when all the world knows both that they are the Kings and that he cannot be ignorant that they are so But of this before They hold and teach that it is more agreeable to Christian piety to be blinde rather than thus quick-sighted in our obedience and approve that of S. Gregory True obedience doth not discusse Vera obedientia nec Praepositorum intentionem discutit nec praecepta dece nit nescit enim judicare quisquis perfectè didicerit obedire D. Greg. l. 2. c. 4. in 1 Reg. the intention of superiours nor make difference of precepts He that hath learned perfectly to obey knowes not how to judge To be blind so as not to see the imperfections and failings of Superiours nor to be lesse ready for these to performe their commands and to looke onely at Him whose place they hold To be blind so as not to search the reason or to look at the causes why but to thinke it enough to know the things to be commanded and by them that are in place and power Lastly They would have obedience to be better sighted and not so blind as M. Burton hath shewed himselfe They would have obedience to have eyes to see what God commands as well as what the King and to discerne God to be the greater of the two and to be obeyed in the first place but they would not have men mistake their owne dreames and fancies for Gods commands And not this onely but to see what is commanded by their superiours and who it is that commands and to know them to be Gods Deputies to whom obedience is due as unto God himselfe And they have learned of Solomon that where the word of a King is there is power and who may Eccles 8. 2. say unto him what dost thou This is no novell Iesuiticall doctrine but sound Divinity and that which this Church ever taught and the Law of the Land ever approved if it be good Law which was long agoe delivered by Bracton with which Bract. de leg consuet Ang. c. 8. Ipse sc Rex sub nullo nisi tantum sub Deo Si ab eo peccatur c. I will shut up this point The King saith hee is under none but onely God And a little after If he do amisse because no writ goes out against him there is place for supplication that he would correct and amend his deed which if he doe not it is enough punishment for him that the Lord will punish it For no man must presume to enquire or discusse his actions much lesse to goe against them CHAP. IX Of the Doctrine of the Sabbath and Lords-day falsely accused of Novelty The summe of what is held or denyed in this point by those whom Mr B. opposeth The Churches power and the obligation of her precepts The maintainers of this doctrine have not strained their braines or conscience THe last innovation in doctrine that he mentions pag. 126 is concerning the doctrine of the Sabbath or Lords-day wherein he saith our novell Doctors have gone about to remove the institution of it from the foundation of Divine authority and so to settle it upon the Ecclesiasticall or humane power Thus he But in this as in the rest he betrayes most grosse and palpable ignorance and malice 1. In that he accuseth that doctrine of novelty which was ever as hath beene sufficiently demonstrated the doctrine of the Ancient Church and of the Church of England and of the reformed Churches beyond the Seas and the principall of the learned among them as Calvin Beza c. 2. In accusing those that teach this doctrine with removing the institution of the Lords day from the foundation of divine Authority See B. of Ely p. 271. c. edit 1. which taken together and as he delivers it is most false For They acknowledge the appointing of set times and dayes to the publick and solemn worship and service of God to be not onely divine but morall and perpetuall and that the common and naturall equity of the fourth Commandement B. of Ely p. 120 obligeth all man-kinde to the end of the world Secondly They affirme that the institution of the Lords day and other set and definite dayes 2 De dispens c. c. 12. Quid enim interest utrū per se an per suos ministros sive homines sive Angelos hominibus innotescat suum placitum Deus and times of Gods worship is also of divine authority though not immediately but by the Church which received her power from the holy Ghost and that Christian people are to observe the dayes so ordained in obedience to the equity of the fourth Commandement to which those dayes are subordinate and their observation to be reduced Thirdly they grant that the resting from labour on the Lords day and Christian holy 3 B. of Ely p. 121 dayes in respect of the generall is both grounded upon the law of nature and the perpetuall equity of the fourth Commandement Fourthly they grant a speciall sense of that 4 Commandement of perpetuall obligation So that they have not absolutely removed the institution of the Lords day from the foundation of divine Authority Nor is the fourth Commandement wholly abolished as he falsely and unjustly clamours That which they deny in this doctrine and concerning the fourth Commandement may be reduced under these heads They deny the fourth Commandement to be wholly morall so doth M. Burton Particularly they deny the morality and perpetuall obligation of that Commandement as it concernes the seventh day from the creation which is our Saturday And this is the Apostles Col. 2. 17. doctrine who calls it a shadow which M. Burton also granteth They deny that the peculiar manner of the sanctification of the Iewish or seventh-day Sabbath in the observation of a strict and totall rest and surcease from ordinary labours can by vertue of that commādement be extended to the Lords day or Christian holy dayes but that it together with the day on which it was required is expired and antiquated And this also M. Burton must needs grant 1. Because there is the same reason of the day and the rest required upon it both being appointed for a memoriall of Gods rest from his worke of creation and other typicall respects 2. Because otherwise he will contradict his fellowes and those that side with him in this argument who generally allow some Perkins cases Amesius Med. Theol. l. 2. c. 15. n. 23. things to bee lawfully done on the Lords day which on the Jewish Sabbath were not permitted They deny that the fourth Commandement determins the set time of Gods publick worship either to one day in the revolution of seven or to any other seventh save onely that which is there mentioned and that therefore the Lords day cannot thence bee said to have its institution as being another day than that which the Commandement speaks of which to conceive to be there meant is to
of our owne Church cannot but say this Doctrine hath beene ever taught and maintained among us That is Wee praise God for all those that are departed this life in the faith of Christ and pray that they may have their perfect consummation and blisse both in body and soule c. And thus farre Prayer for the dead is no Innovation and much lesse Popish For wee maintaine no Suffrages for the reliefe of soules in the fooles-fire of Purgatory which prayers and Artic. 22. place wee condemne as fond things vainly invented and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture but rather repugnant to the word of God So our Church-article speakes and in the same condemnation joines that other point of Mr. Burtons charge Invocation of Saints which Doctrine Of praying to Saints taken at the best and as the learned Papists defend it deserves that censure and as it is commonly practised by the vulgar sort among them is not foolish onely but flatly Idolatrous And therefore justly exploded and condemned by all Protestants and I dare boldly say Mr. Burton cannot produce any one of those whom hee endeavours to blemish that holds or teaches that doctrine CHAP. VIII Of the Doctrine of obedience to Superiours How taught and maintained by the Bishops Wherein it must be blind and how quick-sighted VVEE have two changes in Doctrine yet remaining First in the doctrine of obedience to Superiours Secondly in the doctrine of the Sabbath or Lords Day pag. 126. By the first hee saith Man is so set in Gods throne as all obedience to man must be absolute without regard to God and conscience I verely beleeve there is none of those he meanes that have raised obedience so high but that Mr. B. would bring it downe to as low a pegge and haply considering how prone such as he are to debase it it might not be thought ill policy to exact somewhat more than of strict right it can callenge But where or by whom is this doctrine taught Of that he saith nothing here but tells us he hath spoken of it sufficiently before And indeed wee find more than enough by him spoken about this point for speaking of the connexion of the feare of the a pag. 84. Lord and of the King and from thence rightly observing that these two ought not to be separated But that God must be so honoured as wee doe also in the second place honour our Superiours And our Superiours so honoured as that in the first place we honour God Hee b pag. 8â— comes to reproove those that separate these two the second sort of whom he makes Those that separate c pag 87 the feare of the King from the feare of the Lord by attributing to Kings such an unlimited power as if he were God Almighty himselfe So as hereby they would seeme to ascribe that omnipotency to the King which the Pope assumes and his Parasites ascribe to his Holiness And this he saith these parasites and paramours of the Kings Courts do c. All this is easily granted The doctrine there is no good Christian but will subscribe to yea and the use too and thinke those not onely worthy of reproofe but unworthy the name of Christians and to bee accounted none of Gods good subjects that shall goe about by flattery or otherwise to advance the power of the King to the prejudice of Gods supereminent soveraigntie or which when the commands of the one and the other come in opposition shall not as the Apostles choose rather to obey God than Act. 4. 12. man and as those ancient Christian Souldiers under Iulian the Apostate who as S. Augustine In Ps 124. Distinguebant dominum aeternuÌ„ a â—omino temporali tum subditi erant propter dominum aeternum notes were so subject to their temporall Lord for their eternall Lords sake as they still distinguished their eternall from their temporall Lord And though they would obey that wicked Emperor when he sent them to fight against his enemies yet when hee would have them to worship Idols or to burne Incense to them they preferred God before him and denyed their obedience And if any man shall presume to teach that which shall be contrary to this so sure and well grounded a truth hee shall thereby make himselfe the author of a doctrine impious against God and novell in the Church as by those places out of the Fathers which Mr. B. alledgeth and infinite more to the same purpose may be easily demonstrated Yet it seemes by him some have dared so much and that beside the Iesuits whom he calls the Masters of this mystery in their blinde p. 77. obedience there are gotten too many Doctors to be their Disciples and broachers of this new doctrine and againe Many false prophets are now pag. 82. abroad being possessed with the spirit of the Beast which so magnifieth the power of man and his authority in commanding that ipso facto all must yeeld obedience thereunto without further adoe And in the place formerly mentioned he makes the Bishops to be those Parasites and Court Paramors which ascribe such an unlimited power to the King But in a matter of this high nature to accuse onely is not sufficient If he can prove it as substantially as he hath boldly affirmed it let them goe for Iesuiticall Novell Doctors and Parasites and spare not Hic labor hoc opus est Here as it is wont the water sticks with him Proofes I can finde none but instead of proofes I finde conjectures and surmises of some ends which the Bishops may have to induce them to hold and teach this Doctrine Their ends he saith are 1. To keepe the K. from Parliament lest they might be brought Coram 2. By their flattery to endeare the K. unto them as the onely supporters of his Prerogative Royall thereby to protect themselves having incurred the hatred of the whole land 3. That they may borrow this abused regall Power to execute a lawless tyranny over the Kings good subjects 4. Lastly that they may trample the lawes and liberties of the subjects and in fine bring the whole State King and all under their girdle as being true to their principle That a Bishop ought not to Episcopus non debet subesse Principibus sed prae esse Decret de maj et obed Tit. 33. Innocent 3. be subject to Princes but rule over them These hee brings instead of reasons to make good this accusation and these he knowes to be sufficient to make thoses Judges I meane the people before whom he hath brought them to be tryed to passe sentence against them and pronounce them guilty Yet God be thanked the Bishops do not stand or fall by their sentence And prudent Judges if they find no greater proofes will rather judge the accuser guilty of Scandalum magnatum than upon such weake evidence to condemne the accused For all this notwithstanding it appeares not otherwise than by Mr.
Thus I have smelt this which hee calles the sweet flower of candid sinceritie and find it to be no other than the unsavory and bitter weed of detraction As for that for which hee brings this and the other instances viz. To prove that the Bishops whom hee calles the Popes Factors doe by these practises labour to divide the King from his good Subjects and bring Him to have a hard opinion of the good Ministers of the Land and the Kings most loyall loving dutifull faithfull obedient peaceable Subjects I say first that if hee meane himselfe and his party as it is out of all question hee doth for wee shall never finde him to grace any others with those titles His Majestie hath such experience of their love and loyalty such as it is that hee needs no informers nor need Mr. B. feare till they alter their courses that ever His Majestie will or any of those hee aymes at goe about to alter his deserved opinion of them Secondly if the words bee taken in their latitude and as they sound I say onely two things First That it is a meere slander and groundlesse calumnie Secondly That if they should act their parts in that way with His Majestie as devoutly and with as great zeale as Mr. B. and others of his faction have done theirs with the people or to speake more plainly if they should as earnestly endeavour to bring His Majestie to have as hard an opinion of His Subjects as Mr. Burt. hath done to bring the Subjects to have of His Majestie all things had long before this beene in a combustion if not arrived at a totall ruine and desolation But enough of this Passe wee now to the fift kinde of Innovations CHAP. XVI Of the altering of the Prayer-bookes The putting In for At. The leaving out of Father of thine elect c. no treason Master B. rather guilty His pretty shift about it and how hee and some of his use the Prayers of the Church Of the Prayers for the fift of November altered Those Prayers not confirmed by act of Parliament The Religion of the Church of Rome not Rebellion Of the alterations in the last Fast-booke The restraint of preaching Fasting dayes no Sabbaths THe fift Innovation hee tels of is in altering of Prayer-bookes set forth by publick Authority And this out of the zeale hee beareth to Authority much troubles him so that he makes a great adoo about both in his sermons and so doth the Author of the Ipswich libell Let us briefly inquire what the matter may bee that thus moves his patience First he tells us of alterations made in the Communion-booke set forth by In the editions since 1619. Parliament within this seventeene or eighteene yeares as in the Epistle for the Sunday before Easter That In the name of Iesus is turned into At the name of Iesus Surely a mighty alteration and which toucheth the substance of Religion and worship of God To read it in the Epistle as it is used to be read in the Lesson when that chapter is appointed for so it is there turned both by his friends the Genevians and our last Translators But hee hath a matter of other-like moment than this In the Collect for the Queene and Royall Progenie they have put out Father of thine Elect and of their Seed This he keeps a foule pudder about and in the Epitome they cry out O intolerable Newes Ips p. 3. impiety affront and horrid treason and puts it in the title-page to startle and amaze the readers at first dash and make them cry shame upon the Bishops But if I could take the man in coole bloud I would demand of him who made that prayer If hee say as hee must it was made at the beginning of King Iames his raigne I would aske by whom If he say by the Bishops I shall then become his petitioner to bee informed why they may not as well alter it when the occasion ceased as well as make it to serve the present occasion of those times If he say as hee here intimates that it was set forth by the Parliament let him produce the Act that was made for that prayer then I shall say more to him But for all that it is not to bee so slighted for it sounds little better than high treason to dash the Queene and Royall Progeny out of the number of Gods Elect. Wee may very well let Master B. boast of his loyalty when hee gives such experiment of it by his zeale in detecting traitors treasonous practises But in good earnest doth he think it treason truly I can hardly beleeve he doth but if he or any other seduced by his sermons and libels should I will by asking a question or two get them assoyled from so heavie a charge For how if this Alteration were as indeed it was and for that cause alter'd before the Kings Majesty had any Royall Progeny Sure then it could bee no treason hee may perhaps if there be any such call it treason in the roote which in time may grow up to bee treason though at first it was no such thing but an act done upon good ground and reason But he is not very confident that they doe exclude them out of the number of Gods Elect it is but as it were or as if nor can hee doe otherwise in reason because it is no necessary consequence to say they doe not when they pray for them addresse their prayers to God by the name of Father of his elect and of their seed therfore they doe not think them they pray for to bee of Gods Elect. But what if Master B. himselfe doe indeed exclude them and doe not thinke them to be of the number of Gods Elect Will it be intolerable impiety and horrid treason still No question it must bee the same crime in him and them persons doe not so difference acts whose objects are the same And that this uncharitable and most unchristian-like Christian man is of this opinion were easie to demonstrate out of his senselesse bookes against my Lord of Exon and Master Cholmeley were it fit for me to prosecute this argument But he hath a pretty shift for that and by the helpe of a mentall reservation can use that clause well enough For though he doe not beleeve them to be Elect to an Eternall Crowne such is the wisedome and charity of this black Saint hee beleeves that they are to a Temporall And this is intimated in his Epitome where the leaving out of this clause is made to imply that they which did it made them all reprobates and none of the number of Gods Elect either to a Temporall or an Eternall Crowne By which men may judge with what faith such as Master B. use to say the prayers of the Church and what strange senses they are faine to put upon them to fit them to their fancies And this is no new thing with them but practised a long
scholer to preach in Yea and our Saviour himselfe whom Saint Paul would not contradict told his Disciples of such an out of season that he thought not fit to preach to his Disciples the things which they should afterwards be taught when he saith I have yet many Ioh. 16. 12. things to say unto you but ye cannot beare them now It must needes therefore behoove the governors of the Church the Bishops who are the grand Pastors and Ministers of their whole Dioces if they will not bee wanting to the Cure of soules committed to their charge to see that those whom they admit to partake in their cure and charge doe rightly divide the word of truth to see 2. Tim. 2. 15. that it be not onely the word of truth but rightly divided rightly 1. in regard of the quality of it that it may be suited to the condition and capacity of those to whom it is divided putting a difference 1. Cor. 3. 1. betweene those that are carnall and those that are spirituall betweene babes and strong men in Christ between those who are unskilfull in Heb. 5. 13. the word of righteousnesse and those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discerne both good and evill 2. It must be rightly also for the time maner and measure of it 1. There is a time for all things a time to preach and a time to pray Eccle. 3. and a time for worke a time also for recreation and it is a point of wisedome to fit every worke to its best time and season and the fitnesse of the season is a great furtherance to the worke which many times by unseasonablenes becomes unprofitable and gaines contempt It is without question then best received when mens minds are freest from distraction of worldly cares or pleasures and therefore the Sundayes and Holidayes are the fittest times for Preaching and not upon Market-dayes when men must be dilemm'd betweene the word of God and their worldly affaires and when some willingly others sometimes are necessitated to preferre their body and the world before their soules and Heaven and much lesse as if a sermon were of kin to a fiddle or a bagpipe to have preaching upon every merry meeting or feasting or at a Beare-baiting at which I once heard of a sermon made which cannot be but a prophanation of Gods Name and derogation from the honour of his ordinance Secondly For the manner of it it must bee done gravely with religious reverence for the edifying of men in their holy faith and godlines not vainely or with intermixture of Fables newes or passionate declamations for such prophane and vaine bablings will encrease unto 2 Tim. 2. 16. more ungodlinesse and their words will eat as doth a Gangrene edifying to nothing but sedition and the subversion of the Church Thirdly For the measure That cannot bee rightly done that is over-done and there may be a too-much even in the best things and spirituall food as well as corporall must bee taken with respect to the digestive faculty of the eaters The too-often and over-much taking of the best and daintiest fare begets loathing and contempt whereas the moderate use procures appetite helps digestion and mantaines their due esteeme and certainly there is nothing more advantagious to piety than to uphold the Majesties of the Priestly or ministeriall offices and among the rest of Preaching which cannot but bee impaired if it be either too often or out of due measure obtruded upon men for familiarity we know breeds contempt but retirednesse is the preserver of Majesties and rarity commends pleasures and makes them more delightfull and with moderation must needs make preaching pretious and become more acceptable which if it be not it cannot profit Besides Sermons must be ordered for their measure and length that they leave roome sufficient for solemne Prayers and other Divine Offices these must not bee curtall'd to lengthen them nor vilified by meanes of any new-devised formes of praier either ushering or following them And therefore when the Bishops to whom the care and charge of these things belong shall in their wisdomes thinke fit to use their just power to order and regulate Preachers and Sermons according to these rules they doe no wrong but right to the Word of God and what in duty they are bound to doe If Lectures be unseasonable or not in places fitting if they be upheld with faction abused and made nourishers of sedition male-contented thoughts or cast contempt upon the Pastorall charge and setled ministery To suppresse such Lectures and suspend such Preachers is but just and fit and others than such as have beene guilty in these or the like kindes have not received any such censure If Sermons upon the Lords day bee produced to that length that they justle out the Prayers of the Church or be become of that esteeme as that men shrinke up all religion into hearing or that they be of that straine that the ignorant may be ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth it is but reason that they both cut them shorter and provide for the due esteem of other religious duties and for the instruction of the ignorant by turning Sermons into catechising and if that be abused too and that men in stead of laying the foundation and teaching the first principles of the Oracles of God which is the true catechizing shall soare aloft and adventure upon the most high and abstruse points in Divinity and notwithstanding his Majesties Declaration to the contrary shall deliver the doctrines of Election and Reprobation and that in such wise as to make God the author of sinne and obduration in sinne which is blasphemy in the highest degree if men use to catechise after this manner as some of late have done is it not high time to reduce men to the prescribed platforme of the Church Catechisme which even in the bare questions and answers as it is there set forth cannot bee denied without extreame ignorance or impudent malice to containe the principles of Christian Religion and whatsoever is necessary to be known of those for whom it was intended for the fitting of them for the receiving of the Lords Supper Lastly if Sermon-prayers shall bee used as libels as some have used them or be exalted above the prayers of the Church as with too many they are it cannot but bee much better to tie men to the forme prescribed in the Canon which was the old use of these prayers in this Church and to shut up all in the Lords Prayer which is without all contradiction the most absolute patterne of prayer and the summe of all rightly-conceived petitions My conclusion then is that the Reverend Bishops doing these things upon these grounds and no otherwise and upon other grounds they have done nothing in this kinde are unjustly charged to take away the key of knowledge whose right use by these meanes is preserved and