him to bee an Angell it is like enough he would have demeaned himselfe otherwise but taking him to be a man as he seemed hee was more honest than to set him a worke for nothing Nor in case this story were as true as could be were it more absurd for old Tobie to offer this Angell wages whilst he knew him not than it was for Gideon to present an Angell with a Kid or for Lot to afford the Angels lodging or for Manoah to dresse a Kid likewise that the Angell might eate For Manoah saith the Scripture knew not that he was an Angell Iudges 13.16 And as for the dog going with them it is an usuall thing for a dogge to runne abroad with his Master and I pray quarrell not with him for feare hee bites you Little reason is there that you should bee troubled to see a man with a dogge at his heeles except he were going into a Church But if you be of the Packe of Praecisians you care as little to exclude your dogge from thence as you doe to shut out your owne irreverence And yet Iacob could say Gen. 28.17 How dreadfull is this place surely it is no other than the house of God and the gate of Heaven The Lord also saith Levit. 19.30 Ye shall observe my Sabbaths and reverence my Sanctuary And in the Prophet Malachie Mal. 1.6 If I saith the Lord be a Father where is my honour If I be a Master where is my Feare And in the Gospell Mat. 21.13 Luke 19.46 It is written saith Christ that my House shall bee called the house of prayer but yee have made it a denne of Theeves Thus t was then And I would to God it could not in some sort bee as truely said that Gods House is by many made no better still than a denne of Theeves wherein they rob him of his service and are not against the respect which is done there to themselves giving none at all to him before whom they cannot bee too reverent but should bow which we commonly reade Worship fall downe and kneell Psal 95.6 as the Psalmist speaketh Nor doth Saint Paul but say 1 Cor. 11 22. That the Corinthians despised the Church of God for which hee praysed them not And as for reverence to bee done to the Lord of Heaven and Earth the same Apostle instructs the Hebrewes thus Wherefore saith he Heb. 12.28,29 Wee having received a kingdome which cannot be shaken let us have grace whereby wee may serve God acceptablie with reverence and a godly feare For our GOD is a consuming fire All which Scriptures mentioning these things are quoted in the Margent DIALOGUE Minist On the third of October another lying fable is appointed to be read how Tobias being come from Rages did call the Angell unto him and bade him take a servant and two Camels and goe to Rages for mony and that the Angell went and carried writings which he delivered to Gabael who brought bags of mony sealed up which he delivered to the Angell ANSWER Her 's still great noise and little Wooll much spoken but to little purpose as in the former answers hath beene already shewed DIALOGUE Gent. O horrible how have the Bishops deluded King Edward the sixt Queene Elizabeth King James and Our gracious King Charles and the whole estate and made them beleeve that there was nothing in the service Booke contrary to Gods Word God Almighty deliver us from them ANSWER You talke you know not what for that the Bishops have not deluded the state nor those Princes which you speake of appeares First by the Martyrdome of those worthy Bishops which suffered in the dayes of Queene Mary Secondly by the conference holden at Hampton Court in the beginning of King Iames his Raigne who as you know was a Prince so well accomplished in learning and particularly in Divinity that if they would they could not have captivated his judgment and skill as in that conference is most apparent His wise Nobles saw it well enough For being present and observing all passages they were perswaded that His Majesty spoke by inspiration And thirdly that they went not about to delude him appeares by that which they said throughout the whole conference and especially by the faire dealing with His Majestie about particular absolution and private Baptisme DIALOGUE Gent. Now that you have shewed me the blasphemies and lying fables shew also what are the Popish errours that are in it and first tell me whether the Service Booke doth command that all both Ministers and people shall bow their bodies when the Name Jesus is read Minist The Bishops only without any warrant from God but from the Pope Gent. I have read that the Name Jesus was a common name among the Jewes was it so Minist Yes Syrach of Jerusalem had a son whose name was Iesus Eccl. 50.23 Also Ioshua the son of Nun was called Iesus Acts 7.57 and one of Saint Pauls fellow Labourers was called Iesus Col. 4 11. Gent. Why doe the Bishops make an Idoll of the name Jesus by causing men to bow their bodies and to put off their hat when it is read Min. Because they mistake the Word of God where it is written that at the name of Iesus every knee shall bow both of things in Heaven of things on earth and of things under the earth Phil. 2.10 Gent. What is the name of Jesus Min. As by the name of our gracious King Charles is meant not the name Charles which is a common name but the authority and power that God hath given him over all people within his owne dominions as when men are prest to the Kings service they are prest in the Kings name that is by vertue of authority and power from the King even so as by the name of K. Charles is meant his authority and power c. So by the name of Iesus ia meant the authority and power that God hath given him over all things in Heaven and in Earth and under the Earth Gent. What is meant by things in Heaven Min. By things in Heaven are meant the holy Angels and soules of the faithfull that have no knees Gent. What is meant by things on Earth Min. By things on Earth are meant all mankinde living on earth whether they be Elect or Reprobate Gâ—nt What is meant by things under the Earth Min. By things under the Earth are meant the Devils and damned soules in hell Gent. What is meant by bowing of the knee Min. By bowing of the knee is meant subjection Isa 45.23 and not bowing of the body when the name Jesus is read as Pope Anastatius did command Anno 404. Gent. What is meant by bowing of every knee of things in Heaven of things on earth and of things under the earth Min. Thereby is meant that all the holy Angels and Saints in Heaven and all mankinde on earth and all the Devils and damned soules in hell shall submit themselves to
Scriptures they give us notice of some who in the latter daies should perish in the gainsaying of Corah as well as of some who should be led with the errour of Balaam for reward See S. Judes Epist vers 11. Look well about you and take heed how you strike an Angel else may chance to stand against you whilest you ride on the beast and be as loath to loose the rewards of your good Masters and Dames as was Balaam to loose the rewards of the King of Moab For the Pope may be Antichrist though Bishops be upheld they were never limbs of that man of Sinne as Bishops but as Popish whilest they swore subjection unto him whilest they defended him whilest they worshipped him above all that is called God and extorted this homage from others But shall they therefore which defie him resist trample upon him spend their lives and labours in opposing of him be necessarily still in the same condition because they are Bishops a foolish argument and he were a senceles man that should subscribe it But shall I tell you there were many Kings and Princes that gave their strength and power to the Beast but are now revolted from him are they not therefore Kings and Princes still Yes sure their calling is not lost they are Kings and Princes still although not Antichristian Kings and Princes England was once termed the Popes Asse but hath long since shaked off that yoak and abolished the Popes tyranny is it not therefore England still Or to speak of what was late The Princes Peers and Magistrates of England in Queen Maries daies were shoulders and armes of Antichrist their calling is still the same and must still be retained notwithstanding then they went the wrong way in it The like is to be said of Bishops in regard of their order which in it selfe is as firm strong and sound as ever notwithstanding what you or any man else may urge to the contrary If you were not a man of faction but would deale fairly in this busines you should not plead for parity or goe about to destroy the government of Gods Church by Bishops but labour to retain the Primitive form which consistteth not in the abolishing of Bishops and striving to make all Pastours equall but in the restoring of Presbyteries by joyning with the Bishops deserving honest and able * See for this Mr. Thorndikes book of the primitive Government of Churches Presbyters not Lay-elders but learned Ministers In a word there is one thing more which before I goe further must be rememhred For you tell us that in the latter end of Queene Elizabeths raigne when she began to be sickly and not like to live long then Doctour Bancroft Lord Bishop of London knowing that King James was to succeed her and fearing that his Majesty would reforme things amisse in the publike worship and service of God and in the Government of the Church did License a Booke written by a Jesuite that he kept in his house wherein it was written that it was in the Popes power as a gift appropriate to Saint Peters chaire to depose the Kings of England and to give authority to the People to elect choose and set up another Whereto I answer that in this you doe but cast durt in the face of the dead For that which you here mention is but what was objected in the Conference at Hampton Court by Doctour Reynolds and openly proved then in presence of his Majesty which you speak of to be but a false aspersion by which the Bishop was injured and standered Wherefore you doe ill to revive it now for the incensing of the people to the more malice who are already too eager to inveigh against Bishops For I verily thinke that never since the times of Christ and his Apostles were Bishops in such hatred nor had in such contempt as now I wonder that they goe not about likewise to cry down a standing Ministrie for personall offenders may as well countenance the abolishing of the one as of the other And indeed it is in a manner come even to that too amongst some furious and fanaticke spitits But the God of Heaven put a right end to these busie stirrs lest all at the last be brought to ruine Let the fiercenesse of those Opposites who cry Downe with them downe with them even to the ground turn to thy praise ô blessed Lord yea the fiercenesse of them who are thus furious doe thou restrain and bring honour to thy name out of this dishonour and good to thy Church out of this evill It is thine owne cause ô God arise therefore and defend it in spight of all that shall oppose it And thus I am come almost to the end of your dowty Dialogue a little more will bring me to it DIALOGUE Gent. There was a little Booke written of late and dedicated to the Mouse of Parliament that had most of these things in it that you have spoken of concerning the Service-booke and the Bishops Min. There was so but the Authour thereof is much grieved every time that he doth thinke upon it because it was dispersed without his consent and printed false by putting in and leaving out of words so as it was not fit to be presented to the House of Parliament ANSWER Great pitty sure to see so worthy a worke defaced especially being intended for the view of the high Court of Parliament But grieve not at it though you sometimes chance to thinke upon it for you make amends for all in this most learned and through-paced Dialogue which is instar omnium and a great deale fitter for the Parliament then that little Booke you speake of Aquila non capit Muscas Parliaments meddle with great matters Let little Bookes therefore goe and thinke your selfe better with this great volume of almost twenty leaves in Quarto which the Parliament when it hath nothing else to doe will read and relish as well as it can This is enough to comfort you you may by no meanes desire more except you had written to better purpose DIALOGUE Gent. It made mention of Judgements c. ANSWER Here you come in with a diâ—course out of your little Booke of some fearefull Judgements shewed on Churches by Thunder and Lightning in Service time and you mention chiefly two the one on the Parish Church of Whitcomb in Devonshire upon the 21 day of October 1638. the other on the Parish Church of Anthony in Cornwell upon Whitsunday 1640. when the people were kneeling at the Communion which fell upon those places to shew that God is not pleased but much offended with the publike Worship and Service which is prescribed unto his holy Majesty in our Service-booke Thus saith your Dialogue pag. 32. 35. and 37. But what saith the Apostle O how unsearchable are Gods Judgements and his wayes past finding out And verily we thank God our Service booke is clearely proved to be of another nature then to offend the diyine
Majesty But in this you speake against us just as did the Pagans sometimes against the Christians who imputed all the calamities that befell them to be in regard of the Christian religion plagues famine fires and whatsoever publike calamity befell them was for no other cause This therefore made the poore Christians suffer the more persecutions and come under the greater troubles even to rhe shedding of their blood with a purpose of destroying them quite and rooting them out Howbeit the God of Heaven did sometimes send them times of breathing and at last stirred up a powerfull patriot carefully to defend them all which was shewed in vision to Saint John as we may read it in the 12 Chapter of the Revelation And as for us beside the whole Answer to your Dialogue I have already even in particular shewed you how Letanies have prevailed with God in times of danger And are these services now become odious to Heaven not in themselves but in those who doe not use them as they ought For God is the same alwayes from one Generation to another he changeth not but is the same for ever and is well pleased to see us come into his Courts and to doe our devotions before him But this is evermore the fashion of your Sect to dive deeper into Gods secrets then they who are wise unto sobriety dare determine God blesse the King and direct aright the High Court of Parliament and so guide and direct us all that we may with a joynt consent strive together truly to set forth his praise and glory To which let all that love the Lord say evermore Amen Amen An addition in a word or two to give satisfaction concerning the Surplice THe Dialogue I confesse meddles not at all with this But because some scruple at it without cause I shall speake a word or two about it The attire which the Minister of God is by order to use at times of Divine Service is a long wâ—ite garment which we commonly call a Surplice to which Graduates have their hoods and such like other Ornaments added according to their degrees in the Vniversity The use whereof is not only appointed by Canon but established by Act of Parliament as may be seen in the Rubrick intituled The Order where Morning and Evening Prayer shall be used and said Which Rubrick is set before the beginning of Common Prayer comprehending also the Ornaments or Robes of Bishops as well as of other inferior Ministers All which were likewise in uâ—e by Authority of Parliament in the second year of the raign of King Edward the fixt and by like authority continued amongst us even ever since The originall of this white garment came not first from Popery but was used in the Church of God long before They do ill therefore who affright themselves at the fight thereof and terrifie others also with it as if it were a Relique or Râ—g of Popery Were it not better saith worthy Hooker Eccles Polit. pag. 61. lib. 5. that the love which men beare to God should make the least things that are imployed in his Service amiable then that their over-scrupulous dislike of so mean a thing as a Vestment should from the very service of God withdraw their hearts and affections Divine Religion saith Saint Hierom hath one kinde of habit to Minister before the Lord another for ordinary uses belonging unto common life This he said in his Comment upon the 44. chap. of Ezekiel in regard of the ornaments which even the Priests under the Law were clothed with Howbeit his words are extensive to Divine Religion in generall and therefore he chides with Pelagius when he taxed at large all neat apparell as if he had ment somthing also against the white garment worn by persons Eccle siasticall when they administer the usuall Sacrifice Hieron advers Pelag. lib. 8. c. 6. For this he saith they did in a garment that was white Chrysostome also mentions the same and cals it A white shining garment as may be seen in that which he speaketh to the Clergie men at Antioch where he doth not accuse them because they wore it but told them as Hooker fitly noteth that it was a matter of small commendation in it self if they which weare it do nothing else but aire the robes which their place requireth Chrysost ad popul Antioch tom 5. Serm. 60. The Priests garments under the Law had I grant their mysticall reference peculiar to those times beside which they served likewise for comelines expressed in Exod. where it is said They were for glory and for beauty Ex. 28.2 and are not therfore exempted from the choice of the Church of Christ to select some speciall one or other out of the number of those holy garments or to appoint some other to be worn for decency and order according to that generall Canon of the New Testament which the Apostle mentions in the 1 Cor. 14.40 Nor is it but certain that the Analogie of their Law is a rule to us yea the equity and righteousnesse thereof bindes us still and even in this teacheth us that Gods Ministers as well now as then are not only to be differenced from the people but even from themselves in respect of their attire at other times For the more solemn the performance is of any publike duty the better it is imprinted in the regard and esteem of others Eccl. Polit. p. 168. lib. 4. For we must not think but that there is some ground of reason even in nature whereby it commeth to passe that no Nation under heaven either doth or ever did suffer publike actions which are of waight whether they be Civill or Temporall or else Spirituall and Sacred to passe without some visible solemnity as Hooker speaketh Magistrates of note have their robes in highest Courts and Judges at Law are gravely attired And shall not Ministers officiate in comely garments The Angels that appeared at our Saviors Resurrection were then imployed in a part of their service And were they not cloathed in white a fitting Pattern for Gods Ministers whom the Scripture sometimes termeth Angels Malach. 3.1 and Revel 1.20 It is writen also in the Revelation Revel 15 6. that the Seven Angels came out of the Temple cloathed in pure and white linnen a pattern againe for Gods Ministers and more perspicuous who as they are Angels in name so may be like Angels in this whilest they doe service to their God in any Temple And if as one speaketh Mr. Reeve in his Divinit p. 103. it be granted to the wife of the Lamb that she should be arayed in fine linnen clean and white for the fine linnen is the righteousnes of the Saints why may it not saith he be granted to her more excellent Mâ—mbers to be so arrayed in presence of that Lamb land in his publike service with materiall fine linnen clean and white in signification of the righteousnes of Saints wherewithall they ought most eminently to be