howsoeuer he may perhaps differ in opinion from either side yet in charitie he may be vnited vnto both And for no other cause is hee more maligned by the hot-spurres on either part then for seeking to procure peace and concord betwixt them and for doing his best endeauour to make vp the great schisme and rent of the Church that againe wee might come to be all one body Which misery an olde Father was wont long agoe to lament in these words that may be very well applied to our times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayth Nazianzen after hee had done speaking of mens maintaining their sides and factions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is Whosoeuer keepe a middle â—ourse and follow after peace are ill used on both sides being either contemned or fiercely opposed of which number we being c. For the Papists I haue nothing to say to them now But I haue heere to doe with such kind of men who striuing to runne as farre from Papists as they can haue also vnaduisedly runne withall beyond the bounds of Truth These are the Men that with incredible pride and arrogancy despise all Antiquity that most superciliously contemne the ancient and holy Fathers that studie all they can how to abrogate and abandon all the ancient Constitutions of the Church and in the meane while that arrogate to themselues a power of making what Lawes they list of appointing Ceremonies at their pleasure and of bringing in such a discipline which the Christians of olde neuer heard of as if they had beâ—ne created the only perpetuall Dictators and Gouernours of the Church of Christ And though they haue no regard at all of any publique tranquillitie refusing to giue way but to the least thing that may make for the peace and vnitie of Christians yet neuertheles they would faine beare vp their credit and for a colour of their bad intents make vs beleeue they are wondrous zealous men Of which sort of men that he was one whosoeuer was the Author of this Booke which these Impostors haue published vnder Is Casaâ—bons name and that he was no meane one neither but a chiefe champion among them I thinke no body will make question that will but runne ouer the booke and of those infinite places which prooue the same most plainely will but a little more narrowly marke a few There being I suppose scarce any writing extant in this kind which doeth more clearely and euidently argue what an insolent peruerse and rash Author it had A man would verely thinke that hee was one whoâ— had proclaimed open warre and defiance to all Antiquitie or one that being starke-staring mad with noueltie and fury would abandon all the ancient Customes and Constitutions of our Forefathers The Booke indeed by the Title is pretended to be written against Papists but in effect it prooues as aduerse to the Primitiue as to the Popish Church And whereas the Church of England cutting off such corruptions as crept in vpon her in declining ages hath retained many of the Sacred Rites and Ceremonies which the ancient Church had yet she is also cunningly stricken at through the Papists sides with so much the more danger by how much the more craft and close subtiltie it is done Therefore let this be the first Argument of all the rest to prooue that Casaubon neither was nor could be the Author of this Booke For who was it that euer reuerenced the gray haires of Antiquitie more then hee Who euer without iniuring the holy Scriptures â—steemed more highly of the ancient Fathers And for the Church of England what should I neede to speake of iâ— whose Doctrine and Discipline Rites and Ceremonies hee did so much approoue and embrace that hee could neuer seeme to himselfe to haue commended and magnified it enough Though there were none of his workes and writings left behind him out of which it might be gathered and demonstrated what his mind was herein yet there be many graue and religious men still liuing whom I could call to witnesse how often they haue heard him professe and declare at large that he was thus affected But there will be no neede of that seeing his owne Bookes are euery where extant to confirme it For howsoeuer hee had neuer any occasion offered him purposely and ex professo to handle this Argument yet seeing all his Workes that belong to matters Ecclesiasticall and Diuine haue nothing in them not onely contrary or auerse from the vse and customes of this Church but what is altogether agreeable to the Canons and Constitutions of the samâ— and which as occasion is offered doe euer and anon defend them the intelligent Reader will easily perceiue how willingly hee submitted himselfe vnto the Forme thereof rested wholly content with it And for this purpose there are not wanting most certaine proofes and testimonies occurring in many places of his writings which will be enough to stop vp the mouthes of the most impudent gain-sayers As when in his Preface to his Ecclesiasticall Exercitations written to his Sacred Maiestie he saith Qui Ecclesiam habeas in tuis Regnis partim iam olim ità institutam partim magnis tuis laboribus ità instauratam vt ad floreÌ„tis quondam Ecclesiae formam nulla hodiè propius accedat quà m tua inter uel excessu vel defectu peccantes mediam uiam secuta Quâ moderatione â—oc primum assecuta est Ecclesiâ— Anglicana ut illi ipsi qui suam ei foelicitatem inuident saepe tamen ex aliarum comparatione illam cogantur laudare deinde c. that is Who haue in your Dominions a Church so established by former ages and so setled by your Maiesties Royal paines and care as no Church this day under heauen comes neerer to the flourishing estate and face of the Ancient then yours which hath taken the middle way betweene them that went astray on both handes by excesse or defect By which moderation the Church of ENGLAND hath got this speciall aduantage that euen such as enuy her happinesse are neuerthelesse oftentimes constrained to magnifie her in comparison of others Besides c. Whereunto these words agree in his Epistle to Cardinall Perron written though in his Maiesties name yet according to his owne sence and meaning Certò clarè ac liquidò sibi constare si notae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quaerantur uerè necessaria ad salutem spectentur aut etiam ad decorum Ecclesiae nullam in orbe terrarum Deo vni sit laus gloria inuentum iri quae propius ad fidem aut speciem antiquae Catholicae accedat c. That it was most plaine and manifest unto him how for matters essentiall and truly necessary to saluation or belonging also to the beauty and decency of the Church there was God be thanked none in all the world to be found which came neerer to the faith and face of the ancient Catholike Church c. It wil not be amisse here to set downe his
iudgement about some certain Rites and Ceremonies which as occasion serued he wrote and inserted into his Ephemerides from whence what hee thought of all others in that kinde may be easily coniectured Octob. 31. An. 1610. Diem sacram non malè posui Dei beneficio sum enim inuitatus bodiè ut interessem sacris quae factasunt ad consecrandos Episcopos duos Scotos Archiepiscopum Scotiae Vidi illos Ritus Impositionem manuum Preces in eam rem O Deus quanta fuit mea uoluptas Tu Domine Iesu serua hanc Ecclesiam Catharis qui ista rident da bonam mentem God be thanked I haue spent this Holy day well For I was this day inuited to be present at the sacred sâ—lemnities of the Consecration of the Archâ—ishop and two other Bishops of Scotland I saw the Ceremâ—nies the Imposition of hands and the Prayers made for that purpose O God what apleasure it was to me to behold it Preserue thou this Church O Lord Iesu and turne the hearts of the Puritans that deride such things as these Ian. 4. An. 1611. Gratias tibi Domine quod hodiâ— ad sacram mensam sum admissus Corporis Christi sanguinisâ— factus sum particeps in Ecclesiâ Anglicanâ cuius Formulam heri diligenter meditatus admodum probaui ordinem agendi mirâ— laudaui prae receptâ apud alios consuetudine Thankes bee to thee O Lord that I was this day admitted vnto thy Holy Table and made partaker of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Church of England the Forme of which Administration hauing read it ouer yesterday I did highly approoue and commend aboue that custome which others vse And not onely these things which concerne the Church of England but those also wherein hee had to doe with our Aduersaries alone doe sufficiently argue for his defence Euen by his whole manner and genius of writing euery body may knowe that the booke is none of his For who cannot tell with what great moderation and mildnesse Casaubon was euer wont to treat of Controuersies in Religion insomuch that many preposterous Puritanes out of their ignorant and mad zeale did blame him for it and from thence tooke occasion to suspect him more then they had reasoâ— to doe But this was the way that hee tooke and hee perswaded himselfe it was the best and safest way that could bee taken both for the finding out of trueth and the redresse of error to follow that path which meeknesse and moderation either led him or went along with him in without all affection or partiality either way supposing that such as tooke any other course did put pace in a dangerous and slippery path and put others further out of their way that were gone astray one from another Now if a man should run through the whole rout of Nouellers and diligently make inquiry into their writings I think there could not one bee found for furie and malice and bâ—tternesse against his Aduersaries to bee compared with this Counterfeit-Casaubon then whom neuer was any man more childishly and fondly in loue with his owne fancie or more bent to his faction It is but a small matter that he hath rail'd a little more bitterly then became a modest man against such things as were worthy of blame but so infinitely to bely his Aduersaries and to put such forged crimes and calumnies vpon them was vnsufferable specially in such an vndertaker for the Trueth of Christ Such manner of dealing with Aduersaries though it may be pleasing to some hotte fiery Zelotes whom learning neuer taught any modesty yet wiser men cannot but condemne it as being fitter to spoyle then to helpe or defend a good cause For if there beâ— strict Lawes prouided against such colluding pleaders that pretending to helpe a man do of purpose leaue out that which should most make for his cause and bring nothing but false allegations for his defence so to betray his right to his Aduersariesâ— what is to bee done with such vndertakers of Controuersiâ—s in Religion that either of purpose or through grosse ignorance let passe those Arguments that be solid and of greatest moment and come in with such idle poore reasons as euery childe may answer and blow away Ought not the same Law when the case is the same to be made against these men as betrayers of an honest and good cause What readier way then theirs can be imagined wholly to alienate our Aduersaries mindes from vs that being ouercome with the truth on our parts began somewhat to incline vnto vs Caius Fabritius is highly commended vnto vs by the writers of old times for his vertue and magnanimity in scorning to accept of that victory in a doubtfull battell which was offered him by the perfidie of a trecherous fellow And is it not a shame now adayes that Christians contending with Christians about the Trueth of Faith should vse lesse faith and conscience one towards another then the Pagans themselues were wont to doe who regarded nothing but their owne wordly praise and honour Can there then be any body so iniurious to Casaubon or so quite bereaued of his owne iudgement as to thinke these things that smell only of a furious Sycophant and a most impudent Calumniator could come from him FroÌ„ him I say Whose mildnesse and moderation in matters of Religion is so euident in all his writings that to take any paines to prooue it were but to waste time and to light a candle in the Sunne And howsoeuer it befits not the modestie of a sonne to contend about the learning of his Father yet I hope I may haue leaue without the breach of good manners to say that hee was no meere Blocke or such a one as had no good learning at all â—n him which let but be once granted mee and I doubt not of the good successe I shall haue in vindicating his name and estimation from these Hucksters handes that put this booke vpon him A booke which is so full of excessiue ignorance and stupiditie that whereas euery thing in it except a few scraps taken from others argue a most vnlearned writer there are many things besides which I wonder how they could come from a man that was sound in his senses if yet he is to be thought sound in his senses whom this pestilent madde puritanisme hath once possessed But I suppose the Reader expects that for the better confirmation of what we say we should produce some Examples out of the Booke it sâ—lfe concerning these things wherewith we haue all this while charged the Author of it It remaines therefore that we briefly runne the Booke ouer rather pointing at the places then vndertaking any refutation of them IN the first part of his Booke hee reckons vp all such things which either happened by occasion or were directly ordained by God in the olde Law hauing some mysticall or typicall signification in them as the Trees of Life and Death of
Knowledge of Good Euill the Rainebow the Feast of vnleauened Bread the cloudie Pillar that went before the Israelites in the day the flame of Fire that guided them in the night the diuision of the Red Sea the heauenly Manna the water that gushed out of the Rocke Oblations and Sacrifices of diuers sorts the Temple of Ierusalem the Priests vestments the water of clensing c. And all these he will haue to been no lesse truely and properly called Sacraments of the olde Testament then Circumcision and the Passeouer were in place whereof were instituted those two Sacraments of the new Testament Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord. I am not ignorant what a large signification the word Sacrament hath but neuer that I could learne were all these promiscuously accounted and reckoned vp among the number of Sacraments by the Fathers and while I weigh this mans words a little better I finde by most certaine confequence that his meaning and purpose was in making all Sacred Signes to be true Sacraments withall to make vs beleeue that the Sacraments of the New Testament are nothing else but meere naked Signes and Figures Neither is there any other meaning to be collected from him in all his passages about the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist For howsoeuer he would sometimes seeme to be farre of another minde when hee vseth the words really and truely yet he applies them no otherwise to the Sacred Symboles of the Supper then hee doeth to any of those Shadowes and Figures of the olde Law acknowledging no power in them of really exhibiting but of signifying onely as pag. 36. or really signifying at most as pag. 81. vpon which ground that is to say that there is no more vertue in the Eucharist then in those Signes he thinkes hee hath most learnedly and strongly confuted the new opinion of Transubstantiation a conceit otherwise most absurd and grosse because forsooth there was no Transubstantiation in the Tree of knowledge of Good and Euill none in the Manna or in the Rocke that flowed with water or in the brazen Serpent c. As if it were not easie to answere our Aduersaries truely out of S. Augustines owne wordes Prima Sacramenta cum suo aduentu Christus impleuisset ablata sunt alia sunt instituta uirtute maiora utilitate meliora actu faciliora numero pauciora The Sacraments of the olde Law being accomplished by the comming of Christ are taken away and others ordained in their place which be greater in power and efficacie better for our profit easier for performance and fewer in number But to make an end with him in this point His onely doctrine is That by faith wee doe really participate of the bodie and blood of Christ and be made one with himâ— and that the signes and symboles of this our coniunction and fellowship are in the Eucharist whereas wee doe not call them Signes onely but beleeue them further to be the very Instruments and Meanes of our Communion with Christ which is the same that the Primitiue Church teacheth the doctrine of the Church of England and the Beliefe of Is Casaubon as may be seene in his Exercitations and his Epistle to Card. Perron For them that haue such base and abiect thoughts of this diuine Sacrament it is no maruell if they can finde nothing to wonder at in it as this Scribler elsewhere doth grant and some do much more impudently aâ—â—irme but the godly Fathers being wont to call it tremendâ— Mysterium a Mystery ful of horror and dread would not haue vs once to thinke vpon so great a matter without a holv and sacred feare In his third Chapter going about to shew how from time to time the Signes Sacrifices of the old Law were depraued and subiect to corruption without any iudgement or discretion at all hee reckons vs vp a number of sins and offences of a farre different nature which neuerthelesse he will needs haue properly to belong vnto the Sacraments as the Loathing of Manna and the Peoples murmurring that followed the sinne of Achan the impiety of the sonnes of Heli the rash attempt of Uzzah and others the like among which Iephte's vow and Gedeon's garment are numbred for corruptions of Sacraments And hither hee referres that of 2. Kings 17. 17. Where the Israelites made their children to passe through the fire which this fellow calls Purgatorie Fire and saith that from it was deriued the opinion of the Alcoranists and Mahumetans at this day for Purgatory meaning by his Alcoranists the Papists of our times For so hee calls them else-where them and their Ritualls Durand's Alcoran Titelman's Alcoran c. In his Seuenth Chapter hee cites vs his Ecclesiasticall Commentaries and Pag. 50. hee sends vs vnto them againe T is very well Still haue wee the aduantage euery where matter enough to detect the fraud of these Impostors For whose soeuer these same Commentaries be sure I am they bee none of Casaubon's Hee neuer published neuer wrote any Ecclesiastical Commentaries But I am afraid lest these Commentaries and those of Elasopolitanus bee twinnes out of which the Author of this booke himselfe confesseth he had euery thing to make vs vp this Pamphlet such as it is What these Commentaries of Elasopolitan are I thinke no body yet euer knew or is like to know being at least so vnknowne and vnheard of as the very name of the man seemed strange and monstrous to all learned mens eares that I could meete withall In the same Chapter among the superstitious Ceremonies of Baptisme heretofore brought into the Church he numbreth vp Chrisme Exsufflation and Exorcismes which though they were not vndeseruedly taken away by the Church of England when they began to bee abused vnto ridiculous superstition yet inasmuch as they be knowne to haue been of very great Antiquity it was not the part of a modest man to raile vpon them for abominable things specially as they were vsed in the Primitiue Church Certainely the old godly Fathers S. Cyrill S. Baâ—il S. Ambrose S. Augustine and others a little better Doctors of Religion and Piety I trow then our new vpstart Zelotes would neuer haue admitted or allowed them if as this man affirmes they had been first inuented to adulterate the true vse and prime Institution of Baptisme And for Casaubon it is not likely that hee would euer haue giuen any such censure of these Ceremonies against the manner and custome of the ancient Fathers whom how much he reuerenced hee hath elsewhere made knowne in matters of greater moment But wee must not here let passe this one most notorious example of the sencelesse stupidity and malignitie both of this lewd and idle writer Wherefore O you Missalians saith the man haue you foisted in oyles into the holy Sacrament of Baptisme imitating herein the hereâ—ie of Marcus and Marcosus who commanded that Infants to bee baptized should bee anointed In his Margin hee
Cyprian and S. Augustine say of it they that know any Antiquitie cannot be ignorant Againe hee tells vs that from this Custome their Abuse sprung vp who steeped the bread of the holy Supper in the blood of young infants and so celebrated the Sacrament What a most detestable wickednes of a man is this to ioyne the monstrous impietie of lewd miscreants that went for Christians indeede among the vnskilfull multitude but were nothing lesse the vniuersall practise of Christs Church together and to ascribe the wickednesse of heretickes to innocent and harmelesse men So the Pagans of olde what villanie soeuer any base fellow that was but thought to be a Christian had done they were wont to lay it vpon the true Christians themselues as the Writers of those elder ages haue so often complained But so true is it that this wicked bloodshed of infants sprang from the Custome of the Churches mingling water with wine whereof hee makes Alexander to haue beene the first Inuenter as that many of better authoritie then hee fetch the beginning of it from Simon Magus who was a whole hundred yeeres elder then Alexander And it was this Alexander also whom he makes to be the Reuiuer of Iewish Ceremonies in the Church and the first Inuenter of unleauened bread to be vsed in the Eucharist A wonder the man should be no more afraid of the Allobrogicall Consistory the Tribunall seat at Geneua where the same bread according as the olde custome was is vsed at this day In his ninth Chapter to mak◠〈◊〉 way for that which was to follow like a wise fore-caster hee begins to treat of the Religion and Rites of the ancient Romane people which Argument hee handleth iust like himselfe hauing no more knowledge in Antiquitie then what he could get from Bâ—ondâ—â— and Alexander and such other late Writers whom he cites euery where for antiquitie as witnesses beyond all excepâ—â—on yet for this hee is to bee commended though for nothing else that he doeth so ingenuously acknowledge his good Benefactors But how well this kinde of writing agrees with Casaubon to depend wholly vpon new Writers and neglect the olde let them say that are fit iudges in these matters But it made altogether for his purpose to explicate the Paynim Rites and Ceremonies of the Romans froÌ„ whence hee vndertaketh to deduce the whole Masse and to conuince it of Paganisme For his vndertaking let honest and moderate men iudge how laudable it is I know hee is not the first or at least the onely man that hath attempted it there haue beene those that would needes fetch the whole Religion of the Papists both in Faith and Ceremonies from Turks Pagans But sure I am that any such thought was very odious to Casaubon who was neither so inept to beleeue any such thing himselfe nor so malignant to perswade other men to it Which I speake not as if I meant to excuse the many and detestable superstitions of Popery no such matter But it is one thing faithfully to reduce errors and corruptions vnto their prime beginnings which many excellent men haue with great felicitie vndertaken and another shamefully to detort and bitterly to exaggerate all things for the bringing of them into hatred which the Author of this Booke hath most impudently done aboue all others that euer belaboured themselues in this kind And seeing the Church of England hath retained many things in her publike Liturgie that were before in the Romane Missall the one cannot altogether be accused of Paganisme without the opprobrious iniury of the other But wee said euen now and it is too manifest that this Pamphlet is in most things repugnant to the Church of England We will briefly point at some of them In the eighth Chapter The keeping of Lent is reckoned vp among those ordinances that be contrary to Christs precept Temples that beare the names of Saints are scorned and taunted at as if they were built to the honour of men and not to the worship of God Praying towards the East and the situation of Churches that way are condemned for inuentions of superstitious heretickes The Titles of Father and Reuerend Father which we vse to giue vnto Ecclesiasticall persons are traduced as being deriued from the custom of the Gentiles Confirmation of children is hoâ—ted at as the fond deuice of idle men that had nothing elâ—e to doe Through the Popes sides all distinction of Order in the Church is pulled apieces and a paritie of Eâ—aâ—gelicall Ministers set vp and maintained as Ius Diuinum The vse of a Surplice in performance of Diuine Seruice hee deriueth from the idolatrous Egyptians and againe those that brought it first into the Church hee sayth plainely were men inspired with the spirit of Numa Pompilius whom hee is eueâ— and anon calling the Magicianâ— All the Furniture and Ornaments of the Church as vessels of siluer Hangings and Tapisteries are condemned and scorned The vse of Musicke as well uocall as instrumentall in the time of Diuine Seruiceâ— hee doeth most reprochfully raile at affirmes that Numa the Magician and not the Bishops of Rome was the first bringer of it into Churches Dispensations for plâ—ralities of Benefices are but an old renewed custome of the Romane Idolaters with him and no Constitution of Christians And these with such other like monstrous absurdities he is not onely so impudent to affirme but he will needs betray and shew such great ignorance alâ—o to confirme them with reasons that a man cannot tell at what he should wonder most his ignorance or his impudence As for example first bringing that which wee alledged last of all concerning Dispensations and auouching them to haue come from the Romans he saith Ouer these Benefices the high Pontife had usurped a power to giue dispensation to whom he would for the holding of two together as in I itus Liuius it is related of Fabius Maximus who by a dispensation helde two Benefices when hee was created Pontife more then 200. before the Incarnation of â—esus Christ. These things to be spoken by a Pagan after the manner of our own times who would not marueile at But in Liuie there is no such matter Hee speakes not one word of a Dispensation That Fab. Maximus of whom Liuie here writes was neuer any Pontife neither but died when he was young Indeed his Father Q. Fab. the elder was said to haue had two Priesthoods as they call'd them of two kinds nothing like one anotherâ— but not two places or two preferments in the same kinde of Priesthood Forsooth the same man was Augur and Pontife too And not to tell you what Plutarch saith that the name Augur was no title of Magistracie or dignity but of Art and knowledge onely Liui's words are Eodem anno Quin. Fabius moritur c. Augur in eius locum inauguratus est Quin. Fabius Max filius in eiusdem locum Pâ—ntifexâ— nam duo