THE PROTESTATION PROTESTED OR A short Remonstrance shewing what is principally required of all those that have or doe take the last Parliamentary PROTESTATION ECCL. 5. 45. When thou vowest a Vow unto God deferre not to pay it for hee hath no pleasure in fooles pay that which thou hast vowed Better it is that thou shouldest not vow then that thou shouldest vow and not pay Printed in the yeare MDCXLI THE PROTESTATION PROTESTED ECCLES. 5. 4 5. When thou vowest a vow unto GOD deferre not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in fooles pay that which thou hast vowed Better it is that thou shouldest not vow then that thou shouldst vow and not pay WHen in the Scale of Conscience rightly informed I weigh the words of the Protestation and of this Exhortation of the Holy GHOST together I cannot but tremble when I see what small account most men doe make of so solemne a Vow as they so solemnly take upon them in the said PROTESTATION For when Ministers and People have taken the Protestation and have solemnly vowed to maintaine the Doctrine of our Church so far as it is opposite to Popery Doe they withall presently set upon the performance of this their Vow Doe they not further deferre to pay it Surely if they doe deferre it the holy Ghost cals them fooles in whom God hath no pleasure And it had beene better for them never to haye vowed then to vow and not pay Object But how doe they deferre to pay their Vow thus made Answ. In that they doe not presently renounce and protest against all Popery and for ever disclaime and abandon all Communion with it Obj. Why will they say what Communion have we Protestants with Popery We do all renounce it Answ. In words we doe renounce it but indeed wee retaine it and have close Communion with it so farre are we from keeping the Vow thus made Obj. But what Popery doe wee Protestants of the Church of England retaine with us or hold Communion with Answ. Wee hold Communion with Popery so long as wee doe publikely retaine and maintaine any of the Doctrines of Popery And the Doctrines of Popery which wee retaine and maintaine are these First The imposition of the Liturgie Secondly The Discipline Thirdly The Government Fourthly The Ceremonies Obj. But these being as yet established by Law wee may not cast them off till the Law which set them up be abrogated which must be by Act of Parliament And we protest against Popery to cast it out as farre as lawfully we may and no otherwise Answ. First All Lawes are to be interpreted according to their cleare intention and end Now the Law for Reformation never intended to allow or set up Popery in this Church of England Secondly If any humane Lawes be found to be contrary to Gods Word they are invalid and void ipso facto And it will appeare that imposition of a devised Liturgie humane Rites and Ceremonies Praelaticall government and Discipline are directly contrary to Gods word Thirdly Having once made this solemne Protestation and vow against all Popery and finding that the particulars aforesaid are branches of Popery wee are bound ipso facto forthwith to have no more Communion with them but utterly to renounce them Ob. But what if the Parliament did not intend or understand by Popery the foresaid things as the Liturgie Discipline Government Ceremonies used in our Church and by Law established Shall we presume to extend the sense of the Protestation further then the first makers thereof intended And the Prelates wee presume would never so readily have subscribed to the Protestation had they dreamed any such sense to lye hid under the name of Popery as their Hierarchy with their Liturgie Rites Ceremonies Discipline Government for then they had in the Protestation protested against all these and should have given their hands and votes for the rooting of them out of this Church Answ. First This we are sure of and 't is most cleare by the expresse words of the Protestation that they intended it against all Popery Secondly They expresse themselves and professe thus farre that the words of the Protestation are not to be extended to the maintaining of any forme of Worship Discipline or Government nor of any Rites or Ceremonies in the said Church of England Ergo wee doe not we may not protest for the maintenance of these Thirdly suppose that at the first making of the Protestation in the Parliament these particulars afore-mentioned were not reckoned in the Catalogue of all Popery yet no good Christian will or can deny that the Honourable House of Commons did not at all intend to exclude what ever should be found to pertaine to Popery as a branch thereof And therefore we may boldly conclude that if the forementioned things shall be found to be and that no small branches of Popery the Protestation hath an edge to cut them off all at one stroke Fourthly we are all in an erected hope of such a Reformation intended by this most noble Parliament as cannot justly challenge the name of Reformation unlesse all Popery be made to be packing which of necessity must carry with her all trinkets and baggage with all her pompous equipage among whose sumpters the Hierarchy with all its Pontificalibus of Service Ceremonies Discipline Traine Courts may challenge to goe in the formost ranke Fiftly and lastly suppose it could be supposed by any rationall man that the House of Commons could have no such thought as implicitely to include the aforesaid particulars in the fardell of Popery or that they could possibly intend the maintaining of those things still of which they expresly say That the words of the Protestation are not to bee extended to the maintaining of any Forme of Worship Discipline or Governement Rites or Ceremonies or that these things should not be removed but maintained still What then Shall private and particular Christians knowing these things to be Popery and Antichristian being also bound by their solemne Vow and Protestation never reforme themselves untill they see a generall Reformation over the whole Land What if they shall never live to see this Will they against their Conscience against their knowledge against their Vow and Protestation live and die Votaries and Communicants in that Service Schoole-boyes and Punies under the Ferula of that Discipline Vassals under that Government Conformists to those Rites and Ceremonies all which are very Popery and Popish Innovations Ob. But how doth it appeare that the fore-mentioned particulars are branches of Popery If our Conscience could be convinced hereof by the Word of God then surely are we bound both by Gods Word and by our Vow and Protestation presently to renounce and abandon these things and to have no longer any Communion with them Ans. It is most true that nothing can resolve regulate and settle the Conscience but the Word of God in the evidence of it Now most cleare it is by the Scripture that the Liturgie
Discipline Government Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England are all of them so many branches of Popery For proofe hereof first for the Liturgie this is a branch of Popery in two generall respects First in regard of the whole frame and matter of it as being translated out of the Romish Latin Liturgie as is confessed in the Booke of Martyrs see for this the late Parallel between the English Liturgie and the Masse-booke I omit to say any thing heere of the many vitious particulars throughout the Service-booke which run as the corrupt blood through all the veines of it and are by others sufficiently discovered This is enough to shew it to be Popish The second generall is the imposition of it upon all mens Consciences Which bare imposition alone were the Liturgie in it selfe never so free from other faults yet being a Service of mens devising the imposition I say makes it a branch of Popery For Popery wee know is Antichristianisme And Antichristianisme is an opposition to Christ so as this imposition upon the Conscience is an opposing and overthrowing of Christs Kingly Office who is the sole King and Lord over the Soule and Conscience an office incommunicable to any Creature or Power in Heaven or Earth Whereupon John saith Who is a lyar but he that denyeth that Iesus is the Christ He is Antechrist Now to deny Iesus to be the sole annointed King of his Church is to deny him to be the Christ And he that sets up man as Lord over the Conscience in prescribing and imposing what Service of God hee pleaseth of humane invention denyeth Iesus to bee the Christ to wit to be the sole King of his Church who is the sole Law-giver to the Common-wealth of Israel in his spirituall Kingdome And for this cause the Pope is proved to be that Antichrist who is * the Advesary that exalteth himselfe above all that is called GOD or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in or over the Temple of God which is every mans conscience shewing himselfe that he is GOD Now in nothing doth Antichrist exalt himselfe more then in usurping Christs power in giving Lawes whereby hee exerciseth a Tyranny over the true Temple of God over the spirituall Kingdome of Christ And this tyranny is cheifly exercised in usurping dominion over our Faith and Conscience in the worship and service of God which they place in the Liturgie This is the highest pride and presumption of Antichrist that possibly can be This is that Wil-worship or a worship invented of mans will and choyce which the Apostle * expressly condemneth and brandeth as the highest Tyranny which to bee subiect unto is the spoiling and cheating men of their salvation as we read at large Col. 2. v. 8. 18. and a separating us from our Head and King Christ v. 19. and an evacuating of his death v. 20. The Imposition therefore of a Liturgie upon the Conscience devised by men and pretended for the worship and service of God yea and the onely divine publike worship of his Church is a maine branch of Popery as being the Character of Antichrist or Antichristianisme which is the very with Popery Popery AntichriaÌ„isme being convertible termes Thus it is as plaine as brief that the imposing of a Liturgie of mans devising upon the Conscience is the pretended Service of God though indeed it is rather the service of many * and which God condemneth as a a vaine worship of him is a maine branch of Popery Secondly for Ceremonies of mans devising in the worship of God and imposed upon the Conscience these being the same nature with as being a part of the Liturgie are by the same reasons as before proved to be Popery Thirdâ—y for Discipline which stands chiefly in correction of manners and inflicting of Censures as Excommunication such as is and hath beene exercised in the Church of England by the Prelaâ—â—s ever since the preteâ—ded Reformation in this poâ—â—t that this is also another maine branch of Popery doe but compare it with that Discipline in the Church of Rome and you shall find it in all points so to jump and agree as you must of necessity conclude iâ— Româ—s Discipâ—iâ—â— be Popery then certainly our Englâ—sh Dâ—scipline is Popery too For in nothing I say doe they differ so as Discipline of our Church being false and counterfeit because Popish and so our Church wanting the true Discipline which ought to be one of the three markes of a viâ—â—ble true Church as it is noted in our Homilies the Church of England wants this marke at the least And if the Sacraments be not duty administred as being mixed and corrupted with a service of mans devising and ministred pell mell as in the Lords Super to ignorant and profane persons then for ought I see it wants a second marke of a visible true Church And if as lately and still in many places the word of God in the preaching of it be generally corrupted as when the full and free liberty of it in sundry points of Evangelicall truth is restrained and prohibited by orders and edicts not yet called in and damned by this reckoning it should want the third marke so much the more in case the calling of the Ministery it selfe should prove a peice of Popery too But this by the way onely it leads us the way to the next point which is the Government of the Church of England Fourthly then for the Goverment of the Church of England by Archbishops Bishops Arch-Deacons Dâ—anes Commissaries Officials and the rest of that fraternity if this be not Popery yea and a top-branch of it I know not what is sure we are not any one of all this rabble is found to be in the Scripture and therefore of divine Institution this Government is not And consequently Christian it is not It must needs then be of Antichrists Order and Papall meerely So as if Romes Hierarchy be the top-branch of Popery in that Church how can it be denyed that the Hierarchy here in England is the top-branch of Popery in this Church For if we looke upon this Hierarchy from Canterbury to â—arlile and goe through all their Courts their Officers their Offices and Administrations therein wee shall therein behold the perfect image of the Papall Beast from horne to hoofe And if any will object here that the subordinate Ministers beare a part in this Government alas that 's but a meere mockery For these are but the Prelates Curates and a company of Priests little differing from Romes Order of Priesthoâ—d in the estimate of our Prelates saving that they are not shaven and have beene of late prevented of being Sacrificers But a part in the Hierarchicall Government they have none unlesse a dumb Priest commonly or some Doctor now and then be the mouth to thunder out Excommunication in their Courts which the poore Curate at the Commissaries beck must publish in the Congregation And to these
Curates consideration I refer it whether they be able truely out of good premises to conclude themselves to be the Ministers of Christ lawfully called whom all of them doe immediately derive their Ministry from the Antichristian Hierarchy or Papall Prelacie as the sole foundation thereof But this suffice briefly to prove the government of the Church of England by Arch-Bishops and Bishops c. False and usurped Titles to be a top-branch of Popery If here it be objected that the Government of Arch-Bishops and Diocesan Bishops was before Popery came up or Antichrist was mounted on his throne I answer first that the Government of Arch-Bishops and Diocesan Bishops was anciently much different from the Papall Hierarchicall Government afterwards whose Courts and sole Prelaticall Jurisdictions were not known in the Primitive Ages long after the Apostles Secondly the Government of Arch-Bishops and Diocesan Bishops at the very best and when they first sprung up was even from the wel-head corrupted as being an humaÌ„ device and the first spring of the Mistery of iniquity which the further it run the more corrupt it grew till it had its â—ull confluence in muddy Tiber the See of Rome by whose innundation Antichrist having boysed up his maine sailes could easily compasse in the whole 〈…〉 World Thirdly the Hierarchicall Government in England as a maine arme of that sea so 〈◊〉 hath altered nothing of its former property when it was a limb of the Papacy Saving that before the Reformation they held immediately from the Pope and now especially of later dayes they hold by the same false pretended title which the Pope himselfe holds by namely from Christ and by divine Authority Witnesse Dr. Hals sweatty discourses And Dr. â—oclington shewes us a briefe Pedigree of the present titular Arch-Bishop of Canterbury saying Misâ—rable men were wee if he that now sitteth Arch Bishop of Canterbury could not derive his succession from Saint Augustine St. Augustine from St. Gregory St. Gregory from St. Peter So he Only here he failes and so becomes miserable that though he can prove Canterburies succession from Rome yet never Rome's from Peter And so a severall misery followes upon it that our Hierarchicall Goverment being a limb of the Papall and so a top-branch of Popery it is now universally of all good Christians in England protested against as worthy to be cut off and cast out as a fruitlesse withering branch and to be plucked up by the rootes as a tree twice dead and as a plant not of Gods planting Ob. But if it be thus that for the reasons aforesaid the whole Government of the Church of England ought to be irradicated together with the Liturgie Discipline and Ceremonies in stead thereof I answere briefly First understanding the Church of England to be none other then a nationall Church it will be very difficult if not rather impossible to constitute it so as is agreeable in all points to a true and visible Congregation of Christ For a particular Church or congregation rightly collected and constituted consists of none but such as are visible living members of Christ the head and visible Saints under him the one and onely King of Saints but so is it not with a Nationall Church all the members thereof are not visible Saints or visible living members when the greatest part of a Nation commonly is found to consist of persons either ignorant or profane * For as the Scripture saith Though the Children of Israel bee as the sand of the Sea yet but a remnant shall be saved And yet that was a Nationall Church without parallel so as in the Reformation of such a nationall Church as this which hath been so universally overspread with profanenesse and darknesse so long beslaved under the yoke of Prelaticall tyranny under Egyptian Task-masters under manifold Romish Superstitions formall service wil-worship universall false and loose Discipline innumerable either false or unprofitable or idle Teachers Non-residents * dumb doggs so as whole Counties for want of good Ministers who have beene every where cast out and whole Countries yea the whole Land in comparison are overgrowne with Papists or Atheists or those that know not what true Religion meanes where shall wee begin to reforme Alas in comparison of the true Religion indeed which stands not in abare professioÌ„ but in power not in a bare name of Christianity but in the nature of it not in the mixture of mens inventions but in the purity of Christs owne Ordinances the Religion in England is very farre degenerate and but a while agoe was almost wholly slidden back into the very puddle of Popery yet not all but as it was said of the Church of Sardis Thou hast a name that thou livest but thou art dead yet in it were a few names which had not defiled their garments Even so in England there are a few yea I trust many thousands of Saints though in comparison of the whole Land but a few names a remnant whose hearts are perfect before God Where then shall the Reformation begin now in England surely in the new forming of a Church such as God requireth in his word Christs voyce must first be heard to call forth his sheep and to gather them into their flocks and folds For {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Church is properly a congregation of beleevers called out from the rest of the world For so saith the Lord * Come out from among them and be ye separate and touch not the uncleane thing and I will receive you A strange speech And be ye separate Surely Gods people must bee seperatists from the world and from false Churches to become a pure and holy people unto the Lord And hee saith to the Prophet Ieremy * If thou take forth the precious from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth let them returne unto thee but returne not thou unto them And surely in a corrupt Church as this is and a long time hath beene by reason of the great Apostaâ—â—â— and especially the wickednesse of the Prelates we 〈…〉 doe as the Apostles did when they came to plant 〈…〉 in a Country where the Gospell had not been 〈…〉 First they taught the people and 〈…〉 heard and beleeved were formâ—d 〈…〉 be God many people already fitted to make up holy assemblies or Churches Well then let it be the first degree of Reformation to begin and call forth all those into severall Congregations who are fitted and who desire to draw neere unto Christ in a holy Communion with him in the purity of his Ordinances And thus let Gods word run and have a free passage in calling in such as God shall draw unto him in what place soever they shall be found Nor can we think at the first especially that every assembly of people collected in their severall Parishes is fit to make up a Congregation and so qualified as Christ requireth For how many Parishes in England will be found where
scarce one is able to give a reason of the hope that is in him Ob. But shall not good Preachers be set up in every Parish that the People may be instructed and so fitted to be meÌ„bers of a CoÌ„gregatioÌ„ such as afore is meÌ„tioned Ans. No doubt of that so so farre as is possible to provide Preachers Ob. But what shall the People do in the meane time who are ignorant and profane though not notoriously wicked For have they not received Baptisme Are they not Christians shall they not then be admitted into the Communion of the other Sacrament Ans. For this every Minister ought to bee very diligent and carefull to see that ordinary profane and ignorant persons be not admitted to the Sacrament * The lame or the blind is not to be offered up in Sacrifice Ob. But admit that such as are ordinary profane persons and have little or no knowledge of God bee admitted to the Sacrament pell mell may not godly persons communicate with them and therein not sin Ans. For that let such as are godly look to it For if Gods Ordinances bee profaned as they are by profane and ignorant persons comming to the Lords Table then others also that communicate with them are guilty of the same prophanation with them * A little leven leveneth the whole lumpe The Apostle applies it to a mixt Communion Let us keep the feast saith he to wit in participating of Christ our Passeover in the Sacrament not with the old leven c. And thereupon hee tels them I writ unto you in an Epistle not to company with fornicators c. And * This ye know that no whoremonger nor uncleane person nor covetous man hath any inheritance in the Kingdome of Christ Be not therefore partakers with them Ob. But in Congregations be so mixed as they cannot or are not secured shall godly men for that cause deprive themselves of the Ordinance Answ. First there is no necessity that men in using the Ordinance should sin by communicating with others in the profanation of holy things Secondly It is not Gods Ordinance that his holy things should bee prophaned * Cast not your pearles before Swine nor your holy things to dogs * Who required these things at your hands to tread in my Courts And yet their Oblations their Sabbaths their solemne assemblies were Gods Ord. But because they were polluted and profaned by those that joyned in them therfore the Lord abhors them * Wash you make you cleane c. Ob. But what 's this to godly persons communicating with prophane Ans. To communicate with known evill doers which even in their presuming to communicate in the Ordinances do evil in their doing of evil is to partake of their evil deeds * Be not mingled with such saith the Apostle that they may be ashamed And v. 6. We command you Brethren in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that ye withdraw your selves from every brother that walketh disorderly c. Ob. But if it be so where can a godly man communicate without sin For where are not the Congregations mixed Ans. It is true that if there be none other Congregations allowed but such as are in Parishes this confession cannot be avoyded Therfore of necessity there must be Liberty granted of setting up Churches or Congregations where Christs Ordinances are administred in their purity and so where none are admitted members of the Congregation but such as are approved of by the whole Assembly for their profession and conversation as against which there is no just exception Ob. But would you have other Congregations then such as are limited to every Parish How will this stand with a Nationall Church such as is the Church of England This would make a division and separation Ans. We must look in the first place what Christ commandeth and what manner of Congregations he requireth and how qualified If a State will set up a Nationall Church wherein many things out of reason of State are tolerated and prescribed for order sake as they call it and if there be such a necessity necessity hath no Law but let not this exclude and barre out the free use of such Congregations as whereof the spirituall Common-wealth of Israel consisteth over which Christ as King immediately raigneth by his Spirit and Word in the beauty and purity of his ordinances Let not the Consciences of Gods people be bound where Christ hath purchased liberty And where Christs Congregations are set up however they are separate from the world in the corruptions thereof yet they are not separate from the Civil State but are peaceable members therof subject and obedient to all the good and just Laws thereof Yea where such Congregations are erected and allowed or by a Civil State they are both a strength and beauty and procure many blessings unto it They are unto a Civil State as that fulminatrix legio that thundring Legion in the Emperour Antoninus his Army as he called it which consisting wholly of Christians among his other Heathen Legions did by their Prayers procure refreshing showers to the whole Army when it was sore distressed with drowt and terrible storms on the other side to the disconfeiture of the enemie And therfore the Apostle exhorts his Christians * to pray for Kings and such as are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty And â—er 29 7. Pray unto the Lord for the City of your captivity for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace implying if it is the duty of Civil Princes and states heathen or Christian to protect or tollerate the true Christian Religion in their Kingdomes as well as of the true Christians and Professors to pray for them For Christs Kingdome being spirituall is so farr from being any prejudice to Civil states that it is the very glory and safety of them And therefore the Emperour Domilian under whom was moved the second persecution and by whom the Apostle John was banished into Pathmos hearing that Christs Kingdome was celestiall and not of this World recalled his Edict for the Persecution Euseb. Eccl. Hist. li. 3. c. 15. so as thereupon it ceased Ob. But that there shallbe an order of Church goverment established in a nationall Church and withall a liberty left â—or other Church assemblies exempted from this goverment this may be a meanes to soment factious and envious emulations in a State to the disturbing of the peace thereof Ans. For this first there be good Lawes for civill government Seriously that any one among the exempted Congregations doe incorrigably misbehave themselvs the Law can take order with them Thirdly let no man blame them before they cry them Fourthly it hath beene an old stratageme of Satan still to lay all the blame of what ever disaster upon the Christians as Nero did Fiftly it cannot be expected but where ever the Gospel commeth in its power and purity it will