TVVO LOOKS OVER LINCOLNE OR A view of his Holy Table name and thing discovering his erronious and Popish Tenets and Positions And under pretence of defending the cause of Religion shamefully betraying the truth and sincerity thereof A Petition exhibited in all humility to the judgement of the most worthy Defenders of the Truth the Honorable House of COMMONS in PARLIAMENT against the said Booke and especially 51. Tenets therein By R. DEY Minister of the Gospell Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation so that whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an Article of the faith or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation Artic. 6. of the Convocation at London 1562. Acts 24. Verse 14. So worship I the God of my Fathers believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets Acts 26.22 Having obtained helpe of God I continue unto this day witnessing both to small and great saying none other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come LONDON Printed in the yeere of Hope 1641. TO THE HONOVRABLE The Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the Commons House in PARLIAMENT now assembled The humble Petition of RICH. DEY Minister shewing that WHereas there hath beene printed and published a Booke entitled The Holy Table Name and Thing c. containing certaine Positions and Tenets of doctrine discipline the worship of God and the Kings power and rights in matters Ecclesiasticall and many of them proved onely by Popish Writers Jesuits and forged Authours and some of them barely asserted which Booke was most probably written but most certainly approved allowed and licensed to be printed and published as most Orthodox in Doctrine and Consonant in Discipline to the Church of England and to set forth the Kings power and rights in matters Ecclesiasticall truly and judiciously by Iohn Williams Bishop of Lincolne That your Honours will be pleased to take the said Book and especially certaine Tenets and Articles thereof hereunto annexed into your grave considerations and that the said Bishop may be put to answer unto the said Booke and Tenets according to the Word of God and the Lawes of this Kingdome the onely rule and prescript of our Religion and the Kings right whether divine or humane And your Petitioner as in duty bound shall ever pray c. The Preface for the Readers intelligence SECTION I. Of the Letter of the Vicar of Grantham WHen as the Prelats were busied and mightily turmoyled in their braines to introduce daily some Innovation or other to set up Popery and to endeavour a reconciliation to Rome it hapned that about the yeere 1627. as appeares Holy Table p. 7. that the Vicar of Grantham in the Dioces of Lincolne being set on by some in authority hol tab. p. 9. perhaps by some of Lauils agents or else by Dr. Heylin one of his Majesties Chaplins began to remove the Communion Table and to place it altarwise whereupon Mr. Wheatley an Alderman and some other townesmen opposed him as having no law nor warrant so to do and the contention thus begun growing hot amongst them it came at last before the Bishop who somewhat pacified the matter beween the Vicar and tovvnesmen and calling the Vicar aside was over-heard to importune him to declare who were his instigators to those innovations which as was conceived he did and the Bishop causing the Vicar with his neighbors to sup there that night said I have supt already upon that you tell mee And if all the bookes I have be able to doe it I will find some satisfaction for my selfe and you in all these particulars before I goe this night to bed And I will provide a letter as written to you M. Alderman to shew to your Brethren and some notes to be delivered to the Divines of the lecture at Grantham And both these if the fault be not in my servant shall be ready by seven a clock in the morning h. tab. p. 9. The Bishop and his Secretary sitting up most of that night in his study and his Secretary fetching up the Booke of Martyrs and borrowing from the Parish Church B Iewels Works And in the morning as the Bishop promised over night between 7 and 8. of the clock was delivered to the Alderman a letter sealed up The forme whereof you may see ho tab. p. 10. And at the same time there was delivered also by the Secretary a sheet of paper closed up to be conveyed to the Divines of the Lecture of Grantham upon their next meeting-day with direction from his Secretary that if they approved of them to impart them to the Vicar to give him satisfaction which they did Now the true copy of these notes or letter though neither subscribed nor superscribed yet as appeares by the premisses and the contents thereof indited and framed by the Bishop though penned by the Secretary is expressed in Holy Table pag. 12. SECT. II. Of the Coal from the Altar IN answer to this Letter which belike the Vicar imparted perhaps in excuse of his desisting his former Innovations and resting now satisfied with this to him who probably was his first inciter to those proceedings Dr. Heylin an intimate friend of his whom the Vicar miserably mistooke for a judicious Divine there was published a vaporous and smoakie piece of worke called A Coal from the Altar which though it was kindled from some Smithfield-faggots in Q. Marys dayes and tended to the same purpose if it had found fuell enough to have kept it alive yet consisting of ignorance misquotations and bad wrestings of good Authours more than of any pure ignean Element it flamed not as the Colliers intended it SECT. III. Of the Holy Table Name and Thing THis Coal was luckily though unlikely quenched not by holy water but with holy wood a new kind of miracle for the holy Table Name and Thing falling flat and heavie upon it smothered it in it's owne smoake or rather the Bishop of Lincolnes Crosier that Episcopall instrument made of an Altar-raile did so bastinado and batterfang Dr. Heylins coal that it broke the Coal to cinders metamorphosed the holy Altar into an holy Table name and thing in appearance yet an holy Altar still in reverence adoration place and situation and which is yet more miraculous did not quench the Romish fire of the coal but rather by a politique dexterity transubstantiate or rather pseudangelically transforme the fire of the coal into a more modificated fire though no lesse penetrating and more spreading for the Coal comming in blustring and sparkling like an old fashioned Divel with a Romish Altar in the front for all his heat was likely to meet with some greâ—n wood which would not admit the fire at first view but the holy Table comming like a disguised spirit though alike Babylonian under pretence of the holy wood and sweet fuel would dry the green logs and by
so much pretence of antiquity the Prelates have not entailed 〈…〉 XIV That Doctor Heylin may bow as often as he pleaseth so he do it to this blessed name Iesus or to honor him and him only in his holy Sacrament this later although the Canon doth not allow yet reason piety and constant practice of antiquity doth pag. 99. Consid. 1. Whether Corporall bowing to Jesus in the Sacrament doe not imply and intimate a corporall and reall presence 2. Whether Bishop Williams his reason must prescribe Religion and worship to a Church or Kingdome without either Canons Lawes or Scriptures XV That if there be any proud Dames that practise all manner of courtesies for Maskes and Dances but none by any meanes for Christ at their approach to the Holy Table * take them Donatus for mee I shall never write them in my Calendar of the children of this Church ho tab. pag. 99. Consid. 1. Whether all that refuse to bow at the Communion Table be no better than Maskers and Dancers 2. Whether Christ must he worshipped like Maskers and Dancers and his worship be patterned like And grounded upon dancing and masking gestures 3. Whether those that will not bow to the table because women bow in dancing are therefore as Hereticall Donatists to be excluded out of the Church and given up to the Divell 4. Whether none are true Christians or Children of this Church except they be Canonized in Bishop Williams his Calendar XVI That it is not enough to obey a Canon â—n the matter if we obey it not likewise in the manner not to make a courtsie if it be not a lowly courtsie nor so neither unlesse it be as hertofore hath beene accustomed ho tab. pag. 100. Consid. 1. Whether Prelaticall hypocrisie be not spun with a fine threed 2. Whether a Bishopricke will not serve his turne without just foure corners in a square Cap. and more adoe than needs XVII That these {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or adorations are there in the Rubrickes of the Greeke Lyturgies required to be made and decently as I thinke before the Holy Table but no mention at all in any of those Rubricks of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of the Altar in any good or authenticall copy pag. 193. Consid. 1. Whether an Orthodox and judicious Prelate doe thinke * three â—â—inges to the Table in the briers Greeke Musse-booke to be decently done and consonant to the Church of England 2. Whether those Greeke Masses fabled upon the Fathers are good and authenticall copies XVIII That into this columne to wit the fourth columne of notorious and debauched people in the diptycks or two-leaved-tables of commemoration of the dead to be read in time of high Masse I could be willing if the Church approve thereof this railing Doctor might be inserted promising that if ever I heare those diptychs read in the time of the Communion at the holy table though laid Altarwise and all along at the East end wall yet shall it not deterre mee in my devotions from saying thereunto a hearty Amen ho tab. pag. 234. Consid. 1. Whether Bishop Williams could yet be willing if the Church of England should approve thereof to have tables of commemoration of the dead in time of high Musse read at the table laid altarwise 2. Whether 〈◊〉 be resolved to keepe his promise when bee shall be Archbishop to say Amen heartily to such Masses at the Altar 3. Whether he thinke that Heylin Shelford Pocklington or Laud himselfe ever made the Pope and the Iesuites so free and hearty a promise 4. Whether hee thinke this to be orthodox in doctrine and consonant in discipline to the Church of England XIX That the forme that Christ left the Apostles used and the Fathers delivered the Lords Supper in is never taken by judicious Divines in a meere Mathematicall and indivisible point of exactnesse but in a morall conformitie which will admit of a latitude and receive from time to time degrees of perfection holy table pag. 150. Consid. 1. Whether Bishop Williams doe thinke that judicious Divines doe not take the forme that Christ left of administration of the Communion to be Mathematically exact and perfect but that Christs forme left to the Apostles did so admit of a latitude that the Apostles might mend Christs forme the Fathers mend the Apostles the Papists mend the Fathers Bishop Williams mends the Papists and Heylin mends Bishop Williams that so the forme that Christ left imperfect admitting a latitude may at last be perfect 2. Whether doth not rather some cranle in his owne braine admit of a latitude and want some conformity to the forme that Christ left 3. Whether doth hee not ignorantly speake hee knowes not what that the forme that Christ left will admit of a latitude and degrees of perfection and therefore in the next page 151. his second thoughts being better and growing a little wiser hee runnes cleane counter to what he said before and confutes himselfe and saith not the forme that Christ left but the Service-bookes agreeablenesse to Gods Word or Christs forme there exprest admits of degrees of perfection which is more agreeable to the truth XX That there is just that difference betweene the shew-bread and the body of Christ in the Sacrament as there is betweene the shadow and the body the representation and the verity the patterns of future things and the things themselves prefigured by those patterns Holy tab pag. 125. Consid. 1. Whether this doe not imply a reall presence 1. Because hee saith not betweene the shew-bread and the body of Christ absolutely but his body in the Sacrament as if he should say betweene the shew-bread and the sacramentall bread 2. Because it speakes of the body of Christ and the Sacrament as of one onely indistinct thing answering to the shew-bread whereas they are two severall things and cannot be one but onely by a reall presence and transubstantiation 3. Because the Sacrament it selfe as well as the shew-bread is the shadow the representation the patterne and the body of Christ is the body the verity the thing it selfe and therefore the shew-bread must needs be either a representation of a representation alone or of the body absolutely both which are contrary to the expresse words or of both body and Sacrament as one thing by reall presence which is most likely to be the sense of the words and so it implyes a reall presence and so it seemes in the 14. Tenet 4. Whether the Papists themselves doe not pretend the authority of the Fathers and some as ancient as S. Jerome for most of their tenets XXI That for our kneeling in the Church of England at our receiving of this blessed Sacrament now he must have a knee of a câ—mell and heart of oake that will not bow himselfe and after the manner of adoration and worship say Amen as S. Cyril speakes to so patheticall a prayer and thanksgiving made by the Minister
that hee that doubteth is damned if hee eate because he eateth not of faith For whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.23 and vers. 5. Let every man be fully perswaded in his owne minde XXXIX That Elders are no elder then Calvin and Beza Holy Table pag. 79. Consid. 1. Whether Calvin and Beza were as old as Saint Peter who was also an Elder 1 Pet. 5.1 2. Whether the Bishops translated the Bible false who translated Presbyter an Elder XL That a single Priest qua talis in that formality and capacitie onely as hee is a Priest hath no key given him by God or man to open the doores of any externall jurisdiction Holy Table pag. 73. Consid. 1. Whether Bishop Williams have knowne any double Priests except one double dealing Priest who promised the Duke to marry his kinswoman and so got a Bishopicke meaning onely to play the Priest 2. Whether a Priest have not as much power as hee confesseth a Deacon hath as in Tenet 45. 3. Whether hee ever knew Priest that was not first Deacon and whether hee loseth his Deaconship in taking Priesthood and then why doth not a Bishop lose his Priesthood as well in taking a Bishopricke 4. Whether hee will hold the same position in case a Bishop and a Priest should be both one XLI That hee hath a Consistory within in foro penitentiae in the Conscience of his Parishioners and a key given him upon his institution to enter into it But hee hath no Consistory without in foro causae in meddling with Ecclesiasticall causes unlesse hee borrow a key from his Ordinary holy Table pag. 73. XLII That although they be the same keyes yet one of them will not open all those wards the Consistory of outward jurisdiction being not to be opened by a key alone but as you may observe in some great mens gates by a key and a staffe which they usually call a Crosier holy Table pag. 73. Consid. 1. Whether there be any need to tye the keyes of Christ to staves for feare of losing them in corners as the keyes of great mens gates may be lost 2. Whether Christ forgot to give the Crosier staffe with the Keyes and wanted Bishop Williams to put him in minde as hee saith pag. 207. of Alfonso the wise who blasphemously wish'd to have beene at Gods elbow at the creation of the world to have put him in minde of some things to have made them better 3. Whether this staffe doe fit well the key hole and will turne naturally upon all those words or rather doth it not properly breake open the dore as Bishops use to doe by violence 4. Whether the key given the Priest and onely without the use be not given him in meere mockage being the very same with the Bishops key given him in consecration 5. Whether Bishop Williams thinke in his conscience that the Parliament of England and the Doctors their Chaplaines who adhere to this doctrine and allow the Popish Schoolemens double power or the other professed Puritanes as he calls them who adhere to the onely Word of God teach the more orthodox doctrine XLIII That it is a thing unreasonable and altogether illegall that a Christian man laying open claime to his right in the Sacraments should by the meer discretion of a Curate be debarred from it Holy Table pag. 177. Consid. 1. Whether it be not a thing unreasonable and altogether illegall and illevangelicall too that a godly and discreet Curate should be forced by the meere discretion nay bribing of a Bishops Chancellor to administer the Sacrament to one that his owne eyes hath seene drunke his owne eares hath heard sweare and his owne knowledge hath knowne to be most lewd and damnably wicked and yet to his owne further damnation will lay open claime to the Sacrament 2. Whether the Prelates be not unreasonable and their doings altogether illegall who will admit into the Ministerie of the Word and Sacraments and to have cure of hundreds of soules such men as have not discretion to put backe a drunken dog and swearing rogue from the Sacrament and to admit an honest Christian to the same XLIV That it is against the practice all of antiquitie that the Priest should offer of his owne head to keepe off any Christened and believing man from the sacred mysteries Holy Table pag. 178. Consid. 1. Whether it be not against the practice of all Antiquitie that a Bishops Lay Chancellor should force a Minister to deliver the Sacrament where he thinkes in his owne conscience it is unworthily received 2. Whether Bishop Williams his head piece be in right temper when hee confesseth the Deacon may doe this and yet the Priest may not whereas the Deacons power was ever lesse than the Priests c. 3. Whether Bishop Williams for all his wit have not a bad memory who forgets that all Priests are now Deacons XLV That it was the Deacon whose power our Archdeacons now by collation of the Bishop and prescription of time have incorporated in their jurisdction that alwayes executed this severitie holy Table pag. 178. Consid. 1. Whether it was ever heard of that Deacons had more power then Priests when as every greater includes the lesse 2. Whether Bishop Williams confesse not here that Archdeacons power is not by Divine right but by collation of the Bishop and prescription of time XLVI That the Curate is but to present to the Ordinary and to admonish the offender and that in private onely pag. 179. Consid. 1. VVhether the Prelates pride and covetousnesse doe not appeare herein that they will suffer the Curate to doe nothing and yet will proceed themselves upon his presentment 2. VVhether they doe not the Divell great service who seeke to conceale and hide grosse and publique sinnes XLVII That from the time that the Apostles appointed the first Deacons to our present Archdeacons in whose office the antient power of the Deacons is united and concentred incumbents have beene excluded from meddling with the utensils of the Church or ornaments of the Altar Holy Table pag. 79. Consid. 1. VVhether Bishop Williams wits were not gone a wooll-gathering when hee would prove out of Acts 6.2 that because the Apostles were not able to preach the VVord and also to provide for and dispose of the maintenance of all the power of many Nations both Iewes and Gentiles the Church daily increasing from three to five thousands and from five to many thousands ergo a Parish Priest who may tell all his parishioners in an afternoone may not meddle with the Communion-Table and Church utensills 2. Whether the Altar had such ornaments from the time that the Apostles appointed the first Deacons XLVIII That so farre were the Antients from making a Parish Priest a stickler in vestry affairs that a Councel saith clearly that the Priest can boast of nothing he hath in generall but his bate name not able to execute his very office without the authoritie and Ministery of the Deacon
expresse clearely the power pertaining to a prince by that sounding and emphaticall compellation holy table cap. 2. pag. 22. to 26. and 32. Heylin and other Prelaticall persons hold that the setting of the table altarwise being exacted by the Ordinary requires more of mens obedience then curiositie and that they are not to demurre upon commands till they be satisfied in the Grounds and Reasons holy table pag. 61. For they take it as granted that the people should thinke themselves excusable if they obey upon command but Heylin comes short and wants skill for Lincolne affirmes that the inferiours shall not onely be excusable but more yet even approved of God for their duty and obedience and never charged as guiltie of error for any future inconvenience holy table pag. 69. and this were brave for the Prelates if Lincolne could but shew Gods charter for it from his owne mouth if not we must take the Bishops honest word And lastly Heylin having now got an altar must needs have a sacrifice and though hee can finde never a one proper for his purpose yet rather than faile any improper parcell of matters which though they be as weake with the learned as Claudius Gillius or lame Giles p. 172. yet will serve to plunder the poore ignorant people who take all things as properly which are spoken commonly and for this Lincolne helps him out and fits him supererogatorily I doe grant freely saith he that in the Scripture and the ancient Fathers wee doe meet with not onely these few which you reckon up but a great many more duties and vertues that are usually termed sacrifices holy tab. 107. I will likewise allow you which you forgot to call for that all these improperly called sacrifices are not onely stirred up with the meditation but many times sowne and first engendered by the secret operation of this blessed sacrament Nay yet further in contemplation of all these speciall graces of the spirit wrought in our soules by meanes of the Eucharist you shall not reasoonably expect any outward expression of reverence and submission to the founder of the feast which I will not approve of and bring the ancient Fathers along with me to doe as much p. 108. and so having furnished Heylin with many sacrifices and more altars some halfe a score at least he concludes Now consider with your selfe whether it were fitter to make use of these altars for your unproper sacrifices and have all these Greeke and Latin Fathers to applaud you for the same rather than to rely upon some miracle of a good worke in hand or some poore dreame of the piety of the times ho tab. p. 107.108.112 And now by these few instances among many others which might be alledged it will appeare to any rationall man what manner of Champions for the truth the Prelates are indeed so that I may well conclude with his owne greeke proverbe holy tab. p. 227. that as the Fox hath many tricks but the Hedge-hogge {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} though but one yet a great one to winde up himselfe towards a combat so that his adversary shall have nothing but prickles to fight against so Heylin Shelford and his old Chaplaine Pocklington had many tricks like Foxes to nibble at Popery but Lincolne like an Urchin for so hee compares Bishop Iewel had but one tricke but that was a great one yet not to set his adversary the sharp to fight against but to yeeld up into his hands Totum quaesitum all the whole controversie and more than all too so that it was not Religion or the true worship of God that he defended Note 2. What cause hee did defend But though he would not speake a word for the Truth and true Religion though he be content to intaile Jesuiticall bowing and holy-table-cringing upon his posterity though he will uncalendar his children from the Church that wil not bow though hee yeeld unto the Doctor that the King may doe any thing with or without a Parliament that the inferiours are to obey all things and yet be approved of God that the table may be changed to an altar in altar-wise situation so it be not fixed to the wall and an altar in appellation so it be metaphorically excused and an altar in adoration so they pretend to honour him and him only in his holy sacrament and at this altar a commemoration of the dead in time of high masse to which himselfe will say Amen though he yeeld all this and much more which the Papists never enjoyned which Heylin forgot to call for and I forgot to reckon up yet there is one thing so stickes in his stomacke that he will never yeeld no not an inch not an haires-breadth come what will and that is That Mounsieur the halfe-Vicar should have a power to remove of his owne head the Communion table to call that an altar without his leave which the rubricke of the service-booke calls not so and to be enabled to this by the Canons and to be a Iudge of the conveniencie of the standing thereof yea a more competent Iudge than the Bishop and his surrogates and not to permit the Church-officers to doe what they are injoyned by the Prelate this is such a piece of policie as if it were but countenanced would quickely make an end of all discipline in England Here is not onely I. C. Iohn Cotton but T. C. Thomas Cartwright up and downe and new England planted in the midst of old holy table p. 70. this is Iesuiticall in the highest degree for to impaire the power of Bishops is no little sin which is strange for no man defends Bishops more then the Jesuits and therefore saith he there were some Priests in France and Germany who presumed to erect altars in the absence of their Bishops about the time of Theodosius the younger but Leo the great tels them plainly they had no more power to erect than to consecrate an altar and not many yeeres after about Justinians time Hormisdas made an absolute decree to inhibit Priests to erect any altars under paine of deprivation p. 72. which saith he I presse onely historically to let you see what severity they would have used eleven hundred yeeres agoe to chastice his insolencie if such a rumour had beene raised as this Vicars behaviour raised in the neighbourhood and therefore saith he I presse this for doctrine that a single Priest hath no key of any externall jurisdiction given him by God or man for the consistory of outward jurisdiction is not to be opened by a key alone but by a key and a staffe for Bishops will needs be bang beggers and this ancient doctrine of the Pope is opposed by none but professed Puritanes p. 73. they say indeed that the Bishops power was the poysonous egge out of which Antichrist was hatched p. 74. But though hee cannot confute this yet before he will yeeld an inch of this authority he would hazard a hundred miters