that there is more of the Old City than of the Ancient Church in Rome Lastly If the Papal Supremacy be so absolutely necessary to Christ's Kingdom here on Earth Whether the Cardinals be not strange Men that they by their long Janglings and Disputes upon a Vacancy and at an Election should so long debar him from the Administration of that Power by his Vicar And whether it be not more suitable to a Monarchy that suffers no Interregnum And consequently since Rex Angliae non moritur The King of England is said not to dye according to our Law whether the King be not according to the 37th Article the Supreme Governour in all Causes Ecclesiastical and Civil in all his Dominions and whether the Bishop of Rome hath or ought to have any Jurisdiction in any of them At this a Jesuit stood up and looking earnestly upon some newly proselyted Papists Regard not said he what any prating Heretick of them all says Have we not made you sufficiently sensible that all the Protestant Religion is an Innovation that King Henry the 8th a mere Julian was the first that apostatiz'd from the Holy Catholick Faith the first that arrogated to himself the Pope's incommunicable Dignity of being Head of the Church 'T is false replyed one of the Church of England King Henry the 8th onely reassum'd what some of his Predecessours own'd what none of them ever could or any of his Successours ever can give away from the Crown of England But the Papal Supremacy is an Usurpation and an Innovation too 't was never heard of in the World untill above 600 Years after Christ nay Pope Boniface the 3 d was the first that ever pretended to be the Vniversal Bishop The Christians in * Tertull. ad Scap. cap. 2. Tertullians's time acknowledg'd the Emperour to be Hominem a Deo secundum solo Deo minorem And †Opt. Lib. 3. Optatus has the same Strain Super Imperatorem non est nisi solus Deus qui fecit Imperatorem What need I mention what Cyril and Chrysostome and Gregory the Great and Pope Agatho have clearly and plainly said and written upon this Point you have been told often enough nay in that Council which you call the Eighth General Council the Emperour Basilius publickly professeth none of the Bishops contradicting him * Epag Basilii in Conc. quod vocat Act. 8. 1. Gubernacula Ecclesiasticae navis sibi a Deo commissa That the Government of the Church was committed to him by God There was no reply made of a long time for a great bustle that was among the Papists at last three or four lusty Fellows came dragging in a mighty tall Statua almost resembling the old Image of St. Christopher in Nostre Dame in Paris he held in his Hand a long Scroll which was a Catalogue of all the Popes and was hung from Head to Foot with all manner of old fashion'd Trumpery Before it march'd an aged Hermit with a Scyth in his Hand and looking upon the Protestants as if he would have mowed them down at once Ye base Innovatours cryed he that have troubled the World with new Doctrines where was your Religion before Luther See here the ancient and undeniable Records of ours see here the infallible Traditions of many Ages by which we clearly know that we profess the same Fundamental Truths the first Martyrs asserted who were so very old that their Beards help'd to burn them and which none but a Company of new fangled Hereticks in the last Century ever denyed Good Father grey-Beard replyed Bishop Montague don 't think to afright us out of our Senses with an old Worm-eaten Idol over-run with Cobwebs you might as well have brought a Tom of Bedlam with the Luggage of the Gibeonites to prove the Antiquity of your Doctrines as this old wither'd Hercules for assure your self we cannot onely prove them the spurious Inventions of your Cabalistical Innovatours but we can tell you the very Time and Occasions of the introducing every one of them into the Christian Church we have not onely the Scriptures Fathers and Councils maintaining all the grounds of the Protestant Religion according to the Reformation of our Church of England but before it even in the darkest days of Popery we meet with many the learned'st Men that those Ages afforded inveighing against the Corruptions both in Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of Rome as Robert Grosthead Bishop of Lincoln William Occham John Gerson Picus Mirandula Hierom Saveranola Hus and Hierom the Followers of Waldo and in the Year 1260 Nicholas Gallique wrote a Book upon that Subject entituled the Fiery Dart But since we cannot convince you of the Antiquity of Protestantism we will be so complemental for this once as to allow Popery to be older than Christianity it self it is no difficult thing to prove several of your Legends out of Livie and Valerius Maximus what a dull Theologue was Lipsius not to remember that several of the fine Stories he tells concerning our * Just â—ips de Virg. Hallu cap 6. Lady at Hall were long before recorded of the †Val. Max. lib. 1. cap 8. Statua of Claudia plac'd in the Temple of the Mother of the Gods the speaking and Miracles of Images are all Ethnick Illusions and the friskings of Monkish Puppets the Artificial Contrivances of Heathenish Oracle-mongers many of your Saints are slipt into places of Trust held by the old Deities but I wonder that since Diana had so noble an Office as to hunt the Stag and the Wild-Bore that St. Gertrude should get no better Preferment in your Legends than that of a paltry Rat-catcher But we will talk no more of the Antiquity of your Religion As for that Jesuit who boasts so much of it although he is the greatest Innovatour amongst you yet rather than fail upon occasion he can learnedly prove his own Order to be the eldest as well as the richest in the World nay contemporary with the very Hivites and Perizzites for Numb 26. 44. we reade Of Jesui the Family of the Jesuits He had a great deal more to say to them but that he was interrupted with a great Crowd and Noise of Clergy-men coming in from all parts of the Kingdom who made great Complaints against the Presbyterians and other Dissenters for that they in a time when the Government both in Church and State was in such danger by reason of the Papists were then more ungovernable restless and insolent than at any other time and indeed so it plainly appeared for those there present began to be troublesome and mutinous pretending great Fears of Popery but levelling all their Invectives against Persons the most remarkable for Loyalty and Conformity and clamouring for a speedy Reformation of I do not know what holding a great many Seditious Pamphlets in their Hands complaining railing petitioning threatning which when the Papists observed they very cunningly slipt away well knowing that they had too much alarm'd
Cardinals and Jesuits to burn them in Effigie in remembrance of the execrable Design of the Jesuits on the 5th of November it was very pleasant to hear the Porters out-rail the Factious Preachers and to see the Rabble warming themselves in the flaming Relicts of the Beast fancying the Whore of Babylon a kind of old Witch that was put to pain with the burning her Imps but I was most of all surprized to see a great many Papists in disguise as active and chearfull as any of the Company untill I perceived that although the Pope was burnt in Effigie yet several Protestants of the Church of England were the Persons that were aimed at to be sacrificed in Propriis Personis So that I withdrew as fast as I could but by the way I had a Copy of Verses put into my Hands which because they came from the warm Fancy of some Zealous Mongrel design'd for a Post of a Conventicle I have here set down as a Specimen of his Future Hopes Upon the Gun-Powder Treason Tell me the Man that can divulge the Traitour That under-ground did build this damn'd Theatre Had but this Plot stay'd untill to Morrow We had been like to Sodom and Gomorrah Iron Bars Gun-Powder Faggots and Deal Board They heapt up for to destroy thy People O good Lord. Whilst I was laughing with my Companion and descanting upon these Lines I wondred to see such a sudden and strange Change in the vast Multitude there met together the common People as if weary of idle Tumults began quietly to retire to their Business the Romish Priests sculk'd about and betray'd a world of Despair in their Looks the Fanaticks had put on their Suffering Complexions and look'd as heavy as smoak'd Beef so the People being dispersed some of the Company had unfortunately drop'd a strange new-fashion'd Idol which had a Belt on upon which was embroidered in Letters of Bloud the Association Good Lord what striving their was to keep it from being at first seen as if it had been the Cub of some hopefull Basilisk There was a small Company of the new-instituted Order of St. Ignoramus great Reformers of the third Commandment who proferr'd to wash their Hands in scalding Lead to swallow Fire and Brimstone and to doe harder things than the trial of the Ordeal to testify its Innocency nay its very non Entity But when that would not doe a couple of Foreigners endeavoured to take Possession of two considerable Forts that they might protect it and in order to that they would have accepted of the Votes of their very Country Puppets in Rare-Showes but all in vain for a numerous Company of Loyal and true hearted Englishmen broke in upon them and being made sensible of the several un-christian Artifices both of the Papists and Fanaticks to alter and destroy the establish'd Government lay'd their several Addresses at his Sacred Majestie 's Feet wherein they Religiously vow and promise to defend it At this time there came a Gentleman to me and pulling me by the Sleeve That our Fears and Jealousies said he might for ever vanish and our future Peace and Prosperity be real and lasting not onely the Loyal and true-hearted Nobility Gentry and Commonalty of the Realm but the Learned Clergy too are now doing their utmost endeavours to confute the Principles as well as prevent the Practices both of Papists and Fanaticks and if you will go along with me you shall see them as pleasantly baffled and exposed as your Heart can imagine or desire We went untill we came to a stately Theatre like that at Oxford wherein I was infinitely pleased to see such a number of Learned Writers of the Church of England on one hand of them sate those who had written in defence of the Romish Doctrines on the other sate Smectymnuus with many more late Writers of the Presbyterians The Solemnity began with Consorts of Musick and an Anthem sung by those of the Church of England the Subject of it was the Gun-Powder Treason the Martyrdom of King Charles the First and the Birth and Return of King Charles the Second which because it was in a strein something differing from that of our late Poet I have here set down Novemb. the 5th I. The Law came down and spoke Of Old in Fire and Smoak The terrible Thunder from around it broke Sure those Wretches vow'd To send up one as loud With the Law-giver in a smoakie Cloud Had our meek Moses gone To God and left us here alone Streightway some Calves as God's had sate Calves which Rome's Bulls would have begat How soon should we Have lost our new got Liberty And strangely have slidden back to th' old Idolatry Januar. the 30th II. Oh wondrous strange it was decreed That the Great Charles should bleed Not burn that Trial he Alas Did'scape because he was a worse to pass The Quintessence of Inhumanity Charles Ah! Charles that Sacred Name Our Pride and yet Eternal Shame Had'st thou an Infant Martyr been None had the Glory of thy setting seen Immortal Honour was design'd to Thee A Free-Will Offering to be So the Child Jesus was preserv'd From Herod's Cruelty Sad Bethlehem Massacre And for Mount Calvary reserv'd Chorus Long may we sing God save the King The Royal Martyr's Son By Wonders plac'd upon his Father's Throne Traytours in vain their Plots do lay Traytours do but themselves betray In vain their Treacherous Foes their Malice show His Crown of Light shall ne'er wax old His e'er will flourish that 's of Gold Charles now triumphs above Charles now triumphs below As soon as the Anthem was ended one in long Scarlet Robes stood up and turning to the Papists said Since so many Grave and Reverend Divines of the Church of England have so frequently confuted the Doctrines and Positions of your Church of Rome and yet you still perservere in your perfidious and rebellious Practices We therefore demand that the Fundamental Principles of such fatal Bigottry may be here openly exposed that the World may know what ridiculous Consequences and foolish Absurdities those Opinions are subject to for which you so zealously disturb the Peace of Christendom and give such occasion of Scandal to Turks and Infidels The Papists were so provok'd that they soon accepted the Challenge for immediately a Lane was made among them to give way for a Monster much like a Chinese Hieroglyphick in Kirker with a great many Hands Feet and Eyes and a Head representing the Terrestrial Globe on the top of which stood a Cupola As soon as one of our Church saw it he cryed out it is not lawfull to bring Briareus into a Christian Assembly Briareus said one of the Papists know you not that by this Emblem we represent the Universality of the Church of Rome do not you know that the Bishop of Rome is the Vniversal Bishop of the whole Catholick Church No replyed he I know it no more than the Pope of Rome Gregory the Great did not
Greg. Epist lib. 6. cap. 3. know it he detested it as a Symptome of Antichrist and Phocas who bestowed it upon Pope Boniface did not doe it untill he had an occasion to bestow his Master the Emperour Mauritius in the other World But now said he you may plainly see it with your Eyes look you there there is the Globe of the whole Earth of which the Pope is the Lord and Governour 't is true you Hereticks wander in some little bye Places as in England and in some petty Hans-Towns of Germany but his Authority is extended over all the World all the Indies acknowledge him all Italy France Spain Poland Hungaria Transylvania Gallicia Valentia Granada Andalusia Hold Hold Sir cryed he if you should stumble o'er the Straits Mouth you will beat out your Brains against Hercules's Pillars Pray let us examine this Monster 's Noddle what a grievous bruise has Martin Luther given him with his High Dutch Knuckles he has broken I do not know how many Degrees of Longitude and Latitude all Great Britain is quite beat out and the Low-Countries are so sunck in that I believe he must be trepan'd before he can recover in short the Protestants are almost as numerous as the Papists But suppose we grant him that thumping Appellation why did Pope Paul the 5th in his Bull wherein he excommunicated Queen Elizabeth use that sneaking Title of Servant of Servants your Triple Servant He should have sent a good deep-mouth'd Nuncio that should have stretch'd his Muzzle to the uttermost and have roar'd like a crack of Thunder among the Alpes and have cryed Paolo quinto Papa Monarcha di Regno di Vaticano Segnor del mondo supremo santissimo Vmano magistrato c. This would have conjur'd down all the Protestants and have put them into such a trembling Fit that they would have shak'd all their Heresie out of the Knees of their Breeches this would have better suited him who is the most serene and invincible Sultan of Contradictions the Grand-Seignior of all Mental Reservations and Equivocations the Sophi of Legends and Romances the Great Mogul of Indulgences the Czar of Holy Impostures and Pious Cheats the Great Cham of the Inquisition c. Hold Sir cryed one of the Papists this is Railery and Abuse 't is as true replyed he as that the Pope is Vniversal Bishop let him but keep within his own Diocese and not meddle any more with the Rights of Sovereign Kings and Princes and there is no body that I know of will be so ready to complement him from the Artick to the Antartick Pole for the Future But we hope cryed several of them you will allow our Church to be the Catholick Church For this word Catholick there has been much scrambling these many Years replyed he and you have taken much pains to monopolize it to your See of Rome in order to which for the great number of humane Hereticks whom you excommunicate you take all manner of Beasts Fowles and Fishes into the Pale of your Church St. Francis first converted the Birds and then afterwards he fully convinc'd and satisfied a Wolf that had a very tender Conscience nor was he the onely Apostle to the Brutes but the Bishop Book of Conf. p. 114. of Canaglion managed as difficult a Diocess in the Year 1593 for he Catholickly accused the Fishes so that afterwards they without all doubt believed the Doctrine of Holy Water St. Bernard in a Fit of Popery is reported by * Pet. de Nat. in vit Bern. Petrus de Natalibus to have excommunicated the Flies and therefore several Species of Creatures observing that all Regular Orders had put themseves under the Protection of some considerable Saints have likewise listed themselves the Dogs under St. Hubert a Huntsman the Horses under St. Loys their Ostler-General and because the Geese once preserved the Capitol there was an Order from the Vatican that St. Feriol should take care of them And so said he I hope we are all satisfied as to the Vniversality of the Romish Church pray set forth the Antiquity of it Upon this all the Papists desired that they might save that Argument untill the last fancying that it gathered strength every Moment and desired the Assembly to take into their consideration the Vnity of their Church and the Supremacy of the Pope as for the Protestants cryed one of them they are divided into as many Factions as there are days in the Year and make an Anarchy of the Kingdom of Grace but the Roman Catholicks are all united under one Head the Pope so making the true Hierarchy of the Holy Catholick Church Upon this one of the Church of England stood up and said as for our Church it has no more to doe or answer for the Factions among Protestants than yours nor so much neither when did ever any Minister of the Church of England preach the Doctrines of Fanaticks to promote its Interest when did any of them ever preach that which in their Consciences they knew to be a Lye for the sake of the Truth and if you look into your own you will find those Divisions which never were in our Church as the differences betwixt the Dominicans and Franciscans betwixt the Jansinists and Mollinists which have been continued with the greatest heats imaginable 't is true the Pope hath sometimes interposed his Authority but to no great purpose but where was the Papal Authority in the days of the Anti-Popes or what will become of it if the Jesuits gain their designs will all other Orders acknowledge the Papal Authority if the Jesuits confine it to their own the Church of England can never be subject to such a Fatal Division so long as the King of England is acknowledged to be in all Causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil Supreme Governour As for the Pope's Supremacy that has been so sufficiently pelted with good Greek and Latin by many of these Learned Authours that I will onely humbly drop a few Queries concerning it at this time First then We desire to know Whether our Saviour ever granted it to St. Peter Secondly Whether the present Pope be his Successour Thirdly Suppose it was granted to St. Peter Whether there was any need of forging the Donation of Constantine afterwards Fourthly If it was granted to St. Peter because he first confess'd him to be Christ the Son of the living God Whether Pope Leo the 10th had any right to it for saying to Cardinal Bembo * Crispinus Quantum nobis nostrique ea de Christo fabula prosuerit satis est omnibus secuâ— notum Fifthly we desire to know whether any Bishoprick in Christendom remaining can shew a Succession so disordered and corrupted as that of Rome Not to mention their strange Schisms let any Person but consider the Stratagems and impious Intrigues of the Conclave the Factions of the Nepotism contrary to that Solemn Oath they take enough to make Angels tremble and he will conclude
Antichristian neither Name or Office one Instance for a thousand and that from the Reformed Churches Oecolampadius who Reformed the Church of Basil is stiled Bishop upon his Tomb which your Reformation had certainly demolish'd That Arch-Bishop Laud had no such Design as you speak of your Brother Fisher that Trent Presbyter can testify although he smiles to think that after you had confuted him with the Axe you should reform Lambeth-House into a Prison and a Dancing-School at once representing a Popish Inquisition and a Carnival too But since your main Argument that moved the People to assist you in your blessed Reformation was that the Liturgy of the Chuch was Popish I will tell you if you 'll keep it to your self that you either knew not what Popery was or else had a mind to bring it in the Fool and the Knave are both in the Case chuse which you will 't is certain that by the great number of Papists that were in the Parliament Army by the long delay of Assistance to be sent to the distressed Protestants in Ireland you were more intent upon the ruine of the Church of England than of Rome But pray what is Popish in the Liturgy All of it replyed they and therefore ought to be reformed * Preface to the Directory All the several burthensome Ceremonies 't was made a mere Idol lip-Labour and a great Hinderer of the preaching the Word Pray Gentlemen said he again since you quote the Publick Faith let me ask you one question Are the Responses in the Liturgy Popish and may not the Church of England enjoyn them No no replyed they they are not of Apostolical Institution How then cryed he came it to pass that the Assembly should order * Of Singing of Psalms Directory pag. 83. the reading the Singing Psalms Line by Line to the People Is that of Apostolical Institution Or are Sternhold and Hopkins of greater Authority than all the Fathers of the Church There is enough written by learned Pens to prove the Significancy Usefulness Innocency and Antiquity of the Ceremonies of the Church to satisfy every Objection and Scruple of yours before-hand but if that cannot doe you might a little reflect upon what followed your Reformation of them You abolish'd all those excellent Prayers for the King and the Church but how did yours you put in the room of them prevail to procure either his Honour or its good Estate You pretended to reform the Sabbath to a Pharisaical Strictness but the first general Battel was fought on the 23 d of October at Edghill on the Sunday wherein with five shot made at the King's Army you bid him Battel and then having abolish'd Holy-days even Christmas day it self which you made a Fast you sanctified your own first Thanksgiving-day with a leud Lie You took away the Order of Christian Burial and indeed there was little occasion for it when you preach'd so many at a time to the Sword that it could be no more used than in a Pestilence and moreover you being to set Christ upon his Throne on Earth could not comply with that Prayer that He would hasten the Kingdom of Glory Item You took away the Cross in Baptism and afterwards sold your Fellow-Christians to Turks and Barbarians among whom they must receive either the Badg of Slavery or Infidelity You altered the Form of Marriage and afterwards 't was solemniz'd by a sort of Bassa's in the very Livery of the Scarlet Whore In short you debauch'd the People with Superstitious Fears which made them fly into a wicked Rebellion and they were afterwards as unjustly hang'd up in Bundles for the Sin of Witchcraft Thus did ye involve the Nation in infinite Guilt and they were punish'd with Judgments shadowing or reflecting their Sins nor did ye your selves escape a retaliating Justice being severely chastised by that very Cromwell whom ye first set up in the House of Commons to be such a Stickler against Dr. Neal for a Defender of Arminianism and Popery At this they all fell a crying Ah Lard Lard 't was Covenant-breaking that brought all these Evils upon us and upon this Nation 'T was so indeed replyed he ye broke the first Covenant with your Prince in the oath of Allegeance by introducing the Solemn League which brought in the Engagement which brought in the Devil and all his Works He had no sooner spoken but there was a Fellow in a Red-Coat got into the Pulpit and playing as many Tricks as a Turkish Dervice upon a Moschite railed against the Presbyterian Reformation calling it * Goodwin 's twelve Cautions pag. 5. Rough Froward Peremptory Imperious c. which †Discovery of Sectaries pag. 26. Edwards observing All sorts of Mechanicks said he take upon them to preach as Smiths Taylors Shoemakers Pedlars Weavers A peculiar People truly replyed he you complained that the Liturgy of the Church of England was a great Hinderer of the preaching the Word I hope you have now enough of it But why should you find fault with a Red-Coat when as your warlike Doctrine could not endure a White one and besides these are but your Journey-men in Divinity your Scribes and Amanuenses whom you have taught all the Tricks of Sanctified Legerdemain and if they have out-done you in your own Trade you know that all Arts improve What and if they have not so much Learning as you yet they are arrived to such a pitch of Mystical Gibberish and Edifying Nonsense that they are more powerfull with the People than your selves although you first taught them to justle out the Prayers in the known Language by your unintelligible Cant and cramp Exorcisms and this was driving away Popery But Gentlemen let me ask you a question Is it not a main Artifice of the Popish Priests to keep the People zealously ignorant Is it not as easy to compose a thing in English of which the common People shall understand every single word and yet not know the meaning or Connexion of any whole Sentence as 't is to make some Lines in Spanish words which put together shall be true Latin the very Language of the Beast 'T is certainly as easy since ye have mix'd and balderdash'd the sacred Style with barbarous Expressions and made every thing ye do not like to be either Antichrist or the Whore of Babylon But moreover 't is very remarkable that ye had a fine way of amusing the Rabble with ends of Hebrew let me tell you that Mr. Herbert Thorndike as learned a Rabbi as any of you observes in his Book of Religious Assemblies from the Commentaries under St. Ambrose's Name that those who would needs speak in strange Languages Pag. 351. in the Church were of the Hebrews and Irenaeus Lib. 1. c. 8. tells that the Marcosians at the Ministration of Baptism used some Hebrew words to astonish the Minds of the Ignorant I cannot say that you directly design'd to bring in flat down right Popery as you call