which he is and must be if he be in that Sacrament corporally under the forms of bread and wine And besides this Doctrine of Transubstantiation overthrows the nature of the Sacrament as the Church of England saith truly for where there is no Element or sign there can be no Sacrament and there is no Element if the bread and wine be turned into the substance of Christs body and blood Ergo it 's false Finally It hath been the occasion of much Superstition and Idolatry as the Church of England saith in her 28th Article for from hence proceeded the reservation of the transubstantiated bread for sundry * There is a Minister in place that I know who useth to keep some of the Sacr mental bread and gives it to sick persons to cure them superstitious purposes hence the adoration of the bread injoined even as God himself hence carrying the Wafer-god about in pompous Processions hence the Popish Feast called Corpus-Christi day Yea hence I mean from Christs real or corporâ—l presence in the Sacrament came kneeling or adoration at receiving the bread and wine at the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper as may be gathered from Dr. Heylin's words who saith thus That both the Lutherans as well as the Catholicks knew that if
attributed to faith because 〈◊〉 other graces are virtually therein contained and that is the principle froâ— whence they are derived Whereas thâ— truth is it is only ascribed to faith and that because it is the only grace thâ—â— doth apprehend and apply the righteousness of Christ to the sinner as the Church of England teacheth iâ— her Homily of Salvation of Mankind the third Part pag. 19. Faiâ—â— only is said to justifie because it doth directly send us to Christ for remissioâ— of sins and that by faith given us of God we embrace the promise of Goâ— mercy and of the remission of our sins which thing NONE OTHER 〈◊〉 our vertues or works properly doth therefore the Scripture useth to say that faith without works doth justifie Who saitâ— also That as * Free Discourse pag. 188. works signifie sincere obedience 〈◊〉 Christs Gospel neither I nor those Preacherr can account it any scandal to have it said of us that 〈◊〉 hold JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS he must mean it of Justification of mens persons before God else he beats the air or cunningly equivocates And indeed so he explains himself Nor need we so mince it as to say that faith justifieth our persons and good works our faith for understanding works I say for a * Pag. 189. working faith our persons if ever they be Socinians define justifying Faith to be obedience fides justificans est obedientia Catech Racov. c. 9. The old Photinian Hereticks called it a new creature Wendelin Ch. Theol. l. 1. c. 25. p. 476. compare Dr. H's Dr. P's and Mr. F's Doctrines of Faith and Justification with Socinians and Photinians c. must be justified by them Which is directly and expresly contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England in heâ— Articles and Homilies before alledged Sure I am that these mens Doctrine gives great advantage to Popery and is directly contrary to the prime design of Christianity which is to advance the glory of Gods free grace in giving us his only begotten Son Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose again for our justification and sets up Justification by our own righteousness which is the same false and Antichristian Doctrine the Papists teach How Dr. †Just as the Semi-Pelagians do as Alvarez shews de auxil div grat disp 2. pag. 19 20. Heyliâ— divideth Justification between faith and good works may be seen in his Introduction to his Cyprianus Anglicus p. 28. Sect. 29. What false Doctrine concerning Justification others of A. B. Laua's party have taught in his time may be seen in those two Books collected to your hands viz. Laudensium Autocatacrisis and Laudensium Apostasia One word to these men What Divine that understood himself and did not intend to cheat men into a Popish Photinian Socinian or Arminian belief of Justification by a mans own inherent righteousness and consequently denying of Christs by which alone our persons are justified before God ever went about to put good works or new obedience into the definition of Faith as it justifieth our persons before God What is it a cheat in Bishop Sanderson and all sound Logicians and Philosophers to define a man to be animal rationale becaus they make no mention of risibility which necessarily flows from his principles and is really inseparable from him Did you never read nor hear of a praecisâ—â—e separation of a property from its proper subject that is a consideration of the subject without considering the property if not I shall not doubt but that you have studied Rhetorick more than Logick and Natural Philosophy though you brag much of your rational Discourses and Religion too Now if the subject may be defined without its proper passion pray may not the cause be considered and defined too without its effects Bishop Sanderson * Log. l. 3. c. 17. par 5. p. 64. teacheth us to define habits by their end and object And Philosophers tell us that Habitus distinguuntur per actus actus per objecta Habits must be distinguished by their acts and acts by their objects Now the proper act of faith as it justifies mens persons before God is not to work by love and resolve upon new obedience as you insinuate but to receive the proper object of Justification which is not Gods commands formally considered as you insinuate but the righteousness of Jesus Christ called the Lord our righteousness and do not Philosophers give us two definitions of the soul the one as 't is a form of the body thus Anima est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corporis physici organici vitam habentis in potentia and the other as 't is the efficient cause of its operations thus Anima est principium quo vivimus sentimus movemur intelligimus primo what do they put a cheat upon the world and illusions because in the first they mention not its effects so here faith is in the Doctrine of Justification considered by our and your orthodox Divines as the form of Justification taken passively whereby believers lay hold on Christ with all his merits by the hand of faith and apply them to themselves Here I say they do not consider faith as an efficient principle or cause of either Bishop Davenant de justitia habituali c. 22. p 312. inward graces or outward good works for all these are excluded or to use our * Homily of Salvation of Mankind p. 16 17. Faith shutteth not out repentance hope love fear of God to be joined with faith in every man that is justified but it shutteth them out from the office of justifying c. Homilies word shut out from the business of Justification of sinners persons before God as I shewed before out of St. Paul's and the Church of England's Doctrine And they may reason thus that which Faith excludeth from justification of sinners persons before God cannot be put into the definition of Faith formally considered as so justifying but Faith formally considered as justifying sinners persons before God excludeth works from Justification of sinners persons before God For Faith and works are in this point opposed every where by S. Paul as was manifested before out of the Doctrine of the Church of England as well as St. Paul's Therefore good works cannot be put into the definition of faith as 't is justifying of sinners persons before God And 't is observable by the way too that Faith shutteth out repentance and fear of God as well as love from the office of justifying of sinners persons before God as our Homily quoted in the Margent plainly declareth And therefore it excludeth Mr. Fowler 's sincere resolution of obedience to all the precepts of the Gospel not only from the definition of Faith as justifying but also from the office of justifying mens persons before God In the point of justifying of mens persons before God these * Mr. Fowler 's Free Discourse p. 127. quarrelsome sottish men as you are pleased out of
your abundant modesty to call A. B. Vsher Bishop Downham Bishop Davenant Mr. Perkins Pemble Dr. Ames and many others of our own learned orthodox Divines besides many more of foreign Countries consider not Faith as 't is the principle of good works but according to its proper office as justifying which is to rest trust upon to receive and apply and so in that office it actually needs no good works or vertues to be coupled with it because it is but the souls instrument to apprehend and apply the righteousness of Christ that is freely offered in the Gospel to it self and which no other grace or work of man doth or can do as was shewed before * Dr. Patrick calls this I am nought I have nought his Pilgrims charm Par. Pilgr p. 283. Which sure is not so good a comparison as Mr. T. W. his painted post is of an hypocrite condemned by him in his Debate He that will be Christs disciple must deny himself and his own righteousness as Paul did Phil. 3. 7. 8 9. Christ will be a whole Saviour or none at all He that comes to Christ for justification with his own good works in his hand doth in effect say that he hath in truth some but not much need of him and his righteousness and thereby he incapacitates himself to lay hold upon and receive Christ and his merits for inâ—us existens prohibet extraneum he must let go his own works before he can apprehend and relye only upon Christs merits as he must do as was evidenced before out of the Doctrine of our Church of England which saith * Hom of Salv. of Mank p. 17. We must trust only in Gods mercy and that sacrifice which our high Priest and Saviour Jesus Christ the Son of God once offered for us upon the Cross to obtain thereby Gods grace For further and fuller confutation of this gross and most Antichristian error not to say heresie as Dr. Slater calls it I refer you back to what I have alledged out of the Church of Englands Books of Homilies and Articles of Religion upon the serious reading of which and their Books and comparing them together all judicious and sound Christians will find that there is great cause for all men to take heed of their Books as of cheats and dangerous illusions to use Dr. Patrick's words by which they have defamed the sincere and sound professors and assertors of the true and pure Protestant Religion which to do their learned Dr. H. More in his Mystery * Lib. 2. c. 13. p. 〈◊〉 This saith he must needs be very antichristian and uncharitable to misrepresent mens actions and opinions in publick speeches or writings or invent notorious lyes or fictions in the disparagement of mens persons and Doctrines and suborn men to write them and divulge them to the world for truths which is to do as was the custome of those who were under the Dragon that old Serpent and false accuser of the ancient Primitive Christians c. of Iniquity saith is one part of Antichristianism and cunningly under the pretence of confuting the errors and reproving the follies and infirmities of Nonconforming Protestants to those errors and impositions and modes of worship and government which they profess they like very well have printed what they have preached I cannot tell not to say Arminian Socinian but Popish Errors contrary to the express word of God and the sound and clear Doctrine of the Church of England to which 't is believed they have subscribed if not declared their assent and consent yea even that antifundamental error or rather heresie of Justification of sinners persons before God by their own inherent righteousness or good works and thereby slighted our free Justification by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ apprehended and applied alone by true Faith in Jesus Christ which is in effect denying the Gospel of Jesus Christ as their Dr. More shews in his Mystery of Iniquity and is obvious to every man that fully understands what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is and that is not resolved virtually to deny Christ to be come in the flesh and to profess himself to be fallen from grace as the Apostle speaks 1 Joh. 4. 1 2 3. Gal. 5. 4. From all which I shall not peremptorily conclude any thing but only ask this question as Dr. Patrick Friendly Debate pag. 2 3. doth Can he be a good subject a good * Hom. of Salvat of Mankind p. 16 17. before quoted and alledged Christian and a Minister of Christ that doth so To conclude 't is true that good works do either actually or habitually accompany a true justifying Faith or do follow a justified person but they have no hand or efficiency at all in the justification of a sinners person before God as the Doctrine of the Church of England plainly shews We are justified by Faith with works associativè but not by Faith and works copulativè that is we are justified by that Fâ—â—â—h that is accompanied with works but not by the works that do accompany it as concauses with it thereof but by faith alone because that only and no other vertue grace or work doth or can do it apprehends and applies that which doth justifie our persons before God viz. Christs righteousness ART IV. That Faith that doth justifie sinners persons before God is a bare and naked assent to the truth of Gods word and that so and as an act habit or work in us it justifies THIS I renounce 1. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England in her Homily of the Salvation of Mankind p. 17. which saith thus The true meaning of this Doctrine We be freely justified by faith without works is not that this our own act to believe in Christ or that this faith in Christ which is within us doth justifie us For that were to count our selves to be justified by some act or vertue that is within our selves but the true meaning thereof is that although we hear Gods word and believe it although we have faith we must renounce the merit of our said vertues c. And in the Homily of Christs Death and Passion T. 2. part 2. p. 1â—7 thus The only mean or instrument of Salvation required of our part is faith that is a sure trust and confidence in the mercies of God c. ut supra where 't is clear that the faith that doth justifie us is not a bare notitia or knowledg of and assensus assent unto the truth of Gods word but also as our sound Divines do hold and maintain Bishop Davenant Determ 37. fiducia a sure trust and confidence in Gods mercy c. So also in Homily of Salvation of Mankind p. 20. A true and right Christian is not only to believe the holy Scriptures and all the Articles of our Christian Faith that is to assent to them but also to have a sure trust and confidence
for the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ * That is applied by faith as the Thirtyfourth Article of the Church of Ireland explains it by faith and not for our own good works That we are justified by faith only is a most wholsome Doctrine As more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification 2. In her Homilies as Homily for Salvation of Mankind p. 13 14 15 16. No man by his own acts works or deeds seem they never so good can be justified and made righteous before God but every man is of necessity constrained to seek for another righteousness or justification to be â—â—ceived at Gods own hands that is to say forgiveness of his 〈◊〉 And this justification or righteousness whiâ—â— we so receive of Gods mercy * Vide 34. Article of the Church of Ireland and Christs â—â—rits imbraced by Faith is taken accepted 〈◊〉 allowed by God for our perfect and full justiâ—â—cation On our part we are justified by Faith 〈◊〉 the merits of Christ which is not ours 〈◊〉 by Gods working in us We are justified freely by Faith withoâ—â— the works of the Law Ambrose saith That is the Ordinance of Goâ—â— that they which believe in Christ should be saved without worâ—â— by faith only freely receiving remission of their sins And p. 18 〈◊〉 Faith putteth us from it self and remitteth or appointeth us 〈◊〉 Christ for to have only by him remission of our sins or justificatioâ—â— So that our Faith doth as it were say to us It is not I that take â—â—way your sins but it is Christ only and to him only I send you 〈◊〉 that purpose forsaking therein all your good vertues wordâ—â— thoughts and works and only putting your trust in Christ bâ—cause Faith doth directly send us to Christ for remission of our siâ—â— and that by Faith given us of God we embrace the promise of Goâ— mercy and of the remission of our sins which thing none otheâ— of our vertues or works properly doth therefore the Scriptuâ—â— useth to say That Faith without works doth justifie Faith onlâ— justifieth us is all one with St. Paul Faith without works justifietâ— us And in her Homily of Christs Death and Passion T. 2. p. 186 187 The only mean or instrument of Salvation required of our part iâ— Faith that is a sure trust and confidence in the mercies of God whereby we perswade * This Mr. Fowler calls a strong fancying and thereby labours to scoff us out of our Religion and Faith p. 127 130. of his Free Discourse our selves that Goâ— both hath and will forgive our sins that he hath accepted us again into his favour and that he hath released us from the bonds of damnation and received us into the number of his Elect-people not for our deserts but only and solely for the merits of Christs Death and Passion who became man for our sakes and humbled himself to sustain the reproach of the Cross that we thereby might be saved and made inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven and Faith shall be imputed to us for righteousness as well as it was to Abraham Isaac and Jacob. And Ibid. p. 188. 't is said thus Faith is the only instrument of Salvation now left unto us By which 't is clear that it justifieth not as an act habit or work â—ut only as an instrument apprehending and applying the righteousness of Christ Observe that the word Faith in this Proposition We are â—ustified by faith is to be understood relatively with relation to or coâ—otation of its object and is sense equivalent to this We are justified by Christs merits or righteousness apprehended and applied by faith Here is a Metonimie where the effect of the principal cause Christ is attriâ—uted to the instrumental cause Faith as the Plow is said to enrich the husbandman and eating is said to nourish that is instrumentally it 's the corn that enricheth and the meat that is eaten nourisheth the Plow and eating are but the instruments So 't is said We are saved by hope that is by Christ in whom we do hope so here 't is said that faith justifieth that is Christs righteousness received and applied by Faith to the Believer justifieth him in Gods sight 2. Because 't is contrary to the judgment and declared Doctrine of all those learned and Orthodox Divines and * Vide Latter Confession of Helvetia p. 〈◊〉 King James in his pious Meditations upon certain Verses of Revel 20. saith the Pope is Antichrist and Popery the loosing of Satan which he proves by several marks among the rest this is one Blasphemeth he not in denying us to be saved by the imputation of Christ his righteousness p. 78. And K. James also saith That Christs sealed ones have washed their garments made themselves white in the blood of the Lamb for they by vertue of his deaâ—h are made righteous by imputation whose blood is the only full purgation of us from our sins In his Par. on Rev. c. 7. p. 22. Confessions I named before as may be seen before Yea and 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches as Mr. Pemble very fully and learnedly manifesteth against Papists and Arminians and Socinians in his Treatise of Justification Sec. 2. c. 1. p. 159. where he sheweth that the sentence of the Reformed Churches concerning the manner how Faith justifieth consisteth in two Branches 1. That a sinner is justified by faith not properly as it is a quality or action which by its own dignity and merit deserves at Gods hands remission of sins or is by Gods favourable acceptance taken for the whole and perfect righteousness of the law which is otherwise required of a sinner but only in relation unto the object of it the righteousness of Christ which it embraceth and resteth upon 2. That a sinner is justified by faith in opposition unto the righteousness works in the fulfilling of the Law whereby no man now can be justified Where interpreting this Proposition a man is justified by faith faith We must understand all things relatively thus a sinner is justified the sight of God from all sin and punishment by faith that is by the obeâ—â—ence of Jesus Christ believed on and imbraced by a true faith And this â—â—terpretation of that Proposition the Reformed Churches do admit and 〈◊〉 other rejecting as erroneous and contrary to the Scriptures such gloâ—â— as ascribe any thing to the * As Dr. Heylin Dr. Hammond Dr. Patrick and Mr. Fowler do as I have declared before dignity faith or make any combination betwâ—â—â— faith and works in the point of our Jusâ—â—fication Amongst which there are thâ—â—â— erroneous assertions touching mans Juâ—â—â—fication by faith which they reject 1. That faith justifieth us per modum causae efficientis meritoâ—â— as a proper efficient and meritorious cause which by its own worth and â—â—nity deserves to obtain Justification remission of sins and the grace well doing this is properly Popish which he refutes
Ibi. p. 160 161 〈◊〉 163. Cap. 1. 〈◊〉 2. That we are justified by faith sensu proprio that is the act of â—â—lieving in that Tò credere is imputed for righteousness being accepteâ— God and accounted unto us for that whole righteousness of the Law whâ—â—â— we were bound to perform so that our very faith is that righteousness 〈◊〉 which we are justified in the sight of God Non quidem merito suo 〈◊〉 propter gratuitam acceptilationem Dei This is the error of the Arâ—â—nians with whom the Papists agree which they received from Faustâ—â— Socinus that unhappy Heretick in his blasphemous Book de Christo Sâ—â—vatore and Michael Servetus in his second Book de Lege Evangeliâ—â— Which Errors are confuted by Calvin in his Opuscula and ibid. by 〈◊〉 Pemble Sec. 2. c. 2. p. 164 c. 3. A sinner is not justified by faith alone but also by other vertues 〈◊〉 graces as Hope love repentance fear of God c. and this is the opâ—nion of the Papists which whether it be not the Doctrine the scopâ—â— and main drift of our Latitudinarian Divines in their Books let tâ—â— impartial and judicious Reader truly judg which he confutes 〈◊〉 Sec. 2. c. 3. p. 167 c. and which is most opposed and confuted by 〈◊〉 sound Doctrine of the Church of England as may be easily seen 〈◊〉 what I have before alledged out of it Now that true Believers in Christ are justified that is declared 〈◊〉 accounted righteous before God acquitted from their debt the Cuâ—â— of the Law which by their sins they have deserved at Gods hands by and for the merits of Christs * Christs righteousness is not only his inherent holiness as Mr. Fowler falsely suggests in his Free Discourse pag. 128. passive and active obedience to the will of God his Father which is called Christs righteousness imputed to them I prove thus by arguments taken clearly from the Doctrine of the Church of England and Gods word 1. They that believe in Christ that is that their persons are justified before God are justified either by their own habitual or actual inherent righteousness or by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them but they are not justified before God by their own habitual or actual inherent righteousness therefore they are justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them The sequel of the Major is undeniable because there is no other thing by or for which they are justified that is absolved from the curse of the Law and declared not guilty but accounted innocent and righteous The Minor I have proved already by the Doctrine of the Church of England the sentence and confession of the Reformed Churches abroad and our own learned Divines at home and by the authority of Canonical Scripture The sum of which is this 1. Because we are freely justified by Faith not as an act habit or work but as an instrument apprehending and applying the righteousness of Christ and not by the deeds of the Law Rom. 3. 20 24 28. Gal. 2. 16. 2. Because all our inherent righteousness is imperfect and accompanied with many sins and therefore cannot stand before the judgment-seat of God much less merit or procure our Justification at Gods hands To which I add this further Though God hath ordained us to walk in good works yet the meaning is not by these words to induce us to have any affiance or to put any confidence in our works as by the merit and deserving of them to purchase to our selves or others remission of sins and so consequently everlasting life for that were blasphemy against Gods mercy and great derogation to the blood-sheâ—ding of our Saviour Jesus Christ For it is the free grace and mercy of God by the mediation of the blood of his Son Jesus Christ without merit or descriving on our part that our sins are foâ—given us that we are reconciled and brought again into his favour and are made heirs of his heavenly kingdom T. 2. Hom. of good works part 1. pag. 81. And 't is observable that the Church of England makes Justification to be forgiveness of sins Homily for Salvation p. 13. And Bellarmine himself Lib. 1. de Paenit saith Remissio peccatorum quid est nisi justificatio 2. True Believers in Christ are justified the same way and by the same means that Abraham was but Abraham's person was justified before God not by his own good works but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to him Ergo true Believers in Christ are justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them The Major is the Doctrine of the Church of England as I shewed before and is clear by St. Paul's Doctrine Rom. 4 11 12. As Abraham the Father of the Faithful was justified so shall his faithful sons believers in Christ be justified too that righteousness might be imputed to them also And Rom. 4. 22 23 24. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed 〈◊〉 him that is Abraham but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if 〈◊〉 believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification The Minor also is clear because he was justified by his Faith whereby he believed God in the promised seed that is in Christ Roâ— 4. 3. Abraham believed God that God that spake to him and it 〈◊〉 counted to him for righteousness And I shewed before that his Faith was taken not absolutely but relatively with connotation of the object Christ promised that was counted to him for righteousness So Rom. 4 9. Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness And ver 21. and therefore it that is his Faith in Christ the promised seed was imputed to him for righteousness And our Homily saith Ibi. supra Oâ—â— faith shall be imputed to us as well as it was to Abraham Isaac and Jacob And it necessarily must be so for he was not justified by Faith as 〈◊〉 act or habit or work as I proved before by the Doctrine of the Church of England 3. If God doth accept and allow of Christs active and passive obedience and the merits thereof as full and perfect satisfaction to his Justice for true Believers in Christ then they are justâ—fied before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them but God doth accept and allow of the active and passive obedience of Christ and the merits thereof as full and perfect satisfaction to his Justice for true believers in Christ therefore true believers in Christ are justified before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them The sequel of the Major is evident because Christs obedience and merits is his righteousness For we say not that Christs essential righteousness which is in him as God the second Person in the Sacred Trinity or that righteousness which he by his Spirit and Word works in believers is
imputed to believers for Justification but that Mediatory righteousness of Christ whereby he suffered for our breach of Gods most righteous Law which deserves Gods curse Gal. 3. 13. and actively fulfilled the whole Moral Law of God for us which we were bound to do Levit. 18. 5. Gal. 3. 13. Gal. 4. 4 5. Mat. 3. 15. If a Creditor cast his debtor into prison for non-payment of such a sum of money as he owed him till he be payed the money or otherwise satisfied for his debt upon his sureties or friends coming to him and paying him all the money and he taking accepting and allowing of it as full and perfect satisfaction to him for the debt doth impute it or reckon it or put it upon his account and consequently to him as though it were paid and made by his debtor in person himself and doth therefore in manifestation thereof deliver up his bond or cross his Book and release him out of prison So 't is here Gods accepting taking and allowing of our Saviour Jesus Christs our sureties active and passive obedience for us as though actually and personally performed by us as full and perfect satisfaction to his Justice and thereupon we applying it by Faith pardoning our sins delivering of us from the curse of the Law formally punishments and eternal death doth thereby impute his obedience or righteousness to us that by Faith in Christ do make application of it to our selves Now the Minor is the express Doctrine of the Church of England and Ireland Homily for Salvation p. 13 14 15 16 17. And this Justification or righteousness which we so receive of Gods mercy and Christs merits imbraced by faith is taken * Mr. Fowler himself makes Justification and acceptance with God all one Free Disc p. 134. accepted and allowed by God for our full and perfect justification And again Homily for Good-Friday T. 2. p. 175. Neither was it possible for us to be loosed of this debt of our own ability it pleased him that is Christ our Surety to be the payer thereof and to discharge us quit his paying our debt meritoriously discharging us quit necessarily implys that God did accept of the merits of his death and doings for us And Ibi. p. 177. Christ was obedient to his Father even to the death and this he did for us all that believe in him And such favour did he purchase for us of his heavenly Father by his death that for the merit thereof if we be true Christians indeed and not in word only we be now fully in Gods grace again and clearly discharged from our sins those expressions that Christ did purchase for us Gods favour and clearly discharged us from our sins manifest it to all the world that God did accept and take and allow as full satisfaction of what Christ did for us Again Ibi. p. 187 188. Christ by his own oblation and once offering himself upon the Cross hath taken away our sins and restored us again into Gods favour so fully and perfectly that no other sacrifice for sin shall hereafter be requisite or needful in all the world And in the 34th Article of Religion of the Church of Ireland they say thus We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jâ—sus Christ applied by Faith and not for our own works or merits And this righteousness which we so receive of Gods mercy and Christs merits imbraced by Faith is taken accepted and allowed of God for our perfect and full Justification And in 35th Article they say thus And whereas all the world was not able of themselves to pay any part towards their ransome it pleased our heavenly Father of his infinite mercy without any desert of ours to provide for us the most precious merits of his own Son whereby our ransome might be fully paid the Law fulfilled and his Justice fully satisfied So that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly believe in him He for them paid their ransome by his death he for them fulfilled the Law in his life that now in him and by him every true Christian may be called a fulfiller of the Law for as much as that which our infirmity was not able to effect Christs justice hath performed And this Doctrine viz. that Christ hath for us made a full and perfect satisfaction to Gods Justice is the express Doctrine of the Church of England in her Order of the Communion which saith there That Jesus Christ did suffer death upon the Cross for our Redemption and that he made there by his own oblation of himself once offered 〈◊〉 full perfect and sufficient sacrifice oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world And Homâ—ly of Christs Nativity T. 2. p. 169. Christ made perfect satisfaction by his death for the sins of all people And that God doth take accept and allow it as full and perfect satisfaction for the sins of all his elect people is most evident by the holy Apostles Creed which the Church of England also believeth as well as by the holy Doctrine of the Canonical Scriptures which hold that Jesus Christ did not only die and was buried and was for a time held under the power of death and the grave which was as his imprisonment but that he was raised again for our Justification which declared that God was fully satisfied with what he had done and suffered else he would not have let him out of Prison Rom. 4. 25. And that he ascended up into heaven and there sitteth at the right hand of God and that from thence he shall come to iudg both quick and dead Rom. 8. 34. Heb. 1. 3. And God hath declared that in him he is well pleased Mat. 3. 17. Mat. 17. 5. And that we are compleat in him Col. 2. 18. And that we are justified in and by him Rom. 3. 24. And that we have peace with God through him Rom. 5. 1 2. And that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. And that he saves his people from their sins to the uttermost Mat. 1. 21. Heb. 5. 25. Of which you may see much more hereafter in the 13th particular concerning Purgatory To pass by many more arguments 4 Sacred Scripture doth evidently hold it forth unto all that will not wilfully shut their eyes or that are not judicially blinded 1. Jer. 23. 6. This is the name whereby Christ shall be called that is by all Gods people the Lord our righteousness * See Bishop Andrews his Sermon in locum All Gods people shall profess that they have their righteousness from Christ which is in effect the same with Isa 45. 25. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory All the spiritual seed of Israel that is all Gods Elect shall be justified that is shall obtain remission of their sins and right to everlasting life by virtue of the Son
Writer of our Church have been delivered to us and we reject the sâ—â— of the Jesuits Arminians and all others wherein they differ frâ—â— us To be seen in Dr. Heylins Cyprianus Anglicus l. 3. p. 190. Aâ— the Parliament afterward declared 〈◊〉 presly the Articles of Lambeth to be 〈◊〉 Articles of Lambeth declared to be the Doctrine of the Church of England Doctrine of this Church of England 〈◊〉 that all that did oppose them were to 〈◊〉 called in question which declaratioâ— Heylin informs us of in his Cyp. Angliâ—â— l. 3. p. 197. The Synod of Dort in which were several of our Learnâ—â— and Orthodox Divines as Bishop Carleton Davenant Hall Dr. Ward Dr. Belcanquall in their 1st Chapter and 9th Article say thus This said Election was made not upon foresight of faith and the obedience of faith holiness or of any other good quality or disposition as a cause or condition before required in men to be chosen but unto faith and the obedience of faith holiness c. and therefore Election is the fountain of all saving-good from whence faith holiness and the residue of saving-gifts lastly everlasting life it self do flow as the fruits and effects thereof according to that of the Apostle Ephes 1. 4. He hath chosen us not because we were but that we should be holy and without blame before him in love And therefore Error the 5th they reject as erroneous the Doctrine of them who teach That the incompleat and not peremptory Election We deny any such incompleat Election of singular persons is made by reason of foreseen Faith Repentance Sanctity and Godliness begun or continued for some time but the compleat and peremptory Election by reason of the final perseverance of foreseen Faith Repentance Sanctity and Godliness and this is the gracious and evangelical worthiness by which he that is chosen becomes worthier than he that is not chosen and therefore that faith the obedience of faith sanctity godliness and perseverance are not the fruits and effects of unchangeable Election unto glory but conditions and causes sine quibus non that is to say without which a thing is not brought to pass before required and foreseen as already performed by those who are compleatly to be chosen A thing repugnant to the whole Scripture which everywhere beats into our ears and hearts these and such-like sayings Rom. 9. 11. Election is not of works but of him that calleth Act. 13. 48 As many as were ordained unto life-eternal believed Ephes 1. 4 He hath chosen us that we should be holy John 15. 16 Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you Rom. 11. 6 If of grace not of works 1 John 4. 10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that he first loved us and sent his Son c. The Church of Scotland saith That those of manking that are predestinated unto life God before the foundations of the world were laid according to his eternal and immutable purpose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory out of his meer free-grace and love without any foresight of faith or good works or perseverance in either of them or any other thing in the creature as conditions or causes moving hiâ— thereunto and all to the praise of his glorious grace Whiâ—â— Confession may be seen in the Confession of Faith made by the 〈◊〉 learned Assembly of Divines c. 3. Art 5. 4. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine and Confession of our godly Maâ—tyrs Robert Clover Master of Arts and Martyr in answer to 〈◊〉 Devil objecting against him his own unworthiness saith That 〈◊〉 Fathers before him were no bringers of any goodness to Goâ— but altogether receivers they choâ—â— not God first but God chose thâ—â— Fox his Acts and Monuments in one Folio p. 1618. 2 Col. first they loved not God first 〈◊〉 he loved them first yea he boâ—â— loved and chose them when thâ—â— were his enemies full of sin and corruption and void of 〈◊〉 goodness And that stout and learned and orthodox Martyr Mr. John Philpot in answer to Dr. Saverson and saying thâ—â— Where is there one of your Synagogues of Rome that ever hâ—â— been able to answer any of the godly learned Ministers of 〈◊〉 many who have disclosed your counterfeit Religion Which 〈◊〉 you all at this day is able to answer Calvins Institutions whâ—â—â— is Minister of Geneva To whom Dr. Saverson said A goâ—â— Minister indeed of Cut-purses and Runnagate Traitors and of 〈◊〉 I can tell you there is such contention fallen between him and 〈◊〉 own Sects that he was fain to fly 〈◊〉 Town * A gross lye or mistake which Hooker in his Preface to his Eccles Pol. confutes about Predestination 〈◊〉 whom and which John Philpot 〈◊〉 swereth thus I am sure you blaspheâ—â— that godly man and that godly Câ—â— where he is Minister as it is your Churches condition when you 〈◊〉 not answer men by learning to oppress them with blasphemies and 〈◊〉 reports for in the matter of Predestiâ—â—tion * Fox Acts and Monuments in one Volume p. 1697. 2 Col. HE IS IN NO OTHER OPINION THAN ALL THE DOCTORâ— OF THE CHURCH BE AGREEING TO THE SCRIPTURES Mark 〈◊〉 words for the matter of Predestination he that is Calvin is of 〈◊〉 other opinion than all the Doctors of the Church be and agreeiâ—â— to the Scriptures And in answer to the Bishop of Coventrey 〈◊〉 said plainly thus * Fox Acts and Monuments in one Volume p. 1721. 1 Col. I allow the Church of Geneva and the Doctrine of the same for it is una Catholica Apostolica and doth follow the Doctrine the Apostles did teach And when his Keeper at Newgate his old acquaintance promised him all kindness and favour if he would recant his Heresie he answered resolutely and plainly thus I will never recant whilest I have my life that which I have spoken for Fox Acts and Monuments in one Volume p. 1722. 2 Col. it is a most certain truth and in witness whereof I will seal it with my blood which he did few days after Now what Calvin held concerning Predestination in general may be seen at large in his Institutions and what of this one particular may be found there lib. 3. c. 22. Sect. 1 2 3. clear against the Doctrine of Papists concerning Gods electing man to salvation for his foreseen faith c. and Sect. 6. may be seen his Doctrine clearly against Popish and Arminian Writers exposition of the 9th Chapter to the Romans where Mr. Fowlers shifts and glosses are answered too which he hath cunningly and perniciously inserted in pag. 263 c. of his free Discourse too large now here to be inserted I have been the larger in setting down these Confessions because Archbishop Laud in his too much applauded Relation of his Conference with Fisher p. 36. saith thus The Church of Rome and Protestants set not up a different Religion
Barjona for flesh and blood hath 〈◊〉 revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven 2 Cor. 3. 5 〈◊〉 that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves 〈◊〉 our sufficiency is of God Joh. 15. 5. Without me ye can do nothing 〈◊〉 Christ Phil. 2. 13. It is God that worketh in you both to will and to 〈◊〉 his good pleasure Ephes 2. 8. For by grace ye are saved through faâ—â—â— and that grace or that faith is not of your selves It is the gift of 〈◊〉 And so is repentance the gift of God Act. 5. 31. Act. 11. 18. 2 〈◊〉 2. 25. If God will give them repentanceâ— to the acknowledgement of 〈◊〉 truth 3. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Reformed Protestant Churches As 1. To the eighth Article of Lambeth which as you hearâ— before was declared to be the Doctrine of the Church of England The eighth Article of Lambeth is this No man can come to Christ unlesâ—â— it be given to him and unless the Father shall draw him nor are all men 〈◊〉 drawn by the Father that they come to the Son 2. To the 32 Article of Religion of Ireland None can come 〈◊〉 Christ unless it be given unto him and unless the Father draw him 〈◊〉 all men are not so drawn by the Father that they may come unto the Soâ—â— neither is there such a sufficient measure of grace vouchsafed unto eveâ— man whereby he is enabled to come unto * The nature of man through the transgression of our first parents hath lost free-will and retaineth not now any shadow thereof saving an inclination to â—ill those only excepted whom of his grace he hath sanctified and purged from their Original leprosie King James his Declaration against Vorstius p. 368. of his Works everlasting life This Confession includes the 8th and 7th Articles of Lambeth 3. To the latter Confession of Helvetia which saith thus Therefore man not as yet regenerate hath no free will to good no strength to perform that which is good In regeneration the understanding is illuminated by the Holy Ghost that it may understand both mysteries and will of God and the will it self is not only changed by the Spirit but is also endued with faculties that of its own accord it may both will and do good Harmony of Confessions Sec. 4. c. 9. p. 62 63. and the like may be there seen in the former Confession of Helvetia p. 65. art 9. See the Confession of Bohemia For that will of man which before was free is now so corrupted troubled and weakned that now from henceforth of it self and without the grace of God it cannot chuse judg or wish nay it hath no desire nor inclination much less any ability to chuse that good wherewith God is pleased Harmony of Confessions Sect. 4. p. 68. The Confession of the French Church is much to the same effect there to be seen p. 70. and there in the same Section is the Confession of Belgia full and clear to the same purpose with notable proofs out of Scripture against mans natural power to convert himself to God as John 3. 27. John 6. 44. Rom. 8. 2 Cor. 3. 5. Phil. 2. 13. John 15. 5. And p. 74. of the same Section is the Confession of Auspurg to the same purpose And p. 75. they say thus We condemn the Pelagians and all such as they are who teach that by the only powers of * This is directly contrary to Dr. Patricks Doctrine before recited in the Margent nature without the holy Spirit we may love God above all and fulfill the Law of God as touching the substance of our actions The Confession of the Church of Saxony is to the same effect there to be seen p. 77. That man by his natural strength is not able to free himself from sin and eternal death but this freedom and conversion of man to God and this spiritual newness is wrought by the Son of God quickning us by his Holy Spirit In the same Section p. 82 83. the Church of Wirtemberg saith thus And whereas some affirm that so much integrity of mind was left to man after his fall that by his natural strength and good works he is able to convert and prepare himself to faith and the invocating of God it is flatly contrary to the Apostolicâ— Doctrine and the true consent of the Catholick Church Rom. 5 By one mans trespass evil was derived unto all men unto condemnation Ephes 2. When ye were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in times paâ—â— ye walked according to the course of this world and after the Prince c and we were by nature the children of wrath as well as others he saith Dead in sins and the children of wrath that is strangers from thâ— grace of God But as a man being corporally dead is not able by his oâ—â— strength to trepare or convert himself to receive corporal life so be which is so spiritually dead is not able by his own power to câ—â—vert himself to receive spiritual life The Synod of Dort c. 〈◊〉 Article 3. say thus All men are conceived in sin and born 〈◊〉 children of wrath untoward to all good tending to salvation forward to evil dead in sins slaves of sin and neither will nor 〈◊〉 without the grace of the Holy Ghost regenerating them 〈◊〉 streight their own crooked nature no not so much as dispose theâ— selves to the amending of it And Article 4. they say thus Bâ—â— so far short is he from being enabled by this imbred light to coâ— to the saving knowledg of God and to convert himself unto hiâ— that he doth not make right use thereof in natural things and â—vil affairs nay that which it is he many ways defileth it all 〈◊〉 withholdeth it in unrighteousness and by so doing becomâ—â— inexcusable before God Who in the 4th error rejected reject thâ— error of those that teach That an unregenerated man is not properly nor totally dead in sins nor destitute of all strength tendâ—â— to all spiritual good but that he is able to hunger and thirst aftâ—â— righteousness or everlasting life and to offer the sacrifice of 〈◊〉 humble and contrite heart even such as is acceptable unto God For these assertions march against the direct testimonies of Scripture Ephes 2. 1 5. Ye were dead in trespasses and sins Gen. 6. 5. 8. 11. Every imagination of the thought of mans heart is only evil continally Moreover the hungring and thirsting for deliverance out of misery 〈◊〉 for life-eternal as also the offering to God the sacrifice of a broken â—â—eâ—â— is proper to the regenerate and such as are called blessed Psal 51. 1â— Matth. 5. 6. That the efficacious grace of God in mans effectual calling or conversion doth not depend upon the aptitude or co-operâ—tion of the will of man but is from the supernatural work of Goâ—â— which the holy Scripture calls the drawing of the Father to the
〈◊〉 may be sufficiently yea abundantly proved by that which hath been said Cur gratia Dei sit efficax in quibusdam id dependit a voluntate hominum Bel. lib. 1. de graet lib. arbitr c. 12 13. before but that this efficacious grace of God in converting an elected sinner is not finally resistible by the will of man as Papists and * See the 3d and 4th Chapters of the Synod of Dort and therein the Remonstrants 8th error rejected about Conversion Arminians would make the world believe may further be proved by the Homily for Rogation-week T. 2. part 1. p. 21â— God doth what liketh him none can resist him for he worketh all things in his secret judgment yea even the wicked to damnation as Solomon saith and the Scripture saith Who hath resisted his will Rom. 9. 19. that is his effectual will in regenerating an elected sinner and God in his effectual calling or converting a sinner taketh away the resistibility against it out of his heart Ezek. 36. 26 27. A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flâ—sh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them Isa 43. 13. I will work saith God and who shall let it Job 9. 12. Behold he taketh away who can hinder him Isa 14. 24. The Lord of Host hath sworn Surely as I have thought so shall it come to pass as I have purposed so shall it stand V. 27. The â—ord of Hosts hath purposed and who shall disannull it Now Gods election of man is frequently called his purpose as Rom. 8. 28. Rom. 9. 11. Ephes 1. 11. To Papists I might urge â—sâ—her 13. 8 9. Lord Almighty King for the whole World is in thy power and if thou hast appointed to save Israel there is none that can gain-say it v. 11. no man can resist thee Ephes 3. 11. 2 Tim. 1. 9. Moreover if man can always resist the efficacious grace of God in converting an elected sinner then it might come to pass nay it would come to pass most certainly that Jesus Christ should have no peculiar people for the corrupt will of man cannot incline to imbrace the grace of God that is offered in the Word and Ordinances of God till the Spirit of Christ by saving * Deus qui voluntatem praeparat ipse eam donat quam si per suam gratiam homini non dederit nunquam potest homo in Deum velle credere Fulgentius de veritate praedestinat l. 1. grace do overcome and change the perversness of it and make it willing for though to will is of nature yet to will well is of grace It is God that worketh in 〈◊〉 both to will and to do of his good pleasure that is to will and to do well Phit 2. 13. as the Articles and Homilies and Liturgy of the Church of England ubi supra do abundantly declare Or 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ should have a peculiar people then he must by these meâ—â— Doctrine viz. That mans will can ponere obicem and always resiâ—â— Gods will and determine to refuse Gods grace offered yea reject it beiâ—â— wrought in him which indeed implies a contradiction be beholding to man for it who determined himself to accept of his gracious offers all which would otherwise have beeâ— in vain and ineffectual Lastly Bellarmine * Bellar. l. 3. de gratia c. 3. Ames Bellar. Enervat T. 4. l. 3. c. 3. de efficaci gracia p. 56. himself setting down the vanous opinions of men about effectual grace saith this is the first The first opinion is of them that do plaâ—â— efficacious grace in mans assent and co-operation so that it 〈◊〉 called efficacious grace from the event because it doth dispâ—â—â— the effect and therefore it doth dispose the effect because maâ—â— will doth co-operate or help with it This opinion saith hâ—â— is altogether alien from the judgment of St. Augustin and aâ—â— of the Sacred Scriptures it overthrows the foundation of Goâ—â— Predestination and abuseth the woâ—â— effectual grace * Wendelin Christ Theol. l. 1. c. 3. p. 132. Wendelin saith which is the meer and special frâ—â— gift of God to the free will of man corrupt and dead in sins as that 't is in mans power to believe or not believe do plainâ—â— broach a Pâ—lagâ—an-heresie contrary to the whole Scripture Effectual grace is not a physical action whereby God doth compel the will of Vid. August l. de correct gratia c. â—4 Cui volenti saâ—vum facere nulâ—um bomiâ—um resistit arbitrium c. Hier. in Ephes c. 1. Illt â—â—nullus resistere potest quia omnia quae voluerit faciat Aquin. 〈◊〉 q. 103. a. 8. 9. 19. 2. 6 c. ad 3. mâ—n or physically determine it without its own proper deliberation for a supernatural effect cannot be produced by a natural operation and so man nilling should be converted and believe which implies a contradiction neither is this effectual gracâ— only a moral perswasion in it self in different to which it is in mans power to yield or oppose for so God should not work more effectually in converting man than the Devil and seducers do in keeping him from conversion and the efficacy of grace should not consist in the motion of God but in the strength of arguments and so there should be placed in the will of man unconverted an aptitude of obeying that moral perswasion and converting himself but effectual grace is a supernatural action or work of God whereby he doth outwardly by his word and other appointed means and inwardly by the efficacy of his Spirit not physical action but divine secret and ineffable motion illuminate the blind mind of man change make new and convert the perverse will of man that the will being renewed doth begin by its own free election to will and chuse the good that is shewed it from the enlightned understanding And by this effectual grace God doth so work upon the will of man that his will doth no longer resist the grace of God but comply with Gods Will and wills what he wills Of this see further Nihil in libero arbitrio constitutum superat voluntatem Dei Aug. Enchir. c. 100. Nothing is in mans will can over-power Gods will the Synod of Dort Chapter 3 and 4. of Conversion Articles 10 11 12 13 14. and Errors 6 7 8. rejected by them See also the Confession of Faith made by the Assembly of Divines c. 10. of effectual calling Article 1 2. and the 33d Article of Religion of the Church of Ireland and the 9th Article of Lambeth It is not in the free choice and power of every man to be saved ART VIII That truly regenerated persons cannot Bellar. l. 2. de justificatione c. 14. Synod of Dort 3d
that which was set down by the Reverend Assembly of Divines the Confession of Faith c. 3. a. 1. God from all eternity did the most wise and holy counsel of his own will freely and unchâ—â—geably ordain whatsoever comes to pass yet so as thereby neiâ—â— is God the Author of sin nor of violence offered to the will of 〈◊〉 creatures nor is the liberty or contingenâ—y of second causes taâ—â— away but rather established And this Doctrine is clear in 〈◊〉 25. 34. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit ye the kingdom prepared you from the foundations of the world Ephes 1. 4. God hath chosen 〈◊〉 him that is in Jesus Christ before the foundations of the world 2 Tâ—â— 1. 9. Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not accoâ—â— to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was gâ—â— us in Christ Jesus before the world began Which is directly contrary the erroneous Doctrine of those who teach That God chuseth 〈◊〉 this or that particular person before others till he see whether he 〈◊〉 believe or not and persevere in the faith who make a persevering liever in the point of death to be the object of Gods peremptory complâ—â— full and irrevocable election unto life condemned the Synod of Dort in the Remonstrants who teaâ—â— Acta Remonst a. 1. p. 7. That Gods Election unto salvation is manifoâ—â— one general and indefinite another singular anâ—â— definite and this again either incomplete revocable not peremptory or conditional or else complete irrevocable peremptory oâ—â— absolute likewise that there is one election unto faith anothâ—â— unto salvation so that election unto justifying faith may be witâ—â— out a peremptory election unto salvation for this saith the Synoâ—â— is of mans brain devised without any ground in the Scriptures coâ—rupting the Doctrine of Election and breaking that golden chain of salvation Rom. 8. 30. Whom he hath predestinated them also he hath called and whom he hath called them also he hath justified and whom he hath justified them also he hath glorified 3. That they that are predestinated to everlasting salvation cannot perish eternally or be damned for the Article saith plainly That God hath constantly decreed by his counsel to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation as vessels made to honour Now this is also consonant to holy canonical Scripture in those places before alledged and also many others as Mat. 16. 18. The gates of Hell all the power and policy of the Devil and his instruments shall not prevail against it that is against the Church of Jesus Christ and Mat. 24 If it were possible they shall deceive the very elect where note that it is impossible totally and finally to deceive the elect of God unto eternal life John 10. 28 29. And I give unto my sheep eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of my hand My Father which gave them me is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand 1 Pet. 1. 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 John 2. 27 But the annointing which ye have received abideth in you the grace of God abideth in him that is truly sanctified by Gods Spirit 1 John 3. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him that is the seed of Gods Spirit and Word saving grace so remaineth in him that he doth not commit sin as the Devil doth studiously purposely affectionately impenitently and maliciously he committeth not the sin unto death the sin against the Holy Ghost 1 John 5. 18. He that is born of God cannot commit and live and lie down in sin as the Devil and the wicked do but though he fall into sin yet he riseth again Jer. 32. 40. I will put my fear in their heart that they shall not depart from me Rom. 5. 8 While we were yet sinners Christ died for us much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him and according to this is the 5th Arâ—icle of Lambeth and the 38th Article of Religion of the Church of Ireland A true lively justifying faith and the sanctifying Spirit of God is not extinguished nor vanisheth away in the elect or regenerate either totally or finally â—nd because Dr. Heylin most falsly saith That this Doctrine of the Papists and Arminians was the Doctrine which our godly Reformers and Martyrs taught and sealed with their blood I shall give you a little of what they 〈◊〉 lieved said and sealed with their blood Thomas Whittell Priest 〈◊〉 Martyr in his Letter to John Carles saith thus That God sufferâ—â— his to fall but not finally to perish Fox Book of Martyrs in one Wâ—â— lume p. 1742. and John Carles aâ—â— swered Dr. Martin who examiâ—â— King James in his Paraphrase upon Revel c. 9. p. 27. saith That these spiritual grashoppers shall be so bridled that they shall not have power to pervert the elect of whatsoever degree or sort but their power shall extend only upon them that bear not the mark or seal of God upon their foreheads so on c. 13. p. 41. him about Predestination thus believe that Almighty God our 〈◊〉 dear loving Father of his grâ—â— mercy and infinite goodness did eâ—â— in Christ before the foundation the earth was laid a Church 〈◊〉 Congregation which he doth câ—â—tinually guide and govern by 〈◊〉 grace and holy Spirit so that 〈◊〉 one of them shall ever finally peâ—â— and otherwise he holdeth not Aâ—â— John Philpot that learned Martyr maintained the Doctrine of Prâ—â— stination which Calvin taught in his Institutions to be agreeing with tâ—â— which the Doctors of the Church did teach and the holy Scriptures and wâ—â— he sealed with his blood as I shewed you before out of Mr. Fox his Boâ—â— of Martyrs p. 1697. 2 Col. and p. 17â— 1722. John â—â— â—greeable to * John Bradford Martyr in his Letter to N. and his Wife saith thus This is the difference betwixt Gods children which are regenerate and elect before all times in Christ and the wicked cast-aways that the elect lie not still in their sin continually as do the wicked but at length do return again by reason of Gods seed which is in them hid as a sparkle of fire in the ashes as we may see in David Peter Paul Mary Magdalen and others Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1573. one Volume thâ—â— also is the Doctrine of the Synod oâ—â— Dort c. 5. of the perseverance of the Saints Canons 6 7 8. For Gâ—â— who is rich in mercy according 〈◊〉 the unchangeable purpose of Electioâ—â— doth not wholly take away his hoâ—â— Spirit from his no not in their grâ—â— vous slips nor suffers them to waâ—â— der so far as to fall away from thâ—â— grace of adoption and state
of jusâ—â— fication or to commit the sin unâ—â— death or against the Holy Ghost oâ—â— to be altogether forsaken of him and throw themselves headlong into everlasting destruction c. 7. For first 〈◊〉 all in these slips he preserveth 〈◊〉 them that his immortal seed bâ— which they were once born again that it die not nor be lost by them afterward by his Word and Spirit he effectually and certainly reneweth them again unto repentance so that they do heartily and according unto God grieve for their sins committed and with a contrite heart by faith in the blood of the Mediator craving forgiveness of them obtain it recover the apprehension of the favour of God reconciled unto them adore his mercies and faithfulness and from thenceforward more carefully work out their salvation with fear and trembling Canon 8. So not by their own merits or strength but by Gods free mercy they obtain thus much That they neither totally fall from faith and grace nor continue to the end in their falls and perish which in regard of themselves not only full easily might but doubtless would come to pass yet in respect of God it cannot so fall out since neither his counsel can be changed nor his promise fail nor the calling according to his purpose be revoked nor Christs merit intercession and custody be made of none effect nor the sealing of the holy Spirit be frustrated or defaced 4. That they that are predestinated unto everlasting life be or shall be effectually called according to Gods purpose by his Spirit working in due season they through grace obey the calling they be justified freely they be made Sons of God by adoption and they be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk religiously in good works and at length by Gods mercy they attain to everlasting felicity Which Doctrine is not only contrary to that false Doctrine of the Papists and Arminians before renounced but 't is also agreeable to the Doctrine taught by St. Paul Rom. 8. 30. Whom he did predestinate them he also called Rom. 8. 15 16 17. Gal. 4. 6 7. and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified and therefore they cannot fall away from saving grace totally and finally and be damned 5. That 't is of the meer will or purpose or good pleasure of God that some men are in Christ Jesus elected and not others unto salvation for here you see this Election is called Gods purpose and his counsel to deliver from damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation Which is not only contrary to that erroneous Doctrine of the Papists before confuted and renounced viz. That God did elect men unto salvation for their foreseen faith good works and perseverance that would be in them but 〈◊〉 also consonant to canonical Scripture Rom. 9. 11 15. Luke 12. 〈◊〉 Ephes 1. 5. 2 Tim. 1. 9. Agreeable to this is the second Articlâ—â— Lambeth The moving or efficient cause of Predestination unto life 〈◊〉 the foresight of faith or of perseverance or of good works or of 〈◊〉 thing that is in the person predestinated but only the good will and 〈◊〉 sure of God Agreeable to which is also the 14 Article of Religâ—â— of the Church of Ireland drawn up by A. B. Vsher as Dr. Hâ—â— tells us to which King James gave his consent and approbatioâ— Heylins Cypr. Anglicus l. 4. p. 271. 6. That the godly consideration of Predestination and our electioâ—â— Christ is full of sweet pleasant and unspeakable comfort to godly perâ—â— confirms our faith and fervently kindles our love to God But the Doctrine of the Papists who hold that true believers in Christ may totally and finally fall away from all the acts and habits of savâ—â— grace and become damned reprobates is full of bitter unplâ—â— and unspeakahle sorrow and vexation even to godly persons 〈◊〉 doth not confirm and establish their faith of eternal salvation 〈◊〉 be enjoyed through Christ but rather fill their souls with doâ—â— of their salvation and fears of their damnation and doth 〈◊〉 fervently kindle but rather quench the fire of their love to God 〈◊〉 they shall be taught that Gods love to them dependeth not upon 〈◊〉 self but upon their uncertain love to him from which they say 〈◊〉 may totally and finally fall away and be therefore eternally damned 〈◊〉 any Doctrine that ever was preached or printed did binder Piety 〈◊〉 true Christianity and comfortable walking with God this of the Paâ—â— falling away totally and finally from saving-grace is one and 〈◊〉 well be put among the chief causes of the decay of Piety amongst 〈◊〉 and put into that golden book so intituled and its contrary put 〈◊〉 of it Further I might draw an argument or two more from what 〈◊〉 Church of England saith in her old book of Common Prayers whiâ—â— she offers to Almighty God as in the Collect for St. Simon and Jâ—â— Apostles she saith this Almighty God which hast builded thy 〈◊〉 gregation upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesâ—s Câ—â— himself being the head corner-stone And the next Collect for All-Sâ—â— day where she saith this Almighty God which hast knit togethâ—â— thy elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of thy 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ our Lord from which this argument might be frame They that are built upon the sure foundation or rock Jesus Christ and are inseparably knit together in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Jesus Christ cannot totally and finally fall away from Christ and his Church and be damned but according to the Church of England Gods elect truly regenerated persons are so built and so united Ergo they cannot totally and finally fall away from Christ and his Church and consequently not from saving-grace by which they are so built and knit together the major is undeniable and clear by Matth. 7. 24 25. Therefoye saith Christ whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon the house and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock Upon which place * Pareus in locum Veram fidem super petra aedificatam nunquam deficere sed semper conjunctam esse cum perseverentia Pareus hath this note That a true faith built upon the rock doth never fail but is always joyned with perseverance and Mat. 16. 18. I say unto thee Thou art Peter and upon this rock that is which thou hast confessed will I build my Church and the gates of Hell that is all the power and policy of the Devil and his instruments shall not prevail against it the Minor is the Doctrine of our Church in the two Collects before alledged and Gods elect regenerate true members of
Christs Church which is his mystical body are inseparably knit together to Christ and to one another Hypocrites may be externally by outward profession and separably united to the Church and Christ but true believers in Christ abide in Christ Joh. 15. 2. they are inseparably united to Christ else as was said before Christ may lose his peculiar people yea be a head without a body for if one of his members may be eternally separated from See Dr. Field of the Church his Appendix part 1. p. 833. That the elect called according to Gods purpose have that grace that excludeth sin from reigning and that this grace once had by them is never totally nor finally lost him then others may also and if others then all of them may be so separated from him for there is the same reason of one that there is of another yea of all Our Saviour saith Not one of them his Father gave him is lost John 17. 12. yea the Apostle speaks fully that nothing shall be able to separate us that are in Christ Jesus from the love of Gâ—â— which is in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 35 36 37 38 39. Those whom Chriâ—â— loved he loved to the end John 13. 1. Isa 54. 8. But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeeâ—â— Jerem. 31. 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefâ—â— with loving kindness have I drawn thee Jerem. 32. 40. And I 〈◊〉 make an everlasting covenant with thâ—â— that I will not turn away from them 〈◊〉 do them good but I will put my feâ—â— Vide King James his Declaration against Vorstius wherein he called the Doctrine of the Apostasie of the Saints taught by Bertius a Scholar of Arminius that enemy to God an heretical blasphemous and wicked Doctrine in their hearts that they shall not depart from me and Rom. 11. 29. 〈◊〉 gifts and calling of God are witâ—â— repentance Gods decree of Eleâ—â— is unchangeable and therefore thâ—â—â— gifts that flow from it are imâ—â— table too God taketh not thâ—â—â— away from them neither can thâ—â— that have them lose them Chrâ—â—â— prayed for them John 17. 9 15 19 20 24. and Bishop Mountagâ—â— himself confesseth that Christ was ever heard in what he prayâ—â— for ART IX That the corruption of our nature commonly called Original sin which remaineth in truly regenerated persons after Baptism is not properly a sin THis I renounce 1. because 't is contrary to the sound Doctrine of the Church of England in Homily of Christs Nativity T. 2. p. 167. where we may read how excellently man was made after Gods own Image and that Adam falling into sin had in himself no one part of his former purity and cleanness but being altogether spoâ—ted insomuch that he seemed to be altogether a lump of sin and therefore by the just judgment of God was justly condemned to everlasting death and this plague fell not only upon himself but also upon all his posterity and children for ever as St. Paul Rom. 5. By one mans offence sin entred upon all many were made sinners by which words we are taught that as in Adam all men universally sinned so in Adam all men universally received the reward of sin that is became mortal and subject unto death having nothing in themselves but everlasting damnation both of body and soul they became as David saith corrupt and abominable they went all out of the way there was none that did good no not one And in the Homily of the Death of Christ T. 2. p. 184. Is not sin think you a grievous thing in Gods sight seeing for the transgression of Gods Precept in eating of one apple he condemned all the world to perpetual death and would not be pacified but only with the blood of his own Son And in Homily of Christs Resurrection T. 2. p. 195. Hard it is to subdue and resist our nature so corrupt and leavened with the sowre bitterness of the poyson which we received by the inheritance of our old Fatheâ— Adam But more fully the Church of England in her 9th Article of Religion of Original sin thus Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam as the Pelagians do vainly talk but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man that naturally is ingendered of the off-spriâ—â— of Adam whereby man is very far gone from Original Righteousâ—â— and is of his own nature inclined to evil so that the flesh lusteth 〈◊〉 ways contrary to the spirit and therefore in every person 〈◊〉 into this world it deserveth Gods wrath and damnation and 〈◊〉 infection of nature doth remain yea in them that are regeneratâ—â— whereby the lust of the flesh called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiâ—â— some do expound the wisdom some sensuality some the affectioâ—â— some the desire of the flesh is not subject to the law of God 〈◊〉 although there is no condemnation for them that believe and 〈◊〉 baptized yet the Apostle doth confess that concupiscence and 〈◊〉 hath in it self the nature of sin In which Article is declared 1. That Original sin doth not consist in following or imitating of 〈◊〉 in sinning against God as Pelagians vainly teach 2. That Original sin is the FAULT AND CORRUPTION of 〈◊〉 nature of every man that by ordinary generation descends from 〈◊〉 Psal 51. 5. Rom. 7. 15. Gal. 4. 17. Jam. 1. 17. 1 Pet. 2. 11. 3. That Original sin deserves Gods wrath and damnation in every â—â—â—son so born into this world Rom. 7. 23 24. Gal. 5. 17. Ephes 2. 3. 4. That Original sin is and remains in every person so born eveâ—â— them that are regenerated Rom. 7. from vers 7. to vers 25. 5. That concupiscence oâ— lust hath in it the nature of sin Rom. 〈◊〉 11 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 23 24. Gal. 5. 17. Now sum up what the Church of England saith of Original sin 〈◊〉 then judg whether she doth not affirm that Original sin is propâ—â— a sin 2. Because 't is contrary to the sound Doctrine of other reformâ—â— Churches to be seen in the Harmony of Confessions Sec. 4. p. 〈◊〉 1. 'T is contrary to the latter Confession of Helvetia Man was frâ—â— the beginning created of God after the Image of God in righteâ—â— ness and true holiness good and upright but by the instinct of 〈◊〉 â—â—rpent and his own fault falling from goodness and uprightâ—â—â— became subject to sin death and sundry calamities and such 〈◊〉 one as he became by his fall such are all his off-spring even 〈◊〉 ject to sin death and sundry calamities and we take sin to be 〈◊〉 natural corruption of man derived or spread from those our 〈◊〉 parents unto us all through which we being drowned in evil 〈◊〉 â—upiscences and clean turned away from God but prone to 〈◊〉 evil full of all wickedness distrust contempt and hatred of Goâ—â— can do no good of our selves no not so much as think of any 2.
aversion from that which is good materially 't is an inclination to that whiâ—h is morally evil There is in the will of man 1. an impotency to that which is spiritually good as the understanding of a meer natural man cannot rightly think of any thing that is spiritually good so the will of a meer natural man cannot rightly of it self will any thing that is spiritually good 2 Cor. 3. 5. Not that we â—â— sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our â—â—ciency is of God Phil. 2. 13. It is God that worketh in us both to 〈◊〉 and to do of his own good pleasure 2. A proneness only to that whicâ— is evil Gen. 6. 5. God saw that the wickedness of man was great in 〈◊〉 eâ—rth and that every imagination of the thoughts or purposes or desireâ—â— his heart was only evil continually 3. Aversness from that whiâ—â— is good Rom. 8. 7. The carnal mind is enmity against God for 't is 〈◊〉 subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Read Rom. 3. 10 11 12. Ephes 2. 1 2 3 5. We are all dead in trespasses and sins and 〈◊〉 by nature the children of wrath by nature not pure but corrupt aâ—â— that corrupted by Original sin That which is born of the flesh 〈◊〉 flesh John 3. 6. and who can bring a clean thing out of an uncâ—â— Job 14. 4. Now Papists grant that original sin imputed is pâ—â—perly a sin but inherent they say is not properly a sin Pelagâ—â— that old Heretick was the Father and the Popish Arminian aâ—â— Semi-pelagian Divines are the 〈◊〉 and followers of it Beâ—â—mine T. 4. l. 2. de peccato c. 3. saâ—â— from Jam. 1. Quod 〈◊〉 Jacobo in illo 〈◊〉 Bellar. l. 5. de amissione gratiae c. 3. 9. c. 10. Peccatum inhabitans Rom. 7. non nisi improprie dicitur peccatum non vocatur peccatum illud non est peccatum quod parit peccatum non est peccatum And Dr. Jeremy Taylor one 〈◊〉 Archbishop Lauds Chaplains late â—â—shop in Ireland in his further Exâ—â—nation of original sin saith expresly thus That original sin is not our sin properly not inherent in us but is only imputed so as to bring evil effects upon us for that which is inherent in 〈◊〉 is a consequent only of Adams sin but of it self no sin for theâ—â— being but two things the constituent parts of original sin the want of original righteousness and concupiscence neither of these caâ— So Pelagius and Arminius picad be a sin in us but a punishment 〈◊〉 Adams sin they may be P. 459. And p. 475. of the same book he saith That original sin is 〈◊〉 an inherent evil not a sin properly but metâ—nimically that is it is the effect of one sin and the cause of many a stain not a sin it doth not damn any infant to eternal pains of hell And p. 474. he saith thus And since no Church did ever in join tâ— any Catechumen any penance or repentance for original sin iâ— sâ—â—ms horrible and unreasonable that any man can be damneâ— for that for which no man is bound to repent But Sir is that only properly sin for which the Church injoins penance Did the Jews injoin any penance for Poligamy and doth the Christian Church injoin penance for inward sins is not the 19th Commandment made void by this Doctrine did not King David 〈◊〉 51. 5. and St. Paul Rom. 7. confess their original sin or was King Davids and St. Pauls Confession one of your Brother Dr. Haâ—â—onds free-will offerings commended even to meriting And I pray read there his Explanation of the 9th Article of the Church of England and then judg whether that of Knot the Jesuit be not true Preface to Charity maintained Sec. 2. Heylins Cypr. Anglicus l. 4. p. 252 253. viz. That the Doctrine of the Church of England began to be altered in many things for which our Progenitors forsook the Roman Church for example it is said that the Pope is not Antichrist prayer for the dead is allowed Limbus patrum it is maintained that the Church hath authority in determining controversies of faith and to interpret Scriptures about free-will predestination universal grace that all our works before effectual vocation are not sins merit of good works inherent righteousness faith alone doth not justifie Traditions Commandments possible to be kept your Thirty nine Articles are patient nay ambitious of some sense in which they may seem Catholick for Dr. Heylin in his Cyprianus Anglicus lib. 4. p. 252. alledgeth much of this charge of Knot as a commendation of our Church and upon the 20th and 34th Articles he saith That more power than this the Church of Rome did never challenge and less than this was not reserved unto it self by the Church of England in his Introduction to his Cyprianus Anglicus p. 20 21. where he saith That in the year 1571. the Articles agreed upon in the year 1562. were re-printed and this clause the Church hath power to decree Rites and Ceremonies and also in controversies of Faith as he saiâ—h was left out by the power of the Genevian * That was the Parliament that that year confirmed the Articlâ—s to which alone subscription was injoined yet Heylin saith it left out the Prayer against the Pope out of the Letany faction if it were not for the Genevian-faction your faction would soon bring us all to Rome but the times bettering and the Governors of the Church taking notice thereof there was care taken 't is believed 〈◊〉 A. B. Land as Mr. Prin and Burton discovered that the said â—â— should be restored unto its place in all following impressions of that â—â— but if it may be said to be restored to its place 't is wondred 〈◊〉 Dr. â—â—ocket Warden of All-Sâ—â— Colledge and Chaplain to A. B. â—â—bot Heylins Cyp. Angl. l 1. p. 76. And 't is left out of the Articles of Ireland 1615 which were allowed by King James should forget to put it into thâ—â— 20th Article when he made his book in Latin intituled De politia Ecoleâ—â— Anglicanae in which he set down all our Liturgy the 39 Articles of Religion the book of Ordination of Priests and Deacons and Consecraâ—ion of Bishops c. I say if it had been in the Article 〈◊〉 very strange that a man of his learning and integrity and pâ—â— and expectation too should leave it out but you see 't is put in 〈◊〉 you may well guess by whom and to what purpose by what 〈◊〉 Heylin saith of it it reserved or rather restored to it self as much power as the Church of Rome ever challenged which Knot the Jesuit observed That their Churches as the Jesuit goes on â—â—ginning to look with a new face their walls to speak a new language that men in talk and wriâ—ing use willingly the once fearful names of Priests and Altar and are now put in mind that for exposition of Scripture they are
11. saith Effectus baptismi primarius est ita peccatum omne abolere idque vi operis operati ut quae reliqua manet prava fidelibus concupiscentia peccatum verâ—â— censeri non debet and Bishop Taylor saith That this concupiscence or inclination to forbidden instances is not imputed to the baptized 〈◊〉 to the regenerated Further Explanat of original sin p. 500. And in the next Page he saith It is a contradiction to say that the sin remains and the guilt is taken away if he pardons he takes away the sin for in the justified no sin can be inherent or habitual Now is not this most notorious false Doctrine condemned in the Palestine Synod Article 9th objected against Pelagius and contrary to Article the 9th of the Church of England which saith That this infection of nature doth remain yea in them that are regenerated And the 15th Article which saith thus But all we the rest although baptized and born again in Christ yet offend in many things and if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us and contrary to 1 John 1. 8. yea is not this truly Antinomian yea Antichristian What have justified persons no sin inherent in them Is justification an abolishing of the being of sin in the justified And p. 461. he saith that in infants the very actions and desire of concupiscence are no sins and therefore much less is the principle but more to my purpose he saith ibid. p. 481. That after baptism the guilt of the first sin doth not remain which if it be true then according to him they die not for that sin and that all persons baptized be they non-elect are freed by it from the guilt of that sin and that if they die before they commit actual sin they are undoubtedly saved which many learned Divines doubt of and many more plainly deny it the Scriptures alledged by Papists as Ephes 5. 26. T it 3. 5. either are not understood of external baptism but of internal sanctification or regeneration or if of baptism then they are to be understood obsignificativè not physice significativè not realiter else it would follow that every person that is baptized is really and internally regenerated which is most apparently false For 1. many that are baptized live most wicked lives and die most wicked deaths if the tree may be judged by the fruits or else he must hold with Jesuitical Papists that truly regenerated persons may totally and finally fall away from saving-grace against which Popish Error read what is said before and become castaways and damned And because baptism came in the place of circumcision it would follow that all that were externally circumcised in their foreskins were also internally circumcised in their hearts which is clearly contrary to Romans 2. 28 29. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Where 't is obvious that some were outwardly but were not inwardly circumcised and in their hearts and so it may beh ere Besides our most learned and sound Divines as Bishop Prideaux Maccovius and many others out of St. Angustin hold that sin is taken away by baptism yea by justification non ut non sit but only non ut imputetur the blood of Christ washeth away sin meritoriously the Spirit of God efficiently the word instrumentally the Sacraments symbolically significatively and obsignificatively that original sin is washed away by baptism Our Conformists consent and assent and subscribe to this Position which whether true and so certain as it 's said I determine not because I know not how to prove it by Gods word It is certain by the wâ—â—â— of God that children which are baptized dying before they commit actual sin are undoubtedly saved Rubr. after Baptism by which they do yea must hold that original fin imputed is washed away from them by baptism and therefore original sin imputed is not cannot be according to them the meritorious cause of infants death dying before they commit actual sin in their own persons 2. I answer that many infants have died soon after they were baptized I saw one die within a quarter of an hour after 't was baptized before they could be conceived to have committed any actual sin in their own persons therefore original sin inherent was the procuring or meritorious cause of their death and consequently 't is properly sin their cryings cannot in reason be thought to be sinful frowardness or actual sin but are but the fruits of pains or wants which are punishments of original sin yet remaining and inherent in them which do undeniably prove it to be sin properly so called for God never punisheth but for fin as the Bishop himself saith ibid. p. 463. 5. There is one testimony more which is good against the Bishop and all Conformists and 't is a true one 't is the beginning of the order of Baptism set down in our Liturgy thus Dearly beloved for-as-much as all men be conceived and born in fin and our Saviour Christ saith None can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven except he be regenerate and born a new of Water and of the Holy Ghost by which 't is clear that 't is the Doctrine of the Church of England that infants are conceived and born in sin but not in actual sin Ergo in original sin Now I pray read all these things once again seriously â—nd consider how strangely the sound Doctrine of the Churâ—â— of England is undermined perverted if not wholly subâ—erted by â—er pretended dutifuâ—â— sons and the false Doctrine of the Church of Rome is contended for by them â—o bring in fâ—ee-will and natural power to convert a mans self c. But before I leave this a few words to the main argument for this Popish old Pelagian Error and that is this That which is not * Bishop Taylors further Explanation of original sin frequently and so Papists and Pelagians voluntary is not sin but original sin inherent in us is not voluntary Ergo 't is not sin properly To which I answer by denying the major all sin is not voluntary in their sense 1. Because the error of the mind which the will doth follow is fin and yet its involuntary because it goes before every act of the will 2. Sins committed through ignorance are not voluntary and yet are sins properly Levit 5 15. 2. I deny the minor 1. Because original sin was voluntary in Adam in whose loins we were who voluntarily committed the first sin for himself and us too And 2. Also it may be said to be voluntary in us because we in our wills are prone to sin 3. The main of the Adversaries arguments that Original sin is involuntary will reach only the propagation of it To which I answer that man is corrupted even from
is * This is Pelagius his Doctrine as may be seen in Alvarez de Auxil gratiae l. 1. disp 1. p. 4. n. 2. possible for men in the state of corruption to keep the whole Moral Law of God Both which are very gross Errors but the former of these I should suppose he doth not hold Because 1. He complains against Nonconformists though causelesly and very falsely for Antinomianism 2. He presseth obedience to the Law and good works so much as that he saith that those that have confidence in Gods mercy through Christ must come down again from the top of the tree and begin at the bottom in obedience to all Gods Commandments And this must go before we can actually receive his pardon and absolution according to that of the Apostle Tit. 3. 5 6 7. where it is visible saith he that his mercy cannot save us unless we become new creatures and that this must go before the justification we expect by the grace of God In his licensed Parable of the Pilgrim 〈◊〉 502 511 〈◊〉 But yet if he hold it I shall say no more than what Gods Word expresly and in terminis saith Gal. 3. 10. Cursed is every 〈◊〉 that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them Either Gods word is false or his Doctrine But the second which is this ' That 't is possible for men in the state of corruption exactly and perfectly to fulfill the whole Moral Law of God Papists that they may establish their Justification of mens persons before God by their own inherent righteousness or good works do affirm that believers * Bellar. de observatione Legis T. 4. l. 6. c. 7. can by the help of Gods grace and the spirit of love infused into them at their Justification perfectly fulfill the whole Moral Law of God And this seems to be the Doctors insinuation To which our Divines do answer that 't is true the Law of God is Evangelically kept or fulfilled by true believers in Christ Jesus whose perfect righteousness and obedience is imputed to them and thereby their sincere obedience though very imperfect as referred to the Law is accepted of God as perfect But the Law is not legally kept by exact and perfect doing for matter and manner all the works thereof by any justified or regenerated person in this life since Christ ascended up into Heaven And this I have proved by the Doctrine of the Church of England and may be further proved even by those portions of Sacred Writings which she appoints to be said before the Common-prayers begin or the Exhortation thereto Enter not into judgment with thy servants O Lord for no flesh is righteous in thy sight Psal 143. 2. And if we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Joh. 1. â—8 The Church of England as I have shewed teacheth that the works of unjustified men are sins Art 13. And that the most holy and righteous * Davenant Deter 10. pag. 50. works of regenerate persons have some sin in them Art 15. and their graces are but imperfect They know but in part 1 Cor. 13. 9. and they believe but in part Mark 9. 24. Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief And our frailty is such that we can never fulfil the Law according to the perfection that the Law requireth Plenissima charitas est in nemine August Epist 29. Homily for Good Friday T. 2. p. 182. and p. 177. and there is original sin in the regenerate Article the ninth And that concupiscence * Bishop Prideaux Fascic Controvers l. 3. de peccato q. 5. p. 123. in the regenerate is properly sin Article the ninth That God made man in the state of innocency upright and able to fulfil the whole Law of God That 't is now since his fall in his corrupt estate though in part renewed impossible ordinarily for him to fulfil the Law is not the fault of the Law which is holy and just and good but of man who hath by his own default disabled himself that it much magnifies and commends the free grace of God in that he doth for Christs sake accept of true believers imperfect performances as if they were exactly conformed to the perfect Law of God which yet they are not Adam Noah Abraham Isaac Jacob David Solomon Hezekiah Josiah Jonah Job Peter and Paul sinned David sinned after his person was justified Psal 51. and so did Peter by denying of Christ Luk. 22. 57 58 60. and by his unseasonable and scandalous using the Ceremonies of the Law or Judaizing Gal. 2. 11 12 13 14. And St. Paul himself feels and complains Rom. 7. 20 21 24. of siâ— that did dwell in him of a law in his members that did draw him to do that which he would not and hinder him from doing that which he would do and of a body of death And Gal. 3. 17. That the flesh lusteth against the Spirit These few failings of Dr. Patrick and Mr. Fowler and Doctor Jeremy Taylor c. may not only serve to put in the other scale against the many little pretended ones the Debater objects against Mr. W. B. and Mr. T. W. and others but also prove That some great Conformists to the Discipline of the Church of England are the greatest Nonconformists to the Doctrine thereof and those tollerated if not protected and promoted while Nonformists to the Discipline but stout defenders of the Doctrine of Faith and Sacraments thereof are rejected and silenced ART XI That unregenerated persons own good works do make thâ—â— meet to receive grace from God or as the School-Author say deserve grace of congruity THis I renounce because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England but before I prove it for the better understanding of this error and the truth know 1. That grace in Sacred Scripture signifies two things 1. The favour of God or of man in himself and so 't is taken and used in the Old and New Testament As Gen. 6. 8. And Noah foâ—â—â— grace in the eyes of God Gen. 18. 3. Gen. 39. 21. Ezra 9. 8. Esth 2. 1â— So the Virgin Mary found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grace with God Rom. 3. 24. Beng justified freely by his grace that is by the free favour or love mercy or goodness that is in God manifested to us in Christ Rom. 11 5 Election of Grace Ephes 2 8. By grace ye are saved Sometimes it signifies 2. The gift of grace that is that gracious habit of grace that is inâ—erent in us as Rom. 11. 29. 2 Cor. 8. 7. See that ye abound in thâ—â— grace also Ephes 3. 7. The gift of grace Ephes 4. 7. Vnto every oâ—â— of vs is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Col. 3 16. Singing with grace in your hearts Heb. 12. 28 Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence
The first and third of these three Conclusions shew the reasons of the second and hold forth this truth That the works of unregenerated men done before they receive the grace of Christ and the inspiration of his Spirit are not good works and so pleasing unto God and that because they spring not from a lively faith in Christ but are evil because they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done And therefore they make not men meet to receive grace or deserve not grace of congruity at Gods hands 2. And this erroneous Doctrine of merit of congruity and preparing and disposing and making men meet and worthy to receive grace is also contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of Engâ—â— in her Homily for Rogation-week T. 2. p. 3. p. 223. which saith thus Faith is the first entry into a Christian life without which no man can please God Faith is the giâ—t of God Ephes 2. 8. Charity wherewith we love our brethren is the work of God If after our fall we repent it is by him that we repent who reacheth forth his merciful hand to raise us up if we have any WILL TO RISE it is HE that PREVENTETH OUR WILL AND DISPOSETH us thereunto If after contrition we feel our consciences at peace with God through remission of sins and so be reconciled to his favour and hope to be his children and inheritors of everlasting life who worketh these great miracles in us our worthiness our deservings and endeavours our wits and vertue Nay verily St. Paul will not suffer flesh and clay in such arrogancy and therefore saith all is oâ— God which hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ Lo here you see that your vertue wits endeavours deservings worthiness are excluded from being the efficient disposing much more from being the meritorious cause of the favour of God or grace of faith or love or repentance c. in us and that these are the gifts of God which he by his Spirit worketh in us And 3 't is contrary to the Church of England's Liturgy as Collect for the 17th Sunday after Trinity Lord we pray thee that thy grace may alway prevent and follow us and make us continually to be given to good works And in one of the Collects after the Communion Prevent us O Lord in all our doings with thy most gracious favour and further us with thy continual help that in all our works begun continued and ended in thee c. Wherein we acknowledg that Gods grace and favour must prevent us and go before our doing or beginning to do any good works and that his grace must follow and further us with its continual help else we shall not be able to begin nor continue to do good works acceptable to him And 4. 't is contrary to the tenth Article of the Church of England of Free-will The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works to faith and calling upon God Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God without the grace of God by Christ PREVENTING us that we may have a good will and WORKING with us when we have that good will 2. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of Ireland Articles 25 and 26. which accords with the Doctrine of the Church of England verbatim in her tenth and thirteenth Articles 3. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of Scotland which also agreeth with the Doctrine of the Church of England to be seen in the Confession of Faith made by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster Edenburgh August 27 1647. Sess 23. c. 9. Art 3 4. c. 10. Art 1 2. c. 16. Art 2 3. 7. Now these Errors of the Papists are grounded upon two Errors more which they have received from the Pelagians 1. The first Error which is the ground of these is this That men in the state of corruption before they are endued with a lively faith in Jesus Christ can by the power of their own free-will do good works which Papists call dispositions or preparations of grace which they say do out of congruâ—â—y move God to bestow his grace upon them and prepare or make them meet and worthy to receive Gods grace Now though this error be sufficiently yea abundantly confuted before especially in the seventh Article of this Renunciation yet because 't is the ground of many others and 't is so much stood upon and 't is so pleasing to corrupt reason Give me leave to say something more against it here also And 1. I say that this Doctrine is condemned by the Synod of Dort Chap. 3 4. Error 3. before recited And also Error 5 We reject the Doctrine of them that teach that corrupt and natural man can so rightly use common grace by which they mean the light of nature or those gifts which are left in him after the fall that by the good use thereof he may attain to a greater namely Evangelical or saving grace and by degrees at length Salvation it self And God for his part sheweth himself ready in this manâ—er to reveal Christ to all men seeing he doth sufficiently and efficaciously afford to every man necessary means for the making Christ known and for faith and repentance They give not their reason there for their rejecting of the former part of this Error because that they had it done before in the third and fourth Error rejected But against the latter they say thus For this is convinced to be false as by the experience of all ages in the world so also by the Scriptures Psal 147. 20. He sheweth his word unto Jacob his statutes and his judgments unto Israel he hath not â—ealt so with any Nation and as for his judgments they have not known them Act. 14. 16 God in times past suffered all Nations to walk in their own ways Act. 16. 7 8. Paul and his company were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia and after they were come to Mysia they assayed to go into Bithynia but the Spirit suffered them not And Error the ninth they reject the Doctrine of them that teach That grace and free-will are co-partening causes jointly concurring to the beginning of conversion and that grace doth not in order of causality go before the action of the will that is that God doth not effectually help mans will unto conversion before the will of man moveth and determineth or setleth it self thereunto For this Doctrine was long since condemned by the ancient Church among the Pelagian Errors out of the Apostles authority Rom. 9. 16. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy And 1 Cor. 4. 7 Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive Item Phil. 2. 13 It is God which worketh in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure In that Synod were * Divines at the Synod of Dort five of our learned Divines sent by K. James Viz. George Carlton Bishop of Landaff John Davenant Priest Doctor and publick Professor of Divinity in the University of Cambridg and Master of Queens Colledg there Samuel Ward Priest Doctor of Divinity Arch-deacon of Taunton and Master of Sidney-Colledg in the University of Cambridg Thoâ—â— Goad * Who I suppose was sent instead of Dr. Joseph Hall who fell sick after he came to the Synod Priest Doctor of Divinity chief Chaunter of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in London And â—â— Bâ—â—â—â—â—quall a Scotchman Priest â—â—chelor of Divinity who said of this an◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this is our opinion and judgment in witness whereof we have 〈◊〉 subscribed And 't is as I shewed before directly contrary to the express words of the Doctrine of the Church of England in her tenth Article The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works to faith and calling upon God wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant Good works are brought forth by Grace Homily of Good works T. 2. p. 81. and acceptable to God without the special grace of Christ preventing us that we may have a good will and working with us when we have that good will Lo here you see it clearly and plainly affirmed that man in the state of corruption before he receive the special grace of God in Christ cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength to faith or do good works acceptable to God And these reasons may be given for it 1. Because we are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins Ephes 2. 1 Col. 3. 13. Now as a man that is corporally dead cannot of himself move dispose or prepare himself to his Resurrection or enlivening so a man that is spiritually dead in sin cannot raise or dispose and prepare himself or actively concur towards his raising up again or to his spiritual life Obj. But against this they object 1. That in a dead carkass there are no reliques of life but in unregenerated men they say there are some reliques of spiritual life Answ To which I answer and say 1. That there are no reliques of spiritual life in a man that is spiritually dead in trespasses and sins for death in Spirituals doth fully exclude spiritual life A maâ— is not cannot be said to be truly and properly dead while there is aâ—â— life in him 2. With this accords the Doctrine of the learned A. 〈◊〉 Vshar in his Sum of Christian Religion p. 143. who there saith thâ—â— Every man is by nature dead in sin as a loathsome carrion or as a dead corpse and lyeth rotting and stinking in the grave having in him the seed of all sins Ephes 2. 1. 1 Tim. 5. 6. 3. The Synod of Dort condemn as an error this Doctrine That an uâ—regenerated man is not properly noâ— totally dead in sins nor destitute of all strength to spiritual good but that he is able to hunger and thirst after righteousness or everlasting life and to offer the sacrifice of an humble and contrite heart even such as is acceptable to God For these assertions march against the direct testimonies of Scripture Ephes 2. 1 5 Ye were dead in trespasses and sins And Gen 6. 5. 8. 21. Every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart is only evil contiâ—ally Moreover the hungring and thirsting for deliverance out of misery and for life eternal as also the offering to God the sacrifice of a broken heart is proper to the regenerate and such as are called blessed Psal 51. 19. Mat. 5. 6. 4. The Church of England maintains this Doctrine also in her Homily of the Nativity of Christ T 2. p. 167. where we may read thus That Adam falling into sin had in himself no one part of his former purity and cleanness And a little after His posterity had nothing in themselves but everlasting damnation both of body and soul Which fully proves that there was and is in every man since the fall before the special grace of Gods Spirit be wrought in him a total privation of spiritual life And in Homily for Christs Death T. 2. p. 182. 't is said That man could do nothing that might pacifie Gods wrath So Ibid. 183. and in Homily for Whitsunday T. 2. p. 209. Man by nature is fâ—esbly and carnal without any spark of godliness Doth not all this prove a total privation of all spiritual life Obj. But they say That God doth not bespeak dead carkasses to arise but he speaks to men dead in sins and then doth set before them their disease which implies some life and a power of rising in them Answ To this I answer thus 1. That Christ spake to Lazarus that had been four days dead and in the grave these words Lazarus come forth Joh. 11. 43. 2. That Gods raising of men dead in sins unto spiritual life is a great miralce as 't is called in the Homily for Rogation-week T. 2. p. 228. Who worketh these great miracles in us yea greater than Christs raising of dead Lazarus for to his Vivification and Resurrection there was no opposition in him but to the spiritual Viâ—ification and Resurrection of men in the state of corruption there is opposition not only from without by the Devil and the world but also within by their inbred corruption which makes them averse from that which is good yea which is enmity against God Rom. 8. 7. That Gods speaking to unregenerate men dead in their sins implies not that they have a power in themselves of raising themselves to spiritual life no more than Lazarus but it shews what they are 〈◊〉 what they should do not what they can do He gave them a power at first in Adam to do whatsoever he commanded them to do but they through their own default have disabled themselves he therefore mâ—â— justly require it of them and punish them for their loss of it and neglect of their duty Obj. But they say That the dead carkass cannot resist Gods raising of him but the unregenerate man can Ergo they have a power of rising Answ To this I answer 1. That the unregenerate Elect cannot finally resist their regeneration for the power of God in regenerating his Elect in Christ is irresistible as hath been proved before Art 7th 2. That it follows not that because unregenerated men have a power to resist their spiritual resurrection they therefore have a power to raise themselves but rather proves they have none their corruption is so great Obj. But they object That in the dead carkass there is no power to rise but in the unregenerate there is a power to regeneration Answ There is a passive power in unregenerated persons to regeneration that is to be regenerated by the Spirit
to the 35th Article of Religion of Ireland Although this justification be free unto us yet it cometh not so freely unto us that there is no ransom paid therefore at all God shewed his great mercy in delivering us from our former captivity without requiring of any ransom to be paid or amends to be made on our parts which thing by us had been unpossible to be done And whereas all the world was not able of themselves to pay any part towards their ransom it pleased our heavenly Father of his infinite mercy without any desert of ours to provide for us the most precious merits of his own Son whereby our ransom might be fully paid the law fulfilled and his justice fully satisfied so that now Christ is the righteousness of all theâ— that believe in him He for them paid their ransom by his death He for them fulfilled the law in his life That now in him and by him every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the law for as much as that which our infirmity was not able to effect Christ's justice hath performed and thus the justice and mercy of God do embrace each other the grace of God not shutting out the justice of God in the matter of our justification but onâ—y shutting the justice of man that is to say the justice of our oâ—â— works from being any cause of deserving our justification 3. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of Scotland to be seen in the Confession of faith made by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster c. 16. Article 5. We cannot by our best works merit paâ—don of sin or eternal life at the hand of God by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come and the infinite distance that is between us and God whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfie for the debt of our former sins but when we have done all we can we have done but oâ—â— duty and are unprofitable servants and because as they are good they proceed from his Spirit and as they are wrought by us they are defiled 〈◊〉 mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of Gods judgment Behold here is the Doctrine of the three Churches in his Majesties three Kingdoms against this Popish Autichristian Doctrine of Merits But 4. 'T is contrary to sacred Scripture That the good works of regenerated men do not merit eternal salvation at Gods hands â—prove 1. Because eternal life is the gift of God Rom. 6. 23. That whicâ— is given to us is not merited by us but eternal life is given to us therefore eternal life is not merited by us 2. Because we are not saved by our own good works but by the mercy of God T it 3. 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done 〈◊〉 according to his mercy he saved us therefore our good works do not merit eternal salvation 3. Because the Apostle saith that we are saved by grace Eph 2. 8 9. where by grace is meant the favour or mercy of God in him aâ—◠〈◊〉 by works which we have done or do and the reason is given lest 〈◊〉 man should boast which we might do as that we have saved our selvâ—â— and God hath not saved us if our own good works within us or doâ—â— by us as our Homily speaks did merit eternal salvation 5. The good works of regenerated men do not ex condigno men eternal life at Gods hands because they want the proper conditions of proper merit for that which is properly merit ex condigno or is properly meritorious hath or ought to have these Conditions Cond 1. That it be perfectly good but the good works of regenerated men are imperfect This I have proved before out of our book of Homilies Articles of Ireland and Confession of Scotland and sacred Scripture Homil. of Christs death t. 2. part 2. p. 182. alledged Article 6th Article the 10 and this 12th of this See also Psal 143. 2. Enter not into judgment with thy servant O Lord â—â—r in thy sight shall no flesh be justified Rom. 3. 20. Gal. 2. 16. Psal 130. 3. If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquities O Lord who shall stand Gal. 5. 17. * Isa 64. 6. The stains of our righteousness are no less than menstruous Dr. Slater in 2 Thes 2. 11. p. 167. And upon this account our good works are not meritorious ratione pacti or ratione operis for the Covenant of works Do this and thou shalt live requires perfect obedience without any imperfection which if we perform not eternal life is not due unto us ratione pacti by vertue of the Covenant of Works and if you come in and plead the Covenant of Grace Believe and thou shalt be saved you deny the condignity of your works and come over to us for Gods free grace given unto us for we are not justified and saved for our good works worthiness but for Christs sake in whom he hath elected us unto eternal life 2. Cond That it be not due or debt but our good works are due debts which we owe to God Luk. 17. 10. When ye shall have done all these things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do We may merit of men when we do them some notable piece of work which we were not bound to do but we can do no good work to or for God but that which we are bound to do therefore we cannot merit by doing good works which are but our duty Adam while he was in the fâ—ate of innocency could not by his perfectly good works have merited ex condigno eternal life at Gods hands by reason of the dignity of his works because his works were due from him to God as I shewed before in the Article of Original sin Cond 3. That they be only ours but our good works as they are good are not properly * Homily for Rogation-Week t. 2. p. 297 220. alledged before Article 7. p. â—1 ours but are the free gifts of God and works of God in us 2 Cor. 3. 5. Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think â—â—t thing as of our selves but our suâ—ficiency is of God Joh. 15. 5. Without me saith Christ ye can do nothing that is nothing that is spiritually and truly good and acceptable to God and Phil. 2. 13. it is God that worketh in you to will and to do that which is good of his good pleasure See more in Homily of Repentance t. 2. p. 263. alledged before Article 7th Cond 4. That it profit him of whom we merit but our good works do not profit God Job 22. 2. Can a man be profitable unto God Psal 16. 2. Our goodness extendeth not to thee Rom. 11. 35. Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompenced to him again Luk. 17. 10. When you have done all you are commanded
for in King Hen. 8. and in the second of King Edward the sixths days the people were appointed to pray for their deliverance from the Tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and his detestable Enormities Now from this sound Doctrine of the Church of England I hope I may have leave without offence to our Heylinists to prove the Pope of Rome successively to be the Antichrist the holy Scripture writes of As thus He that under the pretence of Religion being the Servant the Vicar of Christ and the Successor of Peter is the Inventor and setter up of Superstitious and Pharisaical Sects which are against the Word of God and the glory of his name that challengeth and exerciseth Princely dominion over Nations and people and dominion over the Church of Christ which is his Kingdom whose usurped authority hath no good ground in holy Scripture that produceth Antichristian fruits practises and doctrines affirming that a man can by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself and denying this Doctrine that a man is justified alone by faith That is the Babylonical beast that is the successor of the Scribes and Pharisees the spoiler and destroyer of Christs Church the instrument and minister of Satan the head of that Antichristian Babylonical Sect which say of Jerusalem that is the true Church of God Down with it even to the ground whose Religion is rebellion whose Faith is faction and whose practise is murdering of souls and bodies is not to be accounted a Christian man the Vicar of Christ the Successor of Peter but an adversary to Christ and his Gospel That is Antichrist the Antichrist the holy Scripture writes of But the Pope of Rome successively is so and 〈◊〉 therefore he is the Antichrist the holy Scripture writes of The major is the Doctrine of the Church of England The Minor is also very largely proved in every particular by Dr. Henry More in his Learned and Elaborate and Ingenious Book called The Mystery of Iniquity which deserves seriously to be read and compared with the Doctrine and practises of the Church of Rome The full proof of the Minor would take in the whole Body of Popery which is learnedly confuted by Dr. Ames in his Bellarminus Enervatus Festus Hommius in his seven Theological Disputations against the Papists and others Yet I shall take the pains to set down some of the heads and leave you to apply them 1. The Pope of Rome is not as he pretends to be Christs Vicar General here on earth 1. Papists do not prove that the Pope of Rome is Christs Vicar General either in Temporals or Spirituals by Sacred Scripture 2. Christ is such an Head of his Church that he needs not such a Vicar on Earth as the Pope pretends to be for Christ is God as well as Man and is ever with his Church and will be even to the end of the world Mat. 18. 20. Mat. 28. 20. Lo I am with you even to the end of the world 3. To set up the Pope of Rome to be Christs Vicar is to deny Christs presence with his Church For a Vicar is one that doth supply the place of one that is absent and it is to deny Christ to be the Monarch of his Church and saith in effect that he is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and makes the Church of Christ monstrous Biceps having two heads 4. The Officers that Christ hath appointed in his Church are not his Vicars but his Ministers Stewards c. their Office is not Magisterial but only Ministerial 5. When Christ ascended up into Heaven he did not commit the Government of his Church Universal to one man but to the whole Colledg or company or society of his Apostles Joh. 20. 21. Christ said to all his Apostles except Thomas that were alive this As my Father sent me even so send I you c. Here Christ performed that which he promised to Peter Mat. 16. 19. And I will give thee c. That was but a promise of this gift here Christ performed it to him and to all his Disciples to whom in Peter the promise was made Read also for this Mat. 28. 18 19 20. And when the Apostles died they did not institute one particular man over the whole Universal Church of Christ on Earth but ordained fit men in every particular Church or Congregation of believers to rule it and gave them authority and a charge to govern it by common counsel as ye may see was the practise of two Apostles when they solemnly took their leave of the Churches which they had planted Act. 20. 28. Take heed therefore unto your Hooker saith That the Apostles themselves ordained only in each Christian City a Colledg of Presbyters and Deacons to administer holy things Evaristus a Bishop of Rome about 112 years after the Birth of our Saviour begun the distinction of the Church into Parishes Ecclesiast Pol. l. 5. p. 433. And in the end of the same he saith That Presbyters and Deacons having been ordained before to exercise Ecclesiastical Functions in the Church of Rome promiscuously he was the first that tyed each one to his own station selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishops as he there calls all the Elders of the Church of Ephesus to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood Here you may see that the Government of the Church of Ephesus was committed not to one singular man alone over the flock and the Pastors too as Papists would have but to the whole Presbytery or company of Presbyters whom Paul sent for at Miletus Act. 20. 17. to whom he gave this authority and charge Read also I pray what St. Peter saith whose Successor the Pope pretends to be to the Elders that is the Presbyters of the Churches of Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bythinia 1 Pet. 5. 1 2 3 4. The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder he doth not say Bishop much less Bishop of Bishops but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellow-Presbyter and a witness of the sufferings of Christ also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed Feed the flock of God which is among you not far distant from you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind neither as being Lords mark this over Gods heritage but being ensamples to the flock of humility holiness meekness righteousness patience constancy charity mercy c. not of pride prophaneness tyranny injustice cruelty beastiality covetousness c. And when the chief sâ—epherd Christ shall appear that is come to Judgment ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away Lo here again the Government of the Church is not committed to one man or Bishop but to the Presbyters of the Churches and they forbidden to Lord it over the flock much
Book 5. C. 16. Sec. 8. to which Book and to Mr. Potter of the Number of the Beast he refers for fuller satisfaction His Mystery of Godliness I have not seen but I have read Mr. Potter's Book of the Number of the Beast Printed at Oxford Ann. 1642 of which Book there were either but few Printed or they were suddenly bought up that 't is a hard matter to get one of them of which Book I took some scraps of which because of the scarcity of the Book I shall make bold to communicate some which are to my business in hand and the rather because the Book is so highly commended by learned Dr. Twiss Mr. Mede and Dr. More Revel 13. 18. Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count the Number of the Beast for it is the number of a man and his number is 666. The Mystery of the number 666 is to be found out by comparing it with the number 144 to which this number 666 is as it were the autâ—â—numerus and must therefore be interpreted after the same manner and in the same particulars applied to the Synagogue of Antichrist as the number 144 ought to be applied to the Church of Christ Now the mystery of the number 144 which is the number opposed to the number 666 consists in the square-root thereof and and therefore the mystery of the number 666 must be in the square-root thereof also But now to find out the true interpretation of this number 144 it 's generally granted by all ancient and latter Interpreters that the chief if not the only cause why this number was chosen rather than any other number to be the measure of the wall of the Coelestial Jerusalem Revel 21. 17. is because this number is raised and built upon the number 12 which being multiplied into it self produceth the square-number 144. For as this number 144 is raised and built upon the number 12 only and cannot possibly admit of any other number to be the root and basis of it so neither can the Church of Christ admit of any other foundation than that which is already laid by the 12 Apostles As therefore this number 144 is built upon 12 Unities so is the Church of Christ built upon the 12 Apostles And as the number 12 is more conspicuous and remarkable in this number 144 than any other number because it measureth not only the bottom or root but the sides and ranks of it also so it 's evident that the number of 12 is more conspicuous and remarkable in the Church of God than any other number whatsoever And hence it is that this number 12 is repeated above 144 times in the Scriptures and is in them so often used and in so many and so divers particulars applied by the Spirit of God to things appertaining to the Church that we cannot but acknowledg this number to be chosen and as it were affected by the Holy Ghost rather than any other And though the number 144 may truly be said to be Gods number rather than any other numbers because it representeth the figure of the City and in general the form and structure of the Church and Hierarchy thereof yet it cannot so properly be called Gods number as the number 12 which almost in all material respects is applicable to the Church and is used in the Scriptures always as numerus certus pro certo and not as numerus certus pro incerto in which sense it must needs be granted that the number 144 doth sigâ—â—ifie and represent the Church in general And whereas the number 144 is no where mentioned in Scripture but in Revel 21. it must be granted that it is not there to be the measure of the Wall which doth in that place signifie the spiritual building of Gods Church because there then were or at any time should be precisely so many â—nd no more faithful Christians or living stones built upon the 12 foundations there named but that we might learn thence that how great or how little soever the number of faithful Christians should be yet they must be all built upon the foundation of the 12 Apostles as the number 144 is built upon 12 Unities And hence 't is granted by Interpreters that this number 144 was chosen to be the measure of the Wall of the new Jerusalem for this reason chiefly if not only because it is the only square-number which can be raised and built upon 12 Vnities as is clear to all those that have understanding to extract the root of numbers As the number 12 was the measure number and foundation of the city gates and wall of the ancient and literal Jerusalem and was in respect of the 12 Patriarchs the root from whence the 12 Tribes had their Original according to the flesh so the same number 12 should be the only conspicuous number in the foundation and structure of the spiritual and new Jerusalem in which the 12 Apostles are 12 spiritual fathers answerable to the 12 Patriarchs and are 12 foundations laid by our Saviour Christ upon which and according to which foundation that is by multiplying of the Doctrine of the Apostles by 〈◊〉 self only all the spiritual builders of Gods Church in the times 〈◊〉 come ought to erect and square their buildings And they are also placed at the 12 Gates as 12 angels to keep out as it were with a two-edged sword every thing that defileth and to admit into this Church by the gates of Baptism committed first and originally unto them and prefigured by the 12 Oxen under the brazen Sea 1200 of every Tribe that is all those faithful Christians and true Israelites which can derive their spiritual Genealogy from the faith and doctrine of the 12 Apostles And this is without all question the true and natural interpretation of the numbers and measures of the new Jerusalem spoken of Revel 21. 16 17 c. The new Jerusalem spoken of Revel 21. is the sAme with Jerusalem spoken of in Ezek. 48. the Church militant not triumphant is meant by it as almost every line and every word evidenceth as not only Mr. Potter and Forbs and and other Protestants but many Papists observe The number 144 is a square and perfect number built and raised upon the number 12 so the Church of Christ is a square and perfect building built upon the doctrine of the 12 Apostles It 's also true that as the number 666 is neither a square nor perfect number nor built upon the number 12 so neither is the Romish Hierarch a square and perfect building neither is it built upon the doctrine of the 〈◊〉 Apostles So Forbs and Potter p. 44. The number 666 is to be counted by extraction of the root because the opposite number 144 is so to be accounted To extract the square-root of a number given is to The root of a Number find out the greatest number which being multiplied into it self and having the fractions added to the
that they 〈◊〉 things indifferent which may be abâ—sed or well used Answ This 〈◊〉 yielded in part Flowers are wrougâ—â— in Carpets Arras and Pictures 〈◊〉 Princes printed or stamped in theâ—â— Coyns which when Christ did see in the Roman Coyn we read 〈◊〉 that he reprehended it neither do we condemn the art of Painting and Image-making as wicked of themselves but we would grant them that Images used for no Religion or Superstition rather we mean Images of none worshipped nor in danger to be worshipped of any may be suffered But Images placed publickly in Temples cannot possibly be without danger of worshipping and Idolatry wherefore they are not publickly to be had or suffered in Temples The Jews to whom the Law was first given and should best know the meaning of it would not suffer Images publickly to be in the Temple at Jerusalem though no worshipping was required at their hands but rather offered themselves to death than to assent that Images should be once placed in the Temple neither would they suffer any Image-maker among them And Origen added this clause lest their minds should be plucked from God to the contemplation of earthly things And they are much commended for this earnest zeal in maintaining Gods honour and true Religion P. 45. And truth it is that Jews and Turks who abhor Images and Idols as directly forbidden in Gods Word will never come to the truth of our Religion while the stumbling-blocks of Images remain among us and lie in their way And P. 49. What meaneth it that Christians after the use of the Gentiles Idolaters cap and knee before Images is not this stooping and kneeling before them adoration of them which is forbidden so directly by Gods Word P. 50. Satan desiring to rob God of his honour desireth exceedingly that such honour might be given to him wherefore those which give the honour due to the Creator to any creature do service acceptable to no Saints who be the friends of God but unto Satan Gods and mans mortal and sworn enemy Obj. But they say that they do not worship the Image as the Gentiles did their Idols but God and the Saints whom the Images do represent and therefore that their doings before Images are not like the Idolatry of the Gentiles before their Idols Answ 'T is answered thus St. Augustine Lactantius and Clemens do prove evidently that by this their answer they be all one with the Gentiles-Idolaters The Gentiles saith St. Augustine which seem to be of the purer Religion say We worship not the Images but by the corporal Images we do behold the signs of the things which we ought to worship And Lactantius saith the Gentiles say we fear not the Images but them after whose likenesses the Images be made and to whose names they be consecrated And Clemens saith that Serpent the Devil uttereth these words by the mouth of certain men We to the honour of the invisible God worship visible Images which surely is not false See how in using the same excuses which the Gentile-Idolaters pretended they shew themselves to join with them in Idolatry For notwithstanding this excuse Augustine Lactantius and Clemens prove them Idolaters And the Scriptures say they worship stocks and stones notwithstanding this excuse even as our Image-mongers do And Ezekiel therefore calleth the gods of the Assyrians stocks and stones although they were but Images of their gods So are our Images of God and the Saints named by the names of God and his Saints after the use of the Gentiles What should it mean that they according as did the Gentile-Idolaters light Candles at noon-time or at midnight before them but therewith to honour them for other use is none of so doing for in the day it needeth not but was ever a Proverb of foolishness to light a candle at noon-day And in the night it availeth not to light a candle before the blind and God hath neither use nor honour thereof By which it appeareth that Are not Tapers appearances of the same Religion to be abstained from as well as candles we do agree with the Gentile-Idolaters in our Candle-Religion And P. 52. As the Gentiles so our Image-maintainers have invented and spread many lying-tales and written many Fables and Miracles of Images And P. 53. Among the holy Relicks they have they say the tayl of the Asse on which our Saviour rode which they offer to be kissed and to be offered unto And P. 55. The having of Images in Churches publickly hath not only brought us to worshipping of them but to worshipping of them with the same kind of worship wherewith they worship the Copy as the Homily shews out of Naclaâ—tus Bishop of Clugium And P. 56. the Homily saith thus Having shewed and proved that our Images have been be and will be worshipped and by their own confession that they ought to be worshipped I will out of Gods Word make this general argument against all such makers setters up and maintainers of Images in publick places thus And first I will begin with the words of our Saviour Christ Wo be to that man by whom an offence is given Wo be to him that * Is there not the same reason against Popish Ceremonies and other unnecessary things offendeth one of these little ones or weak ones Mat. 18. Better were it for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the midst of the sea and drowned than that he should offend one of these little ones or weak ones And in Deut. 27. God himself denounceth him accursed that maketh the blind to wander out of the way And in Levit. 19. Thou shalt not lay a stumbling-block or stone before the blind But Images have been be and as afterwards shall be proved ever * May not the same be said of Popish Ceremonies Con the Popes Nuncio brought with him into England in A. B. Laud ' s reign many Reliques of Saints Medals and pieces of gold with the Popes picture on them to seduce the Ladies of the Court and Country Heylin ' s Cyp. Angl. l. 4. p. 358. will be offences and stumbling-blocks especially to the weak simple and blind common people deceiving their hearts by the cunning of the Artificer as the Scripture expresly in sundry places doth testifie and so bringeth them to Idolatry and therefore wo be to the erector setters up and maintainers of Images in Churches for a greater penalty remaineth for them than the death of the body Obj. If it be replied that this offence may be taken away by diligent and sincere doctrine and preaching of Gods Word as by other means and that Images in Churches therefore be not things absolutely evil to all men although dangerous to some and therefore that it were to be holden that the publick having of them in Churches is not expedient as a thing perilous rather than unlawful and utterly wicked Ans This will be answered by proving the third Article which
justifie And if they are not to be accounted Christians then they are not to be accounted Believers 2. Because 't is not only acknowledged to be a sin yea a great trespass Ezra 9. 13. Ezra 10. 2 10. but they that were guilty of it entred into a Covenant to put away their strange wives and swore to perform their Covenant and they performed it Ezra 10. 3 9 12 16 19. Yet upon this account only it would be unlawful because they will provoke to Idolatry or occasion their serving of other gods or the true God after an idolatrous manner which God abhors So though it should be yielded that it were lawful in it self to set up and suffer Idolatrous Images in the publick places of Gods worship yet they are not to be erected or tolerated in them because they are scandalous objects they are provocations to and occasions of committing Idolatry forbidden in the second and sixth Commandments and also in Rom. 14. 13. Let no maâ—â— a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way And Mat. 18. 6. and 't was observed before that Images are directly forbidden in Gods Word because they are occasions of Homily against peril of Idolatry p. 44. idolatry Which plainly shews that occasions of idolatry are directly forbidden in Gods Word And so saith Bishop * Bishop Andrews upon Com. p. 109. A B. Vsher's Sum of Ch. Religion p. 206. Andrews and A. B. Vsher Cum quid prohibetur prohibentur illa omnia per quae pâ—â—venitur ad illud When any thing is forbidden all things which lead thereunto are also forbidden Bonae legis non est solum tollere vitiae sed etiam occasiones vitiorum It 's the part of good Laws not only to take away vices but also to take away the occasions of vices and therefore to take away Images if the Law-makers really intend to prevent Idolatry â—nd so for other sins â—nd this was the wisdom and piety of good King Hezekiah when the people fell to worshipping of the Brazen Serpent which Moses at Gods command set up for the curing of the people that were stung with Serpents He set not up declarations of the use of it and preachers against worshipping of it but he took the best surest and * Frustra sit per plura quod fieri potest per pauciora readiest way to hinder the peoples idolatry he brake it down 2 King 18. 4. So if Magistrates will prevent Idolatry and superstition in their subjects they must pull down Popish Images Altars and abolish all Popish Ceremonies and occasions of idolatry and superstition Otho's shewing his fair Wife Poppaea naked to lustful Nero was not more actively scandalous than mens setting up and willing permitting of such Images as have been and may be abused to Idolatry in publick places of Gods Worship are or may be They shew that they have neither such zeal for God nor love to their neighbours as they ought to have 2. God hath commanded all Idols to be broken down Exod. 23. 24. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods nor serve them nor do after their works but shalt utterly overthrow them and quite break down their images So Exod. 34. 13. Numb 33. 52. Deut. 7. 25 26. Deut. 12. 2 3. 3. Good Kings have been highly commended for destroying the Images and Altars of Idolaters as Asa in 1 King 15. 13. and Hezekiah 2 King 18. 4. and Josiah 2 King 23. 24. 4. They do not only offend Papists but professed adversaries without the Church they do not only allure Papists to commit Idolatry but they so offend Jews and Turks that they will not embrace Christian Religion because some who profess themselves to be Christians set up Images and Pictures in their Churches 5. We are all commanded to keep our selves from Idols 1 Joh. 5. ult The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in St. John's time signified generally an Image for Idol and Image signifie the same thing only one is a Greek word originally and the other is a Latine word If you will keep your selves from Image-worship you must keep your selves from Images especially in publick places of worship 6. The Temples of God were not built to that end that the Images of the Creatures should be placed in them but that they might serve for the publick performance of that worship which is appointed and approved of God Mat. 21. 13. My house shall be called the house of prayer 7. Images in Churches have a shew of evil which ought to be abstained from 1 Thes 5. 22. A Papist a stranger coming into one of our great Churches where Images were 〈◊〉 said aloud Profecto hic est facies ecclesiae nostrae how truly I determine not but the learned * Speech in Parliament p. 3. 4. Lord Faulkland said of some of our late Bishops that under the pretence of adorning our Churches they have defiled our Church Our 35 Article of Religion saith thus Our Books of Homilies contain a godly and wholsome Doctrine and necessary for these times And that against the peril of Idolatry speaks notably against setting and suffering Images in Churches ART XVI That those Books which are commonly To ordain any other Word or Sacraments than those which God hath appointed is Will-worship forbidden in the second Commandment saith A. B. Vsher in his Suâ— of Ch. Religion p. 228. Homily for Almesdeedâ— T. 2. p. 〈◊〉 is quoted Tab. 4. in the Margent called Apocryphal as Tobit Judith Esdras c. are the pure word of God and in all things agreeable thereunto THis â—â— Because 't is contrary to the sixth Article of Religion of the Church of England which excludeâ—â—m out of the number of Canonical Books of Scripture 2. Because many things 〈◊〉 contained are contrary to Canonical Scripture for Doctrine and manners as is shewed in the following Appendix intended first for another Book and therefore cannot be fit for confirmation of Doctrine nor instruction of manners Obj. But they are often alledge in tâ—â—â—â—ok of â—â—iliâ—s as Scripture which the Holy Ghost doth teach Answ 'T is answered that they are not used as Canonical Scripture Object But 't is a rule in reasoning Analogum per se positum stat pro suo famosiori significato Sanders Log. l 1. c. 6. par 4. That an analogal put by it self stands for the most excellent significate Here Scripture put by it self without any Epithete stands for Canonical Scripture the most famous significate of Scripture Answ To this I say that if there be Canonical Scripture producible to prove the thing it was ill in the Margent to quote an Apocryphal Text and not it but if there be no Canonical Scripture for it it was ill to call it Scripture in the Text without any Epithite or adjunct and worse to say * Vide appendicem the Holy Ghost doth teach it Obj. But they are called part of the Old Testament in the order for reading the first and
second Lessons in the Common-prayer Book Answ To this I must leave the Bishops to answer or confess the error and amend it For I profess I know not how to answer for them if I What I can do I have done in the Appendix but I fear that will not satisfie all could I would Papists will notwithstanding Dr. Cozens his Allegations prove from our own sayings that they are Canonical Scripture because they are by us called the Old Testament and so are appointed to be read I pray read my Appendix intended for another use An APPENDIX concerning Apocryphal Scriptures appointed to be read in Churches and Chappels c. Quest 1. BEcause you are so full of your Questions I ask you Whether the Apocryphal Scriptures appointed in the Kalender in the Common-Prayer-Book to be read the first Lessions at Morning and Evening-Prayer be part of the Old Testament The reason of asking this Question is this because 't is said in the Order how the rest of the holy Scripture is appointed to be read the Old Testament is appointed to be read for the first Lessons at Morning and Evening-Prayeâ— And in the following part of that Order 't is said thus And to know what Lessons shall be read every day look for the day of the Month in the Kalender following and there ye shall find the Chapters that sâ—all be read for the Lessons both at Morning and Evening-Prayer Now in the Kalender to pass by the many Chapters that are culled out of the Apocryphal Books of Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus and appointed to be read upon Holy-days throughout the year though there be many good sayings in them yet they have some * Wisd 19. appointed to be read upon Mathias day how properly let the world judg And Popish Expositors will no doubt make good Divinity and sense of it which would not please you if a Nonconformist should essay to make Episc Prideaux sascic controv c. 1. q 2. p. 14. failings and some that do not tend to edisication and such as you would exclaim against if you should find them or the like in Mr. W. B's or Mr. Tâ—â—'s or in any Nonconformists Sermons or Writings and yet you have given your assent and consent unto them and have promised to read them upon the days appointed all the Chapters in Tobit except the fifth Chapter and of Judith many of Ecclesiasticus Baruch Bell and the Dragon the History of Susanna in which are many false and â—angerous things appointed to be read Now if they are not part of the Old Testament why do you say they are such and give your assent and consent that they shall be read in all Churches and Chappels and promise that you will read them in yours contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England to which you have I suppose subscribed too and contrary to the Doctrine of the Protestant Churches seeing none but Papists hold them to be parts of the Old Testament I pray Sir give such an answer as may help us to satisfie our people whom you would have us to perswade to comply with you in your publick service and answer the subtile Papists who will be ready to alledg your publick Order and Kalender and other things as that concerning the Service-Book Par. 1 2 3. and that direction which follows line the last to prove that they are Canonical Scripture because parts of the Old Testament as you plainly say in the said order and direction and Kalender And I foresee that 't will be but in vain to say that our Church in her Articles holds no such thing but rather the contrary For besides that they imply a contradiction the appearance of which you are ready to carp at and exclaim against in Nonconformists they will say that that Order and Kalender was made since the XXXIX Articles of the Church of England and the last Law they 'l say either virtually repeals or at least expounds the former You are as you say a Rational Divine pray give a solid and sufficient reason of this thing of which we need not be ashamed that may stop the mouths of our dissenting Protestant friends and opposing Popish enemies If you cannot do it I hope you will ingenuously confess your error and use your best and utmost reason interest and endeavour with all sort of men to reform it Q. 2. Whether you do indeed think that those Books or Chapters or Histories call them which you will do indeed and in truth directly tend to the edification of the Church as you say * Of Ceremonies in Preface to the Book of Common-Prayers that all things that are done in the Church ought to do as the Apostle teacheth 1 Corintâ— 14. 26. The reason of this Query is because there are erroneous frivolous and dangerous things appointed to be read in Churches and Chappels to the people in some of those Chapters which do not tend to their edification but rather to their destruction and others too As for example in Tob. 4. 10. which is appointed to be read September the 30th 't is said thus That alms do deliver from death and suffereth not to come into darkness And Tob. 12. 9. which is appointed to be read the third of October 't is said thus That alms doth deliver from death and shall purge * Which is contrary to Homily of Salvation pag. 16 17. which saith that that were the greatest arrogance and presumption that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself from all sin Which may induce many especially ignorant people to swallow the Doctrine of Popish Merits without a grain of salt and deny or undervalue the inestimable merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ contrary to 1 Joh. 1. 9. Who cleanseth us from all unrighteousness And 1 Pet. 1. 18. Forasmuch as we know that ye are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold and therefore not with alms from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ And Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works And also contrary to Heb. 9. 14 15 22 26 28. I know that this place of Tobit is alledged in the Homily of Almesdeeds Tom. 2. p. 159 160 161. where it saith thus The same Lesson doth the Holy Ghost also teach in sundry places of the Scripture quoting Tob. 4. in the Margent saying mercifulness and almes-giving purgeth from all sins and delivereth from death and suffereth not the soul to come into darkness Now to this the Ch. of England there answereth That Almesdeeds purge not from sin as the the original cause of our acceptance before God or that for the dignity or worthiness thereof our sins are washed away and we purged and cleansed of all
the spots of our iniquities for that were to deface Christ and defraud him of glory but they mean this and this is the meaning of those and such sayings that God of his mercy and of his favour towards them whom he hath appointed to everlasting salvation hath so offered his grace especially and they have so received it fruitfully that although by reason of their sinful living outwardly they seemed before to have been the children of wrath and perdition yet now the Spirit of God mightily worketh in them unto obedience unto Gods will and commandments they declare by their outward deeds and life in the shewing of mercy and charity which cannot come but of the Spirit of God and his special grace that they are the undoubted children of God appointed to everlasting life 2. That the words are to be understood of the judgment of men as the following words do declare for that speaks of the judgment of charity and of men The meaning of Tobit ' s words are these that we doing these things according to Gods will and our duty have our sins indeed washed away and our offences blotted out not for the worthiness of them but by the grace of God which worketh all in all and that for the promise that God hath made to them that are obedient to his Commandments Almesdeeds do wash away sins because God doth vouchsafe to repute us as clean and pure when we do them for his fake and not because they do merit or deserve our purging or for that they have any such strength or virtue in themselves Homily of Almsdeed Tom. 2. Part 2. p. 160 161. I have alledged these words to vindicate the Doctrine of the Church of England and to shew that the Church of England is in the main sound in the Doctrine of Justification Yet if I may be so bold I humbly conceive 1. That this Quotation of Tobit in the Margent might well have been spared to prove That the Holy Ghost in sundry places of Scripture saith that mercifulness and almesgiving purgeth from all sins c. Because I fear that our watchful adversaries will catch at it and make their advantage to prove that Book Canonical Scripture For Analogum per se positum stat proâ—suo famosiori significato seu analogato Scripture put by it self is presumed to Sanders Log l. 1. c. 6. par 4. stand for its most famous significate and there by Scripture they will presume is meant Sacred and Canonical Scripture 2. I know and acknowledg that the sense given by our Church is good and agreeable to that which our sound Divines do give of that of the wise man in Prov. 16. 6. Junius and Dod and Cartwright in loc By mercy and truth iniquity is purged But I know also that they expound this place of Gods mercy and truth and not of mans And so it doth not make good Tobit's of Almsdeeds But there is no need of alledging an Apocryphal Text so much abused by professed Papists to prove and provoke their Disciples to do meritorious works and then be forced to put our selves to much trouble to explain our honest meaning and caveat our people against Popish false exterpretations which whether all do or will understand is very doubtful especially if that neglected place of Solomon's Proverbs Prov. 16. 6. be so to be expounded as the Church of England expounds that of Tob. 4. 10. and 12. 9. which she must do else Papists will clearly get advantage by that expression in the Homily above recited The same Lesson doth the Holy Ghost â—lso teach in sundry places of the Scripture But to proceed Solus sanguis Christi nos purgâ—t ab omni peccato only the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin saith Johannes Maccovius Red. c. 23. de Elemosinâ— cont prima falsa Pontif. p. 51. And Tob. 6. 14 15 16 17. appointed to be read the 30th day of September at Evening-prayer The Angel Raphael who told Tobit a lye in Chap. 5. 6. for which Bishop Prideaux among other things rejects Fascic Controv. de Scripturâ— c. 1. q 2. p. 14. the Book viz. That he had lodged with our brother Gabael And v. 12. That his same was Azarias the son of Ananias the great and of thy brethren taught him a * For which A. B. Vsher's Sum of Ch Rel. p. 15 and Bishop Prideaux Fascic controv c. 1. q 2. p. 14. rejectâ— the Book as false and frivolous Magical spel or trick to †Concilium non divinum aut coeleste sed planè magicum as Junius proves in locum conjure away the wanton Devil Asmodius who was forsooth in love with Sarah the daughter of Raguel and had killed her seven husbands on their Wedding-night as 't is said v. 14. with which she was reproached by her fathers maids Chap. 3. 7. 8. appointed to be read also on Septemb. 28. at Evening-prayer in these words v. 16. And when thou shalt come into the marriage-chamber thou shalt take the â—sâ—es of perfume and shalt lay upon them some of the heart and liver of the fish spoken of before Chap. 6. 4 7. where he first taught him the spell and he said unto him touching the heart and the liver if a Devil or an evil spirit trouble any we must make a * Is this for edification in good manners smoke thereof before the man or the woman and the party shall be no more vexed and the Devil shall smell it and flee away and never come again any more Which device he accordingly put in practise as you may read in Tob. 8. 1 2 3. appointed to be read October the first at Evening-prayer And when they had supped they brought Tobias in unâ—â— her and as he went he remembred the words of Raphael and took the â—stes of the perfumes and put the heart and the liver of the fish thereupon and made a smoke therewith the which smell when the evil spirit had smelled he fled into the utmost parts of Egypt and the Angel bound him Which counsel and practise some men may teach some people to use and trust in Magical and Diabolical spells and charms and seek to Conjurers and Witches and Devils for which Bishop * Bishop Prideaux Fascic controv c. 1. q. 2. p. 14. Prideaux condemns and rejects the Book forbidden say our learned and sound Divines * Perkins in his order of Causes p. 63 to 66. A. B. Vsher's Sum of Christian Religion p. 229. in the second Commandment and is judged to be contrary to our Saviours Doctrine in Mat. 17. 21. Mark 9. 29. and in many other places of Scripture Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting And to pass over Tob. 10. 6 7. appointed to be read October the second at Evening-prayer which may teach women to contradict their husbands and if it be not yet looks like scolding Hold thy peace said Tobit to his wife for he is safe Hold thy
peace said she to her husband And that frivolous story of his Dog following after them with which some have made vain sport and others may again in Tob. 11. 4. appointed to be read at Morning-prayer October the third I come to Tob. 12 12. appointed to be read at Evening-prayer October the third where this is appointed to be read of the Angel Raphael Now therefore when thou didst pray and Sarah thy daughter-in-law I did bring the remembrance of your prayers before the holy one and when thou didst bury the dead I was with thee likewise And vers 15. 't is appointed to be read thus I am Raphael one of the seven holy Angels which present the prayers of the Saints and which go in and out before the glory of the holy one Which words imply two gross errors 1. That there are but seven holy Angels that wait upon God and go in and out before him which is contrary to the Canonical Scriptures which say that thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times 〈◊〉 Cornel à Lapidâ— Junius Diodate Willet in locum thousand stood before him Dan. 7. 10. which is generally by Papists as well as Protestants understood of holy Angels See also Heb. 12. 22. Apoc. 5 1â— See also A. B. Vsher his Sum of Christian Religion p. 118. where 〈◊〉 saith that all the Angels do wait upon the Lord their God in heaven to exâ—cute his will 2. That those seven Angels are Gods remembrancers 〈◊〉 mind him of the prayers of his Saints and presenters of their prayers beâ—â— him A kind of Heavenly Courtiers or Officers that do present to as remember God of the good works prayers and alms c. of 〈◊〉 holy ones as if God did not regard or remember their prayers 〈◊〉 services without these seven Angels mediations intercession Which office saith learned Jâ—â— Jun. in Tob. 12. 12. the Scripture doth no where give to created Aâ—gâ—â— but maintain to belong only to Christ and which â—lâ—â— if there were nothing else is enough to prove the 〈◊〉 Upon the 15 ver bulousness and impurity of the Book and to rejeâ—â— as evil and unfit to be read in publick yea to be bound up with the Sacred Word of God And learned A. B. Vsher where before reckons up all the offices of the Sum of Christian Religion pag. 118. good Angels to the souls and bodies of good men but mentioneth not their presenting of the Saints prayers before God nor remembering God of them And 't is a Doctrine and place of Scripture as you call it that makes much for the Which is a good argument there is no such thing Bishop Prideaux Fascic cont c. 4. S. 2. q. 1. p. 169. Article 7th Papists Idolatrous invocating of Angels And 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England and of other Reformed Churches and of the Canonical Scriptures which say That Jesus Christ the second Person in the Sacred Trinity the Angel of the Covenant as he is called Mal. 3. 1. is the only person that doth present the prayers of the Saints to God and that he is our only Mediator of Redemption and Intercession as may be fully proved by Rom. 8. 34. 1. Tim. 2. 5. Heb. 7. 25. 1 Joh. 2. 12. Revel 8. 3 4. And the last Collect in the Lâ—tany and the Collect for St. Stephens day which prayers say That Christ is our only Mediator and Advocate And by the Homily of Prayer Tom. 2. Part 2. p. 115. and Part 3. p. 118. where 't is said thus In the word of God the Holy Ghost doth plainly teach us that Christ is our only Mediator and Intercessor with God and that we must not run or seek to another See also A. B. Vsher's Sum of Christian Religion p. 166 and p. 176. where he sheweth That one part of Christs Intercession for us doth consist in his presenting our prayers unto God and making them acceptable in his sight And 't is contrary to Psal 8. 4. Psal 111. 5. Psal 112. 6. Levit. 26. 42. Luk. 12. 6 7. and many other places of Sacred Scripture where 't is said That God is mindful of his people and of his Covenant made with them Yea that he doth hear what his people say and take special notice of what they do yea and record what they say and do Read Mal. 3. 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name If God take notice of and record what his people say one to another then without doubt he takes notice of and remembreth the prayers which they make unto himself and therefore he needs no such remembrancing Angels as this feigned Raphael speaks of to put him in mind of his Saints prayers And he hath appointed Jesus Christ to present the prayers of and make Intercession for his people Joh. 6. 27. Him hath the Father sealed and appointed Heb. 3. 12. to the office of a Redeemer and of making satisfaction for the sins of his people and Intercession for them as Bishop Reynolds very learnedly sheweth upon Psal 110. pag. 383 384. 387 388 c. And Christ hath undertaken the work of our Redemption and making Intercession for his people He was not only made a surety to us of a bâ—tter Covenant Heb. 7. 22. but he also is said to come to do the office of a surety Lo I come to do thy will O God Heb. 10. 5 7 9. God fitted him and prepared him for the work of our Redemption v. 5. and Christ voluntarily undertook it Then said I Lo I come in the volume of thy Book it is written of me to do thy will O God v. 7 9. Hence doth he call himself the good shepherd that doth lay down his life for his sheep Joh. 10. 11 15. which Doctrine is saith the Reverend Bishop the rock and foundation of all the Churches comfort and therefore the Doctrine held forth in the foresaid feigned story of Tobit is the more pernicious and abominable being so destructive of our Lord and Saviours right and of all good Christians sure and solid comfort and those men that refuse to give their unfeigned assent and consent thereunto and to its use and publick reading are the more excusable not to say commendable for denying themselves so far as they have done rather than do that or consent to the doing of that which is as you see so much conducing to Popish Doctrine and practise and contrary to Gods sacred and precious truth the honour and interest of Jesus Christ and the comfort and welfare of all good Christians In the Months of September and October all the Book of Judith is appointed to be read in publick in Churches and Chappels Where to pass by many of the falsities that Orthodox learned Divines both ancient and modern do find in
Reverend Bishop Jewel in his Defence of his Apology c. 3. divis 10. tells us That the old Council at Carthage commanded that nothing should be read in Christs congregation but the Canonical Def. of Apol. p. 571. Scriptures Which words saith he are to be found in the Council of Vide Homil. for Rogation-week Part 3. p. 230. Hippo which is the abridgment of the third Council of Carthage in these words Scripturae Canonicae in ecclesia legendae quae sunt praeter quaâ— alia non legantur that is the Scriptures Canonical which are to be read in the Church and besides which nothing may be read Et non oportet libros qui sunt extra canonem legere nisi solos canonicos veteris novi Testamenti That is we may not read any Books that be without the Canon but only the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament There ye may find the Decrees of two of the Kings of France Lewis and Charles In Templis tantum canonici libri id est sacrae literae legantur That is Let there be read in the Churches only the Canonical Books that is to say the holy Scriptures and many other good sayings and testimonies to the same purpose And Harding's shift or addition to or exposition of the Decree of Carthage viz. That nothing be read in the Church but the Canonical Scripture sub nomine divinarum Scripturarum under the name of the Dâ—vine Scriptures will not help our Bishops for they have appointed those Apocryphal Scriptures which they have appointed in the Calendar to be read as parts of the Old Testament for they say expresly in their * See the order in the Book of Common-Prayer for reading the first and second Lessons 'T is probable that by this order our Bishops have deceived our Parliaments who believing them searched not and knew not that Apocryphals were to be read as Canonical Scripture order for reading the Lessons That they have appointed the Old Testament to be read for the first Lessons and the New Testament for the second Lessons throughout the year And in their Calendar to which they specially direct us for the finding of those Lessons they appoint as was said before and is there to be seen above 120 Chapers of Apocryphal Books to be read in our Churches and Chappels for the first Lessons many of which as I have manifested are contrary in many things to the pure word of God Obj. But Bishop Prideaux in answer to the Papists who say that the Apocryphals are called by the Fathers Scripture and Canonical saith with the Fathers there is a twofold Canon 1. Morum of manners 2. Fidei of faith these saith he are sometimes called Canonical in the first sense not in the second Answ To which I answer thus 1. That the Fathers were but meer men and not infallibly guided by the holy and unerring spirit of God 2. That they had their errors and did contradict themselves 3. That Mr. Hildersham though he speak well of the Fathers whom you say was a Conformist proves by three good reasons That our learned Divines in these days may know more and have better judgment in Religion than the Fathers had as 1. They are born and bred in the knowledg and profession of the truth and have known from their childhood the holy Scriptures which are able to make them wise unto salvation as the Apostle speaketh of Timothy 2 Tim. 3. 15. Whereas most of the Fathers were bred and had lived long in Gentilism and beresie before they came to the knowledg of the truth 2. They enjoy the benefit both of all the Fathers own labours and of the writings of many other learned men also which the Fathers themselves could not do A Dwarf may see farther upon a Giants shoulder than the Giant 3. They have the help both of far better Translations of the Scripture than the Fathers could have and of the knowledg of the Tongues also which the chief of the Fathers are well known to have been wanting in 4. The Bishop saith nothing to that that they are called Scripture 5. That there are many erroreous Doctrines contrary to the Canonical Scriptures in those Books and some in those appointed to be read as I have shewed before which may do much mischief to the true Church of Christ and teach false Doctrine instead of good manners 6. That they are not a good Canon for manners as I have shewed in Tobit's wife her passionate bidding her husband who gave her good counsel to hold his peace and immoderate bewailing her Son who was well Tob. 10. 6 7. to which may be added Raguels swearing that Tobius should stay with him fourteen days and in teaching Tobias to conjure or spell away the Devil Tob. 6. 16 17. which Tobias practised Tob. 8. 2 3. and in the Angel Raphaels lying in saying that he was Azarias the son of Ananias the great and of Tobits brethren Tob. 5. 12. and in saying that he was one of the seven Angels that did bring to remembrance Tobias and Sarahs prayers and that did present the prayers of the Saints before the holy one Tob. 12. 12 15. And in Judiths lying hypocritical dissembling and swearing to compass her treacherous and bloody design and praying to God for to bless her deceit and commending the wicked and cruel fact of Simeon which God by Jacob condemned Judith 9. 2 3 4 10 13. Judith 10. 12 13. and Judith 11. Judith 12. which may and no doubt will teach evil men and women more evil than good manners and this too not so much accidentally as by themselves and their own nature 7. The Canonical Scriptures are a sufficient Canon for Doctrine of faith and * Homily for Rogation week Part 3d p. 230. And no where can we more certainly search for the knowledg of this will of God by the which we must direct all our works and deeds but in the holy Scriptures manners and therefore there is no need of reading these Books to teach men good manners 8. If the Popish Legends are not to be read in publick because full of lyes and fictions then by the same reason should not Tobit Judith the History of Bell and the Dragon be read which are full of such things Obj. But Bishop Prideaux saith That the Apocryphal Books are read for their conformity for the most part with the Canonical as ancient and sacred Homilies to inform and teach good manners not to confirm Doctrine Fasc cont c. 1. q 2. p. 16. loc 4. Sec. 3. q 6. p. 237. Answ To this I answer as before 1. That the word of God is a perfect and perspicuous rule for Doctrine of faith and good manners 2. That there are many things in those Books inconformable to the Canonical Scriptures both for Doctrine and manners as the Bishops answer maximâ ex parte implies and as I have plainly shewed and therefore they are not sacred
Orthodox Carleton's place at Chichester who wrote against Mountagues Books and Popish Goodman who * Cyp. Angl. l. 4. p. 446. lived and died a Papist was made Bishop of Gloucester in Orthodox Smith's place who opposed Laud in his Altar-worship there yea though A. B. Abbot was by Laud's means sequestred from the execution of his office and his authority committed to such hands as were no favourers of the Genevean faction they are Heylin's own words of which Bishop Laud as Heylin * Cypr. Angl. l. 3. p. 170. saith informed the King that A. B. Abbot was the head viz. to Mountain Bishop of London Neile Bishop of Durham Buckeridg Lauds Tutor Bishop of Rochester Howsâ—â— Bishop of Oxford and himself Bishop of Bath and Wells or any two of them yea when Laud was gotten uppermost and had gotten stout-hearted Williams Bishop of Lincoln into the Tower and had his Spies upon Orthodox Hall Bishop of Exceter and Davenant Bishop of Salisbury two of those learned Divines which were sent by King James to the Synod of Dort and had almost and did what he listed in promoting those of his party and suppressing those of the Genevean party as Dr. Heylin evidenceth yea brags in his Cyprianus Anglicus yet I say he never durst put those five Arminian points to the hazard of decision by the Convocation though he had a great mind to it as appears by his moving the Duke of Buckingham about it and his consulting with Bishop Andrews about it as Dr. Heylin relates in his Cyprianus * Lib. 2. p. 133. 'T is probable he first advised and then ordered the Catalogue of the most eminent Divines distinguished according to their perswasions by the Letters O and P made him fear the Convocation and therefore take his other courses which brought himself and others to ruin Cyp. Angl. l. 2. p 133. And the eighth Article objected against him viz. That there must be a blow given to the Church such as hath not been yet given before it would be brought to conformity Cyp. Angl. l 5. p. 512 513. might be brought to prove his fear of the Convocation as is said Anglicus least they should be condemned by our Convocation as well as they were by the Synod of Dort and by Bishop Carleton Dean Sutcliff Dr. Featly Mr. Goad Mr. Yates Mr. Ward Mr. Burton Mr. Rouse and Mr. Pryn asunder that the encounter seemed to be betwixt a whole army and a single person as Heylin writes in his Cyprianus Anglicus l. 2. p. 155. and by Dr. Prideaux in the Chair in the Divinity School at Oxford as they had been by learned Dr. Humphries Dr. Holland and Dr. Abbot before him and by Dr. Whitaker Mr. Perkins Dr. Davenaut and Dr. Ward and many more at Cambridg and by many more in the Universities and elsewhere in Cities Towns and Country Parishes And were never declared either by any Convocation at or since the first reformation or by any Parliament except in Queen Maries reign to be the Doctrine of the Church of England And for further confirmation of this truth that those five Arminian points condemned by the Synod of Dort to which Synod King James sent several Learned and Orthodox Divines who joined with the rest of that Learned Synod in condemning and rejecting all those five Armanian points which sure neither he nor they would have done if they had been the Doctrine of the Church of England were not the Doctrine of the Church of England read King James his Declaration against Vorstius wherein he writes thus to his Ambassador Sir Ralph Winwood Trusty and Welbeloved c. You shall repair to the States-General with all possible diligence in our name telling them that we doubt not but that their Ambassadors which were here about two years since did inform them of a forewarning that we wished the said Ambassadors to make unto them in our name to beware in time of * Arminians called seditious and heretical Preachers seditious and heretical Preachers and not to suffer any such to creep into their State Our principal meaning was of Arminius who though he were late dead yet had he left too many disciples behind him Declarat pag. 350. of his Works That Vorstius hath published such monstrous blasphemy and horrible Atheism in a scandalous Book fit to be burnt and the Author punished and that Arminius late Divinity-Reader at Leyden was but of little better stuff who though he be dead hath left his sting yet living among them Ibid. p. 350 351. And in pag. 355. he saith thus in his Letter to the States-General We had well hoped that the corrupt seed of that enemy of God Arminius did sow amongst you some few years since had given you sufficient warning to take heed of such infected persons seeing your own Country-men divided into factious upon this occasion a matter so opposite to unity which is indeed the only â—roâ— and safety of your State next under God as of necessity it must by little and little bring you to utter ruin if wisely you do not provide against it and that in time Ibid. p. 355. It is true it was our hard hap not to hear of this Arminius before he was dead and that all the Reformed Churches of Germany had with open mouth complained of him But as soon as we understood of that distraction in your State which he left after his death behind him we did not fail to use some such speeches to your Ambassadors as we * That is those above named to beware of seditious and Heretical Preachers thought fittest for the good of your State which we doubt not but they have faithfully reported unto you For what need we make any question of the arrogancy of these †Arminians called Hereticks or atheistical Sectaries Hereticks or rather Atheistical Sectaries among you when one of theâ— at this present that is Bertius a Scholar of Arminius as he described and called him in his former Letter to his Ambassador Ibid. p. 354. remaining in your Town of Leyden hath not only presumed to publish of late a blasphemous * Bertius his Book de Apostasia Sanctorium called a blasphemous Book Book of the Apostasie of the Saints but besides hath been so impudent as to send the other day a copy thereof as a goodly present to our Archbishop of Canterbury together with a Letter wherein he is not ashamed as also in his Book †To say that the Doctrine therein contained is agreeable to the profession and Doctrine of the Church of England a gross lye to lye so grosly as to avow that his Heresies contained in the said Book are agreeable with the religion and profession of our Church of England for these respects therefore have we cause enough very heartily to request you to root out with speed those * Arminianism Heresie and Schism Heresies and Schisms which are beginning to bud forth among you which if you suffer to
superstitious and truly Magical abuse of it And Disputation the 38. Thes 2. p. 208. he saith further thus For seeing that Idolatry is nothing else than to attribute to the Creatures that honour that is due to God alone and those virtues which are proper to God it is manifest that all they whosoever they be that ascribe to Creatures and most of all to Inanimate Creatures the Divine Properties and the proper effects and benefits of God or Christ do manifestly make Idols of those Creatures and whoever they be that do earnestly desire or expect these benefits from them do commit gross Idolatry And Mr. Perkins in his Order of Causes of Salvation and Damnation upon the second Commandment p. 63. in 4to saith thus Satanical means I call those which are used in the producing of such an effect to the which they neither by any express rule out of Gods Word nor of their own nature were ever ordained I pray let these things be humbly and meekly considered and withal remember that there is an Amen said to the use of the sign of the Cross which is a prayer as appears in the Office of publick Baptism and the Church-Catechism I do not charge our men with it but humbly submit it to their serious consideration and desire them if any shall think they are concerned hereby to go about to clear themselves from that is here charged upon the Papists they do not as the practise of some hath been answer so as to acquit the Papists too and justifie the ungodly but rather abstain from all appearance of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. and abolish that which is amiss or hath but the real appearance of that which is evil to godly sober judicious and consciencious men Vpon the whole matter 't is Queried I. WHether among the Conformists to the Discipline and Ceremonies there be not as many Nonconformists to the Doctrine of the Church of England that is against Popery holding if not all yet many of these false Doctrines renounced as there are Nonconformists to the Discipline and Ceremonies of the Church of England II. Whether those Conformists in name that are Nonconformists in deed to the Doctrine of the Church of England that is against Popery be not more dangerous and likely to disturb the peace of the Church and Kingdom by Preaching and Printing and endeavouring to bring in Popery than those Nonconformists to the Rites and Ceremonies and Declarations enjoined but are real Conformists to the Articles of Religion of the Church of England which only concern the Doctrine of Christian faith and the Sacraments which is all the Subscription was enjoined by the ancient Law 3 Edw. 6. c. 11. 13 Eliz. c. 12. III. Whether the twentieth Article of the Authority of the Church since the first clause hath been added by the Bishops and the thirtyfourth Article of Traditions especially seeing Dr. Heylin saith in his Introduction to his Cyprianus Anglicus pag. 20 21. That authority to decree Rites or Ceremonies and authority in Controversies of Faith contained in the twentieth and thirtyfourth Articles of Religion the Church of Rome never challenged more and the third Article concerning Christs descent into Hell if it be expounded other way than that of the Apostles Creed to which assent is given in the eighth Article and the thirtysixth Article of ordering the consecrating Bishops Priests and Deacons seeing the Order of Diocesan Provincial and Oecumenical Bishops distinct from and superiour to Preaching-Presbyters hath been by Papists contended for to be of Divine right or institution and yet hath been denied by sound Protestants as appears by the History of the Council of Trent and is by Archbishop Laud and his party made essential to the being of a Church which saith Adam Coutzen a Romish Priest in the second Book and eighteenth Chapter of his Politicks is the readiest and easiest way to cheat the Protestants of their Religion and Ordination by Protestant Preaching Presbyters is denied to be valid and yet Ordination of Popish Priests is allowed to be good be against Popery or may not in fine bring in the whole body of Popery if not timely prevented especially when that which Mr. Fowler * Free Discourse second Edition pag. 2. p. 191 saith shall be seriously considered viz. that those Divines of his opinion do heartily subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles of our Church taking that liberty in the interpretation of them that is allowed †p. 2. p. 305. by the Church her self though it is most reasonable to presume that she requireth Subscription to them as to an instrument of peace only And that the †What liberty is that to interpret them as they please and contrary to the Grammatical and common sense of them as Dr. Jeremy Taylor did the Ninth and Johannes de Sancta Clara Archbishop Laud's Fovourite did all the Thirty-nine Governours of the Church require not their internal assent to the Articles of the Church of England and yet require an unfeigned assent and consent to the Ceremonies and Declarations by them invented and injoined as the Act for Uniformity shews as if they were more necessary and essential to the being of the Church of England than those substantial and fundamental Truths that are contained in the other Articles of our Christian Religion Most especiall◠seeing * Gretzer de Festis l. 1. c. 2. Gretzer a Romish Priest calls the conforming part of the Clergy of England Calvino-Papistae Calvin-Papists as was noted before in the Epistle to the Christian Reader IV. Whether for the prevention of Popery it be not necessary to authorize some known Orthodox Nonconformists who stand not in awe of Bishops as Conformists do to license Books against Popery Arminianism Socinianism and Anabaptism and for defence of the Articles of Religion of the Church of England at least whether it be not more convenient and safe to authorize such Nonconforming Divines than it is to authorize Bishops Chaplains to license Books seeing in A. B. Lauds time they suppressed the printing of many Orthodox Books and Sermons and licensed many Heterodox and Popish Arminian and Socinian Books as may be seen in Dr. Heylin's Cyprianus Anglicus and they may do the like or the same or worse hereafter FINIS The Christian Reader is humbly desired to correct these ERRATA'S which escaped in the Printing in the Authors absence IN the Epistle p. 1. l. last in the Marg. r. Presbytery p. 11. l. 32. r. riots p. 12. l. 29. these words he faith it is a dangerous decert to say that Creatures may be adored and is contrary to Exod. 20. 5. Thou shalt not bow down to them which are not the words of Bishop Sparrow but of Thomas Rogers upon Art 31. and should have been put in the Margent against Bishop Sparrow's former words then should follow what Bishop Sparrow saith p. 391. thus and hs calls the Sacrament c. p. 20. l. 5. marg r. Balduin l. 12. for dixerit r.