Christ and acknowledge him to be Lord of all and to have power over all to save and condemne whom he will ANSWER You undertake at the first to speake of things in the Common-Prayer-Booke but now I see you are fallen upon something else His name as you say which first commanded to bow at the name of Iesus was Anastatius a man I hope of an earlier date than either to be termed Pope by way of derision or to bee slighted for his care about this custome which the Church was acquainted with a long time before hee was ever Bishop of Rome Saint Hierom in his Comment upon Esay the 45.23 which is the very text alledged by you to be a testimony against bowing of the knee speakes of it as no new thing in his time for It is saith hee the custome of the Church to bow the knee to CHRIST which the Jewes shewing the perversenesse of their minds altogether refuse to doe noting thereby that it was so farre from being new as that it was come to bee one of the Churches customes Zanchy is able to say that the use is ancient Nor do men of great reading but affirme that it was used in the time of Arius which must needs be in the Primitive times because Arius was before the first Councell of Nice Nor might it but bee used sooner if wee cast an eye to the scoffings of the Jewes For the Jewes began to scoffe and mocke at our Saviour in allusion to his name even when he suffered and have ever since derided the Christians with their crucified Iesus Thus the chiefe Priests mocking him with the Scribes and Elders alluding to his name Jesus said He saved others himselfe he cannot save Matth. 27.42 And as Marlorat speaketh Marl. in Mat. ch 1. â— 21. The Jewes in scorn and derision to this day cal our Saviour not Jesus but Jehu which with them signifieth only some common and contemptible fellow As then the name Iesus is that name in which he was derided and which they abuse by their chopping and changing that they might thereby abase our Saviour and with which they flout us for our faith so is it that name in which he must bee honoured The Father hath assigned so much unto him and wee are bound to afford it as a part of his reward for the death of the Crosse His person wee know is taken from us but his Name he hath left still with us And as his Person for suffering is crowned with honour and glory Heb. 2.9 So must his Name be so farre exalted as that at the Name of Iesus every knee must bow Phil. 2.10 And thus will your figurative exposition be nothing worth though illustrated by a comparison of things done in the Kings name For at the name of Jesus is meant Jesus named to whom we how when we heare him called by that name For though his Person bee exalted and sitteth at the right hand of God yet his Name in which he was despised is not exalted by us as it ought except we also reverence his Person upon the mentioning of that name which God hath given him to bee above every Name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow Where is then the Idoll which you speak of it would trouble you sure to finde it out and therefore that calumnie was either ignorantly cast upon the Bishops or maliciously to bring upon them the greater Odium obloquie contempt and scorne But others you say were called Jesus as well as our Lord and Saviour true some others have had that name given them by humane imposition but not as given to our Redeemer by God with a command of his adoration Ther 's none of them that could either doe that which hee did or be saved but by him and must therefore so resigne this name to him as that he beare it with a maine difference from them all And as for that which you say of the holy Angels and soules of the faithfull which have no knees they have their wayes surely to doe that which wee doe in our bodies else it would never bee given in charge that all the Angels of GOD must worship him Hebr. 1.6 Nor bee written that the Saints in Heaven fall downe before him Rev. 5.8,9 Nor may them in Hell bee excluded For though it bee a torment to them to testifie either reverence or subjection yet seeing Christ must Reigne till he have put all his enemies under his feet they shall whether they will or no be brought unto it a proofe of which assertion is in the foureteenth chapter of the Romans at the tenth and eleventh verses In which regard the Apostles words Phil. 2.10 mentioning that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow both of things in Heaven of things on Earth and of things under the Earth are not unfitlie said to bee a Prophecie which by many Christians is fulfilling in this life here on earth by blessed spirits and Saints is fulfilled in Heaven and shall fully be accomplished in the day of judgment as Master Calvin very well observeth For though it bee a prophecie wee must know that under this prophecie expressed there is a dutie implyed For Prophecies saith one are of two sorts some that are fulfilled in an instant others by degrees and by little and by little of which latter sort is this prophecie that every knee shall bow DIALOGUE Gent. What doe you thinke of them that kneele when they receive the Communion bread Min. The Papists say that they are Idolaters because they kneele and doe not beleeve the reall presente as they doe ANSWER It is no matter what the Papists say Their dislike should me thinkes moderate your spleene and make you think the better of us for their sakes To beleeve their reall presence is no part of our Creed and yet to kneele is a part of our devotion Wee kneele no more to the Bread than to the Pulpit or to our seates when we joyne with the Minister in praying unto God But our quarrell is not now with them of Rome but with you for taking durt out of their puddles and causelesly to throw it at us DIALOGUE Gent. Who was the first that brought in kneeling Min. Pope Honorius about the yeare of our Lord 1220. after that the errour of Transubstantiation was hatcht at the Councell of Lateran Gent. J have read in Gods Word that the Apostles did not kneele when Christ Himselfe delivered the bread unto them I have read also in the Booke of Martyrs that the ancient Councels in the Primitive Church did make Canons against kneeling least it should prove an occasion of Idolatry Ought not we to conforme our selves to our Saviour Christ and his Apostles and to the Christians of the Primitive Church rather than to the Devils Vicar-generall the Pope Min. Yes verily for it is grosse hypocrisie in us to make a shew as though wee were more godly and zealous than the Apostles and
not sufficiently into himselfe but by the striking of him with the terrours of the Law is brought to the full sight of his wretchednesse and by the glad tidings of the Gospell is raised up againe and kept from desperation namely That then God doth fully speake peace unto his soule when by the like Deputy he shall heare the like sentence of absolution Protestants saith Bishop * Protest Appeal p. 254. Morton doe greatly approve the use of private and voluntary confession when a man either suspecteth the unlawfulnesse of any action or else when he groaneth under the sensible guilt of a troubled soule and shall desire the way of curing his disease by the comfortable pronunciation of Gods pardon from the mouth of him who hath the commission thereof from God And in another place Idem in his Appeale p. 270. The power of Absolution saith he whether it he generall or particular whether in publike or in private it is professed in our Church where both in henpublike Service is proclaimed Pardon and Absolution upon all Penitents and a private applying of Absolution unto particular Penitents by the office of the Minister and greater power then this no man hath received from God thus he Bishop Vsher likewise against a Jesuites Challenge at the 109 page saith He hath done us open wrong in charging us to deny that Priests have power to forgive sinnes And he gives a reason irrefragable as another great Scholar termes it because he mentions hereupon that The formall words which our Church requireth to eused in the Ordination of a Miuister are these Whose sinnes thou dost forgive they are forgiven and whose sinnes thou distretaine they are retained The execution of which authority accordingly is put in practise in the Visitation of the Sicke And shall I further tell you you shall finde it noted in the Practise of Piety that Doctor Holland absolved Doctor Rainolds at his death who not being able to speake kissed the hand wherewith he was absolved And in the Conference at Hampton Court the said particular Absolution in the Common-Prayer-booke being read His * King James of blessed memory Majesty who was indeed a second Salomon exceedingly well approved it adding that it was Apostolicall and a very good ordinance in that it was given in the name of Christ to one that desired it and upon the clearing of his conscience Hath then Almighty God given such power unto Men as not only to publish the conditions of Peace and Reconciliation to the sonnes of Men viz. Credenti remittentur peccata if they beleeve they shall receive Remiffion but also to apply the comfortable assurance of Remission to this and that man in particular and upon the sight and approbation of Penitency to say I absolve thee Or is this doctrine of Confession and Absolution agreeable to the Scriptures and practise of the Church as well present as primitive Then that I may speake it in the words of our * â—… Boyse pag. 523. impres 1629. English Postiller albeit some scribling Scribe pen an invective pamphlet against a discreet Pastor executing this office or some selfe-conceited Pharisee tell the people this man blasphemeth he may notwithstanding upon good information of faith and repentance say to the fick sinner in his bed Thy sinnes are forgiven thee and by Christs authority committed unto him I absolve thee greater power then which no man ever received Thus tâ—en clave non errante if the Minister faile not in the key of knowledge that is in discerning and rightly judging of the penitentiall sorrow and contrition of the peccant his key of Power and Authority delegate is found effectually operative and hath in it as one truly speaketh M Bedford Treat os the Sacr. p. 60. the stampe of God for the quiet and content of the troubled conscience Qui vos audit 〈◊〉 audit he that heareth you heareth me Try this saith another See the Pract. of Pitty and tell me whether thou shalt not finde more ease in thy conscience then can be expressed Adding moreover that did prophane men consider the dignity of this Divine Calling they would the more honour the Calling and reverence the Persons For as God hath reconciled the world to himselfe by Jesus Christ so hath he given unto us the Ministry of this reconciliation as saith the Apostle in 2 Cor. 5.18 Verily the difference between the Papists and us in this point is very great They tie the keyes to the Popes girdle so as whoso hath them hath them not but from him He grants Absolutions sealed with Lead in forme of a Judiciall sentence of a Court although he know not how the party that he meanes to absolve stands affected or desires an Absolution Some have had Absolutions sent them from Rome for their monies others have caused them to come by Bills of Exchange The Pope under pretence of this power takes upon him to untie the knot of fidelity which Subjects owe to their naturall Prince he dischargeth men of their lawfull oathes and children of the obedience which they owe to their Parents A man they say may be absolved against his will no matter therefore for conditions requisite or qualifications of Faith and Repentance in the penitent Their Bishops and Priests they say forgive sinnes by the very word of Absolution or by the bare pronouncing of the words and syllables by a true and physicall efficiency reaching to the very production of grace as Suarez speaketh or to the dissolution and destruction or extinguishing of Sinne as Bellarmine affirmeth They faile also whilst they hold that at the will and pleasure of every Priest exercising the Keyes on earth men are bound and loosed in heaven without any proviso at all of Clave non errante And Bellarmine would faine make the world beleeve that the Keyes remaine in our Saviour Christs hand only at the vacancy of the Popedome Absolution is among them made a true and a right Sacrament They tie all upon paine of damnation to come to shrift thrusting this their auricular confession upon the soules of Christians as an expiatory Sacrifice and a meritorious satisfaction for sinne They leave none to liberty either to come or not to come to confesse or not to confesse but cry out that all who will be saved must necessarily goe on in this way though he feeles no distresse but having throughly fearched himself hath been truly sorrowfull already and received secret comfort from above Nor are they but tied to enumerate all their sinnes which is impossible Hugo in his booke of the Churches power to binde and loose speakesfully thus I dare boldly say quoth he if before the Priests absolution any man doe come to the Communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord that he doth assuredly eat and drinke his own damnation although be repent him never so much and doth never so greatly lament his offences But yet though Hugo were thus bold Saint Paul hath said Let a