The least thought of what hath beene said lights up a Candle to shew the truth hereof which no blast of Puritane mouthes set against it is able to blow out though Boreas had made his bellowes in their Cheekes Sure wee are by that which hath beene said that Churches were built and made with the very Cradle of Christianity and when they were made they were consecrated For a man may as lawfully and Christianly administer the blessed Sacrament in a Barne or Towne-Hall as in any place that is not Consecrated to such holy uses And when the Church was Consecrated was not the Altar the chiefest place which with most ceremony and devotion was hallowed when it was hallowed was it not kept more carefully from prophanation than any other part of the Church Levita eligatur sayes Saint Ambrose qui Sacrarium custodiat not the Vestry onely but the Altar belonged to his care Was there not a feast annually kept in a joyfull remembrance of the dedication of every Church and did not the Consecration of the Altar carry the name of that feast doth not St. Augustine say my brethren you know right well that to day consecrationem Altaris celebramus was not the Altar set and fixed in the most eminent place of al the Church The Readers Tribunall stood in the body of the Church in loco editiori in a place exalted above the rest there But was not the Altar set in Sacrario or Sancto Sanctâ—rum in the highest place of all whereunto the Priest ascended by certaine steppes and degrees and when they did so ascend were there not Psalmes of degrees sung called for that cause Graeduals were not tythes of greatest sanctity given to the Altar was it not the only place whither none but Priests might be allowed to come to officiate was not the holy Eucharist there and no where else Consecrated Durst the Priests themselves ascend thither without doing lowly reverence three severall times Was not this holy Altar and the mysteries thereof at some time kept rayled from the eyes of most men doth not KING Edward the 6th call it Sacro-sanctum Altare in his writ to the Bishop doth not Saint Nyssex say Altare hoc Sanctum c. this holy Altar at which we stand is in his owne nature no more but a stone such as our houses are made of but being Consecrated and Dedicated benedictionem accepit and is become meâ—sa Sancta Altare immaculatum quod non ampliâ—s ab omnibus sed à solis sacerdotibus iisque venerantibus contrectatur Veneration towards the Altar was then required and practised Doth not the most holy and blessed Archbishop as the fifth Councell calls him performe his low obeysance toward the holy Altar and exhort all others to doe the like doth hee noâ— say adoremus primum Sacro-sanctum Altare did not the reverence of holy Altars prevaile so farre with the furious Souldiers and barbarous Goths that in all humility they willingly fall down and kisse the holy Altar doth not Tertullian say that in his time Altars were had in that reverence that their Penitents used adgeniculare to fall downe upon their knees doth not St. Chrysostome say dum vides sublata vela tum cogita câ—elum ipsum sursum resâ—rari Angelosque descendere when the Curtaines are drawne by our hearts which even then we are bidden to lift up unto the Lord conceive heaven it selfe to be open to us when Iesus Christ is given to the faithfull Communicant who wee may be sure commeth not alone but with the blessed Spirit attended with his blessed Angels whom hee hath made ministring spirits for their good who shall bee heires of salvation Doth not the same Father say semper in Altari manere solet Christi Crux the Crosse of Christ alwayes used to stand upon the Altar doth not Beatus Rhenanus say out of Tertullian and Lactantius that in those times Christians had no other Images in their Churches praeterquam crucis signum super Aram adorientem versum ut mentem oculosque in coâ—lum ubi Pater est omnium erigerent espansis manibus but only the Crosse of Christ which stood upon the Altar And is it not also said that the Altar which stood in former Princes times continued in Queen Elizabeths Chappell with the Crosse upon it Doth not Bishop Iewell in the place cited by the Author confirme the greatest part of all that hath beene said And are these arguments that Altars crept into the Church If the Governours of the Church had come in to see the furniture of the Church as the good man of the house did to see his guests and had espied there an Altar amongst sundry other Consecrate things would they not at one time or other have questioned some or other for it and have said Friend how came this hither Neither the Altar nor his furniture are such guests or wedding garments as I look to find here and therefore doe you take it and cast it unto utter darknesse There it was bred and so crept in hither and there let it bee buried But the case yee see is quite otherwise they honour reverence and adore towards it for his sake whose Sacrament is Consecrated thereon And this is the first man that I can find that â—aith Altars crept into the Church And if he bee not I hope hee will discover himselfe and â—ell us by whom hee doth president himselfe I am sure not by Kings or Bishops Chappels or Cathedrall Churches or by any true Christian member of them But if Altars crept into the Church I would but know how he and I came in I will begin with my selfe I had my Ordination from Bishop Dove he had his Consecration from Archbishop Whitguift and the Archbishop his from the undoubted successors of Saint Peter and of our Saviour Christ Here is no creeping in all this And I perswade my selfe he crept not into his if he had orders in the Church of England If the Porter or Sexton had led him aside in the night into the Belfrey and had put what belongs to his custody into his hand and so he had stole up to the Chancell this had beene Creeping But Priests in our Church have their Ordination usually at the 4. tempora they prepare or ought to prepare themselves with Fasting and Prayer three dayes before and at the Ordination they kneel upon their knees before the holy Altar The Bishop and they pray before the holy Altar then is given imposition of hands before the holy Altar then the Bishop taketh the holy Gospels from the holy Altar and delivereth the same into the hands of him that is ordained who maketh solemne protestation before Almighty God meekely kneeling still upon his knees before the holy Altar and in the presence of the Bishop and the whole Congregation that hee will read these holy bookes c. Here is no creeping but this holy action is
Altâ—â—â— Christianum or The dead Vicars Plea Wherein the Vicar of Gr. being dead yet speaketh and pleadeth out of Antiquity against him that hath broken downe his Altar Presented and humbly submitted to the consideration of his Superiours the Governours of our CHURCH By IOHN POCâ—â—â—â—GTON D. D. Inâ—edige primò priùs coepisse populum Christianum quà m populum Iudâ—â—â—â—â— S. Ambros. de Sacr. l. 4. c. 3. 〈…〉 hoc Alâ—are subrâ—er◠〈◊〉 illum lapidibus obrueretis Chrysost. Hom. 53. ad Populum Antioch LONDON Printed by Richard Badger 1637. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER Good Christian Reader THere is lately come forth a Coale from the Altar and behinde it a Letter to the Vicar of Grantham The Author of either of these is to me utterly unknowne My speech therefore must needs be innocent and my personall reflections none at all Mr. Cotton is marked by the Coale to bee the Father of that Epistle This man I knew well in Cambridge to have humanity-learning of his owne And if I may know him by this Letter then I am sure hee hath taken his Divinity upon trust Hereby he hath made a double forfeiture of the Merchants faith and of his owne and laboured to his owne losse and theirs that beleeve in him if he make not both good It is twenty yeares and upward since he was translated from the body of Emanuel Colledge to be made a member of a new body severed from the ancient Clergy of England as King Iames of famous memory in his Directions speakes to become neither Parson Vicar nor Curat but Lecturer of Boston It is therfore hard to determine which of his Diocesans he doth personate in that Letter Wherefore this Quaere we must leave as the servants did the inquirie after him that had sowen tares and was stept aside to their Masters detection Their Master told them it was the envious man that had done it but named him not whereby they perceived that the apprehension of the malefactor concerned not them so much as the plucking up of the tares The case is ours The tares which the pen-man hath brought out of his treasures of late writers misunderstood the Authour of the Coale hath pluckt up What he hath fetcht from their Elders my endeavour by Gods assistance may in some part weede out Thus having brought you acquainted with my scope I betake my selfe and you both to God and the working of his grace farewell Syllabus Capitum OF Christian charity Of verity Which of the twaine is most to be regarded Which Pilate preferred Which obtaineth the prime place with the Pen-man of this Letter Of the Antiquity of Christians Altar in Scripture in the Decretals Of Altars mentioned in S. Martialis S. Irenaeus Tertullian Origen S. Cyprian Who first objected against Christians that they had neither Temples nor Altars nor Gods What those Temples Altars and Gods were which Christians had not Of Churches in the Primitive Church Of the favour which Christians had with the Emperours out of Eusebius and Tertullian Of the succession of Bishops in their severall Sees S. Ambrose his art to save his Church and Altar standing Of their manifold Synods Exercise of the power of the Keyes Wealth of the Church of Rome The multitude of Christians in Cities and Castles a terrour to the Heathen Sundry Parish Churches or Churches in Villages in the Primitive times Some built Anno 47.97.110.117.150.160.182.193 Churches in Britanny in 183. and in 55. Churches frequented Parish Priests Bookes of Canons sent to be read in Churches Situation of Churches on an Hill Looked toward the East Five distinct places in Churches Church porch a place for Penitents Penance in Sackcloth imposed on delinquents Want of discipline among Hereticks taxed by Tertullian Where the Pulpit stood in S. Cyprians time Places for the Laity and Clergy were distinct at the Communion Where the Communion was celebrated Inthronization of Bishops S. Iames Chaire in Ierusalem S. Peters Chaire in Rome What kept S. Austin in the bosome of the Church Hereticks had no Churches Succession of Bishops from the Apostles necessary in a true Church How S. Irenaeus S. Augustine Tertullian confounded Hereticks A true succession of Bishops in the Church of England Dedication and consecration of Churches by godly Bishops taxed by the Centurists for the mystery of iniquity What penance was performed by Hereticks and Apostates before their admittance into the Church Of Confession and Exomologesis Dayes of penance and absolution Citizens penance Of Schooles of Religion Catechists Degrees in the Church Educati Audientes Catechumeni Intincti Neophyti Hereticks neglected these Orders Libraries Treasuries Offerings at the Eucharist Disposed of by Bishops Corruption among Deacons Timothy directed to take part of Oblations The Emperours brother a Bishop The Altar stood in Sacrario Mysteries of the Eucharist not permitted to be seene of all Chancels how divided Communio Laicorum Priests only stood about the Altar What things were done and consecrated at the Altar Hereticks could not consecrate because they had no Altars Priests not allowed to be Executors nor to be drawne from their daily service at the Altar The Rubrick concerning the standing of the Table in the body of the Church Of the Rubrick concerning Chancels Who hath the appointing of bookes to be read by Priests Peter Lombard and the ancient Fathers appointed to be read Bishop Iewel and others directed to be read Communion Tables according to Bishop Iewel stood in tâ—â— Presbytery The Presbytery is not the body of the Church The an 〈…〉 Communion Tables Eusebius's authority examined for the standing of Altars in the body of the Church Church of Tyre built by Paulinus Paulinus adjudged an Arrian by the Centurists Illyricus hereticall The Altar in Tyre how it stood in the midst of the Presbytery Church in Tyre built conformable to the Temple Foure distinct places in Solomons Temple How the Altar there stood in the midst Gods dwelling in the midst of his people How David and Solomon praised the Lord in medio Ecclesiae The people did not see the Priest at Solomons Altar S. Augustines testimony concerning the standing of the Lords Table in the midst of the Church Five orders of persons distinct 1. Audientes 2. Catechumeni 3. Competentes 4. Neophyti 5. Fideles All these invited but the faithfull only allowed to come to the Lords Table God walked in the midst of the Campe when he went either before or behinde it Audientes and the rest that were invited did all participate of Christs flesh and also of Christs bloud when their severall duties were performed The testimony of the fifth Councell of Constantinople examined touching the standing of the Altar in the body of the Church The people of Constantinople violent to have the Diptychs read forget their duty to the Patriarch and to the Emperour The Archbishop and people adore the holy Altar How David did compasse the Altar How people
found no other favour but Vt Laicus communicet to communicate in the same place that the Laity did and was not permitted Locum Sacerdotis usurpare to approach unto the Altar or take the place of a Priest any more So Cornelius deposed Novatus that was made Bishop in a Taverne and after he had performed publike penance he was received only In communionem Laicorum to communicate with the Laity Now that these distinctions of places were strictly observed in the Catholike Church within 200. yeares after Christ appeareth manifestly out of Tertullian who to the shame and confusion of Hereticks very excellently discovereth the want thereof among them Non omittam ipsius haereticae conversationis descriptionem I will tell you saith he what the fashion of Hereticks is in their meeting how light vaine and base it is issuing out of the earth and the braines of idle men Sine gravitate sine authoritate sine disciplina very sutable to their faith For first of all quis Catechumenus quis Fidelis incertum you shall see no distinction made amongst them of Catechumeni Fideles Pariter adeunt pariter audiunt pariter orant they run in a rout together and so heare and pray all in one place and if Heathen men come in while they are at their Sacrament before these Swine doe they cast their Pearles licèt non veras though they be false Prostrationem disciplinae and when they prostrate discipline in this manner they would be commended for their purity and simplicity Cujus penes nos curam lenocinium vocat the care whereof amongst us they stile the trappings of the Whore of Babylon For the reformation of these grosse and odious abuses and to restore the Church to her ancient and reverend discipline the Councell of Ancyra was assembled Here you shall finde cleerely how Audientes Catechumeni Fideles Clerici Sacerdotes were distinguished by all which their mistake sheweth it selfe that say there were no Churches till 200. yeares after Christ. CAP. IX Where the Communion was celebrated The installation of Bishops The Bishops Throne S. Iames's Chaire in Ierusalem S. Peter's Chaire in Rome What kept S. Austine in the bosome of the Church Hereticks had no Church Succession of Bishops from the Apostles necessary to prove a true Church How S. Irenaeus S. Augustine Tertullian confounded Hereticks The detection of the creeping in of Aereticks A true succession of Bishops in the Ch. of England When Schismaticks crept into it LET us now come to speak more particularly of that place of the Church where the Priests served This was called Presbyterium because it was a place appointed for Priests to administer the Sacrament in Here Anicetus gave the Eucharist to Polycarpus Anno 167. Hither Theotechnus brought Marinus to receive the Sacrament thereby to be encouraged to endure Martyrdome Here were made the inthronizations of Bishops Egesippus sayes that he was present at Rome when Anicetus was installed Anno 167. And many personages of great quality were present at the solemnity of Fabianus his installation All these received their president from the Apostles For S. Iohn went from Ephesus into a Church Constituere Episcopos to ordaine Bishops For this purpose a Chaire or Throne was placed in the Presbytery or Chancell Vrbanus Bishop of Rome Anno 230. speaking thereof sayes that before his time Sedes in EpiscoporuÌ„ Ecclesiis excelsae constitutae inveniuntâ—r ut thronus speculationem potestatem judicandi solvendi ligandi à Domino sibi datam doceat their High-place put them in minde of their high authority given of the Lord to binde and loose And Vrbanus may well say they were found there for there they had continued in the principall Sees even from the Apostles Sublimiorem quandaÌ„ sedem fuisse indicat historia de Cathedra Iacobi that there were such lofty seats S. Iames his Chaire is an evidence say the Centurists out of Eusebius that bare them no great good will The Bishops seat of S. Iames continued in the Church till Eusebius his time Anno 326. which the Brethren there ordinarily have shewed unto all men Such a Seat it was wherein Saint Irenaeus saw Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna sit Anno 180. Such a Chaire S. Austin telleth Petillianus remained both at Ierusalem and Rome from the Apostles dayes till his time Though saith he you slanderously call the Chaire in other Churches Cathedram pestilentiae what cause hath the Church of Rome given you to say so of it In qua Petrus sedit in qua â—odie Anastasius sedet or the Chaire of the Church of Ierusalem In qua Iacobus sedit in qua hodie Iohannes sedet quibus nos in Catholica unitate connectimur to which two Churches we are joyned in Catholick Vnity The succession of Bishops in such a Chaire was one thing amongst others that kept St. Augustine from departing out of the bosome of the Catholicke Church For thus he saith in his answer to the Epistle of Manichaeus Multa in Ecclesiae gremio me justissimè tenent-tenet ab ipsa sede Petri Apostoli usque ad praesemem episcopatum successio sacerdotum The succession of Priests from Saint Peters seat keepes me of right in the Church Tenet Catholicae nomen the name of this Catholick See keeps mee in For whereas all Hereticks would bee called Catholicks yet when they demanded by a stranger be ubi ad Catholicam conveniatur where is the Catholick Church at which they meet Nullus haereticorum vel basilicam sâ—am vel dâ—mum audeat oâ—â—endere there is none of them all that dare undertake to doe that The very note whereby Hereticks were knowne from Catholicks was that Catholicks could shew their Churches and the very Chaires in them wherein there was not onely a Morall succession in purity of faith and manners but a Locall succession of Bishops continued even from the Apostles times which Hereticks could not shew and therefore were hereby convinced to be such and so put to shame and confounded Thus Irenaeus confoundeth Valentinus Cerdon and Marcion We are able saith he to reckon up all those that were appointed Bishops by the Apostles in their severall Churches unto our time But because that was too long a businesse for the worke then in hand therefore he reckons up those that had succeeded the Apostles Peter and Paul in the Church of Rome And to them succeeded Linus then Anacletus 3º loco Clemens Clementi Euaristus Euaristo Alexander then Sixtus deinceps Hyginus post Pius post quem Anicetus Then Soter and now 12º loco Episcopatum ab Apostolis habet Eleutherius By this ordination and succession saith hee the tradition which is from the Apostles received in the Church and the publishing of the faith hath come even to us which we being able to shew confundimus omnes eos qui quoquo modo vel per suam placentiam vel vanam gloriam vel