of Godfry Goodman Bishop of Gloucester was accused of it in Court and Convocation and declared and professed it by his last Will and Testament as Dr. Heylin shews in his Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p. 416. 'T is said of Dr. Theodore Price Bishop of that though he lived like an Atheist yet he died like a Papist Prin ' s Epistle to K. Châ—r I before his Quench-coal p. 42. England be so absolutely directly and cordially Papists that it is all that 1500 l. per Ann can do to keep them from confessing it This and much more may be seen in Dr. Heylin's Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p 392 408. Doth not A. B. Laud p. 36. of his commended Relation of his Conference with Fisher say thus The Church of Rome and Protestants set not up a different Religion And doth not Dean Potter iâ— Charity mistaken p 62 say thus That the most necessary and fundamental Truths which constitute a Church are on both sides unquestioned by fundamental points of faith we understand these prime and capital Doctrines of Religion which * But what are those a Bishop and a people or a Pope and the multitude of Professors of Christianity as Bishop Sparrow intimates in his Rationale upon the Common-prayer Book p. 89. Bishops Curates and people committed to their charge make up a Church make up the holy Catholick Church But did not the Church of England before A. B. Laud altered the Prayer for the Fifth of November say That Papists Religion is Rebellion and A. B. Laud held that Bishops are essential to the being of a Church as Heylin shews in his Cypr. Anglic. l. 1. p. 54. l. 4. p. 400 401. their faith is faction Which cannot be said of Protestants Religion or Faith truly without great slander though Dr. Heylin as they say most wickedly standers all the first restorers of the Reformed Religion with it Doth not the Church of Rome hold such points of faith as do destroy the foundation and those not only questioned but denied by real Protestants Doth not the Church of Rome hold this Doctrine as a point of faith for denying or not believing of which they have put many thousands of Protestants to death viz. That the body and blood together with the soul of the Lord Jesus Christ is truly really and substantially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and that there is made a turning of the whole substance of the bread into his body and of the whole substance of the wine into his blood which turning the Catholick Church as they falsly call themselves doth call Transubstantiation If this be denied see the 18th Article of their Religion set down in the 14th Article of this Book And doth not our Vide Bull Pii 4 bound up with the Council of Trent super forma juramenti professionis sidei Church of England hold the truth in this point against the Church of Rome that this their Doctrine is false and doth destroy the humane Nature of Christ and consequently destroy all the Articles of our Creed which concern Jesus Christs humane nature and consequently our Salvation And is not this a fundamental point of faith that true believers persons are justified before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them and applied by faith alone Is it not the main drift of the Apostle to prove and settle the Romans and Galatians in this truth That believers persons are not justified before God by their own good works even of that Law of which câ—meth the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledg of sin Yea doth not the Apostle say that if he shall teach justification of our persons before God by our own good works he should frustrate the grace of God that is overthrow the Gosâ—el of Jesus Christ for if righteousness come by the Law then Christ is dead in vain Gal. 2. 21. And could these great Grandees who imposed and took subscription to the Book of Homilies upon and from others be ignorant of what the Church of England holds therein especially this Whosoever denieth this Doctrine THAT FAITH ALONE JUSTIFIETH is not to be accounted a Christian man nor a setter forth of Gods glory but for an adversary to Christ and his Gospel and for a setter forth of mans vain glory that 't were the greatest arrogance and presumption of man that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself Homily of Salvation of Mankind p. 16 17. Now because some of our English conforming Divines have by their Preachings and Writings said that most of these ensuing false Doctrines I Heylin in his Introduction to his Cypr. Angl. p. 36. S. 36. have renounced all which the Church of Rome holdeth and maintaineth are the Doctrines of the Church of England and thereby induced many persons to believe and allow them I have to prevent the growing mischief of this grand deceit and to vindicate the Church of England from these calumnies and to inform the ignorant and inconsiderate that have subscribed assented and consented to the Articles of Religion and Homilies of the Church of England but never throughly read and considered them spent as much of my time with my pen as could be spared from my fork and rake this Harvest whiles many great Conformists to the Ceremonies and Government enjoy their Plurality of Benefices besides their great dignities but labour not in the Word and Doctrine much less preach or write against these gross Popish Doctrines but rather preach or print them to the great dishonour of God especially of Jesus Christ the increase of Popery and Atheism and the great grief of those godly Christians that are Protestants indeed and in truth as well as in profession Antichrist professeth the Creed as well as these men yet by his superinduced Doctrines and practices he overtbrows it So these men of long Name may profess subscribe and assent to the Doctrine of the Church of England and yet by superinduced Doctrines contradict and destroy it for they give not an internal assent to it as was observed before out of Mr. Fowler ' s Free Discourse p. 305. And whether those men do not play the Hypocrites lâ—t the world judg The Pope of Rome in divâ—ding Rome unto 25 Priests the fatal squarâ—-root of the number of the Beast 666 laid the foundation of his Iâ—olatrous and tyrannous Kingdom long before his Supremacy was perfected yea claimed He arose out of the earth as grass by little and little insensibly so possibly may a Pontifex Maximus with such a number of such Priests in time â—o elsewhere especially if rulers and ruled are willing to be ridden by them Of all Beasts tâ—e two horned Beast is the most dangerous to be ridden by next that which is most like him as
which ought to be the rule of all mens religious actions declaim against and thereby condemn his Majesties piety and prudence and suppress in many places the Whosoever forbids us to do what God commandeth or commandeth us to do what God forbiddeth is accursed unto all them that love the Lord. Basilius Moral c. 14. quoted by Bishop Jewel in his Reply to Harding a. 14. d5 p 373. most pure worship and service of God the preaching up the real interests of the Lord Jesus Christ and the preaching down the Errors Heresies Idolatries and Suâ—â—â—stitions and Antichristian inventions of the Apostatized Church of Rome with whom the Laudensian party long laboured a reconciliation Let any unprejudiced man that is judicious seriously read Dr. Heylin's Cyprianus Anglicus and his Introduction thereunto and he will see much more than I do but hint and also what a mongrel Religion he would make ours and have established here and what principles of Tyranny and Popery he therein lays down and commends But though these things might be true in some heretofore yet now they see the error their selfish and passion hath led themselves and it may be others inconsiderately into that they may fear they shall be put besides the saddle it may be beaten with those rods which they made for other men that earnestly desired the Churches peacé and the Kingdoms welfare by any powerful ill-minded and ill-principled Prince as Heylin most falsely saith King Edward the sixth was of that will but make use of those weapons which they have made to subvert their dissenting brethren they are well content at least some of them to tolerate Protestant dissenters as may be seen in and about the Cities of London and Westminster and they preach against Popery very much Very good 't is well their eyes begin to be opened if they be not shut again before they 'l see and forsake the true causes and sin no more Old Bishop Bonner told them long since That liking of the Popes Broth would incline men to like in time their Beef too I wish their moderation might be known to all men But is a toleration of the pure Worship of God and preaching his truth all the fruit the sight of their error hath brought them to no question they I mean the Episcopal party would grant as much to home-born Papists 'T is granted to foreign Protestants though 't is true their great Father in God A. B. Laud overthrew that liberty of the Protestant Religion which King Edward the sixth Queen Elizabeth and King James granted them under hand and seal as Dr. Heylin largely shews in his Cyprianus Anglicus and thereby he made such an evil president as 't is believed did his present Majesty much mischief in his late Wars and rendred his gracious offers to the Netherlanders of protection and liberty of their Religion if they would come under his Government ineffectual lest such Bishops as A. B. Laud was should in time have though not his yet some succeeding Princes ears and thereby as he make void all grants and promises unto them What is no more to be granted to home-born Protestants who adhere to our doctrine of Faith and the Sacramants than to Foreigners Is granting a bare and uncertain toleration of the pure Worship of God to those godly Protestants that adhere most firmly to the pure Protestant Religion in Doctrine Discipline and Worship and a full comprehension with rewards and great promotions allowed and given to those that hold Popish Doctrines not only contrary to the Word of God but also to the sound Doctrine of the Church of England well becoming those Bishops that are in profession Protestant Is this a sufficient and the right way to keep out Popery is it proper for the chast Spouse of Christ to take upon her the badges of the great Whore of Rome Is it proper for the Israel of God to sâ—mbolize with her who is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt Is it proper for those that profess themselves the Saints and servants of the most high God and the followers of Jesus Christ to impose and contend for the proper marks of the Beast spoken of in Revelations the 1â— and 17 Chapters Doth not learned and religious Peter * Et nos si verè Christiani sumus non decet ritus caeremonias vel a Judoeis vel à nationibus aliis accipere sed tantum debem is usurpare quae nobis mandata sunt in literis divinis P. Martyr loc com clas 2 ae c. 5. S. 16. P. 220. Martyr say That if we be Christians indeed it becomes us not to receive Rites and Ceremonies from the Jews or other Nations but that we ought to use those things only which are commanded in the Divine Writings a Should we believe that those men †Aquin. 12 ae q. 103. a 2. Pet. Mart. loc Com. cl 2 ae p. 197. Pareus Beza in 1 Cor. 10. 18. those Jews who after pretence of sight of their errors are sound Christians and intend really to keep out and root out Judaism yet command and rigorously enjoin the use of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jewish Religion which are the proper badges and real professions thereof as Papists themselves say and our men prove Can any rational sound Protestant be so silly as to think and say that if the Ceremonies be left in their use as the Bishops themselves say they are in their own nature indifferent that then farewell the Church of England For what is the Church of England like the Church of Rome built upon such sandy weak or unnecessary foundations or must the Kingdom be said to be so much in love with the Ceremonies of the Church of Rome as to give 400000 l. per Annum to the Bishops and their agents and dependants to uphold them Doth not the Church of England say * Homily against peril of Idolatry Part 3. p. 69. That the Church of Rome Knowing her self to be a foul filthy old withered Harlot understanding her lack of natural and true beauty and great lothsomeness which of her self she hath doth after the custom of such Harlots paint her self and deck and attire her self with gold pearl stone and all kind of precious jewels that she shining with the outward beauty and glory of them may please the foolish phantacy of some lovers and so entice them to spiritual fornication with her who if they saw her but in simple apparrel would abhor her as the foulest and filthiest Harlot that ever was seen Are not Ministers bound and do they not subscribe and give assent to this very Doctrine how can we then without great shame and suspicion wear her apparel and call her a true Church carry her name as it were in our foreheads comply with her in suâ—h unnecessary things except we have a months-mind to return to her ugly bosom and base drâ—â—gery Are not the Lords people forbidden Mark the word Unnecessary to do any
by God Mr. Cartwright upon the place referreth the sigh of the Cross to the mark of the Beast Dionis Carthusianus Vpon Revel 13. 13. saith That conformity to the Doctrine and life of Antichrist is the mark of the Beast and upon this account did * Vid. General Confession of Faith of the Church and Kingdom of Scotland to be seen at the end of the Harmony of Confessions King James renounce and detest the Bishop of Rome's five bastard Sacraments with all his rites ceremonies and false doctrine added to the administration of the true Sacraments without the word of God 'T is observed by Mr. Mede that one may receive the number of the name of the Beast that is his impieties and yet not receive the mark of his name that is not subject himself to his authority Which is exemplified in the Greek Church who imbrace the same form of impiety derived from the Dragon or the Idolatry of the Latins and yet refuse to be subject to the Latin Bishop or to bear his name So may others refuse to subject themselves to the supreme authority of Antichrist and to be called Papists and yet they may imbrace his Altars Images Fasts Feasts Ceremonies forms of Worship Government Laws Number yea and many of his Antichristian Doctrines and like well of much if not of almost all of that he holds and doth and yet will be called Protestants and take it very ill at the Papists hands when they call them Calvino-Papistae Calvin-Papists that is partly Papists and partly Protestants such as hold with the Papists and yet profess with the Protestants Mungrels as Bishop Abbâ—t called them in his Sermon above have great charity for professed 〈◊〉 but crâ—el hatred for real Protestants account true Calvinism heresie yea little less than Treason as Knot the Jesuit told some of our Mungrels but gross Popery yea blasphemy in doctrine to be but errour and more tollerable than Presbytery and Popery in practise to be indifferent and therefore lawful and commendable Many of these Heresies and errors I have renounced are by some of our Mungrels called the Doctrines of the Heylin's Introd to his Cyprianus Anglic. Church of England and Books have been printed if not licensed to confirm it but very falsely and slanderously except by Church of England they understand a faction for sure I am that the true and whole Church of England â—olds soundly against all these ensuing false Doctrines renounced Only her doctrine at least practise about Apocriphal Scriptures is not I fear so full and clear as I believe it might be Some mens plausible Sermons are abroad which are by too many persons swallowed down without due examination 'T is said by one a learned man That God doth only * Dr. Till Ser. offer grace in his Gospel but he forceth none to receive it To prevent mistakes I say and acknowledg 1. That God doth not force men against their wills to accept of the grace and assistance that he doth offer them but I deny that Quo minus tolerabilis est eorum inscitia qui Evangelium communiter ita Offerâ—i fingunt ut promiscuâ— liberum sit omnibus salutem fide amplecti Calvin in 1 Cor. 2. 14. God doth only offer assistance or grace to his children for though he do not convert them against their wills whether they will or no yet he takes away their hearts of stone and gives them hearts of flesh and makes them of unwilling to become willing in the day of his power Psal 110. 3. He worketh in them to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. 2. I acknowledg that Reprobates may finally resist the ineffectual grace of God 3. I affirm that the elect of God to Salvation shall not cannot finally withstand the effectual grace of God but that they shall at one time or other be effectually called converted and eternally saved And 4. That God who hath from all eternity elected them to the end everlasting Salvation hath also appointed them to the means conducing to the attainment of it as Faith in Christ Repentance for sin sincere obedience to the Law of God and perseverance in the same to the end Though I have not used many Arguments to confute every particular Error that would have been Voluminous yet I have sufficiently confuted them and proved that Papists and Protestants Religion differ or that the Church of Rome and Protestants hold a different Religion which was the main design of my undertaking and in alledging the Doctrine of the Church of England I should I conceive if I had done no more he thought to have done enough to convince if not professed Papists yet those that pretend to be the most dutiful Sons of the Church of England that these Doctrines are not Protestant but rather Popish and at least contrary to their Professions Subscriptions and Declarations as well as to Gods word and keep others from imbracing and imbibing and spreading of them If by alledging the Sermons Speeches and Writings of any learned Conformist heretofore I have displeased any of our great Conformists now I hope they will excuse and pardon me and blame them that printed and licensed them or themselves or others that have traduced or suffered the Truth to be bespattered or gainsayed or undermined by any Pelagian Arminian Socinian or Popish writer upon any pretence whatsoever And now my prayer to the God of Peace and Truth for England is That Gods true Religion may be setled here in its power and purity and that all Popery in Doctrine and Discipline and Worship may be burned with fire Revel 17. 16. that is as learned Dr. Moor expounds the place utterly consumed and to this end that God who hath the hearts of Kings and all men in his hands would incline the heart of our King and Parliament and all sorts of people to deny themselves and resign up themselves wholly to be guided by the will of God revealed in the Canonical Scriptures which ought to be the rule of all mens actions as our Book of * Homil. for Rogat on Week Part 3. p 230 Homil against Wilful Rebellion Part 6. p. 318. Homilies plainly declares which saith thus In Gods word Princes must learn how to obey God and to govern men in Gods word Subjects must learn obedience both to God and their Princes Is our reverend Fathers of the Church would stick close to the sound and necessary Articles of Religion established which concern the Doctrine of the true Christian Faith and the Sacraments to * Anno 3 Edw. 6. c. 11. which only all Ministers were bound to subscribe and give their assent and countenance men that do so and discountenance all those that hold or vent any Doctrine against the same and not stand too much upon those things which they have devised to uphold their own worldly power and interests and abate those things that are not of themselves or by Divine institution