to abolish the hymne of Glory which was ordinarly sung in praise of the holy Trinity This Innovation seem'd very strange and gaue great scandal to many For besids that it had been vsed from our infancy and was sung publickly in all Churches at the conclusion of of the Psalmes it contain'd not the least apparance of evil but rather did appear to tend much to the honour of God to whom all praise glory principally belongs And albeit it be not word by word in one place of the holy Scripture as our Lords prayer is yet the sense and the like words if not the same are to be found in it For what is more expresly contain'd in the new Testament then the Father Son and holy Ghost in whose name we are all baptized and which all true Christians do acknowledge to be one true God And what is more cleare in Scripture then that Glory is due vnto God S Paul saith to the King of the worlds immortal 1. Tim. 1.17 Pet 2. epist 3. ch ver 18. Iude ver 25. invisible only God be honour and glory for ever Amen S. Peter also speaking of Christ saith to him be Glory both now and to the day of eternity Amen And S. Iude to the only God our Saviour by Iesus Christ our Lord be Glory magnificence empire and power before all worlds and now for all worlds evermore Amen There is nothing more frequēt in the Revelatiō then redoubling of this Glory to God S. Iohn saith that he heard every Creature in heaven and vpon earth saying Apocal. 5.13 to him who sitteth on the throne and to the Lambe benediction honour glory power for ever and ever Therefore since the giving of Glory to God is the principal exercise of the Saints in heaven why may it not or rather why ought it not to be the exercise also of the Saints on earth S. Iohn saith he heard a voice come out from the throne saying Apoc. 19.5 Say praise to our God all you his Servants and you that feare him little and great Why then should the Presbyterians hinder both little great to sing this hymne of praise Glory vnto the holy Trinity Why should they goe against their owne former practise and that custome which was observed by their first Reformers and which is yet keep 't in all the more ancient Protestant Churches How could one of their Ministers interrupt the people when they were singing that hymne by crying out no lesse ridiculously then scandalously No more Glory to the Father No more Glory Indeed if the Presbyterians denyed the mystery of the holy Trinity as the Arians did they might vpon that false ground had some pretence of reason for this innovation but acknowledging the truth of that Divine mystery they appear'd very vnreasonable for abolishing that hymne which was ordinarly said in praise of it and which hath so good ground in the holy Scriptures Being therefore desirous to know this matter from the source I had my next recourse according to my accustomed methode vnto the primitive Church the holy Fathers And there I found that this hymne was most ancient an Apostolical tradition that it was highly esteem'd and much vsed by the Catholique Church in the primitive times that as some heretiques did much endeavour to pervert it so the Catholiques did labour as diligently to preserve it in the same purity as it had descended vnto them by continual practise and tradition And lastly I found that God did approve the laudable vse of this hymne by some notable miracles All which we shall briefly shew Basil ad Amphiloch de sp 5. How the hymne of Glorification was vsed from the very tyme of the Apostles S. Basil the Great doth largely shew For when the Sacrament of Baptisme was administrated by them in name of the Father of the Son and of the holy Ghost the faithfull answered Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the holy Ghost Which custome of glorifying God the same holy father doth affirme to be an Apostolical tradition which had been every where observed throughout the whole Church Of this matter Cardinal Baronius treateth amply in his third tome anno 325. Where he also sheweth that this hymne was of so great authority and esteeme in the ancient Church that when the holy Fathers in the Councel of Constantinople were to establish a rule of faith against some Heretiques who denyed the Divinity of the holy Ghost they would haue inserted in that Symbol a testimony from this hymne of Glory for the Divinity of the holy Ghost in these words Who with the Father and the Son Baron tom 3. anno 323. n. 174. is adored and Con-glorifyed And albeit this hymne was much vsed in the Church from the beginning yet it was sung more frequently in honour of the blessed Trinity after the Arians began to corrupt it How the Arians did strive to change and pervert this hymne the same Card. Baronius sheweth out of Sozomen Baron ibid. n. 173. for as they had changed the forme of Baptisme by saying I baptise thee in the name of the Father by the Son in the holy Ghost so also they corrupted the hymne of Glorification by singing Glory be to the Father by the Son in the holy Ghost Which diversity bre◠a dissension in Antioch between the Catholiques and the Arians whilst they would keep the ancient custome and the others would bring in their corrupt innovation Therefore the great Councel of Nice Baron ibid. n. 176. which had condem-the Arian heresy for the more confusion of it gave order to continue these hymnes in the Church which were in vse to be sung formerly in praise of the holy Trinity and especially the hymne of Glorification which the Arians had changed and endeavoured to pervert as they had impiously denyed the mystery of the holy Trinity in whose honour it was said And from this time that hymne began to be more frequently vsed so that the Countrey people would sing it whilst they were busied about their ordinary labours For how much the Arians did strive to suppresse and pervert it so much the Catholiques did labour to preserve and celebrat it For which cause S. Ambrose did conclude all the new hymnes which he made to be sung by the people during the time of the persecution which he suffered of the Arians with the hymne of Glorification as S. Augustin testifieth Ang. lib. 9. Confes◠c. 6.7 Ambros in Auxent And therefore being accused by the Arians for hauing deceived the people with the verses of his new hymnes he answered I do not deny that c. What is more powerfull then the Confession of the Trinity which is celebrated every day by the mouths of the people They labour all earnestly to confesse the faith they know to praise in verse the Father Son holy Ghost and they are all become Teachers who scarcely
Tim 3.13 what the first Reformers who could not on a suddaine deny all truths left vntouched your second Presbyterian Reformers haue abolished as they haue done here the hymne of Glory which was said in praise of the holy Trinity and for which you haue got the noble exchange of cōtinual praises of the Covenant Presbytery But as the great Councel of Nice did add vnto the ancient hymne of Glory to the Father c. that clause As it was in the beginning c. For confusion of the Arian heresy So also it hath by the same addition prophetically foretold the continuance of it for ever to the confusion of this new sect called Presbytery which is most consonant to that of S. Paul To God be glory in the Church and in Christ Iesus to all generations world without end Amen Ephes 3.21 That Church which hath triumphed over the Arians who corrupted this glorious hymne will also triumph over the Presbyterians who have abolished it Yea this hymne shall not only continue to the worlds end in the Church Militant but it shall be also the exercise of the Church Triumphant which shall never cease for all eternity to sing praise glory vnto the most holy Trinity Thus ended my Catholique friend whose words I found to be more waighty a good space after then they appear'd to me at the time when he spoke them Moreover I remember he desired me to consider that these innovations against our Lords prayer and the hymne of Glory were such blacke actions that the prime Presbyterians who introduced them were ashamed to make acts to forbid them as they had done for abolishing of Episcopacy and some other points but only brought them in by a desuetude as they speake and so wore them out of vse Which sheweth said he that they would gladly haue some things done covertly which they are asham'd to avow publickly CHAP. X. Of the Apostles Creed denyed to be Apostolical by the Presbyterians THERE was hardly any thing that the Presbyterians did which made me stumble so much as their Innovation concerning the authority of the Apostles Creed They were not content with their Reformation or rather abrogation of the Apostolique governement vnlesse they also did deny the Creed to be made by the Apostles and so weare it out of vse as they had done our Lords prayer At the end of of their new Catechisme they speake thus of the Creed Shore Cat. Vvest in fine Albeit the substance of the doctrine comprised in the Abridgement commonly called the Apostles Creed be fully set forth in each of the Catechismes so as there is no necessity of inserting the Creed it self yet it is here annexed not as though it were composed by the Apostles c. In which words they reach covertly two things 1. That the Creed it self is not necessary if we have the substance of it as it is explain'd in the new Presbyterian Catechisme 2. that it needs not be esteemed to be composed by the Apostles But their practise did shew more evidently their meaning For they did not only declare it not to be Apostolical and therefore to be only a humane collection but also they did no more say it neither did they require it to be said any more of others as the custome was formerly at Baptismes And by these means they put it out both of estimation and vse This innovation gave great scandal to many who thought iustly they could thereafter be sure of nothing since their Creed was called in question This was vniversally esteem'd before the Covenant began the badge or mark of a Christian and the principal foundation of the Christian religion The authority of it was held so sacred that it was an ordinary proverbe in mens mouth 's when they would give great assurance of performing any thing they had promised that before they failed They would as soone deny their Creed As it was called the Apostles Creed so it was taught for such so it was believed and esteemed to be It was publickly said in the Church by parents at the Baptisme of their Children and it was required to be said by the people when they were Catechized But all these things were altered and overturned by the Presbyterians The authority and esteem of the Creed was dash't by their denying it to be Apostolicall and the custome of saying it both publikly privatly was taken away so that it was soone worne out both of vse and request If they did this so easily with our Lords prayer which is contain'd in Scripture how much more easily would they do it with the Creed which is not in Scripture and which they pretend to be a meer humane collection And so in a short time they would get it to be altogether slighted as a humane invention and banished out of the memories of men Wherefore being desirous to penetrat this matter more inwardly I found after some diligence that the same grounds which can be brought for the Apostolique authority of the Scriptures are also brought and that in an eminent degree for the like authority of the Creed And therefore if we receive the one we cannot reiect the other I shall briefly collect what I found or hath been shewed vnto me for the Apostolique authority great excellency frequent laudable vse of this diuine Symbol Baron tom 1. Annal. an 44. n. 15. seq Cardinal Baronius in the 1. tome of his Annals doth shew by the testimony of the holy ancient Fathers that the Creed was composed by the holy Apostles a little before they were to part and goe into several Countries to preach the Gospel vnto the Gentils to the end there might be a certaine short clear rule of faith in which they all agreed wherein they were to instruct all persons and by which as by a certaine badge all Christians might he knowen For this cause it was not committed to writing but was delivered by lively voice and imprinted in the hearts of Christians by the faithfull diligence of the Apostles This S. Hierom Hier. epist 61. and S. Augustin do testify The first saith The Symbol of our faith hope which was delivered by the Apostles is not written in paper or inke but in the fleshly tables of the heart The other affirmeth Aug. ser 119. de temp Idem ser 69. de expos Symb. that the Creed was not written that it might be retain'd in the hearts of the faithfull And againe he saith The holy Apostles did deliver a certaine rule of faith which being comprehended in tuelve articles according to the number of the Apostles they called a Symbol by which the faithfull may hold Catholique vnity and tread vnder feete heretical impiety To these two great Doctours Ambro. ser 38. epist 81. agrees also S. Ambrose who saith The holy faith is contain'd in the Symbol of the tuelve Apostles who as skiful Artificers meeting together haue made a key by common
could haue been Schollers Yea to confound yet more the Arians who blasphemously said that the Son was made by the father in time and that there was a time when he was not the holy Councel of Nice was pleased to add vnto the ancient hymne of Glorification Glory to the father c. That appendix As it was in the beginning now and ever shall be world without end Amen Which clause did appeare in my iudgment as a prophesie serving not only for the confusion of the Arians but also of the Presbyterians Moreover the Christians of old vere so carefull to preserve the integrity of this hymne as it had been delivered vnto them by their religious Ancestors that they would not suffer so much as one syllable of it to be altered So that diverse of the faithfull did take offence at some expressions of great S. Basil who ended his Sermons with the Glorification for not observing precâ—sly the words of it And therefore he wrote an excellent booke de Spiritu sancto to give satisfaction vnto the Catholiques and to take away all aduantage which the heretiques might haue drawen from his expressions Where he professeth Basil de Sp. S. cap. 27. that it is not lawfull to any person whatsoever to reiect or write otherwise the syllabe And which proceeded from our Lords mouth The same did Pope Vigilius testify as Baronius relateth to Eutherius a Spanish Bishop Baron tom 7. anno 5â—8 p. 279. who had shewed him that some evil Christians in Spaine had changed both the forme of Baptisme and the hymne of Glorification by taking away from them both the particle And before the holy Ghost saying I baptize thee in the name of the Father of the Son holy Ghost Doing the like also when they sung the hymne of Glorification To which the Pope ansuered that these were novelties and dangerous errours wherein if these persons would obstinatly continue they could haue no communion with the Catholique Church By this and diverse other experiences I perceived how carefull the ancient Christians were to preserve the purity of divine truths of Apostolical traditions that they would not quite not alter so much as one syllable of them to please all the Heretiques in the world What would they thought then of the Presbyterians who haue not taken away on syllabe but the whole sentence and substance of this hymne Lastly I found that God hath been pleased to approve the laudable vse of this divine hymne by miracles For whereas diuerse Catholiques had their tongues cut out by the wicked cruel Arians in the persecution which they endured vnder Hunericus the Arian King of the Wandals by the admirable power of the holy Ghost they spoke distinctly without their tongues and did celebrate the divinity of Christ as Baronius sheweth by the testimony of irrefragable witnesses Baron tom 5. anno 484. as of Iustinian the Emperour and diverse others who saw some of them with their eyes and beard them speake Which matter also Cornelius a Lapide doth touch in his Commentaire on the 8. ch to the Rom v. 28. Moreover the same Baronius doth also relate out of many good Authours Baron anno 1055. how Hildebrand the Popes Legat in France who became thereafter Pope Gregory the 7. did by this hymne miraculously discover diverse Simoniack Bishops in that Kingdome-For when one time a learned and eloquent Bishop was accused of Simony before him which he would by no means confesse being suddenly commanded by the Legat to say Glory be to the Father to the Son to the Holy Ghost he pronounced indeed clearly and distinctly the Father the Son but by no means could he pronounce the Holy Ghost By which miracle he was moved to confesse his fault to quite his Bishoprique after which confession he pronounced distinctly the whole hymne Diverse other Simoniack Bishops in that Countrey were induced by the same miracle to do the same So that God Almighty for approving the vse of this heavenly hymne hath made his approved Servants who wanted their tongues miraculously to pronounce it and from these who had tongues but vere vnworthy he tooke away even their natural power to vtter it What shall we say then of this inconsiderat Presbyterian sect which hath outstripped the Arians the most wicked of all Heretiques For these did only change a little this glorious hymne which yet with that change might admit a good sense although they made it for a perverse end but the Presbyterians to their greater ignominy haue totally abolished it Wherein they haue shouen themselv's against the Scripture and to be clearely opposit unto the holy Primâ—tive Church to the sacred Councel of Nice to the custome of their first Reformers and to goe against their owne practises and of the other Reformed Churches abroad Yea in an other consideration the Presbyterians appeare in this point to be worse then the Arians For these Heretiques denying the mystery of the holy Trinity by opposing one or two places of Scripture which they did privatly falsly expound to the constant ancient belief of the whole Christian world did rationally supposing these ill principles to change the hymne of Glorification which was said in in honour of the holy Trinity yea if they could to haue altogether abolished it which doubtlesse they had done if shame could haue permitted them But they left this effronted action to the Presbytery which is more passionat and lesse rational then the Arians For the Presbyterians pretending to believe the mystery of the holy Trinity haue most irrationally abolished that hymne of Glory which had been said in honour of it from the beginning of Christianity I was much astonished when I considered into what miseries raveries inconsiderat passion furious zeal do drive men who vnder pretence of greater purity of more close adhering to the Sriptures stray alway's further from them and fall into greater impurity and defile themselv's with more filthie errours This innovation shortly after it came in was very hardly press'd against me by a Roman Catholique of my acquentance who tooke occasion therevpon to say vnto me What is the reason that M. Knox your first Reformer whom you esteem no small light did not abolish the hymne of Glorification as your Presbyterians haue lately done Or if he did not see all things how could it escape the sharp eyes of these two famous first Apostles Luther Calvin whom you believe to haue bein sent extraordinarly by God to reforme the Church They neither saw nor could see any thing blameable in it When he saw that I answered nothing but only blamed the Presbytery for their inconsideration inconstancy which indeed was all that I could say he told me that S. Paul manifesteth the true Source of this the like innovations For speaking of false Teachers he saith Evil men and Seducers shall wax worse erring driving into errour So that 2.
As a man who was rich and had mispent his estate cannot be iustly commanded by any new law to pay as much tribute as when he had his estate nor be punished for not paying it thereafter for such a law would be both vniust ridiculous commanding impossibilities and so would be no law and the makers of it would be both vnreasonable cruel So man after the fall of Adam could not by any new law be iustly commanded by God to do that which was impossible vnto him vnlesse we would make that new law vniust and ridiculous God him self vnreasonable Tyrannous Therefore since God made and promulgated his law long after the fall of man vsed exhortations propounded rewards and threatned punishments to induce men to keep it and all his actions are iust and wise they presuppose necessarly the possibility of keeping that law with the assistance of his grace or else such things would not be only against Gods goodnesse iustice but also against ordinary prudence Moreover the same Catholique shew me that the Presbyterians who accuse the Catholiques falsy for taking away the second commandment as they call it of which matter we shall haue occasion to speak more fitly hereafter may be iustly accused for taking away in reality not one but alle the commandments For their errour of the impossibility of them destroyes the end for which they and all iust lawes are made to wi t that they may be kept and so they destroy the Whole divine commandments and make them of no effect yea this errour destroies also the end of Christs Incarnation Passion if we will believe S. Augustin For having brougt many passages of Scripture to this purpose he subioyns Quibus appaparet D. Iesum Christum nullam aliam ob causam in carnem venisse c. Aug. lib 1 de pecc mer rem c. 26. where he sheweth very largely that Christ for no other cause came vnto the world and became obedient vnto the death of the Crosse but that he might reconcile sinners to God destroy the power of sin obtaine grace from God to make vs walk in newnesse of life and in obedience of his holy commandments Whereby it may be seen what a dangerous fundamental errour this is which is against such principal fundamental points of the Christian religion Therefore the Presbyteriās would de well to make vse of the same holy Fathers sound advice when he saith Let him to whom the commandments are heavie know Aug. lib. de perfect institue c. 10. that he hath not got the gift to witt of the love of God by which they are made not heavie but yet though he find them heavie let him not be broke with despaire but let him be enforced and stirred vp to seek to beg and to knock But the Presbyterians who hereby may know that they want the love of God cannot make immediat vse of this wholsome counsel to seek and beg that love of God by which his commandments are made easy till they first correct or rather quite their erroneous faith whereof they make this a chiefe article that it 's impossible to love God or keep his commandments Therefore they must first beg true faith that they may believe Gods commandments to be possible with help of his grace and then they may beg and obtaine the second to witt the love of God by which they may find grace to fulfill them This article of the Presbyterians faith gave occasion to a Catholique Gentleman of my acquentance to say to the Presbyterians who were much pressing him to subscrib the Covenant that he would never be of their religion who professed they did not love God yea and made it an article of their faith that they could not love him Thus he Having therefore diligently considered all these grounds I could no longer believe the impossibility of keeping Gods commandments even with the help of his grace as an article of my faith reveald in Scripture which I found to be against Scripture and against the goodnesse iustice and wisdome of God Which the holy Fathers some Protestants do call extream blasphemy which destroyes the vertue and power of Gods grace which puts the blame of our negligence sluggishnesse from our selves and layes all vpon God which is against the end of Christs Incarnation merit of his Passsion which hinders the growth of piety and opens a gate to all wickednesse and makes all the divine commandments of no effect But vpon the contrary I resolved by Gods grace to embrace and believe the ancient Catholique doctrin concerning the possibility of keeping the commandments with the help of Gods grace Which I found to be so clearly expressed in Scriptures so strongly maintaind by the holy Fathers so consonant to right reason iustice piety and which did make so much for the glory of Gods grace the merits of Christs death and passion CHAP. XV. Of Iustification by Faith onely maintain'd by the Presbyterians and their first Reformers as the principal article of their Religion AFTER the triall of our doctrine concerning the Commandments I considered in the next place our doctrine of Iustification not only because this hath connexion with the former but also for the importāce of the matter For I haue read and heard this article of Iustification by faith onely called by many Protestants the soule and life of their religion and of all articles the principal and greatest on the contrary they call Iustification by works the life of Popery so that M. Fox saith that Luther Fox Acts. Man p. 402. by opening a certaine veine which lay long hid to witt our Iustification by faith only did overturne the foundation of Popery Moreover I haue heard it affirmed that Iustification by faith only was so certaine a truth and so evidently contain'd in the Scriptures that some of the learned Papists after they had much oppposed it were at lenth overcome by the strenth of it and made to acknowledge it and there was no point of Popery esteem'd to be more absurd nor more against the Scriptures then Iustification by works in so much that M Knox in his first sermon at S. Andrewes did make instance principally in it Knox Chron. pag. 76. 77. for thus speaks his history of him He plainly proved the Papists doctrine lawes to repugne directly to the lawes of God the Father and of Christ Iesus his Son This he proved by conferring the doctrine of Iustification expressed in the Scriptures which teach that man is iustifyed by faith only c. and the doctrine of the Papists which attributes iustification to the works of the law And vpon severall occasions I haue heard the Ministers pretend great advantage in this point which they ordinarly vrge very much Having then no small expectation to find such expresse and convincing Scripture for this point of Iustification by faith only that any impudent front cowld hardly deny it I begun
Reformation This was not done by any formal act but as a Minister spoke by a desuetude of the principal Covenanters whose example the rest of the Ministers followed But there was one thing which hapned in this matter not vnworthy of remark and is very famous throughout the countrey For whilst the people of a Parish in Anguse were singing at the conclusion of a psalme Glory to the Father and to the Son c. as not knowing of the new alterations they were presently interrupted by their Minister who cry'd aloud No more Glory to the Father No more Glory c. which accident rendred the Presbyterians very ridiculous to the old Protestants Fourthly they proceeded further and strook at the roote of the Christian faith to witt the Apostles Creed denying it to be Apostolicall The contrairy whereof we was taught in our yonger yeares as was believed troughout the whole Christian world And after they had thus denyed the letter and authority of it they proceeded next to corrupt the sense of that Article He descended into hell as we shall see shortly Their inconstancy and changes may be instanced in diverse other points and practises as in their taking the Communion sitting and condemning kneeling as vnlawfull Their deuiding of the bread among themselues wherein they place no small purity of their religion and not taking it out of the Ministers hand as the custome was before Their condemning private Cōmunion and private Baptisme although administrated vpon extream necessity which I found to be pernicious errours especially in so far as concern's Baptisme Their condemning as superstitious the religious observation of Christmasse and of all other festival dayes c. All which are not only contrary to the doctrine of the most famous Protestant Churches abroad but also were contrary to the doctrine lawes practises of this Church at home By which inconstancy of the Ministers and the alterations made by thē the people was not only miserably tossed to and fro and carried about with violent winds of new doctrines but also they knew not what to believe and almost loos'd all belief since they saw that many points which they believ'd before being taught them by their own Pastours were now condemned by the same Pastours who are very like vnto these whom the Apostle S. Iude calls wandering starres Hauing thought seriously vpon these things I made this reflection with my self How can this Scottish Church which changeth like the Moone and is as vnstedfast as the wind be the true Church of Christ which must be firme and stedfast as a rocke How can these Ministers who drawes yea driwes the people into such varieties of faith Ephes 4.11.14 be the true Apostles of Christ seing they were established as S. Paul testifies to conserve the people into the Vnity of Faith They must be false Pastours who do tosse the people to and fro with the inconstant winds of their new doctrines since true Pastours were ordain'd by Christ to keep the people into the constant profession of the old doctrin which was once delivered and generally professed throughout the world and to preserve them from such tossings As the scripture sheweth that inconstancy and lightnesse belongs to false Teachers so I found that the holy Fathers did observe it by experience Iren. l. 1. c. 18. c. 5. S. Ireneus saith They delight to find out every day some new thing Let vs now see their inconstant doctrin c. But 5. Hiero. most pithily describs their humour The feet saith he of those who erre Hier in cap. 16. Ezech. are alway's wavering neither are the footsteps sure which are against the truth but they run here and there and are caried about with euery wind of new doctrin whilst they passe from one falshood into another falshood Therefore seeing the great inconstancy and changes of the Scottish Church I desired to find out a more constant and skifull Guide to rely vpon to lead me vnto the kingdome of heauen CHAP. III. Of the Ministers Dissensions and Divisions AS the Inconstancy of a Church in faith and doctrine gives iust occasion to many of doubting and stumbling at it's religion so Dissensions and Divisions which necessarly flow from such Inconstancy are no lesse but rather more sensible evils and gives greater and more vniuersal scandals For there are many who would take no notice of Inconstancy and yet are awakned by the confusion that ever attends Dissension and Division It 's evident by the light of reason that nothing becomes more the house of God then vnity and order and that confusion and dissension are only fitting for Babel or the house of the Devil and as Vnity tends to preservation so Dissension hastens to destruction Therefore our B. Saviour being to found his Church which was to be a heavenly house vpon earth of admirable order and to stand for ever did pray most earnestly for the Vnity of it S. Thn ch 17. by which he knew it would be both beautifyed and conserved Yea he sheweth that by the admirable Vnity of his Church the world showld know Ibid. ver 21.23 that he was sent from heaven and be made to believe in him Therefore these Churches which haue no Vnity but are torne by Dissensions and Divisions cannot be the true Church of Christ neither can they long laste As Vnity doth designe beautifie and conserve the true Church so Dissension points out deformes and ever at lenth destroies all false Churches Our Saviour saith Luke 11.17 Gal. 5.15 Every kingdome divided against it self shall be made desolate And S. Paul If yow bite and eate one an other take heede you be not consumed one of an other And that this division and destruction befalls to all false Churches Luther himself doth testifie A kingdome saith he divided in it self Luth. tom 3. wit in psal 5. fol. 166. cannot stand neither did Heretiques at any tyme perish by force or art but by their owne mutuall dissensions neither doth Christ our Lord fight against them by other armes then by sending among them the Spirit of giddinesse and dissension Now what miserable dissensions have happened these yeares by past into the Church of Scotland by which it hath been much deformed and a considerable part of it destroyed are knowen far and neare at home and abroad For these dissentious haue been for matter manner and the miserable effects that have flowed from them very remarkable The matter of them concern'd no lesse points then the Governement of the Church established by Christ the authority of the Apostles Creed the vse of the Sacraments of private Baptisme and Communion the vse of our Lords prayer and of Glory to the Father the keeping of holy dayes and the rest of the articles of Perth the Covenant it self the Heade spring of all Dissensions and the authority of the Civil Magistrate c. But the forme and manner of these dissensions hath overcome the matter for it hath been
it dayly and frequently as deserving most iustly the preeminence above all other prayers 4. The holy Fathers do shew not only the excellency of this divine prayer but also the great efficacy of it to obtaine from God all benefits S. Cyprian writes thus of it's excellency O deerly beloved Cyp. de Orat. Dominica how great and how many are the mysteries of our Lords prayer They are briefly collected in speech but they are Spiritually copious in power So that nothing is omitted in our prayers and supplications which is not contayn'd in the compend of that heavenly doctrin Tertull. lib. de Oratione Tertullian calls our Lords prayer Tho Breviarie or Compend of the Euangel And saith that how much it is shortned in words it is as much enlarged in senses But there needeth not much commendation of the worke to those who know the Excellency of the Authour The same S. Cyprian doth shew the great efficacy of this prayer in these excellent words Cypr. ibid. Since we haue Christ an Aduocat with our father for our sins when we sinners do supplicat for our offences let vs bring forth the words of our Aduocat For when he saith what euer you aske from the Father in my name he will giue it vnto you how much more efficaciously shall we obtaine what we aske in Christs name if we aske it by his owne prayer And againe he call's it a friendly familiar prayer to pray God with his owne to make the prayer of Christ ascend vnto his eares The Father saith he will aknowledge the words of his Son when he who dwelleth inwardly in the heart is also outwardly in the tongue S. Augustin in the place lately cited doth shew also the vertue of this prayer when he saith that the dayly saying of it doth satisfy for our dayly and light offences without which this life is not led Therefore the Presbyterians by neglecting to say this prayer did deprive themselv's of the benefite of the most excellent and efficacious of all prayers And therefore albeit they tooke exception against all set formes of prayer which were made by men and would say them no more yet they might haue alway's excepted this prayer which was made by God both for the excellency of it self and the dignity of the Authour But all were put in the same Category Yea there were some of the deepest Presbyterian dye who did not think it sufficiēt to neglect the saying of it vnlesse they spoke also irreuerently against the vse of it And there were some so vnreasonable that they would maintaine it was not only vnprofitable to say our Lords prayer but also vnlawfull We noted above how a great Apostle of the Covenant called publickly the vse of saying often our Lords prayer a Papistical charme An other Minister in Galloway did glory as I was assured by a person of knowen honesty that he had banished out of his parish two Idols to witt Our Father c. and God of all glory and peace c. Which was a short grace that was said ordinarly after meate for all graces as well as prayers behoved to be extemporary even among the Laiques who intended to be in the right Presbyterian Mode But as that person to whom this Minister spoke answered him well saying If you haue banished these two which you call Idols I feare you shall bring in worse Idols in their place So it fell forth For in place of that diuine short and excellent prayer made by God we got long tedious inconsiderat prayers made extempore by men which for the most part were full of Tautologies and idle bablings As Tertullian said well of our Lords prayer That it was short in words but large in senses So the contrary may be said not vnfitly of the Presbyterians extemporary prayers They were large in words but very short of sense And this was the Noble exchange that we made which certainly was for the worst Seing then it 's evident that our Lords prayer is the most excellent of all prayers that it was made by Christ for our vse that it was highly esteem'd and frequently vsed by the holy Fathers and the primitive Church that it 's most efficacious to obtaine from God all benefit's and besid's that it was said publickly by our first Reformers and is yet vsed by all the old Protestants I could not approve the Presbyterians innovation of forbearing to say it Much lesse could I approve the irreverent or rather blasphemous opinion of some who maintain'd that it was both vnprofitable and vnlawfull to vse it which I found also to haue been maintain'd many yeares ago by the Brounists and Puritans as may be seen in Britannomachia Ministror lib. 2. cap. 6. dogm 13.14 For what is the authority of Presbytery against all these authorities which are brought for the laudable vse of our Lords prayer And how much lesse is it to be esteemed since this innovation did not proceed from any general consent of the whole Ministery but from some few giddy domineering heads which Tyrannized over the rest and made them to follow their example For now since Presbyterian power is a little quailed diuerse Ministers are clinging in againe to their old custome of saying this divine prayer which they may do now without danger I admired much when a Catholique friend shew me Gualter Chronol saecul 11. cap. de Vvaldens errore 29. that the Waldenses defended an errour iust contrary in this matter to the Presbyterians For they maintain'd that no other forme of prayer was to be admitted except our Lords prayer as may be seen in Gualterus and these admits almost all other prayets except that I thought the Waldenses and we had agreed better together for I had often heard that we were all of one religion But the same friend made an other observation on this matter which seem'd to be more smart For after he had showen me a ridiculous story which is related towards the end of the Preface to M. Knoxes Chronicle with many fabulous-like circumstances and which thereafter I found not without some admiration to be repeated in B. Spots woods new history Spots hist lib. How there fell forth a great dispute and trouble among the Doctours of S. Andrew's 2. p. 91. Anno 1550. a little before the Reformation Whither our Lords prayer should be said only to God or if it might he said to the Saints also Now said he this fable by Divine providence is truly turn'd on your Presbyterians For they will not have our Lords prayer to be said neither to God nor the Saints and they withdraw men by their evil example from saying to their heauenly father Our Father which art in heaven c. CHAP. IX Of Glory to the Father c. or of the hymne of Glorification taken away by the Presbyterians FROM the reformation of our Lords prayer which was said to our heavenly father the Presbyterians proceeded next to reforme or rather