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A19326
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Doctrinall and morall observations concerning religion vvherein the author declareth the reasons of his late vn-enforced departure from the Church of Rome, and of his incorporation to the present Church of England : teaching, maintaining and defending the true Christian Catholike and apostolike faith, professed by the ancient primitiue church, most conspicuous in the outward vertues and constant sufferings of many holy bishops and other good Christians, glorious in the crowne of martyrdome / by Iohn Copley ...
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Copley, John, 1577-1662.
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1612
(1612)
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STC 5742; ESTC S299
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195,885
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256
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is a Sacrament since neither hee nor any other can shew any such institution But it followeth by him notwithstanding that as I my selfe haue cited the afore said place of Genesis it well prooueth the state of marriage to haue beene ordayned by GOD. For which as the Scripture saith a man shall forsake his father and mother Verse 29 and hee shall cleaue vnto his wife and they shall bee two in one flesh 3 Which first institution was renued by Christ when he said Haue yee not read Diuers reasons grounded vppon the Scriptures for the approbation of priests marriages Matth 19. Hebr. 13.14 that hee which did make from the beginning made them male and female and hee said for this cause man shall leaue father and mother and shall cleaue to his wife and they two shall be in one flesh That therefore which God hath ioyned together let no man separate And the same Institution is Declared to be honourable among all men and their bodies vndefiled if therefore among all men then also among Priests if it were honourable for respect of the Author that ordained it which was GOD himselfe why shall it not also bee honourable for his Priests If it were honorable in the time of innocencie before it was decayed why should it not be honorable in the time of grace wherein man is repaired as wel for Priests as others if it were honourable because it was ordained in Paradise the happiest place of the world why shall it not also be honourable in the Church of Christ amongest Church-men who honour God in the happiest places that is in the Churches ordayned to Gods honour besides since God the Sonne honoured the state of mariage with his presence at Canaan of Galilee where hee wrought the first miracle that euer he did turning water into wine with his praiers comparing the kingdome of God to a wedding and holinesse to a wedding garment why should wee thinke that Christ will not be well pleased that his Priests should honor that state with their owne persons is not increase multiplication of children which is one principall end of marriage as honorable a blessing in Priests as in others or is not the inconuenience of solitarinesse signified in these words It is not good for man to bee alone that is without a helpe and comfort which is an other end of marriage as fit for Priests as for Lay peopleâ— or is it not as fit that Priests should haue a remedy for fornication aswel as other men taketh their preshood from them the nature of men or can their dignities in the Church of God giue them leaue to liue lasciuiously in a single life are all Priests assured that during their liues they shall alwayes enioy the gift of continencie or is it absolutely in mans power to haue it or not to haue it why then doth S. Paul say Quipotest capere capiat he that can take it let him take it no no they haue as much neede of such a helpe as any other How comes it that many yea most of the Clergy in the country of Liege and diuers other places keep concubines what is the cause that most of the Priests of Brittaine haue also their bedfellows liuing in the house with them in the state of whoredome but their want of mariage whence so many deâ—â—ourings of virgins so many fornicatioÌ„s so many adulteries so many bestialities recorded by diuers authors amoÌ„g Clergy men in the church of Rome but the want of this remedie instituted by God practised in the old Lawe by the holiest as Henoch Noah Abraham Dauid Ezechiel Aaron and other high Priests approoued by Christ called honourable by S. Paul amongest all men What is not the doctrine of S. Paul to be approoued who alloweth the marriage and the bed vndefiled to all men excluding none when he saith 1. Cor. 7.2 Because of fornication let euerie man haue his owne wife Here we see marriage is prescribed a remedy for euerie man 4 And if wee looke into the practise of the Primitiue Church The new Testament maketh for the marriage of Priests we shall find the same remedy to haue beene vsed without checke or controule May we thinke that S. Paul excluded Priests when hee said 1. Cor. 9. It is better to marry than to burne Doth his Doctrine debarre Priests of marriage when hee saieth If thou takest a wife thou sinnest not 1. Cor. 28. Doth not Saint Paul sharpely reprooue them that shall forbid marriages when hee saieth In the latter dayes some shall depart from the faith and shall giue heede vnto spirites of errour Note this and doctrines of diuells which speake lies through hypocrisie and haue their consciences burned with a hot yron forbidding to marrie 1. Tim. 4.1.2 3. By diuers of my former Chapters I haue shewed the Church of Rome to haue departed from her former faith now it is apparent they teach doctrine of diuells because they forbid Priests to marrie and teach the Doctrine to bee good Is it to bee thought that Saint Paul did not allow Priests to marrie when hee said A Bishoppe must be vnreprooueable the husband of one wife hauing children vnder obedience with all honest 1. Timoth 3.2.4 And when hee said Let Deacons be the husbands of one wife and such as can rule their children well and their owne housholde 1. Timothy 3.12 Can it bee said that Saint Paul doeth not approoue marriage in Priests and Deacons when he alloweth them one wife children and housholde to haue care of What may bee probably inferred vpon the wordes of Saint Paul to the Philippians the last chapter translated by the Rhemists thus I beseech thee my sincere companion By occasion of which words Cardinall Bellarmine saith that it is more probable Saint Paul had no wife Clem. Alexand. 3 stromat Ignatius epist ad Philadelph against Clemens Alexandrinus and Ignatius in some Editions who holde he had a wife which standeth well with the translation of the Church of England saying My faithfull yoake fellow I will not stand much vpon this place leauing the probabilitie thereof to the Reader But sure I am that Saint Peter had a wife for Saint Matthew saith Matth. 8.14 That our Sauiour entred into Saint Peters house and sawe his wifes mother I trow this is plaine enough that he had a wife It is left also recorded That Philip the Euangelist which was one of the sâ—auen Deacons had foure daughters virgins which did prophesie Acts 21.8 9. Ignatius the disciple of Saint Iohn Euangelist writing to the Philadelphians Ignat. ad Philadelph maketh report That Peter Paul and other Apostles were married Clemens Alexandrinus writing against those that reprooued marriage Ecclesiast hist libr. 3 cap. 3â— amongst other things speaketh thus What doe they reprooue the Apostles Peter and Philip had wiues and they gaue also their daughters in marriage to men Neyther doth Saint Paul the Apostle thinke
they say most impudently Matth. 23.2 that for do Penance they translate Repent charging Protestants to corrupt the Greek it selfe which they pretend to transtate is not this a shamelesse impudencie considering that the foresaid Arias Montanus following the Greek translateth as Protestants do Aries Mont in Matth. 3.2 poenitemini repent yee out of the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why is he permitted in the Church of Rome if his translation be corrupt or if his be good why should Protestants be condemned for corruption in that place and the former 5 But the Angelical Doctor proceedeth to proue penance to be a Sacrament by impertinently alleaging a place out of S. Luke Vbi supra art 7. sed contra Luc. vlt. It was behoouefull for Christ to suffer and to rise from death the third day and penance to be preached in his name and remission of sins to all people In which text if you consider the words following you shall find that he speaketh of such penance remission as began at Ierusalem according to Montanus who translateth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 incipienteÌ„ beginning at Ierusalem Now I pray what was the penance remission of sins beginning at Ierusalem it is cleere in the Acts of the Apostles what it was for after S. Peter had ended his first Sermon the hearers were compunct in heart Act. 2 37. asking S. Peter with the rest of the Apostles what they should do S. Peter answered Poenitemini repent ye as Arias translateth out of the Greek and let euery one of you be baptised in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sins Vers 38 therefore fondly and weakely doth Thomas apply the place of S. Luke the plaine words of the Gospel to proue a Sacrament for I trow no Popish writer will say that the repentance beginning at Ierusalem vpon S. Peters sermon before Baptisme receiued was a Sacrament for they all hold that their Sacrament of Penance taketh away onely sinnes after Baptisme And the same Angelicall Doctor himselfe saith Tho. Aquin. part 3. quaest 84. art 6. ad 2. that Penance which goeth before Baptisme is not the Sacrament of Penance Hence appeareth the first error of Thomas Aquinas and Viguerius holding penance to be a Sacrament 6 Now secondly Auricular confession not inftiâ—uted by Christ as an essentiall part of a Sacrament I find most cleerely that auricular confession by the penitent to a Priest made by a particular enumeratioÌ„ of al a mans sins according to their numerical distinct kinds is by no place of Scriptures to be proued nor was instituted by Christ as an essential part of a SacrameÌ„t howsoeuer the Councell of Florence call Penance a Sacrament and the materiall parts thereof the acts of the Penitent and Lucius the third calleth confession a Sacrament Cap. ad abolendum de Haereticis De sacra Poenit. lib. 1. cap. 15. But how shall this be true saith Bellarmine if it belong not to the essentiall part of the Sacrament As for those Scriptures which Bellarmine alleageth for confession as a part of his Sacrament of Penance they are very impertinently alleaged first I find that he affirming the three parts of Penance to be Contrition Confession Bellar. de sacra poenit lib. 1. c. 11. and Satisfaction and to prooue Confession to be a part of Penance Numb 5.6.7 citeth a place out of Numbers which is this The man or woman when they haue done all the sinnes which vse to happen vnto men they shall confesse their sinne which place according to the meaning can haue no reference to the Sacrament instituted in the law of grace for heere mention is made of acknowledgement and confession to God or of some publique act of iniustice to a mans neighbour which is to be satisfied by restitution as the words following doe expresse And therefore if the meaning of this place belong to Penance as a Sacrament it will follow that then it was a Sacrament of the old Law also Vbi supra and not a Sacrament onely of the new Law instituted by Christ Againe a second place for his Confession as a part of his Sacrament of Penance he citeth as if he cared not what he said a place of Dauid saying to God 2. King 24.10 Peccaui valde in hoc facto which is most ridiculously applied because there Dauid confesseth not to any Priest but to God Ionas 3.5 A third place hee citeth out of Ionas the Prophet to the same purpose And let them crie to God in fortitude which place is meant of importunate prayer to God for pardon for their sinnes which he wrestes to Confession so hee wresteth also the prayer of the Publican Luke 18.13 O God bee mercifull vnto mee a sinner which hee saith belongeth to confession Now the iudiciall Reader if hee marke well the force of his argument and the end shall easily see that the Cardinall doth verie impertinently alleage these places for though these places do somewhat make in generall for the acknowledgement which a man ought to make of his sinnes to God yet they nothing make for that auricular confession which the church of Rome teacheth is to be made to a Priest For he there going to proue that Contrition Confession and Satisfaction are acts of the vertue of Penance will needs infer thence by necessarie consequence that therefore they are parts of actuall penance vnder the nature of a Sacrament for the remission of sinnes which in truth is one of the most ridiculous arguments and such a prophanation of the sacred word of God as I neuer read the like and I wonder how such an illation could be inferred from such a premissie by so learned a man If it were true that a certaine Hampshire Recusant calumniously reported of me not long since to one of his Maiesties housebold viz. that I was distracted and out of my wits and therefore no maruaile if I were become a Protestant I verily thinke I could scarce make a more witlesse argument or with lesse iudgement alleage Scriptures then their learned Cardinall the chiefe pillar of their Church heere hath done But I hope that almightie GOD vnto whom I often say with the most zealous and humble affections of my heart Da mihi intellectum Domme scrutabor legem tuam Giue mee vnderstanding O Lord and I will search thy law will preserue me from such sinister vnderstanding and giue mee such iudgement as may daily discouer the like impostures against truth and GODS holy word and free the truth of Gods cause from many of their disgracefull calumniations which can issue from no other source then the Diuell the Authour of lyes whose implacable hatred and malice will neuer cease against the true Church of GOD to stirre vp such lying children as will imitate his owne wicked nature 7 As impertinently as this text Another impertinent allegation 2. Cor. 5.18 the Cardinal alleageth an other