nothing during the Fast. Nothing at all If our Fast be for a day we are to eat nothing till night when the Fast is ended Such was Nineueh's Fast. Nor can that be a Fast of fourtie dayes in which space any thing is eaten or drunke But is that a Fast to eat no Flesh and to fill the stomacke with good Fish and the best Wine To eat no Butter but the purest Oyle To eat no Egges but the most restoratiue Figges Sint tibi Iâ—iunia pura casta simplicia moderata non superstitiosa saith St IEROME Quid prodest c. What auailes it not to eat Oyle and to seeke out meats hard and troublesome to be gotten As dryed Figges Pistacke nuts Almonds Dates Meale and Honey Tota hortorum cultura vexatur vt cibaria non vescamur pane dum delicias sectamur a regno Caelorum retrahimur All the Gardens and Orchards must bee troubled to serue our palate And while wee follow such delicacies wee are haled away from the Kingdome of Heauen And why should our Authour impose vpon vs such a Lent-Fast as a matter of Religion and a speciall part of his Deuotion Whereas this Noble and Religious STATE doth not prescribe or inhibite the vse of any Creatures but out of a ciuill regard and for a ciuill end In that case doe not men take Licences from the Exchequer And doth not the KINGS Proclamation inioyne forbearance of Flesh during that time of the Spring and that expresly for the increase of Cattle But if our Authour will needs vrge the Authoritie of the Church for the Lent-Fast I doe but referre him to the Order of Pope VRBAN the third afore cited We know no such constitution in the Church of England Neither after CHRISTS Resurrection wherein all Iewish ceremoniall obseruation of dayes was abolished remained in Scripture any one day in the weeke or weeke in the moneth or moneth in the yeere to be religiously and yeerly obserued of Christians but onely the Lords day The Church of Galathia intangling herselfe in Iewish Ceremonies the Apostle sharply reproueth them saying Ye obserue dayes and moneths and times and yeeres I am in feare of you least I haue bestowed on you labour in vaine This was as he tells them to begin in the Spirit and to end in the Flesh. And Col. 2.16 17. Let no man iudge you in meat or in drinke or in respect of an Holy-day or of the new Moone or of the Sabbaoth-dayes which are a shaddow of things to come but the Body is Christ. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the World Why as though liuing in the world are ye subiect to Ordinances Touch not tast not handle not which all are to perish with the vsing after the Commandements and Doctrines of men c. But now they that goe about to destroy or at least to defalke from the due obseruation of the Lords-day consisting in all religious exercises both publicke and priuate excluding all prophane pastimes and licentious mad mirth so as Christians being thereby inured to a religious conformitie of life in all seemely sobrietie haue the lesse need of superstious obseruations to be imposed or obtruded vpon them for their priuate humiliation seeing the whole tenure of their life is a constant walking in a sober and moderate course not mad to day and sad to morrow for fashion so adding drunknesse to thirst and neuer well as we say full nor fasting whereas euerie day to a true Christian is a day of sobrietie and all his life a Lent while all along his life is seasoned and sanctified with a conscionable keeping of the Lords day wherein he prouides his store for euerie weeke I say they that goe about to cut away a a great part from the religious and sober keeping of the Lordsday no maruel if they would fill vp the want of true Religion with some satisfactorie Superstition of mans deuising and so to expiate all the yeeres prophanesse with the seeming sanctitie and superstitious solemnitie of a pretended Lenten Fast which indeed is no Fast as men doe vse it And yet for all it is so abused it hath monopolized and ingrossed to it selfe all other true Fasts wherein Gods people in time either of any present publicke calamitie or eminent danger ought to be humbled in making their peace with God deprecating as the sinne so the punishment the consequent fruit of it But the Lent-Fast must keepe out all beat downe all other Fasts Good Lent either fast as thou pretendest thou shouldest or giue place to other Fasts which being performed as they ought may stand in the gap to turne away that wrath which thy Superstition and Hypocrisie is like to bring vpon vs. But the Authour cites St IEROME to proue the Quadragesimall Fast to be an Apostolicke constitution Indeed we read of one ABDIVS who tells strange Tales of St MATHEVV the Euangelist and among the rest that he taught that Saints must looke to goe into Heauen by their Merits That the time of Lent must be kept with abstinence from Flesh from coniugall beneuolence or else a man becomes polluted and commits a haynous offence which must be washed away with many teares These and other the like be so likely to be true as it may be lawfull for vs to belieue St MATHEVV wrot one thing and spake another But we must know that the Misterie of Iniquitie began to worke euen in those prime times while Satan wanted not his Instruments to lay the foundation thereof in superstitious Deuotions the strongest supporter of Antichrist As for S. IEROME and other of the Ancients who knowes not that many things of this nature haue been foysted into their Workes Neither is it necessarie that we should either labour in all things to cleare the Fathers nor in euerie thing to follow them But howsoeuer our Authour would draw down the Lent-Fast from the obseruation of the Church although he still meanes the Church of Rome yet wee know that the ancient Churches which were no members of the Church of Rome but as all then were ioynt members of the Catholike did obserue their Quadragesima after a different sort both for the time and manner Socrates who was much about the time of S. Ierome saith that in those dayes Qui sunt Roma c. They that are at Rome do Fast three weekes before Easter the Saturday and the Lords day onely excepted In Illyria and all Greece at Alexandria they begin their Fast 6 weekes before Easter and call that time Quadragesima Others begin their Fast 7. weekes before Easter although they keepe their Fast but 15. of those dayes scattered â—mong the rest and yet they call that time Quadragesima too Nor differ they onely about the time but about the maner of abstinence For some eate Fowles and Fishes as both comming of the water Others abstaine from shel-fruits and eggs some feed onely vpon drie bread and others
into this state and Church from which Antichristian religion and Tyranny we haue bin through Gods incomparable mercy to this Land now so many yeares deliuered hauing thus long inioyed the light of the Gospell attended with all outward blessings of a peaceable and happy Gouernment till now of late a generation of vipers eating to themselues away out of their spirituall Mothers bowels that they may turne tayles and joyne with the great Beast of Babylon against the Lambe and those of his side the called and chosen and faithfull haue made a fearefull breach in this beautifull Body like to be vtterly wracked if it be not all the sooner made vp againe Whether to goe about with a high hand to frustrate and make void to violate and breake in sunder all those sacred and religious lawes which haue bin made for the firme establishment of the Gospell the truth whereof hath beene sealed with the blood of so many Martyrs and is and will be witnessed by Millions of faithfull Confesâ—ours of his Maiesties Crowne and Scepter and religious gouernment of vs his people and the rest of his Dominions whether I say to go about to bring in a new forme of Papall religion and dominion in this Church and state of England be not more then matter of periury to cost a mans eares but of high Treason and that in a high degree against God and thâ— King the Church and State Who would euer haue thought that in this shining of the Gospell any Romish owles hoodwinckt with the vaile of superstitious Deuotion durst attempt sâ—ch things as the bringing backe of the Church of England to the captiuity of Babylon What Achitophel duâ—st counsell all-daring young Absolon thus to offer to goe lye with his fathers Concubines on the toppe of the house in the sight of the Sunne and all Israel And wherefore But in Policy thereby to fasten the fickle false hearts of those traiterous Israelites to the Crowne aspiring Absolon when they should see him become an open abomination to the King and be at an vnreconcilable defiance with him And what made Achitophel so confident and Absolon to take such wicked counsell but the great strength wherein they presumed But is the Popish faction growne so great and strong as already to aduance their crest and colours in defiance of Religion and Lawes and with strong hand to suppresse and beare downe Dauids Kingdome It should seeme their confidence is arriued at a high pitch But God bring it downe as he did that subtil-headed and shag-haired conspiracie against the King and state He can send Achitophel to his halter and Absolon to his fatall Tree He can Nay assuredly he will For as Dauid saith The wicked and blood thirsty men shall not liue out halfe their dayes but my trust shall be in thee O Lord. And againe God shall wound the haiâ—ie scalpe of such a one as goeth on still in his wickednesse O consider this yee that forget God least I plucke you away suddainly and their be none to deliuer you Proceede we to other particulars· In his later and corrected edition Pag. 17 he bewrais a peece of old superstition as formerly about his Houres so here about the place of Prayer where he hath one special saying of Scripture for a man to vse at his entrance into the Church and another for the Chancell Thus by his Jgnis fatuus Deuotion he will leade simple mâ—n through a maze of superstition that they shall noâ— know where they are if they will but follow him He quoteth the decrees of the Church for his third houre Those are the Decretals of the Church of Rome for with our Author no other Church but the Church of Rome is The Church as he often in this booke giues vs occasion to remember that we may not easily forget a matter of such importance But of the Decrees of that Church of Rome concerning the seuen Canonicall houres we spake in the second Title-page So that here remaines no more for vs to reioyne but to oppose and preferre the formes of priuate prayer prescribed in the end of our Communion booke against and before the Decrees of the Church which he expresly meaneth or before those cuâ—ious formes which the Author hath deuised for all his 7. houres Our Church hath set downe very good formes in the Communion booke both for morning and euening and some of them such as I dare say our Author could wish were cancelled As that for the whole estate of Christs Church in the end of the singing Psalms wherin is this prayer Roote out from hence O Lord all rauening wolues which to fill their bellies seeke to destroy thy flocke c. What would then become of our Author and a great many of his Consorts if all such rauening wolues were rooted out of this land And that morning prayer for priuate houses a little before wherin are these words And forasmuch as they cannot belieue except they heare nor cannot heare but by preaching and none can preach except he be sent therfore O Lord raise up faithfull Distributers of thy Mysteries who setting apart all worldly respects may both in their life and doctrine only seeke thy glory Contrarily confound Satan Antichrist with all Hierlings whom thou hast cast oft in a reprobate sense that they may not by sects schismes heresies errors disquiet thy litle â—â—ocke And because O Lord we be fallen into the later daies and dangerous times wherein ignorance hath gotten the vpper hand and Satan by his Ministers seeketh by all means to quench the light of the Gospell we beseech thee to maintaine thy Cause against these rauening wolues and strengthen all thy seruants c. I dare say this praâ—er doth not relish well in the palate of our Authors Deuotion He could wâ—sh it either expunged or at leâ—st excused to be vsed by interposing his owne priuate forâ—â—â— For this prayer was not fitter for those 〈…〉 was first composed then for these of ours 〈…〉 sâ—ands vp for Preaching of the 〈…〉 who in these times would cry 〈…〉 with their long prayers shoulder it out of the Church This prayer is against all worldly respects in Ministers against the shamelesse ambition of this age It prayes against Antichrist contrary to those that would raise vp againe the throne of that Beast in this our Church It prayes against all hirelings such as in these dayes for preferments will sell soule and body to the Diuell turne time-seruers and mens seruants It prayes against men possest with a reprobate sense who are Authors of sects and schismes heresies and errors whereof this present age is full Although the ring-leaders of sects and schismes who make a pitifull and rufull Rent in the Church of England by Siding with Popery Arminianisme yet forsooth cry out vpon the true Ministers and Professours of the Gospell as the onely sectaries and schismatickes And if this were true then no lesse now when Ignorance if not hath
that the Church of Rome is Christs Catholickâ— Church For the Sacraments of the Church and of Christs Catholicke Church being seuen and no Church euer holding seuen Sacraments but the Church of Rome and that of late dayes too it followeth necessarily that the Church of Rome must be The Church yea the Catholicke Church of Christ. But how will â—e proue that the Church of England holdes these seuen Sacraments Because she hath not despised nor cast behind her the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church How proues he that Namely out of the Catechisme of the Sacraments and out of the 25. Article which hee hath alledged in the Margent Now let vs for more cleernesse compare his proofes with his owne text The Authors words The Sacraments of the Church The principall and truely so called as generally necessary to saluation are Baptisme and the Lords Supper The Catechisme Q. How many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in his Church Ans. Two onely as generally necessary to saluation that is to say Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord. Article 25. Of the Sacraments Sacraments ordained of Christ bee not onely badges or tokens of Christian mens profession but rather they be certaine witnesses and effectuall signes of grace and Gods good-will towards vs by the which hee doth worke inuisibly in vs and doth not onely quicken but also strengthen and confirme our faith in him Let the judicious reader but well obserue and compare the Church of Englands doctrine of the Sacraments with this our Authors and he shall find the differenâ—e to stand vpon tearmes mainely opposit For first is it all one to say The Sacraments of the Church and the Sacraments which Christ hath ordained in his Church And betweene the Church that which the Author expresly meaneth and Christs Church His Church there is I wis no small difference Againe The principall saith our Author implying there are other besides but Two onely saith the Church of England excluding all other And as for the words of the Article cited they so set downe the nature of the Sacraments as that they exclude all other Sacraments from hauing any fellowship with them And therefore hath the Author cautelously suppressed the definition of a Sacrament But yet hee findes fiue other Sacraments following in the Article which he quotes ouer against his fiue in the Margent Let vs therefore paralell them The Authors words The other fiue that is to say Confirmation Penitence Orders Matrimony Uisitation of the sicke or extreame Unction though they bée sometimes called and haue the name of Sacraments yet haue they not the like nature the two principall true Sacraments haue Article 25. Ibid. Those fiue commonly called Sacraments that is to say Confirmation Penance Orders Matrimony and extreme Vnction are not to bee counted for Sacraments of the Gospell being such as haue growne partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles partly are states of life allowed in the Scripture but yet haue not like nature of Sacraments with Baptisme and the Lords Supper for that they haue not any visible signe or Ceremony ordained of God Note here the vast difference betweene the sincerity of our Church and the egregious sophistry of this our Author Those fiue saith the one as pointing to those which now the Church of England in the beginning of the blessed Queenes Raigne newly then purged from Popery as in 1562 when those Articles were compiled had cut off from the number of the Sacraments although those fiue were euen then in high esteeme still with too many not yet powred from their Leâ—s but the Author comes roundly with the other fiue inducing necessarily Seuen Sacraments of the Church Two and the other fiue His Conclusion is this in effect and forme We hold the Sacraments of the Church But the Sacraments of the Church are two and the other fiue to wit seuen Therefore wée hold the seuen Sacraments Againe our Church saith Those fiue to wit Confirmation c. are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospâ—ll But our Author saith They are the Sacraments of the Church and that no lesse then the other they all tunne vnder one title The Sacraments of the Church Thirdly our Church saith these are such as haue growne partly from the corrupt following of the Apostles but saith our Author in his Preface They are the blessed Sacraments of Christs Cathoâ—icke Church receiued from our forefathers a good argument to proue the lineall descent of Popery so farre is he from sayâ—ng or assenting with the Church of England that they haue growne partly from the corrupt vse of following the Apostles In a word the Church of England saith These haue not any visible signe or Ceremoâ—ie or 〈◊〉 of God but our Author saith no such thing but in generall shuffling them vp vnder the tiâ—le oâ— the Sacraments of the Church he will needs haue them to be Sacraments But Sacraments must haue a visible signe ordained of God or else they are no Sacraments And these haue no visible signe ordained of God saith our Church Therefore our Author crosseth the doctrine of our Church expresly Onely he confesseth that these the other fiue haue not in generall the like nature that the two principall and true Sacraments haue If in this his speech their lurke no equiuocation for he may closely meane by The like nature that these are not generally necessarie to saluation as the first two hee must needs inferre that these his other fiue are no true Sacraments therefore false and bastard Sacraments And if we take the word Sacrament in the largest sense as those fiue are then according to that reckoning the number of Sacraments will quickly amount from other fiue to fiue hundreth For as Saint Chrisostome obserueth in his 11. Hom. on Luke Omnia quaecunque fecit Christus Sacramenta sunt siue ambulauit c. All things whatsoeuer Christ did are Sacraments whither hee walked or eate or dranke or fasted or wept c. All these saith Chrysostome Sacramenta nostra sunt they are our Sacraments To conclude this point of difference there is some oddes betweene their naming of these Sacraments Our Church calls them Confirmation Penance Orders Matrimony and Extreame vnction Our Author is pleased to call his fiue thus Confirmation Penitence Orders Matrimony and visitation of the sicke or Extreme vnction In two of his fiue hee varies hee calls Penance Penitence and Extreme vnction he calls Visitation of the sicke In which two new names of his new Sacraments there lurkes not a little of Serpentine poyson For first he would bring Penitence to be all one with popish Penance For doth hâ—e not meane by Penitence Repentance I trow so Repentance then hee will make to be Penance as the â—esuites in their Rhemes and Doway Traâ—sâ—ation turne the word for Repentance Penance Now Penance is a Popish word and implyeth the Popish practise in this their Sacrament Their practise is to inioyne Shrift or Confession to wit a strict