and the Silver extrasted put into the Treasurie of the Church 14. The Kings Schollers being 40. usually coming tumultuously into the Chore ordered to come in bimatim and to doe reverence towards the Altar Moreover the Archbishop in his Injunctions to the Dean Chapter of the Cathedrall Church of Chicester made in his Metropoliticall Visitation there An. 1635. orders thus in his 6. Injunction Item That you provide Copes fitting for the service of your Cathedrall by one a year untill you be sufficiently furnished with them as was proved by the Injunctions found in his own Study attested by Mr. Prynne an Altar with all its furniture and adorations towards it being there likewise provided and used The like Innovations were introduced and prescribed by his Injunctions and new statutes in all or most Cathedralls in England and Wales to the great rejoycing of the Popish Party and scandall of all true zealous Protestants and any default in them was reputed a crime presentable as appeared by this Passage of an Abstract of the Abuses in the Diocesse of Lincolne 1634. in my Metropoliticall visitation endorsed with the Archbishops hand and found in his study Lincolne August 9. 1634. The Communion Table is not very decent and the Raile before it is worse the Organs old and naught The Copes and Vestments are embeselled and none remaine c. And in another Abstract concerning his Metropoliticall Visitation in other Diocesses particulars concerning the same indorsed likewise with his own hand there are these passages Norwich the hangings of the Quire are naught the Copes are fair but want mending In the Cathedrall as Worcester they have no Copes but are ordered to buy some before the feast of the Annuntiation In the Cathedrall at Gloucester many things amisse No Copes c. in Winchester Cathedrall they have no Copes some do not bow when they come into the Quire nor at the blessed name of Iesus Litchfield the furniture of the Altar c. very meane Therefore care must be taken for more costly furniture Whence this Archbishop took his Commission and president for adorning our Cathedrall and Collegeat Churches thus above others with these Romish Ornaments superstitious Innovations which in truth defiled them is worthy our speciall observation it being in taken from the very Roman Ceremoniall set forth reformed by the Command of Pope Clement the 8. lib. 1. cap. 12. De ornatu Ecclesiae p. 64. which prescribes thus Sic MAJOR ETIAM â—VRA adhibenda erit IN ORNATV ECCLESIAE CATHEDRALJS AVT COLLEGJATAE quae numerosum clerum habeat supellectilem amplam que congrué situata suis partibus apté distincta COMMODJOREM ORNANDI PRAEâ—EAT FACVLTATEM after which it prescribes Altars Altar-clothes Candlestickes Tapers Crucifixes Jmages Copes Rich hangings for the Altar and Quire with Jmages of Christ our Lady and Saints bowing to the Altar and Crucifix and that all Altars should have at least two Candlestickes with Tapers and a Crosse of Silver or of some other mettall placed on the midst of the Altar with the Image of Christ crucified on it as you may there read at large This Arch Prelate not content to propagate these Innovations in England like an Vniversall Patriarch over all his Majesties Realms endeavoured the introducing of them with an high hand into all the Cathedralls Churches and Chappell 's in Ireland by the then Lord Deputy Wentworthes power his great Creature of which we shall give you this briefe accompt Dr. Bramhall Chaplaine to this Lord Deputy by his Command August 10. 1633. sent over an Account of the state of the Church of Jreland to this Prelate as he found it and what Alterations hee had already made in it seized in the Archbishops study by Mr. Prynne wherein are these observable clauses RIght Reverend Father My most honoured Lord presuming partly upon your licence but especially directed by my Lord Deputies commandes I am to give your Father-hood a briefe account of the present state of the poore Church of Ireland such as our short Intelligence here and your Lordship weightier imployments there will permit c. In Christ Church the principall Church in Ireland withor the Lord Deputy and Councell repaire every Sunday the Table used for administration of the blessed Sacrament in the MIDST OF THE QVIRE is made an ordinary seat for Maidons and Apprentices J cannot omitte the glorious Tombe in the other Cathedrall Church of saint Patrike in the proper place of the Altar just opposite to his Majesties seat having his Fathers name subscribed upon it as if it were contrived on purpose to gaine that worship and reverence which the Chapter and whole Church are bound by speciall statute to give towards the East and either the soyle it selfe or a Licence to build and bury and make a Vault in the place of the Altar under Sealetant which is tantamount is passed to the Earle and his heires Credimus esse Deos. This being the case in Dublin your Lordship will Judge what we may expect in the Country The Earle of Corke holdes the whole Bishopricke of Lismore at the Rate of fortie shillings or five markes by the yeare For the remedying of these evills next to God and his sacred Majesty I know my Lord depends upon your Fatherhoods wisedom and zeale for the Church my duty binds me to pray for a blessing upon both your good endeavours for the present my Lord hath pulled down the Deputies seat in his owne Chapell and restored the Altar 〈◊〉 ancient place which was thrust out of dores the like is done in Christs Church This testimony I must give of his care that it is not possible for the intentions of a mortall man to be more serious and sincere then his in those things that concerne the good of this poore Church Your Lordships daily â—â—â—dsman and devoted servant Iohn Bramhall Dublin Castle Aug. 10. 1643. Vpon this Information the Archbishop signifyed his dislike of erecting this Monument by the Earle of Corke in the place where the High Altar as was misinformed anciently stood and gave some directions for removing it Whereupon the Earle of Corks and Archbishop of Dublin writ these ensuing Letters to satisfie his Grace in this particular which were seconded with other Letters from Archbishop Vsher and the Deane and Prebends of Saint Patrickes Church to like effect over-tedious to recite My Gracious Lord. I Vnderstand that upon suggestions made unto your Grace you conceive that a Tombe which I have lately caused to be erected in Saint Patrickes Church neere Dublin is prejuditiall to the lights of the Chancell and seated in the place where the High Altar stood And as I have alwayes by my best desires and actions endeavored to invest my selfe in your Graces good opinion and have not willingly done any act that might prejudice me therein So in this particular I make humbly bold to deliver my justification to your Grace as followeth which I
beseech you take into your Religious consideration and vouchsafe me such a favourable resolution as the meritts of the cause requireth It is so that Doctor Robert Weston sometimes one of the Lords Justices for the Government of Ireland and Lord Chancellor of the same Realme Grandfather to my deceased Wife and great Vncle to the now Lord Treasurer of England whose memory yet lives by being stiled the good Lord Chancellor of Ireland was buried in the upper end of the Chancell in Saint Patrickes Church whose Daughter Sir Iefferey Fenton maried he having beene principall Secretary of State to Queene Elizabeth and King Iames for many yeares and lived and died in great honour whose onely Daughter I tooke to Wife and hee was buryed in the same grave My Wife drawing towards her end made her last request unto me that her Grandfather her Father and her selfe might be buried together and that I would be at the charge to erect some Monument in memoriall of them all Whereupon in accomplishment of her dying desire who was the Mother of my fifteene Children I propounded unto the Lord Archbishop of Dublin and to the Deane and Chapter of Saint Patricks to purchase a place where I might erect a Tombe over them And they assigned me the ground under an Arch to make a Seller or Vault in to receive dead bodies and three foote of the Chancell adjoyning to the Grave where the Lord Chancellor and Sir Iefferey Fenton had beene buried for which I payd them a Fyne with Rent and other reservations towards the reparation of the Church and by their unanimous consent have a Deed in due forme of Law perfected under their Chapter Seale and so being by generall consent legally interested therein I made a Vault of hewed stone under ground with conveighances therein to free the Church from the waters with which floods and great raynes it was before often anoyed withall and where there was then but an earthen flower at the upper end of the Chancell which was often overflowne I raysed the same three steps higher making the Staires of hewen stone and paving the same through out of the same whereon the Communion Table now stands very dry and gracefully In that Seller I have placed the Corps of my Wives Grandfather her Father and her selfe with a Daughter of mine since deceased that was married to the Lord Digbie and over the Vault I have caused a Tombe of foure storyes to be erected which reacheth two and thirtie foot from the ground which hath cost me a thousand pounds at the least and is the greatest ornament and beautie to that Church that ever was placed therein that being seated under an Arch that in former time was only a passage into the Saint Mary Chappell at the East end of which Chappell the high Altar stood and when that Chappell which hath two other wayes into it the one on the right hand the other on the left fell into ruine that Arch wherein the Tombe is placed to keepe the winde and weather out of the Chancell was made up with slight timber and lathes and plaistred with Clay white lymed over whereon the Commandements were lately written It is three yeares since this my worke was finished and neither during the time of the worke nor since till now of late did I ever heare of any mouth opened against it but many in commendations of it as a great beautie and ornament to that Chancell neither doth it take away or hide any of the lights of the Chancell for they are all above this Fabricke Neither is there any remembrance nor can the oldest man living say that there ever was any Altar placed neere this passage Yet of late it hath pleased my honourable Lord the Lord Deputy to command me to give Your Grace satisfaction herein or else to declare that the Tombe must be defaced which to have done would bee the greatest dishonour and affliction that could bee layed upon me And the more for that before I heard any thing of Your Graces distant thereof I had in the presence of the Lord Prymate given order to the Deane at my ovvne charges for a stately Skrene to be erected within the Quire and upon the pavement raised by my selfe upon which the tenne Commandements are to bee engraven to the great beautifying of Gods House Vpon that notice from the Lord Deputy I made suite to the Lord Prymate and the Lord Archbishop of Dublin to view the place which they vouchsafed together with the Deane and Chapter to doe And doe humbly offer to your Grace their opinions herein which I beseech Your pious consideration of and that you will be pleased to returne me such an answer as may encourage me to proceed herein and in other like building and charitable workes wherein I spend a great part of my estate and time as all that know me and my actions â—an testifie The great God of Heaven blesse Your Grace with a long and happie life in this world and everlasting glory in the world to come vvhich is and ever shall be the prayer of Your Graces most humble and faithfull Servant R. Caâ—he Dublin 20. Febr. 1633. May is please Your Grace VNderstanding from the Earle of Corke that Your Grace hath intimated unto the Right Honourable the Lord Deputie your offence taken against a Tombe lately built by his Lordship in the quire of Saint Patrikes Church neere this Citie of Dublin being informed that it should be situate in the place where the High-Altar anciently stood and that it should darken the East Window of the Quire upon his Lordships earnest request unto mee I have made bold to declare unto your Grace my knowledge thereabouts which is that the place where the Tombe is erected is a spatious Arch which in former times as I conceive served for a passage into the Marie Chappell adjoyning at the East end vvhereof the High Altar stood This Arch was closed up and plastered to keepe the winde as I imagine out of the Quire Saint Marie Chapell being somevvhat decaied upon the plaistering the Declalogue was fairely painted these vvere done before my promotion to this See or comming into this Kingdome The windovves which were of old somevvhat high over the Arch are no way darkened by his Lordships monument but remaine as they were formerly and the monument is so wrought and contrived what in the Arch and the Wall that vvith the grate before it it doth not much diminish the length of the Quire The Earle hath raised that end of the Quire three-steppes higher then it vvas and hath paved it with faire hevven stones being formerly a floore of earth many times upon a fresh drovvned vvith water where novv the Communion Table iâ— placed vvith more decency then in former times And his Lordship is in hand to set up a faire skrine of timber somewhat distant from the monument so that it may take in some other monuments heretofore erected on either side in the which
shall hisse them out of countenance neither can they shelter themselves under the examples of other Churches in France and Netherlands c. Since necessity hath long agoe cast them into that condition which these men after establishment in the right forme have wilfully drawn upon themselves with an impetuous exclusion of a setled government And certainly my Lord me thinkes there should be a kinde of necessity in this course since not some few but the whole Church of Scotland hath thus broken out into Schisme and shamed both it selfe and the Gospell and without some timely prevention the mischiefe may yet grow further whereas this way it may be at the least choakingly convinced and seasonably checked Neither neede the charge hereof be great to his Majesties coffers since the burthen of the Commissioners may be layd upon the severall Diocesse from whence they are sent Your Grace sees whither my zeal hath carried me If I have been to bold and forward in thus presuming I humbly crave the pardon of your Grace which hath been extended to greater errours I hope a good heart will excuse all the best wishes whereof are truely vowed and duly paid to your Grace By your Graces in all faithfull Observance to Command JOS. EXON Exon. Pal. Sept. 28. Which Letter was thus directed To the most Reverend and most Honourable my singular good Lord My Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury his Grace Primate of all England and Metropolitan Chancellor of Oxford and one of the Lords of his Majesties most honourable Privy Councell present these And thus endorsed by the Arch-Bishops own hand Dat. Sept. 28. Received Octob. 1629. B. of Exon. Dr. Hall To move for a Generall Councell of all his Majesties Dominions to settle the Scottish Schisme What was done upon this Letter and how the Arch-Bishop tooke occasion from it to engage Bishop Hall to write in defence of Episcopall Superiority by Divine Right and Institution will appear by the Bishops next Letter to this Arch-Prelate the Originall whereof we have under Bishop Halls own hand and Seale May it please your Grace I Was not only glad but almost proud of your Graces acceptance of my poor but bold motion which that it found favour in his Majesties eyes upon your Graces recommendation was as much above my hope as above the possibility of my thankfulnesse I do most humbly rest in the grounds of his Majesties most wise and just resolution although that which I propounded was not in any ayme at the Reclamation of those stiffe Spirits but at their conviction and shaming together with the satisfaction and setling of any distempered or wavering minds of any contentious person at home or abroad But since it hath pleased his Majestie to lay aside that thought I am most submissively silent As for that motion which comming from your Graces hand is no lesse in my construction then a command of my undertaking this great taske of writing a satisfactory discourse in this subject I beseech your Grace to give me leave to say it doth too much overvalue me If your Grace did but know my great weakenesse so well as I know my little strength your Grace would not have singled me out for so high and noble an undertaking I confesse in an holy zeale to the cause no man shall outstrip me in abilities too many yet since it hath pleased your Grace to honour me so farre as to thinke mee capable and worthy of such an imployment I shall most gladly without prejudice to any more able paines endeavour my best this way But would your Grace bee pleased to give mee leave to suggest another Motion I thinke I should intimate that which would not a little advance the successe of this great service Single labours will be easily passed over with neglect what will the Vulgar bee more apt to say then This is but one Doctors judgement Vis unita fortior Might it therefore please your Grace to single out and Empannell a whole Jury of learned Bishops and Divines to joyne together in this subject it could not choose but sway much with the world And since I have taken the boldnesse to move so farre will your Grace give mee leave out of the zealous intention of my thoughts upon the speede of this notable service to propound some further specialty If therefore in Ireland the Lord Primate the Bishop of Kilmore the Bishop of Downe and Conner men as your Grace best knowes of singular note in the Church Heere at home my Lord Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Salisbury and if your Grace shall thinke mee worthy to come in the arreare of these great and famous Prelates I shall not faile of my best With them the Professors and some other eminent Doctors in the name of both Universities and three or foure of the Bishops and Doctors of Scotland shall be enjoyned by your Grace to expresse their judgements fully concerning these two Heads of Episcopacy and Lay Prebytery and to Print them together It will bee a worke that will carry in it such authority and satisfaction as will give great contentment to the world and carry in it a strong rebuke of the Aversaries And if your Graces reason and resolution should so lead you as to bee seene in the head of this Learned Squadron the worke would beare not much lesse sway then if it were a Synodicall Act Neither would I wish that each of these should write a Volume of this matter but succinctly though fully and clearly declare themselves in these particulars with such evidence of Scripture Antiquity and Reasons as may most convince But whether these be done in Thesi or Hypothesi whether in way of Paroenesis or Apology or reproofe I humbly submit to your Graces judgement and direction I beseech your Grace pardon this well-meant presumption and make account of the dayly Devotions of Your Graces in all faithfull observance to Command Jos. Exon. Exon. Pal. Oct. 12. 1639. After I had sent away my Letters of complaint concerning Coxe the man came to me and upon our second and third conference began to relent and finding that I had sent up his Sermon to your Grace resolved to wait voluntarily upon your Grace so as I hope your Grace shall at once heare of his offence and submission If so a free and publike recantation would doe more good here then his exorbitance hath done hurt he hath been usque ad invidiam conformable and is a sufficient Scholler and of unblameable conversation otherwise I humbly leave him to your Graces either justice or mercy or both J. E. This Letter was thus Superscribed To the most Reverend Father in God my ever most honoured Lord my Lord Archbishop of Canterbury his Grace Primate of all England and Metropolitane Chancellor of Oxford and one of the Lords of his Majesties most Honourable Privie Counsell present these And thus Endorsed with the Archbishops owne hand Rec. Oct. 16. 1639. The Bishop of Exeter That more then one
pro altera Ad 〈…〉 vel exer cendos potentes Laicos si quid fortè ex seculari potentia minus poterat Apostolicâ— id ipsum potestatis censura supplebat Si autem ex Clero forte quispiam voluntati ejus obsisteret hunc procul dubio frustra pro se secundum Canones 〈…〉 oppressund pâ—centia 〈◊〉 Non â—â— at quâ— se absconderet à calore ejus cum et secularis in eo virgam vel gladium Apostolicae potestatis timeret ecclesiasticus nulla se 〈◊〉 vel auctoritate 〈…〉 regiam tueri valeat Denique ipsum ille tempore in Anglia ET PLVSQVAM REGEM experti sunt LAICI PLVS QV AM SV Mâ—VM PONTIFICE MCLEâ—ICI utrique vero TYR ANNVM INTOLERABILEM Quippe DVPLICIS OCCASIONE POTEST 〈…〉 ANNVM solis complicibus et cooperatoribus suis innoxius ceteris indifferenter non tantum pecuniarum ambitu verum etiam dominandi voluptate 〈…〉 Regius erat c. This Archbishop having 〈…〉 into his hands as Primat Metropolitan of 〈…〉 but likewise all temporall jurisdiction as a Privy Councellor an Assistant in the Star-Chamber a Commissioner for the Treasury for all kindes of Monopolies projects to raise monies without a Parliament and as the chiefe Royall Favourite at Court having most preferments officers Judges and by consequence most Courts of Justice Civill or Ecclesiasticall at his devotion did extreamly â—eâ— persecute and trample upon both the Laity Clergie that opposed any of his Innovations or Projects at his pleasure and those whom he could not conquer by his Episcopall hee would bee sure to overtop and crush by his temporall Authority So as the Laity upon all occasions found him more then a King and the Clergie more then a Pope both of them except his owne Creatures and Confederates only an into â—â—eiable yea double Tyrant by reason of his duplicated 〈…〉 by thousands of Godly Christians and Ministers were enforced to 〈…〉 in avoyd his â—â—â—ry and hundreds in the Starre-Chamber High Commission and Councell-Chamber oppressed close imprisoned fined banished pillored stigmatized spoyled of their eares freeholds callings liberties deprived degraded and quite undone by his oppreson hee being commonly more excessive extravagant violent in his publike Censures and Speeches then any other whatsoever having quite forgotten these Divine qualifications which the Apostle requireth in an EVANGELICALL BISHOP A Bishop must bee blamelesse as the Steward of God not selfe-willed not soone angry no striker not a brawler not lifted up with pride but a lover of good men sober just holy temperate gentle unto all men apt to teach patient in mâ—â—kenesse instructing those that oppose themselves And utterly abhorred that memorable precept of our most milde Saviour as Apocryphan or unmeer for his imitation Luke 6. 36. Bee you therefore mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull This ambitious Phaeton having thus mounted himselfe aloft in Phebus Chariot did drive it on with such fury and violence for sundry years that at last he set all our Churches and Realmes in a flaming fire which could not bee quenched by any other meanes but by wresting the reines of Government out of his usurping hand through the power and justice of our present Parliament which he held fast for sundry yeares in despite of all former Parliamentary or popular oppositions and precipitating him from his Chariot with a breake-neck blow by that Axe of publike Justice which lately severed his head from his shoulders in the view of thousands with which spectacle of justice Phebus himselfe was so well pleased that his clouded rayes immediately brake out most gloriously upon the place of execution and his radiant smiles expressed his well-pleasednes with this laudable Act of his execution for the severall high Treasons and capitall Crimes not onely objected but proved against him at his Tryall the History whereof and all proceedings relating thereunto I shall here represent unto the world with as much brevity and sincerity as possible not in the selfe same manner and method according to the order of the Articles as the Commons proceeded against him at the bar being more 〈…〉 intricare but in that more methodicall way as the first Breviate of the proofes against him was contrived and his evidence repeated and summed up at last both in the Lords and Commons House by Master Samuell Brown under those distinct generall heads to which all his charge and the proofes thereof were reduced I shall begin ab ovo with the very first proceedings against him in Parliament next proceed in order to his Tryall then to his Iudgment and Execution On the 16. of Decem. 1640. Vpon the condemnation of the New Canons in the House of Commons as being against the Kings Prerogative the fundamentall Laws of the Realme the liberty and property of the Subject and conteining diverse things tending to sedition and of dangerous consequence The Arch-bishop of Canterbury was there accused to be the Author of the chiefe Actor in them impeached likewise of High Treason whereupon a speciall Committee was appointed to inquire into all his actions and prepare a charge against him which I finde thus expressed in the Commons Journall 16. December 1640. THis Committee is to prepare the severall Votes concerning the New-Canons and to make them ready for this House to present the same to the Lords and to consider and examine who were the promoters of these new Canons and who the principle Actors and what execution hath been made upon them and by whom and to consider how farre the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury hath beene an Actor in all the proceedings of them and further to examine how farre he hath beene an Actor in the great designe of the subvertion of the Lawes of the Realme and of the Religion and to prepare and draw up a charge against him and such others as shall appeare offendors in these particulars and have power to send for parties witnesses Papers Bookes Records and to doe any other act which they in their judgements shall thinke fit to conduce to the businesse and are to meete at foure a Clocke this afternoone in the Star-Chamber The very same morning in the Lords House Hee was accused by the Scottish Commissioners for an Incendiary betweene both Kingdomes who promised to draw up and exhibite a complaint in writing against him the next morning which they accordingly performed Whereupon at a Conference of both Houses the Scots charge against him hereafter registred was the same morning read by the Lord Paget and after that reported to the Commons House On Friday the 18. of the same December the Arch-Bishop was impeached in the house of Commons of high Treason and Voted by the whole house to be a Traytor thus entred in their Iournall 18. December 1640. REsolved upon the Question that a Message shall be sent from this House to the Lords to accuse William Land Arch-Bishop of Canterbury of High-Treason in name of this House and of all the
sacred function of the Ministry which was ordained for instruction of mens soules in the wayes of God should be so abused that the Ministers are become the Trumpets of Sedition the promoters and defenders of violence and oppression 3. In the third Article my Lords you have the Judges who under his Majesty are the dispersers and distributers of Justice frequently corrupted by feare and solicitation you have the course of Justice in the execution of it shamefully obstructed And if a wilfull Act of in justice in a Iudge be so high a crime in the estimate of the Law as to deserve death under what burthen of guilt doth this man lye who hath been the cause of great numbers of such voluntary and wilfull acts of injustice 4. In the fourth Article hee will be found in his owne person to have sold justice in Causes depending before him And by his wicked councell endeavouring to make his Majesty a Merchant of the same commodity only with this difference that the King by taking money for places of judicature should sell it in grosse whereas the Archbishop sold it by retaile 5. In the fift Article there appeares a power usurped of making Canons of laying obligations on the Subjects in the nature of Law and this power abused to the making of such Canons as are in the matter of them very pernitious being directly contrary to the prerogative of the King and the liberty of the people In the manner of pressing of them may be found fraud and shuffling in the conclusion violence and constraint men being forced by terrour and threatning to subscribe to all which power thus wickedly gotten they labour to establish by perjury injoyning such an Oath for the maintenance of it as can neither be taken nor kept with a good conscience 6. In the sixth Article you have the King robbed of his Supremacy you have a Papall power exercised over his Majesties Subjects in their consciences and in their persons You have Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction claimed by an Incident right which the Law declares to proceed from the Crowne And herein your Lordships may observe that those who labour in civill matters to set up the King above the Lawes of the Kingdome doe yet in Ecclesiasticall matters endeavour to set up themselves above the King This was first procured by the Arch-bishop to be extrajudicially declared by the Judges and then to be published in a Proclamation In doing whereof he hath made the Kings Throne but a footstoole for his owne and their pride 7. You have my Lords in the seventh Article Religion undermined and subverted you have Popery cherished and defended you have this seconded with power and violence by severe punishment upon those which have opposed this mischievous intention and by the subtile and eager prosecution of these men hath the power of Ecclesiasticall Commissioners of the Starre-Chamber and Councell Table beene often made subservient to his wicked designe My Lords 8. You may observe in the eighth Article great care taken to get into his owne hand the power of nominating to Ecclesiasticall Livings and promotions you have as much mischeivous as much wicked care taken in the disposing of these preferments to the hinderance and corruption of Religion And by this meanes my Lords the Kings sacred Majestie instead of Sermons fit for spirituall instructours hath often had invectives against his people incouragement to injustice or to the overthrow of the Lawes Such Chaplaines have beene brought into his service as have as much as may be laboured to corrupt his owne houshold and beene eminent examples of corruption to others which hath so farre prevailed as that it hath exceedingly tainted the Vniversities and beene generally disperst to all the chiefe Cities the greatest Townes and Auditories of the Kingdome The grievous effects whereof is most manifest to the Commons House there being diverse hundred complaints there depending in the House against scandalous Ministers and yet I believe the hundred part of them is not yet brought in 9. The ninth Article sets out the like care to have Chaplaines of his owne that might bee promoters of this wicked and trayterous designe Men of corrupt judgments of corrupt practice extreamely addicted to superstition and to such mens cares hath been committed the Licencing of Bookes to the Presse by meanes whereof many have beene published that are full of falshood of scandals such as have beene more worthy to be burnt by the hand of the Hangman in Smithfield as I thinke one of them was than to be admitted to come into the hands of the Kings people 10. In the tenth Article it will appeare how he having made these approaches to Popery comes now to close and joyne more neerely with it he confederates with Priests and Jesuites He by his instruments negotiates with the Pope at Rome and hath correspondence with them that he authorized from Rome here He hath permitted a Roman Hierachie to be set up in this Kingdome And though he hath bin so carefull that a poore man could not goe to the neighbour Parish to heare a Sermon when he had none at home could not have a Sermon repeated nor prayer used in his own Family but he was a fit subject for the High Commission Court yet the other hath beene done in all parts of the Realme and no notice taken of it by any Ecclesiasticall Judges or Courts My Lords 11. You may perceive preaching suppressed in the eleventh divers godly and Orthodox Ministers oppressed in their persons and Estates you have the Kings loyall subjects banished out of the Kingdome not as Elimelecke to seeke for bread in forraigne Countries by reason of the great scarcity which was in Jsrael but travelling abroad for the bread of life because they could not have it at home by reason of the spirituall Famine of Gods Word caused by this man and his partakers And by this meanes you have had the trade the Manufactury the industry of many thousands of his Majesties subjects carried out of the Land It is a miserable abuse of the spirituall Keyes to shut up the doores of heaven and to open the gates of Hell to let in prophanenesse ignorance superstition and errour I shall neede say no more These things are evident and abundantly knowne to all 12. In the twelfth Article my Lords you have a division endeavoured betweene this and the forraine reformed Churches The Church of Christ is one body and the Members of Christ have a mutuall relation as members of the same body Vnity with Gods true Church every where is not only the beauty but the strength of Religion of which beauty and strength he hath sought to deprive this Church by his manifold attempts to breake this union To which purpose hee hath suppressed the priviledges granted to the Dutch and French Churches He hath denyed them to be of the same Faith and Religion with us and many other wayes hath he declared his malice to those Churches 13. In the thirteenth Article
as he hath sought to make an Ecclesiasticall division or religious difference betweene us and forraine Nations so he hath sought to make a Civill difference betweene us and his Majesties subjects of the Kingdome of Scotland And theis he hath promoted by many innovations there prest by himselfe and his owne authority when they were uncapable of such alterations He advised his Majesty to use violence He hath made private and publique Collections towards the maintenance of the Warre which he might justly call his owne warre And with all impudent boldnesse hath struck Tallies in the Exchequer for divers summes of money procured by himselfe Pro defensione Regni when by his Counsels the King was drawne to undertake not a Defensive but an Offensive Warre 14. He hath lastly thought to secure himselfe and his party by seeking to undermine Parliaments and thereby hath laboured to bereave this Kingdome of the Legislative power which can only be used in Parliaments and that we should be left a Kingdome without that which indeed makes and constitutes a Kingdome and is the only Meanes to preserve and restore it from distempers and decayes He hath hereby endeavoured to bereave us of the highest Judicatory such a Judicatory as is necessary and essentiall to our government Some Cases of Treason and others concerning the Prerogative of the Crowne and liberty of the People It is the supreame Judicatory to which all difficult Cases resort from other Courts He hath fought to deprive the King of the Love and Counsell of his People of that assistance which he might have from them and likewise to deprive the People of that reliefe of grievances which they most humbly expect from his Majestie My Lords The Parliament is the Cabinet wherein the chiefest Jewells both of the Crowne and Kingdome are deposited The great Prerogative of the King and libertie of the People are most effectually exercised and maintained by Parliaments Here my Lords you cannot passe by this occasion of great thankes to God and His Majesty for passing the Bill whereby the frequent course of Parliaments is established which I assure my selfe he will by experience finde to bee a strong foundation both of his honour and of his Crowne This is all my Lords I have to say to the particulars of the Charge The Commons desire your Lordships that they may have the same way of Examination that they had in the case of the Earle of Strafford That is to examine members of all kindes of your Lordships House and their owne and others as they shall see cause And those examinations to be kept secret and private that they may with more advantage be made use of when the matter comes to tryall They have declared that they reserve to themselves the power of making Additionall Articles by which they intend to reduce his Charge to be more particular and certaine in respect of the severall times occasion and other circumstances of the offences therein Charged And that your Lordships would bee pleased to put this cause in such a quicke way of proceeding that these great and dangerous crimes together with the offendors may be brought to a just judgment The Charge of the Scottish Commissioners against the Prelate of Canterburie NOvations in Religion which are Vniversally acknowledged to bee the maine cause of commotions in Kingdomes and states and are knowne to be the true cause of our present troubles were many and great beside the bookes of Ordination and Homilies 1. Some particular alterations in matters of Religion pressed upon us without order and against Law contrary to the forme established in our Kirk 2. A new booke of Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiasticall 3. A Liturgie or booke of Common-Prayer which did also carrie with them many dangerous errours in matters of Doctrine Of all which we challenge the Prelate of Canterburie as the prime cause on earth And first that this Prelate was the Author and urger of some particular changes which made great disturbance amongst us we make manifest 1. By fourteene letters subscribed William Cant. in the space of two yeares to one of our pretended Bishops Bannatine wherein he often enjoyneth him and other pretended Bishops to appeare in the Chappell in their Whites contrary to the custome of our Kirke and to his promise made to the pretended Bishop of Edenburgh at the Coronation that none of them after that time should be pressed to weare these garments there by moving him against his will to put them on for that time wherein he directeth him to give order for saying the English Service in the Chappell twice a day for his neglect shewing him that he was disappointed of the Bishopricke of Edenburgh promising him upon the greater care of these novations advancement to a better Bishopricke taxing him for his boldnesse in preaching the sound Doctrine of the reformed Kirkes against Master Mitchell who had taught the errours of Arminius in the point of the extent of the merit of Christ bidding him send up a list of the names of Councellours and Senatours of the Colledge of Justice who did not communicate in the Chappell in a forme which was not received in our Kirke commending him when he found him obsequious to these his commands telling him that he had moved the King the second time for the punishment of such as had not received in the Chappell and wherein he upbraideth him bitterly that in his first Synod at Aberdein he had only disputed against our Custome of Scotland of fasting sometimes on the Lords Day and presumptuously censuring our Kirke that in this wee were opposite to Christianitie it selfe and that amongst us there were no Canons at all More of this stuffe may be seene in the Letters themselves Secondly by two papers of memoirs and instructions from the pretended Bishop of Saint Androis to the pretended Bishop of Rosse comming to this Prelate for ordering the affaires of the Kirke and Kingdome of Scotland as not only to obtaine Warrants to order the Exchequer the Privie Counsell the great Commission of Surrenders the mater of Balmerino's processe as might please our Prelates but warrants also for sitting of the High Commission Court once a weeke in Edenburgh and to gaine from the Noblemen for the benefit of Prelates and their adherents the Abbacies of Kelso Arbroith St. Androis and Lindors and in the smallest matters to receive his Commands as for taking downe Galleries and stone-walls in the Kirks of Edenburgh and Saint Androis for no other end but to make way for Altars and adoration towards the East which besides other evills made no small noyse and disturbance amongst the people deprived hereby of their ordinary accommodation for publike worship The second Novation which troubled our peace was a booke of Canons and constitutions Ecclesiasticall obtruded upon our Kirke found by our Generall Assembly to be devised for establishing a tyrannicall power in the persons of our Prelates over the Worship of God over the Consciences Liberties and
prepare a blacke letter and to send it to his servants at Edenburgh for Printing this booke Of his approbation of his proofes sent from the Presse Of his feare of delay in bringing the worke speedily to an end for the great good not of that Church but of the Church Of his encouraging Rosse who was entrusted with the Presse to goe on in this peece of Service without feare of Enemies All which may be seene in the Autographs and by letters sent from the Prelate of London to Rosse wherein as he rejoyceth at the sight of the Scottish Canons which although they should make some noyse at the beginning yet they would be more for the good of the Kirke than the Canons of Edenburgh for the good of the Kingdome So concerning the Liturgy he sheweth that Rosse had sent to him to have an explanation from Canterbury of some passage of the Service Booke and that the Presse behoved to stand till the explanation come to Edenburgh which therefore he had in hast obtained from his Grace and sent the dispatch away by Canterburies owne conueyance But the Booke it selfe as it standeth interlined margined and patcht up is much more than all that is expressed in his Letters and the changes and supplements themselves taken from the Masse Booke and other Romish Ritualls by which he maketh it to vary from the Booke of England and are pregnant testimonies of his Popish spirit and wicked intentions which he would have put in execution upon us then can be denyed The large declaration professeth that all the variation of our Booke from the Booke of England that ever the King understood was in such things as the Scottish humour would better comply with than with that which stood in the English service These Popish innovasions therefore have beene surreptitiously inserted by him without the Kings knowledge and against his purpose Our Scottish Prelates doe petition that something may be abated of the English ceremonies as the Crosse in Baptisme the Ring in marriage and some other things But Canterburie will not only have these kept but a great many more and worse superadded which was nothing else but the adding of fewell to the fire To expresse and discover all would require a whole booke we shall only touch some few in the matter of the Communion This Booke inverteth the order of the Communion in the Booke of England as may be seene by the numbers setting downe the orders of this new Communion 1. 5. 2. 6. 7. 3. 4. 8. 9. 10. 15. Of the divers secret reasons of this change we mention one onely In joyning the spirituall praise and thanksgiving which is in the Booke of England pertinently after the Communion with the Prayer of Consecration before the Communion and that under the name of Memoriall or Oblation for no other end but that the memoriall and Sacrifice of Praise mentioned in it may be understood according to the Popish meaning Bellar. de Missa lib. 2. cap. 21. Not of the spirituall sacrifice but of the oblation of the body of the Lord. It seemeth to be no great matter that without warrant of the Booke of England the Presbyter going from the North-end of the Table shall stand during the time of consecration at such a part of the Table where he may with the more ease and decency use both hands yet being tryed it importeth much as that he must stand with his hinder parts to the People representing saith Durand that which the Lord said of Moses Thou shalt see my hinder parts He must have the use of both his hands not for any thing he hath to doe about the Bread and Wine for that may be done at the North end of the Table and be better seene of the people but as we are taught by the Rationalists that he may by stretching forth his Armes to represent the extension of Christ on the Crosse and that he may the more conveniently lift up the Bread and Wine above his head to be seen and adored of the people who in the Rubricke of the generall confession a little before are directed to kneele humbly on their knees that the Priests elevation so magnified in the Masse and the peoples adoration may goe together That in this posture speaking with a low voyce and muttering for sometimes he is commanded to speake with a loud voyce and distinctly he be not heard by the people which is no lesse a mocking of God and his people then if the words were spoken in an unknowne language As there is no word of all this in the English Service so doth the Booke in King Edwards time give to every Presbyter his liberty of gesture which yet gave such offence to Bucer the censurer of the Booke and even in Cassanders owne judgment a man of great moderation in matters of this kind that he calleth them Nunquam satis execrandos Missa gestus and would have them to be abhorred because they confirme to the simple and superstitious ter impiam exitialem Missae fiduciam The corporall presence of Christs body in the Sacrament is also to be found here for the words of the Masse-booke serving to this purpose which are sharpely censured by Bucer in King Edwards Liturgy and are not to be found in the Booke of England are taken in here Almighty God is in called that of his Almighty Goodnesse he may vouchsafe so to blesse and sanctifie with his Word and Spirit these gifts of Bread and Wine that they may bee unto us the body and blood of Christ The change here is made a worke of Gods Omnipotency the words of the Masse ut fiant nobis are translated in King Edwards Booke That they be unto us which are againe turned into Latine by Alesius Vt fiant nobis On the other part the expressions of the Booke of England at the delivery of the Elements of feeding on Christ by faith and of Eating and drinking in remembrance that Christ dyed for thee are utterly deleared Many evidences there be in this part of the Communion of the bodily Presence of Christ very agreeable to the Doctrines taught by his Sectaries which this paper cannot containe They teach us that Christ is received in the Sacrament Corporaliter both objective and subjective Corpus Christi est objectum quod recipitur corpus nostrum subjectum quo recipitur The Booke of England abolisheth all that may import the oblation of any unbloody Sacrifice but here we have besides the preparatory oblation of the Elements which is neither to be found in the Booke of England now nor in King Edwards Booke of old the oblation of the body and blood of Christ which Bellarmine calleth Sacrificium Laudis quia Deus per illud magnopere laudatur This also agreeth well with their late doctrine We are ready when it shall be judged convenient and we shall be desired to discover much more matters of this kind as grounds laid for missa sicca or the halfe
proof of the fifth and sixth Originall and ninth Additionall Articles and in the Answers and replyes upon them The third part touching Religion contained in the 7 8 9 10 11 12 Originall and 6 and 7 Additionall Articles was carried on and managed by Iohn Wilde Serjeant at Law of the Commons House for 4 whole dayes to wit May 20 27. Iune 6. 11. and then by reason of Mr. Serjeants sicknesse and infirmity pursued by Master Nicholas 5 intire dayes more viz. Iune 17. 20 27. Iuly 20 24. The fourth and last part of the evidence in proof of the 14 Originall and 1 and 10 Additionall Articles was given in by Master Nicholas on the 29 of Iuly and concluded the same day So as the very evidence it self which was excellently well pressed by these learned Gentlemen took up seventeen whole days morning and evening besides 12 dayes attendance more whereon other pressing publike affaires enforced the Lords to adjorn the tryall when both the Committee of Commons were ready with their witnesses and the Arch-bishop present with his Councell ready to receive his charge After all the evidence answers and replyes thereto fully given the Arch-bishop had liberty granted to make a Recapitulation of his whol defence before the Lords which accordingly performed on the second of September 1644. To which Samuel Brown Esquire a member of the House of Commons replyed on the 11 of September summing up the principall parts of the evidence given against him at the Lords Bar. On the 11 of Octob. 1644. the Arch-Bishops Councell were heard at the Lords Bar on this point of Law to which they were formerly directed to speak Whether in all or any of the Articles charged against him there were any Treason contained Which Mr. Iohn Hern onely argued as the mouth of the rest of his Councell Soon after the Commons having drawn an Ordnance of Attainder of high Treason against the Archbishop upon the Evidence given in against him on the second of Novemb. following the Arch-bishop after its second reading was brought to the Commons Bar where Mr. Sam. Brown in his presence summed up the evidence given in against him before the Lords to which the Archbishop by order gave his answer Vivâ voce at the Commons Bar Nov. 11th whereunto Mr Brown replyed the 13th of the same Novemb. after which the very same day the Ordinance for his attainder of High Treason passed the Commons House without any dissenting voyce but one and that not upon the matter of his charge High Treason of which all Voted him guilty but manner of proceeding onely This Ordinance being transmitted to the House of Peeres because some of the Lords were not present at all the evidence given in against him during his long Tryall thereupon Decemb. 4. 1644. they Ordered That all Books Writings Docquets and evidences concerning the Arch-bishop of Canterbury his tryall before the Lords in Parliament should be brought in to the Clerk of the Parliament by 9 of the Clock in the morning on Saturday next which being done accordingly the Lords among themselves seriously re-examined all the heads and principall parts of the evidence formerly urged against him at the Bar debating weighing and then voting each particular as they went after this most serious review their Lordships upon most mature deliberation voted him guilty of all the Articles and matters of fact charged against him and also that of High Treason to notwithstanding the argument of the Archbishops Councel upon a conference with the House of Commons which satisfied them in the point of Law Whereupon they passed the Ordinance for his Attainder of high Treason by vertue whereof he was soon after executed whereof more fully in its due place Thus you have the summe of the Lords and Commons most deliberate fair moderate just though tedious proceedings against this Arch-Traytor not to be presidented in any preceding Age nor fit to be imitated for the future in regard of length and expence of time against which calumny and malice it selfe can take no just exceptions on his behalfe the rather because himselfe would have tried condemned executed above an hundred Paritans in halfe the time wherein he was but trying without the least mercy or moderation had they beene brought before his Tribunall for farre more pettie Treasons then those of which hee was attainted and voted guilty upon most full and pregnant evidence Having given the world this briefe account of the fairenes and deliberatenesse of his Tryall so long delayed partly by his own neglect in not pleading to his Articles of impeachment and not once petitioning to be brought to Tryall during all the time of his restraine partly by his owne forementioned Petitions to the Lords for longer time when the Commons pressed to expedite his hearing partly by the death of Mr John Pym and some other Members of the Commons House who were trusted to prepare and mannage the evidence against him part whereof miscarryed by their decease but principally by reason of the great intervening urgent affaires distractions and bloody Wars in the Kingdomes of Ireland and England occasioned by his Majesties deserting the Parliament and this Arch-Prelates plots to set up Popery not through any neglect or default in the Lords or Commons We shall next endeavour to yeeld you a full satisfactory true account of the proceedings and evidence given in against him at his Tryall which will really render him the Archest Traytor the most pestilent Malefactor in all kindes of Villany Tyranny Oppression Mischiefe that was ever arraigned condemned in any Parliament Pierce Gravestons Archbishop Arundles Cardinall Wolses Empsons Dudlies and the Earle of Straffords Treasons Conspiracies Oppressions and grand Misdemeanours layd together being far inferiour to his both in he inousnesse multiplicity and variety as shall be undeniably demonstrated to all the world by substantiall proofes On Thursday the 12. of March 1643. the day designed for the comencement of this great Tryall about three of the Clocke in the afternoon the Arch-bishop was brought Prisoner by the Lieutenant of the Tower of London and Usher of the blacke Rod to the Bar in the Lords House where after he had kneeled down on his knees for a litle space the Lord Gray of Warke then Speaker of that honourable House commanded him to rise up which done the Committee of the House of Commons appointed to mannage the evidence at his Tryall demanded that the severall Articles of their Impeachment against him might be read whereupon one of the Clerkes of the Lords House read both the Originall and Additionall Articles fore-mentioned and after that his Answer Plea and Demurrer to them All which being read the Archbishop then desired the Lords that the House of Commons might give in all their Charge and Evidence to all the Articles against him together before he should be put to give his Answer to any particular Charge because he was ancient his memory very short and the Articles Generall and that he might
answer all his Charge together not each dayes Evidence by Peece-meale To which Master Maynard in the behalfe of the Commons answered 1. That if the Archbishops memory were so bad as he pretended it would be far worse for him to charge it with answering many particulars and the whole evidence against him together then to answer every particular Charge each day as it should be given in against him whiles it was fresh in memory 2ly That it might and would be a great inconvenience to have witnesses crosse-examined upon other dayes then those whereon they gave in their testimony against the Prisoner 3ly That the Lords themselves would finde it difficult to passe their judgements upon all the Charge together without hearing his punctuall answer to every particular proof as it should be given in evidence whiles it was fresh in their memories 4ly Because else all the witnesses which were very many must of necessity attend and be kept in Town from the first to the last day of his Tryall which would be a very great Charge and inconvenience 5ly In the Earle of Straffords case this very Parliament he was put to answer every day to the particular Evidence given against him on the same day Upon which reasons the House of Peers ordered that the Archbishop should make his particular Answer to every particular Charge on the same day it was given in against him Then the Archbishop desired that the House of Commons would sever the Articles which were Treason from those other Articles which were matters of crime and Misdemeanour only but not Treason that so he might know which of them were Treason and which not To which Master Maynard answered That this they might not doe because they were now onely to try the matters of fact not Lavv and because all the Articles taken together not each or any particular Article by it self made up the Treason wherewith he was charged to wit his endeavours to subvert and destroy Religion the fundamentall Lawes of the Land and government of the Realme and to bring in Popery and an arbitrary tyrannicall Government against Law After which Master Serjeant Wilde by way of Introduction to the Archbishops charge with abundance of elegancy and zeale related the Heads of his Offences to the House of Peeres in these ensuing straines My LORDS THis great cause of the Archbishop of Canterbury after a long and painefull traâ—aise is now come to the Birth of which it may be truly said as it was in a like case Râ—pertum est hodierno die facinus quod nec Poeta fingere nec Histrio sonare nec Mimus imitare potuerit For if all the oppressions all the pernitious practises and machinations which have beene in each time to ruinate our Religion Lawes and Liberties were lost I thinke here they might bee found and drawne out againe to the life So that your Lordships who have beene the great Assertors of our Liberties and stood so fast to the rules and principles of your Noble Progenitors which others have ignobly deserted may after a long conflict with so many great and marchiesse difficulties say now as a great Commander once did upon an extraordinary danger Tandem par animo meo periculum video Here is a cause proportionable to your selves apt and proper for the justice and power of this honourable Court Had they beene faults of common frailty error or incogitancy which this man hath committed wee should gladly have stepped backe and cast a Cloake over them but being so wilfull so universall so distructive to the Lawes of God and man so comprehensive of all the evills and miseries which now we suffer the sin would lye upon our owne heads if wee should not call for justice which that it hath beene so long uncalled for not deferred or delayed I suppose no man will thinke strange who considers the present distractions the death and dispersion of our witnesses the losse of some of our Members who have beene imployed and taken paines in this businesse the multitude of diversions which we have had and have daily occasioned by the Acts and influences of this Meteor But the truth survives and matter enough survives so copious and so full of variety that if all the particulars should be examined for his three yeares imprisonment which he complaines off there would be three yeares time of tryall and hearing of the heavy charge that lyes against him A charge of High Treason Treason in all and every part Treason in the highest pitch and altitude for what greater Treason can there be then to betray the whole Realme and to subvert the very foundations leaving nothing for posterity but a curse upon him that shall goe about to build again That which of it selfe is so haynous is much more enhanced and aggravated by the quality of the person A Church-man a great Prelate a man in great trust place and Authority in Church and Common-wealth A man indued with so great guifts of nature and so many of grace and favour from His Majesty and for al these to be perverted to a contrary end even to the destruction of the publike and the ruine of the Wombe that bare him how deepe a dye doe these impose upon this foule crime How Church-men in all ages as hath beene often observed should come to be the Archest Seedsmen of mischiefe and principall Actors in all the great distractions and alterations that have hapned is a destinie that may seeme strange But the reason is ex bono Thealogo malus Medicus their intermedling with temporall things and matters hererogeneall to their calling wherein God is pleased to finite them with blindnesse and to infatuate their Councell whereof a perfect patterne wee have in this great Prelate who by abusing his profession and making the businesse of State the customary subject of all his endeavours became the Author of all the illegall and Tyrannicall proceedings in the Starre-Chamber High Commission Court and other Courts of all the Innovations in Doctrine and Discipline of the suppressing of godly Ministers and preaching of the advancing of others who were the promoters of Popery and Arbitrary power and indeed of all the concussions and distractions in Church and State whereby Religion hath beene jusâ—ed out Lawes and Parliaments trodden downe with contempt For matter of Religion surely those times were happy when by the magnanimity of Princes and the wisdome and piety of our Predecessors that Antichristian Yoke of Popery was shaken off And now after so many bloudy Massacres in France such fiery persecutions here in Queene Maries dayes so many treacherous conspiracies in time of Queen Elizabeth that execrable and horrid Powder-Plot in the late time of King James such streames and Rivers of bloud in Germany and Ireland and other parts of the Christian world ever since by those restlesse and cruell fire-brands of all mischiefe for any man now to goe about to rebuild these walls of Iericho and to reduce us to those rotten
them all the dayes of my life so farre as they concerne me as any man hath and since I came into place I have followed them and byn as much guided by them as any man that sate where I had the honour to sitte And of this I am sory I have lost the testimony of the Lord Keeper Coventry and other Persons of Honour since dead And the Councell which attended at the Councell Board can witnesse some of them here present that in all references to the Board or debates arising at the Board I was for that part of the cause where I found Law to be and if the Councell desired to have the cause left to the Law well I might move in some cases Charity or Conscience to them but I left them to the Law if thither they would goe And how such a carriage as this through the whole course of my life in private and publique can stand with an intention to overthrow the Lawes I cannot yet see Nay more I have ever beene of opinion That Lawes binde the conscience and have accordingly made conscience of observing them and this doctrine I have constantly preached as occasion hath beene offered me and how is it possible I should seek to overthrow those Lawes which I held my selfe bound in conscience to keep and observe As for Religion I was borne and bred up in and under the Church of England as it stands established by Law I have by Gods blessing growne up in it to the yeares which are now upon me and to the place of preferment which I now beare I have ever since I have understood ought in my profession kept one constant tenor in this my profession with out variation or shifting from one opinion to another for any worldly ends And if my conscience would have suffered me to doe so I could easely have slid through all the difficulties which I have prest upon me in this kinde But of all diseases I have ever held a Palsey in Religion most dangerous well knowing and remembring that disease often ends in a dead Palsie Ever since I came in place I have laboured nothing more then that the externall publique worship of God so much slighted in divers parts of this Kingdome might be preserved that with as much decency uniformity as might be for I evidently saw that the publique neglect of Gods service in the outward face of it and the nasty lyeing of many places dedicated to that service had almost cast a dampe upon the true and inward worship of God which while we live in the body needs exteriall helps and all little enough to keepe it in any vigor And this I did to the uttermost of my knowledge according both to Law and Canon and with the consent and likeing of the people nor did any command issue out from mee against the one or without the other Further my Lords give me leave I beseech you to acquaint you with this also that I have as little acquaintance with Recusants as I beleeve any man of my place of England hath or ever had sithence the Reformation and for my kindred no one of them was ever a Recusant but Sir William Web grandchild to my Vnkle Sir VVilliam VVeb sometimes Lord Major of London and since which some of his Children I reduced back againe to the Church of England On this one thing more I humbly desire may be thought on That I am fallen into a great deale of obloquie in matter of Religion and that so farre as appeares by the Articles against me that I have indeavored to advance and bring in Popery Perhaps my Lords I am not ignorant what party of men have raised these scandalls upon me nor for what end nor perhapps by whom set on but howsoever I would faine have a good reason given me if my conscience stood that way and that with my conscience I could subscribe to the Church of Rome what should have kept me heere before my imprisonment to indure the libelling and the slaunder and the base usage that hath beene put upon me and these to end in this question for my life I say I would know a good reason for this First my Lords is it because of any pledges I have in the world to sway me against my conscience No sure for I have neither Wife nor Children to cry out upon me to stay with them And if I had I hope the calling of my conscience should be heard above them Is it because I was loth to leave the honour and profit of the place I was risen too Surely no for I desire your Lordships and all the world should know I do much scorn the one and the other in comparison of my conscience Besides it cannot be imagined by any man but that if I should have gone over to them I should not have wanted both honour and profit and suppose not so great as this I have here yet sure would my conscience have served my self of either lesse with my conscience would have prevailed with me more than greater against my conscience Is it because I lived here at ease and was loth to venture the losse of that not so neither for whatsoever the world may be pleased to think of me I have led a very painfull life and such as I would have been content to change had I well known how and would my conscience have served me that way I am sure I might have lived at far more ease and either have avoyded the barbarous Libelling and other bitter grievous scornes which have been put upon me or at least been out of the hearing of them Not to trouble your Lordships too long I am so innocent in the businesse of Religion so free from all practise or so much as thought of practise for any alteration unto Popery or any blemishing the true Protestant Religion established in England as I was when my mother first bore me into the world And let nothing be spoken but truth and I do here challenge whatsoever is between Heaven or Hell that can be said against me in point of my Religion in which I have ever hated dissimulation And had I not hated it perhaps I might have been better for worldly safety then now I am but it can no way become a Christian Bishop to halt with God Lastly if I had any purpose to blast the true Religion established in the Church of England and to introduce Popery sure I took a wrong way to it for my Lords I have staid more going to Rome and reduced more that were already gone then I believe any Bishop or Divine in this Kingdome hath done and some of them men of great abilities and some persons of great place and is this the way to introduce Popery My Lords if I had blemished the true Protestant Religion how could I have brought these men to it And if I had promised to introduce Popery I would never have reduced
money too But howsoever his Lordship hath get a very full estate in that Kingdome and hee doth very wisely to fortifie it as well as hee can But besides these I have long since heard though you now mention it not that his Lordship hath done greater service to the Church in some other particulars as namely to the Bishoprick of Lismore and the Colledge of Yong-Hall for which it is great pitty but that his Lordships memory should bee preserved in the Church Thus I have given Your Grace a distinct answer to all the Particulars in Your Letter But for the Tombe which occasioned all the rest I will not take upon mee to judge unlesse I were upon the place how fitly or unfitly it stands there but shall wholly leave it to the view and resolution which shall thereupon bee taken in that place So I leave you to the Grace of God and rest Your Lordships very loving friend and Brother Will Cant. Lamb. March 1633. But some may perchance inquire what was the ground of this Archbishops introduction of these Innovations first of all into Cathedrall Churches Certainly one principall cause of this his method was to make these Mother Churches as he stiled them patterns of imitation for all Daughter Churches and Chapells within the the whole Diocesse that so the Proverbe in Ezech. 16. v. 44. 45. might be verified of them Behold every one tht useth Proverbes shall use this Proverbe against thee saying AS IS THE MOTHER SO IS HER DAVGHTER Thou art thy Mothers Daughter That this was one chiefe end of his to corrupt all Parish Churches and Chappell 's by these Cathedralls examples was infallibly manifested First by the very words of the Order made at the Councell Table at White Hall the third of November 1633 concerning the standing of the Communion Table in Saint Gregories Church neere Paules printed in Dr. Heylins Coale from the Altar and in his Antidotum Lincolniense Sect. 1. c. 2. p. 62. which order was thus printed by the Archbishops direction the chiefe stickler in the procuring and prime Clerke in the penning of it wherein it is positively resolved That all other Churches ought to be guided by the Cathedrall Mother Church whereon they depend and that the Communion Table in Saint Gregories Church removed from the middle of the Chancell to the upper end and there placed Altar-wise in such manner as it standeth in the Cathedrall and Mother Church of St. Paul should so continue that so there might be no difference betweene it and the said Cathedrall Mother Church Secondly by diverse bookes published in print by the Arch-Bishops speciall direction and app obation expresly averring That all Parochiall Churches ought to be guided by the patterne of the Mother Church upon the which they doe depend The Arch-Bishop himselfe in his discourses and these creatures of his in their Bookes applying and urging this leaden rule of theirs in particular for the rayling in of Communion Tables placing them Altarwise against the East end of the Quire and bowing unto them in all Parish Churches because this was done and practised in all Cathedrall Churches by vertue of his New Statutes and Injunctions though not in former times This foundation being layd in our Cathedralls for the like Popish Innovations in all Parochiall Churches wee shall in the next place prosecute this pursuite of his Innovations from our Cathedralls to Parochiall Churches and Chappell 's Wee shall begin with Saint Gregories Church neare Paules where the case was thus About tenne yeares since this Church was repaired by the Parishoners to their great cost at which time the Deane and Chapter of Pauls under whose jurisdiction it is caused the Picture of Saint Gregory to bee set up in the Church and the Communion Table to bee removed rayled about and set Altarwise against the East-end of the Chancell Whereupon Master Wyan and diverse of the Parishioners being offended at it appealed from the Deans and Chapters Order as being against Law to the Arches upon which by the Archbishops means an Order came from Secretary Windebank to call the Parishioners to the Councell Table concernning this Appeale the removing of the Table where they appeared at the appointed time with their Councell The King himselfe the Arch-Bishop and many of the Lords were then present where the businesse being debated before them the Archbishop stood up and with great earnestnesse more like an Advocate then Judge justified maintained this removing and rayling in the Table reading Queene Elizabeths Injunctions to warrant it but left out this most materiall clause that made quite against him Saving when the Communion of the Sacrament is to be administred at which time the same shall be so placed in good sort within the Chancell as whereby the Minister may bee more conveniently heard of the Communicants in his prayer and ministration and the Communicants also more conveniently and in greater number communicate with the said Minister And after the Communion done from time to time the said holy Table to be placed where it stood before The King said hee liked it well that the Table should stand as it used to do heretofore to which the Archbishop answered that if it stood so the Minister could not so well see who kneeled at the Sacrament and who kneeled not To which the King replied then let the seates bee pulled downe Then the Councell for the Parish alleadged that Bishop Jewell in his Reply to Harding Artic. 3. Diuis 26. and Artic. 13. Diuis 6. and Master John Fox in his Acts and Monuments Edit 1610. pag. 1211. 1212. both which Books were enjoyned to be kept in every Church for the people to read in as containing the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England and nought repugnant thereunto maintained and asserted That the Communion Table ought to stand in the MIDST OF THE CHVRCH AMONG THE PEOPLE and not Altar-wise against the wall Hereupon the Archbishop stood up in an angry manner and sayd If this be the use they make of these Books Jewell Fox I desire they may be taken out of Churches and Sir Henry Martin saying merrily that this Table placed close along the wall would make a good Court-cupboord The Archbishop therupon replied that Sir Henry was a stigmaticall Puritan in his bosome All which particulars were proved upon oath by Master Wyan Mr. Clearke and Captain Stackhouse Wherupon by the Archbishops violence this Order was then made against the Parishioners for the standing of that Table Altar-wise as it was situated by the Deanes and Chapters Order and appointment At Whitehall the third day of Novemb 1633. Present the KINGS most Excellent Maiestie Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Keeper Lord Archbishop of Yorke Lord Treasurer Lord Privy Seale Lord Duke of Lenox Lord Chamberlaine Earle of Bridgwater Earle of Carlile Lord Cottington Master Treasurer Master Comptroller Lord High Chamberlain Earle Marshall Master Secretary Cooke Master Secretary Windebanke THis Day was Debated before
c. As appears by his Injunctions annexed to his Articles in writing and his Account to the Archbishop for the yeare 1636. both found in the Archbishops study and attested by Mr. Prynne In this Diocesse of Norwich by meanes of these Visitation Articles Bishop Mountague in his Account to the Archbishop for the yeare 1638. informes him under his owne hand That all Courches were furnished with the ALTAR standing close to the East-wall all Rayled about the Altar But withall he certifies him that many of the people complained they were troubled and Excommunicated by his Predecessor Bishop Wren for not comming up to receive at the Rayls about the Altar in this manner As many as can well kneele close unto the Rayles come up out of the Church and then upon their knees receive from the Priest standing within the Rayles the Bread and Wine who being thus Communicated rise and depart into the Church and as many moe as can likewise kneele succeed and being Communicated likewise depart which course is observed till all have received Against this they say it is a new un-necessary troublesome course not enjoyned by Law not required by Canon nor imposed by His Majesty or my Lord of Canterbury whose Injunctions they professe they will obey nor in the Articles or Injunctions of any Bishop This as it perplexeth them so I must professe it troubleth me wherein I desire resolution and direction For if this be the case as they pretend in my poore opinion it is inter minutiora Legis to make the best of it and happily in these times of opposition it were not amisse to follow that wise direction of the greatest Councel of Christendom the first of Nice Let ancient customs be observed If I may be bold to deliver my owne poore private opinion concerning this case as they relate it not otherwise I hold it a meere un-necessary inconvenient combersome or irregular course I know it hath no velam nor vestigum in Antiquity who as it appeares by Saint Chrisostome communicated Communicants kneeling in the Chancell in their distinct rankes the doores shut none permitted to depart till the blessing pronounced and Ite in peace I know of no Law Articles Advertisements Canons Injunctions that require it I cannot tell where when by whom it came up This I know it is the practise of the Roman Church at least in Italy and Rome and yet drawes neere upon the Lees of the Geneva Discipline in their running Banquet as it is rightly named I humbly crave pardon for this my free but private opinion of that course upon which so many in my Diocesse doe stand who otherwise do professe all obedience to the Church orders and I doubt not but to bring them thereto and settle them therein almost I durst undertake it This Account of Bishop Mountague being shewed Bishop Wren by the Arch-Bishop he returned this Answer in writing thereunto which hee delivered to the Archbishop in whose Study Mr. Prynne seized it The number of them that stood excommunicated for this which is alleadged were not 13 in above 1300. Parishes When they had received both the bread and wine two rankes of them they quietly withdrew and remained in the Chancell if it would hold them and others kneeled downe in their roomes No marvell if it like not those that will pronounce it new unnecessary and troublesome The Service booke enjoynes it by requiring all to draw neer The King Himselfe does it and His whole Houshold in effect It had bin neither perplexity nor trouble in that Diocesse ere now if it had not unawares bin declaimed against by his Lordship before hee came into the Diocesse Many of his Faction prickt up their eares at that and then his Lordship had plunged himselfe to openly to get back hansomely Now hee is come into the Diocesse and findes it so generally practised and desired by the best of all sorts It is hoped that upon this private narration either my Lords Grace of the King will gain-say it It were fit that what he reputed an irregular custome had bin exprest And whether to carry the holy Sacrament up and down to their Seats be it Where the Chancells will not receive all the Communicants what more trouble of successive comming before the Rayle then into the Chancell Many Chancells are so seated that it cannot appeare how the Communicants kneels and for this in truth the Faction hath the greatest sticke at it Many Parishes are populous and the Chancels large but the Chalices very small while the Priest then goes to and againe so far to renew the Cup much time and labour is lost This supposition holds not for very many Chancells will not hold all the Communicants much lesse to kneele conveniently all at once To come before the Rayle hath more analogy with Antiquity then some men have seene or others will In England they came but to the Chancell doores till our Lawes brought them into the Chancell So now the Rayle serves to distinguish the Presbyterian from the Chorus and that place in Saint Chrysostome I believe will otherwise prove to be mistaken That it is like the practise of the Roman Church I suppose is the better seeing we never found fault with them for it till now As for Geneva t is not so like to theirs or theirs to it as an Ape is to a man and yet is farre enough from being a man This is spoken unto in the precedents After which Bishop Mountague in a Synod at Ipswitch Octob. 8. 1639. gave these ensuing directions to his Clergie concerning the peoples comming up to the Rayles to receive A Copy whereof he sent to the Archbishop who received it the 21th of the same Moneth as appeares by his endorsement thereof When I came first into this Diocesse I was much and often troubled by many in many parts thereof about comming up to the Rayles as they called it in time of the holy Communion This was a novelty unto me as it seemed it was in it selfe for I had never heard of it nor did I know what it meant But I understood at length it was this Those that intend to receive the holy Sacrament are to come up out of the Church and to draw neere unto the Rayles which inclose the Altar or Communion Table and there to kneele as many as can and to receive in both kindes at the Ministers hands when this company at the Rayles have received in both kindes they are to rise up to withdraw and another company to succeed in their places and after them a third and so till all bee in that sort Communicated In this course thus observed I do not understand whether all at once that intend to Communicate do together come up out of the Church into the Chancell and being there disposed sitting or standing doe in course repaire unto the Rayles and returne from thence Or whether
of Lincolne at the Visitation of the Archdeacon there this present year 1637. Printed at London 1637. Artic. 5. Have you adâ—cent Table on a frame for the holy Communion placed at the East end of the Chancell Is it rayled in or inclosed so as Men or Boyes cannot sit upon it or throw their hats upon it Is the said raile or 〈…〉 with sâ—ttles or kneeling hâ—nches at 〈…〉 or bottome thereof no the Communicants way fitly kneele there at the receiving of the holy Communion Artic. 38. Whether any in your Parish have covered his head in time of Divine Service contrary to the â—â— Canon any that do not kneele at the saying of the generall Confession Letany ten Commandements and other prayers read in the said Church â— any that do not stand up at the saying the Beliefe or not how or use reverencâ— when in time of Divine service the name of Iesus is read or 〈◊〉 c. Moreover Dr. Pierce Bishop of Bath and Wels not only prescribes the rayling in of Communion Tables Altarwise under penalties and fines in his Visitation Articles and Courts but likewise appoints Ministers in every Division to see it executed and presents these reasons for it to the Archbishop who endorsed them thus with his own hand Recepi March 9. 1633. L. Bishop of Bath and Wels about placing the Communion Table Reasons why the Communion Table in every Church should be set close under the East-window or wall with the ends North and South and be rayled in 1. It was ordered in Queen Elizabeths Injunctions That the Communion Table should stand where the Altar did 2. There should be some difference between the placing of the Lords Table in the Church and the placing of a mans Table in his house 3. It is not sit the people should sit above Gods Table or he above the Priest when he consecrateth 4. If it stand not thus and he not rayled in it will be subject to many prophanations and abuses Church-wardens will keep their accounts at the Lords Table Parishioners will sit round about it and talk of their Parish businesses whereas the Lords Table is for no other use but only for the Communion and the service and prayers of the Church Schoolmasters will teach their Boyes to write upon this Table and the Boyes will â—ay their Hats Sachels and Books upon it and in their Masters absence sit upon the same and many will sit or learn irreverently against the Lords Table in Sermon time Glasiers will knock it full of mile holes as it is found by experience they have done in many places and Dogs will defile the Lords Table 5. When the Communion Table stands thus the Chancell is the fairer and there â—â— more 〈◊〉 for the Communicants 6. Where the Communion Table stands thus the face of the Priest is seen of all and his voice is 〈◊〉 heard of all which sit on the North side of the Chancel 7. It is sit the Daughters should be like their Mother the Patochiall Churches should be 〈◊〉 the Câ—thedrall Churches that so there may be an uniformity in this respect in every Church At Coventry 〈◊〉 Bishop of that Diocesse by his Chancellour prescribed these Innovations following in the Churches of that City Thursday the 15 of August 1636. at Coventry It is ordered by Mr. Chancellour in the presence of me Henry Archbold principall Register being 〈…〉 by my Lord Bishop to that purpose 1. That the Communion Tables with in S. Michaels and Trinity Churches should be removed up 〈…〉 of the Chancels 2. That the ground at the upper end of the Chancels be handsomely raised by three steps that the 〈…〉 be conspicuous to all the Church 3. That in 〈…〉 which almost stopped up the middle I le be removed according 〈…〉 the Church-wardens in presence 4. That in both Churches all new additions of Seats in the Chancels be taken away 〈…〉 be to the ancient forme 5. 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 of Trinity shall hereafter have any Seat to himself within the Church of S. Michael nor any parishioner of S. Michael have any 〈…〉 such no have sufficient interest by Land in the other 〈◊〉 6. 〈…〉 the Churchyard of S. Trinity may be 〈…〉 restored to the Churchyard And the doores opening into the Churchyard be stâ—pped up and the sink and other 〈…〉 7. That the 〈…〉 wives being in both Churches sufficiently accommodated 〈…〉 hence forth content themselves 〈…〉 â—e disposed of to these Gentlemen of quality within 〈…〉 The Church-wardens of both Parishes are admonished to certifie the performance of the precedent Articles to M. Chancelour by the next Court-day at Lichfield being the 27 of September next And that the Desk in the Chancell in Trinity Church whereon the Books lye be removed to the upper end of the North Isle next the Chancell and a Rayle made with a door in the middle thereof to keep out children from tearing the Books Charles Twysden Henry Archbold Registers After which this Bishop in a better mood Ordering the Communion Table only at the time of administring the Sacrament to be brought into the midst of the Chancell being large without the precincts of its impounding rayles thereupon the Archbishops Creatures gave present secret notice thereof by way of complaint to Sir Iohn Lambe and he to the Archbishop in these ensuing Letters found among Sir Iohn Lambs papers by Mr. Prynne endorsed with Mr. Dels the Archbishops Secretaries hand upon the Archbishops perusall of them The first was this Letter from Mr. Bird to Mr. Latham Good Master Latham Being at Mr. Lessons my Lord Bishops accustomed Inne I was there called and sent for to a private room before Mr. Major and some others of the Fraternity the businesse was concerning the removall of the Communion Table fromits ascent of 3 steps unto the body of the Chancel during the administration of that blessed Sacrament and they fearing me and my thwarting it moved my Lord to command me from either troubling them or altering that But how this can be effected without a great deale of inconveniency both to Minister and people I know not the Table and all other ceremonies necessary then to be used being by this means obscured and taken away from the eares and eyes of the people This is all except his Sermon that his Lordship hath done here and so much I thought good to certifie you desiring you to make what use you can of it provided you ever conceale the name of Your assured loving friend Tho. Byrd Covent 21 March juxta compt Aug. 1636. The second this Letter from Mr. Latham to Sir Iohn Lambe Most worthy Sir Our Lord Bishop at his departure from hence left such a terrible noise behind him of threatning against his Chancelour Mr. Ieffraye Archdeacon of Salop and my Selfe as would make men that were any thing obnoxious much afraid but for mine own part I thank God I fear him not but will and shall be ready to justifie my selfe in any thing
I have done and whatsoever hath passed betwixt your worship and my self concerning his Lordship can well prove if need require with much more which upon the least notice I will be ready to wait upon my Lords Grace and yourselfe to perform S. Michaels in Coventry have raysed their steps up to the Altar with curious workmanship and stone and have been at great charge in making a Septum about the Table yet hath his Lordship as you may perceive by this inclosed Letter commanded the Table to be brought down into the middle of the Chancel for this holy time perhaps his Lordship will say the Cancels are not fully finished but they were so much up at his being at Coventry as that they might well come up and receive the holy Communion and are now finished and the Table hath been at the upper end ever since his Majesties commands Mr. Byrd would not be knowne of this if it may be yet he will justifie it and others also if it must be Your Worships to be commanded ever Edward Latham Lichf 27 Martii 1637. By this it appears the Archbishop had his Spies and Informers in all places to certifie him of the very least oppositions against his Innovations by Bishops or others which will be further manifested by three other Letters The first is a Copy of the Bishop of Lincolns Letter to his Surrogate Mr. Burdin about S. Martins Communion Table in Leicester and the placing of it the copie whereof was presently sent to Sir Iohn Lambe and by him conveyed to the Archbishop who endorsed it with his own hand After my very heartiest commendations unto you Whereas I have appointed the parishioners of S. Martins in Leicester to remove their common Library from the Quire of their Church into another room provided by the Major Aldermen and Corporation of Leicester for that purpose and have perswaded them to trim up and prepare their foresaid Quire with Railes and other ornaments to place therein their Communion Table all the which they have accordingly performed And whereas upon a Certificate made unto me by the Vicar the Churchwardens divers of the Aldermen and others the better sort of that Parish That the place where their Table stood before is far more fit by the reason of the more capacity to receive the Communicants the more audiblenesse of the Ministers voice the proximity to that place where Morning and Evening prayer are appointed to be said then this Chancell is I have therefore according to the Lyturgie confirmed by Act of Parliament the severall Injunctions of our Princes heretofore the 82 Canon now in force as I hope I should as rightly understand them as any of my said subordinate Officers can do given the said Vicar Churchwardens and parishioners leave to remove the said Communion Table to the aforesaid place where it formerly stood at such times as they are to receive the Communiō These are to require you not to be troublesome or molestfull to the said parties in any thing concerning the premises untill you shall legally disprove unto me the truth of the aforesaid Certificate and so I commend you to God and am Your very loving friend and Bishop Ioh. Lincolne Buckden this 19 of December 1633. The second is a clause in Dr. Aylets Letter to Sir Iohn Lambe about rayling in Communion Tables Good Sir c. I have caused many of the Communion Tables within my Officiary to be rayled in and the people to come up and kneel and receive at the Rayle though with much opposition especially in great clothing Townes because they see no such thing as they say in the Churches of London but since our Article Books for the Metropoliticall visitation were delivered they have found an Article which as they conceive gives them leave to remove their Table at the time of celebration and place it as it may be most convenient for the parishioners to come about it and receive w th in some places where the Minister is willing to please his people undoes all which I have done and layes on me an imputation as if it were mine own invention crossing that Article delivered by his Graces Visitor in his severall Visitations for this I humbly desire to know his Graces pleasure and your best direction You will be pleased to excuse the length of my seldome Letters and to remember my humble service to his Grace Your ever obliged servant and affectionate Kinsman Robert Aylet Farly 29 June 1636. Here we see the Archbishop made the only common rule and directory of all these Innovations The third is a clause in D. Clerks Letter to Sir Iohn Lambe concerning the removall of the Rayle and Communion Table at Northampton during the plague there Worthy Sir c. They now do what they list in the Church service at All-Saints in Northampton and some very lately have as I am informed cut the Raile or Cancel that was about the Lords Board in Pieces and have brought down the Lords Table into the middle of the Church I long since advised the Mayor and some of his discreet Brethren that the Tuesday Lecture and Sermon on Sundayes in the afternoon should be forborne in these infections and dangerous times they then raised a report of me that I went about to starve their soules you may do well to acquaint my Lords Grace with so much of this as you please The schismaticall Puritans now bring their Appeals from the Audience as namely the Churchwardens of Towcester who are questioned for not presenting some 80 or an hundred of their Parish who refused to receive the blessed Sacrament at the CANCEL at Easter last c. Yours unfeined to love and serve you Sam. Clerke Kingsth 17 June 1638. This Archbishop having thus introduced by successive degrees these severall popish Innovations so far as to inforce them generally upon all Ministers Churchwardens Parishioners Cathedrals Parish-Churches Chappels and to receive Informations against those who were opposite to his designes herein proceeded at last to the highest pitch of tyranny and arbitrary government in this kinde even to question persecute censure ruine Ministers Churchwardens and others in the High-Commission Star-chamber and elsewhere who out of conscience refused to submit or adventured to oppose these his illegall Romish Innovations for proof whereof were produced severall sad and tragicall instances not to be paralleld in any age We shall begin with Presidents in the High Commission The first in this kinde which we shall but name because so publickly knowne and fully proved before both Houses this present Parliament is the case of Master Peter Smart the ancientest Prebend in the Cathedrall at Durham who for preaching a Sermon in that Cathedral against the severall popish Innovations brought into that Church by Dr. Cosens and his confederates as Images Copes Tapers Crucifixes bowing to the Altar praying towards the East turning the Cōmunion Table of wood standing in the middest of the Quire into an
distraction in the Parish of Ware being a great and populous parish by their opposition of the laudable gesture of receiving the holy Communion kneeling and their envying against the Rayle and bench set up by sufficient authority for that purpose about the Communion Table in the Chancel for maintaining of good order and conformity in the Church there as may well appear by M. Chaunceys inveighing against the same and his refusing to administer the holy Communion there whilest he continued Vicar of Ware for the which the said M. Chauncey in partem pâ—nae was by the Court suspended from the execution of his Ministeriall function and every part thereof and ordered so to stand untill by his submission and acknowledgement of his error in broaching the said opinions tending to schisme and faction this Court shall see cause to release him which his submission and his acknowledgement is to be set down prescriptis verbis by the Commissioners at Informations and to be delivered unto him under the Registers hand of this Court and to be by him read and performed here in open Court and then to be intimated and made known in the parish Church of Ware where he hath given such cause of scandall and offence He was further condemned in expences or costs of fuit which are to be moderately taxed by the Commissioners at Informations And the said Humphry Parker was likewise condemned in moderate charges or expences and to make his submission in like manner conceptis verbis as this Court shall appoint Lastly they were both ordered to stand committed till they shall give sufficient bond in a 100 li. a piece to his Majesties use for the performance of the order of the Court. And because it was alleaged and pretended on M. Chauncies behalfe that since his comming to be Person of Marsten-Lawrence in Northamptonshire he had in testofocation of his conformity set up or caused to be set up such a Rayle about the Communion Table in the Chancell of his parish Church there the Court decreed Letters to be sent from this Court to the Lord Bishop of Peterborough to desire his Lordship to enquire of the truth of this allegation and to certifie this Court of the truth thereof the second Session of the next Tearm As also how the said Master Chauncey hath otherwise conformed himselfe there to the orders of the Church of England here by law established The manner and form of M. Chauncies recantation the next court-day for speaking against the rayle is thus recorded in the High Commission Register This day the said Mr. Chauncey appeared personally and with bended knees read his submission in Court which followes Whereas I Charles Chauncey Clerk late Vicar of Ware in the County of Hertford stand by sentence of this honourable Court legally convicted for opposing the setting of a rayle about the Communion Table in the Chancell of the Parish-church of Ware with a bench thereunto affixed for the Communicants to resort unto and to receive the blessed Sacrament there kneeling upon their knees and for using invective speeches against the said rayle and bench saying it was an Innovation â— snare to mens consciences and a breach of the second Commandement an addition to the Lords worship and that which hath driven me out of Towne I the said Charles Chauncey do here before this honourable Court acknowledge my great offence in using the said invective words and am heartily sorry for the same I protest and am ready to declare by vertue of mine Oath that I now hold and am perswaded in my conscience that kneeling at the receiving of the holy Communion is a lawfull and commendable gesture and that a rayle set up in the Chancell of any Church by the authority of the Ordinary with a bench thereunto affixed for the communicants to repaire unto to receive the holy Communion kneeling is a decent and convenient ornament for that purpose and this Court conceiveth that the rayle set up lately in the Parish-church of Ware with the bench affixed is such an one And I do further confesse that I was much to blame for opposing the same and do promise from henceforth never by word or deed to oppose either that or any other the laudable rites and ceremonies prescribed and commanded to be used in the Church of England Charles Chauncey Which submission being thus as aforesaid read and subscribed by the said Master Chauncey his Counsell moved that he might be dismissed but the Counsell for the Office desired that the said M. Chauncey might here receive w judiciall admonition which the Court conceiving very fit and requisite the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury in the name of the whole Court did now judicially admonish the said Charles Chauncey from henceforth to carry himself peaceably and conformably to the doctrine and discipline rites and ceremonies established and commanded to be used in the Church of England and neither by word nor deed to oppose or bring into disesteem any of them with this intimation That in case he were convented againe for any opposition or refractorinesse touching the premises that the Court intended to proceed against him with all severity and with this admonition the Court dismissed him the said M. Chauncey from any further attendance touching this cause he first paying the charges of suit taxed against him and the fees of his dismission These two leading cases and censures in the High-commissions at York and Lambeth seconded with this enforced submission struck such a terror into most Ministers and Churchwardens in those parts that few or none durst oppose those Innovations and gave such encouragement to the Prelates and popish Clergie that they proceeded vigorously in the pressing introducing of them every where and if any man durst oppose or vary from their injunctions they were presently brought into the High-commission and there proceeded against with utmost rigour This was manifested by the case of Mr. Miles Burkitt one of the Vicars of Pateshall in Northamptonshire who for delivering the Sacrament only to some who refused out of conscience to come up to the new Rayle and removing the Communion Table at the Sacrament time into the midst of the Chancell without the rayle according to the very Letter of Queen Elizabeths Injunctions and the 82 Canon was apprehended by a Pursevant in the Year 1638 and thus Articled against in the High-commission at Lambeth by Sir John Lambes and the Archbishops meanes among whose papers his Articles were found and read at the Lords Barre being attested by Master Prynne Inprimis we Article and object to you the said Miles Burkitt that you doe not bow at the Name of JESUS in time of Divine Service Item we Article and object that you the said Miles Burkitt being enjoyned by the Ordinary or his Surrogates officiate for him to keep within the rayles at the ministring of the Sacrament and to give the Sacrament to none that will not come up to the rayles he the
have any Image of any Saint especially of our Saviour in his house is unlawfull and that if any man kept such pictures in his house if it were not flat Idolatry yet it was little better This was the maine charge against him to which was added that he used some harsh expressions against lacivious mixt dancing especially on the Lords day citing only the words of the Waldenses in their censure against Dancing borrowed frō Vincentius Belvacensis Gulielmus Peraldus two Popish Writers of great note and justified by Bishop Babington in his exposition upon the seventh Commandement and that he prayed for the States of Holland the King of Sweden and other Generals beyond the seas in his prayer before he prayed for the King that now is over us which was but according to the usuall course of all or most Ministers who first prayed for the whole Catholick Church in generall next for the Protestant Churches and Princes beyond the seas and then for the Church and King of England and agreeable to the forme of the very Common-prayer-book in the prayer for the whole state of Christs Church c. which runs thus We beseech thee also to save and defend all Christian Kings Princes and Governours which comprehends all foreine Princes in the first place and especially thy servant Charles our King c. who is remembred last of all but yet in a more speciall manner But these two last particulars though mentioned in his sentence were no inducements to it but only the first passage against Images which M. Workman justified out of divers of our owne English Authors and the very Homilies against the perill of Idolatry Part. 3. p. 41. to 631. which determine thus That no Jmage of God or the Trinity or of Christ may or ought to be made that such Images are not only defects but lyes and teach nothing of God or Christ but lyes and errours That Images placed publickly in Temples cannot possibly be without danger of worshipping and idolatry wherefore they are not publickly to be or suffered in Temples and Churches c. We infer and say for the Adversative that all our Images of God our Saviour Christ and his Saints publickly set up in Temples and Churches places peculiarly appointed to the true worship of God be not things indifferent nor tolerable but against Gods law commandment taking their own interpretation and exposition of it First for that all Images so set up publickly have bin worshipped of the unlearned and simple sort shortly after they had been publickly so set up and in conclusion of the wise and learned also Secondly for that they are worshipped in sundry places now in our time also And thirdly for that it is impossible that Images of God Christ or his Saints can be suffered especially in Temples and Churches any while or space without worshipping of them and that Idolatry which is most abominable before God cannot possibly be escaped and avoided without the abolishing and destruction of Images and Pictures in Temples and Churches for that Idolatry is to Images specially in Temples and Churches an inseparable accident as they tearm it so that Images in Churches and Idolatry go alwayes both together and that therefore the one cannot be avoided except the other specially in all publick places be destroyed Wherefore to make Images and publickly to set them up in the Temples and Churches places appointed peculiarly to the service of God is to make Images to the use of Religion and not only against this precept Thou shalt make us manner of Images but against this also Thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them for they being set up have been be and ever will be worshipped c. That it is not possible if Images be suffered in Churches and Temples either by the preaching of Gods Word or by any other means to keep the people from worshipping of them and so to avoid idolatry c. What can we do I say or bring to passe to the stay of Idolatry or worshipping of Images if they be allowed to stand publickly in Temples and Churches And if so many so mighty Emperours by so severe Lawes and Proclamations so rigorous and extreame punishments and executions could not stay the people from setting up and worshipping of Images what will ensue thinke you when men shall commend them as necessary books of the Laymen Let us therefore of these latter dayes learn this lesson of the experience of ancient Antiquity That Idolatry cannot possibly be separated from Images any long time but that as an unseparable accident or as a shadow followeth the body when the Sunne shineth so Idolatry followeth and cleaveth to the publick having of Images in Temples and Churches And finally as Idolatry is to be abhorred and avoided so are Images which cannot be long without Idolatry to be put away and destroyed Besides the which experiments and proof of time before the very nature and origine of Images themselves draweth to Idolatry most violently and mens nature and inclination also is bent to Idolatry so vehemently that it is not possible to sever or part Images nor keep men from Idolatry if Images he suffered publickly c. For if the origine of Images and worshipping of them as it is recorded in the eight Chap. of the Book of Wisdom began of a blind love of a fond father framing for his comfort an Image of his Sonne being dead and so at the last men fell to the worshipping of him whom they did know to be dead how much more will men and women fall to the worshipping of the Image of God our Saviour Christ and his Saints if they be suffered to stand in Churches and Temples publickly For the greater the opinion is of the majesty and holinesse of the person to whom an Image is made the sooner will the people fall to the worshipping of the said Image Wherefore the Images of God our Saviour Christ the Blessed Virgin Mary the Apostles Martyrs and other of notable holinesse are of all other Images most dangerous for the perill of Idolatry and therefore greatest heed to be taken that none of them be suffered to stand publikely in Churches and Temples For there is no great dread least any should fall to the worshipping of Images of Annas Caiphas Pilate or Judas the Traitor if they were set up But to the other it is already at full proved That Idolatry hath been is and is most like continually to be committed Now as the Nature of mari is none otherwise bent to worshipping of Images if he may have them and see them then it is bent to whordome and Idolatry in the company of an harlot And as a man given to the lust of the flesh seeing a wanton harlot sitting by her and imbracing her it profitteth little for one to say beware of fornication God will condemne fornicators and adulterers for neither will he being overcome with greater intisements of
living speaking Image of God and Christ for preaching against dead false unlawfull Images and representations of them according to our Homilies and the established Doctrine of our Church Moreover it was then fully proved at the Lords Bar by the oathes of Doctor Featly and Master Bourne that the Arch-bishop was so mad upon Images Pictures and their worship That Doctor Featly having Printed by license 70. Sormons of his preached upon severall occasions in one whereof he had cited a passage against worshipping Images out of the Homily against the Perill of Idolatry in refutation of the Papists the Arch-bishop sending for the Doctor commanded him to carry his said Sermons to Doctor Bray his Chaplaine to peruse before they were published least there should beany offensive passages vented in them which he doing accordingly the said Doctor purged out of the 788. page thereof this ensuing clause therein cited out of the very Homely against the perill of Idolatry as scandalous and heterodox causing the whole sheet to be new Printed which expunction was openly read at the Bar by Doctor Featly himself in these following words And howsoever some of late mince the matter and beare us in hand that the framing drawing carving melting gilding erecting clothing and censing bowing down and praying before Images and Pictures is but the excrescencie of Romish devotion and no proper fruit of Idolatry and superstition yet they who laid the first stone in the happy Reformation of our Church of England and penned the Homilies appointed by Authority to be read in all Churches condemne these practises of the Romane Church as no lesse idolatrous than the like of the Heathen The full proof of that which in the beginning in the first part of this Treatise was touched is here to be made good and performed to wit that our Images and the Idols of the Gentiles be all one as well in the things themselves as also in that our Images have been before be now and ever will be worshipped in like forme and manner as the Idols of the Gentiles were so long as they be suffered in Churches and Temples whereupon it followeth that our Images in Churches have been he and ever will be no other but abominable Idols And every of these parts shall be proved in order as hereafter followeth And first that our Images and the Idols of the Gentiles are all one concerning themselves it is most evident the matter of them being gold silver or other mettle stone wood clay or plaister as were the Idols of the Gentiles and so being either melten or cast either carved graven hewer or otherwise formed and fashioned after the similitude or likenesse of man or woman they be dead and dumb works of mens hands having mouthes and speak not eyes and see not hands and feel not feet and go not and so as well in form as matter be altogether like the Idols of the Gentiles insomuch that all the titles that be given to the Idols in the Scripture may be verified of our Images Wherefore no doubt but the like curses which are mentioned in Scriptures will light upon the makers and worshippers of them both Secondly that they have been be worshipped in our time in like forme and manner as were the Idols of the Gentiles is now to be proved and for that idolatry standeth chiefly in the minde which shall in this part first be proved that our Image-maintainers have had and have the same opinion and judgement of Saints whose Images they have made and worshipped as the Gentile idolaters had of their Gods And afterwards it shall be declared that our Image-maintainers and worshippers have used and use the same outward rites and manner of honouring and worshipping their Images as the Gentiles did use before their Idols and that therefore they commit idolatry as well inwardly as outwardly as did the wicked Gentile idolaters By these two evidences of the Archbishops persecuting Master Workman for using the very words and expressions of our established Homilies against Images and his Chaplaines purging out of Doctor Featlies printed authorized Sermons this passage of our Homilies against the worshipping of Images no doubt by his direction it is most apparent that his designes and intentions were to subvert the established doctrine of our Church against the setting up and adoration of Images and to defile our Churches againe not only with these Romish Idols and Paganish inventions but to make us all Idolaters in worshipping and adoring them as the Popish or Gentile Idolaters did their Idol-gods To put this out of question we shall only adde one irrefragable evidence more concerning Images and Pictures We have proved formerly that the Archbishop had in his own private Study a Book of Popish pictures of the Life Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Virgin Mary printed by Boetius à Bolswert in forein parts Anno 1623. These very Pictures were all licensed by the Archbishops own Chaplain Doctor Bray printed by his own printer and Kinsman Badger in the year 1638. for one Peake a Stationer now in armes against the Parliament and publickly sold and bound up in Bibles as was testified by Mr. Walley Clerk of Stationers Hall and Michael Sparke Senior Master Willingham likewise attested upon oath concerning these Pictures and Crucifixes put into the Bibles that Captain Peak at Holborne Cundit Bookseller who printed these pictures for Bibles did affirme that he printed them with the good liking and by the speciall direction of the Archbishop and his Chaplaine Dr. Bray which Dr. Bray as he said carried him divers times to the Archbishop to shew him the prints thereof as they were cut and finished who liked them all well and gave his consent for the binding them up in Bibles saying That the Bibles wherein these pictures were bound up they should be called THE BISHOP OF CANTERBVRIES BIBLES stiling them after his own name so much did he owne this fact not the Bibles and Book of God who abhorres such Images and further deposed That he found two Bibles bound up with these Pictures in them the one among Secretary Windebanks the other among Sir John Lambes and Dr. Ducks chiefe papers and treasure two of the Archbishops bosome friends and favourites who highly esteemed them both of which Bibles seized by Mr. Willingham and richly bound up with these pictures in them were then produced and shewed to the Lords Master Walley further deposed that these pictures bound up in Bibles giving great offence and scandall to many well affected people himselfe with some other Stationers repaired to Lambeth to the Archbishop and complained against these pictures and the binding of them up in Bibles demanding his Graces direction therein whether they should seize such Bibles with pictures which gave offence or suffer them to be sold To which the Archbishop answered That they might doe well not to lay them out publickly upon their stals to be sold as yet lest they
his Consecrating of Churches and Chappels after the popish manner wherein the case stands briefly thus The Pope his Romish Prelates had in times of ignorance superstition for their own proper lucre introduced solemn consecrations of Churches Chappels with all furniture belonging to them appropriated these Fopperies to Bishops as a jurisdiction peculiar to them alone though we reade in Scripture that the Tabernacle all the furniture thereto belonging was consecrated only by Moses and the Temple at Jerusalem by King Solomon the chief temporall Magistrates not by Aaron or the High Priests as they were among the Romans by the Senate These formes of consecrations full of Ethnicall ridiculous superstitions exorcismes conjurations were contained only in Roman Pontificals Missals Ceremonials which were wholly abolished upon the reformation of Religion in King Edwards daies by the expresse statutes of 3 4 E. 6. cap. 1. 5. 5 6 E. 6. cap. 1. and after that by the statute of 1 Eliz. cap. 2. 8 Eliz. cap. 1. which abrogited all rites ceremonies and consecrations whatsoever but those comprised in the Books of Common Prayer and Ordination of Ministers where there is not one syllable to be found touching consecration of Churches or Chappels or Church-yards nor any forme of such consecrations reteined or prescribed which by these Acts were wholly discontinued abolished in our Church till this Papish Prelate to renue them and to assume a Papall power of making Churches Chappels Altars and their furniture holier then other places by his solemne consecrations of them as if the meere sequestring of them from a common or prophane to a sacred use were not a sufficient consecration of them without a Bishops Benediction and exercising of those creatures suspended thereunto We shall begin first with his consecration of Churches next of Chappels Anno 1630. St. Katherines Creed-church in London being repaired only by the parishioners not new built from the ground when Mountain was Bishop of London and the Church thought holy enough by him without any new consecration not requisite in such a case by the very Canon law this popish Prelate succeeding Mountaiue in the Bishoprick of London suspended this new repaired Church for a time from all Divine service Sermons and Sacraments till it was re-consecrated by himself of which he writ down this speciall memoriall with his own hand in his Diary read in the Lords House in manner following January 16. 1630. Sunday I consecrated S. Katherine Creed-church in London In what a popish ridiculous bedlam manner was thus attested upon oath by M. Willingham a parishioner there who then took special Notes of all the passages in short-writing thinking some good use might be made thereof in after-times the particulars whereof he thus expressed That the Archbishop then of London on the 16 of January 1630. being the Lords day came in the morning about nine of the clock in a pompous manner to Creed-church accompanied with Sir Henry Martin Dr. Rive Dr. Duck and many other High-commissioners and Civillians there being a very great concourse of people to behold this novelty the Church doores were garded with many Halberders at the Bishops approaching near the West door of the Church the hangbies of the Bishop cryed out with a loud voyce Open open ye everlasting doores that the King of glory may enter in and presently as by miracle the doores flew open and the Bishop with three or four great Doctors and many other principall men entred in and as soon as they were in the Church the Bishop fell down upon his knees with his eyes lifted up and his hands and armes spread abroad uttering many words and saying This place is holy and this ground is holy In the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost I pronounce it holy and then he took up some of the earth or dust and threw it up into the aire as the frantick perseenting Jewes did when they were raging mad against Paul this was done in the great middle Isle several times as they came up Eastwards towards the Chancel which Chancel was then paved when they approached near to the Rayle and Lords Table unto which was an ascent of two or three steps the Bishop lowly ducked and bowed towards it some five or six times and returning went round about the Church in Procession on the inside thereof they saying the 100 Psalme and after that the 90 Psalme prescribed in the Roman Pontificall for this purpose p. 262. and then this Prayer Lord Jesu Christ who art the eternall Word of thy eternall Father God Almighty to be blessed for ever and diddest at first in the beginning of time create man out of the dust of the earth to restore and repair in him the ruine and fall of Angels and when as he by transgression had lost his originall state diddest according to thy threatning returne him againe unto his dust but so that he should not perish everlastingly but should in due time by an omnipotent power be raised againe out of the earth and therefore in assurance of the resurrection the bodies of men the work of thine own hands are in this place to be deposited in their sepulchres graves or vaults as in a repository or resting place untill the end of all things when that mighty Arch-angell shall sound his last Trumpet with Rise ye dead and come to judgement accept we beseech thee this our holy service who doe give and consecrate this beautifull Church unto thee and we separate it unto thee and thy Church AS HOLY GROVND not to be prophaned any more to common use this we beseech thee to accept at our hands for Christ Jesus sake c. Then was read aloud the 23 chapter of Genesis which being read then followed another prayer taken almost verbatim out of the Roman Pontificall beginning thus Merciful God the resurrection and the life of all that trust in thee wee most humbly intreat thee to vouchsafe us of thy grace that all those thy servants who from hence forth shall come into or be intered within the Circuit of this holy and sacred place now by our service HALLOWED unto thee may so lead their lives in thy feare that they may leave them in thy favour and that their bodies resting in their Sepulchres in this Church in peace untill thy comming unto Iudgment may rise again unto immortall life and live with thee for ever in those glorious mantions of eternity Heare us O Saviour for thy passion sake heare us O Father for thy Christs sake heare us O Sanctifying Spirit for thy comforts sake who livest and reignest one God c. Then The peace of God followed c. After all this the Bishop betook himselfe to sit under a cloath of State in an Isle of the chancell neare the Communion Table and taking a written book in his hand in imitation of the Roman Pontificall and the Councell of Trents Decrees therein cited pag. 247 c.
stone in A Chappell O Lord Mercifull and gracious these thy people are preparing to build a place for thy service Accept I humbly beseech thee their present devotion and make them perfect both in their present and future duty That while thou givest them case to honour thee they may with the greater Alacrity goe on in thy service And now O Lord I have by thy mercy and goodnesse put to my hand to lay the first stone in this building T is a Corner stone make it I beseech thee a happy foundation a durable building Let it rise up and be made and continue a house of praier and devotion through allages that thy people may be taught to beleeve in Jesus Ch. the true Corner stone upon whom they and their soules may be built safe for ever Grant this for the same Jesus Christ our most blessed Lord and Saviour To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all power majesty and dominion this day and for ever Amen Now this Ceremony of consecrating and laying the first stone of a Chappell or Church by the Bishop is expresly taken out of the Roman Pontificall pars 2. cap. De Benedictione impositione primarij lapidis pro Ecclesia edificanda p. 199. c. Where all the solemnity of this consecration is at large prescribed and the substance of the Prayer the Bishop used upon this occasion thence derived This ceremony of consecrating and laying the first stone of a Church or Chappell is severely censured as ridiculous Popish Superstitions by Matthew Parker his predecessor Archbishop of Canterbury in his Antiquitates Ecclesia Britannicae p. 85. Quibus enim non dicam verbis sed portentis haec hujusmodi à Pontificiis adorantur Q. Primarius lapis caementum per Ecclesia aedificanda Lapis cum caemento Episcopi manibus primum aqua benedicta sparsus insculpto Gracis signo his sententiis in fundamento positus est lapidem quem reprobaverunt aedifieantes hic factus est in caput Anguli Devide tu es Petrus super hanc Petram c. postea precabantur ut qui ad perficiendam Ecclesiam auxilium dederunt corporis animae salutem consequantur c. Yet notwithstanding the Popish Prelate in contempt of his Predecessors Judgement needs must introduce this Popish Innovation not onely at Hammersmith but even at the Cathedrall of Pauls it selfe where he consecrated and laid the first stone at its reparation with many prayers and Ceremonies And not content herewith caused a second Edition of Sir Tho. Ridlyes View of the Civill and Ecclesiasticall Law to be re-printed at Oxford Anno 1634. Cum Privilegio with some Marginall Additions added to it by J. G. Master of Arts p. 51. 52 191 192 193. Wherein he justifies the consecrating of Churches Chappels and the foundation-stone thereof by the Bishop in these words The Bishop with Prayer is to lay the first stone of a Church or Monastary and lift up his hands to heaven and consecrate the place to God by prayer and there erect the symbole of our Salvation we mean the venerable and truely precious Rood That this Ceremony of laying the first stone hath been of ancient use in the Greeke Church may be observed out of their Euchologue where it is said That the Bishop after some other Rites performed standing in the place where the holy Altar shall be set saith a prayer which being ended he giveth the Ita missa est and then taking up one of the stones and having cut a crosse upon it himselfe with his own hands layeth it upon the ground-worke then he pronounceth the c. and so the workemen begin the building That which followeth in the Euchologue discovereth the forme and manner of setting up the Crucifix which the Law calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The like ceremonies are used in the Latine Church as this day as may be seen in their Pontificall page 281. of that which Clement the 8. set out at Rome in the yeare 1565. The crucifix must be sent to the place where the Church is to be erected and there the Bishop useth certaine prayers fumeth the ground with his Incense circular-wise crosseth the corner stone which he layeth for the foundation and when he maketh the consecration the crosse must he set up behinde the holy Altar there being prepared for it some lofty structure c. Which addition was patched to Doctor Ridley meerly to countenance and justifie the Arch-bishops consecrations of this kinde of which we shall produce some other Instances We read in his Diary under his own hand this Memoriall following May 26. 1632. Saturday Trinity Sunday Eve I consecrated the Lord Treasurers Chappell at Roe-hampton And in an Abstract of the Arch-bishops Metropoliticall Visitation Anno 1635. found in his studdy we finde his Visitor and Vicar Generall interdicted the Chappell of Buckston and of Down in Derbyshire though long used for want of consecration and in some Visitation Articles this inquiry made Whether any Chaplaines did Preach or administer the Sacrament in any Chappell not consecrated In the year 1636. there was a great contestation between the Arch-bishop and the University of Cambridge heard before his Majesty and his Privy Councell at Hampton Court whether the Archbishop meerly as Metropolitan or the King alone as King and founder of the University should have the Visitation thereof where it was ruled for the Arch-bishop against the King and University At which time the Arch-bishop declared that one principall cause why he desired to visit the University of Cambridge was because there were some Chappels belonging to Colledges where Divine Service had been used and the Sacrament administred divers years though they were never consecrated by any Bishop as namely Emanuel Colledge Chappell built in the year 1584. And Sidney Sussex Colledge Chappell built in the year 1598. And ever since used as Chappels without any Bishops consecration no Archbishop or Bishop of the Diocesse taking any exceptions at it yet now forsooth the Archbishop as Metropolitan must become Visitor to the University of Cambridge to consecrate these Chappels as if they were prophane before and the holy Ordinances used in them not sufficient to hallow them without his Popish Episcopall consecration-ceremonies Bishop Pilkington Walter Haddon Mr. Fox and others much jeer and deride the madnesse folly and superstition of Cardinall Poole and his Deputy Visitors of this very University of Cambridge for digging up Mr. Bucers and Paulus Fagius bones out of S. Maries Church in Cambridge 3. yeares after they were interred and interdicting and new consecrating the Church again as prophaned by them for fear their Masses and Divine Service there used should be nothing worth the place being made prophane and unholy by these heretickes funeralls as they judged them when as the Church was holy enough to say Masse in for three yeares space before and all that would not heare it must be imprisoned burned although
the parties lay there buried And is it not then a far greater madnesse superstition and ridiculous frenzie for this domineering Arch-Prelate to deem these two Chappels prophane places unfit to administer the Sacraments and celebrate divine Service in because never yet consecrated by a Bishop not onely after three but almost three-score yeares use and practise of divine Service Sermons Sacraments in them When as neither his predecessors Whitgift Bancroft and Abbot men very ceremonious and two of them much addicted to superstition ever so much as moved any such question concerning the necessity of their consecration Especially since there is no such Canon Law to enforce the consecration of them now as was to justifie the re-hallowing of S. Maries Church in Queen Maries time which the Popish Canon Law then approved in the case of Bucer and Fagius We read in the Ecclesiasticall Constitutions of Otho the Popes Legat made in an English Synode in the Raigne of King Henry the third that even in those dark times of Popery there were not only divers Parish Churches but some Cathedrals in England which were used as such for many yeares yet never consecrated by a Bishop as appears by these words of the Constitution it self Multas invenimus Ecclesias aliquas Cathedrales quae licet fuer unt ab antiquo constructae nondum tamen sunt sanctificationis Oleo consecrate Whereupon this Popish Legat for his own lucher Enjoyned all Churches then built or to be built to be consecrated within two years space under pain of interdiction from having Masse said in them unlesse some reasonable cause were shewed to the contrary By colour of which Popish constitution this Prelate it seems urged the consecration of these ancient Chappels there being no other shaddow of reason Canon or authority for it After this Archbishop had thus procured a power to himself to visit the Vniversity of Cambridge Matthew Wren Bishop of Ely Decemb. 1. 1639. Sent him up an account signed with his own hand of some things amisse within his Diocesse and that University which he left to his Graces consideration to amend which account was seized by Master Prynne in his study at Lambeth and thus indorsed with the Arch-bishops own hand My Lord of Elyes Account 1639. In which there were these two Passages concerning consecration of Chappels The first concerning a Chappell in Sir John Cuts house in the town of Childerley which Chappell the Knight said was consecrated by Bishop Heton producing an Instrument under seal purporting that on such a day at Childersly Bishop Heton did consecrate a Chappell by saying Service there himselfe and having a Sermon this was all the Solemnity of its Consecration I questioning the whole matter have required him to waiteupon your Grace to see whether that consecration must be allowed of The second concerning some Chappels in Colledges never yet consecrated which is thus expressed in this Account It was presented unto me That in the Colledges of Emanuel Sidney and Corpus Christi there have been Roomes built within the memory of man which are used for common Chappels wherein they have dayly prayers and do Preach there without any faculty or license granted unto them so to do And wherein also they ordinarily celebrate the holy Communion The said places never having been consecrated thereunto Ma. Elie. The Scottish troubles it seems prevented his consecration of these Chappels which were sufficiently hallowed before by the Divine Duties exercised in them The last Chappell we finde consecrated was that in Covent Garden which was hallowed or rather prophaned with all Popish Ceremonies expressed in the Roman Pontificall and far more than were used at Creed-Church The Arch-bishop having thus far advanced his Popish designes in consecrating Churches Chappels and Church-yards proceeded one step further even to set up the exploded Annuall Baccanalian feasts of Dedication whereon Churches were hallowed prescribed at first onely by the Decrees of Pope Felix Pope Gregory recorded by Gratian De Consecratione Distinct 1. who Decreed thus Solennitates Ecclesiarum dedicationem per singulos annos solemniter sunt celebrandae Those Feasts of Dedication turned by the people into meer Bacchanals were exceedingly declaimed against as necessary to be suppressed by Nicholaus de Clemangiis in his Tract De Novis Celebritatibus non instituendis suppressed by the Injunctions of King Henry the S. An. 1536. As the occasion of much idlenesse excesse riot and pernicious to the Souls of men Whereupon they were all of them restrained to the first Sunday in the moneth of October not to be kept on any other day and afterwards totally abolished by the statute of 5. and 6. E. 6. c. 3. Of holy-dayes Which being revived again by degrees with their Baccanalian disorders in sundry places of this Realm under the names of Wakes or Revels and suppressed by some Judges in their Circuits and Justices of Peace in Sessions this Arch-bishop in the year of our Lord 1633. by a Declaration compiled by himselfe but published in his Majesties Name intituled The Kings Majesties Declaration concerning Lawfull Sports to be used revived and enjoyned the Observation of these Wakes and Feasts of Dedication never formerly established by any Christian Prince together with the use of divers Sports and pastimes on the Lords own Sacred day after Divine Service ended to the great Dishonour of God of his Majesty of our Religion the disturbance of the Civill Government encrease of all Licensiousnesse prophanenesse impiety and great griefe of all godly peoples Souls This Book he enjoyned all Ministers to read and publish openly in the Church in time of Divine Service though not commanded by the King and those who out of conscience refused to read it in this kinde were by his means suspended excommunicated prosecuted in the High-Commission Sequestred from their Livings yea many of them enforced to desert their Cures and depart the Kingdome this book being made a snare onely to entrap or suppresse most of the painfull godly preaching Ministers throughout the Realm who were all more or lesse prosecuted about it Yet such was this Arch-Prelates unparallel'd impiety transcending all examples in former Ages that he not onely caused his Instruments Edmond Reeve Dr. Heylyn Christopher Dowe and others to defend the Lawfulnesse and usefulnesse of this prophane licentious Declaration but also to justifie the persecution silencing suspending depriving of those Godly Ministers who out of Conscience refused to publish it in sundry Printed Books authorized by him and his Chaplaines for the Presse Quis talia fando temperet à Lachrymis at leastwise can refrain from the heaviest censures against this prophane Arch-bishop That this Declaration since ordered to be publikely burnt by the common hangman by Order of both Houses of Parliament was Printed published by the Archbishops procurement and upon what Occasion was thus attested upon Oath by Master Edward Richardson and Master Prynne Sir Thomas Richardson Lord chiefe Justice
Church the first Sunday in February And it is likewise further Ordered that every Constable shall at every Lent Assize present to the Judges of this Circuit a note of the receipt of the said Order under the hands of the said Ministers And for the further avoyding of the concourse of idle people it is further Ordered that such persons as usually carry up and downe Bulls and Beares to baite being Rogues by Statute shal be punished as Rogues for the further prevention of such inconveniences as usually happen upon such meetings Per me Symon Spatchurst Clericum Asiisor The 6. an Order made by Baron Denham at the Assizes in Somersetshire Anno 1627. upon a Petition of divers Ministers To the Honourable Sir John Denham Knight one of the Barons of His Majesties Exchequor and Iustice of Assize for the County of SOMERSET The humble Petition of the Ministers whose names are subscribed Sheweth THat whereas at the last Summer Assizes held for the County of Dorset there was an Order made for the suppressing of all Revells Church-Ales and other publike Ales amongst other things as by the Copie of the said Order hereunto annexed appeareth Your Petitioners therefore humbly desire that Your Lordship would be pleased to grant the like Order at this Assizes for the suppressing of the like Ales and disorders in this County of Somerset So they shall alwayes pray for Your Lordships long health and prosperity Adam Abraham Iohn Ford. William â—yllet Iohn Fathers Ralph Turner George Drake 15. Marcii 1627. Let the Clerke of the Assizes draw up the like 〈◊〉 for his County Iohn Denham Which former Order being warranted by so many Presidents Iudge Richardson said hee conceived hee had no power absolutely to reverse but being commanded to do it by His Majestie he did as much as in him lay revoke it but yet doubted not that if the Iustices of Peace would truly informe His Majesty of the grounds of the former Order and of the great disorders occasioned by Wakes and Church-ales His Majesty would give Order to revive it but how ever he must make this Order for the present which he caused he Clerk of Assizes to enter VVHereas divers Orders have been heretofore made by the Judges of Assize for the suppressing of Church-ales Clerks-ales Wakes Revells and such like within this County of Somerset which were formerly made by the Judges by reason of many disorders and misdemeanours arising upon the meeting of multitudes of people out of other Parishes It is now Ordered by his Lordship that all former Orders heretofore made by any Judges or Iustices for the suppressing of Church-ales Clerks-ales Wakes and Revells be revoked as much as in him lyeth and made utterly voyde And that it may be lawfull for all persons freely to use any lawfull Recreation or Exercise at such meetings but with this advice that they be carefull that no outrages or misdemeanours commonly arising at such Church-ales Clerk-ales Wakes and Revells be done or committed Hereupon all the Justices of Peace then present immediately after they had dined drew up this Petition to His Majesty which they Signed with all their hands and then sent it up to London by Iohn Harrington Esquier then Custos Rotulorum in that County with order to deliver it to the Right Honourable Earle of Pembrook Lord Lievtenant of the County to present it to His Majesty Who repairing to London accordingly shewed the Petition to Master Prynne and the Earle being then in the Country whence he would not returne in twelve dayes space he advised with him what course to take for presenting the Petition to His Majesty in the mean time lest the Archbishop hearing of it should prevent the same The Archbishop having notice of this Petition from Sir Robert Philips and Bishop Pierce to prevent the delivery and expected good effect thereof presently caused the Declaration for Sports published by King Iames with some additions of his owne at the end concerning Wakes and Feasts of Dedication relating the Order of Judg Richardson for suppressing them to be reprinted and published in His Majesties Name before the Petition delivered the Copy whereof is here subjoyned To the KINGS most Excellent Majestie The most humble Petition of the Iustices of the Peace of the County of Somerset MOst humbly Shewing That whereas heretofore there have bin from time to â—e severall good Orders made by the Iustices of Assize and Iustices of the Peace for the County of Somerset for the restraining and suppressing of certaine disordered Assemblies in that County called Church-ales Clerkes-ales Bid-ales Wakes and Revells by reason of many disorders inseperably accompanying the same wherby the said Assemblies have for the most part for a long time beene forborne and not used to the great good and quiet of the said County Now so it is may please Your Majesty that by occasion of a Declaration published the last Assizes by the Lord Chiefe Iustice of the Kings-Bench for restoring of Wakes and Revells and Revering of all Orders made against them and by reason of a rumour thereof spread in the Countrey since the last Lent Assizes not onely all the disorders aforesaid of Prophanation of the Lords Day riotous tipling contempt of Authoritie Quarrells Murthers c. frequently over-flowing the said Assemblies have increased this Summer but even the other disorderly Assembliss of Church-Ales Bid-Ales Clerkes-Ales condemned by the Lawes have againe beene set up to the great prejudice of the Peace plenty and good Government of the County May it therefore please Your most Excellent Majestie to grant us some more particular Declaration herein That Your Majesties Command concerning Revells may not be thought to extend farther then to the upholding of Civill Feasting betweene Neighbour and Neighbour in their Houses and the orderly and seasonable use of manly Exercises and Activities which we all shall be most ready to maintaine And that we may have Your Majesties Favour and Allowance to suppresse all the forementioned unlawfull Assemblies of Church-Ales Clerks-Ales and Bid-Ales and to punish all the forementioned disorders as heretofore we have done Wherein Your Petitioners have no other end than to do Your Majestie faithfull service and to preserve the good Government of the County John Lord Pawlet William Portman John Stowell Ralph Hopton John Symmes William Frauncis John Harrington Robert Cuffe Richard Cole Edward Powlet William Every Anthony Stocker William Capell George Powlett Francis Popham Edward Rodeney Francis Dodington John Horner William Bassit John Windham Robert Hopton George Speke Thomas Lutterell William Walrond Gerrad Wood. The delivery and good effect of this Petition was prevented by the publishing of this Declaration by this Archbishops meanes who to justify himselfe herein ex post facto procured this ensuing Warrant without any Date at all written with his own hand and found in his Study by Mr. Prynne together with the Printed Declaration for Sports endorsed with his owne pen to be Signed by His Majesty to justifie
himselfe if questioned for it upon any future occasion CHARLES R. CAnterbury See that Our Declaration concerning Recreations on the Lords day after Evening Prayer be Printed By all these Premised evidences it is most apparent that the Archbishop was the principall Actor in the publication of this Licentious Book to Gods and his Majesties dishonour which we shal further evidence by this writing under his owne hand The Declaration concerning Lawfull sports on the Lords day His Majesty Commanded me to se it Printed The motives to it were 1. A generall and superstitious opinion conceived of that day 2. A Booke set out by Theophilus Brabourne 1628. Iudaisme upon Christian principles and perverted many 3. A great distemper in Somerset-shire upon the forbiding of the wakes in the sowernesse of this opinion an Act of a Iudge that rid that Circuit March 15. 1627. And followed by another 1630. And his Majesty troubled with Petitions and motions by some cheife men of that county on both sides 4. His Royall Fathers example upon the like occasions in Lancashire After the publishing of this Declaration the Lord Richardson returning from his Circuit was by the Archbishops means convented before the King and Lords at the Councell Table about the forementioned Passages in his Charge in justification of the order against Wakes according to his duty and for revoking it in such a slight manner as much as in him lay for which he was so shaken up by the Archbishop that comming very dejectedly with tears in his eyes out of the Councel Chamber the Earle of Derset seeing him in such a sad condition and demaunding him how he did he answered Very ill my Lord for I am like to bee choaked with the Archbishops Lawn-sleeves And for this cause alone as he and others conceived he was by the Archbishops means to his great griefe and losse put from Riding the Westerne and enforced to Ride the Essex Circuit reputed the meanest of all others which no Chiefe Iustice but the puny Iudge or Serjeants only used to Ride notwithstanding the Lord Cottington and others earnestly moved His Majesty that he might ride some other Circuit After this the Archbishop intending to make this Declaration for Sports an Engine to insnare suspend silence and root out all conscientious preaching Ministers throughout the Realm by degrees the better to usher in Popery Ignorance and prophanesse enjoyned all Ministers to read this Declaration personally in their Churches in time of Divine Service such who out of conscience refused to read it were by the Archbishops own speciall direction suspended from their office and Benefice Excommunicated vexed in the High-commission and some of them there sentenced and deprived of their livings for this pretended crime though against no Law or Canon of God or man for proofe whereof these ensuing testimonies were produced First Sir Nathaniell Brent attested upon Oath that when he was appointed by the Archbishop as his Vicar Generall to Visit within the Diocesse of Canterbury the Archbishop himselfe gave him a speciall charge to convent all Ministers before him who would not read the Booke for sports on the Lords day and to suspend them for it and that he gave them particular order by name to suspend Mr. Culmer Master Player and Mr. Hieron three eminent preaching Ministers in Kent for not reading the sayd Booke of Sports Whereupon he did much against his will and judgement suspend them all ab Officio Beneficio and forced some of them to allow twenty pound a peice or more to Officiate the Cure during their suspension After which he received another speciall command from the Archbishop to suspend Mr. Wilson for the selfe-same cause whereupon he did accordingly suspend him Master Richard Culmer deposed at the Lords Barre upon oath that he being Minister of Goodneston in the County of Kent Mr. John Player Minister of Kennington and Mr. Thomas Hieron Minister of Hornhill in the said County they were all three convented by the Archbishops direction before Sir Nathaniell Brent for not reading the Booke for Lords-day sports and after that all three of them suspended from their Ministry and Livings in the Archbishops Consistory for the same Whereupon they soone after repaired to Lambeth to the Archbishop and there joyntly Petitioned him for Absolution from this unjust Suspension who reading their Petition and understanding the cause of their suspension for not reading that unwarrantable Declaration the Archbishop gave them this peremptory Answer If you know not how to obey I know not how to grant whereupon they continued thus suspended about three whole yeares and seven Moneths not being permitted to preach or instruct their people to their great griefe and the profits of their Livings were sequestred towards the maintenance of Deboist unedifying Curates who seldome preached And though this Deponent did divers times afterwards Petition the said Archbishop to take off his suspension yet he refused to do it calling him refractory fellow and saying it should continue and so it did he being not only deprived of his Ministry but also of all the profits of his Living having himselfe his Wife and 7. small Children to provide for which suspension and sequestration continued upon him till the Scotts comming in and then the Archbishop Absolved him more out of feare of the Scots than good will so as hee might justly say Gramercy good Scott for his liberty Master Thomas Wilson a godly learned Minister now of the Assembly deposed at the Barre that the Archbishop himselfe sent for him to Lambeth and demanded of him whether he had publikely read the Booke of Sports in the Church to which he answered no whereupon the Archbishop replied I Suspend you for ever from your office and Benefice till you read it whereupon hee was suspended and his Living sequestred for foure years space After which he was brought into the high-Commission at Lambeth by the Archbishops means and there Articled against for not reading the said Booke to his great cost and vexation Master Prynne attested that Mr. Wrath and M. Erbery were brought up out of Wales Mr. William Iones out of Glocestershire and divers others from other parts into the High-Commission at Lambeth for not reading this Declaration for Pastimes on the Lords day and the keeping of Wakes and Church-ales and that hee found this following Petition concerning the same subject among Sir Iohn Lambs sequestred papers with an Answer to it under the Archbishops owne hand manifesting his owne direction for prosecuting of one Henry Page a godly Vicar in the high-Commission for refusing to read this Declaration and expressing his dislike thereof To the most Reverend Father in God William Lord Archbishop of Canterbury his Grace Primate c. The humble Petition of Francis Thompson Gent. IN all Duty sheweth That whereas one Henry Page Vicar of Sedbury in the County of Hereford having taken upon him the Cure of Soules there hath many times used divers and sundry scandalous and ignominious
Camera sua in Aulâ Regia erat protuli qua accipi in mandatis responsum dedit Aprill 13. die Mercurij Retuli ad Ducem Buck quid responderit Episcopus Winton These Bishops of the Arminian Popish party after serious consultation among themselves concluded that for the better introducing advancing of the Arminian and Popish Errors in our Church Richard Mountague then Batchelor of Divinity having the Repute of a great Scholler being formerly engaged in this Quarrell by the complaints of Mr. Ward and Mr. Yates against him for the Arminian Popish Tenets broached in his Gagge should in a new Book of his intituled Appello Caesarem compiled by all their consents as appeared by their subscriptions to it which they afterwards cunningly with-drew when they had procured Dr. Francis Whites approbation of it leaving him in the sudds alone as he oft complained publikely broach justify maintaine all the Arminian Tenets condemned in the Synod of Dort as the received Doctrines of the Church of England and impaire the Reputation of that Synods determinations as the privat opinions only of some few illiterate Puritans This book of his was disallowed by Dr. Abbot then Archbishop of Canterbury and his Chaplines who stopped it at the Presse but the now Archbishop by his owne and the Dukes power procured it notwithstanding to be printed and dedicated to his Majesty in the very beginning of his Reigne thereby to ingage him in the Actuall Patronage of the Arminian Points and party which Mountague impetrated at his hands in his Epistle Dedicatory This Book giving great and just offence to most men Dr. Prideaux soon after upon a fitte occasion spake somewhat against it in the Scholes at Oxford admonishing young Schollers to be cautelous in reading it of which there was present notice sent to the Prisoner then Bishop of St. Davids by way of complaint as these two letters found in his Study by Mr. Prynne most clearly manifest My very good Lord. I Received your Letter The Coppy of the consecration of the Chappell shall be sent according to your Lordships appointment We had Disputations in Divinity Schooles Wednesday one Mr. Damport a great Preacher in London but no Graduat was Respondent One of his Questions this An Renati possint totaliter finaliter excidere a Gratia His Opponent one Mr. Palmer of Lincoln Colledge urged out of Mr. Mountague his Appeale the Article of our Church The Homilies The Booke of Common-prayer The Doctor of the Chair handled the Appellator so they termed Him very coursly putting it upon Him that he is Merus Grammaticus a Fellow that studies Phrases more then matter That He understands neither the Articles nor Homilies or at least perverts both Jn answering one of the Arguments He had a Digression to this purpose So quoth He He attributes I know not what vertue to the externall sign of the Crosse Dignus cruce qui asserat He concluded with an admonition to the Juniors whereof there come good store to that Exercise and well furnished with Tablebookes and to the Seniors too That they would be cautelous in reading that and the like Bookes That they would begin in the Study of Divinity with some Systematicall Catechisme I suppose he meant Bastingius Fenner c. and not to apply themselves at first to the Fathers c. Thus with my daily prayers for your Lordships health and happinesse I rest Your Lordships in all humblnesse of duty and service Thomas Turner St. Iohn Oxon. May 23. 1625. My Cosen Walker remembers his humble service to your Lordship My very good Lord WHat I wrote to your Lordship concerning Mr. Mountague I have it by me and before I sent it I consulted with my Cosen Walker who was present at the Exercise as well as I and we both agree that I wrote nothing but what is true in the substance the very Termes we cannot recall For my part as I desire not to be produced so I am not afraid of it if it might do Mr. Mountague any pleasure Doctor Radcliffe was present at the Disputations what other Doctors there were I know not Thus wishing your health and happinesse I humbly take my leave and remaine Your Lordships in all dutifull obligement Thomas Turner St. Io. Oxon. May 30. 1625. This last letter intimates an intention to question Dr. Prideaux for these Passages but the Parliament following soone after this Booke was publikly complained of in the Commons House and Mountague himselfe there questioned for it of which this Archbishop tooke speciall notice and thereupon gave all in couragment protection he could to Mountagu as his own Diary manifests in these folowing clauses Iulij 7. 1625. Die Iovis R. Mount inductus est in Domu◠Parliament inferiorem c. Iulij 9. Die Saturni placuit Serenissimo Regi CAROLO intimare domui illi SIBI NON PLACERE que de Montacutio dicta ibi vel statuta fuêre Se inconsulto Iulij 13. Iter mihi eo facienti obviam casu factus est R Montacutius PRIMVS FVI qui cum certiorem fecide REGIS ERGA IPSVM GRATIA c. A pregnant evidence under his owne hand First that himselfe was a principall Patriot of Mountague and his Booke 2. That he was the first that acquainted him of the Kings Royall favour towards him for writing this Book notwithstanding the complaints against it in the Parliament if not a procurer of the King to intimate his dislike to the Commons House of their proceedings against him which being discontinued by the dissolution of that Parliament at Oxford were againe revived in the next Parliament at which time the Bishop procured the Duke to sound his Majesties opinion concerning Mountagues Cause and Booke which to please the Parliament the King then seemed willing to leave to their censure whereat the Bishop was very much troubled as this Passage in his Diary manifests Ianuary 29. 1625. Dies solis erat intellexi quid D. Buck collegit de Causa Libro opinionibus Rich. Montacutij R. C. King Charles apud se statuisset Videor videre nubem surgentem minantem Ecclesia Anglicana Dissipet pro Misericordia sua Deus Soon after there were two Conferences held at York house before the Duke and divers Nobles about Mountagues Bookes and opinions which were there oposed by Dr. Preston and Bishop Morton but defended by Doctor White and Bishop Laud who records this memorial of these Conferences in his Diary Feb. 11. 1625 Die Sabbati ad instantiam Comitis Warwicensis Colloquium fuit in causa R. Mountacutij in adibus Ducis Buckinghamia c. Febr. 17. Die Veueris Colloquium praedictum secundum habitum est non paucis e Proceribus Regni praesentibus loco pradicto On the 18. of Aprill 1626. Mr. Pyne made a Report in the Commons House from the Commitee of Religion concerning Mountagues Appeale and his Arminian and Popish Tenents therein comprised whereupon it was voted in the House
1. That he had disturbed the Peace of the Church by publishing Doctrine contrary to the Articles of the Church of England and the Booke of Homilies 2. That there are divers Passages in his Booke especially against those hee termeth Puritans apt to move sedition betwixt the King and his Subjects and between Subject and Subject 3. That the whole frame and scope of his Booke is to discourage the wellaffected in Religion from the true Religion Established in the Church and to incline them and as much as in him lay TO RECONCILE THEM TO POPERY This Report was no sooner made but this Bishop Mountagues great Patron who engaged him in this Popish service had a Coppy thereof and of all other proceedings therein delivered to him which he endorsed with his owne hand but the Parliament being soone after disolved Mountague instead of a severe censure for the Arminian Popish Assertions in his book was punished with the Bishoprick of Chichester to which he was advanced by this Prelates meanes to affront the Parliament and his Predecessor Bishop Carleton who answered Mountagues Booke in print during the Parl. which book was then likewise answered by Francis Rouse Esquier in a Booke called King James his Religion No sooner was the Parliament ended but both these Bookes were suppressed by this Bishops meanes though recommended to the Presse by the House of Commons order and Mountagues offensive Booke publikly sold without restraint Michaell Sparke the Elder deposed that Bishop Carlton sent for him sitting the Parliament and desired him to print his Book against Mountague and to encourage him the more granted him a protection under his owne hand whereupon he printed it After which Doctor Goad Archbishop Abbots Chapline Doctor Ward and Dr. Belcankwell licenced it for the Presse with a special recommendation whereupon he reprinted it yet notwithstanding immediatly after the Parliament ended by Bishop Lauds meanes this Licensed booke was called in seised on and burned in private and he questioned in the High Commission for printing it After which this Book of Mountagues and his Arminian Popish Tenents were severally answered by Dr. Featley and Doctor Goad Chaplines to Archbishop Abbot in their Paralells by Mr. Henry Burton in his Plea by M. Ward Mr. Yates and Master Wotton in severall Tracts by Master Prynne in his Perpetuity and by Doctor Sutclife But these Bookes of theirs though licenced by Archbishop Abbots Chaplines were called in and suppressed by this Bishops meere Arbitrary Power the Authors Printers sellers of most of them brought into the High Commission as Mr. Prynne Mr. Burton Mr. Sparkes Mr. Jones Mr. Bowler Mr. Bourn with others as was attested by the three first of them upon Oath and manifested by the Articles in the High Commission yet these their authorised orthodox bookes were all seized on and some of them burnt in private and Dr. Sutcliffes Booke against Mountague suppressed in the Presse when foure sheets thereof were printed which printed sheets Mr. Prynne found in this Archbishops Study with this endorsment under his own hand read at the Lords Barre The beginning of Dr. Sutcliffes Censure upon Mr. Mountagues Appeale It was prohibited in the Presse Here upon the Arminian party both in Court our Vniversities and else where grew very great bold insolent their opinions spread themselves like a dangerous Leprosie over the whole body of our Church to the grand exultation advantage of the Iesuits who first planted this soveraigne drugge of Arminianisme among us to reduce us backe to Rome as appeares by these Passages in a Jesuites letter sent to the Rector at Bruxels a little before the Parliament which begun at Westminster the 17. of Mar. 1627. The Copy of which Letter endorsed with the Archbishops own hand was seized on in his Study at Lambheth and attested before the Lords by M. Prynne Father Rector c. We have now many strings to our Bow and have strongly fortified our faction and have added two Bulworkes more For when King Iames lived we know he was very violent against Arminianisme and interrupted with his Pestilent wit deep learning our strong designes in Holland c. NOW WE HAVE PLANTED THE SOVERAIGNE DRVGGE ARMINIANISME which we hope will purge the Protestants from their Heresy and it flourisheth and beares fruit in due season c. For the better prevention of the Puritans the Arminians have already locked vp the Dukes eares and we have those of our Religion which stand continually at the Dukes Chamber to see who goes in and out We cannot be too circumspect and carefull in this regard I cannot chuse but laugh to see how some of our own rank have encountred themselves you would scarce know them if you saw them and t is admirable how in speech and gesture they Act the Puritans The Cambridge Schollers to their wofull experience shall see we can act the Puritan a little better then they have don the Iesuits I am at this time transported with joy to see how happily all instruments and meanes as well great a lesser co-operate unto our purposes But to returne unto the maine Fabricke OVR FOVNDATION IS ARMINIANISME The Arminians affect mutation this we second and enforce by probable arguments c. From which Letter was observed 1. That the Jesuites were the Originall planters of Arminianisme among us 2. That they reputed it the foundation of their Romish Fabricke intended to bee here erected among Vs the chiefe instrument to effect their Jesuiticall purpose and to purge out the Protestant Religion 3. That the Arminians were but the Jesuites Agents to promote their ends that both of them were very intimate with the Duke of Buckingham at whose lodgings they usually mette 4. That this Archbishop knew all this he receiving the Copy of this Letter upon the 27. of Mar. 1628. as appeares by his own endorsment of it yet notwithstanding hee promoted Arminians and propagated Arminianisme all he could but in a most cunning Jesuiticall way for perceiving the whole Parliament generally bent against Arminianisme and Mountagues Booke hereupon this Jesuiticall Prelate abusing both the Parliament and His Majesty to set up Arminianisme more securely projected a new way of advancing it under a specious pretence of silencing both sides by which policy hee inhibited all writing preaching and disputes against it and quelled the opposite Anti-Arminian party To which end he procured His Majestie by a printed Declaration prefixed to the 39. Articles compiled by himselfe and other Bishops of which the most part were Arminians pretended principally to suppresse Arminianisme but intended really for advancing it to prohibit all unnecessarie disputations altercations or questions to be raised which might nourish faction both in Church and Common-wealth That in these both curious and unhappy differences which had for so many hundred yeares in different times and places exercised the Church of Christ all further curious search should bee layd aside and these disputes shut up in Gods
Change or Subversion of RELIGION is grounded upon the daily increase of Papists the only professed Enemies thereof for the reasons formerly mentioned so are the hearts of Your Subjects no lesse perplexed when with sorrow they behold a daily growth and spreading of the faction of the Arminians that being as Your Majestie well knowes but a cunning way to bring in Popery and the professors of those opinions the common disturbers of the Protestant Churches and Incendiaries of those States wherein they have gotten any head being Protestants in shew but Jesuites in Opinion and practise which caused Your Royall Father with so much pious wisdome and ardent zeale to endeavour the suppressing of them as well at home as in our Neighbouring Countries and Your Gratious Majestie inimating his most worthy example have openly and by your Proclamations declared your mislike of those persons and of their opinions who notwithstanding are much favoured and advanced not wanting friends even of the Clergie neere to Your Majestie namely Doctor Neale Bishop of Winchester and Doctor Laud Bishop of Bath and VVells who are justly suspected to bee unsound in their opinions that way And it being now generally the way to preferment and promotion in the Church many Schollers do bend their Studies to maintaine these Errours their Bookes and opinions are suffered to be printed and published and on the other side the impressions of such as are written against them and in defence of the Orthodox Religion are hindered and prohibited and which is a boldnesse most incredible this restraint of Orthodox Bookes is made under colour of Your Majesties formerly mentioned Proclamation the intent and meaning whereof we know was quite contrary c. To which Declaration Bishop Laud returned a Peremptory answer in His Majesties Name written and endorsed with his owne hand the Originall whereof attested by Master Prynne was reade at the LORDS Barre in these following words so farre as concerned the charge of Arminianisme THe next feare is the daily growth and spreading of the Arminian faction called a cunning way to bring in Popery But We hold this charge as great a wrong to Our selfe and Our Government as the former For our People must not bee taught by a Parliament Remonstrance or any other way that We are so ignorant of Truth or so carelesse of the profession of it that any opinion or faction or what ever it be called should thrust it selfe so far so fast into Our Kingdomes without Our knowledge of it This is a meere dreame of them that wake and would make Our Loyall and loving People thinke We sleepe the while In this charge there is great wrong done to two eminent Prelates that attend Our Person for they are accused without producing any the least shew or shaddow of proofe against them and should they or any other attempt Innovation of Religion either by that open or any cunning way we should quickly take other order with them and not stay for Your Remonstrance To helpe on this Our People are made believe there is a restraint of Bookes Orthodoxall But wee are sure since the late Parliament began some whom the Remonstrance calls Orthodox have assumed to themselves an unsufferable liberty in printing Our Proclamation commanded a restraint on both sides till the passions of men might subside and calme and had this beene obeyed as it ought wee had not now been tossed in this tempest As for any distressing or discountenancing of good Preachers Wee know there is none if they be as they are called good But Our good people shall never want that spirituall comfort which is due unto them And for the preferments which VVee bestow Wee have ever made it our great care to give them as rewards of desert and paines but as the preferments are ours so will wee bee Judge of the desert our selfe and not bee taught by a Remonstrance After which the Commons in pursuance of their Opposition against the growing Arminian Faction On the 28. of January 1628. but 11. dayes after the forementioned Proclamation concerning Mountagues Booke and prohibiting books against it passed this notable Vote in Parliament after a large debate which the Archbishop in his indorsment on it stiles The Challenge of the lower House in matters of Religion An Order made by the lower House of PARLIAMENT the 28th of IANVARY 1628. WEE the Commons now Assembled in Parliament doe claime professe and avow for Truth the sence of the Articles of Religion which were established in Parliament the thirteenth yeare of Queene Elizabeth which by the publike Acts of the Church of England and the generall and currant exposition of the Writers of our Church have beene delivered unto Vs and we reject the sence of the Iesuites Arminians and all others wherein they doe differ from Vs. To which Challenge of theirs this pragmaticall Bishop then returned this bold peremptory answer written with his owne hand produced attested by Master Pryn and read at the Lords Barre in Evidence against him 1. The publique Acts of the Church in matters of Doctrine are Canons and Acts of Councells as well for expounding as determining the Acts of the High Commission are not in this sence publike Acts of the Church not the meeting of few or more Bishops Extra Concilium unlesse they be by lawfull Authority called to that worke and their decision approved by the Church 2. The Currant exposition of writers is a strong probable Argument de sensu Canâ—nis Ecclesiae vel Articuli yet but probable The Currant exposition of the Fathers themselves hath sometimes missed sensum Ecclesiae 3. Will ye reject all sence of lesuit or Arminian may not some be true may not some be agreeable to our writers and yet in a way that is stronger then ours to confirme the Article 4. Is there by this Act any Interpretation made or declared of the Articles or not If none to what end the Act If a sence or Interpretation be declared what authority have lay-men to make it for Interpretation of an Article belongs to them only that have power to make it 5. T is manifest there is a sence declared by the House of Commons the Act sayes it wee avow the Article and in that sence and all other that agree not with us in the aforesaid sence wee reject these and these goe about misinterpretation of a sence Ergo there is a Declaration of a sence yea but it is not a new sence declared by them but they avow the old sence declared by the Church The publike authenticke Acts of the Church c. yea but if there be no such publique authenticke Acts of the Church then here 's a sence of their owne declared under pretence of it 6. It seemes against the Kings Declaration 1. That sayes we shall take the generall meaning of the Articles this Act restraines them to consent of VVrighters 2. That sayes the Article shall not be drawne
therefore some publike censure ought to passe upon them the Books thus seized to be openly burnt else they would in a few monthes be sold openly againe to corrupt the people and no satisfaction at all given for this foule offence to the Church of England which Archbishop Abbot confessed to be true and said he would take some Order in it but by this Bishops power there was nothing more done against the Licenser Compiler or Booke which soone after was as publikely sold as if it had neverbeene called in to the perverting of many in their judgments who knew not of this grand Imposture now publikly discovered at the Lords Barre by all the forementioned books themselves there produced and the testimony of Master Prynne upon Oath seconded by the Stationers booke of entries and the testimonies of Master Sparke and Master Walley Doctor Martin for this good service was presently after by this Bishop advanced to a great living and likewise to the headship of Queenes Colledge in Cambridge instead of other punishment Master Prynne for his paines in derecting this fraudulent dealing of the Bishop and his Chaplaine by way of revenge was soone after by this Bishops meanes imprisoned in the Tower and most severely censured in the Starre-Chamber for his Booke called Histrianastix though Licensed by Authority in which he made some mention of this imposture concealed from the most so fatall was it in those times for any man out of Conscience or publike ends to oppose the Bishops Arminian designes such a Stirrop to mount up to preferments to advance them After this the Archbishops Chaplaine Doctor Haywood on the 26. of August 1634 licensed Booke intituled Collectiones Theologica writ by Thomas Chune and Dedicated to the Archbishop of Canterbury himselfe in which hee justified the Arminian Errors and the Church of Rome to be a true Church whereof there were two Impressions in one yeare yet neither the Author nor Booke once questioned though publikely complained of by Doctor Bastwicke at his Censure in the High-Commission where the Archb. openly justified it In the yeares 1636. and 1639. the Arminian Errors were defended by Bishop Mountague in print in his Pars. 1. 2. Originum Ecclesiasticarum Gods Love to mankinde and by sundry others without controle On the contrary Doctor Twisse his Booke in answer of Arminius though writ in Latine was refused License by the Bishop and his Arminian Chaplaines Bray and Baker and his answers to Doctor Jackson and the Arminian Pamphlet intituled Gods love to Mankind suppressed some Lectures of Bish Davenant and Sermons of Doctor Clerke against the Arminians were likewise stopped at the Presse and not suffered to be printed with their other Lectures and Sermons What Bookes against Mountague and the Arminians were called in suppressed and the Authors Printers Dispersers of them severely prosecuted in the High-Commission in the Yeares 1628. and 1629 Wee have already evidenced Only wee shall informe you or one or two Presidents more of later date Doctor George Downham Bishop of Derry in Ireland publishing a Booke in that Kingdome against the Arminians and the Totall and finall Apostacie of the Saints from Grace about the Yeare 1630. Some of them comming over into England Bishop Laud caused a strict Letter to be written in his Majesties name to Abbot Archbishop of Canterbury for the calling in and suppressing it within the Realme of England where it was accordingly seized on and another Letter to Doctor Vsher Archbishop of Armagh for the suppressing and seizing thereof in the Realme of Ireland Which was manifested by the Docket Booke in the signet Office where entreyes of those Letters are made in Aug. 1631. and by this Letter of Bishop Vsher to Bishop Laud found in his study at Lambheth indorsed with his owne hand and arrested by Master Prynne which fully discovers that hee was the sole or principall occasion of his Majestices Letters for calling in this Booke which hee seconded with his owne Letter to Bishop Vsher for that purpose who returned this answer to him My most honoured Lord THe 8th of October I received your Letters of the 22. of August c. The last part of your Lordships Letter concerneth the Bishop of Derryes Book for the calling in whereof the 15th day of October I received His Majesties Letters dated at Woodstocke the 24. of August whereupon I presently sent out warrants and caused all the Bookes that were left unsent into England to be seized upon What did passe heretofore in the Presse at Dublin I had no eye unto because it was out of my province and the care J supposed did more properly belong unto my brother of Dublin But seeing His Majestic hath been pleased to impose that charge upon me I will God willing take order that nothing hereafter shall be published contrary unto His Majesties sacred direction It seemeth Your Lordship did conceive that my Lord of Derryes booke came out since the Historie of Gotteschalchus whereas it was published above halfe a yeare before whereby it came to passe that all the Coppies almost both in Ireland and England were dispersed before the Prohibition came forth The matter is not new as Your Lordship hath rightly observed but was long since preached in Saint Pauls Church when Doctor Bancroft was your Lordships Predecessour in that See at which time the Treatise of Perseverance was to have beene published with Doctor Downams Lectures upon the 15th Psalme at as the very end of that Booke is partly intimated And in the History of Gotteschalchus Your Lordship may see your owne observation fully verefied that after Prelates had written against Prelates and Synods against Synods these things could have no end untill both sides became weary of contending But sure I am I have made Your Lordship weary longere this and therefore it is high time now to end Therefore craving pardon for that prolixitie I humbly take leave and rest Your Honours faithfull Servant Iace Armachanus Droghe da Novemb. 8. 1631. By this Letter it is apparent that this Prelate whiles Bishop of London exercised a kind of Patriarchicall Jurisdiction for suppressing all Orthodox Bookes against the Arminians both in England and Ireland and that his commands in this kinde were punctually executed by those Archbishops in both Kingdomes who should have most stoutly opposed his Arminian Innovations About the Palsgraves first comming into Engl. An. 1635. there was a Book printed intituled the Palsgraves Religion containing the sum of the Religion professed in the Palatinate Churches translated out of a printed Latine Coppy which Archbishop Laud caused to bee strictly called in and suppressed only because it glanced at the Arminian Errors and bowing at the Name of JESUS as not warranted by Phil. 29. 10. which was proved by the testimonies of Master Prynne Michaell Sparke Senior and others What policies besides the forementioned Royall Declaration and Proclamation this Arch-Prelate contrived and practised to suppresse all preaching against Armianisme in the
Lord Bishop of Exeter signifying His Majesties pleasure that in case the said Thomas Foard should be elected to the said Lectureship or procure the said Advowson he doe not give any approbation thereof procured ut supra dated 12. Septem 1631. These Letters were drawne by the Bishops owne direction not by the Secretary of State or Clarkes of the Signet being not entred at large in the Letter Signet Booke but only this note of them entred in the Docquet Booke by which his implacable transcendent malice appeared against the opposites to Arminianisme that not satisfied with their unjust banishment out of Oxford he endeavoured by indirect means to hinder them from Ecclesiasticall preferments in the Church whereas hee advanced those of the Arminian faction to places of highest eminency in the Church as wee shall manifest in due season After these severe proceedings against these Anti-Arminians in the Vniversitie the Arminians there grew very numerous insolent few or none dating to oppose them but Doctor Prideaux with two or three more in some passages in their Sermons for which they were presently questioned by the Arminian Faction and enjoyned publike Recantations witnesse the Recantation of William Hobbes Fellow of Trinitio Colledge the 25. of January 1632. for preaching against falling from Grace contrary to the intent and purpose of His Majesties Declaration in a Sermon on a Tuesday at St. Maries Recorded in the Oxford Register f. 54 The Recantation of Master Thomas Cooke of Brase-Nose the 19th of July 1634. for using some passages in a Latine Sermon in Saint Maries which by consequence might imply connivency and partiality in the Vice-Chancellour Doctor Duppa towards some of the Arminian party that had violated the Kings Edicts concerning such points of controversie as are forbidden Registred in the Vniversity Register pag. 90. with the convention and submission of Master Kichard Kilby of Lincolne Colledge before Doctor Bayley Vice-Chancellour and others March 13. 1637. for reviving some controversies concerning Arminianisme contrary to His Majesties Declaration entred in the Vniversitie Register fol. 152. About September 1632. there were some Satyricall Verses scattered abroad in Oxford against the Arminians thus intituled The Academicall Army of Epidemicall Arminians To the tune of the Souldieur wherein Doctor Corbet Doctor Duppa Doctor Iackeson Doctor Marsh Doctor Turner with others of the Arminian faction were mentioned and Bishop Laud as their Generall who receiving a Coppie of them December 19. 1632. writ this endorsment on it Oxford Libell against such as they will needs call Arminians Who were all backed by Bishop Laud their grand Patron and preferred to the highest Ecclesiasticall preferments How the Arminian party prevailed in the Vniversitie of Cambridge by this Arch-Prelates abetment so farre as to procure Barrets Recantation of the Arminian Tenets solemnly made in that Vniversity in 37. of Q. Elizabeths Raigne and then printed to be rased out of the Vniversity Register where it was Recorded and to prosecute Mr. Bernard whom he caused to be censured ruined in the High-Commission for preaching against the increase of Popery and Arminianisme of which hereafter is so well knowne to most that wee shall not insist upon it most of the heads of Houses there as Doctor Brookes Doctor Beale Doctor Martin Doctor Paske Doctor Cosens Doctor Lany c being professed Arminians and this Archbishops Creatures to prosecute his designes How diligent the Bishops were by colour of His Majesties Declarations and Instructions to suppresse all preaching against all Arminianisme in their Diocesse by this Arch-Prelates instigation will appeare by their printed Visitation Articles for this purpose particularly by the Articles of enquiry and direction for the Diocesse of Norwich in the first Visitation of Rich. Mountague Bishop of that Diocesse An. Dom. 1638 Tit. 5. Artic. 22. in Church-Wardens Doth your Minister commonly or of set purpose in his populer Sermons full upon those much disputed and little understood doctrines of Gods eternall Predestination of Election antecedaneous of Reprobation irrespective without sinne foreseene of Freewill of Perseverance and not falling from Grace points obscure unfoldable unfoordable untractable at which that great Apostle stood at gaze with Oh the height and depth of the riches of the Wisdome and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments and his wayes past finding out Rom. 11. 33. By the Archbishops Injunctions prescribed to them in His Majesties Name whereof this was one That they should take speciall care that no Minister nor Lecturer in their Diocesse should preach upon the prohibited controverted points contrary to His Majesties Declarations and Instructions and that they should give an yearely account to the Archbishop of their proceedings herein which they did accordingly By meanes whereof the Arminian Errors were freely vented in all Diocesses without any publike opposition and those who out of zeale to truth durst open their mouthes to refuse them were silenced suspended and brought into the High Commission by this Archbishops practise to their undoing whiles the Arminians on the contrary had free liberty to broach their Erronious Tenets without controle and were advanced to the greatest benefices and Ecclesiasticall Dignities Besides this Arch-prelate not satisfied with propagating these dangerous Arminian Novelties throughout the Realme of England endeavoured to infect by degrees the whole Church of Irel therewith To which end he not only caused Bishop Downehams book of perseverance there printed against the Arminians to be suppressed as you heard before but the very Articles of the Church of Ireland made in a full Nationall Synod and Convocation held at Dubline 1615. and ratified by King Iames wherein all the Arminian Errors are terminis terminantibus condemned as Erronious to be repealed the L. Deputy Wentworth by high hand being but the Archbishops instrument herein enforcing the Convocation at Dublin An 1634. by sundry threatning Messages full fore against their wills to condescend to the repealing of them under pretext of establishing the 39. Articles of the Church of England comprised in the former for the only Articles of that Church for Vnity and Vniformity sake as was attested by Dr. Hoyle a Member of that Irish Convocation at the Lords Ear long since published in print with the Archbishops privity if not command by Dr. Heylin in his History of the Sabbath Part. 2. chap. 8. sect 9. pag. 259. in these very tearmes And here unto they were encouraged a great deale the rather because in Ireland what time his Majesties Commissioners were employed about the settling of that Church Anno 1615. there passed an Article which much confirmed them in their courses and hath been often since alleaged to justifie both them and their proceedings the Article is this The first day of the weeke which is the Lords Day is wholy to be dedicated to the service of God and therefore we are bound therein to rest from our common and daily businesse and to bestow that leasure upon holy exercises both private publique What moved
His Majesties Commissioners to this strict authority that J cannot say but sure J am that till that time the Lords day never had attained such credit as to be thought an Article of the faith though of some mens fancies Nor was it like to be of long continuance it was so violently followed THE WHOLE BOOKE BEING NOW CALLED IN and in the place thereof the Articles of the Church of England confirmed by Parliament in that Kingdome Anno 1634. Vniformity with the Church of England was the pretence for revoking these Articles but the reall cause was because they defined in terminis The Pope to be Antichrist the Church of Rome to be no true Church the Lords day to be totally sanctfied and all the Arminian Tenets to be erronious contrary to the established Doctrine both of the Church of England and Ireland Grand obstacles to this Arch-Preltats Popish designes and therefore necessary to bee sette aside These Articles being thus repealed the Archbishop soon after sent over Master Chapple the most notorius seducing Arminian in the whole Vniversity of Cambridge into Jreland to be President of the Colledge of Dublin there to poyson that Vniversity with his Arminian Drugs which he there publikely vented as Dr. Hoyle Divinity Reader in that Vniversity attested upon Oath who had frequent contestations with him concerning the same This Chapple joyning with Dr. Bramhall Chaplaine to the Lord Deputy Wentworth a professed Arminian who managed all the Ecclesiastical affaires of that Church under the Archbishop and Lord Deputy raised a great party there to oppose and suppresse the truth What influence this Arch-Prelate likewise had upon the Prelates and Clergy of Scotland and how farre he proceeded in introducing Arminianisme by it Popery into the Church of Scotland is so largely demonstrated by M. Baily in his Canterburians selfe-conviction the last Edition that we shall not here insist upon it And thus we have given you a true and Copious Evidence of this Arch-Prelates endeavours to undermine our established Religion by introducing fomenting dangerous Arminian Errors in all our three Kingdomes of purpose to Vsher Popery into them by insensible degrees through this Iesuiticall devise We shall now proceed to his varius attemps and endeavours to undermine the established Protestant and advance the Romish Religion in our Churches by introducing broaching maintaining printing publishing all kind of Doctrinall points of Popery by suppressing Bookes and purging out Passages against them in old and new writers by promoting protecting the Propugners discouraging persecuting the oppugners of Popish Assertions Sermons Pamphlets and sundry other practises The Authorizing Printing dispersing Popish Bookes Doctrines and prohibiting contrary Impressions to refute them being the most pernitious destructiue prevalent project of all others to undermine Religion seduce corrupt both the present and future Generations with Popish Errors and set up Popery in its full vigor we shall begin with this Archbishops various practises concerning the Authorising printing dispersing of Popish prohibiting suppressing purging corrupting Orthodox Bookes against Popery wherein he directly traced the Popish Prelates Jesuites footsteps The Pope with Popish Prelates and Jesuites being Masters of the printing Presses in most parts had foure principall wayes to advance Popery and suppresse the Protestant Religion in relation only to printing The first was to License and print sundry Books and Discourses from time to time upon al occasions in defence of their Erronious Popish Tenets against the Protestants The second to prohibit sundry speciall Treatises against Popery to bee printed reprinted dispersed or read and to seize on and suppresse them in all places with greatest diligence when printed The third to purge out the principall Passages Motives Invectives against Popery and its abuses in all old printed Books ere they should bee reprinted and out of all new Bookes tendred to the Presse before they could gaine License to passe it The fourth to punish the Authors Printers dispersers of any prohibited or unlicensed Books against Popery with the severest censures all which is abundantly evident by their severall Indices Librorum Prohibitorum and Librorum Expurgandorum by the Provinciall Councell of Sennes Anno 1528. Apud Surium Concil Tom. 4. p. 718. to 723. Laurentius Bochellius Decreta Ecclesia Gall lib. 1. Tit. 10. De Libris vetitis cap. 1. to 29. The Statute of 34 and 35. H. 8. c. 1. Master Fox his Acts and Monuments the old Edition pag. 536. 573. 680. 450. 1335. c. Dr. Iames his Index Generalis Librorum prohibitorum a Pontifieijs c. Oxon 1627. Antonij Posseâ—ini Bibliothesa selecta with sundry others The Arch-bishop in imitation of this their policy first of all ingrossed the sole power of licensing all new Bookes of Divinity into his owne his Chaplaines and Creatures hands so as nothing could passe the Presse with publique approbation but by his or their precedent approbation without danger of ruine to the Authors Printers Stationers Venders Dispersers And because he feared and experimentally discerned that when Stationers or Printers were restrained to print new Bookes against Popery they would presently fall to reprint old ones formerly licenced by Authority to prevent this inconvenience to the Popish party he procured this ensuing Decree of his owne contriving to be ratified by the Lords in the Starre-Chamber then sent it to the Stationers to print and commanded them punctually to observe it whereby he Monopolized the sole power of authorizing Divinity Bookes for the Presse to himselfe and his Agents and restrained the reprinting of all Books though formerly printed by Authority without a speciall review and relicencing of them by him and his Chaplaines This Decree was intituled A Decree of Star-Chamber concerning Printing made the first day of July 1637. Imprinted at LONDON by Robert Barker c. 1637. This Decree in the Printed Order of Star-chamber prefixed thereunto is Expresly alleaged to be drawne and Penned by the advice of the most Reverend Father in God the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury his Grace the Right Honourable and Right Reverend Father in God the Lord Bishop of London Lord High Treasurer of ENGLAND and of the Lord Keeper the Lord chiefe Justices and Lord chiefe Barron when it was the Archbishops project only who sent it to the Presse the others names being used only for conformity as M. Walley others attested upon Oath We shall rehearse only such clauses thereof as are most observable pertinent to our purpose 2. Jtem That no person or persons whatsoever shall at any time print or cause to be imprinted any Booke or Pamphlet whatsoever unlesse the same Booke or Pamphlet and also all and every the Titles Epistles Prefaces Proems Preambles Introductions Tables Dedications and other matters or things whatsoever thereunto annexed or therewith imprinted shall be first lawfully licenced and authorized only by such person and persons as are hereafter expressed and by no other and shall be also first entred into the Registers Booke of the Company
Augustines time And if we doe not only bend or bow our bodie to this blessed Board or holy Altar but fall flat on our faces before his Footstoole so soone as ever we approach in sight thereof what Patriarch or Apostle would condemne us for it Which he thus further prosecutes in his Altare Christianum pag. 108. Humble and lowly Reverence towards the holy and most Sacred Altar where Christ is most truly and really present in the blessed Sacrament pag. 142. Was not the Altar set in Sacrario or Sancto Sanctorum whereunto the Priest ascended by certaine steps and degrees and when they did so ascend were there not Psalmes of degrees sang called for that cause Gradualls durst the Priests themselves ascend thither without doing lowly Reverence three severall times Veneration towards the Altar was then required and practised pag. 145. Priests in our Church at the Ordination kneell upon their knees before the holy Altar then is given imposition of hands before the holy Altar then the Bishop takes the holy Gospells from the holy Altar c. no Bishop was authorized before his Altar was consecrated pag. 153. To warrant and justifie the bringing them in and due honouring of them because they are the seats and Chairs of estate where the Lord vouchsafeth to place himselfe amongst us Quid est enim Altare nisi sedes corporis sanguinis Christi p. 159. To come home to our Countrie when the Author sees the Kings most Sacred Majestie and the honourable Lords of the most Noble order of the Garter performe most low and humble Reverence to Almighty God before the most holy Altar the Throne in earth of that great Lord from whom their honour proceedeth pag. 160. Deo atque Altari reverentiam exhibuisse visi sunt Domino Deo ejus Altari proni facti debitum impenderent honorem Summum Altare in honorem Dei debita genu-flexione reverentiaque consalutabit p. 175. Honour and Reverence of right belongs unto it in regard of the presence of our Saviour whose Chaire of State it is upon earth Nay he proceedes yet further p. 75. The Eucharist cannot be receaved among Heretiques for the Elements must be consecrated before they become partakers of that Eucharist this Heretikes could not then doe quia nec Altare nec Ecclesiam because they had neither Altar nor Church for of necessitie sayes St. Cyprian Eucharistia in Altari sanctificatur the Eucharist is consecrated upon the Altar If then this were true which this unadvised man would make the Vicar believe that there were no Altars nor Churches within 20. yeares after Christ it must needs follow that the holy Eucharist was not received by any of the holy Martyrs and blessed Saints of God in all the primitive Church or else that they did receive some kinde of Sacrament that was not consecrated for Eucharistia in Altari sanctificatur is a ground in which he sets his rest as the Fathers before him and his successors ever did P. 174. Saint Cyprian tells you that the use of Altars is to sanctifie the Eucharist upon and that without an Altar it cannot be consecrated and that therefore Heretiques have no Sacraments among them because they have no Altars Edmond Reeve in his Christian Divinity contained in the Divine Service of the Church of England seconds him in these words p. 132 to 137. Unto the due honouring of Gods holy name the place where Gods name is put is to be honoured also now also ought every one being come into Gods House to prostrate himselfe i. e. to make low obeysance towards Gods mercy-seat being in the uppermost part of the Temple pag. 133. A great Divine in our Church Mr. Dr. Laurence in his most weighty Sermons thus writeth Wee are no more Idolatrous by our prostration towards the Table of the Lord than the Iewes were by theirs towards the Tabernacle of the Lord or the mercy-seat pag. 134 Gods Board is to be accounted the peculiar seat of God within the Temple and therefore towards it unto God there we are to make low obeysance whensoever we come into Gods House for to pray Gods board is ever to have due reverence and God who is there perpetually is alwayes to be prostrated unto Should not Christianity teach us that no seat of any Person much lesse of any of the Layty should be above Gods mercy-seat the sacred Communion Table The sacred Communion Table is called an Altar and it is also called Gods mercy-seat Gods Board is ever to have due Reverence and God who is there perpetually is alwayes to be prostrated unto yea when as the Body and Blood of Christ in the blessed Sacrament is not upon the same Robert Shelford Priest in his Five learned and pious discourses printed at Cambridge 1635. determines thus p. 4. To this day all our Churches are called sanctuaties as in many other Regards so especially in regard of the Lords Table or high Altar at the upper end of them which is Iesus Christs mercy seat because there the memory of the everlasting sacrifice is made and presented to the holy Trinity pag. 15. Seest thou not the Son of Gods seat here the holy Altar at the upper end of this House Pag. 17. The 5. sort of Reverence beseeming Gods House is at the entring in before we take our seates to bend the Knee and to bow our Body to him towards the more usuall and speciall place of his residence or resemblance which is the high Altar or the Lords Table usually standing at the East end of Gods House Idque propter Christum qui est Lux Mundi Oriens nominatur Zach. 6. 12. ab oriente etiam expectatur venturus pag. 19. 20. The first reverence that you make because the house is Gods and not mans direct your aspect to Gods Table which Saint Paul calls the Lords Altar saying We have An altar whereof they have no right to eate which serve the Tabernacle this is the great signe of Gods residence in this holy place as the Arck was the signe of hs presence in his Tabernacle here the great sacrifice of Christs death for our salvation is in Remembrance represented to God the Father and can we remember so great a benefit and not reverence the Father Son and Holy Ghost for it I do not exhort you to give Divine worship to Gods Table but to worship God towards it for Gods Altar is not terminativum cultus but motivum only as Daniel being in Captivity turned his face towards Jerusalem when he prayed but prayed not to it thus if we come before God in his house with due reverence then will he hould out his Golden Scepter of grace to us as the great King Ahasuerus held out his to Queene Ester but if we slight God in his owne place and hee hould out his Iron Scepter to us then let us be wise and learned Let us learne of our Mother Churches for there our Reverend Fathers the Prelates and others make
their reverence to God on this wise both at their entry and return wherefore to follow their good and holy Patterne we also are to doe the like both at our first comming into Gods house and at our going out c. Sundry such Passages are to be found in many other new printed Pamphlets These Popish impious Innovations and practises being complained against by Mr. Burton and others in their Writings this Archbishop not only justifies them in privat but in open Court in a premeditated printed Speech at the censure of Doctor Bastwick Mr. Burton and Mr. Prynu in Star-Chamber the 14. of June 1637. there most inhumanly censured only for opposing these and other Popish Innovasions In which Speech of his P. 34. c. he writes thus One thing sticks much in their Stomacks and they call it an Jnnovation too And that is bowing or doing Reverence at our first comming in to the Church or at our nearer approaches to the holy table or the ALTAR call it whether you will In which they will needs have it that we worship the Holy Table or God knowes what To this I answer that if to worship God when we enter into his House or approach his Altar be an Innovation t is a very Oldone For Moses did Reverence at the very Doore of the Tabernacle c. For my own part I take my selfe bound to Worship with Body as well as in Soule when ever I come where God is worshiped And were this Kingdome such as would allow no Holy Table standing in its proper place and such places some there are yet I would worship God when I came into his House And were the Times such as should beat downe Churches and all the curious carved worke thereof with Axes and Hammers as in Psal 74. and such times have beene yet would I Worship in what place soever I came to pray though there was not so much as a stone laid for Bethell but this is the misery t is Superstition now adayes for any man to come with more Reverence into a Church than a Tinker and his Bitch come into an Ale-house the Comparison is too homely but my just indignation at the Profanenesse of the times makes me speake it And you my Honourable Lords of the Garter in your greater solemnities you do your * Reverence unto Almighty God I doubt not but yet it is versus Altare towards his Altar as the greatest place of Gods Residence upon earth I say the greatest yea greater then the Pulpit For there t is Hoc est Corpusmenm this is my Body but in the Pulpit t is at most but Hoc est verbum meum this is my Word And a greater Reverence no doubt is due to the Body than to the word of our Lord and so iâ— Relation Answerable to the Throne where his body is usually present than to the Seat where his Word useth to be proclaimed and God hold it there at his word for as too many men use the matter t is Hocest verbum Diabolt this is the word of the Devill in too many places Witnesse sedition and the like to it And this Reverence ye do when ye enter the Chapell and when you approach nearer to offer and this is no Innovation for you are bound to it by your order and that 's not new And Idolatry it is not to worship God towards his holy Table for if it had beene Idolatry I presume Queene Elizabeth and King James would not have practised it no not in those solemnities being not Idolatry but true Divine worship you will I hope give a poore Prjest leave to worship God as your selves do for if it be Gods worship I ought to do it as well as you and if it be Idolatry * you ought not to do it more then I. I say againe I hope a poore Priest may worship God with as lowly Reverence as you do since you are bound by your Order by your Oathes according to a constitution of Hen. the 5. as appeares to give due honour and Reverence Domino Deo Altari ejus in modum virorum Ecclesiasticorum that is to the Lord your God and to his Altar for there is a Reverence due to that too though such as comes farre short of Divine Worship and this in that manner as Ecclesiasticall persons both worship and do reverence The story which led in this Decree is this King Hen the 5th that Noble and Victorius Prince returning gloriously out of France sat at this solemnity and finding the Knights of the Order scarce bow to God or but sleightly and then bow towards him and his seat startled at it being a Prince then growne as Religious as he was before Victorious and after asking the Reason for till then the Knights of the Order never bowed towards the King or his Seat the Duke of Bedford Answered it was settled by a Chapter Act three yeares before hereupon the great King replyed No I le none of this till you the Knights do it satis bene welenough and with due performance to Almighty God And hereupon the forenamed Act proceeded that they should doe this dutie to Almighty God not sleightly but ad modum virorum Ecclesiasticorum as low as well as decently as Clergy-men use to doe it Now if you will turne this off and say it was the superstition of that age so to do Bishop Iewell will come in to helpe me there for where Harding names divers Ceremonies and particularly bowing themselves and adoring at the Sacrament I say Adoring at the Sacrament not adoring the Sacrament there Bishop Jewell that learned painfull and Reverend Prelate approves all both the kneeling and the bowing and the standing up at the Gospell which as ancient as it is in the Church and a common Custome is yet fondly made another of their Jnnovations And further the Bishop addes That they are all Commendable gestnres and tokens of Devotion so long as the people understand what they meane and apply them unto God Now with us the People did ever understand them fully and apply them to God and to none but God till these factious Spirits and their like to the great disservice of God and his Church went about to perswade them that they are Superstitious if not Idolatrous gestures as they make every thing else to be where God is not served slovenly This raliacious ridiculous discourse and practise of Altar Bowing being fully answered resuted in the Quench-Cole in a Pleasant purge for a Roman Catholike in the Marginall Annotations and here formerly proved to be derived from the Papists pag. 63. 64. we shall proceed to other Doctrines of this Nature 5. That Iesus Christ and his Passion are offered up to God as a sacrifice in the Sacrament of the Altar and that it is a Sacrifice as well as a Sacrament VVEE shall begin with Bishop Mountagnos Visitation Articles printed both at London
and Cambridge Anno 1638. Tit. 7. Num. 12. If we will follow the course of the Ancient primitive Apostolicall Church we ought not to traduce or be offended at the name thing or use of Altar whereat A MANIFOLD SACRIFICE is offered to God What kind of Sacrifice this is Francis Sales thus declares in his Introduction to a Devout Life P. 191. 194. Vse then all diligence to be present often at this Heavenly Feast that with the Priest and other devout assistants thou maist joyntly offer up the fruit thereof Christ Jesus to God his Father for they selfe and all the necessities of holy Church The death and passion of our Redeemer which are actually and essentially represented in this holy Sacrifice with the Priest and the rest of the faithfull people thou shalt offer unto God the Father for his eternall honour and thine owne salvation Robert Shelford in his five Treatises seconds him in these termes Pag. 2. The Sacrament of the Altar in which the sacrifice of our Lord Christ is remembred and represented unto his Father P. g. 4. There the memory of the everlasting sacrifice is made and presented unto the holy Trinity Pag. 19. Here the great sacrifice of Christs death for our Salvation is in rememberance represented to God the Father c. Doctor Pocklington is very copious in this Theme in his Altare Christianum P. 130 Bishop Mountague saith thus I beleeve no such sacrifice of the Altar as the Church of Rome doth I fancie no such Altars as they imply though I professe a Sacrifice and an Altar And a little after speaking of his Adversaries hee saith thus I have so good opinion of your understanding though weake that you will confesse the blessed Sacrament of the Altar or Communion-table whether you please to be a Sacrifice c. Pag. 135. Abuses of Altars and sacrifices condemned not the things themselves Priests Sacrifices Oblations Altars The Sacrament of the Altar is not abolished P. 122. The Prophet Malachi saith Saint Justin Martyr did prophesie de Sacrificiis Gentium id est de paue Eucharistia poculo Eucharistiae It appeareth that St. Iustin that holy Martyr did call the Eucharist a sacrifice and hath the Prophet for his warrant Saint Ireneus also saith that when Christ tooke the Bread and the Wine Gratias eget he gave thanks and said the bread was his body and confessed the wine to be his bloud et novi Testamenti novam docuit oblationem and taught a new oblation of the New Testament which the Church receiving from the Apostles in universo mundo offert deo doth offer unto God in all the world This saith he is that pure sacrifice offered unto God in every place which the Prophet Malachi spake of before Pag. 124. Saint Chrysost How shall we receive this sacred host How shall we partake the Lords body with a defiled tongue For this sacrifice Domini sacrificium est This sacrifice the Priest standing at the Altar offereth to God for al the world for Bishops for the church c. according to our Collect on Good Friday Pag. 126. When the sacrifice of our Mediatour is offered it cannot be denied but the faithfull are hereby eased This oblation the same Father calls summum verissimum Sacrificium and saith that at the memories of Martyrs Deo offertur sacrificium Christianorum ipsum vero sacrificium corpus est Christi which is not offered to them for themselves are the body of Christ but unto God Pag. 127. It appeareth by that which hath beene said that there were Altars and oblations and sacrifices which the Fathers allowed To conclude this constant Doctrine of the holy Fathers concerning Altars Oblations and Sacrifices is confirmed by the Canons of sundry Councells Pag. 128. Altars Oblations and sacrifices were in Common use amongst the most holy Saints of God that ever lived Pag. 136. If there be no Christian Altar there is no Christian Sacrifice if no Christian Sacrifice there is no Christian Priest if there be no Christian Priest away with the Booke of Ordination of Priests and Deacons We shall close up this with Doctor Peter Heylins words in his Antidotum Lincolniense P. 6. 17. and 26. A Sacrifice it was in figure a sacrifice in fact and so by consequence a sacrifice in the Commemorations or upon the Post-fact A sacrifice there was among the Jewes shewing forth Christs death unto them before his comming in the flesh a sacrifice there must be amongst the Christians to shew forth the Lords Death till he come in Judgement and if a sacrifice must be there must be also Priests to doe and Altars whereupon to do it because without a Priest and Altar there can be no sacrifice yet so that the precedent sacrifice was of a different nature from the subsequent and so are also both the Priest and Altar from those before a bloudy sacrifice then an unbloody now a Priest derived from Aaron then from Melchisedech now an Altar for Mosaicall Sacrifices then for Evangelicall now for visible and externall sacrifices though none for bloudy and externall sacrifices Not an improper Altar and an improper sacrifice as you idlely dream of for sacrifices Priests and Altars being relatives as your selfe confesseth the sacrifice and the Altar being improper must needs inferre that even our Priesthood is improper also No Iesuit can or doth say more then this amounts to 6. That the body and blood of Christ are really and substantially present in the Eucharist and the Bread and Wine transubstantiated into them FRancis Sales in his Introduction to a devout life determines thus P. 194. 219. The death and passion of our Redeemer are actually and essentially represented in this holy sacrince Our blessed Saviour hath instituted the venerable Sacrament of the Eucharist which containeth really and verily his flesh and bloud Christs Epistle to a devout Soule thus seconds him Page 77. 78. Because thou maist be inflamed with a greater reverence love and desire towards this blessed Sacrament I assure thee that without all doubt my body is there Sacramentally delivered unto thee to be received under the forme of Bread Wherefore seeing it is the same body which I carry now glorified in Heaven seeing it is no other nor any like unto it but even the very same and seeing I carry not a body which is dead nor with out bloud it followeth of necessity that together in the same body there must be also conteined my soule my bloud my graces and my vertues To all which since the word is united it must also follow that the whole Trinity is present in this Sacrament as truly and as verily as they are in Heaven though in another kind id est under a Sacramentall forme The same opinion thou must in like sort have of the Chalice the new-testament in my bloud consider therefore that thou hast mee really and perfectly there Page 238. Make also every day to me in the honour of the holy Sacrament of my
fellowes that in their letter to Calvin depart from the constitution Ordinance and practice of the Apostles and Apostolicke men and call not this day the Lords day or Sunday but with the piety of Jeroboam make such a day of it as they have devised in their owne hearts to serve their owne turne and Anabaptising of it after the minde of some Iew hired to be the God Father therefore call it the Sabbath page 7. This name Sabbath is not a bare name or like a spot in their foreheades to know Labans sheep from Iacobs but indeed it is a Mistery of Iniquity intended against the Church c. page 13. But what doe I speake de integro die of a whole day do but that in keeping the Lords day which the Widdow did in her Almes that gave two mites sic tu duas horas so give the Lord two houres this if you do not beware you lose not integroru mannorum labores the Labours of many whole yeares Page 20. Others also for the Plots sake must uphold the name of Sabbath that stalking behinde it they may shoot against the services appointed for the Lords day Hence it is that some for want of witte too much adore the Sabbath as an Image dropt downe from Iupiter and cry before it as they did before the Golden Calfe This is an holy day unto the Lord whereas it is indeed the great Diana of the Ephesians as they use it whereby the mindes of their Proselites are so perplexed and bewitched that they cannot resolve whether the sinne be greater to bowle shoote or dance on their Sabbath then to commit Murder or the Father to cut the throat of his owne child All which doubts would soon be resolved by plucking of the Vizard of the Sabbath from the face of the Lords day which doth as well and truly become it as the Crowne of Thorns did the Lord himselfe This was plotted to expose him to damnable dirision and that was plotted to impose on it detestable superstition yet to die for it they will call it a Sabbath presuming in their zealous ignorance of guiltfull zeale to be thought to speake the Scripture phrase when indeed the Dregs of Ashdod flow from their Mouthes p. 21. With us the Sabbath is Saturday and no day else no ancient Father nay no learned man Heathen or Christian took it otherwise from the beginning of the world till the beginning of their Schisme in 1554. page 22. Many that see so little benefit will be suckt out of the constitutions of the Apostles practise and tradition of holy Church Doctrine of Godly and learned Fathers that they have got themselves heapes of Teachers that to serve their owne turnes will call and keepe the Lords day as a Sabbath and so prophane it with such outcries that the voyce of truth will become silent but with Moses liberavi animam meam Doctor Peter Heylin in his History of the Sabbath dedicated to his Majesty and printed by the Archbishops speciall approbation is every way as prophane and bitter against the morality and strict observation of the Lords-day Sabbath as Pocklinton we shall instance but in a Passage or two The first is in his Epistle to the Reader before the second Booke of his History in these termes And this part we have called the History of the Sabbath too although the institution of the Lords day and entertainment of the same in all times and ages since that Institution be the chiefe thing whereof it treateth for being it is said by some that the Lords Day succeeded by the Lords appointment into the place and rights of the Jewish Sabbath this booke was wholly to be spent in the search therof whether in all or any Ages of the Church either such doctrine had beene preached or such practise pressed upon the Consciences of Gods people And search indeed we did with all care and diligence to see if we could finde a Sabbath in any evidence of Scripture or writing of the holy Fathers or edicts of Emperours or decrees of Councells or finally in any of the publike Acts and Monuments of the Christian Church but after severall searches made upon the Alias and the Pluries wee still returne Non est inventus and thereupon resolve in the Poets language Et quod non invenit usquam esse putet nusquam that which is no where to be found may very strongly bee concluded not to be at all Buxdorfius in the eleventh Chapter of his Synagoga Judaica out of Antonius Margarita tells of the Jewes Quod die Sabbatino praeter animam consuetam praediti sunt alia that on the Sabbath day they are perswaded that they have an extraordinary soule infused into them which doth enlarge their hearts and rouse up their spirits Ut Sabbatum multo honorabilius peragere possint that they may celebrate the Sabbath with the greater honour And though this Sabbatharie soule may by a Pythagoricall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeme to have transimigrated from the Jewes into the bodyes of some Christians in these latter dayes yet I am able to give my selfe good hopes that by presenting to their view the constant practise of Gods Church in al times before and the consent of all Gods Churches at this present they may be dispossesed thereof without great difficulties It is but anima superflua as Buxdorfius calls it and may bee better spared then kept because superfluous To which wee shall annex these passages in the eight Chapter of this his second Booke Sect. 7. pag. 249. c. Thus upon search made and full examination of all parties wee finde no Lords Day-Sabbath in the Booke of Homilies no nor in any writings of particular men in more then thirty three yeares after the Homilies were published Then reciting Doctor Bounds opinion in his book of the Sabbath pag. 211. All lawfull pleasures and honest Recreations as Shooting Fencing Bowling which are permitted on other dayes were on this day to bee forborne No man to speake or talke of pleasures or any worldly matter he saith Most Magisterially determined more like a Iewish Rabbi then a Christian Doctor Yet Romish and Rabbinicall though this doctrine were it carried a faire face and shew of Piety at least in the opinion of the Common people c. Sect. 8. p. 255. 256. We may perceive by this that their intent from the beginning was to cry downe the Holy Dayes as superstitious Popish Ordinances that their new found Sabbath being placed alone and Sabbath now it must be called might become more eminent Nor were the other though more private effects thereof of lesse dangerous nature the people being so insnared with these new devices and pressed with rigour more then Jewish that certainly they are in as bad a condition as were the Israelites of old when they were captivated and kept under by the Scribes and Pharises Some I have knowne for in this point I will say nothing without good assurance who in a furious
through sides of the Church of Rome they do but give deadly and mortall Wounds to the Church of England who affirme that Papists are damned Fourthly it is an offence to Christian Religion for we are to preach the Meanes how men may attaine Salvation and to pteach Christ as a Saviour we must not rashly intrude upon his Judiciall power on every slight occasion to point out those that are damned as if we would shorten the mercyes of God and Monopolize them wholy to our selves there is no militant Church without blemishes and imperfections but as long as the foundation is sound that we bebeive in Christ crucified and that we believe the three Creeds so long there is hope of Salvation Severall churches though differing in many things yet may be contained in the bounds of the Catholique church Thus the Greeke church and the Latine Church may be saved both though they have difference betweene themselves and thus the Christians that lived in those parts of the world which have beene lately discovered and therefore did never partake with the rest of the Catholike church yet no doubt but those may be saved Fiftly there is nothing so proper to Christians as love and charity and a man may be damned as well for want of charity as for want of faith and there cannot bee possible a greater want of charity then to exclude men from Salvation and therefore they who are apt in their owne ungodly malice to damne others certainely themselves are damned Let it suffice that if any man shall aske God forgivenesse of his sins as no doubt every man doth for it is one part of the Lords prayer and these sins doe imply not onely the Transgressions of our lives but likewise the erour of our faith so that asking God forgivenesse no doubt but God is mercifull And here I must likewise expresse my great sorrow and griefe that I have so much offended agaist the memory of our forefathers and Progenitors such as built our Churches and were the meanes under God not onely to give us life but also to make us Christians when I consider their Piety and their Mortification shall I thinke these tended to nothing but onely to damne them No God forbid and therefore in all humility and obedience I doe here acknowledge my great fault and do aske forgivenesse of God of the Church and of our Reverend Diocesan and I desire you all to testifie this my Sorrow and unfained repentance By all these Authorized Popish positions you may easily guesse at this Arch-Prelates Popish intentions to reduce us backe to Rome We shall close up this catalogue of Authorized printed Popish Doctrines and Positions with two remarkable particulars more sufficient to amaze all Protestant Readers for their strangenesse The first is the extraordinary commendation of the most impious Councell of Trent the Popes Masterpiece the principall establishment support of the whole body of Popery and strongest Pillar to support both the Faith Pope and Church of Rome For this we shall produce one memorable clause which you may read in the exact collection of all the Roman Emperours lives from Julius Caesar to the now reigning Ferdinando the second Printed at London for George Hutton and licensed by Doctor weekes Chaplaine both to the Archbishop and Bishop of London Ann. 1636. p. 374. Ferdinando the Brother of Charles and Sonne of Philip King of Castile was a man well learned especially in the Latine tongue and also in Armes most expert and active wherefore it was doubted whether he were of more agility in Chevalry or more eloquent and fluent in the Latia Italian Spanish High-Dutch Hungarian and Bohemian Languages In the time of his Emperiall Government the Councell of Trent was held which was so commodious and profitable to the generall good of the world that it may serve for a certaine Rule both of Government of States and a forme of good life In which proceedings this Emperour shewed himselfe very forward and a great assistant What greater Encomions could be given of this damnable Popish Councell by publike Authority without censure revocation or any Index expurgatorius let all Protestants judge The second is The printing of the Popish Index Biblicus here in London by Authority An 1640. made by Priests and Iesuits for their Vulgar Latin Bible and binding it up with the Latin Bibles of Iunius Tremelius and Baezers Translation to seduce the Readers and corrupt the Text. You have heard before how the Archbishop commanded the whole History of our Saviours Nativity Life Passion Resurrection Assention to be publikly printed and inserted both into English and Latin Bibles after the Popish garbe taking his paterne from the Masse-booke to pollute pervert the text and infect the Readers by degrees with Popery even by these very Bibles which otherwise would most alienate them from it But not contented herewith he and his agents the better sooner to seduce the people to Popery even by the very Bible it selfe caused some two or three thousand Popish Indexes made for the Popish Vulgar Translation of the Bible by Priests and Jesuits and bound up with it to be printed here in London by authority Anno. 1640. and bound up with our small Latin Bibles of Junius and Bezaes translation to which it was never formerly annexed as a fit Index for them In which Index Biblicus the grossest points of Popery are positively asserted as directly conteined in and justified by the Scripture texts to which it doth referre The publike printing sale of these Indexes here in London with our Protestant Latin Bibles without controle was attested by Michael Sparke Senior Master Walley and others and these popish passages read out of them at the Lords Barr by Mr. Prynne Adoratio Angelis hominibus tributa Gen. 18. 2. c. Aqua benedicta Baptismus tollit omnia peccata Gen. 17. 14. c. Benedictio qua Creaturae consecrantur sanctificantur Exod. 28. 2. c. Hinc consecratio Sacerdotum Vestium Altarium Templorum Cereorum Aquae lustralis c. Castitas caelibum praefortior Castitati conjugali P. 45. 15. c. Castitas haec consulitur vt perfectio Evangelica 1. Cor. 7. 25. Certinon sumus de accepta peccatorum remissione vel vita aeterna consequenda Eccle. 9. 3 4. c. Charitas virtus fide praestantior Proverb 10. 12. c. Confirmationis Sacramentum Acts 8. 17. Heb. 6. 2. Doctrina Apostolica scripta et non Scripta firmiter tenenda Rom. 16. 17. c. Ecclesia est una visibilis Gen. 6. 14. Eucharistia sub altera tantum nimirum panis specie Iohan 6. 58. data a Christo Luk. 24. 30. 31. ab Apostolis Acts 2. 42. Eucharistia non remanet substantia panis post consecrationem sed est verum Christi corpus sanguis Mat. 26. 26. Eucharistiam in publicis supplicationibus circumferendam esse praefiguratur Jehos 6. 9. 15. 1. Schem 4. 5. 2. Schem 6. 4. 5. 6.
Majesties warrant to each of them so that herein I averre I did not offend unlesse that I gave not these men notice of it or asked them leave to obey the King To which it was answered First that the Arch-bishop confeseth clearly in his Speech and publisheth it to all the world in print That he made the alterations in this prayer which neither of his Predecessors Bancroft or Abbot durst once to think of or attempt Secondly That he esteemed Master Burtons and Master Prynnes dislike of him for making these alterations in extentation of the horrid Gunpowder-plot and favour of trairerous Jesuits Priests Romanists and the popish Religion a most transcendent crime worthy the severest bloodiest censure that ever was inflicted on any person in the Star-chamber as appeared by their herbarous Sentence there for which he heartily thanked the Lords in the close of his speech whereas his offence was certainly ten thousand times greater in making these alterations then theirs in charging him with them when himselfe confesseth and just fieth them or disliking them when made for such sinister popish ends Thirdly that his reasons to justifie these alterations to be fit and necessary were very absurd discovering the rottennesle of his heart with his extraordinary affection to popery and Papists His first reason that it was fit and necessary to make these Alterations to avoyd scandall and offence to Papists in calling their religion Rebellion c. was very unreasonable and absurd For since this clause had continued un-altered un-excepted against neer thirty yeers space together and was never deemed scandalous by K. James K. Charle's our subsequent Parliaments or Church which approved and confirmed it no solid reason can be given why it should grow unseasonable or scandalous only now so an as to call for a necessary alteration but that the Arch bishop and his confederates had now a new resolved plot to reconcile us to Rome and her Religion which former ages never had to which designethis clause might happily prove seandalous and obstructive Besides he could not but conclude the alteration of it after so many yeers continuance of purpose to gratifie Papists priests and Jesuits the sole contrivers of that marchlesse excerable Gunpowder-plot would give extraordinary seandall offence to all the whole Church State and cordiall protestants of Engl. and lay a secret tax if not a publike censure on them and on K. James for injuring the papists and their Religion even in these publike prayers neer thirty yeers spice together yet this zealous Romish Agent would rather scandalize censure injure our whole Church State parliaments King Iames with all true-hearted English protestants then give the lest scandall to the papists or suffer this just imputatation of Rehellion to continue upon their religion Moreover the whole parliament of 3. Iacobs in the Oath of Alleagiance then enjoyned with all our parliaments prelats Peers who since have approved it The second part of our authorized Homilies for Whit-sunday with our Homilies against wilful rebellion Bishop B â—â—on in his True difference between Christian Subjection and unchristian Rebellion Bishop Iewel in his Defence of the Apology of the Church of England part 4. p. 439. to 470. Doctor Iohn White in his Sermon at Pauls-Crosse and in his Defence of the Way ch 6. 11. Doctor Crakenthorp's Treatise of the Popes temporall Monarchy Deus Rex Haddon contra Osorium and generally all our Writers against the Popes supremacy at home and in the reformed Churches abroad resolve unanimously in their writings the Romanists Religion and Faith in the poynts of deposing excommunicating murthering Christian Princes Kings Emperours of absolving subjects from their alleagiance arming them against their Soveraigns by the Popes authority and command for not submitting to his tyrannicall or Antichristian Edicts it is meere Rebellion and Faction For this Arch-prelate then thus publikely to averre it a scandalous imputation to them and their religion and upon this ground to make these alterations in this prayer and not in all those Statutes Homilies Authors too is a most false absurd scandalous suggestion and in truth a meer evasion to colour his affection to papists their Antichristian Religion His second reason that it wil be of dangerous conquence sadly to avow that the Papists Religion is Rebelion because it is Christian religion and the same with ours is both fals fallacious for popish religion as popish is not Christian but Antichristian and though papists hold many points of Christian Religion as they are Christians yet not one point of it as Papists popery truly so called being no part of Christian Religion but deviations from or paradoxes against it Yea himselfe confessing That some opinions of theirs teach rebelion That 's apparently true which opinions of theirs are that part of their Religion which this prayer cals Rebellion refutes his owne Objection His third reason that if you make their religion to be rebelion then you make their religion and rebelion to be all one and that is against the ground both of State and Law c. which never put any man to death for Religion but for Treason and Rebellion onely is a meere childish fallacy For their Religion is not any actuall treason or rebellion for which only they suffered death but doctrinall and habituall rebelion prone to produce actuall rebellions and the mother of them in which sense onely this prayer stiles it Rebellion yet such for which no Romanist ever dyed unlesse he reduced it into some treasonable and rebellious action and then he suffered onely for the act not the Religion or opinion which induced him thereunto he might well then have spared these three irrationall reasons for this Alteration with this assertion of his p. 39. I took it my duty to lay it before you that the King had not onely Power but Reason to command it which onely aggravate not extenuate or justifie his fact his justification then rests solely upon the Kings command and warrant but this will not excuse his guilt For we have nothing but his own bare word in his own case to which no faith can be given having so often bin taken tardy in this kind to prove first that himselfe did not move the King to command these alterations to be made which is more than probable by his aleaging the reasons whereupon they were made and his activity in other changes of this nature Secondly that himself did not procure the Warrant for these Alterations after they were made and printed being written with his own hand and having no witnesse but himself to prove the date as he hath done in other cases Thirdly admit the command and warrant proceeded originally from the King himselfe not him yet he being by his place and office principally entrusted with the care honour safety of our Religion and Church so much concerned in these alterations it had been his duty to have disobeyed this command and disswaded his Majesty from such a
and most Honourable my singular good Lord the Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury his Grace Primate of all England and Metropolitane Chancelour of Oxford and one of the Lords of his Mijesties most honourable Privy Counsell present these And after the receit thereof thus indorsed with the Arch-bishops owne hand Rec. Jan. 22. 1639. L. B. Exon. concerning some amendments in his book for Episcopacy In this Letter of the Arch-bishops and the answer to it besides the grand designe of asserting Episcopacy of divine Right and Institution we may observe these considerable particulars First that he blames Bishop Hall for being a little too favourable to the forraigne Protestant Churches and their authors Secondly for passing by the Sabatarians or strict observers of the Lords day without any touch at all which he desires him to rectifie and help by some touches of shapnesse against them this is his charity to the Protestants and Sabatarians or Puritans of you please they were too candidly handled and therefore must be more harshly dealt withall but now on the other hand mark his extraordinary affection to and care of the Popes honour and reputation He doth in the third place tax the Bishop for bestowing the title of ANTICHRIST on him three or four times in his Book positively determinately This was such a transcendent crime that he must needs acquaint the King himselfe with it of his owne native disposition without any other Monitor and procures a speciall royall command to him from his Majesty to expunge those scandalous and dishonourable clauses against his Holinesse out of his Treatise Fourthly in the reason which he renders for acquainting his Majesty herewith and desiring him to make this change there are these considerable things to be taken notice of First that King James himselfe did in his printed Works at large prove and declare the Pope to be Antichrist by very strong proofes Secondly that when the Spanish match was in agitation and the Popes Dispensation required for the facilitating of it being one of the first Articles in the Marriage Treaty he was challenged by the Pope and his agents for it but not before Thirdly that King James hereupon to satisfie the Pope and gaine his favour was put to a hard shift and enforced to coyne a new distinction which he never thought of till then to excuse the matter That he writ thou not concludingly but by way of Argument onely c. Fourthly that he made this answer and distinction when King Charles went into Spaine and acquainted him with it by word of mouth that he thereby might satisfie the Pope and his party Fifthly that this whole passage was knowne to him and he privy to this secret not knowne formerly to others therefore he was certainly one of the Cabinet-counsell who was privy to the Kings going into Spaine and to the private instructions given him by King James before his departure hence yea very likely one who suggested this distinction to King James to please the Pope and promote the Match and therefore HE COULD NOT BUT SPEAKE WITH THE KING ABOUT IT who hereupon commanded this Bishop to qualifie his expressions in these particulars and so not differ from the knowne judgement of his pious and learned Father from whose orthodox judgement notwithstanding the Arminians might freely dissent both with his Majesties and this Arch-prelats approbation Whereupon we find that these passages were qualified according to his desire although Bishop Andrewes positive opinon in sundry passages was that the Pope was Antichrist All which considered we may infallibly conclude from his owne pen that all the forementioned purgations of passages against the Papacy Pope and his being Antichrist were made by this Arch-bishops owne speciall direction without any other suggestion but his owne Romish Genius and good affection to the Pope to induce a more easie reconciliation with him and this in direct opposition First to the severall Statutes of 16 R. 2. c. 5. 25 H. 8. c. 19. 20. 21. 28 H. 8. c. 10. 37 H. 8. c. 17. which tacitely define the Pope to be the Antichrist who did obfuscate and wrest Gods word Testament a long season from the spirituall and true meaning thereof to his worldly and carnall affections as pompe glory avarice ambition and tyranny covering and shadowing the same with his humane and politick devices traditions and inventions set forth to promote and stablish his onely dominion both upon the soules and also the bodies and goods of all Christian people excluding Christ out of his Kingdome and rule of mans soule as much as he may and all other temporall Kings and Princes out of their Dominions which they ought to have by Gods law upon the bodies and goods of their subjects whereby he did not onely rob the Kings Majesty being onely the supreame head of this his Realme of England immediately under God of his honour right and pre-eminence due unto him by the law of God but spoyled this his Realme yeerly of innumerable treasure and with the losse of the same deeemed the Kings loving and obedient Subjects perswading to them by his lawes buls and other his deceivable meanes such dreames vanities and fantisies as by the same many of them were seduced and conveyed unto superstitious and erronious openions Secondly to the book of Homilies in the second part of the Sermon for Whit-Sunday page 316. and the 6. Sermon against wilfull Rebellion page 316. which determines the Pope to be Antichrist in these tearmes Wheresoever you find the spirit of envy hatred contention robbery murther extortion witchcraft neeromancy c. assure your selves that there is the spirit of the devil and not of God albeit they pretend outwardly to the world never so much holinesse c. such were all the Popes and Prelates of Rome for the most part as doth well appeare by the story of their lives and therefore they are worthily accounted among the number of the false Prophets and false Christs which deluded the world a long while The Lord of heaven and earch defend us from their tyranny and pride that they never enter into his Vine-yard againe c. and he of his great mercy so work in all mens hearts by the mighty power of the holy Ghost that the comfortable Gospel of his Sonne Christ may be truly preached truly received and truly followed in all places to the beating downe of sinne death the Pope the devil and ALL THE KINGDOME OF ANTICHRIST c. The Bishop of Rome understanding the bruit blindnesse ignorance of Gods Word and superstition of English men ond how much they were inclined to worship the BABYLONISH BEAST OF ROME Thirdly to the 80. Article of the Church of Ireland defining the Bishop of Rome to be THE MAN OF SINNE foretold in the holy Scripture Fourthly to the Book of Common-prayer appointed for the fifth of Novemb. stiling the Pope Papists and Jesuits A Babylonish and Antichristian sect and to the Kings Letters Patents forementioned defining
Popery to be an Antichristian Yoake Fifthly to the Hymne printed in the end of all our Psalmes and Common-prayer books From Turke and Pope defend us Lord which both would thrust out of his throne our Lord Jesus Christ thy deare Sonne and the prayer for private families bound up with our Bibles and Common-prayer-books confound Satan and Antichrist c. Sixthly to the whole torrent of our Protestant Martyrs Writers who define the Pope to be Antichrist yea the great Antichrist prophesied of in Scripture This was the direct position of our godly learned Martyr Walter Brute who maintained it in a large discourse recorded by Master Fox in his Acts and Monuments edit 1641. vol. I. p. 622. to 632. of our English Apostle Iohn Wickliffe Fox ibid. p. 594. justified by John Hus and Joan Wicklif Dialog l. 4. c. 15. Rich. Wimbledon in his Sermon preached at Pauls Crosse anno 1389. Fox vol. 1. p. 718. Sir Geofry Chaucer in his Plough-mans Tale Lucifers letters to the Prelats of England supposed to be written by William Swinderly Martyr Fox Acts and Monuments edit 1610. p. 482. 483. Sir Iohn Oldeastle that famous Knight and Martyr Fox ibid. p. 417. 418. Pierce Ploughman his complaint of the abuses of the World Fox ibid. 1. edit 1641. p. 520. to 532. Mr. Wil. Tyndall a godly learned Martyr in his Obedience of a Christian man p. 214. 215 c. in his Revelation of Antichrist and Practice of Popish Prelats The Author of the image of a very christian Bishop and of a counterfeit Bishop printed about the yeere 1538. Rodericke Mors his complaint to the Parliament of England about 37 of King Henry 8. c. 23 24. William Wraughter his Hunting and resening of the Romish Fox dedicated to King Henry the eighth Henry Stalbridge his Exhortatory Epistle to his dearly beloved Country of England in King Henry the eighth his Reigne Iohn Bale Bishop of Osyris in his Image of both Churches and Scriptorum Illustrium Brittaâ—dae p. 33. 116. 117. 161. 286. 287. 471. 481. 633. to 640. 647. 702. de Vitis Ponrificum Romanorum Father Latymer Master Bilney Master Rogers Shetterdon and other of our Martyrs William Alley Bishop of Exeter in his Poore mans Library part 1. sol 56. Bishop Iewell in his Defence of the Apology of the Church of England p. 593. 449. 480. to 497. 508. and Reply to Harding p. 220. to 230. Master Thomas Beacon his Acts of Christ and Antichrist his Supplication unto Christ his Reports of Certaine men Reliques of Rome Master Iohn Fox in his Meditations upon the Apocalips Bishop Bilson in his book of Christian Subjection and unchristian Rebellion Doctor Whitaker Doctor Robert Abbot Bishop of Sarum Doctor George Downham Bishop of Derry Doctor Beard Master Powel Doctor Willet Doctor Fulke Doctor Sutcliffe Doctor Sharp Master Squire in their severall Treatises and discourses concerning Antichrist Doctor Iohn White in his way to the true Church Sect. 61. Num. 4. Master Brightman upon the Revelation Doctor Crakenthorpe his defence of Constantine and of the Popes temporall Monarchy and generally all other our eminentest English Writers of any note till this Arch-bishops reigne have positively defined the Pope and Papacy to be the great Antichrist and proved the same at large We shall close up this with two of the Arch-bishops predecessors resolutions in this point The first is Arch-bishop Cranmer who as he refused to move or stirre his cap to the Popes Commissioners when he was converted before them for his Religion so he likewise professedly averred the Pope to be the Artichrist in these very termes recorded by Master Fox in his Acts and Monuments Vol. 3. Edit 1641. p. 653. 660. 661. The Bishop of Rome unlesse he be Antichrist I cannot tell what to make of him wherefore if I should obey him I cannot obey Christ he is like the Devill in his doings for the Devill said to Christ If thou wilt fall downe and worship me I will give thee all the Kingdomes of the world thus he tooke upon him to give that which was not his owne even so the Bishop of Rome giveth Princes their Crownes being none of his owne for where Princes either by election either by succession either by inheritance obtaine their Crowne he saith that they should have it from him Christ saith that Antichrist shall be and who shall he be forsooth he that advanceth himselfe above all other creatures Now if there be none already that hath advanced himselfe after such sort besides the Pope then in the mean time let him be Antichrist c. After which he desired all them present to beare him witnesse that he tooke the traditions and Religion of that usurping Prelat to be most erronious false and against the doctrine of the whole Scripture which he had often times wel proved by writing and the author of the same to be very Antichrist so often preached of by the Apostles Prophets in whom did most evidently concur al signes and tokens whereby he was painted out to the world to be known for it was most evident that he had advanced himselfe above all Emperours and Kings of the world whom he affirmed to hold their estates and Empires of him as of their chiefe c. He hath brought in gods of his owne framing and invented a new Religion full of gaine and lucre quite contrary to the holy Scriptures onely for the maintaining of his Kingdome displacing Christ from his glory and holding his people in a miserable servitude of blindnesse to the losse of a great number of soules which God at the latter day shall exact at his hand boasting many times in his canons and decrees that he can dispence contra Petrum contra Paulum contra vetus novum testamentum and that he plenitudine potestatis tantum prtesi quantum Deus that is against Peter against Paul against the old and new Testament and of the fulnesse of power may doe as much as God O Lord who ever heard such blasphemy if there be any man that can advance himselfe above him let him be judged Antichrist This enemy of God and our Redemption is so evidently painted out of the Scriptures by such manifest signes and tokens which all so cleerly appeare in him that except a man will shut up his eyes and heart against the light he cannot but know him and therefore for my part I will never give my consent to the receiving of him into this Church of England thus Cranmer resigned at his death This Arch-prelat therefore hath shut his eyes and heart against this shining truth in his godly Predecessors judgement who not onely doubts but denies the Pope to be the Antichrist The second is Arch-bishop Whitguift who when he commenced Doctor and answered the Divinity act at Cambridge anno 1569. publikely maintained this assertion in the Schooles Papa est ille Ancichristus as Sir George Paul records in his life p. 5. which this Arch-bishops immediate Predecessor Abbot
Clerks Sermons page 237. after the word wickednesse these words are blotted out Becket did 't is in his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for sinne I fetch his name from Hebrew because I have read his father was a Jew he sinned against his Country and his King betrayed both to the Pope and dyed though not directly yet deservedly In Master Wards Comentary upon Matthew fol. 178. the last line but two this is gelded out Where a Papist prayes to any Saint in Heaven for sometimes they pray to those who in all probability are in hell as Thomas Becket Hildebrand and divers cheating Impostors Doctor Featlies Clavis Mystica page 604. Postremum genus eorum est qui oves Christi pascunt sed cibo insalubri quo magis inficiuntur quam reficiuntur Christi oves agnique eorum dico qui floribus fructibus Paradisi aut noxias herb as admiscent aut flores Adonidis adspergunt cujusmodi sunt ista dogmata Vires liberi arbitrij ab Adami lapsu ad bonum spirituale fract as debilitat as non penitus profligatas amissas labem originis nemini unquam fraudi fuisse unumquemque enim suum scelus luere Gratiam novo foedere promissam omnibus expositam esse nec cuiquam unquam defuisse nisi qui ei defuerit imputatam Christi justiciam absque inhaerente non plus prodesse quam inducium candidum Aethiopi superinductum fiduciam salutis propria a praesumptione parum aut nihil differre Genevates Presbyterianos infestiores Ecclesiae hostes quam Pontificios Calvinum in commentariis foede Hallucinari non unquam ut ipsorum verbis utar Judainare in multis Arrianizare quid hoc sibi vult calumniae nunquid Calvinus ejusque discipuli qui in Arrianos non stilum modo sed gladium strinxere nuper evaserunt Arriani quam praepostere a Bellarminus Pontificiorum Corypheus hanc notam a quibusdam imperitis ipsisque adeo Papistis Calvino inustam eluit qui religionis reformatae vindices audire volunt banc ei notam inurunt Doctor Iones his Comentary on the Hebrewes in the written copy page 150. As for the calling of Luther Calvin Beza and of the Ministers of the Gospell it is watrantable by the Word we can shew our letters of Orders from Jesus Christ the great Bishop of our soules 16. Passages deleted concerning Bishops IN Doctor Clarks Sermons page 173. the Licenser hath put out these words Why may I not adde a Bishop too let another take his Bishopricke sayes Saint Peter in the Acts and meanes it of Iudas Idem page 398. after Amasiah these words Arch-bishop of that Province are blotted out Doctor Iones his Comentary on the Hebrewes in the written Copy page 138. It may be Bishops and Arch-bishops have little feeling of the burden poore Ministers in the Country are faine to sustaine 17. Passages expunged against the Blindnesse Superstition Idolatrous Pompous worship and Adoration of Papists prophane persons Popish Saints Reliques IN Master Wards Comentary on Matthew page 35. 36. written copy this passage is evpunged What blindnesse are we subject unto without Christ There is a double blindnesse which men are subject and incident unto to wit First the blindnesse of Superstition which is apparently seen in the Papists who first teach us to worship Demoniacks or damned soules in hell or traitors as Thomas Recket and impious Gregory the seventh called Heldibrand And secondly teacheth us to worship Chimeâ—â—es fictious and things that never were in rerum natura Thus they teach us to worship Saint Christopher Sanit George Saint Katherine and many hundreds more which cannot be proved to have been or at least not Saints but some of them grand impostors Thirdly they teach us to worship vile and base things as peeces of rotten wood making then beleeve they were peeces of Christs Crosse and old thred-bare garments for some sacred Vestments although the Priests themselves knew them to be otherwise yea the Eucharisticall wafer-cakes although they have been consecrated flightly the Priest thinking of some other thing else and not intending the consecration thereof which according to their owne doctrine is not then transubstantiated and therfore is palpable idolatry to fal down to a bare piece of bread Fourthly they teach us to place Religion in outward things as in the observation of dayes meats apparrell and the like Col. 2. 17. 18. None of all which things we are taught to doe in the Word of God and therefore we had need beware of this blindnesse of superstition Secondly there is a blindnesse of prophanenesse which is twofold to wit either Pura negationis or Pravae dispositionis i. e. either naturall or affected ignorance First there is in us a naturall ignorance we by nature not knowing those things which concerne the glory of God or our owne salvation and this blindnesse is in all even in the elect untill they be enlightned by the Spirit of God Secondly there is an affected ignorance when men refuse the meanes of knowledge like those deafe Adders that stop their eares against the voyce of the charmer charme he never so wisely Now this blindnesse of heart is also in every man by nature for as naturally we know not our duty towards God so naturally we desire not the knowledge thereof but are backward and negligent in the use of those meanes which God hath appointed for the curing of this blindnesse And this Ibidem page 365. Because our Saviour doth acknowledge the powring of this precious oyntment upon him to be a good work it may therefore be demanded if the Papists doe not well who worship the Lord in great cost and pomp First Christ praysed the precious oyntment not as an ordinary worship which should alwayes afterwards he imitated but onely as a singular ministery of his funerall ver 12. shee did it for my buriall But Christ now is ascended into Heaven and is no more to be buried and therefore this fact of Maries will he no ground for the Popish pompom worship Secondly the Popish pompous worship is full of superstition and idolatry but in this anointing there was none and therefore it will not support their pomp Thirdly when Christ departed from the world to Heaven he left behind him in his stead the poore commanding us to honour him by our bounty toward them and therefore if we would bestow our liberality aright we should enrich or refresh with our substance the poore members of Christ for he doth accept of that which is done unto them as done unto himselfe Heb. 13. 16. 18. Passages deleted against Superstitious Popish Ceremonies and the abolition of them IN Master Wards Comentary upon Matthew page 212. this clause is obliteraned Adde nothing unto the Word of God neither first the chaffe of Superstition with the Papists neither secondly Machiavillianisme and unwarrantable policy with some statists neither thirdly new opinions Secondly indeed if any ceremony which our Church useth should be
but so understood the argument concludes nothing viz. against us this onely thence following therefore as he hath decreed from all eternity to save for faith and to damne for unbeliefe so shall the execution of the decree be which is true but concernes not the Question in controversie Thirdly is followes not Christ will say come ye faithfull c. come for faiths sake as for the meritorious or impulsive cause for faith is the onely instrumentall cause and he intimates the impulsive cause when he saith Benedictos patris ye blessed of my Father where is shewne that their salvation did proceed from the free savour of God because God the Father of his free grace hath loved them in Christ Fourthly if the Kingdome of God be an inheritance then it comes or fals unto us because we are the sonnes of God by a free adoption But it is called an inheritance for he saith here Hereditatis jure possidete possesse this Kingdome by right of inheritence Therefore it fals not unto us for our works sake but because we are the adopted children of God in Christ Ibid page 358. on Matth. 25. 39. this sentence is purged out It is questioned between us and the Papists whether election or predestination on to life eternall be from Gods free grace or a foresight of mans good works and faith First it is agreed upon betwixt us and them that there are some elected and predestinated and this is cleere from Mat. 20. 16. 22. 14. 24. 31. Rom. 8. 30. Ephes 1. 4. And Secondly it is agreed betwixt us also that those who are elected and predestinated are elected to an eternall Kingdome as is plaine from Luke 12. 32. And Thirdly it is agreed upon betwixt us that those who are elected unto life eternall shall infallibly and certainly be saved and this is proved from Mat. 24. 22. 24. John 6. 29. 10. 21. Rom. 8. 24. 11. 29. This was assented unto by the best esteemed Divines in the Councell of Trent and thought to be catholike because it was consonant to the opinion both of Thomas Scotus and the most School-writers and also to the doctrine of Saint Paul and Catharinus himselfe could not deny it reade the History of the Councell of Trent lib. 2. page 211. 212. Yea Bellarmine himselfe doth affirme as much plainly De grat lib. arbit lib. 2. cap. 10. which is worth observing because elsewhere he contradicts himselfe teaching that the elect may fall from faith and salvation and utterly and eternally lose both Fourthly the Papists affirme that faith and works foreseen were the impulsive and moving cause of the decree of election unto life everlasting Fifthly we say that the impulsive and moving cause of the decree of election is only the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and good will and free grace of God and this we confirme from these places Luke 12. 32. Iohn 15. 16. Rom. 11. 5. Ephes 1. 6 c. Ibid. page 305. on Matth. 20. 8. Every man received a penny c. The Rhemists upon Rom. 9. 2. alleage these words to prove That Predestination and Election is from a foresight of works they argue thus the Master saith call the labourers and give them their reward therefore God from all eternity hath ordained to give the kingdome of Heaven to those whom he foresaw should bring forth good fruits and works First our Rhemists doe not prove the position controverted between us and them for the Question is not Whether God have ordained to give Heaven to those whom he foresaw should bring forth good works for this we doubt not of because the Scripture plainly declareth it Rom. 2. 6. 10. 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. but the Question is this Whether this foresight of good workes were the cause of predestination and election for this we deny and this if they would doe any thing they should prove Secondly this place speaks not of predestination but of the execution of predestination Now it followes not works goe before the execution of predestination therefore before predestination it selfe Now that our Saviour speaks here of the execution of predestination is plaine from the very words for first it is said that some of the Labourers were hired in the morning and some at other houres and then afterwards when it was night the Lord of the Vineyard said to his Steward Call the Workmen Now this can no way be understood of predestination which was long before the first houre of the day Thirdly this place sheweth that good workes are the way to Heaven wherein we must walk but not that the decree of life hath respect to good works for good works goe before the possession of Heaven but not before the decree and ordination Fourthly Saint Ambrose out of this place frameth a strong contrary argument proving thereby that election is altogether of grace without any respect to works see before 2 Answ to Obj. 1. fol. 258. a. the last line c. Ibidem page 302. this is deleted Fourthly the Papists are faulty here who affirme that the decree of salvation came from the foresight of works and so they make them primus Motor Ibidem in the written copy fol. 245. Although we know not the reason why the Lord doth it but more particularly first we must acknowledge the Lord to be just in the election of the godly now the order of election is laid downe Rom. 8. 29 30. Ephes 1. 11. from whence and some other places the order may be expressed thus to wit First God decreed to make Christ the head of his Church Ephes 1. 22. then secondly he ordained and decreed that there should be a Church and here first he decreed to create man secondly to permit him to fall and thirdly to repaire and recover some from their fall and fourthly to endow them with grace and saving faith Secondly we must acknowledge the Lord to be just in the reprobation of the wicked Because the dissention of Divines is great in this point I will speak sparingly thereof and only lay downe the order of it as I conceive it to be and so leave it First God decreed to create man and secondly God foresaw that although man were created pure and immaculate yet if he were left unto himselfe he would fall and thirdly God leaves man unto himselfe and permits him to fall and fourthly determines to offer the meanes of rising againe namely Christ and mercy in him which he foresaw would be flighted and by many not received then fifthly for this contempt he justly reprobates them Ibidem fol. 319. 320. on Matth. 22. 14. It is affirmed by some that there is a universall election against which we urge this plaine place Many are called but few chosen which place sheweth that although the externall meanes of salvation be offered to many yet not all of them but some onely are elected and chosen unto life Huberus hereunto answers that there is first a general
namely First an earnest desire to heare as Act. 13. 42. like one who having beene deafe desires the sense of hearing Secondly a renewed understanding when we heare as Mary did who pondered in her mind that which shee heard and this understanding of what we heare is so necessary that Chrysostome tels us that the Deacon prayed for the Catechumenoi that they might understand what they heard Thirdly a trembling and fearfull heart because we have offended our God and so long neglected to serve him and thereby have caused him to separate himselfe from us Fourthly joy and delight in the Word Act. 8. 38 39. 13. 48. Fifthly when the Word penetrates deep into the heart making therein deep furrowes Sixthly when we lay up what we hear as a treasure hoarding it up against the time of need Matth. 13. 52. never departing from the Word without some profit thereby and Seventhly meditating continually upon the Word of God Psal 119. 2. 3. Certainly if these things he in us in truth we may then assure our selves that Christ hath begun to cure the deafnesse of our soules 35. Passages purged out against Gods Hardning and Obduration of men THese clauses are expunged in Master Ward 's Comentary on Matthew 11. ver 25. 26. Quest 2. Whom doth the Lord thus blind or harden Answ First he blinded or hardened Pharaoh Exod. 7. and why first because he persecuted and oppressed the godly Exod. 5. and Secondly because he condemned and despised the Lord and his Message Exod. 5. 2. and Thirdly because he drove away and banisht Moses the Messenger of the Lord from him Exod. 10. 28. And secondly he hardened and blinded those who sought salvation by the Law and not by faith in Christ Rom. 9. 32. And thirdly those who defile themselves by wallowing in the filthy puddle of iuiquity Isa 59. 7. 9. Rom. 1. 24. 25. And fourthly those who are drowned in sleep and overvvhelmed in security Rom. 11. 8. And fifthly those vvho still retaine the vaile over their hearts and abide in vvilfull and affected ignorance 2 cor 3. 14. And therefore if vve desire that the Lord should discover the hidden mysteries of the Gospell unto us and not hide them from us then we must take heed of these things to wit First vve must take heed of persecuting or oppressing of the children of God and Secondly of concernning or despising either God or his Word and Thirdly of banishing or putting away from us his Ministers and Messengers and Fourthly of seeking salvation by vvorks and Fifthly of sinne security presumption and ignorance c. Ibidem vvritten copy page 214. The Lord is active in reprobates two manner of vvayes namely first Praedestinando by determining and appointing of them unto a just doeth but this is remote from our present purpose Secondly Obdurando c. And a little after before Quest 6. This last is most proper to our present purpose and institution for if it be demanded How doth the Lord blind the mind or harden the heart I answer by not giving a blessing unto his Word or not co-operating therewith or not enabling men to apprehend and conceive or understand the Gospell and the truths therein contained 36. Passages blotted out against Holy-dayes dedicated to Saints IN Master Wards Comentary on Matthew written copy page 358. this sentence is expunged The Papists hold that Holy-dayes may be dedicated unto Saints for their honour and worship as Christpromised this charitable work of Mary Magdalen wrought upon him should be recorded and remembred whereby say they we learne that the good works of Saints may be recorded to the Honour of Saints in the Church whereof arise their commemorations and Holy-dayes Rhemist annot Matth. 25. sect 1. First the good works of Saints may be remembred to the honour of God without their Holy-dayes and commemorations Christ instituted no holy-day of Mary Magdalen neither commanded any image of her fact to be made but onely a memory of her in the preaching of the Gospell Secondly we grant that christian solemnities may be kept as things indifferent which the Church may retaine or abrogate as it shall seem best for edification if they â—e not observed of necessity as a part of Gods worship neither consecrated to the honour of Saints seeing all divine worship is wholly to be reserved to God and not to be given to any other For times and seasons the Scripture saith the Lord hath put them only in his owne power therefore he only is to have the honour of them Thirdly what honour is due unto Saints Saint Augustine sheweth Colimus Martyres eo cultu dilectionis societatis que in hac vitacoluntur sancti homines Dei we doe honour Martyrs-with the service of love and fellowship as the holy men are honoured in this life but it is not lawfull to consecrate dayes and times to holy men living therefore neither to Saints departed for one and the same honour is due to them both c. 37. Clauses obliterated That we are Justified onely by Faith in Christ not by Workes That Justification may be lost and that Workes merit not IN Doctor Clarks Sermons page 282. l. 41. after that in Christ should be onely that in Christ onely we are justified but onely is blotted out c. Ibid. page 419. l. 29. after verse 8. should follow this excellent passage which was expunged by the Licenser Surely faith justifieth faith ONLY works have no doing in the worke in justification Rome cannot prove it non si se ruperit if shee disputes till Dooms-day but that sola fides is not solitaria faith never is alone true saving faith love is fast linkt unto her but in that act of Justification shee intermeddles not le ts faith work it alone Love is concomitant not co-operant faine would Rome wrest at least but this from us that works doe save if not justifie yet save needs will shee have them necessary to salvation we yeeld them not that neither some Lutherans doe but with that distinction as we may yeeld it too necessitate praesentiae not efficienciae works are where salvation is but they are not cause of salvation they are in salvando but have not vim salvandi all that are saved must have them but not any are saved by them c. Ibid. page 419. l. 3. after our conversation should follow these words as we doe out of the act of our Justification c. viz. exclude works Ibid. page 443. l. 10. after these words a farre off this clause is deleted Justification by works Saint James is flat for that ex operibus justificatur homo As for the distinction of declarative it was but some Calvmist that invented it c. Ibidem page 570. l. 15. these lines are expunged The other part of the spirit's exposition of the blessednesse of the dead is the reward of their faith for that is meant by these words and their works follow them Works as often elsewhere put by figure for
to preach as Matth. 10. 5. Act. 16. 7. and sometimes inwardly by not blessing the Word which is preached unto the hearers thereof c. Ibid. in the written copy p. 396. Quest To whom doth the preaching of the Gospell properly belong Answ The Ministry of the Word belongs properly to the Elect Ephes 4. 11 12. he gave Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints and for the edifying of the body of Christ Against this this place is objected the preaching of the Gospell is sent unto all Goe and teach all Nations and therefore it doth not properly belong unto the faithfull Answ 1. It is true that we doe and must preach unto all because the Ministers of the Word in the judgement of charity must beleeve well of those to whom they preach leaving secret judgement unto the Lord and Secondly it is preached properly unto the Elect to convert them and onely accidentally to the Reprobates as being inseparable mixed with the other as tares and chaffe are mixed with good corne 2 Cor. 2. 16. 63. A Passage deleted against Ministers Reading their Sermons IN Doctor Clerks Sermons page 404. l. 8. after these words improperly so called these words are blotted out A reading prophesie riseth in the Church but fit to be prohibited for it is not from the spirit Prophetiza nobis Christe Matth. 26. 28. Christ read who hath smitten thee much a doe is about a reading Ministery the King to name it and the Bishops to suffer it but what shall we say of reading Prophesie surely the Bishops are to blame to suffer it and yet the greater part of those who condemne reading Priests are themselves reading Priests reading is no preaching so they falsly say but their preaching is reading so I may truly say 64. Passages blotted out concerning the Sabbaths morality perpetuity strict sanctification and against the prophanation of it IN Master Ward 's Comentary on Matthew written copy page 201. this is deleted I came not to destroy the Law c. It is here objected that the Sabbath day was not morall Christ would not have altered it for in this verse he came not to dissolve the Law but to fulfill it Answ The alteration of the day is no dissolving of the Law no more then the alteration of the severall services once in force by vertue of the second Commandement as namely circumcision sacrifices the Passeover and the like doth abolish that Commandement Object 2. It is objected againe Christ compareth the Sabbath to a sacrifice Mat. 12. 7. therefore it is ceremoniall Answ Our Saviour in that place useth a proverbiall speech thereby shewing that the greater duty must be preferred before the lesse see Mat. 9. 33. where the self-same speech is used and yet there is no question of Ceremonies but onely company keeping with Publicans and sianers Dod upon the fourth Commandement Ibidem page 110. this clause is gelded out Some will not allow of all the words of precept according to the Letter as for example First some divide the Sabbath into two houres in the fore-noon and two in the afternoon although they have no footing for it either from the spirituall and literall meaning of the fourth Commandement Secondly other can distinguish c. In Doctor Jones his Commentary on the Hebrewes page 117. this sentence is expunged Here we are to learne that we are to occupy our selves in a serious contemplation of the Sabbath day it is as chest full of precious and invaluable Jewels if it were unlocked unto us it is a recordation of things past namely of the creation of the world which is never to be forgotten by us and our Christian Sabbath must put us in remembrance of the resurrection of our Saviour Christ which was a re-making of the world Againe Secondly The Sabbath was a type and figure of things to come of that spirituall rest that we should have by Christ from sinne satan and the paines of hell and likewise of that heavenly and everlasting rest that we shall have in the Kingdome of Heaven all the week long we are working in those callings wherein God hath set us eating our bread as is the Commandement in the sweat of our browes but on the Sabbath day we rest from them all doe nothing but heare the Word of God pray sing Psalmes receive the Sacrament and this should put us in mind of that perpetuall Sabbath we should keep in Heaven where we should doe nothing but praise God continually yet for all that this day the day of dayes the Lords day which the Lord hath selected to himselfe is too little regarded by a great number some men are so worldly that they will not rest no not on this day they that doe rest from bodily labours will not rest on such a heavenly manner as they ought to doe it may be they will be sleeping even at the Church when others be at Sermons or they will be sitting idle at home in the streets or Church-yards but they doe not make that holy and comfortable use of the Sabbath as they ought to doe they doe not now take occasion to meditate upon that sweet and joyfull Sabbath where we shall rest with Abraham Isaac and Jacob for ever yet as the holy Ghost teacheth us in this place this is one principall use we are to make of the Sabbath In the said Doctor Jones his Comentary page 41. 103. 119. 232. 236. 253. 252. 274. 319. 320. these words The prophonation of the Sabbath are put out and the very name of Sabbath obliterated So in Doctor Clerk's Sermons page 200. l. ult page 147. l. 7. the word Sabbath is deleted 65. Passages deleted that the Sacraments Ex Opere Operato conferre Grace and concerning the Sacrament of Baptisme IN Master Ward 's Comentary on Matthew written copy page 399. this clause is purged out Fourthly by Baptisme we gaine eternall life and salvation that is although Baptisme doth not conferre these ex Opere operato yet where the Sacrament in rightly administred and faithfully received and Christ within justifying the person to be baptized Rom. 4 11. there Baptisme doth seale all these mercies graces and benefits unto the party baptized Answ 2. Baptisme is not absolutely necessary unto salvation as appeares thus First Sacraments doe not conferre grace upon all nor by a phisicall power give grace unto any but sometimes God in and by the Sacraments conveyes grace unto his Elect children and sometimes by the Sacraments confirmes grace which he hath formerly conferred Ibidem on Matthew 3. ver 11. I indeed have baptized you with water but he shall baptize you with the holy Ghost this discourse is obliterated Quest What is John Baptists principall scope herein Ans His principall and particular scope was this to shew that his baptisme had no efficacy nor power in it from himselfe at all but onely from Christ teaching us that the outward Sacrament may be in-effectuall vede August contr Faustum 10. 4. 19.
into his said Church without the direction of his Reverend Diccesan and dares not goe about in any sort to justifie his doings But waving all manner of defence hee most humbly casteth down himselfe at your Lordships Feet beseeching you for Christs sake to look upon him with the eye of mercy who with a most penitent and sorrowfull heart confesseth his mis-doing in the Premises c. And whereas your Petitioner is charged to have set forth and published two Bookes wherein he defends not only Innovations in Religion but divers Popish Wicked and Antichristian points and casteth reproach upon our English Martyrs in Mr Foxes Callender and magnifieth Popish Canonized Saints for true Martyrs Hee doth most humbly give your Lordships to understand That order was given for their Printing and setting forth without your Petitioners procurement motion or knowledge who composed them for his own private satisfaction and to be the better satisfied was willing to have them presented to the consideration of the Reverend Governours of our Church to receive their Opinion and Judgement about them And for the Contents of the said Bookes If any Popish Wicked or Antichristian points be in them Hee is ready and most desirous from his heart utterly and openly to abandon and abjure them But hopeth that because the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury his Grace did see and read all or a great part of them as his Chaplain Dr Bray could your Petitioner and did without any suite of your Petitioner give order and allowance for their Publishing That no such detestable points are conteined in the said Bookes and for our English Martyrs in Mr Fox his Calender There is no mention or any word or syllable in either of those Writings about them Wherefore again and again he casteth down himselfe before this most Honourable Assembly and beseecheth you who upon earth represent the God of mercy to shew mercy to him who is altogether innocent in moving to have the said Beekes Published And it truely penitent for what he hath done without his Diccesans Directions and most humbly beseecheth his Lordship now present to admit his Submission and to be a meanes to obteine the favour of this most Honourable House and to procure his freedome and dismission who voweth by Gods grace to be ever hereafter so carefull of all his words and actions that neither the Church nor any Member thereof shall take any offence or displeasure at him Vera Copia And your Petitioner shall ever pray for the happi successe of this present Parliament John Pocklington Now what a Capitall Crime and transcendent misdemeanour it is for this Arch-Prelate to place such Arminian Popish Prelates and Chaplaines in ordinary about his Majestie the young Prince more infectious then Cardinall Wolsies breath to King Henry the 8. when infected with the great Pox to seduce poyson them as much as in them lay with Arminian and Popish Errours Superstitions Ceremonies and in and by them their whole kingdomes and Nationall Churches and that not onely by transient verball Sermons which infect only the eares of the Auditors for the present but by pestilent printed Treatises which corrupt the eyes judgement of the Readers and universally seduce both the present and future generations more then any publike verball Sermons though never so pernicious to the Auditors for the present let all wise men judge For his promoting of Arminians of persons addicted to Popish Ceremonies Errours Innovations to Offices and Headships in our Universities to poyson those fountaines of Piety and Learning we shall instance in these few Particulars During the time of his Chancellorship in the University of Oxford from April 1630. till Anno 1641. it is observable that he nominated only five Vice-Chancellors to governe the University under him namely Dr Smith Warden of Wadham Colledge Doctor Brian Duppa Deane of Christ-Church whose further promotions he procured Doctor Pinke Warden of New-Colledge Doctor Bayly President of Saint Iohn Baptist Colledge Doctor Frewen President of Mary Magdalen Colledge Dr Christopher Potter Provost of Queenes Colledge as the University Register undenyably proves and all Oxford Schollers can attest all deeply tainted with Arminianisme great Promoters of all Popish Innovations Superstitions Ceremonies in that University as we have formerly manifested Besides he promoted Doctor Thomas Iackeson a professed Arminian to the President-ship of Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford and afterwards to the Vicaridge of Witney as appeares by the Docquet Booke to omit his advancement of Doctor Laurence and other such like Popish Doctors there What heades of Houses hee promored in the University of Cambridge and what professed Arminians and Well-wishers to Popery they were you have already heard in part we shall onely repeate the names of some of them Doctor Brookes Doctor Beal Doctor Martin Doctor Cosin Doctor Layny Doctor Sterne men very infamous both for Arminian and Popish Errors And not content to corrupt our English Academies he promoted Master Chapple the Archest and most notorious Arminian in the University of Cambridge who leavened all his Pupels and many hopefull Schollers with Arminianisme as Mr Walker and others witnessed to the Provost-ship and Government of the Colledge and Vniversity of Dublin in Ireland as appears by sundry originall Letters thence endorsed with his own hand and himselfe must needs acknowledge whom he brought into that place with an high hand where he did much hurt by venting his Arminian druggs and maintained Justification by Workes Exemption of the Clergy from the Secular power and was very active in the Synod there in suppressing the Articles of Ireland against Papists and Arminians as was Doctor Bramhall too his grand Arminian Popish Instrument there as was attested upon Oath by Dr Hoyle a Member of the Assembly and Divinity Reader in that University His advancements of Persons tainted with Arminianisme Popery and Popish Superstitions to Benefices Prebendaries and other Ecclesiasticall preferments are almost numberlesse as wee finde by the Docquet Bookes all or most of the Ecclesiasticall Preferments belonging to the Crowne being disposed of by him alone of latter times not by the Lord Keeper and Master of the Wardes as formerly upon whose Presentations he encroached We shall instance in some few of many In September 10. 1628. Doctor Augustine Lindsey by order from this Bishop and a Letter by him procured from the King in his behalfe to the President and Chapter of Litchfield was promoted to a dignity in that Church as appeares by the Docquet Booke Mr George Walker the Minister attested upon Oath that this Lindsy whom the Archbishop afterwards made a Bishop was reputed one of the chiefe heads of the Arminian faction and that Dr Bastwick writing against the Arminians bowing at the name of Jesus was sent to him by this Archbishop to be instructed and refuted as the ablest of that party Mr Peter Smart a Reverend Divine deposed That this Doctor was an Arch-arminian to his knowledge with whom he had
faithfully promised to preach it no more And when he absolved him on this promise he most prophanely used to him these words of our Saviour spoken to the Woman taken in Adultery Iohn 8. 14. Go thy way sinne no more that is preach this Lecture no more as if preaching was as heinous a sinne as Adultery lest a worse thing happen to thee Furthermore in pursuit of these Instructions he put down all Sermons on the Lords dayes in the Afternoon throughout his Diocesse strictly charging the Ministers in his Visitations not to preach on Lords dayes in the Afternoon upon any occasion under pain of Suspension After which hee suspended one Mr Cornish only for preaching a Funerall Sermon on a Lordsday Evening Furthermore he convented the Minister of Beercoockham before him for having two Sermons on that parish Revellday alleadging that it was a hinderance to the Revel and utterance of the Church-all provided to be spent ' on that day belike he had more care of the Church wardens Ale then the peoples Soules and he questioned one Mr Thomas Erford a Minister as a Delinquent for preaching at the parish of Mountague on their Revellday upon the Prophet Joels exhortation to Fasting weeping and mourning charging him that not only his Sermon but his every text too was scandalous to the Revel and gave offence to the meeting And whereas divers godly Ministers of his Diocesse being restrained from preaching did take great paine thereupon to catechise their Parishioners in the principles of Religion on Lordsdayes in the Afternoon according to the Letter of these Instructions enlarging themselves upon the Questions and Answers in the Catechisme in the Common-Prayer-Booke for the peoples better Instruction and using a short prayer before and after that exercise this Bishop being informed of it corrected and sharply reproved these Ministers for their pains threatning to punish them severely if they Persisted therein saying Thus it was a Catechizing Sermon-wise and AS BAD AS PREACHING Charging them that they should aske no other Questions nor receive any other Answers from the people but such as were conteined in the Book of Common prayer which one Mr Bâ—â—rett Rector of Barwick not observing was enjoyned penance for it and one Humfrey Blake Churchwarden of Bridgewater was likewise put to penance for not presenting Mr Devenish the Minister there as a Delinquent for expounding the Church-Cateckisme and making a short prayer of his own before he began his exercise All which particulars were proved by substantiall witnesses before a Committee of the House of Commons drawn up into an Impeachment against this Bishop and being in verity the Impious fruites of this Arch-Prelates project who encouraged him herein must be justly and principally charged upon his score Quia plus peccat Author quà m Actor The like Suppressions of Sermons and Catechizing on the Lords day in the Afternoon were common in all or most other Diocesse neither could any Combination Lectures be obtained in them but with very great suite and upon very hard conditions which the Bishops tooke advantage to prescribe by colour of these Instructions all strictly observed till this present Parliament This we could prove by many Instances we shall produce but one instead of all the rest found among Sir Iohn Lambes Papers the Archbishops grand Instrument herein by Mr Prynns endorsed with Sir Iohns own fift Orders given by the Right Reverend Father in God JOHN Lord Bishop of PFTERBOROVGH for and concerning the Sermon weekly on Wednesday in Saint JAMES Chappell in BRACKLEY September the 14. 1639. 1. IT is ordered that the fifteen Divines whose names are here under written shall be appointed to their severall dayes by Dr Hâ—ath Chancellor of the said Dioces or his permission by Doctor Sybthorpe one of his Surrogates in a Catalogue to be signed by him annexed to these orders II. That no other Divine shall be admitted to Preach there upon any Wednesday but one of these fifteene except the Curate of that place upon any pretence whatsoever And if one of these shall dye or depart or refuse to preach none other shall be Substituted but by expresse allowance of the Bishop III. That the Bell shall begin to toll a quarter of an houre before nine of the Clocke in the morning and shall continue so toleing till nine of the Clocke and no longer IIII. That immediatly upon ceasing of the Bell the Divine Service of the Church of England for morning prayer shall begin and shall be said together with the Letanie either by the Preacher for that day or else in case of necessity only by the Minister of the place of his assistant in his Surplice and Hood according to his degree in Schooles V. The Preacher for that day shall be ready at the Communion Table in his Surplice and Hood while a Psalme is in singing after the Morning prayer and the Letanie to begin the Communion Service commonly called the second Service and that there be no Hiatus or stopp at all after the end of the Psalmes If he be not there He who did reade the Morning prayer that day shall presently goe thither and proceede to the second Service and no Sermon shall be had that day VI. The Preacher assoone as he hath repeated the Nicen Creede shall goe up into the Pulpet in his Surplice and hood VII No other forme of prayer before the Sermon shall be vsed then is set downe in the LV. Canon to move the people to pray in the words and manner there perscribed interposing only if he so desire the names of the Vniversities and of his Colledge or of his Patron he being one quallified by Law to have a Chaplaine VIII The Sermon at the utmost shall be within the compasse of an howre and shall be ended with Glory be to God c. without any other prayers in the Pulpit VIIII The Preacher shall after is Sermon come presently from the Pulpit and so goe to the Communion table and reade the prayer for the whole estate of Christs Church c. and one or two of the Collects which stands after the Communion Service and so shall dismisse the people with that blessing there The peace of God c. X. A Surplice and Hood are to be provided for the Preacher at the charge of the Towne XI The people to be admonished by the Preacher as neede shall require to be diligent and of reverend behaviour at the divine service both before the Sermon and also after it All men to be uncovered during all the time both of Service and Sermon all persons to do Reverence at the blessed name of Iesus to stand at the Creedes Hymnes and Gospells to kneele at the confession and prayers and practise all other parts of conformity to the Church Government or otherwise it shall be sufficient cause to have the combination for the said weekely Sermon forthwith inhibited if the Divine Service be neglected or deserted Or if these Orders above
complaints which have been made unto him by the Lords and other men of quality concerning the multitude or both unlearned and unworthy Ministers which pester the Church and are alwayes the Causes of great scandall and too often of Schism and Divisions therein And some of them are forced to the shame of themselves and their Calling for want of means to begg for their Living and yet are daily made in great numbers and that directly against the Canon of the Church which require's That no man should be made a Minister sine Titulo For remedy of this great abuse and wrong to the Church his Majestie hath directed his Letters to me and by them required me to call all such Bishops to me as were then in or about the City and after consultation with them to send my Letters to every severall Bishop within the Province to require obedience to the Canon of the Church and his Majesties directions according to it The Tenor of his Majesties Letter followeth as before ACcording to these Letters I am to pray and require you that at all times of Ordination you be very carefull to admit none into Holy Orders but such men as for life and learning are fit and which have a Title for their Maintenance according to the Lawes and ancient practise of the Church And his Majesty hath farther commanded me to advertise your Lordship that He will not faile to call for an Accompt of these his Letters both of me and you Thus not doubting but you will have a speciall care both of the good of the Church and his Majesties contentment herein I leave you to the Grace of God and rest Your Lordships very loving Friend and Brother W. Cant. In this Letter we find this Paper inclosed writ with Mr Dells but endorsed with the Archbishops hand declaring what shall be a Title So upon the matter these Titles are named in the Canon He that is ordained must have 1. A Presentation to some Ecclesiasticall Preferment 2. Or A Certificate undoubted that he is provided of some Church voyde there 3. Or A Grant of some Petty Canons place or the like in a Cathedrall or Collegiate Church 4. Or A Fellow or in the right of a Fellow in some Colledge in Oxford or Cambridge 5. Or A Conduct or Chaplain in some Colledge in Oxford or Cambridge 6. Or A Master of Artes of 5. years standing living at his own charge in either of the Universities 7. Or The intention of the Bishop that ordaines shortly to admit him to some Benefice or Curates place then voyde And I think the Canon intends that after a Man is once admitted a Curate the Parson or Vicar of the place should not have power to put them off at pleasure but only for such criminall unworthinesse as might deprive him of his Benefice if hee had one So I conceive under favour the Order may go briefly thus And farther his Majesties expresse Command is that this Canon be strictly observed by all Bishops in their severall Diocesses respectively and that none presume to ordeine any man to be a Deacon Priest or Minister under the penalty injoyned in the Canon or any other which his Majesties just displeasure may inflict upon him These Letters primâ facié seem very faire necessary but latet Anguis in herba there was a dangerous designe couched under them For first no Lecture whatsoever was admitted to be a Canonicall Title and so all ordination of Ministers to supply Lectures was totally secluded which was one chiefe end of this designe Secondly no Chaplainship to any Noblemans or Gentlemans family was allowed to be a sufficient Title and this gave a fatall blow to all such young Chaplains ordinations unlesse they had some better Title and Livelihood for the future which was likewise formerly aimed at in the precedent Considerations and Instructions And by this device many yong Divines were in a manner quite excluded out of such Religious Gentlemens Families which might season them with the practicall power of godlinesse or any principles which the Prelates held to be Puritanisme or Precisenesse Thirdly by this device all young Students in Divinity were made more dependent on more obsequious to the Bishops less dependent on the Nobility Gentry people as the Letters insinuate Fourthly under pretent of these Letters a kinde of new subscription was imposed on all such who were to be ordained especially if suspected to be orthodox or precise to sundry Arminian Popish Errours and Superstitions upon which they were interrogated to sound their inclinations and denyed Orders in case of disaâ—â—ent As namely Whether Bowing at the name of Jesus and to or towards the Altar at their approaches to it or ingresse to or egresse out of the Church were lawfull commendable Whether all baptized Infants were not truly regenerated Whether Episcopacy and the Hierarchy of Bishops were not of divine Right Whether the Church of Rome were not a true Church Whether Altars Copes Organs Tapers Crucifixes and Images were not lawfull Whether truly regenerate men might not totally and finally fall from Grace and the like By which Interrogations and many new Ceremonies introduced at ordinations sundry godly Schollers and Students of Divinity were deterred from taking Orders and a Superstitious Popish prophane Episcopall generation of New ordained Priests zealous to promote embrace the very groslest Doctrines and Superstitions of Rome engeadred and scattered among us in most places all powerfull soul-saving preaching banished or quite layd aside and the people every where poysoned with Popish and Arminian drugs By these and such like practises as likewise by preaching and printing against frequent Preaching formerly touched there ensued a great famine of the pure powerfull preaching of Gods Word of godly Preachers in our Kingdome and a monstrous increase of Popish Priests Jesuites Fryars Papists Popery Superstition Prophanesse Ignorance Impiety which have involved us in those miseries and distractions under which we now languish and are almost ruined His Fourth Device to suppresse preaching was the subversion of the Feoffees for buying in Impropriations particularly charged against him in the 6. Additionall Article in these words That whereas divers gifts and dispositions of divers summes of mony were heretofore made by divers charitable and well-disposed persons for the buying in of divers Impropriations for the maintenance of preaching the word of God in severall Churches the said Archbishop about eight years last past wilfully and maliciously caused the said gifts feofments and contrivances made to the uses aforesaid to be overthrown in his Majesties Court of Exchequer contrary to law as things dangerous to the Church and State under the specious pretence of buying in Impropriations whereby that pious worke was suppressed and trodden down to the great dishonour of God and scandall of Religion This Article informes us briefly what these Feoffees were we shall only add who they were what they did and how they were proceeded against by this Archbishop About
authorized by his Chaplain Dr Bray presented to and accepted by himselfe when published as appears by two faire gilded printed copies thereof with his Archiepiscopall Armes engraven on the Covers found in his study by Mr Pryune printed An. 1640. since these Propositions of Bishop Hall were sent him resolving that there can be not only no Church but no Ministers at all without Bishops to ordain them in these terms Non est Sacerdotium nisi in Ecclesia non est Ecclesia sine Sacerdotio Illud autem intelligo per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Episcopalem ordinariam Neque euim admittenda consneus extraordinariam aliquam sen vocationem seu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nisi miraculosam Oportet omnino miraculis agant suam confirment functionem signo aliquo qui non ab Episcopis derivata ab Apostolis per successionem institutione in Ecclesiam inducuntur sed velorti à sese vel nescio unde intrusi sese ingeruâ—t Nâ—m quod pretendunt ordinariam vocationem retinendam adhibendam eique adherescondum nisi in casu necessitatis absurdum est suppositione innititur impossibilitatis Neque enim talis casus an t extitit aliquando aut contingere potest nisi fallat not Dominus qui promisit Porta inferorum non pravalebunt Ecce sum vobiscum ad consummationem mundi By which Position the forraigne Protestant Churches are resolved concluded to be no Churches their Ministers no Ministers their Sacraments no Sacraments their Ordinances no Ordinances of Christ which perchance made Mr John Dury ordained in one of those Churches to be re-ordained a Minister here by the Bishop of Exeter Dr Hall before he was admitted to his Benefice as appeares by their severall Original Letters found in the Archbishops study And then what are they but meere Pagan Conventicles farre worse then Papists and the Church of Rome We shall only adde to this that whereas Bishop Hall in his Treatise of Episcopacy pag. 18. excused the forraign Protestant Churches from being unchurched by these Positions only in this regard that the reason why they renounced Bishops was meerly out of necessity because their Bishops would not suffer them to enjoy the Gospel Adding pag. 19. That it is very considerable whether the condition they were in doth absolutely warrant such a proceeding which is somewhat too hard a censure of them yet the Archbishop in his forecited Letter to Bishop Hall taxeth him for this his overmuch lenity towards them in these termes You are a little more favourable to the forraigne Churches and their Authors then our cause will beare and yet in the very same Letter he mislikes and blames this Bishop for his overmuch sharpnesse towards the Pope in his second Book for bestowing the Title of Antichrist upon him wherewith he was so highly offended that out of a zeal to his Holinesse he presently complaines to the King himselfe of this indignity offered to the Pope and procures a speciall Mandate from his Majesty to Bishop Hall to qualifie his expressions in this particular with his owne pen which he did accordingly Notwithstanding the Generall confessions of all forraign Protestant Churches The authorized Impressions of all their eminentest Writers Our own Homâ—lies Writers of all sorts and the very Act of Parliament for the Confirmation of the Subsidies granted by the Clergy 3. Iac. penned by all the Prelates and Clergy of England in full Convocation give the Pope this Title and stile the Iesuites and their Adberents THE UNSHAMEFACT BROOD OF ANTICHRIST This his indulgence therefore to the Pope Priests and Church of Rome and professed emnity against the forraigne Reformed Churches in unchurching them in making their Ministers no Ministers at all and them no Christians nor Christian Assemblies discovers his very Intrals and inward bent of his soule to Popery to the Church of Rome yea his inveterate hatred to these Protestant Churches and their Religion too The next thing wee shall fully evidence 2. Though this Archbishop was so zealous an Advocate for the Church of Rome as both in his publick Speeches Writings to maintaine That her Religion is the same with ours as we have formerly proved yet he could by no meanes endure that the Religion of the forraign Protestant Churches and Ours should be termed one and the same Whereupon he presumed to countermand alter and purge his Majesties Letters Patents under the Great Seale for a Collection for the poore distressed Ministers of the Palatinate Ann. 1634. because it termed their Religion The true Religion which we together with them professe to maintain This wee shall make good by two substantiall witnesses and the printed Letters Patents themselves The witnesses are Mr Wakerly then Secretary to Mr Secretary Cook and Mr Hartlib who deposed at the Lords Barre upon Oath That in the yeare 1634. the Queen of Bohemia sent over one Mr Ruly a Palatinate Minister into England with Letters of recommendation to the Archbishop to desire his mediation and assistance to the King to grant Letters Patents under the great seale for a generall Collection towards the reliefe of the exiled Ministers of the Palatinate and their families who were then in great distresse which Letter Mr Ruly presenting to the Archbishop among whose Papers Mr Prynne found the very Originall after the reading thereof the Archbishop promised out of respect to the Queen of Bohemia who writ to him with her own hand to move the King in it which he did and then informed him that it was the Kings pleasure there should be Letters Patents drawn for a generall collection for those Ministers as was desired Wherupon Mr Ruly requested the Archbishop in regard he was a stranger and knew not our proceedings to give him some directions how to get the Letters Patents drawn and sealed who answered that he needed no instructions herein for it was a thing of usuall course and willed him to repaire to the Officers of the King his Secretaries and Attorney generall who would draw and procure them to be sealed Whereupon he repaired to Mr Wakerly who went with him to the other Officers and procured Letters Patents to be drawn according to former Presidents both in King James and King Charles reignes and namely verbatim according to Letters Patents for a like Collection dated 29 Ian. 3. Caroli which being drawn engrossed and passed the Great Seal of England without any scruple the Lord Keeper both reading and approving the same before the sealing Mr Ruly carried the Patent over to Lambeth to desire the Archbishops assistance for the printing dispersing and promoting therof where meeting with Mr Dell his Secretary he acquainted him with his businesse and shewed him the Patent who casting his eye thereon took some exceptions thereat because it made our and their Religion to be both one saying Are your Church and Religion and ours one which done he carried the Patent to the Archbishop who after he had perused it calling for Mr Ruly demanded
of him in a very angry manner What have you brought me here Mr Ruly replied His Majesties Letters Patents At which answer he fell into a great passion rating and reviling Mr Ruly with very ill language threatned and called him ill names protested that that Patent should not passe though it were under the Great Seale and made Mr Dell write something out of it Mr Ruly shaking for feare excused himselfe that it was drawn by the Officers to whom his Grace had directed him and if there were ought offensive in it he was altogether ignorant and not guilty of it Whereunto the Archbishop replied that were it not for his respect and engagements to the Queen of Bohemia they should have no collection at all and that he could finde in his heart to quash it but however he would suppresse that Patent which he detained by him and would have one drawn in another forme Whereupon Mr Ruly leaving him to his angry mood departed and acquainted Secretary Cook the Lord Keeper Coventry and other his friends with the Premises who all wondred and were very inquisitive what was the cause of all this anger The Archbishop presently after repaires to the King and complaines much against this Patent Secretary Cook and the Lord Keeper for passing it who being both sent for by the King about it acquainted his Majesty that it was made verbatim accorcording to former Presidents that they had his Majesties hand and Royall assent thereto and it was now passed the Seale and so could not be altered To which the King answers that it must be altered for that the Archbishop would have it so and another must be drawn according to his minde Upon this the Patent was recalled and a new one drawn according to the Archbishops direction and prescript which being compared with the former by these Deponents and others who were very inquisitive what it was did so much enrage his Grace they found it was only this ensuing clause which he caused to be quite purged out with little or no alteration else from that he suppressed Whose cases are more to be deplored for that this extremity is fallen upon them for their sincerity and constancy IN THE TRVE RELIGION which WE TOGETHER WITH THEM DO PROFESSE and WHICH WE ARE ALL BOVND IN CONSCIENCE TO MAINTAINE TO THE VTMOST OF OVR POWERS Whereas these Religious and Godly Persons being involved amongst others their Countrey-men might have enjoyed their estates and fortunes if with other backsliders in the times of Triall they would have submitted themselves to the ANTI-CHRISTIAN YOAK and have renounced or dissembled the Profession of THE TRVE RELIGION In lieu whereof he only inserts That they suffered FOR THEIR RELIGION as if our Religion and theris were contra-distinct and different one from another and theirs not the true Which Secretary Cook when he saw affirmed would make a Schism a Division betwixt us and the forraign Protestant Churches by intimating that they professed neither our nor yet the true Religion as Mr Wakerly deposed and gave great scandall and offence to the Deponents yea to the forraign Churches and Protestants here who took speciall Notice of it In this notable peece of Evidence we shall desire your Lordships and the world to take notice of these remarkable particulars First of this Archbishops insufferable Insolency in daring to presume so farre as to stop suppresse the Kings own Letters Parents when approved by his Royall Signature allowed by the Lord Keeper and actually passed under the Great Seale of England Secondly his extraordinary over-ruling power with the King who against his own Iudgement Signe Manuall Seale and former Presidents must have this Patent altered in this clause only because the Archbishop would have it so and for no other reason Thirdly that this alteration proceeded meerly from the Archbishops own motion not from any Priests or Iesuits instigation much lesse from the King as he pretended the alterations of the Prayer-Book for the fifth of November did Fourthly that he was exceeding passionate and enraged at this clause insomuch that this charitable Collection and Patent must totally be quashed rather then this clause tolerated whereas his Chaplaines authorized Books in commendation of Popery Popish Errours yea pleading for Rome and her Religion as true and one with ours Fiftly that this very clause had passed both the Broad Seal and Presse too without the least exceptions in a Patent 29 Ian. 3. Caroli not full seven yeares before even in King Charles his own Reign and in another Generall Collection granted under the Privy Signet the seventeenth of Iune in the sixteenth year of King James Anno Dom. 1618. for reliefe of the Inhabitants of the Town of Wesell then printed by Authority together with Archbishop Abbots directions concerning the same to the severall Bishops under him dated June 25. 1618. wherein we finde these following expressions That that City had been a place of succour and reliefe to many afflicted strangers such as have been exiled for THE TRVE RELIGION That they were not able any longer to sustaine the charge neither of the Ministry nor of the Free-schoole which heretofore they have erected for the propagation of THE TRVE RELIGION c. which should excite us to enlarge the Bowels of compassions toward them which cannot be better expressed of our parts then by having compassion and a fellow-feeling of them MAKING THE SAME PROFESSION OF FAITH THAT WE DO yet doe suffer such adversity c. which are the same in terminis with those in this expunged Patent What then was the cause that this Clause should be thought so insufferable so impassible by this Archprelate now Certainly there must be some great mystery of Iniquity in it he and his Predecessor Abbot had not the selfe-same opinion of the Protestant Churches and their Religion Abbot deemed both their Churches and Religion true and the same with ours but Laud deemes them no Churches at all their Religion not the true Religion nor the same with ours at this time though formerly one and the same with it And why so because himselfe had altered perverted yea almost quite subverted it both in Design and Execution intending to set up Popery as the only old and true Religion therefore to suffer such a Patent to passe both the Great Seal and Presse in his Majesties name as should proclaim their Religion to be the true Religion which we together with them do professe and we are all bound in conscience to maintain to the uttermost of our power when he and his Confederates bent all their might to suppresse it and to commend their sincerity and constancy in the true Religion when as they might have enjoyed their estates and fortunes if with other backsliders in the times of Tryall they would have submitted themselves to the Antichristian Yoak and have renounced or dissembled their profession of the true Religion in these dayes when he with his Confederates endeavoured to make men Backsliders
actions meerly civil before the Magistrate coÌ„trary to the received customs of this kingdom from the first conversion of this Nation they protest that in so doing be exerciseth a tyranny over the Clergie contrary unto the Canons of the Church and the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdome c. Most Illustrious Lords and Reverend Fathers in Christ the aforesaid Priests doe complain that the Illustrious Arch-bishop of Dublin Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis is accustomed to answer the Clergy complaining of their grievances to him If I doe you wrong you may goe to Rome to complaine In the meane time reporting himselfe so powerfull in the Court of Rome that be feares no adversary And of this that reverend Priest Father Patrick Caâ—ill Doctor of Divinity had experience who for a yeere treating of his injuries and grievances done unto himby the Arch-bishop of Dublin could by no meanes prevaile once to be admitted to the presence and audience of the most eminent Cardinall Ludovifius Vice-Chancellour of Rome which Cardinall notwithstanding is given by his Holinesse unto the Irish at the only Patron and Protector of the Irish Nation These things we may remember with griefe but amend them we cannot but we professe before Almighty God his Holinesse and all faithfull people that this is nothing else but to tyrannize over the Clergie to the dishonour of the Church and no small contempt to the See Apostolick For which and other causes besides to be alleaged and in their due time and place to be proved against the above named Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis we the aforesaid Priests and hereafter to be named doe set before your eyes most Illustrious and reverend Lords these our grievances as meet and honourable witnesses of this our deed writing and publike instrument and as far as is possible and lawfull for us by the Canons of holy Church declining the jurisdiction of our aforesaid Ordinary by this our present writing and from this time forth we appeale unto the See Apostolicke from all Ecclesiasticall censures hereafter to be inflicted upon us by the same Illustrious Arch-bishop Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis and in the meane time providing for our innocency and safety according to the example of Saint Paul and Saint Athanasius we doe invocate the ayde of the secular arme for our present remedy against the aforesaid Illustrious Arch-bishop Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis and all Regulars of what Order soever as well Monks as begging Fryars Abettars Counsellours and Participants with him in the premises as violators and contemners of all Lawes divine and humane and men by the Law excommuicate Humbly beseeching your Lordships in the bowels of the Crucified that you would be pleased to intimate with as much speed as may be this our Protestation and Appeale unto the See Apostolick and the God of peace and love long preserve your Reverend Lordships in safety Dated at Dublin May the third in the yeer of our Lord 1632. Peter Caddell Doctor of Divinity Paul Harris pr. Deacon of the University of Dublin From which Protestation we may observe these considerable particulars First that the Papists in Ireland had their owne popish Archbishops Bishops and a Vicar Apostolicall residing then amongst them as the title and body of this Protestation manifests Secondly that their Archbishop Flemming had a popish Clergy under him in his Province and did exceedingly tyrannize over them usurping jurisdiction even in temporall causes and over the Kings own Courts among the Catholikes of Ireland Thirdly that the popish Bishops in Ireland did usually conferre Orders and exercise all Episcopall jurisdiction there Fourthly that they had a speciall Cardinall at Rome Ludovifius given by the Pope unto the Irish as the onely Patron and Protector of the Irish Nation Fifthly that they were grown extraordinary bold and insolent there so as they openly published this their Protestation and Appeal in print both in Latin and English to all the world and avowed it under their hands subscribed to it Sixthly that they had then erected a popish University in Dublin it self of which Paul Harris professeth himself Deacon or Dean as Bishop Beadle stiles him even in print This Prelat though he knew all this yet for ought we find he never took any severe course at all to prevent the encrease and insolencies of the popish Prelats Priests Fryars Papists there but rather to foment them For first he promoted and sent over divers superstitious popish Clergy-men thither as young Mr. Croxton Doctor Bramball his principall Agent and Informer Chaplain to the Lord Deputy Master Chapple and others who set up sundry popish innovations and brcohed popish Doctrines there to the great encouragement of the Papists Secondly he sent over the Lord Wentworth his grand instrument and confederace to be Lord Deputy of that Kingdome who extraordinarily favoured the popish party there and at last proceeded so far as to make use of them even in Parliament to ballance the Protestants the better to conquer and enslave that Kingdome even by Parliaments witnesse this remarkable clause in A Duplicate of a Dispatch of this Lord Deputies to his Majesty Jan. 22. 1633. with this subscription For my Lords Grace of Canterbury found in his private Study at Lambeth thus endorsed with his own hand Rec. Mar. 2. 1633. Comp. Ang. Reasons for the present calling of a Parliament in Ireland Where thus he writes concerning the Parliament then intended to be there called I Shall endeavoour that the lower House may be so composed as that neither the Recusants nor yet the Protestants shall appear considerably more one then the other holding them as much as may be upon an equall ballance for they will prove thus easier to govern then if either party were absolute Then would I in private discourse shew the Recusant That the contribution ending in December next if your Majesties Army were not imployed some other way before the twelve pence a Sunday must of necessity be exacted upon them Shew the Protestant that your Majesty must not let goe the 20000li. contribution nor yet discontent the other in matter of Religion till the Army were some way else certainly provided for and convince them both that the present quarterly paiments are not so burthensome as they pretended them to be And that by the graces they have had already more benefit then their mony came to Thus poising one by the other which single might perchance prove more unhappy to deal with With this Machiavillian policy he then acquainted this Archbishop and acaccordingly pursued it which what desperate effects it hath of late produced in that Kingdom by making the Irish Papists able to over-master and almost extirpate the English-Irish Protestants and their Religion there we now experimentally feel to our greatest grief and danger Neither did the Archbishop only approve this hellish policy of the Lord Deputy but likewise in the late Scottish
troubles they both most desperately perswaded his Majesty without the privity of the other Lords to raise an Army among the Papists in Ireland to subdue the Scots by force because they durst not trust the English in regard the puritan party was so great and beld correspondency with the Scots which advice was held most dangerous and pernicious councell by our States-men as two Jesuits G. T. Talbot the Jesuit and William Hewill writ to their Father Superiour at Parisâ—nne â—nne 28. 1631. as appears by their intercepted Letters found among Secretary Windebanks sequestred papers If any should object than this Archbishop had no power or charge at all in Ireland to suppresse the Papists there We answer it appears by hundreds of papers Letters found in his Study sent from thence to him that nothing at all was there acted concerning any Church affairs but by his direction who swayed all things disposed of all Church preferments there at his pleasure and likewise did what he pleased there in most state businesses by reason of his power with the King and interest in the Deputy insomuch that the very naming of him at the Counsell Table there was like a Gorgons head to amaze all opposites and strike them mute or into a shaking fit as the Primate of Armagh informed him in two severall Letters from thence Wherefore we cannot but from all the premises conclude this very Archbishop guilty of being not only privy but aiding to the re-establishing of popery in Ireland and reuniting it to the Church of Rome which Realm being farthest out of sight was thought the meetest Theater for the Pope and his Instruments to act their designs and parts upon with most advantage security and least opposition The seventh particular which most evidently manifests the Pope's with his Agents designes and studious endeavour to reconcile us to Rome and our domestick compliance therewith is the Popes sending of divers Nuncioes successively from Rome into England a thing never formerly heard of since the Reformation who kept their residence and were entertained as Nuncioes to him in London Westminster had frequent accesse to Court and held correspondency with divers of our Nobility more especially with Secret Windebank and Bishop Mountague this Archbishops chief Creatures seconded with our avowed entertainment of popish Agents at Rome of purpose to reduce and reconcile us to it The first of these Nuncioes was Gregorio Panzani who arrived at London Decem. 25. 1634. where he was received welcomed treated with both by King and Queen who continuing here till the yeer 1636. and then returning Seignior Georgio Con a Scot who departed from Rome towards England May 20. 1636. arrived here about the end of that moneth bringing a great Breve and many Reliques of Saints Meddals and pieces of gold and silver with the Popes picture stamped on them who was courteously entertained by the King and Queen at Hombly in Northamptonshire where he found them and afterwards kept his residence in Westminster neer the New Exchange He after three yeers and two moneths stay here in England aspiring to a Cardinals Cap returned towards Rome laden with great store of Jewels and gifts worth many thousand pounds After him Count Rossetti a Noble man of Ferrara was sent over hither as Nuncio who continued his Negotiation here and found great respect at Court till he was driven hence by this Parliament wherin were many complaints against him about July 1641. as we have elswhere manifested And as the Pope had his Nuncio's here so had we our reciprocall Agents at Rome The first of them was Master Walter Mountague who arrived there about August 1633. to whom succeeded Serj. Major Bret who arrived at Rome about Decemb. 1635. After him succeeded Sir William Hamilton a Scot dangerous Papist who came to Rome about the end of May 1636. and continued Agent there till this present Parliament Of all which this Archbishop had exact intelligence as appears by Master Midleton's Letters to him and Habernfields Discovery found among his owne papers endorsed by himself The eighth particular is the Popes and his Congreations de Propaganda side aâ— Rome sending over infinite swarms of Seminary Priests Jesuits Fryars of all sorts into England to seduce us their erecting of a popish Hierachy societies of Jesuits Monasteries of Monks Nuns and other popish Locusts secretly among us and holding a generall Counsell at London whereof Con the Popes Nuncio was President to raise arms forces monies against the Scots to advance the Catholikes cause all which we have elswhere related proved at large and was very well know to this Prelat by the manifold Remonstrances Petitions of the Parliament against this dangerous encrease of Papists Priests Jesuits Popery which Petitions he still opposed These five particulars thus proved premised infallibly demonstrating a dangerous design and prosecution of it in the Pope and his Instruments to reduce subject us to the Church of Rome of which this Archbishop was most fully informed and wherewith in a great measure he complied with them we shall now proceed to demonstrate that instead of counterworking opposing resisting this known design and practice of theirs according to his trust and duty he did most traiterously and wickedly combine confederate with them to the utmost of his wit and power to advance accomplish this their design and project by sundry Jesuiticall practises some whereof we have formerly proved pressed at large and therefore shall only recapitulate now to re-fresh your memories and then proceed to further evidence First of all he began to usher into our Cathedrals Churches Chappels Universities by inches and degrees one after another Altars Images Crucifixes Tapers Copes consecrated Basons Altar-cloths bowing to Altars Popish consecrations of Churches Chappels Church-yards Flagons Vestments Credentiaes Corporals turning and railing in Communion Tables Altarwise kneeling at the new Rails standing up at Gloria Patri praying toward the east reading second service at the Altar with other popish Innovations formerly mentioned at first he introduced them only as things tolerable or indifferent at last enjoyed them as expedient and necessary Secondly he proceeded to introduce divers Arminian Tenents as a bridge to popery first in Pulpits discourses then in printed authorized books prohibiting suppressing all preaching printing and books against them under severe penalties Thirdly he next went on to countenance authorize maintain confirm both in Pulpit and Presse divers erronious positions contrary to the general straine and tenent of our own and forraign Protestant Writers of chiefest note tending towards a reconciliation between us and Rome We shall instance in these few particulars maintained by himself both in his speeches and writings First that the Church of Rome is a true Church Secondly that she never erred in fundamentals in the worst times but only circa fundamentalia both which he publikely maintained in the High Commission at Doctor Bastwicks censure as Master Burton and Master Lane a Minister deposed Thirdly that the Religion of
thus enlarged one Davis brought him four pound in money from the said Archbishop as he told him towards the payment of his fees And he further deposed that he hath often met Father Price a Priest Superiour of the English Benedictines and Father Leander a Benedictine Monk and Priest going as themselves said and confessed to Lambeth to the Archbishop to see and speak with him which they oft times spake in a vanting manner and that Leander was commonly reported to have been the Archbishops Chamber-fellow in Oxford That Smith alias Loyd the Jesuit did usually meet at the Lord Cottingtons house in Breadstreet at a Juncto every Friday night where were usually present the said Lord Sir Toby Matthew the Spanish Embassadour Sir Arthur Hopton Endimion Porter James Hammond a great Papist and Secretary Windebank Which Juncto sometimes met at Sir Arthur Hoptons house in the Pallace-Yard at Westminster Francis Newton of Saint Giles Creplegate London Gent. deposed both in writing and by word of mouth at the Lords Bar that he by vertue of a generall Warrant from the Lords of the Counsel for the apprehending of Jesuits and popish Priests among others apprehended one Henry Morse a grand Jesuit and great seducer of his Majesties Subjects who had perverted 500. persons in and about London as appeared by certificats at his Triall who being like to be discharged before his Triall this Deponent by the appointment of Secretary Cooke the Lord Keeper Coventry and Lord Privy-Seale repaired to Lambeth to the Archbishop to desire him to give this Deponent order that the said Morse might not be discharged they saying it is now time to look about us so many being seduced by one person Whereupon he repairing to Lambeth desired Master Dell the Archbishops Secretary to help him to speak with the Archbishop from these Lords about the Priests discharge Master Dell answered that the Archbishop was busie with Sir Toby Matthews commonly reputed a Jesuit and an arch-intelligencer of Rome in the Garden and this Deponent being earnest with Master Dell to have an answer from the Archbishop to return to the Lords he brought answer from him That the Deponent should bring him the next day before the Councell-booâ—d and sent Dell the next morning to Master Secretary Cooke to know whether he had sent the Deponent to him or no. After which the said Priest being sent to Newgate and arraigned upon two Bils found against him was by Order form the King put by his judgement and soone after released He further depâ—sed that one Henry Loyd alias Francis Smith alias Rivers alias Sinâ—us Provinciall of the Jesuites and a chiefe actor in the Gunpowder-treason as this deponent was informed by one Stukely a Priest who bid this deponent remember him of 5. die Novembris meaning the Gunpowder-plot was by the Deponent and one Tho Mayo Indited and Out-lawd of High-treason and afterwards being protected by Secretary Windebank from the arrests of Messengers this Deponent oftentimes meeting of him in the streets on horsback and telling him that a sledg and three horses were fitter for him then one horse to ride on he replyed some two or three times when the Deponent used these speeches holding up his finger well Newton you rogue I have done your arrand to my Lords grace of Cant. already and shall do it to Secr. Windebank also And he deposed that he hath seen the said Jesuit once at Lambeth-house and there entertained by Mr Del the Archb Secretary in a room neer the Archbishops Study where being in familiar conference with the said Mr Del he did whisper to him often cast an eye toward this Depont as if he were speaking of him He likewise further deposed that he hath oft times seen the said Smith the Jesuit at Secr. Windebanks house talking very familiarly w th him and clapping him on the back that he met divers times sundry of the imprisoned popish Priests freely walking without a keeper in Grays-Inne walks and in other places and that they lay abroad out of prison in Towne and in the Country many weeks together he hath gone into the Newprison Clinck where there were about 20 Priests imprisoned and found not above one or two there Richard Dâ—unel Gent. deposed upon oath that he being a prisoner in the New-prison some yeers since the Priests and Jesuits committed thither by the Archbi had the best rooms in the prison a Cook Steward and coÌ„mon table at which they dicted al together Masse said in their chambers divers Ladies GentlemeÌ„ in â—â—â—ches frequently visiting them without restraint and great store of Venison sent them in its season when as Mr Huntly and other godly Ministers there imprisoned by the Archb. were thrust into the worst lodgings denied liberty to diâ—â— together and were not suffered to goe out of prison upon any occasion but with a costly keeper attending on them though they had given bond for their true imprisonment neither had their friends free accesse to them but were many times questioned and restrained Thomas Mayo a Messenger of Saint Andrewes Holborne testified upon Oath That about nine yeers since the Archbishop of Canterbury having committed one John Evans a Minister to the Gate-house for printing of Bils setting forth the use of the Antimonial Cup he did thereupon repaire with a Petition in his behalfe to the Archbishops house at Lambeth where he then saw Master Henry Moore and Henry Loyd alias Smith two dangerous Jesuits in the great Chamber above stairs neer the Archbishops Study waiting there as he conceiveth to speak with the said Archbishop and very familiarly entertained in discourse by Master Dell who carried himselfe very respectively towards them which he well remembreth for that he then delivered an Antimoniall Cup to the said Master Dell to be delivered to the Archbishop from Master Evans And he further deposed that he hath often seen Sir Toby Matthewes whom this Deponent hath seen in Saint Johns Colledge in Lovain in Brabant who there was reputed a Jesuit at Lambeth house and there walking in a friendly manner with the said Archbishop and at other times hath seen Sir Toby riding with him in his Coach once in the Strand and passing with him in his Barge from White-hall to Lambeth that he often assisting other Messengers to discover and apprehend Priests and finding some neglect in them in that service did thereupon desire the said Archbishop That he might have a Warrant for himselfe to apprehend Priests and Jesuits To which the said Archbishop answered You are too hot and nimble for that service saying He had Messengers enough already and refused to grant his request And withall by order from the said Archbishop he was imployed to attend popish Ambassadours houses Denmark-house and the Popes Nuncioes Lodging to view and returne unto him the number of popish Priests and Recusants which resorted thither to Masse which accordingly he did every Munday for the space of halfe a yeer and more
and that was no extravagancy As for the consecrating of Churches only repaired or somwhat enlarged we know no Law nor Canon in our Church to warrant it And to take sees for it is both Symony and extortion For the restoring of them it is only affirmed not proved and to take them illegally to bestow them on the poore is but to rob Peter to cloath Paul Thirdly For the consecration of Chappell 's and meere private Oratoties there is no president in Antiquity yea Gratian himselfe and the Roman Pontificall allow the use of them without any consecration Therefore to consecrate them is to exceed even Popery and Papists in Superstition As for his Chapell of Aberguilly his owne Diary proclaimes his Superstition both in its consecration and denomination of it For the Patterne and furniture of it his owne notes and papers clearly prove it was the same with that of Bishop Andrews whose forme of conscration himselfe alleageth he punctually pursued And if this were the true patterne furniture of Bishop Andrews owne Chapell Anno 1623. all the world may justly censure him for a professed Papist his Chapell Altar and their furniture being as Popish Superstitious Idolatrous every way as the Pops in Rome yea exceeding the very Roman Ceremoniall and Pontificall For Wafers they are directly contrary to the Rubrick at the end of the Communion in the Book of Common prayer we wonder therefore with what face this Prelate dares justify them That a Bishops breath puts only a badge of reverence not holinesse on Churches is diametrially contrary to what he formerly affirmed Perchance he now remembers that Quicquid effecit tale est magis tale and therefore Bishops cannot make other things holy with their breath who have little or no holinesse at all in their hearts For his solemne consecration prayer at the laying the first stone of Hammersmith Chappell it hath neither Scripture Law Canon Antiquity but the Roman Pontificall to warrant it Therefore it is meerly Popish Wheras he objects by way of jeare that he hopes the consecration of Churches and Chapells is no Treason we answer that we do not charge it to be so in it selfe But we have proved it to be a branch of Popery and a grosse one too and being introduced by him among other things to set up Popery and subvert Religion it will prove Treason in this respect as we shall manifest in due time And so this intre charge remaines unavoyded in any the least particle 8ly The next Charge urged against me Is The Kings Declaration for the use of sports on the Lords day prescribing the observation of Revells Wakes Feasts of Dedication likewise formerly suppressed where I am accused 1. For causing this Booke to be enlarged reprinted in his Majesties name to prevent the petition of the Iustices in Somersetshire and make way for Mr. Prynnes censure 2. For pressing Ministers to read it in their Churches without any Warrant suppressing of Sermons censuring those who refused to publish it as Mr. Wilson Master Player Master Heiron Mr. Snelling with sundry others encouraging other Bishops to suspend silence many Godly preaching Ministers for this cause pressing this Book and ordering Churchwardens to present such who refused to publish it by Visitation Oathes and Articles 3ly For reviving disorder by wakes Revels and causing the Iudges Orders to be reversed To the first of these I answer That the Kings Declaration for sports was printed and published by his Majesties speciall command Yea I had a Warrant under his hand to see it printed and there is no proofe at all that it was printed published or enlarged by my procurement Besides the Declaration is but for the use of lawful Sports and that only after evening prayer ended and the cause of publishing it at that time was partly Barbourous Book of the Sabbath who would revive the Iewish Sabbath and the Iewish rigidities positions of others touching the Lords day whose positions drew Brabourne into that Error In Geneva it self as I have bin ceedibly informed by Travellers they use shooting in peeces long bowes Crosse Bowes Musters and throwing of the bowle too on the Lords day as well before as after Sermons ended and allow all honest recreations without reproofe of their Ministers yea Mr. Calvin the great professor there Instit l. 2. c. 8. sect 34. blames those who infected the people in former ages with a Iudaicall opinion that the morality of the 4th Commandement to wit the keeping of one day in 7. did still continue which what else is it then in dishonour of the Iews to change the day and to affix as great a sanctity to it as the Iewes ever did And that those who adhored to their constitutions who broached this Doctrine Crassa carnalique Superstitione Judaeos ter superant Men may be too strict as wel as prophaneherein Yet I for my part have ever strictly observed the Lords day in point of practise And whereas it was attested by Mr. Prynne that this Declaration was published to prevent the Petition of Somersetshire for the reviving of Iudge Richardsons forecited order Sir Robert Philips and many other Gentlemen of that County complained against the order to the King whereupon the Iudge was ordered to reverse it and the Declaration was not published till after the reversall 2ly The Declaration was ordered to be published in the Church and that was sufficient warrant to enjoyne Ministers to publish it there although no penalty be prescribed in it to such who should refuse to publish the same yet it is implyed otherwise the command were idle in case of disobedience That it was published with intent to suppresse afternoon Sermons that so the people might â—ave more time for Sports This could not be since none were to use any Recreations till after Evening Prayer ended That I gave my Visitor command to suspend those who refused to read it was only within my Diocesse of Canterbury not in my Metropoliticall Visitation throughout my province I suspended but three Ministers in my whole Diocesse who had first time of consideration granted them to wit Mr. Wilson Mr. Culmer and Mr. Player only suspended ob officio for their contumacy being men of factious Spirits For Mr. Wilson and others being brought into the High Commission for not reading this Declaration it was the act of the Court not mine As for Mr. Snelling he was excommunicated by Dr. Woode not me and he was questioned in the High Commission for not bowing at the name of Iesus and as well as not reading this Book Besides I was not present at his censure there neither did I expunge his answer Nor did I presse the reading of the Declaration in my Visitation Articles if other Bishops did it t is nothing to me themselves must answer for it not I. 3ly Feasts of dedication have beene of great Antiquity and in generall use in some Coutries and there is a lawfull use of them for Hospitality and increase of
upon the Lord Keepers and Master of the Wards Rights of presenting to the Kings livings with my preferment of divers Arminians and persons popishly affected to Prebendaries and Benefices of best value as Doctor Heylin Doctor Weekes Doctor Baker Doctor Bray Doctor Heywood and others To this I answer First that I encroached not upon either of their rights True it is there being a difference between the Lord Keeper Coventry and the Lord Cottington Master of the Court of Wards about the presentation towards livings in the Kings gift I took occasion thereupon to informe his Majesty that till the controversie were decided between them he might doe well to dispose of these livings himselfe for the encouragement and reward of such young Schollers that went to Sea as Chaplaines in his Ships who had nothing to live on after their returne from Sea till they went forth againe which motion the King approving of very well committed the disposing of these livings accordingly to my charge without my desire or suit Secondly I disposed of livings to divers good and orthodox men as to Doctor Jackson of Canterbury and others as well as to the persons objected who were not all preferred by me for Doctor Heylin was promoted to his livings by the Earle of Danby Doctor Baker and Doctor Weekes were preferred by the Bishop of London To which was replyed First that most of the living belonging to the Lord Keeper and Master of the Wards were bestowed by him of which both of them oft complained therefore he encroached upon both which none of his Predecessors did For those belonging to the Mastership of the Wards he confesseth he disposed of them by the Kings appointment but that it was upon the pretended occasion without his seeking or desire though occasioned onely his motion we know not how to credit his bare word without better evidence who hath had the impudency to deny his owne hand-writing very often since his Tryal and afterwards been enforced to confesse it Secondly his collation of Livings upon orthodox good men are so few that he names but one Doctor Jackson of Canterbury and that when he had so farre prevailed upon his weaknesse by a new Cathedrall Statute and Oath as to induce him to Bow to the Altar c. as frequently as other Prebends which he hath deposed to his great shame and re-greet since this one Swallow therefore will prove no Spring no proofe of his ordinary preferring orthodox godly men to livings which he commonly bestowed on the most rotten Arminians and popish Clergy-men he could cull out Thirdly the Docquet Booke is expresse that Doctor Heylin was promoted to his livings and Prebendary by himselfe not by the Earle that Doctor Baker and Weekes too were preferred by him not by the Bishop of London and Weekes being his owne Chaplaine and Baker made a Prebend of Canterbury where no man durst interpose but he no doubt they were both preferred by him as the DOCQUET witnesseth on Record against his impudent Deniall without other proofe or truth The fixt Objection is that I usurped to me the conferring of most Bishopricks and Ecclesiasticall preferments in Ireland I answer first that I preferred none there but at the request of the Primate of Armagh and others of that Kingdome who first recommended them to me by their Letters Secondly that I was a meanes at their request to recover the Patrimony of the Churches in that Kingdome which had been long defrauded of it to restore Impropriations and increase the Revenues of Bishopricks and Church-livings there for the encouragement of Learning and better maintenance of Preaching in which regard they were desirous I should be acquainted with the persons they thought meet to have recommended to them This appears by the substance of most of the Letters that passed between the Lord Primate and other Bishops of Ireland and me To which was replied First that we instanced in his bestowing Bishopricks Deaneries and other Church-preferments in Ireland onely to demonstrate the Papall usurpation and Patriarchicall Jurisdiction he there encroached even whiles he was Bishop of London and to evidence his power in disposing of all Ecclesiastical preferments then at home since he disposed of these in Ireland where he had no Episcopall or Archiepiscopall Jurisdiction Secondly that most of those he there preferred were never recommended from thence though some of them perchance were Thirdly that although the recovery of the usurped depopulated Patrimony of that Church in Ireland was a commendable worke if done in a Legall way yet to recover it per fas nefas as he did it by the meere arbitrary power of the Lord Deputy Councell Table there by oppressing ruining dispossessing men of what they had lawfully purchased against their wils without any consideration or legall proceeding was a most unjust and wicked act Fourthly justly to recover and get in Impropriations to maintaine Preaching was a very good worke had this beene his end but certainly this was but a meere pretence for would he thinke you set up sincere Preaching in Ireland who suppressed it all he could in England Would he who subverted the Feoffees for purchasing in Impropriations to the Church to support Preaching and Preaching Ministers in England recover and get in Impropriations to the Church in Ireland to support Preaching and Preaching Ministers there No verily He did it onely to maintain the Pompe Power Pride State of the Prelates and Clergy there as he did in England not to maintain or set up godly Preaching Ministers which he both here and there suppressed all he could The fourteenth thing objected against me is my prosecution and severe proceedings against godly Ministers for Preaching against Arminianisme Popery and its dangerous increase among us as namely against Master Samuel Ward Master Chauncy and Master Bernard To this I answer first that these persons Censures were the Act of the whole High-Commission which is but one body aggregate for whose Act no one particular man is liable to be questioned but the whole Court not mine alone as an Act of Parliament is the Act of both Houses not of any particular Member who gave my voyce alwayes last or last but one and so could not sway the Court with my opinion not knowne to the Court till I delivered it after all had declared theirs Secondly that the Act of Parliament which lately abolished the Star-chamber and High-Commission hath no retrospect to nullifie the Sentences given in them but admits them good and valid in Law not subjecting the Judges who gave them to any punishment Thirdly their Sentences appeared to me to be just upon just grounds and admit the Sentences or Proceedings unjust yet it is but a misdemenour in others of the Commissioners that gave them therefore no Treason in me Fourthly the Passages and Sermons for which they were Sentenced were partly Schismaticall against the laudable Ceremonies of the Church and the Kings Declaration partly Seditious
Pope corrupt Ordinances Sacraments and a meere Idolatrous supersticious wil-worship Thirdly no true Ministry nor government of Christs institution Fourthly she yeelds no true Subjection nor Obedience to Christ his laws word spirit but opposeth him and them in all Fiftly she is over-spread with a Leprosie of damnable Errours in Doctrine corruptions in Faith Manners Ordinances Government Sixtly the definition of a true visible Church in our Homilies and Writers agrees not to her Seventhly our Homilies Writers define her to be a false Church not a true who are all mustered up together by Master Burton in his Babell no Bethell where she is largely proved to be no true Church For his distinction that she is a true Church Veritate Entis though not Moris as a Thiefe is a true man it is a meere childish evasion For it is not the meere entity and being of a company of men that makes up a Church or true Church for if so the Turks Pagans or any assembly else should be a true Church as well as the Protestants but a company of men rightly qualified to wit professing the true Christian Faith among whom the Word of God is truly Preached and the Sacraments duly administed To set then the distinction and comparison right If one should demand of the Archbishop Whether a Theefe be a true man or no as this phrase true man in our ordinary language signifies an honest just-dealing man with reference to his qualities morals not his Entity or being as a meer man himself grants that he is no true man but a false one in this sense in this very distinction and to answer that he is a true man in regard of his essence therefore a true man in respect of his Morals were a meer impertinency Nonsequitur By the selfe-same reason when we demand of him Whether the Church of Rome be a true Church and he answers She is so Veritate entis for she consists of a company of persons or reall men not veritate moris for that they are not so truly qualified in those Morals or rather supernaturall principles which makes them to be a true Church Himselfe must needs grant that his distinction is fallacious in applying this veritas entis to them as they are a Church not men or else yeeld that they are a false but no true Church because his not veritate Moris can be applyed to nothing else but to such morall and divine qualifications as should make them a true Church so as his owne distinction directly subverts this his false conclusion of her being a true Church and his charging her with grosse Corruptions Errors Superstitions to the endangering of salvation doth the like Secondly it was retorted that his distinction of her erring onely circa fundamentalia not in Fundamentalibus was a falshood For first her affirming the Church to be built upon Peter and the Pope not Christ the chiefe corner-stone Her denying the Scriptures to be Scriptures but as they are grounded on confirmed and expounded by the Authority of the Church and Pope Her making Apochryphall Scriptures Canonicall and so adding to the Scriptures Her giving the Pope power to null and dispence with things against the Scriptures Her resolving the foundation of all our Faith into the Church To beleeve as the Church beleeves not into the Scriptures themselves Her deifying of the Virgin Mary Saints Images in praying to and adoring them with divine worship Her joyning of Saints Merits and Mediations with Christs and making them joynt Saviours Mediators Advocates with him Her turning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper into a Propitiatory Massing Sacrifice of as great or greater Merit as Christs own Sacrifice on the crosse adoring the consecrated Bread as their Lord God and Christ himselfe Her taking away the Sacramentall Cup from the Laity point-blanke against Christs owne Institution Her giving Christ an ubiquitary body on earth instead of a glorified body in heaven her tying people to pray to God in an unknown tongue with her creating a new head of the Church in Christs stead the Pope who hath the Keyes of Heaven Hell and Purgatory too and can pardon sins release Soules out of Hell and Purgatory at his pleasure with her abolishing the second Commandement out of the Decalogue What are they all but Fundamentall Errors nullifying that Church which maintaines them and not Errors onely about the foundation For his foure instances that circumstances may undermine and destroy the Foundation We answer First that neither of all these instances concerne the Papists or Church of Rome the subject in question therefore altogether impertinent Secondly they are not meer circumstantials but fundamentals because directly contrary to the expresse words of Scripture and Articles of our Faith of which they are unseparable parts which if false in any part may and will be false in the whole and no ground of Faith at all For the rule of the Schools we agree it but how he applyes it to his distinction or the Church of Rome we cannot yet discerne Thirdly it was replyed That the Religion of the Church of Rome and England is not one and the same For that which they repute the maine part of their Religion is no Christian Religion at all nor part of the Christian Religion but meere Antichristian Errour Superstition corruption Idolatry And in his Booke he doth no more charge her with some grosse corruptions endangering Salvation then she chargeth us as the perusall of his words demonstrates Fourthly his justifying salvation to be had in this false Antichristian Church and Religion denying the foundation is contrary to the opinion of all Otthodox Protestants who make her damnable Errours the ground of their separation from her And though some affirme that divers in the Church of Rome are saved yet none are saved by being of that Church or by that Faith and Doctrine which she properly cals her Faith and Religion wherein she differs from us but by their relying onely on Christs merits which she disclaimes Fiftly his deleting all phrases clauses calling or intimating the Pope to be the Antichrist is a cleer evidence that he holds him not to be so Else his sinne fault will prove the greater in purging out that as Heterodox and scandalous which himselfe beleeves to be a truth For our Statutes Homilies Writers they define the Pope either in direct termes or equivalent expressions to be Antichrist and our Church yea State in them at leastwise in our forecited Statutes and the Subsidy Act 3. Jac. penned by the Convocation As for the Articles of Ireland though they bind us not yet being taken out of the Articles and Homilies of England they sufficiently declare the resolution of our Church as well as theirs that the Pope is Antichrist and Doctor Vsher Primate of Armagh in a Letter of his to the Archbishop himselfe Jan. 4. 1635. the very day of his birth writes That this conceit is so rife in the minds and mouths of the Papists
use of them the quite contrary way to poyson corrupt our Universities to sophisticate our Articles of Religion to put such a Roman glosse upon them as might make them seem to be Roman Catholiques and to reconcile us speedily to Rome not Rome to us as Sancta Clara his Book written in England and shewed to his Grace by the Author himselfe accompanied with his great favourite Bishop Linsey before its publication as himselfe acknowledgeth under his owne hand-writing manifests past all contradiction therefore the case of Preston to whom he himselfe hath given a protection under his hand and Seale as well as Abbot is altogether impertinent Thirdly for his correspondency with Sir Toby Matthew Sancta Clara Saint Giles Leander Smith and Price we have so fully proved it that impudency it selfe would blush to deny it OurWitnesses have sworne all of them to be popish Priests himselfe under his hand confesseth Saint Giles to be such a Priest and that he was charged not to exercise his Priestly Function during his residence in Oxford it is strange audacity therefore in him to deny that he knew any of them to be Priests when he infallibly confesseth he knew him and no doubt knew all the rest to be so too especially Sancta Clara who stiles himselfe so in his Book yea Father Price and Leander too were most notoriously knowne to all to be such and to exercise their Priestly Function in London if not in the Court it selfe sometimes therefore knowne no doubt to be priests to him Fourthly for the Witnesses produced we very much wonder at his exceptions against them most of them as Master Waddesworth Newton Mayo Thatcher Goldsmith and Cooke being persons imployed by the Lords of the Counsell himself and the high Commissioners to apprehend Priests and other Delinquents who cōtinued in that imployment after the pretended complaints against them If they were men so dishonest so uncredible as he pretends why thē did himself the Lords and high Commissioners make choice or imploy such for their Messengers commit so great a trust unto them If they be persons worthy to be trusted with such an employment by persons of honour quality and himselfe too then certainly most competent Witnesses attesting onely that they know with reference to the Arch-bishop in the very execution of their Office about the apprehending of Priests and Jesuits wherein none can give so full or punctuall testimony as themselves who are most privy to their own Actions For the pretended abuses committed they concerne onely two or three of them not all that they are guilty of ought complained against them there is not the least shadow of proofe offered by the Archbi and admit there were yet it would no wayes invalid their testimony being not in the things for which they were accused and fortified with other concurrent testimonies as Master Thatchers Master Deuxels and Elizabeth Grayes against which there is no just exception for Mr Egertons censure in the High Commission it was most unjust and illegall he was sentented there to be deprived of his Searchers place and fined forty pounds onely for giving way and conniving at the importation of some ENGLISH BIBLES with GENEVA NOTES and selling some of them to others A dangerous crime which will rather improve then impeach his testimony in all honestmens opinions Secondly for his particular answers we shall returne this replication First that the Warrant under the Kings hand for Saint Giles his residence and maintainance in Oxford is without date written with the Archbishops owne hand and a meer circumvention yea it seems a very strong argument of his guilt for if himselfe did not place and provide for him in Oxford what need he procure such a Warrant from the King to doe it and if he had been cordiall to our Religion he would never have accepted such a Warrant nor intermedled with such a dangerous scandalous Designe as this to poyson and seduce the whole University who took publick notice of it in such a time of generall defection and backsliding unto popery Secondly for his intimacy with Sir Toby Matthew and knowing him to be a Priest our Witnesses evidences are so cleere we shall rather pitty his impudency in denying it then trouble your Lordships in repeating them Master Dobsons not seeing him at Lambeth is no proofe he was not there and the Earle of Straffords releasing him was seconded with his owne approbation who said it is well Thirdly for Smiths Leanders and Price their resorts unto him we have formerly cleered it and shall not repeat Sancta Clara his addresses to him with his Books to reconcile us is confessed under his owne hand we need no other testimony Fourthly that Sancta Clara and Saint Giles were Aliens is no extenuation of his guilt but aggravation for they were therefore the fitter the likelier to be imployed hither by papall authority to reduce us back to Rome But admit them Aliens which he hath hath not as yet proved yet Sir Toby Matthew Leander and Price were native Englishmen and so within the Statutes of 23 Eliz. c. 1. 27 Eliz. c. 2. which he would evade Fiftly for Master Waddesworths testimony it is very full the Designe was to send him over-sea or to imprison him till he should enter into bond never to prosecute or apprehend Priests more to which plot the Archbishop was privy whose name was used to him himself confessing he sent him four peeces to be rid of him He pretends it was because he pretended himselfe a convert Certainly this is but a pretext he being a convert many yeers before and one imployed to apprehend Priests long before his imprisonment his diligence herein being the cause of his troubles Sixtly his refusall to commit Wilford a most dangerous seducing Priest before he knew he had any protection and discharging him afterwards onely because he had a protection from Secretary Windebanke with Master Dels answer that his Lord would not meddle with such trifles shewes the coldnesse of his zeale to our Religion and his good affection to popery If a godly Protestant Minister had but scrupled at the reading of the Book for Sabbathday-sport or omitted the lest Ceremony or preached but a Sermon on a Lords-day after-noon these were such hainous crimes and matters of so grand importance that they must be forthwith suspended committed deprived and all businesses set aside to prosecute them notwithstanding any protection of Law or Gospell but if a dangerous Priest who had perverted above two hundred soules be brought before his Grace alas his zeale is so frozen he will not meddle with the businesse and his friend Secretary Windebanks Warrant must set him free and secure him against all lawes and prosecutions A plaine proofe of a confederacy between them to protect these Traytors and reduce us back to popery by granting liberty to such pernicious seducers Seventhly for Gray his onely fault as our Witnesses depose was that he complained against his
expertnesse and diligence in discovering priests and assisting other Messengers to apprehend them for this hainous crime alone Windebanke complained of him to the Queen and for this very cause Thatcher is specially charged by the Arcishop himselfe not to keep company with him under paine of being turned out of his place and Goldsmith deposeth that the Archbishop himselfe gave a publick charge to all the Messengers of the High Commission not to keep company with Gray any more for if they did he would lay them by the heels pull their Coats off their backs and turne them out of their places Committed he was to the Fleet upon the Archbishops complaint only for using words implying his coldnesse in prosecuting priests hoping to see better times a very poor cause to imprison him so long His own hand as we proved is to the Warrant for his commitment He oft times petitioned for his enlargement by his wife but his petitions were still rejected with scorn He answers He will have nothing to doe with that Priest-catching knave proved by two Witiesses Elizabeth Gray and Goldsmith Vbi dolor ibi digitus here was the cause of all the malice against Gray this was his grand crime he was a priest-catcher and a knave for catching them strange language from an Archbishop But what followes his favourite Windebank must come in to act the second part and close up the Tragedy Gray must not be enlarged after many moneths imprisonment till he put in baile never to discover or prosecute Priests more and then they should all be quiet in short time with our prelats and popish Clergies concurrence quickly reduce us all to Rome This is the upshot of the Designe which this evidence concerning Gray most cleerly discovers and proves too Eightly for Egertons testimony concerning his restoring of popish Books it is more then a report it was from the mouth of Mottershead a sworne Officer to the Archbishop now dead who durst not report an untruth of this nature and the Archbishop himselfe confesseth the many Books forementioned were restored by order of the High Commission Court whereof himselfe was a chiefe member therefore by him a cleer confirmation of Mottersheau's words Egerton's testimony and Master Jones his papers Ninthly for the liberty of Priests Jesuits and their saying Masse in prisons it was his owne negligence and connivance the Keepers being under his command the High Commissioners who could look narrowly enough to Puritans and godly Ministers and indeed their commitment thither to secure them from our common Goales and all legall prosecutions was but a meer fallacy to delude the people and advance the Catholick cause with greater facility and lesse suspition Tenthly Mayoes testimony and Thatchers are so farre from extenuating that they aggravate his offence their Warrants and imployments being meer dissimulations and shadowes to gull the people for naught was done upon the intelligence of the one to whom he refused to grant a Warrant because he was too hot against Priests and no Priests apprehended by the other who had his Warrant upon this condition Not to imploy or keep company with Gray the onely man that could discover Priests and Jesuits to him and help him in their apprehending Finally his owne objected confession in his Epistle to the King God forbid I should ever offer to perswide a persecution in any kind or practice it in the least c. against Priests and Jesuits coupled with the premises when as he was so terrible so bloody a persecutor of Orthodox godly Ministers and zealous Protestants unanswerably proues his connivance at his protection of and confederacy with them to re-enthrall us in their Romish bondage So that this whole charge however he conceives he hath shaken it quite off and laid it in the dust recoiles upon him with greater vigor and rests heavier on his back then ever The last charge of this nature against me is that I complyed with Papists Priests and Jesuits in concealing their very Treasonable plots and conspiracies both against our State Church and Religion to reduce us unto Rome for which they produce two instances my threatning and committing Mistris Hussey for discovering a dangerous plot of the Queen Mother and others to cut the Protestants throats and my concealing of Habernfields plot discoverd to me not prosecuting or revealing it to the Parliament or Lords to fift it to the bottome To this I answer that I did not conceale nor discourage the discoverers of either of these two plots For the first of them I conceived it very improbable and I thought Anne Hussey to be crazy when she revealed it and so much I told her For her commitment to the Sheriffes it was at her owne desire for her greater safety and there was as strict an examination as possible of this conspiracy but no cleer evidence For the latter plot as soon as I received intelligence of it I presently revealed it to the King as appeares by my Letter and the Kings Answer to it in the margin under his owne hand which Master Prynne hath printed and the subsequent Letters prove that I did all I could therein but could make nothing of it This I beleeve a noble Lord here present well remembers to whom I disclosed it to wit the Earle of Northumberland who presently replyed he did remember no such thing However it is one of the greatest evidences that can be of my steadfastnesse in the protestant Religion and opposition against popery if the plot were reall and if but counterfeit then no crime to conceale it To which was replyed First that all the premises abundantly prove that he was privy and assistant to many Jesuiticall plots and devices to usher in popery and reduce us to Rome therefore it is no wonder that he opposed not nor prosecuted but smothered them all he could Secondly that the first of the plots which he then conceived improbable hath since experimentally proved reall both in England and Ireland yea his b Owne with Straffords dangerous advice to the King To bring in an Army of Irish Papists at that time to subdue the Scots because they durst not trust the English was cozen Germane to this plot which she discovered and probably a branch thereof For his deeming and calling her Mad-woman when she spake both punctually and rationally with his reviling terrifying words to her his laying an imputation on the whole City of London that she was hired by them to make this discovery with his menaces to have her punished c. were unsufferable abuses in such a case as this to smother a most execrable Treason and such a terrifying of a Witnesse as we shall not read the like especially when all the other Lords encouraged and gave her good words As for the further examination of the businesse afterwards and commitment of the Priest it proceeded only from the other Lords not him who did all he could to dant the Witnesses and conceal the
in the Afternoone though he hath beene admonished of it and inhibited by Mr Chancellor of London to which the Archbishop underwrites this direction to Sir Nathaniel Brent his Visitor Sir I require you that besides your other Instructions you give me an Account of all particulars within named W. Cant. Of which particular concerning Mr Randall Sir Nathaniel after his Visitation gave this account to the Archbishop MAster Randall Curate of Tuddington noted in the paper confesseth that since he was inhibited by Mr Chancellor of London to preach in the Afternoones on Sundayes he hath once offended and no more It was to make a farewell Sermon to that exercise as he saith wherein he rather aggravateth his fault then otherwise Hee saith that this Sermon was much beyond the compasse of an hour and I beleeve it continued more then two houres He now seeth and acknowledgeth his fault protesteth he will be most conformable for the future and humbly desireth to be dismissed with a Canonicall Admonition But I keep him in fear still To this we might add his procurement of Dr Ienningson Lecturer at Newcastle to be questioned in the High Commission at York in the year 1639. whose Articles and Answers were both sent up to Lambeth to his Grace-ship and enforcing to quit that place with the Kingdome too to avoyd his fury His prosecution of Mr Iohn Iemmet Lecturer at Barwicke in causing the Bishop of Durham in December 1639. to send for him by a Pursevant silence him from preaching in Barwick and banish him the Town without any Articles or Witnesses examined against him with other instances of this nature but for brevity sake we shall omit these and proceed to his next stratagem to suppresse preaching which was His publishing of a Declaration for Sports in his Majesties name and silencing suspending excommunicating questioning censuring in the High Commission and elsewhere many hundreds of godly conscientious Preaching Ministers whom the Instructions for Lecturers could not reach so farr as to silence being Incumbents and not meer Lecturers for refusing personally to publish it in their Churches to animate their people to profane the Lords day with unhallowed Pastimes which because we have formerly insisted on and proved to be his designe we shall here but mention and passe by only with this one Addition that Mr Thomas Valentine Minister of Chalford Saint Giles in the County of Buckingham being suspended by Sir Iohn Lambe Deane of the Arches for not reading the Book of Sports from which suspention he appealed and procured time to consider whether he would read it or not Mr Valentine not long after to obtain further time and favour writ a Letter to Sir Iohn Lambe dated April 28. 1636. with 5 l. inclosed and a Petition to the Archbishop on which Letter Sir Iohn makes this endorsment with his own hand Master Valentine 28. April 1636. with 5 l. PEECES inclosed which Petition Sir Iohn recommending to Mr Dell procured him a gratious answer and some longer respite for the present but in December and Ianuary following he was again molested and suspended for not publishing this Declaration in proper person though his Curate had formerly read it in the Church as appears by two Petitions to the Archbishop for his absolution His third design to suppresse preaching was by discouraging conscientious young Schollers and Divines from entering into the Ministry by putting divers clogs difficulties upon them under a most specious pretext which was thus effected No sooner was this Prelate setled in his Archbishoprick but he contrived a Letter drawn by Mr Dell his Secretary but interlined corrected with his own hand as appears by the Originall draught found in his study directed as from his Majestie to himself which he afterwards presented to the King who directed and sent it to him under his Privy Signet to be put in Execution in manner following as the very Letter it selfe under the Kings Signet declares thus endorsed with the Archbishops own hand Rec. Sept. 19. 1633. From his Majesty that no Ministers be made sine Titulo To the most Reverend Father in God our Right trusty and Right entirely beloved Councellor William Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Primate and Metropolitane of all England CHARLES R. MOst Reverend Father in God Right trusty and right entirely beloved Councellour we greet you well There is nothing more deer to US then the preservation of true Religion as it is now settled and established in this our Kingdome to the honour of God and the great comfort of our selfe and our Loyall people and there can nothing more conduce to the advancement thereof then the strict observation of such Canons of the Church as concern those that are to take orders in their severall times More especially of keeping that particular Canon which injoyns That no man be made a Priest or a Minister without a Title For we finde that many not so qualified do by favour or other means procure themselves to be ordeined and afterwards for want of means wander up and downe to the scandall of their calling or to get maintenance fall upon such courses as are most unfit for them both by humouring their Auditours and other wayes altogether unsufferable Wee have therefore thought fit and Wee doe hereby streightly require and charge you to call such Bishops to you as are now present in or neer our City of London and to acqulint them with this our resolution And further that you faile not in the beginning of the next Terme to give notice of this our will and pleasure openly in our High Commission Court and that you call into our said Court every Bishop respectively that shall presume to give Orders to any man that hath not a Title and there to censure him as the Canon aforesaid doth injoyn which is to maintain the party so ordered till he give him a Title and with what other censure you in Justice shall think sit And our further will is That nothing shall be reputed a Title to enable a man for orders but that which is so by the ancient course of the Church and the Canon Law so far forth as that Law is received in this our Church of England And as you must not fail in these our directions nor in any part of them so we expect that you gives us from time to time a strict accompt of your proceedings in the same Given under our Signet at our Pallace of Westminster the nineteenth day of September in the ninth year of our Raigne Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Upon receit hereof this Archbishop whose project it was directs this Letter following to the Bishops of his Province as is evident by the originall draught thereof corrected with his own hand and thus endorsed by him Octob. 18. 1633. The Copy of my Letters upon this of his Majesties to the severall Bishops of this Province S. in Christo My very good Lord HIS Majestie hath been often and much troubled upon